By Kate Hofstetter
Catherine’s on a campaign to make
this world a sweeter place, either with
her grandma’s buttermilk apple cake,
or by giving “kids”, as she calls them,
a second chance at a normal life by
working in her restaurant. At least one
of those kids is in her 40’s and suffered
brain damage in an auto accident a few
years ago. Another has his “good” and
“bad” days depending upon whether or
not he remembers to take his medicine.
His history includes an abusive home
and a father who was part of a drug ring.
She went with another to Wal-Mart to
help her pick out her first toothbrush.
This last one was 18 years old at the
time.
One has a neurological problemand poor
eye sight. All come to her untrained.
Catherine teaches them, toughens them
up and makes them employable. It’s
done, she says, with respect, repetition
and love. She is also very firm.
“They know I love them but they’re
scared of me,” she said, “I expect them
to take ownership and responsibility. I
involve them in the whole operation.
They see the food bills, the electric bill
(she was still feeling the sting from the
past month’s $1400 electric bill). They
have to write shopping lists and, yes, I
check their spelling. They have to learn
English skills and serving etiquette.
They must be able to greet a customer at
the door and make them feel welcome.”
“We are not judgmental here,” she said,
“and we will talk with each other about
anything.” She tries to be like a parent,
she explained. If someone seems out of
sorts she doesn’t hesitate to give him
or her a “time out”, which may mean
going upstairs for a brief nap or to cool
down. She is in contact with most of the
parents, and will occasionally have to
place a call and ask what happened that
day at home.
One young man, with whom she’s been
working for the past several years,
is engaged now and completing a
computer course at Liberty University.
“He’s mine for life,” she says.
One fairly easy lesson they all seem
to have trouble learning, however, is
remembering to close the door on the
walk-in fridge. First Catherine taped
notes all over the place saying, “close
the refrigerator door”. The problem
continued, so she posted her electric
bill for all to see. She still didn’t get
good results, so she threatened to make
everyone split the next electric bill, and
she put a huge sign on the door to the
refrigerator that said “CLOSE THE
@#&>!%# DOOR”. The problem was
resolved.
She expects her customers to do their
share, too. If you don’t like the service,
don’t put it on Face Book; let the server
know. After all, she reasons, making
these kids employable will benefit the
community so the community should
help in their training. She’s not looking
for compassion, just a little hard-to-
dole-out honesty, administered with
respect for human dignity.
Joppy’s is believed to be the first
restaurant in Virginia to host a custom
called “suspended coffee”. According
to Internet accounts, it was started years
ago in southern Italy after the war when
several people were experiencing hard
times. It’s really quite simple. When a
person buys a cup of coffee they can
pay for two which means one cup is
“suspended” or owed to the next person
who does not have the money to pay.
The same can be done with a loaf of
bread or a bowl of soup, or a meal for
that matter. It’s paid forward to the next
person who needs nourishment they
can’t afford.
Catherine is a pastry chef by trade.
She got her start at Mariners Landing.
She was assigned her own kitchen by
the executive chef, and her staff was
from the nearby prison. As a teenager,
she went through training for a server
job at the Jefferson Club in Roanoke.
For the15 years prior to buying the
restaurant, she ran a catering business
out of her Smith Mountain Lake home
in Huddleston. She also has served
for the past several years as a festival
vendor around the Lake area. She points
Store: (540) 297-9309
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Making
Life
A Little
Sweeter
Six months ago, when
Catherine Eubank struck
a deal to take over The
Duchess of Bedford
Bakery, now named
Joppy’s; she had exactly
$7.23 in her checking
account. Fortunately for
discerning palates and
a handful of struggling
souls, Catherine isn’t
stopped by the mere lack
of money. Plus, as she
explains, she’s at an age
where she doesn’t scare
easily. She really doesn’t.
9
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Fall 2014
8
