- Dinner served Monday through Saturday
- Wagyu livestock and Kobe beef
- Gourmet Emporium Market
- Fine dining at its best
- 200 acre farm
When her husband, Pete, began a sports insurance business out of the basement of their home in 1989, Alice Eshelman certainly couldn’t have imagined it would someday morph into the restaurant— or perhaps better termed the fine-dining empire—that it is today. But no matter the original business plan, the insurance company is in the past for Pete and Alice, and what remains at hand is what’s important: delicious, gourmet dishes at the nationally known restaurant, Joseph Decuis, in Roanoke.
Pete now calls himself a CEO and farmer; he runs a 200-acre farm six miles down the road from Joseph Decuis. There, he raises Wagyu livestock, a breed of cattle native to Japan that produces world-renowned Kobe beef, and free-range hens. The Eshelmans also grow many of the herbs and vegetables served at the restaurant; what they don’t grow themselves, they purchase from “like-minded” organic farms in the region. Alice refers to her role in the family business as a “proprietor.” Some years back, her culinary prowess was what led to the birth of Joseph Decuis.
The restaurant, named after one of Pete’s Creole ancestors, can offer approximately 125 guests a seat in any one of six dining rooms: The Exhibition room features a view of the bustling kitchen; the Club includes a bar and formal dining room in the original bank building; the Victorian-style Conservatory provides al-fresco dining; the New Orleans-style Courtyard surrounds guests with lush gardens; and the Gallery Board Room and Chairman’s Office spaces are perfect for private business meetings and dinners.
Also on the grounds is a farmers-market-like gourmet Emporium, from which customers can purchase soups, gumbos, chowders, bisques and sauces, as well as its beef and vegetable offerings. There’s also the master kitchen, which the Eshelmans refer to as the Culinarium, where chefs routinely ideate, teach and test dishes. And down the road sits The Inn at Joseph Decuis, a quaint, turn-of-the-century bed-and-breakfast just a short walk from the restaurant.
