Risto's Place ~ Food & Spirits

Sheryl & Risto Toukola purchased the restaurant in 1999 and operated it as Mayo's Ristorante. In 2007, Risto accidentally lost his life and Sheryl recently renamed the restaurant "Risto's Place" in his honor.

Risto left his mark on Sheryl's life and he continues to be with her in the form of a yellow butterfly. Sound's crazy? It's not. On a warm winter day in January 2008, Sheryl was having lunch at an outside cafe when a yellow butterfly landed on the railing beside her. It just sat there while she ate. Who ever heard of a butterfly in January? Since then, the yellow butterfly continued to appear to her many times in many places. When Sheryl's granddaughter sees a yellow butterfly, she shouts with joy, "There's Papa Risto!" This phenomenon is the impetus that led to the creation of the butterfly in Risto's Place logo, and the reason Sheryl wears a butterfly necklace every day. Corny, maybe, but true.

It is said that every restaurant must have a specialty. Sheryl's specialty is fresh food, made from scratch with produce and fruits from the local farmer' market. Herbs are all home-grown, desserts homemade daily, soups and sauces simmer long hours on the stove and not heated from a can. Sheryl serves only fresh fish caught in the wild in American waters. Hers is the only restaurant in town that serves bonafide Black Angus Omaha Beef. Sausages, salamis and cheeses are still sent to Sheryl from specialty stores in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (GO STEELER'S!!!)

Sheryl & Risto Toukola purchased the restaurant in 1999 and operated it as Mayo's Ristorante.