The fine food and beers at Cato’s Ale House and other establishments offer reasons to extend the season’s good cheer.
With plenty of establishments celebrating the festivities, favorite “hits” could reasonably include a stop at Piedmont Grocery, family-owned since 1956 and offering all the fixings for a do-it-at-home Bavarian feast; or time spent rolling around Cato’s Ale House, a fine place to chat with longtime staff while getting cozy with special Oktoberfest-only items including handmade pretzels and special German beers.
“When mineral waters got hot years later, salesmen began coming in to tell us the benefit. I’d show them the six cases we already had,” Larson said in an interview. “My father worked in Los Angeles in the 1930s at a gourmet store and at the Brown Derby. He learned catering and high-end products and brought them back here.”
“It’s all connection. A business can get lost when you’ve been here a long time. We get called an institution, but there’s not a lot of permanency. You have to stay visible.” “I can’t count how many people have told me that Cato’s is like their living room, an extension of their home. That’s what it’s all about; feeling comfortable, safe and connected. Good food and beer really help too.”