IFamily History and St. Anna
Back in 1957, Ziggy and Evelyn Schwarz opened a modest country tavern out in St. Anna, a small unincorporated community tucked between Russell and New Holstein that straddles both Calumet and Sheboygan counties. The settlement itself goes back to the fall of 1848, when German Roman Catholic immigrants—part of a group from Hamburg who founded nearby New Holstein—built a log church in the area.
Over the decades, that simple tavern evolved into Schwarz’s Supper Club, staying strictly in the family across three generations. Ownership eventually passed from Ziggy and Evelyn to their son John and his wife Lisa, then on to their grandson Charley and his wife Stephanie. Today, Lisa and Stephanie continue to run the business with their families.
The Supper Club Ritual
The whole operation runs on a traditional no-reservations setup that forces you to slow down. You put your name in at the door, order your dinner right at the bar, and sip on a Brandy Old Fashioned while waiting for a table. Once you get called back into the wood-paneled dining room, the staff sets down the standard supper club starter kit: a salad, warm homemade bread, and a classic relish tray.
The kitchen hand-cuts all their steaks on-site to a thick one-inch profile, seasoned with a proprietary family spice mix. They churn through an absurd amount of meat every single week—including 900 pounds of prime rib alone—with the signature sirloin for two being the big seller. If you aren’t ordering beef, they do a brisk business in fresh seafood and pack the house every Friday night for a traditional lake perch fry.
Ice Cream Drinks and Logistics
To wrap up the night, guests usually skip regular dessert and go straight for heavy, blended ice cream cocktails at the bar—chiefly Grasshoppers, Pink Squirrels, and Brandy Alexanders.
Closures: Closed every Monday and Tuesday, as well as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Schedule: Open year-round, Wednesday through Sunday.
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