February 25, 2009
sportian i» (O bserver
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Entrepreneur Lives Dream with Clyde’s
continued ^ ^ fro m Front
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wife Adelaide Burt, former
car dealers who owned the
restaurant chain, were white
and em ployed blacks as
w aiters, w aitresses and
cooks.
The restaurant closed in
the late 1950s, perhaps be­
cause its racist trademark
was becoming increasingly
socially unacceptable.
G rah am 's descendents
say that it was never the
fam ily’s intent to demean
African Americans, but that
the im ages w hich also
adorned menus and post­
cards were accepted as nor­
mal in their day.
Jen k in s
finds
his
restaurant’s past “ironic,”
since it now show cases
some of the best African
American talent the city has
P hoto by M ark W ashington /T he P orti . ash O bserver O
to offer.
Clyde Jenkins fills his entertainment calendar with some o f the city's best known jazz artists to help make Clyde's Prime Rib, 5474 N.E. Sandy Blvd..
There are live jazz perfor­
one of the city's hot spots.
mances, with an emphasis
A Portlander “born and
on “old school Motown," on
A historic photograph
raised,” Jenkins graduated
from the 1940s shows
Thursday through Sunday
from o f C entral Catholic
the
dehumanizing
face
nights. Also on Sundays,
High School and spent much
that
greeted
customers
starting at 8:30 p.m., one of
of
Portland's
“Coon
of
his career in the high tech
Portland’s best jazz drum­
Chicken Inn." Consid­
industry, including Kentrox
mers, Ron Steen hosts an all­
ered one o f the most
Telecom.
comers jam session.
insulting o f all anti­
Eventually he decided he
Jenkins describes his din­
black caricatures, the
wanted to go into business
ing m enu as “A m erican
face was also a
for himself by combing two
eclectic,” with hamburgers,
trademark for the same
o
f his passions. Jenkins said
pasta, salads, seafood, steak,
restaurant chain in
he
had worked at Farrell's
Seattle and Salt Lake
and of course, the signature
Ice Cream while in high
City.
prime rib.
school and “It was something
I enjoyed, “while “All my
life, I’ve enjoyed music.”
He originally wanted to
open a yestaxtrant e ith e r
downtown or. near-in north­
east Portland, but the Prime
Rib was for sale.
“When you’re looking for
a business to buy, you have
to take what’s available,” he
says.
Jen k in s did e x ten siv e
work to remodel the interior.
He changed the menu to
“make it more affordable.”
He also consciously sought
to build his customer base.
R egarding the C oon
Chicken Inn days, Jenkins
agrees that the former res­
taurant and its owners were
not consciously hostile to
African-Americans.
He notes that the large
influx of black wartime ship­
yard workers to Portland had
not yet occurred, and the
c ity ’s A frican-A m erican
population was fairly small.
“It was probably not rac­
ist,” he says, “just the way
people saw the world, and
now
the
w orld
has
changed.”
Black History Month is about discovery. And with routes from the
In the present-day world,
Carolinas to New York, Florida to DC, and all points in between,
Clyde’s
Prime Rib opens at
Amtrak makes it possible to discover history in any part of the
11:30 a.m. daily except Sun­
country. Relax in roomy Coach seats, grab a bite to eat from the
day when doors open at 5
dining car, or take in the views from the lounge car. Amtrak is the
p.m.
perfect way to connect with fam ily as you reflect on the past and
For more information or to
build possibilities for the future.
make reservations, call 503-
281-9200.
We welcome everyone on board - especially those with a heart for
discovering history. And best of all, kids ages 2-15 ride half price.
Take Time to S/w te
A LITTLE HISTORY.
Amtrak. Getting there is half the fun.
Kids ages 2-15 ride half off.
For more information:
Co/r. 1 -800-U SA -R A IL « u m Amtrak.com.
Advertise
with diversity
///
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(P b s rru e r
A M T R
A K
C all 503-288-0033
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