GALENA, Ill. — As the sun rises each morning in Galena, Elaine Edgecomb and Luke Tierno are busy in the kitchen. On any given day, they might be preparing coffee cake, quiche and potato casserole or Belgian waffles, eggs and bacon.
“We make everything from scratch, and we try to source local ingredients as much as possible,” Edgecomb said. Whether it’s French toast or frittatas, the two-course morning meal is accompanied by fresh fruit and a variety of beverages, from hot coffee and tea to juices. “We take our breakfasts very seriously,” Tierno said.
It’s par for the course at Farmers Guest House, the Galena bed-and-breakfast that the pair own and operate with Luke Tierno’s father, Mark Tierno. The trio took ownership of the business just over five years ago and are the latest proprietors of the lodging property that has welcomed guests for more than 150 years. “It’s a lifestyle, and you’re giving yourself 100% to the job,” Luke said.
“We’ve really fallen in love with it.” The family’s journey to owning Farmers Guest House began when Mark retired after a career in higher education. He sought both a retirement gig and an opportunity to invest in a business with his son.
Soon thereafter, he, Luke and Edgecomb agreed to own and operate a bed-and-breakfast together. “Because I traveled a lot in my career, I stayed in a variety of different kinds of properties, and I’ve just come to really enjoy these small inns,” Mark said. “They provide a .