Historic site available after staple of Versailles dining closed at end of 2020
A longtime Woodford County restaurant is gone. Melissa’s Cottage Cafe at 167 S. Main St. in Versailles closed at the end of 2020.
The cafe had been a staple of Versailles dining for almost 15 years. It opened in 2006, under owner Melissa Nickerson, who had worked as a cook at the Montgomery Inn bed-and-breakfast in Versailles.
With a menu of Southern favorites like fried catfish, cornbread and rhubarb pie, Melissa’s was a hit with locals and out-of-towners alike. A New York Times Travel piece in November 2007 recommended it to visitors.
In 2014, Nickerson retired and sold the restaurant, but new owner Manoosh Shaffi kept the name and menu until it closed over the winter when he retired and the lease was up.
Now, the owner of the historic building is looking for a new tenant. Lauren Paget is hoping for another restaurant or other food business for the 2,000-square-foot space. The building, which is one of the oldest in Versailles, was built in 1890 and has been a variety of restaurants and a bakery over the decades.
“It would nice to have a similar sort of restaurant, it was so popular,” Paget said. When actor Williams Shatner was at his Belle Reve Farm in Woodford County he used to frequent the cafe and there was a photo of him with the Melissa Nickerson on the wall, Paget said.
“We were even thinking of an Irish pub. We hadn’t realized how many Irish people are in the area, with the horse farms,” Paget said. “It’s really a special place, over 100 years old, with 14-foot ceilings with original tin ceiling and oak floors.”
It’s next to another historic building that is seeing new life: The Amsden, which has a coffee shop, bourbon bar and other tenants, is opening a boutique hotel and distillery.
The block was recently used in the movie, “The Stand In,” starring Drew Barrymore.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
