THE CORNER CAFE

Back in my youth, my Uncle Gene and Aunt Dolores owned and operated the Corner Café on Main Street in Grove City. I spent a lot of time there and remember well watching a bustling business in a small town, not just thrive, but provide so much for the community.

In my Mom’s day, three sisters named Larson ran the café. The Post Office was at the back and upstairs there was a dental office. In the sixties and seventies, when it was Bergstrom’s Corner Café, I remember four or five booths lining the west wall, an arch leading to the “Back Room,” the counter with the cash register and several stools facing the front. The wall behind the counter held pipes, cigarettes and tobacco along with a milk machine, an ice cream freezer, jars of homemade cookies, a candy display, and a chalkboard stating the day’s specials. In the middle of the wall was a doorway leading to the kitchen. That’s where you would find my Aunt and Uncle, cooking a big pot of soup, frying a hamburger, baking a cake or elbow deep in the dish sink. My cousin, Lori, and I often took our turn at pushing a broom or washing the noon rush dishes. Floor to ceiling windows lined the east and south walls, the entrance was between, angled to the southeast, accessed by a few concrete steps into the building. For years, upon entering “The Corner,” Bernice Thomsen, a longtime family friend and dedicated employee, waited tables and did any number of other jobs that needed doing.

The café was home to all sorts: men in plaid shirts with seed corn caps, high school kids seated on stools at the counter drinking bottles of Coke, Pepsi, Squirt, 7-Up or Frosty Root Beer, ladies out for coffee after shopping the hometown, children licking ice cream cones in a booth while Mom and Dad enjoyed a piece of homemade pie or a chocolate shake. It was also the Greyhound Bus stop, which provided nonstop color to my small town world. One could encounter travelers from coast to coast. 

In the back room, on weekends, there were often bands playing oompa-pah, or sometimes even more contemporary sounds.  My cousin Charlie and his band, as they were getting their start playing gigs in the metro, debuted at the Corner Café. I will never forget Lori and I inviting all of our girlfriends to come hear these young teens blow the roof off that back room. Our first rock concert.

With no rec center in town except for the basketball court, Uncle Gene, who had a heart for kids, placed pinball machines and foosball tables in the café (though some older folks objected), simply to give them an entertainment option when they had some spare time.

All good things come to an end, and the Corner Café is long gone. Aunt Dolores passed away a few months back and I have been flooded with memories of her sweet demeanor and gentle spirit as I remember her. Maybe I’m biased, but my Aunt and Uncle were generous and congenial, dedicated and gracious and I wish with all my heart for a “Geno Burger,” complete with a platter of golden, crispy French fries. The platter of fries was separate because the burger itself covered the plate. As I recall, all of the portions were gigantic, long before that was the norm. But biggest of all, were the hearts of those two who shared their space and hospitality with so many of us, kin or not.

UNCLE GENO’S VEGETABLE SOUP

1 large beef bone

8 cups water

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 whole allspice

1 bay leaf

6 cups chopped vegetables: onion, celery, carrots, parsnips, potatoes

Roast beef, cut up

In a large stock pot, boil bone and water with salt and pepper, allspice, bay leaf and onion. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Add other vegetables and cook until tender. Stir in meat before serving.

AUNT DOLORES’ SOUR CREAM RHUBARB PIE

9 inch unbaked pie shell

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks, beaten

Diced rhubarb

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar. Add sour cream and beaten egg yolks. Place rhubarb in an unbaked pie crust. Pour sour cream mixture over rhubarb. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 degrees and bake 30 minutes more, or until center is firm. Remove from oven and cover with meringue.

MERINGUE

6 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Spoon onto baked pie. Carefully spread over pie sealing at edge of crust. Bake at 400 degrees until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

CORNER CAFÉ DATE COOKIES

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Mapleine flavoring

3-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and maple extract. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Finally, stir in dates and nuts. Mold dough into 2 rolls and cover with waxed paper. Chill overnight. Slice thinly and bake on cookie sheets at 375 degrees until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Dough can also be dropped by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and flattened with a glass.