We lost the diner but kept the recipes

Editor,

Mill City Diner closed after forty-two years. Rent went up; margins did not. On the last day, owner Peggy posted index cards with recipes by the register: clam chowder, blueberry pancakes, the secret to not scorching the home fries.

Half the town copied them. We are not opening a restaurant again, but every month someone hosts "Diner Night" in their kitchen. Peggy always gets the first plate.

Communities survive closures when they carry stories forward. Ours tastes like chowder and stubbornness.

— Greg O'Malley