Working at the Simsbury Pharmacy

       When I was sixteen years old I got my first “big” job working at the Simsbury Pharmacy in Simsbury, CT. I was to be their new waitress and short-order cook. Under the tutelage of a scary woman named Betty and her side-kick Dottie, I was trained to fry hamburgers, make omelets, and pour coffee without spilling a drop and make a real root beer float. Since I was hired as the “closing girl”, I spent most of my evening shift mopping the floors, cleaning the grease trap and scouring the grill. But we had a few evening customers that required food and coffee, so I was able to hone my cooking skills, practice my pancake-flipping and create monstrous ice cream sundaes in the privacy of my own little soda fountain world.

      
       My favorite menu item at the Simsbury Pharmacy was their Western sandwich. A Western, or called a Denver by some because it originated in Denver, CO, is simply a scrambled egg, open-face omelet with green peppers, onions, and chopped ham. All the ingredients are tossed into a bowl, scrambled with a fork, and then poured onto a lightly greased griddle. While you are cooking the omelet, you must scrape the mixture as best you can into a square shape the size of your bread. While the Western is on the grill, toast 2-pieces of white bread, butter them and spread with a light coating of Dijon mustard. Place a piece of Swiss cheese on the egg mixture right before taking it off the griddle, place on one piece of toast, top with the other, then cut in half. Poof! A perfect Western sandwich.

       You can’t find Western sandwiches anymore, except perhaps the Waffle House, but theirs are more like gigantic omelets with toast on the side. A real Western sandwich is not a gastronomic explosion; it’s a small portion, a satisfying treat, great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I have tried to “upscale” the Western sandwich idea by using organic eggs, smoked Gouda, country ham, but to no avail. The regular, tried and true Western sandwich is still the best, and should not be messed with.

        I visited the Simsbury Pharmacy last summer on a trip to New England and found it hadn’t changed as much as I thought, although the soda fountain and lunch counter were gone, replaced by a horrific reach-in beverage refrigerator. I chatted with the present owner, Robert Kevorkian, who shared some of his memories of the old time lunch counter. Little did I know when I took that job back in 1973 that I would someday open my own lunch establishment and catering business, based on many of the skills I learned from my first, real job.
      
       I tried offering a Western sandwich at my shop on Amelia Island, but it didn’t go over well. Everyone liked it, sure, but folks these days are into more glamorous and complex dishes. So when I’m hankering for some comfort food, reminiscent of simpler times, I cook up a Western sandwich just for me, served with a piping hot cup of coffee. And it still tastes a good as it did at the Simsbury Pharmacy many years ago.