The Transfer Co., Event Space

04/25/2025

Busy weekend with a rehearsal dinner this evening and then a flip right into prom for the School for the Visually Impaired. rehearsal dinner

04/20/2025

Easter is a time to rejoice and be thankful for the gift of life, love, and joy.

04/18/2025

The painting is coming along and going strong thanks to Jaime and Michael! Be sure to schedule your appointment to visit the newest space “The Venue at the Mark”!

04/15/2025

Such an honor to have made amazing friends and to be able to collaborate with each other to bring more growth and opportunities to Jacksonville and our surrounding communities.

04/14/2025

The Venue room is getting a fresh coat of paint and the flower garden has been started. Stay tuned, great spaces coming!

04/13/2025

We are so excited to be bringing a 2nd location to our community. Perfect for weddings, parties, family reunions, graduations and more! Stay tuned for updates and pictures!

04/10/2025

Plan your next party The Transfer Co., Event Space.

04/08/2025

We’ve been seeing so many great Bridal Shower Themes, what’s your favorite?

04/06/2025

People do not always give small towns the credit they deserve for the amazing talent among us. What an amazing culinary journey.

We’re thrilled to kick off our chef spotlight series with a sneak peek at the First Course —and trust us, it’s a showstopper.

Chef Andrew Deuel brings creativity and passion to every plate, read his profile below!

🎟️ We’re down to the **last 20 tickets**—don’t miss your chance to experience this curated culinary celebration in downtown Jacksonville!

📅 May 4 📍 In the streets in front of 310 East State Street
🎫 Grab your seat now: https://givebutter.com/qt32fc

With Midwestern roots that took hold in Ohio, Andrew Deuel brings an international flair to the cuisine he serves at the Little Stove.

Deuel spent considerable time studying and cooking in Italy before returning to the United States and working at renowned restaurants in New York and Chicago where he honed the skills that now delight diners in west-central Illinois.

Deuel has always had an interest in food and cooking.

“I was born this way. I have drawings back from the second grade of me drawing figures with chef’s hats. I rented the Sesame Street cookbook from the library 13 times in a row before anyone else signed the book out,” Deuel said.

The name of his restaurant comes from a favorite toy from his youth, an antique miniature electric stove that came from Italy. His mother would pull it out on rainy days, Deuel said, and while it worked, it only got about hot enough to fry an egg.

Before his formal training, Deuel worked from cookbooks. He fondly recalls the first time he tasted bearnaise sauce while on a family vacation.

“I tasted the bearnaise sauce on the filet mignon and thought right away that I needed to learn how to make this sauce. It took some doing, but I found all of the ingredients and tried replicating the sauce (from Julia Child’s cookbook), but it was an absolute disaster. It wasn’t anything close to what I tasted, but I thought, ‘I am going to learn how to do this,’” Deuel said.

Deuel graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, then earned a master’s degree in Italian cuisine from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Costigliole D’asti, Italy. He interned at a two Michelin star restaurant in Italy before working extensively in New York and Chicago.

With that in mind. it’s not surprising he describes his cooking style as northern Italian, with a little bit of French influence.

“My cooking is very much from scratch and I am a believer of doing things in-house. If I am doing a pasta dish, I am intent on doing everything I can to make it in-house from scratch,” Deuel said.

Deuel and his wife, Liz Tracy, moved to Jacksonville from Chicago after she finished law school and began practicing in Springfield and he became the executive chef of Hagel 1891 in Mount Sterling, where he worked for five years.

“We ended up in Jacksonville so we could split our commute. COVID happened and we saw some opportunities in Jacksonville and some restaurant voids we thought we could fill, so we opened the Little Stove a little more than three years ago,” Deuel said.

Deuel uses a lot of local produce and said finding local farm-raised chicken eggs is important, too. He also gets his meat from Jones Meat & Locker, saying they “do a phenomenal job.” Deuel also loves to go to farmers markets to see what looks best and what inspires him.

“If it is local and in-season, it is going to taste better than something you find in the store that’s been on a plane or been in a boat and grown who knows where. It’s all about freshness and flavor. If you don’t use local, you don’t know what you are going to get. It might look like celery and smell like celery, but if it tastes like cardboard, that will affect your recipe,” Deuel said.

“Coming up with something new is very fulfilling. My favorite part is to watch someone take the first bite of something I’m really proud of and see their reaction and know I was able to share some joy … some happiness with my food,” Deuel said.

“Jacksonville is a great community and you get to know your customers. You recognize faces and learn names. You know what they are going to order and what they like and don’t like. It’s a personal community and some of that gets lost in big cities like New York and Chicago,” Deuel said.

Chef profile written credit: Dave Dawson

Enjoy Illinois thelittlestove_

04/06/2025

Want to know what we have been up to? Be sure to follow along to stay up to date on our exciting new adventures.

04/05/2025

It’s a boy! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your special moments with The Transfer Co., Event Space.

04/05/2025

Book your birthday celebration today! Book Now - 217-408-8878

04/03/2025

We are so blessed to be part of this community and so many other great things happening around town and such new growth still happening. Be sure to check out all the great local owned businesses within our community. See you out there!

03/30/2025

Baby shower prep this morning!

03/24/2025

Our cute little settee was front and center for the photo sessions with the Easter Bunny and Spring photography. You set up a beautiful backdrop Turner's Photography. Great job!👏

03/23/2025

Be sure to get your photo with the Easter Bunny today!!!

Come see the Easter bunny! This Sunday March 23 @ The Transfer Co., Event Space from 1-2pm. $10 for 3 digital images. No appointment needed just walk in.