Tom and Lora Lee Ecobelli had first row seats to memories while they were in the making. Now, they’re hoping to share those stories collected at Ecobelli’s Tam O’Shanter Restaurant in Ballston Spa in “Laurina’s Kitchen,”a book of recipes and memoirs.
The book, which focuses on the life of their grandmother, Laurina Ecobelli, is slated for a June release, allowing some time for those who mightlike to submit their memories to do so.
Laurina Ecobelli and her husband Dan opened the now historic restaurant in 1947. As many family stories go, the tale of how the couple came to own the eatery has been handed down and retold countless times. Lora Lee Ecobelli remembers her grandparents’ first days in the restaurant.
“My grandfather bought this Scottish bar and neither one of themknew anything about owning one. The bar patrons started coming in and my grandmother would be cooking for the family, and soon customers started asking about the food. It went from just a few patrons to being jammed once she started cooking,” she said.
From there, Laurina developed recipes and the clientele blossomed.
“She was the primary chef and everything was home made,” saidLora Lee.
As the Ecobelli family grew, it was Ralph, Lora Lee and Tom’sfather who helped run the restaurant.
“One of my favorite memories was in 1964. There was a huge blackout. My grandparents had a generator and opened the restaurant, and whoever needed to could stay there. I was little but I remember being put to bed near the fireplace in an open breadbox,” said Lora Lee.
Tom’s best memory is perhaps a bit more mischievous.
“Once when I was a kid I had a bunch of friends at the restaurant and I decided to ask everybody if they wanted a drink at the bar.There was no alcohol involved, but we mixed everything we could together. We mixed colas, diet colas, everything,” said Tom Ecobelli. He added that his dad soon put a stop to that.
The collecting of memories was actually started as a thank youto investors of a film, “Chickadee,” written by Lora Lee and Tom that is currently in process and will begin actual filming later in the year. The film will recount inpart Laurina’s early life, which was surrounded by a controversial court case that influenced laws concerned with child abuse.
That history was revealed to the siblings when they were just teenagers. Laurina gave them a diary, her diary that contained writings on her childhood, many of them unpleasant and connected to the court case. Lora Leeand Tom were interested in writing, so it wasn’t long into their adulthood that they set out to honor their grandmother and her story.
Lora Lee wrote a play about her grandmother that wasoff-Broadway several years ago. As she and Tom worked together, it evolved intoa film. Seeking investors, they thought it would be nice to do something forthem.
“We wanted to give something back to our investors so I startedwriting memories about the restaurant,” said Tom. So, he and Lora Lee began composing memories in the form of pamphlets, never guessing it would turn in tobook form.
Publisher Richard Vang of Square Circle Press heard about their project through Schenectady County historian Don Rittner, who is also aSchenectady film commissioner.
“In every town there is a favorite restaurant, or pub where everybody goes and is well known in the community. We focus on historical works, so it was natural for me to get involved with this project. I jumped onthe chance to work on it. For me it was a personal memory, part of the fabric of Upstate New York,” said Vang.
As far as what genre the book fits into, Vang described it as a mix between a memoir and a cookbook, which is becoming popular in the literary world. The book is about Laurina’s later life at the restaurant, and the filmis about her earlier life.
Ann Hauprich, area publicist and author, became involved with the book early on and said, “It is near and dear to my heart because Ecobelli’s Tam O’Shanter was the very first place my parents and all 10 of their children went out to eat as a family when we moved from Latham to Ballston Spa in1968…it was considered one of the village’s finest dining establishments.”
Hauprich added that she has never forgotten the hospitality ofthe Ecobelli family and returned many times over the years that followed.
According to the Ecobellis, many who have responded to them to submit their memories (they’re still seeking more) also remembered the generosity and warm hospitality of her grandparents.
For more information on “Laurina’s Kitchen” and to submit your memories, visit squarecirclepress.com. For more information on the film “Chickadee” visit chickadeethemovie.com
