After almost two full days of South Dakota adventures, I finally got to something related to my writing and books.
Saturday from 11am to 2pm, I enjoyed signing copies of Beauty & Grace at the charming Prairie Pages Booksellers. This independent book store is nestled into the Main Street of the City of Pierre, South Dakota’s state capital.
My hosts for the signing were Cassie and Sam, store employees and so much more. Both of these young women are passionate about books and their community and they welcomed me, along with all who entered the store, with a genuine warmth.
Throughout my signing I met booklovers who not only purchased copies of Beauty & Grace, but knew of me as an author. They also had heard that I would be speaking at the South Dakota Women’s Prison.
They expressed gratitude for my part in helping to make a difference for the women incarcerated there. It was pretty humbling to have a bit of renown in a city 1300 miles away from my hometown of Buffalo
Partway through my time at Prairie Pages, I dediced to broadcast a Facebook Live interview. Although Cassie and Sam were hesitant, it turned out to be a lot of fun….particuarly when we explored my inability to properly pronounce the name of their city.
While it is spelled, “Pierre,” in this part of the world South Dakotans pronounce it “Pier.” Check out the video for a first person view.
When my time for booksigning came to an end, I got back on the road to Rapid City. My plan was for some sightseeing fun before my author duties next week at the Women’s Prison and the Festival of Books.
Following Sam’s recommendation, I headed into downtown Rapid City for dinner at a place called Tally’s Silver Spoon.
As I made my way to the restaurant, I glanced in the long line of oversized windows that define its exterior. What I saw was an interesting juxtapostion of diner style booths and forrmica tables set with fine linens and glassware.
Stepping inside I was intrigued by a circular bar enhanced by overhead contemporary lighting. Sosphisticated seating of round tables with dark wood chairs surrounded the bar area, again set with fine linens.
With the restaurtant at full capacity, I slid over to the bar and found an available seat next to three gentlemen who clearly were friends. As I ordered a glass of wine and a pasta dinner, I caught snippets of conversation among the three that further led to me understand that they were Tallys regulars.
When my dinner was served, the gentleman next to me asked about my dinner. It only took a few exchanges for us to realize that we were both Irish.
From there we advanced to a first name basis ( his was Daniel) and began chatting as if we were old friends. Amid stories about our families and our communities Daniel also gave me a thumbnail history of Tallys.
He explained that before the new owner took over, it had been a diner—- a function it still filled during the day. Yet now at night, Tallys transforms into a fine dining restaurant with innovative cuisine such as Foie Gras of the Moment, Madako Cherry Shoyu Octupus Salad and Bison Maytag Marsala Mushroom Pasta.
As we finished our dinners, Daniel and I took a selfie and exchanged emails, pledging to stay in touch. He then introduced me to the gentleman next to him as his husband and the next man over as, Ben. We then spoke for a few momemts before the trio departed.
As I finished my glass of wine, the story of Tallys kept running through my mind. I wondered about the person who had the ability to envision a diner into such a unique restaurant . As the bartender passed, I asked if the owner was around. He cast a glance to where the three men had been sitting and replied, “I think so. His cell phone is still there on the bar.”
Within minutes the owner, Benjamin “Ben” Klinkel, returned to claim his phone. Without hesitation I began asking questions that led him through his career, begining with dishwashing duties in his grandfather’s restaurant at the age of 6, through culinary school in Oregon where he made a connection with Anthony Bourdain that resulted in a mentorship with a world famous chef.
The end result of that chain of experiences brought Ben home to Rapid City where he is now the owner and executive chef of two successful restaurants. It’s a demanding career that this determined young man describes as “a responsibility” to create food in his community that allows people to learn that dinner can be more than a baked potato and a steak.
Before I left, I asked if I could take his picture outside of one of those former diner windows. In the dark of the night, with the backdrop of his staff and a full house of patrons, Ben patiently posed while I tried to capture all that I’d learned about Tallys and its owner in one snapshot. Somehow, I’m pretty sure we got it done.