Schulenburg Native Builds On Family Restaurant Legacy

Positively Inspirational

In this monthly series, local realtor Andrea Schutter Riebeling does a Q & A with local business leaders about what inspires them.

This month’s interview is with Holly Czimskey of Tillie’s Cafe in Schulenburg.

1.) What is your business?

I am Holly Czimskey, and my husband Mike and I proudly own MHC Brands LLC, the company behind Tillie’s Cafe in downtown Schulenburg. Tillie’s is a gourmet coffee shop and cafe that offers coffee drinks, smoothies, wine, cocktails, and beer, along with breakfast and lunch. We are open Monday through Friday from 7 am to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The kitchen starts serving breakfast, or brekkie as we refer to it, at 8 a.m. each day. Since opening, menu items reference things like Willy Wonka, Star Wars, Rainbow Brite, Princess Bride, Ghost, Sandlot, and many more. Customers get a kick out of seeing what silly names we might come up with.

2.) How did you get started?

My grandmother was Olga Brosch, proprietor of the Bluebonnet Cafe and Olga’s Cafe, historic Flatonia and Schulenburg staples respectively. As a child, I spent summers in the kitchen of Olga’s, helping my grandparents with taking orders and serving diners. Tillie’s was born in June of 2019, rallied through the trying times of Covid and later moved into its current renovated space in March of 2021.

3.) How long have you been in business?

We formally started our business in 2019 with the purchase of an existing coffee shop that was located two doors down. We rebranded to Tillie’s Cafe and began rolling out specialty drinks and lunch offerings.

4.) Is this a Family or Female business?

We are a family based business. As owners we are both very involved with dayto- day operations, and our son Graylen started working in the kitchen when he turned 16. My youngest sister, Sami, helped get the business up and running in its first couple of years and now my middle sister Chelsea, is one of the two managers that make sure everything runs smoothly. We very much consider ourselves a family.

5.) What kind of service do you provide?

We are in the business of providing quality food and drink experiences in a fun environment. We make a lot of items in house from scratch and pair it with quality, fresh ingredients to create a lighter fare lunch that has earned us excellent reviews. We offer gourmet sandwiches, salads, and soups along with burgers and numerous other items. Our Munchies, shoestring french fries sprinkled with our own blend of garlic and herb seasonings, have developed a cult following in the area. Some customer favorites include a delicious cheesy reuben on marbled rye, a hearty cuban sandwich piled with our own special roasted pork, ham and salami, and a hand breaded chicken thigh sandwich called the Cluck Yeah that features our house made pickles. Our veggie wrap is a great choice for vegans, the chicken salad is safe for those with nut allergies, and we offer gluten free bread and buns to accommodate additional specialty diets.

6.) Tell me something unique about your business?

Tillie’s is named after Otilia Kocian, my great grandmother. The business is housed just a few doors down from where the Kocian family had their own bakery in downtown Schulenburg. Otilia’s twin brother was Otto Kocian, Sr., father to the former late mayor, Otto Kocian, Jr.

7.) What is your background?

I am a Schulenburg native who graduated from Schulenburg High in 1999. After attending the University of Texas Red McCombs School of Business in Austin for two years, I graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Furnishings Merchandising with minors in business and art.

Mike grew up in Round Rock, where he graduated from Round Rock High School in 1999. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Mike has been an active member of the Schulenburg Volunteer Fire Department since 2011.

8.) What do you suggest to others who want to venture out and take a leap of action in the future of their career?

Just do it. There is never a right time, and you have to be willing to take risks. I used to be very timid when it came to taking risks, but realized it was what held me back from moving forward. As an entrepreneur, you have to be okay with setbacks and the possibility of failing. We’ve adapted along the way to find the right mix of products and services that our customers have come to know and love.

9.) Do you believe in college, trade school, or any training?

It might be counter to what a lot of people think, but we are not proponents of the ideal that everyone should go to college. We have always told our son that he just has to have a plan. If the career he wants requires college, then we would support that. But we place high value on the trades and secondary training opportunities as well. Although we are both college graduates, we learned many valuable skills from former job experiences, and that has served to put us where we are today.

10.) How did you decide to make Schulenburg your home?

Mike moved here for a job opportunity and, luckily, it led to our meeting and later dating. After getting married, we decided to make Schulenburg our long term home.