When her parents bought The Matteson Hotel in Cedarville in the mid-1990s, Chris Huxtable pitched in to help.
Jay and Debbie Derby opened the restaurant/bar in January 1998, keeping going a community establishment that turns 200 years old next year. The building sits on a little rise across from the Cedarville Fire Department off Route 51.
The Derbys bought the business from the bank after it had been closed for a few years.
Until then, The Matteson - which started out as the Cedarville House tavern and hotel - had run through different owners, but mainly kept its role as a place for entertainment and gatherings.
In 1924, when William Matteson bought it, the new name stuck even through other ownership changes.
Huxtable’s parents ran the restaurant and bar with the help of family. Huxtable worked in healthcare and found she enjoyed the interactions with people in her work.
“I think that’s why I liked helping out,’’ Huxtable said. “It’s fun to see people, tease them, have some jokes.
“This is a pretty laid back place and we want people to be comfortable,’’ she said. “This never felt like work in the way some jobs can.’’
In 2017 Huxtable asked her mom to give her more duties to help run the place. “I could also see my parents had been doing it for 20 years and were starting to slow down,’’ she said.
When the pandemic hit, and…