Stacey Glassburn-Wilson, a restaurant princess and Starbucks’ white-chocolate mocha enthusiast, crafted a life she loves—one that is intertwined with her roots, resilience and love for her community. Growing up on the Near Northwest side of South Bend, Glassburn-Wilson’s journey into the culinary world began at age 14. A soda fountain in the Deluxe Sandwich Shop became the catalyst for sparking a lifelong passion for the restaurant business, eventually leading to her role as the owner of Yellow Cat Cafe.
“I always found this place to be home,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “People know me like people knew my mom. Though she has been gone for almost 20 years, she held a high position at the hospital. I came back here to make a little place for other people to come home to.”
After attending a university in upstate Illinois with aspirations to be an educator, Glassburn-Wilson found herself in the hotel industry by accident. A chance question about her ability to cook eggs led to her first kitchen job and eventually paved the way to being a cook at Holidays Inns in Chicago and St. Louis. Despite not obtaining formal culinary training, Glassburn-Wilson’s passion unfolded and eventually led her back to South Bend in 1991.
“I owned Lincolnway Cafe in Mishawaka, which is now Gio’s, and I had heard somebody bought Cedar House around the corner and was putting in a breakfast restaurant,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “Cedar House was around for almost 40 years before they signed their last lease in 2007; I used to ride on the truck with my grandfather for breakfast over to Cedar House. When the guy who owned the building came into town to get his keys back from those being let out of their contract, I knew it had to be mine.”
Glassburn-Wilson’s confidence steered the Cedar House owner back to Missouri, where he began drawing up the papers. Little did the owner know that Glassburn-Wilson only had $1,100 in the bank and miraculously had to find a sufficient sum to obtain the lease and renovate. After an impromptu evening at Evil Czech Brewery, under the classic beer club mugs, her epiphany surfaced in the middle of the night.
“I woke up and decided to sell Lifetime coffee mugs,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “My now-manager and good friend helped me put up flyers, and I sold 100 Lifetime, numbered coffee mugs for $200 a piece. That is where I got my money.”
Glassburn-Wilson, now the owner of the former Cedar House restaurant, began on a transformative journey to her now-renamed Yellow Cat Cafe. She and her team worked to preserve original features like the 1972 desert cooler and many of the original booths. While upholding the historic ingenuity of the restaurant, she made it her mission to create an atmosphere welcoming for the Michiana community and her staff.
“Places like this are places that put the community back together. It is a super safe space and we know everybody,” Glassburn-Wilson said. “There is something really good and genuine needed in that.”
Yellow Cat Cafe lives up to its reputation of inviting all who wander into its cozy, nostalgic atmosphere. Deriving its name from a pair of yellow, outdoor cats that Stacey’s son grew attached to – one that passed away the first year of opening and the other that lived to almost 21 – the duo-kitty legacy adds a personal touch to the establishment’s name and is a conversation-starter to the many local students and regular patrons who have become a family under the cafe’s roof.
“I love that people come in, meet other people, and bring their friends,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “More than anything, I also love when students come back. When they move their brothers and sisters into the dorm, when their girlfriends are graduating, and they come back. We get to be real close.”
Glassburn-Wilson also relishes in opportunities to not only feed the community but to give back beyond the walls of Yellow Cat Cafe. A spontaneous Christmas project with Madison STEAM Academy in South Bend continues to grow with support each year. What began during the pandemic as a Christmas dinner/gift bag delivery for first graders who had never been taken to a sit-down restaurant or experienced Christmas merriment has now transformed into a grand charity event for both staff and the community.
“I am never going to be a rich restaurateur, but someday, when I am gone, I hope that every first grade kid in South Bend can have that same kind of party,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “We put together gift bags for these kids with hats, gloves, bubbles, body wash, bandaids, combs, hair ties, chapstick, shampoo, coloring books, crayons, school supplies, toys, stuffed animals, hot chocolate, and cookie decorating kits for the families. We get to read the kids a story; we want them to have a letter from Santa Clause to show the power of sharing their gifts with their families, friends and neighbors.”
The joy and gratitude from these underprivileged children are an annual source of joy and aspiration for Glassburn-Wilson. Looking ahead, she hopes to expand her Christmas project to more schools and create positive memories for kids in the area. For last year and this year, she exudes great appreciation for the South Bend Elks Lodge for providing a space for the kids and to former principal Deb Martin of Madison STEAM Academy for first consenting to the project.
“I think a lot of people think of us because they know we do this kind of work,” said Glassburn-Wilson. “I think our Christmas event is a cool way to give back and do something good. Coming up will be our sixth year doing it.”
Glassburn-Wilson’s love for Yellow Cat Cafe and the connections it has brought to the Michiana community continues to glow. Her decision to stay in South Bend continues to offer a welcoming atmosphere for daily guests and regulars alike. As the countdown to Christmas begins, her and her team’s steadfast commitment to creating a positive, nourishing impact will also serve as a beacon of light for other local businesses to follow suit.