By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — Martha Susilawati wants to spread joy throughout the city with her cooking, and in doing so introduce Rockford to authentic cuisine from her home country.
The native of Surabaya, Indonesia, is preparing to open a new restaurant that specializes in Indonesian food but also blends in other Asian fare.
She and her sister, Juliawati Caudell, hope to open Bento & Bowl at 3206 S. Alpine Road within about two months. For now, they’re busy renovating a vacant space that was once home to China Express and later Jamaica on the Grill.
“I want to make food as authentic as in Indonesia,” Susilawati said. “So when you go there and you eat here, it will taste the same.”
More news: Hard Rock marks key construction milestone on path to 2024 opening
Susilawati has lived in Rockford since 2006, and she said she’s never found a restaurant here that specializes in Indonesian cuisine. In fact, when you search Yelp for the top Indonesian restaurants in Rockford the only result is an ad for Panda Express.
“Right now, I know Indonesian food is not popular yet,” she said. “Some people might not recognize it’s Indonesian food because our food, sometimes, is similar to Chinese food, too.”
Susilawati hopes to create new fans of Indonesian food in Rockford. At Bento & Bowl you’ll get Indonesian staples like beef rendang, which was ranked as the world’s No. 1 food in a 2017 poll by CNN.
Rendang is a tender beef that is slowly stewed in coconut milk and a mixture of spices that can include galangal, garlic, turmeric, ginger and lemongrass.
You can also try Indonesian yellow curry and a multitude of noodle dishes.
“If you are a noodle lover, come here,” Susilawati said. “I will make some special noodles with different toppings, and if you’re a noodle lover then you’re going to love it.”
More restaurants: Mo’s Coffee and Cafe in downtown Rockford serves healthy food your mouth remembers
The family-run business, which has also had help setting up from Susilawati’s eldest brother, Janur Soegianto, will offer a variety of other Asian food including Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Laotian dishes. She’s eager to start cooking for customers.
“That brings me joy,” she said. “I’m really excited for this place to be open soon, because I want to make everybody happy with what I cook for them.”
The restaurant is moving into a strip mall with multiple vacancies, the latest of which happened last year when Subway moved across the street to a former Taco John’s at 3629 S. Alpine Road.
But Susilawati and Karen Hobbs, the founder and owner of KH Food Safety Consulting and Services, see potential for the location. The restaurant is along the roadway between U.S. Highway 20 and Collins Aerospace, one of Rockford’s largest employers. There are also nearby homes, apartments and recreation opportunities such as Sandy Hollow Golf Course and Skateland. Approximately 21,200 cars pass by the strip mall each day, according to Illinois Department of Transportation data.
“We do have traffic here,” Hobbs said. “It’s a matter of letting the people know that you’re here.”
More news: Follow the money? City Council members on both sides of Barber-Colman vote have labor support
Hobbs said that Bento & Bowl could help spur more interest in the strip center. Since they’ve been working on the renovations, she said they’ve already seen potential investors walk through some of the space.
“I do believe that since this strip mall has been vacant for quite some time, Martha will be the catalyst. Once she opens there will be more traffic,” Hobbs said. “Hopefully, very soon sometime this year and the following year, this whole space will be filled and each tenant will help each other and support each other.”
Hobbs, a former Winnebago County Health Department employee, helps clients like Susilawati navigate food safety compliance and provides other consulting and advocacy as they launch their business. The native of the Philippines takes particular pride in helping fellow immigrants open their first business.
“As a former immigrant myself, and now a citizen, to help another immigrant get their dream come true is high heaven for me,” Hobbs said.
More news: Former Elliot Golf Course to be used as farmland, but it’s an interim step before future development
Now that’s exactly what Susilawati is doing. She’s worked in food service for about a decade, from the front to the back of restaurants, and has long wanted to open her own space.
“This is my dream to have my own business,” Susilawati said. “I love cooking and I want to try it on my own. I love to make everybody happy with the food that I cook.”
Quick facts | Bento & Bowl
Where: 3206 S. Alpine Road, Rockford
On the web: instagram.com/bentoandbowl_rockford
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas