**Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College**
Chris Adams Velloff ’82 owns specialty sandwich shop in nearby Alton, which she runs with her daughter.
In Alton, Illinois, a Monmouth College graduate has put her own spin on a “mom and pop” business.
Chris Adams Velloff ’82 and her daughter, Erin, are the proprietors of The Brown Bag Bistro, an eatery on the Land of Lincoln side of the greater St. Louis area that features specialty sandwiches and mouthwatering desserts, including the gooey butter cakes that originated – legend has it by accident – in St. Louis.
The restaurant’s success is no accident, though, as Velloff has combined her passion for real estate and a collection of family recipes with Erin’s wide range of business and marketing skills.
“My daughter is my full-time business partner, and we make a great team. The timing was perfect. We opened in April (2017), and Erin has been here from Day One.” – Chris Velloff
“My daughter is my full-time business partner, and we make a great team,” said Velloff, who opened the restaurant in 2018, just a few months after Erin graduated from the University of South Carolina the previous December. “The timing was perfect. We opened in April, and Erin has been here from Day One. She handles everything from A to Z – she does the scheduling and payroll, and the marketing is all her. From the computer to working the floor, she does it all.”
The family business has a family feel, stressing customer service along with unique sandwiches. An excellent example of the latter is The Wadlow, which pays tribute to one of Alton’s favorite sons, Guinness world-record holder Robert Wadlow, who stood not just 8-foot-11, but, said Velloff, “Eight-foot-11 and a half.”
“It’s a giant sub with 19 different ingredients,” including fried bologna, roast beef, turkey and ham, said Velloff. “But our most popular sandwich is The Bistro Club, which is made on a really soft ciabatta bread – it’s not chewy like most ciabattas – and it’s topped with our in-house-made cranberry aioli.”
Also not to be missed is The Stuffed Sicilian, featuring loaf-shaped, cheese-stuffed meatballs served on buttery garlic Texas toast with melted provolone. And if it’s a Rueben sandwich – named for Velloff’s parents, the Sammy Roo has corned beef and the Rosie Roo has turkey – “it’s not thousand island dressing out of a jar. It’s our own version that we make in-house.”
If you’re picturing Velloff providing a televised behind-the-scenes look at how each of the bistro’s “17 or 18” different types of bread is made, or how she prepares a big batch of cranberry aioli, you’re not alone. Velloff said the TV cameras haven’t come yet, but she’s not ruling it out, either.
“We’ve always said Guy (Fieri) would love it,” she said of the host of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
“I’m here in Alton, Illinois, just a few miles from the Gateway Arch, where a mom and her daughter are knocking out scrumptious, one-of-a-kind sandwiches and the amazing gooey butter cakes that helped make St. Louis famous. This is The Gateway to Flavortown. This is The Brown Bag Bistro.”
Her Monmouth origin story
Just to the south of Alton – and directly adjacent to East Alton – is the town of Wood River, and that’s where Velloff grew up. Her connection to Monmouth is the same as most students from that era and area.
“I was an Irma Allen recruit,” she said of the admission counselor from nearby Jerseyville, who served Monmouth College from 1976-93. “Monmouth was close to home, and it was small. I graduated from high school a year early, so I was barely 17. I knew I wanted a small school.”
“I was an Irma Allen recruit. Monmouth was close to home, and it was small. I graduated from high school a year early, so I was barely 17. I knew I wanted a small school.” – Chris Velloff
At Monmouth, Velloff studied biology with professors such as Bob Buchholz – her adviser – and John Ketterer, whom she called “an amazing man.” She was also active in Greek life, joining Pi Beta Phi. Her daughters followed in her footsteps, becoming Pi Phis at South Carolina and at Bradley University.
“But Monmouth was small enough so that I made friends who were in Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Delta, too,” said Velloff. “I always appreciated that about my time at Monmouth.”
Velloff studied biology with the initial goal of becoming a veterinarian, and she earned a master’s a degree from Western Illinois University. She worked for the better part of two decades as a research biologist at Washington University in St. Louis before shifting gears to real estate.
“I went into business with my brother, flipping homes and acquiring rental properties,” said Velloff, who has several Airbnbs in the Alton area.
But the most important property she acquired was the one at 318 East Broadway in Alton, where The Brown Bag Bistro bills itself as an “American cafe offering sandwiches, salads and soups in a casual space with a patio,” which in the summertime is a great place to enjoy one of the establishment’s popular lemon-blueberry gooey butter cakes.
Guy, you gotta check it out!
