Join the Historical Society of Greater Lansing as it continues its celebration of 100 years of food history with its newest pop up exhibit “Lansing Eats!” a bite-sized look at the history and significance of food in the Lansing area.
On Saturday July 6 at 2 p.m. Lansing’s iconic restaurateur and owner of Jim’s Tiffany Lounge Ange Vlahakis will have a conversation with Historical Association President Valerie Marvin about the history of Lansing’s restaurants. The event will be held at the Central Free Methodist Church, 828 N. Washington Ave. Lansing. It is a free event and open to the public.
The “Lansing Eats” exhibit will be open before and after the event (1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.) It is free and located in the basement of the Creyts Building (831 N. Washington Ave) at the southwest corner of Oakland Ave. and N. Washington Ave, directly across from the Church. The exhibit will also be open Sunday July 7 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
“The Vlahakis family and their restaurants are synonymous with the history of Lansing in the 20th century,” Marvin said. Ange’s dad, Jim, and his family moved to Lansing in the early 1900s and started a series of successful restaurants.
“It is the story of hard work, creativity and the American dream along with very good rice pudding,” Marvin said.
She said if there was an important decision to be made in Lansing it was probably made at a table in Jim’s along with a serving of moussaka.
The original “Jims” was called Lansing Café and opened at 203 S. Washington in 1914. In 1937, it moved to a new location at 116 E. Michigan where after several expansions (Jim’s Bar and Jim’s Lounge) it became known as Jim’s Tiffany Lounge. Ange Vlahakis operated the restaurant until 1980, when it was sold. Ultimately, it was demolished in 1995 for a parking lot.
Vlahakis and some former employees are sponsoring a reunion for all former employees of Jim’s Tiffany Lounge from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday September 22 at Patriarche Park in East Lansing. For more information on the event contact [email protected] or [email protected]. Also visit facebook.com/groups/JimsTiffanyReunion.
The “Lansing Eats” exhibit covers everything from the earliest markets, groceries and meat markets in Lansing to home milk delivery, World War II rationing, brewers, roasters and bottlers and long-lost restaurants.
Marvin said the history of food in Lansing is a natural topic for an exhibit.
“Following the evolution of food and eating allows us to tell an important part of Lansing history.”
She said, as one example, the history of restaurants in Lansing is part of the American immigrant experience and locations such as Emil’s, Dines, Jim’s Tiffany, Kewpies, Fabiano’s, Dimitri’s, DeLuca’s , Hi-Klass Beverage and Fu Ying Café help us tell that story in a unique way.
D’Mitri’s Coney Island
Adina Langer curator of Lansing Eats and a Board Member of the Historical Society said “Sharing foodways helps immigrants become a part of a new community.” She said there are numerous immigrant stories told in the exhibit through shops, restaurants and recipe books.
Artifacts on exhibit vary from vintage restaurant signs, postcards, matchbooks, dinner ware, and novelties to rare items such as a Lawrence Baking Company Calendar featuring the famed 1930 Lansing Morlok Quads to what might be a singularly unique 1920s dining plate from REO Clubhouse.
The exhibit also includes a collection of restaurant menus, a unique line-of-credit receipt book and signs from area eating establishments showing “historical” prices.
Langer said the focus of exhibit is “how people gather together around food in good times and in bad.”
Langer served as the Memorial Exhibition Manager for the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City before moving to the Lansing area four years ago. She was in charge of gathering artifacts, photographs and recorded remembrances for each of the 2983 victims for the Museum which opens in 2014.
Marvin said, “Who can believe 40 cent draft beers at Dagwood’s, a Prime Fillet (sic) Mignon Steak for $3.45 at the Purple Steer or Broiled Lamb Chops for $3.50 at the short-lived Pear and Partridge gourmet restaurant at the Capital City Airport.
Marvin said a discerning diner could order a fried snapping turtle at the Purple Steer for $1.60.
The Society Director said there will also be a large assortment of recipe books from an amazing variety of churches, social groups, ethnic groups and organizations. The oldest charity cookbook on display is from 1901 and published by the Pilgrim Congregational Church.
Photo of Martha Dixon Show
A special section of the exhibit highlights Lansing’s own Julia Child, Martha Dixon, who launched the Copper Kettle cooking show on local TV 6 WJIM in 1954. Items include historical video, TV show transcripts, a large promotional photo showing Martha Dixon cooking in the station kitchen. The silver chafing dish shown in the photo was recently saved at a local estate sale and will be on display.
What is being called a community table showcases dinnerware from Oldsmobile, the Masonic Temple, REO Clubhouse, Greater Lansing Food Bank Empty Plate and Bowl, a piece of plate saved from the Kern Hotel fire, MSC dishes and a Lansing Chamber of Commerce plate.
A special on-line memory book where residents can add their own special eating stories using Google maps is also available online at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=214710977395441532012.0004dbc0b678bd87f54b0
Marvin said the quest for historic items never ends and as an example the Society is still looking for items from Sully’s, Knapp’s and Arbaugh’s. Call the Society at 517-282-6141 if you have items from any of these restaurants. She said this past week the Society acquired a rare bread wrapper from Lansing’s Gauss Bakery.
I have fond memories of this establishment.. Total class from top to bottom.
Mr. Vlahakis greeted everyone and came to the table asking not just how the food was, but about us, our family our day, our lives. This way of knowing your customers and caring is pretty much long gone, but I still long for the day when it will return. It wasn’t just about the food, or the menu, it was about PEOPLE. Thanks for the memories.