The history of restaurants in Geneva is on full display at the Geneva History Museum with its latest exhibit, “Eat Your Heart Out Geneva.”
Museum staff said the exhibit, which officially opened last Friday, showcases “various elements of culinary identity, visual branding, atmosphere and ambiance, and internal perspectives that made these establishments cultural landmarks.”
Markie Striegel, curator of collections and exhibitions at the museum, said she worked on the project for a number of months and the focus was “on past restaurants in Geneva’s history that sort of made a name for themselves.”
“The restaurants kind of helped shape Geneva,” Striegel said. “We have over 15 restaurants featured and a touchscreen timeline that shows every single restaurant in Geneva’s history – a map that shows where each restaurant has been.”
Terry Emma, executive director for the museum, said the exhibit is “a great trip through time.”
“I grew up here in Geneva. I was born and raised here and this makes people remember things – their first date, getting engaged at a restaurant, meeting somewhere,” Emma said. “I think Geneva is know for its iconic restaurants like Mill Race Inn, Twin Dor, Little Traveler – those are the things that put Geneva on the map.”
During her research, Striegel said she made a few surprising discoveries.
“As someone who is not originally from Geneva, the caliber of restaurants including two that had Michelin stars and different restaurants with chefs that have won awards” was unexpected, she said. “Some of them were aesthetically so neat and so cool looking. They had a restaurant that was shaped like a mine. Just discovering what each of these restaurants was and how many Geneva has had.”
A series of panels are on display in the gallery with information about each restaurant and artifacts that the museum has in its collection and also those on loan. There is also an opportunity to listen to oral histories from different restaurant owners and employees.
Emma said the museum “reached out to people in the community” including former restaurant owners and was able to borrow or were given artifacts to make the exhibit authentic.
“We didn’t just create this in a vacuum,” she said. “We have a table based on Twin Dor, and Martha Park, who lives in Maine, I did a Zoom (meeting) with her … and she sent all kinds of stuff.”
Marsha Koch of Batavia stopped by Friday and said her family made a donation for the exhibit from the former Roberts Drive-In in Geneva.
“My mother worked there for many years and I learned how to count change there,” she said. “My older brother learned how to be a busboy there. We knew the family very well before it closed. We’ve had the sign since it closed and my mom had it and she passed it on to my brother who passed it on to my youngest brother. It was a classic drive-in with hot dogs and hamburgers.”
Gayle Johnson of Geneva said she was born in Minnesota but now lives in Geneva and that she and her husband “have been museum members for years.”
“We like to contribute and come here when they have activities,” she said. “We’ve been here 18 years and we can see how much growth there has been. I love history so, for me, this is really great. We love the Mill Race – it’s important to us. Our parents met us there before we got engaged.”
The exhibit will run through Dec. 23. Striegel said she hopes over the weeks and months ahead, visitors come to appreciate the local restaurant scene and its legacy.
“I hope when people see this, they see the history of our restaurants and see we always have had this high standard of restaurants and also discover how these old eateries helped shaped the community and the culture,” Striegel said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
