Minestrone Soup

In 1952 John L. “Jack” Nelson quit his job as a used-car salesman in Binghamton, New York, with the idea of becoming a restaurateur. Nelson wasn’t a stranger to the city’s hospitality business, having spent a year or so just after World War II as the assistant manager of the Arlington Hotel in downtown Binghamton. Nelson soon struck a deal to acquire The Saxon, at 1315 Upper Front Street, from its owner, Michael Saxon. This restaurant was strategically situated at the intersection of U.S. Routes 11 and 12, approximately four miles north of downtown Binghamton. In September 1952 Nelson renamed the roadhouse Jack Nelson’s, ambitiously promoting it as “New York State’s Most Complete Restaurant.”

Nelson kept the restaurant open every day from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., in keeping with its slogan, “You Are Always Welcome.” But he may well have been overextended, for in early 1953 he brought in a partner, Charles H. Hughes, whose experience included operating a restaurant and overseeing American Legion and Elks Club facilities in Norwich, Connecticut. In short order the new partners secured a contract to operate the Sky View Restaurant at the Broome County Airport (today the Greater Binghamton Airport), succeeding the Union News Company, which had announced that it was backing out of its contract to operate the restaurant because of “business conditions,” and before that, Mike Saxon.

For whatever reason, however, the Nelson-Hughes partnership fell apart almost as quickly as it had been formed. In mid-1953 Hughes assumed full ownership of the restaurant at 1315 Upper Front Street as well as the lease to operate the Sky View Restaurant. But soon Hughes realized that he couldn’t adequately oversee both restaurants and obtained permission to sell the lease for the airport operation.

Jack Nelson’s landed in the news in August 1953 when General George C. Marshall and his wife stopped for dinner there while driving to the Adirondacks from their home in Leesburg, Virginia, for a vacation. After they had finished dinner, Marshall—the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War II, former Secretary of State, and architect of the Marshall Plan—took some time to chat with patrons of the restaurant and sit down for an impromptu interview with a staff writer for the Binghamton Press, whose story appeared on page three of the next day’s newspaper. (Later that year Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.)

In 1954, with its founder out of the picture, Jack Nelson’s became Hughes’ Restaurant, and Hughes, befitting his role as its owner, bought a brand-new Buick Roadmaster Sedan, Model 72, which was positioned at the top of Buick’s lineup and seen as a symbol of luxury and prestige. But in 1956 he sold the restaurant to his brother, Carl, and in 1957 Carl sold it to Leonard and Ruth Mitrowitz, who would operate it for the next 30 years as the Town & Country Restaurant. In 1987 the site occupied by the restaurant became the home of a new Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, which it remains today.

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Minestrone Soup

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Serves 12 (1-cup servings)

In the 1930s Lorenzo Colelli, a talented chef (and gifted tenor) in Binghamton, New York, was the proprietor of the Venice Cantina restaurant, but by the 1950s he was in charge of the kitchen at Jack Nelson's, a restaurant at 1315 Upper Front Street, where he added his version of this hearty Italian classic to the menu.

Ingredients

• 6 cups beef stock (plus additional stock, if needed)
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 2 cups diced onions
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup shelled beans (cannellini or borlotti)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Tubettini pasta
• 2 tablespoons shredded Italian cheese
• 1 ounce salt pork, diced
• 1/2 clove garlic, finely cut
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1

In a large pot, combine the beef stock, celery, carrots, onions, and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2

Add the beans, macaroni, and shredded cheese. Continue cooking until the macaroni and beans are tender, about 10 minutes.

3

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the salt pork, garlic, and diced onion. Sauté until browned and aromatic, about 5 minutes.

4

Strain the browned mixture into the soup, discarding solids. Stir well and cook until the soup thickens slightly.

5

Adjust the consistency of the soup with additional beef stock, if needed. Serve hot.

Notes

This recipe has been scaled down from the original recipe used by Lorenzo Colelli at Jack Nelson's restaurant, which called for making more than six gallons of soup at a time.