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About THE INN

Nestle Inn is a small business that is locally owned and operated by Leesa and Robert L. Smith. We take pride in being a small business and work hard to earn and keep your business.

All of the staff at Nestle Inn work, live and play locally so the money you spend at Nestle Inn stays local. We understand the importance a local economy plays in all our lives. When we can, we support other small businesses by buying services and the supplies we use in the delivery of our hospitality serivce to you from businesses like ours. We pay taxes here in Indiana. If we can't find a product locally, then we always try to buy USA made items whenever we can.

So when you stay at Nestle Inn, you can be sure that it is helping a friend, a neighbor, a student, a sister or a father right here locally. We hope this makes you feel good about staying at Nestle Inn because we know we feel good about being a business that can support others locally here in Indy and right on Mass Ave.

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History of 637 N East Street

In 1896, Jonathon Stewart, a carpenter and a contractor, and his wife Alice, built this house as a two family home adjoining two houses together so that their families could live close to each other (John and Alice and their son's family). You will notice the two different designs of inlaid wood in the floor of the foyer. This is where the two homes were divided. There was no interconnect between the two houses. To get to the other family, you had to go to their front door. There are two staircases and both are carved differently. All the wood floors and woodwork, stairs, doors and fireplaces are original to the home. The square stained glass piece above the fireplace in the lobby and the stained glass panel in Room 1 are also original to the house.

The Stewarts lived in the home until 1910. The entire house was then rented to a long series of short-term tenants including Carl F. Millican, a machinist and aviator and Grant Keener, a cigar maker. By 1999 the house had been divided into 10 apartments and remained a boarding house until it was purchased in 2000. At that time, it was completely renovated and converted from two structures into one called Nestle Inn. From then until 1999, the house was a boarding house with ten apartments, each with a kitchenette.

In 2000 the house was purchased by the previous innkeepers (Barb and Steve Tegarden) renovated and built into a bed and breakfast. (pictures of the renovation are in the library)

In 2011, today's owners, Robert and Leesa Smith, purchased the Inn and have modernized the B&B experience for today's travelers. Leesa has over 30 years of experience in the hospitality, business and nonprofit world. She began her career with Hyatt Hotels Corp here in Indy and then was a manager at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for many years. Here in Indy, she worked at Fairbanks Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center for 16 years as a counselor and then as the Director of Communications and Business Development. Dr. Bob has a private practice as a psychotherapist here in Indy and retired in 2013 after 31 1/2 years as a career firefighter and paramedic with the Indianapolis Fire Dept. as the Lieutenant of Station 12. He also provides mental health services and manages Peer Support Teams for IFD as well as surrounding counties and cities. He also provides counseling services for those individuals outside public safety for generalized depression, anxiety, PTSD and is an EMDR practitioner.

Meet the NESTLE INN Team

owners: ROBERT AND LEESA SMITH

In 2011, today's owners, Robert and Leesa Smith, purchased the Inn and have modernized the B&B experience for today's travelers. Leesa has over 38 years of experience in the hospitality, business and nonprofit world. She began her career with Hyatt Hotels Corp here in Indy and then at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for many years. Here in Indy, she worked at Fairbanks Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center for 16 years as a counselor and then as the Director of Communications and Business Development. Dr. Bob has a private practice as a psychotherapist here in Indy. He provides mental health services and counseling to individuals for depression, anxiety, PTSD and is an EMDR practitioner. Dr. Bob retired in 2013 from the IFD fire department as the Lieutenant of Station 12. He continues to be involved with public safety as he also manages fire department Peer Support teams for the Indianapolis Professional Firefighters Local 416 as well as surrounding counties and cities.

John Feeney, innkeeper

John was born in Chillicothe, Missouri and grew up on his family's farm with his two brothers and two sisters. John attended CMSU for Business Management and in 1994 made his way to Indianapolis. Once in Indianapolis, John spent the next 19 years working as Concierge/Evening Manager at The Canterbury Hotel until it's doors were closed permanently in December of 2013. John joins our staff as a part time Innkeeper and always greets guests with his warm smile and welcoming nature. John recently won the Rose Award from Visit Indy. This is a highly prestigious award given annually to those people working in hospitality throughout Indianapolis that go 'above and beyond' in the service of guests. Out of 77,000 people, 10 awards are given out. John has always been a star here in Indy and we are so proud to have him here at Nestle Inn.

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Chef Lauren Saffel: Cooking Class Chef

Chef Lauren Saffel has been teaching classes at The Nestle Inn since 2012. She primarily teaches the pastry classes at the inn but also instructs a variety of other topics as well. Many know Chef Lauren for her famous, award winning chocolate peanut butter bacon pie. Chef Lauren started her career at the local favorite Taylor's Bakery and in 2016 helped open the restaurant Table located in Carmel, IN. She is from Crawfordsville, IN and her hobbies include traveling, going to wineries, walking her dogs, and seeing live music. Chef Lauren is a 2012 graduate of The Chef's Academy with an Associate of Science in Pastry Arts, has 2 formal years of Culinary Arts training with a focus in international cuisine, and a 2021 graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a Bachelor of Science in Pastry Arts Management.

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CHEF CLINT SMITH

Clint Smith is an honors graduate from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Le Cordon Bleu. Currently in his fifteenth year of teaching, Clint serves as chef-instructor in the Culinary Arts department at Central Nine Career Center, a career-technical high school in Greenwood, Indiana.

Clint's cooking columns and freelance features have appeared in the Indianapolis Star, the Southside Times, Farm Indiana, and South Magazine. When is isn't cooking or teaching he is busy dedicating his time to creative writing. His fiction collection, Ghouljaw and Other Stories, have been published by Hippocampus Press (New York).