Message Forum

It was Sebastian Cabot. His TV show was Family Affair. He was an avid pheasant hunter. During hunting season, he would eat breakfast at Fong's several times a year.

01/31/24 02:33 PM

#7845

Doyle. They still serve weiners and rice with gravy at the Chicago Cafe.

After Andrea and I got married, I took her to the Chicago to meet Paul. Before we got to the restaurant, I told her a little history about the Chicago. I told her that "weiner and rice with gravy" is a favorite with a lot of the "old timers".

We walked into the dining area and I introduced her to an "old timer" that I had known for over 30 years. He told her that he had been coming to the Chicago for over 40 years and that his favorite dish was "weiners and rice with gravy". She couldn't believe it!!!

Several weeks later, at our church in Davis, I was asking her if she wanted to go to the Chicago for lunch. One of her friends overheard our discussion and said, "I go there for their "weiners and rice with gravy". She was shocked to say the least!!!

02/01/24 09:37 AM

#7846

They did a nice segment on Cap Public Radio yesterday on the Chicago Cafe - talking with the UCD faculty that had done the segment I heard about from Frances. I'm sure you could listen on line to it. Thanks to all that had comments about the Cafe. & yes wieners and rice if I wasn't ordering Chow Mein!

02/01/24 09:55 AM

#7847

Doyle Phillips (1961)

Burke, Good to hear. Did the old timer you refer to have the Laundry around the corner from Chicago Cafe on Elm? The Chicago and the Hong Kong had the best Weiners and Rice. Pheasant Season and other seasons would get many entertainers to Woodland. In mid 50's I would stop in the Spudnut Shop and see George and met many in early morning. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Phil Harris a couple times and Robert Stack and Hugh Obrien. Robert Stack would stop by and see George most mornings.

02/02/24 09:24 AM

#7848

Doyle. The "old timer" was a farmer. My dad came to Woodland in the 1930's and grew up with many of the farmer families. One of his buddies was John Wetzel. During the 60's, John would come to the restaurant several times a week and shoot the "bull" with my dad. He would tell my dad to visit his fields and pick whatever he was getting ready to harvest. During hunting season, he would give us permission to hunt on his land.

It was great growing up in a small town. Everyone knew everybody. When my dad owned Min's, CHP officers came to the restaurant regularly and I would talk to them. After I graduated from Berkeley, I wanted to be a CHP officer. I took the written test and passed it.

I was scheduled for a oral "interview" and knew that I would be face-to-face with 4 CHP officers. That had me scared. I walk into the the interview room and immediately recognized 3 of the 4 officers. Since they knew me, the interview was non-stressful and I placed very high. However, life took me a different direction and I never became a CHP officer.

02/02/24 10:00 AM

#7849

Joan Richter (Lucchesi) (1960)

Hi Burke Where was "Mins" located? That was my Mom and Dad's favorite Chinese restaurant, but they would have already picked up the "to go" order, so I never got to go to the restaurant :-)

02/02/24 11:03 AM

#7850

Orval Hughes (1964)

If my memory serves me, weenies and rice with gravy and Wonderbread was served at the Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong was next to Stan's men shop and owned by Paul Wong.

Paula was in our class

02/02/24 02:34 PM

#7851

Greg, I think Mins was on the Northwest corner of Cottonwood and W. Main. Where Taco Bell is now. I could easily be wrong tho!

02/02/24 03:19 PM

#7852

Sometime in the 1950's, Dad took these slides of a parade on Main street, So this would be looking Northwest, corner of main and First Street. The Dime Store is on the corner, and next to it is the "Hong Kong Chop Suey Cafe" and then the Sportsman..

02/03/24 07:48 AM

#7853

Bernard Rocksvold (1965)

I do remember the Sportsmans club. I hated to go in there to collect money for my paper route. The smell was terrible.

02/03/24 11:26 AM

#7854

Sprouse Reitz, a favorite childhood store. You could buy items for a quarter or less and have a treasure. Mother would let use pick out whatever we wanted. I remember buying a brown fuzzy dog bank. I loved it. Wish I had it today. Thank you Greg, great picture of Main Street.

02/03/24 07:21 PM

#7855

Greg. The original Min's was located at the corner of West Main and Cottonwood streets. That location is now a Taco Bell. After my Dad retired, my uncle Felix eventually relocated Min's to the shopping center at Cottonwood and West Cross streets.

In your picture showing the Hong Kong restaurant, my dad's first restaurant, Fong's, is just down the street.

02/04/24 09:16 AM

#7856

Yep Bernie, everyone's memory of the Sportsman has to do with a Bad Smell, even just walking by.

And Theresa, My memory of the dime store is Mom Saying "When I was a kid, everything in a '5 & 10', only cost a nickel or a dime". Kind of like folks today complaining that the "Dollar Stores" are no longer a dollar. Nothing changes, only the amounts!!

02/04/24 09:20 AM

#7857

Thanks Burke, I now seem to remember Min's being in that Shopping Center. I looked and none of Dad's slides showed just a little farther up Main Street where i did remember "FONGS" being located, I ate there many times, sadly I never took a pic, in those days before iPhones and digital cameras, it cost $$ everytime you took a pic. Post a pic if you have one!

02/08/24 08:11 PM

#7858

Susan Pasanen (Lehman) (1966)

Greg Kareofelas: This tile is a subject on the Woodland Forum, does anyone know the people who owned the candy store, or the history. A lot of talk about the two Fisher brothers who were the dentists in town. I just copied this picture from the person who presented the subject on the Woodland Forum. I do not remember the tile.

02/09/24 05:13 AM

#7859

Theresa, I just Googled Fisher's Candy, Woodland, CA and some interesting articles came up. One was a newspaper article on Ancestry about a Fisher son from San Francisco, an excellent candy maker, coming back to his parents in 1906 or something. Also another article about the historical registry for Yolo County about 522-524 Main Street for Fisher's Candy from the late 1890's. Also a collection of photos of tile storefront markers that include some for Fishers Candy. Anyway, quite a lot. Hope that helps. Susan Pasanen Lehman

02/09/24 05:17 AM

#7860

Susan Pasanen (Lehman) (1966)

02/09/24 09:12 AM

#7861

Thank you Susan for the History on the lovely Fisher Candy Store white tiles. I also read that the tiles were not to be removed by any new store owner, after the Fisher Family left the business in Woodland.

02/09/24 09:13 AM

#7862

George Manthey (1967)

Quite the article in the San Francisco Chronicle today about the Chicago Cafe. You should be able to open it without a firewall using this link: This California Chinese cafe may be the oldest in the nation.

02/09/24 11:21 AM

#7863

Walter J. "Wally" Summ (1967)

Shared from Woodland Forum today, more history.

02/09/24 11:22 AM

#7864

I don't know if there is a Fisher Candy connection or not with Dr. Earl Fisher or Dr. Donnell Fisher.

I DO know that my friend Eleanor Stockton (mother of Don Stockton ('66) and Linda Stockton Henigan '61) told me years ago that she was related to the Fisher Candy family. She told me the Fisher family had lived on a property west of town in the late 1800's. That property has been in the Summ family since 1937. The Fishers had sold it prior to 1906 to a family named Commontofsky(sp). The Summ's bought it from them......Price: Sixty acres and a two story home..$3,800. (roughly the price of a trip to COSTCO today...

Don and Linda would be your source for more details.

Thank you Susan and Theresa for your informative posts.

02/10/24 09:32 PM

#7865

Hi Theresa

A while back I took a number of photos of the tile work in front of some Woodland Main Street stores. Here is one from DeMaria (I went to school with Tony DeMaria)

02/11/24 10:23 AM

#7866

Greg, now lovely. I never recalled this tile entrance either. Woodand had some very good landmarks for family businesses. I am surprised that Cranston's did not have such an entrance on a very popular hardware store as it was. It does have the drinking fountain.

02/12/24 03:48 PM

#7867