Several notable restaurants operated in Holyoke during the mid-20th century. The Log Cabin, Delaney House, Gleason's Rathskellar, Yankee Pedlar, and Kelley's Lobster House were a few of the popular sit-down eateries. The Golden Lemon was another, arriving on the scene later than those mentioned.
Shortly after Eugene Tamburi shut down the Pig's Ear by removing the beverage license from the premises in August 1977, a new restaurant was under consideration.
In mid-October 1977, Bess Stathis, who held the Pig's Ear liquor license, sought to transfer the license to the newly formed Early American Inns Corp., with Eugene Tamburi as manager. Mr. Tamburi planned to open a restaurant without entertainment. No significant changes would be made to the restaurant space.
The restaurant would be called the Golden Lemon, a name Mr. Tamburi selected after a resort he vacationed at on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.
The bistro-style restaurant opened its doors in early May 1978. At times, civic and social groups hosted guest speakers who spoke on various topics of interest. One in particular was a talk on the history of Holyoke, presented by Wyatt Harper, a retired chair of Holyoke High School's History Department and noted Holyoke historian.
Effective August 1, 1979, Bess Stathis acquired the restaurant operation for $110,000 from Eugene Tamburi. Mr. Tamburi retained ownership of the real estate.
By way of background, Bess Stathis started working at the Yankee Pedlar in 1950 after graduating from Westfield State College. She worked in management and personnel for the Early American Inns under Mr. Tamburi. The inns included the Yankee Drummer in Auburn, Storrowtown Inn in West Springfield, and the Tobacco Valley Inn in Windsor, Connecticut.
She returned to the Yankee Pedlar in 1968 as an innkeeper and, ten years later, moved on to manage the Coonamessett Inn in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
Taking ownership of the Golden Lemon in 1979, her plan was to serve a mix of multi-ethnic and American selections. Breads and pastries would be baked on-site.
In 1981, the restaurant was named a local historic landmark by the Holyoke Historical Commission. Two of the commissioners were John Houle and Mary Maginnis.
In January 1982, Bess Stathis sold the restaurant, and Eugene Tamburi sold the real estate to William Dwight Jr. The new owner placed a greater emphasis on well-crafted newspaper ads to generate interest in attracting diners. Celebrity chefs, who were Holyoke notables, offered their favorite dish recipes. There was some entertainment, especially around St. Patrick's Day.
On August 7, 1989, Mr. Dwight closed the business. He indicated that business activity had been sluggish for some time due to the economy and the decline of downtown without a resurgence. Twenty-four employees were let go.
A ten-year reunion was held on August 7, 1999, at the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round. Beth Brogle, a longtime realtor and former employee, waitstaff, bartender, and night manager, indicated that 300 invitations were sent, with an anticipated turnout of 200 people. A portion of the proceeds would support the River Valley AIDS project.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union, with publication dates and pages shown.
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
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