I'm back! I know, I know. It's been a while. I also know that probably no one other than my mother is going to see this first post, but for her, it will be long-awaited.
I've been a regular at Penny Cluse since I was born. When speaking with Charles Reeves (owner, head chef, cool guy) in to Lucky Next Door last week, I told him this, and he told me that he remembered me as a mere babe coming in the very first year that Penny Cluse opened.
I'm a curious gal. I love hearing stories, but more importantly, I love hearing experiences that people have had within certain fields that I, myself am interested in. One of the initial reasons why I started this blog was purely selfish; I want to know what it takes to work in the food industry.
Charles' story that I was told during a lovely fifteen minute interview recorded on my crappy iPhone, was one that I can certainly relate to. I sipped peppermint tea as he told me of his days in summer camp, waking up early to help set up the dining room for breakfast, a story which hits me close to home as I often tried to do whatever I could to help out the chefs at my summer camp. He told me about how alluring restaurant life was to him. The hustle and bustle, the excitement, the shouting, and the overall sense of urgency drew him in.
It's easy for me to understand how someone can go all their life knowing that they need to be part of something. I know that I'll need to incorporate my love for food into the rest of my life, even if that means just cooking dinner for my family as often as I can. Unfortunately, I've got a solid amount of things that I adore as much as working in the restaurant industry, so I'm just gonna have to figure out how to put it all together.
Anyway, back to Charles, he told me briefly of his time spent in San Francisco after he went to culinary school, working for one man named Phillip, who ended up being a huge mentor and source of encouragement for Charles in his life. The Belber Combo (a menu item at P. Cluse, which has 2 pancakes or 2 pieces of french toast, 2 eggs, and homefries or meat on the side), is named after Phillip.
After living in SF for 10 years, Charles and his wife Holly Cluse moved to the east coast to connect with their roots. They were lured to Burlington because they had a friend here, but stayed even after he had moved away. When they first lived here, Charles worked at an apple orchard, then transitioned to being a chef at a restaurant on the waterfront that doesn't exist anymore. He said that business was really slow, so he ended up being "the chef, but also the dishwasher, and the guy who swept the floors". He was pretty lonely, so after work he would walk up to town and explore. He soon found a building that was longing to be bought. It had previously been Ben and Jerry's, and then a Greek restaurant called Mykonos Greek Village, owned by a nice family who put a lot of work into making an interesting place to eat. Unfortunately, as many restaurants go, it just didn't work out, and the building was put up for lease. Charles called and called until he was finally given a chance to rent the space, which he then turned into Penny Cluse!
I connected Charles' time spent in San Francisco with all of the Tex-Mex flavors that he incorporates into his menu. He admitted to snagging a few menu items from the last restaurant that he worked at in San Francisco before he moved back to the east coast (granted, he did write the menu), some of which are still shared by our small-town restaurant and their big-city one, which I thought was pretty cool! Despite the influence of San Franciscan culture on Charles' cooking style, he also told me that the bold flavors in Tex-Mex cuisine was one of his favorites to play with and to eat. Plus, let's be real, when does adding cheese, beans, and a little spice ever prevent a savory breakfast plate from being anything but delicious? It just doesn't. Cheese is a godsend.
I was so thrilled to hear this backstory about a place that I have probably spent at least a few weeks of my life in, with all the times that I've eaten there put together. Charles told me about how much he loves having his restaurant be such a staple in people's lives; watching two people sit together at the bar, meet, and then get married years later (it's happened! I promise! It's not just stolen from a movie plot!). He told me he's even seen pregnant women come in to eat their last meal before having their baby that same day! How incredible is that?!
Though I'm sure Charles got tired of my ooh-ing and aah-ing over his stories, he still stuck with me during this first interview and I am so very very thankful for that and all of the enthusiasm he exhibited.
Now, to end this interview, I had to ask the essential question; "What is your favorite place to eat in Burlington?" Charles gave me the best answer I could have asked for, which was: STONE SOUP! He spoke very highly of Tim and Avery's work to have comfort food and health food be perfectly intermingled in a buffet-style setting, while also incorporating almost all local ingredients.
(On a side note, Stone Soup is probably the only other restaurant in Burlington that I've been eating at regularly since I was a wee lass, so you can imagine how stoked I was that he answered with some of the only restaurant who I am positive will give me some time to interview them.)
Thanks so much to Charles for letting me speak with him for my very first blog post!
Please follow me on here and share with your friends. I'll be posting at least every two weeks with a new interview from a local restaurant or bakery owner or chef or baker. Can't wait to see what's in store for me next!
