Ten different juicy gourmet burgers, wings with 11 homemade sauces, and cakes made from scratch are the lip-smacking signature items you’ll find at The Ville Bar and Grill (8893 US Hwy 61, on the corner of LA 66), the locally owned restaurant launched by entrepreneur and trained chef Tia Fulghum-Emery in fall, 2023.
“It was always a dream of mine,” Tia said. “Back in culinary school, the menu and business plan for my own restaurant was actually my final project.”
“I wanted to go with a local bank because, in my experience, smaller banks tend to work with you better," Tia Fulghum-Emery, owner.
A Michigan native and a trained nurse, Tia earned a degree in restaurant management and baking and pastry from the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge almost a decade ago. It took several years to fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant—being a mom and running her own medical clinic got in the way. The stars finally aligned last year. She found a fitting location at the corner of Highways 61 and 66 (the Angola Road), and opened The Ville, a homey bar and restaurant serving casual American fare. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offers bar specials, pool and karaoke, too.
“We’ve been doing great,” Tia said. “I’ve been told we have the best burger in St. Francisville.”
When it came to opening a business bank account, Tia turned to Bank of St. Francisville.
“I decided to go with the bank, because we're in St. Francisville,” she says matter-of-factly. “I wanted to go with a local bank because, in my experience, smaller banks tend to work with you better. And that’s been the case. It’s been great.”
Tia took advantage of BSF’s Basic Business Checking, a product designed for smaller businesses that features a free first order of checks, $100 minimum to open and $1,000 minimum balance.
“Basic Business Checking makes it easier for customers to avoid maintenance charges,” said BSF Relationship Banker Cameron Stokes, who assisted Tia and her business partner, Christopher Brown. “Customers also get up to 300 transaction items with no fees.”
Tia says she chose to open a restaurant in St. Francisville because it’s where her husband, Jarvis Emery, grew up. She says she’s enjoyed bringing her culinary style to the community.
The Ville serves a hot, homecooked breakfast and, at lunch, rotating Southern plate lunches like red beans and smothered steak. A standing lunch and dinner menu features burgers, wings, po’boys, fried seafood platters, and more. Tia also bakes scratch-made cakes in changing flavors like red velvet layer cake and turtle cheesecake.
Cameron recalls helping Tia open her account last year.
“I just remember Tia was so excited to start the journey of owning a business up here,” he said. “She was very enthusiastic about it. And I was just happy that I could help her. I've been to The Ville a couple times myself and have been impressed with the food and service.”
As Tia’s business grows, Cameron says he looks forward to helping her take advantage of other BSF business banking products, including anew treasury management system that gives companies the ability to originate ACH and wire transactions. Another feature, remote deposit capture, can be set up for businesses that need to deposit numerous checks on site rather than coming into a branch.
“That saves businesses a lot of time,” Cameron says. “And for a small business, time is money.”
