HISTORY: Herman ”Jess” Jessie and his restaurant career:
Southern Star Drive-In Restaurant. Clark Street Road (Rt. 5 – Current location was just past Finger Lakes Mall on the South side next to the Mobil Gas Station- Last known as Eddie’s)
In 1947 Herman “Jess” Jessie and George Klimek got together at the Southern Star Drive-in Restaurant located on Clark Street Road. Special Baked Ham, Crispy Fried Fish, BBQ Sandwiches and more. They also started the Curb Service with car hops. Jess remained with George until May 1951 when he sold out his portion and moved to Grant Ave and opened Jess’s Drive-In Restaurant in a previously run restaurant owned by Eddie Stapleton. Jess’s Drive-In and Jess & Bill’s Restaurant: 260-264 Grant Avenue. (Current location would be between Lasca’s Restaurant and Key Bank.) He remodeled and continued his menu that we all remember from Southern Star with curb service until 1952. He then partnered with Bill Wilkinson and formed Jess & Bill’s Restaurant in December of 1952 and enlarged and re-opened as a full service restaurant / bar with “knotty pine” décor and a large dining room and dance floor. The restaurant remained open until 1956 when Jess left the restaurant business and entered a new career as a building contractor. In 1957 it was reopened as Stapleton’s Restaurant and remained until 1959 when it became The Shamrock. The Shamrock lasted until 1967 when it was then changed to The Pub. Eventually it was torn down and an IHOP Restaurant filled the spot on Grant Ave. That did not last long and the IHOP was torn down and the bank building took over the entire corner of Grant and Brookside Drive. Jess always kept his recipes a secret. His wife, Marion, who worked with him at both restaurants kept his secrets also. Even other family members didn’t get them. Only a few close friends were lucky enough to get copies. For years his crispy fried fish recipe was used for the Lenten Fish Dinners at Sacred Heart Parish. Jess passed away in April of 2016 at the age of 92. His children, Leon, Linda and Kevin thought long and hard about what to do with his recipes. We have come to the conclusion he would have liked us to share them with this generation that still remembers his restaurants then they can pass them to the next generation so they can experience “Special Baked Ham”,” Texas Hot Sauce” or “Crispy Fried Fish” like you remember. We only ask that you don’t claim them as your own and let them always be known as “Jess’s recipes” or “Southern Star recipes”. DISCLAIMER: RECIPES SHOWN ARE FOR RESTAURANT SIZE PORTIONS COOKED ON COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT. REDUCING THEM OR COOKING ON RESIDENTIAL EQUIPMENT MAY NOT GIVE THE SAME RESULTS. EXPERIMENT ON YOUR OWN WITH “DOCTORED RECIPES”
(Recipes are copied exactly as written on Jess’s recipe cards.)
