Pearl

Pearl's Restaurant, right smack in downtown Purdy, is a long past memory for most of us, but those memories came flooding back when I came across this picture of Pearl and my sister's oldest son, Tom. We lived just up the street and mom would take him for an occasional visit and treat.

I did my stint there the summer I graduated from high school. My job was peeling potatoes and running them through the french fry cutter plus, washing the glasses and silverware in the sink behind the counter, which made it easy to visit with customers as they dined. It was a fun summer because a few of my classmates also spent their summer employed there before we went off to college. She always cooked us whatever we wanted after closing and my choice every single night was a plate of delicious deep fried scallops with a chocolate milk shake to wash it down...made the old fashioned way, with scoops of vanilla ice cream and plenty of chocolate !!!! Good God...my arteries must be in shambles!!! She was known miles around for the wonderful homemade pies she made early each morning, especially the wild blackberry pie.....made with the tiny wild blackberries that are so hard to find and so hard to pick.

One special memory of mine is when on my wedding day a few years later, she brought up a pan of her wonderful homemade cinnamon rolls for our breakfast. I have never seen anyone work as hard as she did, with the help of her hubby Gil, and sister Evelyn, which explains why they had such a successful business.

The restaurant has changed hands many times since they sold, but has never been the same.