ALONG CAME THE FOX FAMILY

In May 2020, Lauren and Yo Fox moved from Southern California to Monticello.  Why you ask?  Well, there are two main reasons why.  First, because Lauren has had a passion for horses since she was a kid and now rescues horses whenever possible.  Second, because Chicago, with their kids and grandkids, is only a 2-hour drive away.

Now that takes us to an early Friday evening in mid-January 2021, and Lauren and Yo were ready to have their first date night since the beginning of the pandemic.  After a quick online search, they found the Monticello House with the restaurant it was housing at that time.  An hour later, they were standing in front of a completely dark Monticello House with a for sale sign and all. This is when the wheels started turning!  Over the next couple of weeks, they had researched the rich history of Monticello and the Monticello House, as well as the dining and entertainment options in Green County.  While there are more than a few popular drinking establishments in Green County, there was a limited amount of unique eateries and even fewer places that mom and dads could take their children. It became quite clear that there was a real void that needed to be filled.  Possibly more importantly, the center of Monticello Wisconsin, the adopted town for Lauren and Yo, needed a serious makeover! Within a matter of days, both of their adult children traveled up to Monticello and quickly jumped on board.

Next, they made a call to a lifelong family friend, Chef Jon Rosenberg from Chicago.  Chef Jon has had a passion for BBQ for more than 2 decades.  Soon after, Chef Jon traveled up to Monticello to survey the Monticello House.  Like Lauren and Yo, Jon quickly became enamored with Monticello and all the possibilities.

THE PINK HEIFER SALOON AND SMOKEHOUSE WAS BORN

When deciding on a name for the Saloon and Smokehouse, homage was paid to Lauren’s parents.  Taking her maiden name as a starting point, Pinkham, they went through several iterations.  Pink Cow? No. Pink Holstein? No. Pink Pig? No.

Pink Heifer?  Yes!!. The Pink Heifer Saloon and Smokehouse was born!

Leveraging the history of the building and the town, the three of them quickly came up with the concept of a high end looking Saloon from the late 1800’s and a smokehouse restaurant whose dining room would resemble the outside of an old west town!

Since the purchase of the Monticello House in June 2021, the Pink Heifer has completed a floor to ceiling, wall to wall renovation. This includes a completely new roof, cleaning and repairing of all bricks and stonework, exposing and replacing the 4 large windows in front (after being covered for 40+ years), new walkout deck on Main Street for the Saloon, painting and more. The interior was completely gutted and remodeled. This includes the entire bar area, floors, ceiling, walls, bathrooms, sizable stage and beautiful new bar (front and back)! The Kitchen has seen some of the most updating! Including new floors (down to the joists), new walls (down to the studs), new ceiling, new plumbing, new electrical and new appliances!! This Dining Room has new floors, ceiling and an entirely new décor.

When you walk into the dining room, you are transported back to an old west town from the late 1800’s.  You will find Black Jack’s Livery Stable, Birdie’s Dance Hall (which includes the entrance to our soon to be remodeled banquet facility), the old post office, as well as Frontier Bank.  If you have thoughts of robbing the bank, you will have to dodge the sheriff, whose office is just next door!  In fact, the sheriff’s office, is a semi private dining area, that in comes equipped with two jail cells that can seat as many as 10 hungry customers each!