Two women entrepreneurs are expanding their unique businesses, thanks to the Illinois Made Program, which is exposing them to a broader, more diverse customer base, boosting sales and introducing their mouth-watering products to thousands of the state’s visitors.
The lucky business owners are Jana Farmer, owner of Ms. Jana’s Candy located at 1649 Montgomery Road, Unit #10, in Aurora, Illinois, and Dominique Leach, owner of Lexington Betty Smokehouse restaurant, located at 756 E. 111th St., in the historic Pullman community.
Everyone calls Farmer simply Ms. Jana. Growing up in Los Angeles, children did not call adults by their first name; so, she goes by Ms. Jana to her many faithful customers. She is unique in that Ms. Jana began her successful business at the age of 67.
Married to Ernie Farmer for 56 years, who is also her bookkeeper, Ms. Jana is a seamstress by trade, but she likes to cook, especially for her mother who would ask her to buy peanut brittle candy all the time.
Ms. Jana got fed up buying the peanut brittle and learned how to make her own brittle candy. She made the confection for her mother until she passed in 2014.
Following her mother’s passing, she continued to make candy, giving it away until 2016, when her cousin in Dallas, Texas, asked her to send candy for her women’s group. Ms. Jana sent one box of candy, and in 2017, the group requested she send five boxes of candy.
In January of 2018, Ms. Jana made up her mind to make candy and sell it on the internet. “I made up my mind to become an internet sensation, and all I had to begin my business were three pots and three thermometers.”
After registering herself into a commercial kitchen, Ms. Jana launched her candy business with the help of her son Ken, who had just returned from the military. He was looking for work, and she offered him a job helping her with the candy business. Her son has been making candy ever since and is the heir apparent to the business.
Ms. Jana specializes in making corporate gift boxes for special events. She customizes the gift boxes using her customers’ company logos and event information.
A popular item is Ms. Jana’s in-house-made-butter-based candy, including toffee, caramel and both peanut and pecan brittle. “I made peanut brittle for my mom and pecan brittle for my mother-in-law. I made candy for the people I love, and now I make it for everybody,” she said.
When people come to her store for the first time, she gives them lots of free candy. “I believe everybody should be a kid in a candy store at least once in their life.”
For Mother’s Day, May 11, Ms. Jana, herself a mother of four, is offering customers a deep, extra dark, smooth Queen box of chocolate. Her Mother’s Day featured candy can only be purchased online. She named her Mother’s Day special candy “Queen” chocolate because, to her, all mothers are “Queens.”
If readers are looking for candy for their wife, husband, friend or co-worker, they can visit her store and purchase her brittle specialty, and other homemade candies, or order them over the internet.
You won’t forget the aroma of freshly made candy or the personal mom-like greeting you will receive from Ms. Jana, who loved to spoil her mother, and who now enjoys spoiling her customers.
Ms. Jana’s also offers meals and interactive games while customers’ orders are being completed. “It’s fun stuff,” she said, and she gives away prizes.
She also holds a workshop where she teaches people how to make a candy confection called a turtle, and how to roll caramel. “We give you warm dark or milk chocolate, fruit, pretzels, and that is all going home with you. You just be a little kid in our candy store.”
Ms. Jana said she is grateful to be a part of the Illinois Made Program, and that it is a “really good deal for us and an awesome responsibility. We love it,” she said.
Ms. Jana’s website is Msjanascandy.com or call 630.340.4006.
Dominique Leach is another member of the Illinois Made Program. Opening her Lexington Betty Smokehouse restaurant, located in the historic Pullman community, has been a challenge, but one she overcame. Her doors have been open for the past five years.
Her dream of opening a restaurant was put on hold in 2017 after someone threw a Molotov Cocktail at her brand-new food truck, an experience that didn’t break her entrepreneurial spirit. Rather, it renewed her determination to open her own restaurant.
“I dealt with the trauma. It was just life in America.”
Shrugging off the temporary setback, Leach said she soon became optimistic and got back to work.
Leach replaced her food truck and picked up where she left off. “I opened three restaurant locations” and because of the downturn in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she sold two of her restaurants and kept the third one on 111th Street.
There, Chef Leach began cooking up a storm, serving her customers platefuls of mouth-watering barbecue dinners with soul food side dishes like macaroni and cheese, candied yams, Boston baked beans, cornbread, smoked chicken, pulled pork and Wagyu Dogs that are now available in all 44 Mariano’s stores.
In-house diners can begin their meal with appetizers like loaded nachos or loaded fries, Doritos, Nacho Cheese and of course her famous Betty BBQ Sauce topped with lettuce, Pico de Gallo and jalapeno peppers.
Diners can add smoked chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, grilled jerk shrimp and grilled cabbage slaw.
Also available, diners may select a platter of smoked chicken that includes one side and a corn muffin, or smoked chicken wings that include seasoned fries, or a plateful of Brisket Mac & Cheese with the choice of vegan options.
For particular eaters, there is a Pulled Jack Fruit sandwich with cole slaw, pickles and seasoned fries. There are many more selections, including salads and sandwiches, like her salmon burger or vegan sandwich, her famous Wagyu Dog, which is a meal in itself, with greens and cornbread muffins. For dessert, Leach offers her delicious banana pudding.
Cooking since the age of 12 when she baked peanut butter cookies, Leach, who has worked in some of Chicago’s best regarded restaurants, said it is gratifying to see people enjoy what she creates.
Like Farmer, Leach said it is nice to be recognized in Illinois for her local products, thanks to the Illinois Made Program. “I am glad that they showed an interest in me,” she stated.
The Illinois Made Program celebrates small businesses and includes them in the state’s Traveler’s Guide and other tourism information. The program helps drive more customers to the highlighted businesses.