Even though my husband and I seek out mom-and-pop restaurants, we’ve driven by Dave and Bev’s Diner at the four corners in Ellington more than once without giving it much thought. That is until recently when we stopped in for their Friday fish fry, which was one of the best I’ve had in the area. Not only was the fish very good, the baked potato was perfect, which is not always the case with restaurant potatoes. It also came with pineapple cole slaw and a thick slice of freshly baked bread. There are many five-star reviews online indicating that we didn’t just happen to stop on one of their better days.

“It must be in your blood, because my grandmother cooked at Peek ‘n Peak and my mom liked to cook,” says Eileen Seekings, who along with her husband, Doug, opened the diner on the last day of June 2014. “We didn’t eat out a lot. My mother always baked and during the holidays she made mints. She died when I was 10, so I don’t remember much, but a lot of what I do came from her. I remember her saying ‘put in a pinch of salt’ or ‘a pinch of sugar.’ I make a lot of the same foods she made when I was a kid, like chipped beef.”

She feels she learned to cook on her own. She gives credit to her time working at Dutch Village in Clymer and at the former TK Ribbings Restaurant in Falconer.

“I learned a lot from Kay and Steve Ribbing.”

She has been told her chicken wing soup is the best.

“I’m enjoying making the soups and learning new recipes. I always have to tweak recipes a little bit. I am really enjoying doing this.”

She told about a spread recipe that appeared to be what she was looking for, but when the finished product didn’t meet her expectations, she asked her daughter to see what she thought was missing. With the addition of a few spices, they named it Dave and Bev’s Spread. Customers now request it on their sandwiches and for dipping sauce.

She likes to bake and once owned a bakery.

“I prefer baking cakes and pies. I started cake decorating with a kit. Shower and birthday cakes were the first and down the line I did my sister’s wedding cake and eventually opened the bakery.”

She likes to make detailed cakes and admits she likes to see the look on people’s faces when they see the completed project.

“I don’t usually make the same kind of cake twice.”

So, why the name Dave and Bev’s, when the owners names are Doug and Eileen?

“My folks died when I was young. They both died on Feb. 16, my mother in 1980 and my father in 1984 when they were 36 and 42. They were really special people and liked small towns. I’ve talked a lot about them to my daughter and my husband. I didn’t have them long, but they set a great example,” she remembers. “My daughter suggested we name the diner in memory of them. My parents would have loved this diner.”

They spent approximately one year setting up the diner, doing carpentry work, painting and more. Seekings made the curtains, painted the interior walls and made the outside sign.

“I like to paint, refurbish and remodel, but I’m not a crafter.” she says. “Whatever I do I put my heart and soul into it. Whatever I’m doing is my passion.”

Harvey and Alberta Oonk of Clymer gave them several milk cans, which Mrs. Seekings turned into stools for counter eating. She decided to use colorful construction paper for placemats. Soon people wanted crayons, which she supplied in a bowl until a man from Toymakers of Randolph came in one day and told her he would bring back crayon holders, which he did.

“Mostly adults draw pictures on the placemats and now we hang them on the walls. Some people get very creative. Some draw pictures of family, the food, a picture of the diner.”

One hundred and ten people were served on opening day.

“The second customer on opening day is now almost always the first customer of the day.

“Small-town people are kind of alike. They all care about the same thing.”

Coming out of a hard winter, the couple had some hefty utility bills the first spring they were open. Unbeknownst to them, several customers put their money together and made a large contribution.

“God has always been my head chef, but I realized that day that it was the customer’s diner,” she declares. “It’s a special place. I think everyone thinks that when they come in.”

“After we bought it, we found out my dad was born in this town,” says Doug who has a background in business, leaving a position at Cummins last January to work full-time at the diner.

He helped his wife restructure the business. She began promoting the business on Facebook by putting up a “Deal of the Day” for breakfast and lunch. She puts a secret word on Facebook daily and those finding it get a discount. For those not on Facebook, a little wooden couple, Marge and Stanley, named after her aunt and uncle who gave them to her, are hidden in a different location within the restaurant each day. A ticket is given to those that find the couple. That ticket is for a weekly or monthly drawing. The drawing theme changes each month.

“We don’t do specials because everything on my menu is special. Everything is made from the heart. I know how everyone likes their eggs. I know how they like their oatmeal. I feel sorry for their wives and moms,” she grins. “This is like my house. If a customer comes, they’re coming to my house and that’s how I want them to be treated.”

“Diners are the heart and soul of a town. This is the only place in town where people can gather. A few Fridays ago, we served 83 people from 4-8, both in (house) and with takeout.

The Halloween Haunted House idea came from Holiday Food Fun, a book that a friend gave her daughter when she was 6 or 7 years old. Eileen, her daughter Samantha and her 3-year-old grandson, Kolby, constructed the house in about 45 minutes.

“My mom always took the Broccoli and Rice Casserole as her dish to pass. The Chocolate Silk Pie came from the Lander Ladle, a homemade cookbook from Lander, Pennsylvania. It was a wedding gift from my aunt. I use it for soups and the Chocolate Silk Pie.”

When a former cook, Noretta Reynolds, was skeptical about the pie recipe, but raved after making it because it was so tasty, Mrs. Seekings asked, “Have my Lander ladies ever failed us?”

Dave and Bev’s Diner is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and 6 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Saturday serving breakfast only. They are willing to open during off hours for groups. They only accept cash and checks.

Halloween Haunted House

2 empty 1 at milk cartons, rinsed and dried

1-13 X 9″ covered cake board or large tray

16 oz chocolate frosting

Decorations such as

pretzel sticks

nuts, chocolate

covered graham crackers

black licorice

black jelly beans

candy center

dried papaya

rice crackers

assorted candy

Tape each milk carton closed at the top, and then tape them together to make a house. Wrap with foil. Attached securely to covered cake board with tape.

Frost cartons with chocolate frosting; decorate using frosting to attach decorations.

Old Fashion Sugar Cookies

1 c shortening

1 c buttermilk

2 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp,soda

tsp nutmeg

tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

tsp lemon extract

4 c flour

Mix together. Chill for 1 hour. Drop dough from tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, not dark.

Swedish Meatballs

1 egg, beaten

c milk

4 slices crumbled day old bread

lb ground chuck

tsp nutmeg

1 tsp minced onion

3 thinly sliced medium onions

2 T flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 c milk

Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine egg, milk and bread. Let stand 5 minutes. With fork, beat until bread is in fine pieces. Stir in next 4 ingredients. In a skillet, saute sliced onion in oil until golden brown and tender. Set aside on paper towels. From teaspoon, drop some of meat in round balls into oil in skillet. Brown quickly. Remove to casserole. Repeat until all meat is brown. Add more oil if needed. Stir flour, salt and pepper into oil in skillet. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until thick. Pour over meat balls and top with sauted onions. Bake 30 minutes.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

c milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 T chopped onion, optional

2 c cooked and rinsed rice (1 uncooked)

c cubed Velveeta cheese

2 c cubed Spam

1-10 box chopped broccoli, cooked, drained

Corn or bran flakes cereal, crumbled

3 T butter

Combine milk, soup, onion, rice, cheese and Spam. Stir in broccoli. Top with cereal. Top with butter. Bake 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Texas Sheet Cake

2 sticks butter

1 c water

4 T cocoa

2 c flour

2 c sugar

tsp vanilla

2 eggs

c sour cream

1 tsp soda

Bring butter, water and cocoa to boil in large saucepan and remove from heat. Add flour, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs, sour cream and soda. Pour into large greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Icing

1 stick butter

4 T cocoa

6 T milk

1-lb box confectioners sugar

1 c chopped nuts

tsp vanilla

Bring butter, milk and cocoa to a boil. Removed from heat and add sugar, nuts and vanilla. Pour over cake while hot.

No Crust Apple Pie

1 can apple pie filling

Cinnamon

1 c flour

c packed brown sugar

tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp vanilla

c melted butter

Place pie filling in 9″ pie plate or deep baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder with a fork. Stir in egg and vanilla until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over pie filling. Pour melted butter over top. Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is browned and crisp. Serve warm with ice cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

French Silk Pie

c butter

c sugar

1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1-9″ baked pie shell

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs separately, beating five minutes after each. Pour into cooled pie crust. Place in refrigerator. Top with whipped topping and grated chocolate before serving.

Zucchini Muffins

3 c flour

tsp salt

1 tsp soda

tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2 c sugar

1 c oil

3 eggs

2 c grated zucchini

1 tsp vanilla

1 c raisins or nuts, optional

Combine flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add sugar, oil, eggs, zucchini and vanilla. Add raisins or nuts, if desired. Pour into paper-lined muffin pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Half Moons

Cream

2 lbs sugar

1 1/2 plus 1/8 c shortening

2 oz soda

1/2 c plus 1/8 cup cocoa

Cream together. Scrape bowl, then mix again.

Add

2 c molasses

3/4 lbs eggs

Pinch salt

2 oz vanilla

Cream together.

Add

4 c water

Mix, scrape bowl and mix again. Mixture will be thick.