The following article, “Let’s Talk Food: Walk down memory lane of Naples eateries” by Doris Reynolds was originally published on October 22, 2014, in the Naples Daily News.
October is my month to celebrate the best thing that ever happened to me. It was October 1952 that I came to Naples, where I was destined to spend the rest of my life. There were about 2,000 brave souls who called Naples home and they were the pioneers who saw the potential and the future for the tiny village. Although the earliest settlers came at the end of the 19th century, there was little growth due to World War I, the Depression and World War II.
In spite of being a small town, there were lots of places to eat and it wasn’t long before I had sampled all Naples had to offer. On the night I arrived, I had dinner at the Flamingo Grill and had my first encounter with Jacque Elmore, major domo and the town’s most outspoken “character.” She later went over to manage the newly established Fish House, where she once again lent her witty personality and warm hospitality to all who ventured there.
Early in its history, the Flamingo Grille was a “destination” eatery. Its reputation made its way all the way to Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, and the brave and hunger made the perilous journey along the Tamiami Trail to indulge their appetites in what was then the gourmet capital of South Florida.
The first restaurant established in Naples was Rudy’s Café in 1928. Next door was Ed Frank’s Auto Repair Shop, a convenience for those who drove miles for car repairs and were able to have a hearty lunch while waiting.
Café owner Rudy Bomer was no dummy. Winnie Storter, a member of a pioneer family, was having her car repaired and was lunching at the café. Romance ensued. And before she knew it Winnie was Mrs. Bomer and held forth in the kitchen. Soon her reputation as one of the region’s greatest cooks drew eager eaters to the venue. Here, for a quarter, one could devour fried mullet, two vegetables, homemade rolls, iced tea and — for 25 cents more — a slice of the most ethereal pie. My favorite was pecan.
Let’s move on to the most prestigious dining room in South Florida: the Naples Hotel, long ago the victim of the wrecking ball. The hotel opened in 1898, and its first chef, cook really, was Annie McLaughlin. She was the cook for the Haldeman family, early pioneers who discovered Naples and brought her to Naples to take over the task of cooking for the guests.
She took over the kitchen at the hotel with verve and a talent for making do without grocery stores, purveyors of supplies or any other convenience. She was an incredible cook with daunting challenges. This inspiring and innovative master chef created meals that attracted such luminaries as Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lindbergh. They arrived from Captiva on their own plane, landing on the town’s first golf course on Fifth Avenue South.
William Schultz took over the hotel kitchen in the 1940s. He had been the chef for Barron Collier and soon his food became famous throughout the region. His Sunday night buffets attracted everyone in town able to come up with the six bucks for a Lucullan feast. Frequent guests for Sunday lunch were Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Ford had built a special car for Edison, and the jolly twosome took off frequently for the four-hour drive over the gravel road for a hearty meal at the hotel.
For less expensive and more plebian fare, there was the Rexall Drugstore at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street. Here, the elite would meet for a farmer’s breakfast and the latest gossip.
On hand to feed the flock of the hungry and the hungover breakfast clubbers was Mrs. Caruthers. The aroma of frying bacon, percolating coffee and yeasty biscuits drew the townies and lucky tourists into the drugstore’s counter for an ample, if not so healthy repast. Usually all would return for lunch when Mrs. Caruthers would ladle out freshly made soup and slice up a still-warm pie, grill the best hamburgers this side of the Gulf of Mexico, and create a salad plate that would make the habitués of the 41 Club envious.
Naples is now known as a “culinary destination.” Would that I could, I would like to take Miss Annie, Bill Schultz, and Jacque Elmore on an epicurean grazing trip through current restaurants. Something tells me that they would join me in a bit of nostalgia for those simple, but satisfying meals that not only nourished the body but did magical and wonderful things to one’s soul.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: From the Archives: Naples’ eateries – A walk down memory lane
Reporting by Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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