A Cup of Conversation – November 2015

Last Christmas Eve was joyously spent at the Jacksonville Inn. A week later, our family celebrated at the Bella Union. Our grown kids look forward to this every homecoming because these places represent home to them. We have no memories of Jacksonville without Jerry Evans and Jerry Hayes and our memory goes back a quarter-century. I’m certain our small town would not be the same without the twin culinary pillars of Jacksonville.

Without the Bella Union, our then teenage son would never have learned that unilaterally changing the recipe on a signature dish like the Banana Mac Pie is a capital offense in the restaurant business. I guess he thought creatively infusing fresh whipped cream with banana extract would earn him a quick promotion from busboy to internationally acclaimed chef. He was wrong. It did however earn him a well-deserved pink slip and a place forever in Bella Union folk lore.

Our son tells the story of Jerry Hayes personally delivering the bad news then offering to smoke a farewell cigar with him, no hard feelings. That’s pretty cool. But then Jerry is pretty cool and just one of the many reasons the Bella Union remains wildly successful and a huge perennial draw into this town for over twenty-five years now. I’m pretty sure the ‘banana man’ is still used as a training tool for new hires as what not to do. When our son comes home for the holidays, I always make it a point to order the Banana Mac dessert for the table. It’s tradition. Besides, the tall and handsome Navy Chief Officer can stand a little humbling from time to time.

I can’t imagine a Jacksonville without Jerry Evans and the venerable Jacksonville Inn. Most do not know Jerry was a senior executive at Harry and David before deciding to jump into the restaurant business in the mid 70’s. It should surprise no one, especially his employees, that he is a no-nonsense corporate operator and runs his nationally acclaimed iconic hotel and restaurant like the Swiss train system, always first class and always professional.

My first personal recollection of Jerry was him sitting alone in our coffeehouse one late afternoon some twenty years ago. He was visibly shaken. I didn’t really know Mr. Evans then but felt the need to ask if anything was wrong. He invited me to sit down and quietly disclosed a best friend had just abruptly lost his life. Jerry was completely broken-hearted and we talked for not a short while. He let me see a vulnerable side most people who know him probably have never seen. I’ll always remember that day. Not long after, a beloved local teenager working as a hostess at the Inn was tragically lost in an automobile accident. I have it on good account the hard charging, ever-present perfectionist boss, upon receiving the news, quietly walked into his office, closed the door and didn’t come out for the rest of the day. That is the man I know.

As I grow old and watch an entire generation pass by, I’m reminded of these two visionary restaurateurs and how much they’ve complimented the quality of life for everyone calling Jacksonville home. As clouds of smoked garlic and pesto waft seductively down California Street and the scent of roasting prime rib hits you over the head like a culinary club; remember the two men who took the risk so many years ago to make it all happen. To our family, their establishments are and always will be the twin pillars of Jacksonville.