Friday, August 28, 2009

Patricia Murphy's Candelight Restaurants

PATRICIA MURPHY'S CANDELIGHT RESTAURANTS
Since 1930
THE CASCADES, U.S. 1
Deerfield-Boca Raton, Florida
ALSO AT
Bahia Mar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
One Fifth Avenue, New York City
260 Madison Avenue, New York City
12 E. 49th Street, New York City
1703 Central Park Avenue, Westchester, N.Y.
OPEN EVERY DAY ALL YEAR



Hi Dears,
"Why can't we have a restaurant like this at home? We were so happy to see dear Art and Marge. They certainly rolled out the 'Red Carpet' for us all the way! They are just great. We arrived in Florida last Thursday and weather is 84-85 everyday. They are praying for rain. Water temp at pool is 84 too! Have good weather when we get home May 6!!!!"
Love to each of you,
Rene and Marge

Patricia Murphy is a restaurant success story from the Depression era. Here's an 1956 excerpt from the Charter, a Nova Scotia newspaper:

" A Newfoundland girl who left her home in Placentia during the Depression to seek her fortune in New York and with a few breaks from Lady Luck, together with boundless enthusiasm and energy, Patricia Murphy has found success.Patricia entered the restaurant business and later owned highly successful eating places in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Manhasset, L. I. and Yonkers."

She left for the great American metropolis with only a small allowance in her pocket and a self unpolished piano-playing talent. In New York she earned one meal a day by playing during luncheon at a small cafeteria. On the same street was a small tearoom where she often ate a "budget meal". One evening she found her favourite retreat closed. She pounded on the door and brought out the cook, who was packing up to leave. She heard the place was closing down because business was so poor, people were really hard hit for "eating out money", she recalled.

She offered the cook a job, made a deal with the landlord to pay $25.00 a week for the use of his equipment and space and then retired to her room with a thick American cookbook. At that time she knew nothing about the tastes of Americans, except they too seem to like hot bread and such mysterious things as "apple brown bells and prune whip". She decided on "popovers" as the hot bread because they could be made quickly and required inexpensive ingredients. Her business started to grow, slowly but surely, now her Yonkers restaurant on Central Ave. New York distributes 10,000 popovers a day, along with tiny loaves of hot bread, muffins, sweet rolls and biscuits. In 1938, Patricia moved into a second restaurant in Manhattan. She occupied herself with the two until she opened another, a suburban place in Manhasset in 1946."

Safety Harbor

SAFETY HARBOR SPA
Safety Harbor, Florida
Oldest Natural Mineral Spring Spa in America
Safety Harbor Spa combines the fun and relaxation of a gracious vacation with a sound, sensible health improving program under Professional supervision. Fifteen minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg International Airports.


December 20, 1967
Safety Harbor, Florida

Dear Maurice,
"All's well here. Not a hard life to take. Many New York friends to golf with. Weather has been mostly good and warm. Hope all is normal with estates. Looks like we will stay here 'till Feb. then to Sarasota (Far Horizons) for a month."
Best from the Mrs. and Happy New Year.

Milton

Monday, August 17, 2009

From the Catskills

Nature at its best, Catskill Mts, N.Y.

August 17, 1956
Hunter, New York

Hi Dad,
Having fun here. Hope you can come up on a weekend. Today, we went to Haines Falls and saw Mommy's Grandfather's and Grandmother's grave. Did I get any mail? From whom? Please write.

Love, Eleanor

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Wagon Wheel

THE WAGON WHEEL

ROCKTON, ILLINOIS

Located at the intersection of Routes 2 and 75

Serving quality food that we believe you particularly desire. Only women are employed in the kitchen of THE WAGON WHEEL because women, through their innate sense of taste and daintiness excel in the fine arts of cookery. These enjoyable meals served in the quaint atmosphere of THE WAGON WHEEL will appeal to the most exacting appetite.



Un-mailed post card.

This caption cracks me up. As I recall, this place burned to the ground several years ago. I guess there were no men around to extinguish it.