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l’Auberge returns to its roots with special Yum Yum Inn dinner
Long before there was l’Auberge, there was, on that very spot, the Yum Yum Inn.
And l’Auberge will pay homage to its ancestor with a special dinner and event on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Here’s information from an email sent to me by the folks at l’Auberge, followed by a story written by Adele U. Koehnen that ran in the Dayton Daily News Neighbors section a short time ago when the Yum Yum cookbook was not yet completed that will help put it all into perspective:
YUM YUM DINNER
Tuesday September 30th
L’Auberge has invited Beverly to share her dream of publishing a cook book with the original recipes of her parents’ restaurant, the Yum Yum Inn.
Lunch 11:30-02:00
Dinner 5:30-10:00
Menu
French Onion Soup
Yum Yum Salad
Entree (Choice of)
Chicken in a Basket
Swiss Steak
Dessert
Old Fashion Sundae
Yum Yum cook books to be sold in lobby
Please call Josef or Brian for reservations 299-5536
And now, Adele’s story:
Woman looks for Yum Yum recipes
Beverly Schellhase Wellman’s family once lived on second floor of restaurant, now called L’Auberge.
By Adele U. Koehnen Contributing Writer
KETTERING — From a farmhouse to a parsonage to a restaurant, the building on Far Hills has seen a lot of local history.
Now L’Auberge, the building at 4120 Far Hills, also was once a restaurant called the Yum Yum, where carhops brought food to hungry motorists. Many Fairmont students had their first jobs there during the 1940s.
Later, the carhops were replaced by waitresses serving from a menu of 185 items. Owned by Vernon and Dotti Schellhase, the name changed to the Yum Yum Inn. In 1971, it was purchased by Helene and John Schmidt as The Inn, running successfully until 1984, when French cuisine took over as L’Auberge.
Beverly Schellhase Wellman, 63, of Miamisburg recalls the time when the Schellhase family lived on the second floor of the restaurant.
“Conditions became a bit crowded when my youngest sister, Bona, was born, joining sister Barbara and me,” Wellman said. “Then we all moved to a large home in Kettering, but the restaurant continued to be a big part of our lives.”
With her sisters now living in distant parts of the country, Wellman has taken on the project of publishing about 50 of the original 185 recipes served at the Yum Yum.
“It’s something I want to do, to pass on the recipes for the dishes so popular at the time,” said Wellman. “Many of the recipes used by the cooks in the kitchen came from my grandparents. The problem is reducing the amount of the ingredients to fit a serving for six persons instead of hundreds of diners.” She is putting out a call for perhaps a retired chef who would have the expertise for such an endeavor. In the meantime, she has employed a student from the culinary department at Sinclair Community College to decipher the recipes.
“He has completed a small batch of the recipes but his academic work came first with him. So, I’m still looking for help,” Wellman said. “I would like to meet the deadline set by the publisher, but at this point I don’t believe I’ll make it, although I haven’t given up.”
In addition to the original recipes for Yum Yum chickenin-a-basket, meatloaf, spaghetti, pork sandwiches, pies and cakes, Wellman has memorabilia, including menus, crockery and even a training manual for wait and kitchen staff.
Wellman’s fond memories of the Yum Yum includes keeping in touch with Jean Cook, 93, a waitress there for 30 years.
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By Rich
September 29, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
Somehow the butterscotch or caramel dinner rolls stand out in my mind. They were great and have never been duplicated anywhere. I’d love to get the recipe for them.
By JIM BLAKENEY
September 28, 2008 9:14 PM | Link to this
I REMEMBER WHEN THE NAME CHANGED TO YUM YUM BUT WE SAID IT BACKWARDS MUY MUY LOTS OF GOOD MEMORIES ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY NIGHTS WITH THE PADDINGTON RD GROUP