We are pleased to have (finally!) launched our first podcast from The American Roadside, but we think you'll agree that it was worth the wait!

We spoke recently with Richard Gutman, who, as many of you already know, is the acknowldged expert in the world of diners.

Richard wrote the book, "American Diner" in 1979, and later added subsequent updates, each of which expanded our historical knowledge of diners, the people who made them and the people who run them.

Recently Richard became the Director and Curator of the Culinary Archives and Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. As part of that musem's efforts, Richard has undertaken the restoration of the Ever Ready Diner, which was a long time fixture on the streets of Providence, before being closed down and put in storage. We'll let you listen to the podcast for all the details, but we think you'll enjoy seeing the attached photos here.

Here's a link to the Culinary Archives and Museum's website, which is mentioned during our discussion.

By Michael A. Fuoco | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | March 22, 2007

Melissa Farris and Michelle Capozzi are nostalgic about having to part with a large piece of their past, a memory of their father and grandfather, both deceased.

Still, there's just no getting around one inescapable fact -- neither has anywhere to put a 3.5-ton, 20-foot tall hand-welded steel sculpture of a cowboy they know as "Big Jim."

"I don't think my homeowners association would look too kindly on that," Ms. Farris, 35, said with a laugh while thinking about placing the massive sculpture at her residence in Middletown, Bucks County.

Created by the sisters' grandfather and modeled after their father, the cowboy for nearly 30 years has been a roadside attraction in Speers, outside of Charleroi.

"The family was very conflicted about selling it," explained Ms. Capozzi, 40, of Rostraver, "but what do you do with it?"

By James Calvert | The News and Tribune | March 15, 2007

New Albany, IN
As the evening sun sets over New Albany, the grill at Little Chef 24-hour diner is ready for one of its busiest times of the day — the middle of the night.

Located on the corner of Market and Bank streets in downtown New Albany since 1957, the diner provides a 24-hour refuge for night owls in search of a home-cooked meal and a native atmosphere.

The atmosphere may not be breathable to everyone, however.

“Ninety percent of my customers are smokers,” said Owner Diane Curtsinger. “I’ve had people walk out because of the smoke.”

The walls of the diner were recently painted yellow to cloak the dark stains caused by a perpetual cloud of nicotine from cigarette-smoking patrons.

“I painted the walls white but within a month they were yellow, so I painted the walls blue, but they eventually faded to green,” Curtsinger said. “I painted the walls yellow and now they only become a darker yellow over time.”

Bedford, VA
While accepting his Academy Award for Best Actor in late February, Forest Whitaker credited a drive-in movie theater as his first exposure to film.

Perhaps a Bedford County thespian may one day do the same before members of the Academy.

The Bedford County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday night to approve a rezoning request and a special use permit for Mayberry Drive-In Theatre and Diner. The entertainment center is slated to be located on a 14-acre tract on the east side of White House Road just off Virginia 122 near Moneta.

The 1950s-style center will hold 250 cars and provide them with family-friendly movies via a 30-by-60 foot big screen. An 8-by-10 foot building will facilitate the ticket booth.

Hello friends!

Good news! The Committee to Rebuild O'Rourke's Diner has raised over $150,000 to date! It won't be long before construction begins. We're looking forward to a September grand opening!

Our next fundraiser is a St. Patrick's Day Bash, Saturday, March 17 from 5-8 pm at the beautiful Wadsworth Mansion on Longhill Estates in Middletown.

There will be a live Irish Seisiun with Master Fiddler Joe Gerhard and Friends. Brian O'Rourke will be creating foods in his own "inimitable style." Yes, there will be corned beef, among other delectables! If you'd like to join the party, tickets can be purchased online at the orourkesdiner.com site, or at the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce.

Join Brian O'Rourke and Mike Stacey from 100.5 FM for an early morning (5-9 am) live broadcast from the Coppertop Grill on Main Street, Middletown. Enjoy St. Patrick's Day dining specials, purchase tickets for the Wadsworth event, and support the rebuilding of O'Rourke's Diner!

Tickets are $50/person. Since the bulk of the goods and services for the event have been donated, nearly all of the proceeds go straight to the rebuilding effort!

Help spread the word! And we hope to see you there!

Herkimer, NY
Whether it be for the slinging of pancakes hot off the griddle, a plate of hash browns, or just an old-fashioned cup of coffee, the Empire Diner has been a nostalgic staple of the Herkimer area for decades.

Originally owned by a man named John Manikas, the diner was brought to the area by truck from Little Falls, New Jersey, in 1952. Fully equipped form the factory, it took the workman less than five hours to place the structure on its foundation, which had been prepared in advance.

Partially destroyed by a fire in 1976, the diner was purchased and restored by a local businessman named Robert Castle. According to records at the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce, Castle purchased the diner for nostalgic reasons and relocated it in 1977 to its present location after a Burger King came to town.

It remained open with several different owners until the late Fall of 2006, when the diner shut off the ovens and closed its doors. It has remained closed ever since.

The former Ruthie and Moe's Diner, a landmark in the city's Midtown Cleveland district until it closed last year, could reopen soon with a new operator.

Samir Khouri, a Westlake restaurateur, said Monday that he plans to revive the converted rail car at East 40th Street and Prospect Avenue as Somer's Diner. "I'm shooting for May 1," he said.

Khouri, who has leased the diner for five years with options for up to 20, owns Somer's Restaurant on West 150th Street in Cleveland and Gourmet Family Restaurants in Strongsville and North Ridgeville. A son also is a partner in O'Feenies Irish House in Parma Heights.

Pending an occupancy permit and approval of a new sign, Somer's Diner would be open weekdays for breakfast and lunch, offering homemade meatloaf and other comfort foods that made Ruthie and Moe's an institution.

John Miller called the fire that destroyed the Pig-Hip Museum Monday "a big blow to Route 66 fans all over the country, all over the world, who used to stop there to chat with Ernie and Frances Edwards."

"It's a tragedy that reaches out not only locally but internationally," echoed Logan County tourism director Geoff Ladd.

Miller, who is president of the Route 66 Association of Illinois, said he's glad the Edwards weren't hurt in the fire.

He said friends have called to tell him they're taking the loss pretty well.

"I'll probably go down there Saturday morning," he said. "We'll do everything as an association we can to get him back on his feet."

Miller said the association chooses a theme each year for its annual motor tour across the Illinois portion of Route 66.

They picked the Pig-Hip as the 2007 theme.

"Now, it's more important than ever," Miller said. "That's a real big loss for our association."

By Karen Shideler | The Wichita Eagle | March 2, 2007

Brint's Diner is the kind of place where the food is good and everyone is family.

Well, everyone except one Guy who showed up before the sun came up Thursday with cameras, microphones, clipboards and a vintage red Camaro convertible.

The Guy was Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network's "Guy's Big Bite," who brought a crew with him to film a segment for a new Food Network show he'll host called "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." It will debut in April, and each episode will begin with Fieri pulling up in the Camaro.

The microphones and cameras didn't seem to get in the way of pancakes, eggs and coffee for the regulars, most of whom seemed not to notice the hubbub.

Why Brint's?

"It's not just the food, and not just the diner," but the story behind a restaurant, Fieri said during a break, having given up on connecting by phone with his 10-year-old back in California. v For Brint's, that means a history that dates to 1960, when Hunt's Diner opened. Current co-owner Sandi Sammons said she's been told the Brincefield family bought the restaurant from the original owner but couldn't afford a whole new sign, so they substituted their "Bri" for the "Hu," giving birth to the diner's name.