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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2006 > February > 19 > Entry
Jay’s 30th Anniversary Luncheon
Jay’s 30th Anniversary Luncheon resonated with fine food, interesting wine and a dash of nostalgia. Thre was, quite simply, a positive vibe all around.
The afternoon started with Jay Haverstick reminiscing about his days at the Yankee Tavern when he first began scouting out the property he would turn into his namesake restaurant on the edge of downtown Dayton. At that time, the historical Oregon District was just beginning to blossom.
“I would come down here to walk around, and I saw a lot of very interesting people,” Haverstick said. “They didn’t dress like I did. They sure didn’t drink what I drank. Some of them didn’t have homes to go home to.”
His customers at the more suburban Yankee Trace “told me I was crazy” for relocating to the city’s core. And there were times that … (click on “continue reading”)
… he told himself, “They told me if you build it they will come, but there were a few days when I thought to myself, when the heck are they going to get here?”
Wine distributors who supplied the wines for the afternoon were asked to describe working with Jay. Todd Nikolai told of calling Haverstick at 7 p.m. on a Friday — the absolute worst time to contact a restaurateur — to ask him how to cook a certain type of fish at home. If there’s one topic Jay will drop everything to discuss no matter what time it is, it’s how to cook fish (well, that and wine. And photography. And maybe gardening. Okay, four topics.)
John Davis delivered a humorous rant on what it’s like to for a wine distributor to deal with restaurant owners who either know nothing or think they know it all — or both. Haverstick, thankfully, fell into neither category, Davis said.
Jay wisely interrupted long-time distributor Ardie Bonanno, who has been selling wine to Jay for the entire three decades of the restaurant’s existence, before Ardie could get going with any stories. Instead, Jay pointed to the three-foot-tall 27-liter bottle of 1999 Steltzner cabernet that Ardie brought and asked the vertically challenged wholesaler, “Do you think that for our 35th anniversary you’ll be able to find a bottle that’s taller than you?”
Jay’s daughter Amy, who works alongside him, served as emcee and helped put together a 20-minute video montage filled with family photos and pictures of the early days of the restaurant.
The five-course meal was excellent from start to finish, and the wines were eclectic, from a Spanish albarino to an Australian semillon to a French syrah.
In the end, though, this event was more about Jay than it was about the meal, and the 120-plus attendees recognized that, giving the venerable restaurateur a standing ovation.
If you attended — or even if you didn’t, and have a story about Jay or about the restaurant — by all means, click on “post a comment” and let us know! That’s what makes these “blogging” web sites interactive and fun.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Comments
By John and Marlene Dorsten
February 23, 2006 12:00 PM | Link to this
Mark, Just a short note to tell you and Jay how much we have enjoyed his luncheons over the years and how much we missed attending the 30th anniversary. Our best wishes to all of our Dayton friends and looking forward to connecting with many of them on our next trip north. Our best to Jay and Idy from the Dorstens.
By cathy
February 21, 2006 1:38 AM | Link to this
I remember enjoying one of my very first dates at Jay’s. It has remained one of my favorite restaurants - truly a gem in Dayton. Their menu remains blessedly small enough for them to keep their focus on high quality food prepared expertly. I really enjoy Jay’s for all it has to offer. I’ve always been impressed with how, on a busy restaurant night, Jay himself, in his tux of course, pitches in wherever help seems needed. I like that he has shunned arrogance completely — Jay seems never ‘above’ doing the real work, even bussing a table, if that is what is needed at the moment. All these gestures show the heart and soul that Jay and his family put into their business, and it is a pleasure to take part in it! I really enjoyed the 30th Anniversary lunch, and thought the food was inventive, plentiful, and amazingly well- prepared for such a crowd. (Ok, the fried brie patty alongside the salad wasn’t a hit, but that was just one small flaw in just one of the 6 incredible courses.) The servers worked their tails off for us. Many thanks to all the hard work that went into making the afternoon a special one. Congratulations on another milestone, Jay!
By Julie
February 20, 2006 1:49 PM | Link to this
My most fond memory of Jay’s? Chocolate Bavarian Cream Pie…when I think about that dessert I still slide off my chair. My husband and I would eat at Jay’s with alarming frequency — yes, that would be before children. Anyway, he is not much of a dessert man and I would finish my entree and order the pie before he was through. He would always ask me to save him one bite…just one bite…well I would try — truly I would — but before I realized it…the pie would be gone. Serves him right for eating so slow! Though I think he finally got a slice when he brought home an entire pie from Jay’s for my birthday! We were at Jay’s just the other night and it was great…I miss that pie, but the chocolate mousse that sits in a bed of whipped cream and feels just like velvet sliding down your throat — oh my — not a bad substitute for that pie.
By Jean
February 20, 2006 9:33 AM | Link to this
Jay’s 30th was hit and miss. The wines were a hit, the food was a miss. Why is hot food not hot? The soup would have been great, however, there were crab bones and it was luke warm. The salad had the fried shrimp and brie and tasted as though they were fried the day before. The audio was horrible. The poor wine guys did there best, some just bypassing the mic. The service was not up to par with Jay’s standards. A couple of times my dining partners had to ask a server to bring them a course. They crammed the tables way to tight for anyone to walk through. The lunches are no fun anymore. It is best on Friday nights.
By Mark D
February 19, 2006 4:46 PM | Link to this
Wow where do I start with all the fond memories of Jay and Jay’s. I love how Basel put it. I had the first date with my wife there, she actually showed up! Next was the rehearsal dinner for the wedding a couple of years later. I will never forget the early days of The Kitchen Door where Jay was, and still is, my wine mentor. I have met the most interesting and diverse bunch of people at Jays over the last 25+ years. I must say I have taken advantage of them all as I have learned so much about so many things in gaining their friendship and learning about them. It truly is a special place to me and I hope we have 30 more years of the same. Take the benevolence of the proprietor, the ambiance of the room, the fantastic staff, a couple jugs of good juice, all the characters you come to know and recognize that Dayton has a rare jewel in Jay’s.
By Linda Osterman
February 19, 2006 3:06 PM | Link to this
My story about Jay’s starts when they were first opening in the Oregon District. I worked for a company called Data Services and we did payroll and accounting for companies. Jay called in to start the services for Jay’s. I met with him and instucted him on how he had to give me the hours and tips for the waitresses. I still remember the name of one: she was Ruby Snow. I would call him every week and he would tell me over the phone the number of hours they worked and the amount of tips they were claiming. I think Ruby was one of his favorites. I have eaten there many times over the past 30 years and still enjoy each meal.
By Mark F
February 19, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this
Sometimes it’s the smallest of kind gestures that are long remembered. I stopped in to buy something at Jay’s Kitchen Door what seems like just a short time ago, and I had my oldest son with me — I think he was 4 or 5 at the time. Jay spoke to both of us, disappeared into the restaurant for a moment, and came back with a package of oyster crackers for my son, who thought those crackers were just about the coolest thing to eat as any food ever invented. He scarfed ‘em down. I blinked my eyes for a moment and my son is now 17 and a senior in high school, and Jay’s Restaurant is heading into its fourth decade. That “whooshing” sound of the time warp has enveloped me. My son still remembers those oyster crackers — and so do I. Thanks, Jay. Mark Fisher
By Basel Yanes
February 19, 2006 8:22 AM | Link to this
Jay’s luncheon represented the best Dayton offers. Chilly Saturday afternoon warmed by friendship and camaraderie. Delicious food and of course great wines. The essence of living in a non-glamorous city without mountains or beaches. A place where life is felt from within, at its very soul. It is the remarkable people like Jay, the close family relations portrayed in the video that keep most of us here, and yes we love it — even when it is freezing.