Cabbage Roll owner works to reopen with family support

By Chris Fortune

The support of friends and family is helping the owner of a popular German restaurant in St. Joseph get the doors to his establishment back open after the death of his longtime partner.

Patrons of the Cabbage Roll expressed concern when the restaurant closed on Nov. 20 that the doors would stay shut for good. Co-owner Larry Matt died on Dec. 5 after running the business with his partner Andy Halamar for more than 34 years.

“In 1989, we decided to open the restaurant, and the rest is history,” Halamar said. “People in St. Joe really like it. We have a lot of good customers, a lot of good friends.”

His support group of family and friends is helping during this difficult time. Halamar and Matt worked together as a couple for nearly 49 years.

“My family is awesome, and customers have really been super great, and it’s a day-by-day thing, but I think the restaurant’s going to help me cope a lot,” he said.

Members of Halamar’s family have since decided to help run the restaurant at 2641 Lafayette St. His sister, Heide Philips, will be cooking in place of Matt, and nieces and nephews also will be coming to work in the restaurant, giving him the help he needs to reopen.

“February the fifth is our opening date,” Halamar said. “But kind of don’t come on February the fifth, kind of give us a few days to kind of get things mellowed out.”

St. Joseph City Councilman Marty Novak is a friend of Halamar. The two grew up together on St. Joseph’s South Side, so Novak has been a customer since the Cabbage Roll opened.

“What’s nice about it is it’s a real quaint atmosphere, and they built a business that really — it’s friends going there,” Novak said. “You can’t go there to eat and not bump into somebody that you know.”

Novak said the restaurant’s reopening will be beneficial for Halamar and his patrons, who are like a small community waiting in anticipation for its return.

“It’s a big healing process as well because I know it was a tremendous loss for Andy losing Larry,” he said. “And I think that this will be a wonderful celebration.”

A great support system is keeping Halamar energized. He spent a recent morning baking a German chocolate cake for a friend’s birthday.

“My support group is awesome, and people keep telling me that I’m going to hit a brick wall, but I haven’t hit it yet,” Halamar said. “I don’t think I’m going to.”

Customers will notice a revamped menu when visiting Cabbage Roll, but don’t worry, the customer-favorite hamburger cabbage soup will still be there.

“We’re kind of switching stuff around a little bit, but it will still be the Cabbage Roll, and it will always be Andy and Larry,” he said.