Stories from New Jersey Diners: Monuments to Community

by Michael C Gabriele

Overview

From the author of The History of Diners in New Jersey comes a collection of true stories that capture the spirit of the Garden State.
 
Diners are where communities across New Jersey go to celebrate milestones, form lifetime bonds and take comfort in food. Daily life at the counter or in the booth inspires sentimental recollections that reflect the state’s spirit and history. In Stories from New Jersey Diners, local historian Michael C. Gabriele documents colorful stories from the Diner Capital of the World.
 
Late-night eats fueled Wildwood’s wild rock-and-roll days. An entrepreneur from India traveled eight thousand miles to open a diner in Shamong. From an impromptu midnight wedding in an Elizabeth lunch wagon to a Vietnam veteran sustained by a heartfelt note from a beloved Mount Holly waitress, these are true tales from the “Diner Capital of the World.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439668030
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	American Palate
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	147
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

This is Michael C. Gabriele's fourth book on New Jersey history, all published by The History Press. The previous books are (in chronological order): The Golden Age of Bicycle Racing in New Jersey, The History of Diners in New Jersey and New Jersey Folk Revival Music: History and Tradition. A lifelong Garden State resident, he is a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University and has worked as a journalist, freelance writer and author for more than forty years. Gabriele is a member of the board of trustees for the annual New Jersey Folk Festival at Rutgers University and a member of the executive board for the Nutley Historical Society and serves on the advisory board of the Clifton Arts Center. He writes an occasional diner blog for the website Jersey Bites: A Quest for Food with Attitude (https://jerseybites.com) and enjoys exploring the diverse regions of the Garden State.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction: "Nobody Ever Brings Anything Small into a Diner" 11

Stainless Steel Reflections 17

"The Rolling, Jingling, Coffee-Aroma Distributing Lunch Wagon" 23

Northern New Jersey 43

Central New Jersey 101

Southern New Jersey 129

Epilogue: "I Equate Memories with Life" 173

Sources 177

Index 185

About the Author 189