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In 1996, PJ's Abbey Restaurant opened with a vision
for a family restaurant with a warm, friendly environment, and an eclectic mix of
old family favorites combined with new creative cuisine. The real work began a couple
of years earlier, when we found the building that was a perfect fit for our family
vision... in 1994 we purchased the old Baptist church that eventually became PJ's
Abbey, but the process that brought us to where we are today began many years earlier.
My mom, known to most as PJ or Peggy Jane, began developing her love of cooking at the tender age of seven, when her dad placed her on a stool in front of the stove with instructions on how to make her favorite dessert in the whole world… chocolate pudding. Most of mom's fond kitchen memories involve her dad. He loved to try all sorts of new foods, and always loved to use the latest kitchen gadgets. Over the years, her dad would share his favorite creations: Bread recipes, cookie recipes, and especially his beloved apple and cherry pie recipes. I grew up in the kitchen watching my mom baking cookies, preparing dinner, or just sitting at the kitchen table reading and sipping hot tea. My mom was always baking, and not surprisingly, my friends loved coming to my house, where there were always hot cookies coming out of the oven. At the time, not fully understanding the value of my mom's cookies (made from scratch and with lots of love), I would trade them at school for the likes of Ding-Dongs or Twinkies. I know now that it wasn't just the perfectly baked cookies or chocolate chips that my friends were after – there was something special about my mom's cookies – and I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that they were made from scratch with a healthy dose of love. Not only was my mom an amazing baker and cook, she was apparently also a miracle worker and mind-reader. One moment I would be standing in front of the refrigerator, with the door wide open, complaining that there was never any food in it. Only a moment later, my mom would appear with a healthy, made-from-scratch meal to feed not only me, but my dad and my three sisters (AND, of course, my sisters' boyfriends).
I remember our kitchen as the place where everything
happened. In the morning, I would wake up to find my mom in the kitchen reading
with her tea and making me breakfast. When I got home from school, that's where
she would make me a snack and we would sit as I told her about my day. And on many
occasions, I remember sitting at the kitchen table doing my homework while my mom
made the family dinner.
 It seemed as if life revolved around the kitchen, and as I got older my love for cooking just came naturally. My own first culinary adventure came at age sixteen. To help out around the house, I was encouraged to prepare the family dinner once a week, and to everyone's surprise, my ambitious first effort was Fried Calamari topped with Marinara Sauce. Ever since then I have expressed myself through cooking. Now, when I see people in my restaurant having a good time and enjoying the food, it takes me back to my childhood, and I remember all the lovingly prepared home cooked meals shared in our family kitchen. I look forward to seeing you at the “Abbey”. Please ask for me, I would love to meet you and your family and friends. Sincerely,  |
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