YOU ASKED FOR IT
SHERIDAN’S CHEESE TORTE
Kathy B., Wauwatosa, requested the recipe for a cheese torte she had at Sheridan’s restaurant, which is located in the Sheridan House Hotel at 5133 S. Lake Drive in Cudahy.
She wrote: “We all love the food at Sheridan’s and the relaxing atmosphere. I would love to get the recipe for the cheese torte we had for dessert at lunch. It was spectacular! Is there any way the Journal Sentinel can get this recipe for me?”
Jane M. Schilz, proprietor of Sheridan’s & Sheridan House Hotel American Bistro and Boutique Hotel, said that for years this torte was made only by her mother, Ruth Schilz, and that the recipe was a closely guarded secret. Eventually she passed it on to select individuals, and she has now agreed to share it with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel readers.
“She gave it to our pastry chef back in 2007, but many of her own children don’t know how she makes it so creamy and light,” Jane Schilz said. “She has been making this recipe for over 68 years.” She added that her mother “is 87 years young” and that she and her husband, Leonard, had 13 children and have been married 68 years.
Sheridan’s began as The Lakeview Inn in 1911. That building, a wooden structure, was replaced by the current brick building in 1920 and was called The Sheridan Hotel and Palm Gardens Tavern.
In 1968, it was remodeled and renamed the Fountain Blue, which became famous for its Polish cuisine. That restaurant eventually went out of business.
In 2007, Jane and her husband, Lee Barczak, revived the building, which by then was vacant. They completely renovated it and named it Sheridan’s. It now includes a boutique hotel with 12 guest rooms and the restaurant, which they call an “art nouveau-style café.” They serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Joe Schreiter has been the executive chef there since 2014.
Ruth’s Cheese Torte from Sheridan’s
& Sheridan House Hotel