NIU graduates Adam Siemiaszko and Darren Lim have joined together with friends to bring an Italian flavor to DeKalb with new restaurant, Rosemary.

Owning and running a restaurant has been a long-time dream for these NIU grads, and now it has become a reality.

“There were a lot of steps along the way where we were like, ‘Are we really doing this,’” Siemiaszko said. “It really wasn’t until the day it opened where we were like, ‘Well, I guess we really are doing this.’ We’re having to pinch ourselves every day.”

Siemiaszko and Lim, along with head chef Randy Gardner, developed the idea while working at The House, 263 E. Lincoln Highway.

“Darren and I had been tossing around the idea for a long time,” Siemiaszko said. “We actually considered opening up something similar to Pita Pete’s, something smaller and fast. We didn’t really intend to be in a place this size, but the space became available; we toured it and liked it.”

They joined with co-owner Matthew Mangino and started the task of turning their dream into reality. The process was a tedious one, Siemiaszko said, and their grand opening was almost more than they could handle.

“We combined our grand opening with Valentine’s Day, so we figured out a lot of the kinks we needed to work out on the first night,” said Siemiaszko. “That was about as busy as we could have possibly been.”

Since then, the owners have reported strong sales and a steady customer base.

“This has been a restaurant space for like 30 years. The Fyfe and Drum was here and Matthew Boone’s, then Booker T’s. So, this is a known restaurant space and has a lot of history.”

In fact, the building has a personal history for Siemiaszko.

“I had my graduation reception for the history department in this building.” he said. “So, it’s kind of neat. In ‘97 I was here, and it was a completely different place.”

The restaurant is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and Sunday morning for brunch. They have a late-night menu from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. during the week.