History in the Making
By Darlene Mae O’Connor
I cannot remember nor can I envision a time when Jamestown’s city landscape would not include the beloved main street diner, Lisciandro’s. As far back as my memory will take me it was the hub for hungry downtown business people and the number of diverse shoppers alike especially during the Lunch Rush! Office staff people were known to arrive in shifts to satisfy seating arrangements. First come first serve was, never the less, the rule of the day.
I have a very clear visual of having lunch at the infamous Lisciandro’s counter. Much to my dad’s chagrin at the time, I was rather insistent that we should definitely sit on the high stools at the counter, they were after-all the best seats in the house. I have always been small for my, well, ever and I was likely only four at the time. I remember my dad wouldn’t let go of the stool so I could spin around because he thought I was going to fly off or something. This was a bit disappointing, however the delicious fried bologna sandwich that I ate that day, also a first, will always be remembered with fondness. While I cannot remember the sound check I had come along with my daddy for or exactly where it was, that sandwich will live in my forever memory box! I can also picture the many coat racks covered in women’s fancy mid-coats and pill box hats, the fall/winter fashion must haves of the day, when mom, my siblings and I would stop in for a bite while on any number of our Downtown Christmas Shopping adventures over the years. History, the tie that binds families together.
I was very happy that one of the first places my sister Margie took me to for lunch when I came home last year was that same busy place of our childhood. I was as tickled by all the chrome and nostalgia and while I didn’t have a fried bologna sandwich, the quality food, generous portions and superior service, I am glad to say, are still hallmarks of this infamous diner on Main Street. Change is inevitable in everyone’s life. While I am empty nesting, some folks are starting families and still others are retiring. We are all subjects to the Tik Tok of time and yet somethings really are timeless, like the character of a favorite diner.
Lisciandro’s is a family tradition for loyal customers and especially for newly retired John Lisciandro. The diner was first established in 1954 by his parents and when they retired in 1975, John was ready to take over the helm. Today his legacy is in the capable hands of Patti Larson, not a member of Johns lineage, but a member of his family in her own rite. She has been Johns employee since she finished college at 22 years old and while there have been many tenuous moments over the last 29 years, agreed both John and Patti, she never quit and he never fired her. It is no small wonder then, that Patti and her husband Chris would find themselves the current owners of one of the longest running businesses in Chautauqua County. A jewel in our city’s crown to be sure.
When I asked my new friend Patti how it felt to now be the owner of her own establishment, she commented on how natural it all felt. “This has been my second home for as long as I can remember really. We aren’t just like family; we are family”, they both agreed. When I asked her if her own son would work there one day, she surprised me by saying he would have to work somewhere else for a while first to develop a hardy work ethic of his own. Pretty wise thinking on her part, but she also expressed the desire that he might one day be the “Bearer of the Torch, for the Diner on the Hill!
If it has been a while and you have a hankering for some hometown nostalgia served up with great food and service with a smile, you must get in and get a seat, preferably at the counter, and tell Patti
Darlene Mae and the Villager sent you.