BryonySeries: Sue's Diner Through The Years

Sue's Diner is the fictional "go-to" eatery in the also fictional Munsonville, Michigan, a depressed fishing village in the northern part of the state, in the additionally fictional Beulah County, which is the primary setting in the BryonySeries.

Sam and Sue Barnes opened Sue's Diner on Sue's 30th birthday: October 29, 1926, according to the BryonySeries novel "Call of the Siren."

Sue had already gained the reputation of being the best cook and baker in the entire village, all skills she learned from her mother Sally Bass, who oversaw the kitchen at Munsonville Inn and previously held the "best" title.

Sue's Diner withstood the Great Depression and Munsonville's steady economic downturn through the next few decades, Nevertheless, Sue's Diner was still drawing customers from outside the village when Melissa Marchellis (the main character in "Bryony") moved to the fishing village in August 1975.

This was Melissa's impression of Sue's Diner (and then scroll past this first photo).

Her mother parked in front of a dingy, squat-looking building, Sue’s Diner. Brian turned and rolled his eyes. Melissa mouthed back, probably get food poisoning.

For a small, lakefront village restaurant, throngs of people packed the dining room. There were men in overalls and plaid shirts or business suits; women wearing faded, print dresses; and kids in jeans. Darlene asked the gum-cracking, pony-tailed hostess for a table, and the girl led the trio to a booth by the picture window overlooking Main Street. Melissa slid close to the fingerprinted window and glanced down. Clear tape sealed cracks in the vinyl blue-green seats. The table’s smooth top was speckled with gold and imbedded with coffee stains.

This next image is one Sarah altered back in 2009 (maybe 2010?) when she created the original BryonySeries website.

At the time, we had very little original art. So the hosting site we used at the time allowed us to purhase images from that site - and this was one of them, as it was the closest to a diner that Sarah could find.

We estimated the year Sue's Diner was established (we were off by a few years), and Sarah created its banner. Even today, Sue's Diner still serves fresh fish straight from the waters of Lake Munson (the diner's back yard), although Sam and Sue Barnes are long gone and Sue's Diner is owned and operated by the couple's stepgrandson Brian Marchellis.

.At least, that was true up until 2020.

Through the years (and the novels), Sue's Diner was the location where many characters in both "Call of the Siren" and "House on Top of the Hill" either worked at the diner, found it a terrific gathering place for gossip and news - or both.

Besides, the food was always good. 

Ed Calkin, Steward of Tara, enjoys eating at Sue's Diner with his wife Nancy.

Sue's Diner is also the to-go place for the fictional Ed Calkins and his comrades in all three of his BryonySeries Ruthless books: "Ruthless," "The Fifth," and "Recovering Ruthless."

It was late in the lunch rush at Sue’s Diner. Sheriff Matt was sitting near the counter of the lakefront venue having a quick burger, and several parties had finally had enough coffee to order their top of the mid-day meal. Ruthie seated the two suited men. Although they weren’t really regulars, she already knew they were barely ten percent tippers. Today was slow, and half the wait staff had gone home, which meant one waitress called it a day and the hostess/manager was now the one waitress covering all the tables. This included Matt, the two cheap suits, and the party of five that had all gone to the restroom at the same time, a strange thing for them to do because Sue’s Diner only had a single restroom. (From "Ruthless")

              I can’t think. I’m too hungry, which should explain why I’m here at Sue’s Diner. But, wait, Cah…I can smell the kitchen where eggs are beaten with milk and vanilla for French toast. I can smell the whole ham cut off from the bone and pieced onto a buttered pan. But none of that makes me hungrier. It’s the chicken they are preparing for lunch. I can smell the blood. (From "The Fifth")

The next instant there were in a different restaurant, already seated with two more guests who were startled but not surprised at the new arrival. The waitress who poured coffee into the four still empty cups, barely batted an eye.

“Late enough,” a short leprechaun of man said as he glared Ed. The man wore an orange suit and matching derby hat and tie and smoked a pipe that smelled like cherry tobacco. A woman with a notepad, pen, and smile sat beside him.

“I went to the wrong place,” Ed explained.

“Well, I’ll be paying for breakfast, but I already ordered your meals, as I have a store to open. I’ve ordered steak and eggs for Patrick, rare and scrambled; steak and eggs for Karla, well done, and easy over; mushroom stew for the nasty wood sprite…”

“Good to see you too, Eircheard.”

              “…and Ed…”

              Ed held up his hand. “Can’t eat yet, sorry. I had to forfeit my rightful share of blood last night in Trudy’s dream.”

              The short man growled at the interruption. “…. I ordered you czernina.”

              “What?”

              “Duck blood soup, hold the duck broth, extra blood, cooked rare. Didn’t you tell me your wife was Polish?”

              “Some of them.”

              “I ordered the corn beef hash, and the reporter here ordered pancakes with fresh strawberries and blueberries and a side of grilled ham. Now that we got the meal introduced, it’s time to start the meeting.” Eircheard leaned forward and folded his hands. “Each one of you has a superpower. Mine is paying for breakfast, something that seems in short supply around here. My name is Eircheard, I live near here, which is Sue’s Diner in Munsonville, which is in Northern Michigan. The reporter here has a name, but no one uses it. She’s known as The Goddess, and her superpowers are her vast vampire knowledge and her immunity to how vampires distort time. Both she and I belong in this time-scape and this geographic location. This contrasts with the two of you that had a bad dream last night and prompted my leprechaun ass to sit among you, reserve Sue’s Diner, and borrow staff from another time, to feed you all before the place opens.”

              “Wait…you said your name was Eircheard, as in Eircheard’s Emporium?” Karla interjected.

              “Please hold all applause until the introduction is complete, but yes. That is my shop and if you know something about it, keep it to yourself as anything you know would be in my future.”

              Pigface looked around. “So where are we now?”

              “I told you. A small, depressed fishing village small in Northern Michigan in 2008 at a diner that will be opening too soon if you kept launching questions at me. We’ve got to be out of here by 5 a.m. local time; it’s 3:10 right now thanks to Santa Claus’ ability to follow directions.”

              The Goddess took a sip of her coffe. “You were introducing our visitors from 2023?”

              “Yes, I was. This is Karla Dyer from Texas, whose superpower is finding portals and telepathy. She is accompanied by Patrick O’Patrick, who is an expert on submarines and finding financial activity. If things go favorably, both of you will return to your own time and place less the time you spent here. I expect you’ll be in Texas by 7 a.m. Texas time. Now, I would say to ignore the wood sprite over here because he wasn’t invited although we did expect him. His superpower is eating people and being a pain in the ass, and he doesn’t have a time or place because, according to him, he doesn’t exist except in your imagination.”

              “Eating people?” Karla asked skeptically with a sidelong glance at Glorna/John-Peter.

              “I’ll explain later,” the wood sprite told her, then looked to Eircheard and Ed. “I’m not going to say much; my six shooters do all the talking.”

              “And lastly, we have Ed Calkins, whom I called Santa Claus a moment ago,” Eircheard spoke loudly, annoyed by all the sidebars. “His superpower is being confused, which comes in handy more often than you might think…”

              “What’s with the waitresses’ feet?” Karla blurted out pointing to her iridescent. duck-like webbed feet.

              Eircheard threw up his hands and puffed angrily.

              “They are merrows,” Ed explained calmly. “Eircheard is far too cheap to hire human workers. Instead, he persuaded Irish mermaids to come through his portal and fix us breakfast. Of course, he had to borrow Sue’s Diner because he lacks the right kitchen.”

              “In other words, we’re trespassing.” Pigface said as he reached for the sugar bowl.

              “And breaking some labor laws too.” Ed assured him. “Are we going to get to the part where I’m ruthless?” (From "Recovering Ruthless:)

              

(Keep scrolling)

 

Today, readers stopping by the BryonySeries blog and website can visit Sue's Diner by preparing our recipe of the week, which we almost always feature on Wednesdays.

Most of those recipes come from the BryonySeries fundraising cookbook "Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from 'Bryony,'" which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

It is also a companion to the BryonySeries novel "Bryony," as it features recipes for all of the food references in both the 19th century and 1975, the time periods of the novel.

Some of the Sue's Diner recipes also come from our two other cookbooks (so far): "Squeak!" and "GRRR."

And some recipes are simply exlusive "specials of the week" - and then gone.

As Sam Barnes once said ("House on Top of the Hill," Chapter 2: Roundtable), "Sue’s Diner (is) the best place in Beulah County to eat.”

Stop in and see for yourself.

Hapy Tuesday!

An Invitation to Make Memories in the Kitchen With Us

For many years, our family made nearly all of the bread we make, and all six of my children grew up helping to make that bread.

One day in late 1993 while kneading bread dough that would be used for Communion in our church, I was struck by the whole Eucharastic nature of breadmaking in general: taking a few ingredients, working them with your hands, and then later distributing that bread with people I love - and sitting down to enjoy it with them.

And, honestly, you could apply that philosophy to all of cooking. Food is so basic - we all need to eat - but it can also can become the conduit for giving, receiving, and sharing love. There's something really sublime about preparing and serving the very substances a person needs to survive. 

And making and breaking together can create long-lasting bonds. Think of the saying: "It's hard to remain enemies when you've broken bread together." 

Last week, I wrote about how Rebekah and I would soon reinstate the Sue's Diner feature of the BryonySeries - a recipe from one of the BryonySeries cookbook that we would prepare and post on the website each week.

Our first recipe is ready to go - and I couldn't figure out the back page of Sue's Diner the way Timothy has created it. 

So I had two choices: decipher it myself (and risk altering many hours of his hard work) or wait and ask.

I chose the latter. 

So in the meantime, I'm sharing with you the background behind WHY the series is even publishing cookbooks - and an overview of where we found the recipes used in the original cookbook.

Our first recipe should be posted next week on the website, and I'll share the link on this blog.

Mostly, we are inviting you to join us - either by yourself or with a loved one - and make your own memories in the kitchen.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Introduction to Memories in the Kitchen: Bites andNibbles from “Bryony.”

Why a cookbook?

Well, why NOT a cookbook?

Even before I began submitting Bryony to agents and small presses, my kids and I talked about all the fun, additional products the novel might inspire.

Although I’ll probably never see bendable dolls with their own line of clothing (too bad, since we could make a fortune on all those lost, little shoes) or a Simons Mansion dollhouse (I REALLY want one), the cookbook idea flourished inside me, especially after I wrote a story on what Kathy Carey did for March of Dimes.

For two decades, this remarkable woman participated in Grundy County's March of Dimes walk. In 2000, after a friend gave birth to a premature baby, Carey increased her efforts. She assisted the district coordinator. She contacted companies for donations and sponsorships. She re-routed the local walk to increase its visibility.

Three years ago, Carey read an advertisement for fundraising cookbooks. Although she owned no computer and had no previous cookbook experience, Carey sent for the information. She studied it closely and decided she could do it. She set a fundraising goal of $7,000 and calculated that she needed to sell 1,000 cookbooks to reach it. Carey peddled the books at local stores, craft shows and festivals until she sold them all.

Inspired by Carey's story, I decided to create a Bryony themed cookbook and donate any profits it might make. Its recipient is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties. In its 40-year history, the organization has matched over 15,000 at risk children from single-parent homes.

Because Bryony's main character, Melissa Marchellis, spends part of her childhood in a single parent home, the group was a good match for the cookbook. I am humbled that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties agreed.

So, I scrolled through the manuscript, jotted all the food references, and began collecting recipes. I modified many of the Victorian dishes to ease preparation, but kept the original language intact. Some, such as boiled calves head, are included so readers can learn about the culinary delights of days long past.

But enough talking. As Melissa’s younger brother Brian said during a holiday dinner, “We made all this food to eat, right?”

Right, Brian. Happy reading and bon appétit!

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From "Bryony," is the official BryonySeries cookbook.

(Editor's note: that should read "original," for we now have two more cookbooks: GRRR and Squeak!) 

 It's a collection of authentically Victorian recipes and recipes that were popular in the 1970s.

 

Some of the recipes came from 19th century, out-of-print cookbooks.

 

Some came from vintage cookbooks still in print and were used and modified with permission of the publisher.

 

Some came from the collection of The Henry Ford and features signature recipes of restaurants long since closed.

 

Some came from reader submissions.

 

All proceeds from cookbook sales benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties, a nod to the cooking/mentoring relationship between Steve Barnes and Brian Marchellis in Bryony.

 

So when you purchase a cookbook for yourself or as a gift, you not only might make your own "memories in the kitchen," you'll help a child.

 And that's a sweet combination.

Buy a Cookbook, Help a Child

Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," is a cookbook my daughter Sarah Stegall and I assembled based on my first book in the BryonySeries.

The cookbook is a compilation of recipes from the Victorian era and the 1970s. Some we found. Some were submitted. Some we hunted down and received written permission to reprint.

If you read Bryony, you might find it fun to make some of the foods Melissa encountered and/or enjoyed.

If you're curious about the BryonySeries but haven't read it, the cookbook pairs recipes with events in the first book, so you get snippets of the series "flavor," without spoilers (or spoiled food).

If you like to cook, I'm sure you'll find at least one recipe you'll want to try.

If you like the Victorian era, you'll get the chance to make and eat foods people from that time period made and ate.

If you're a parent (or grandparent) buy the cookbook for your child (or grandchild), take him or her into the kitchen with you, and explore the nineteenth century through its foods.

If you don't like to cook at all, you can simply enjoy browsing through the history of the book, including its appendixes of unfamiliar terms and what Victorians stocked in their pantry.

Or you can gift the book to anyone who likes any of the above.

If none of this appeals to you, BUT you really like kids, please know that all proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

Want to try a recipe first?

Here's one from the nineteenth century my daughter and I made a few months ago.  www.bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner.

Our "Sue's Diner" cooking adventures will return in a couple weeks when our schedules open up.

In the meantime, you can buy the cookbook at www.bryonyseries.com.

And you can learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters at bbbswillgrundy.org.