Cole Slaw

Frank Bivens could see a good thing coming in 1938 when the Tennessee Valley Authority began building the Kentucky Dam, a mammoth project that would lead, six years later, to the creation of Kentucky Lake, a 160,309-acre reservoir with more than 2,000 miles of cove-studded shoreline. Before long the lake would be luring millions of vacationers and other recreation-minded visitors to the region every year, and Bivens wanted a piece of the action. He decided to build a restaurant on U.S. Route 70, just four miles east of Camden, Tennessee, that tourists in the area heading to and from the lake just couldn’t miss.

Bivens and his wife, Ruth, opened Frank’s Cafe in 1943, and it soon became known for its catfish dinners, served with cole slaw and hush puppies. “The fish served at Frank’s are taken right from the water and popped into the frying pan,” a magazine published by Ford Motor Company noted in 1954.

Ten years later, however, fire claimed the rustic, 250-seat restaurant. Blevins and his wife lived directly across the highway, and Blevins told a reporter for the local newspaper that a passing motorist, spotting flames inside the restaurant, “knocked on my door about 2 a.m. and told me my cafe was on fire.” The firefighters who soon arrived couldn’t save the place. “They did the best they could,” Blevins said,” but it was too far gone when they arrived.”

Even though the loss was only partially covered by insurance, Frank and Ruth Blevins decided to rebuild, and the new restaurant was finished before the year was out. They continued to operate Frank’s Cafe until 1971, when they decided to sell the restaurant and retire. The new owners, Adron M. and Thelma Thompson of Camden, moved the restaurant a bit upscale with fresh flowers in the five dining rooms, candlelight dinners, and organ or piano music on Saturday and Sunday nights, but the catfish dinners were still the big draw, following by barbecue, country ham, and steak dinners. In 1978 the Thompsons opened a 44-room Passport Inn next door. With the opening of Interstate 40, however, business started declining year by year.

When Adron Thompson died unexpectedly in 1986 at age 55, Thelma decided to sell Frank’s Cafe, and the new owners, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Peek, decided to give it a new name: The Manor Restaurant.

Frank Bivens died at age 72 in 1989. Months later an early-morning blaze destroyed the restaurant he had rebuilt in 1964.

Print Recipe

Cole Slaw

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Serves six.

Frank Bivens and his wife, Ruth, opened Frank’s Cafe in Camden, Tennessee, in 1943. The roadside restaurant quickly became known for its catfish dinners, and little wonder: “The fish served at Frank’s are taken right from the water and popped into the frying pan,” a magazine published by Ford Motor Company noted in 1954. Each catfish dinner was served with coleslaw—prepared using the following recipe—and hush puppies.

Instructions

1

1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

2

2 bell peppers, halved and seeded

3

2 onions

4

2 carrots, peeled

5

1 cup vinegar

6

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

7

1 tablespoon salt

8

Ice cubes

Notes

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Using a sharp knife, quarter and core the cabbage. Coarsely grate the cabbage, using the large holes of a box grater, or finely chop it. Repeat with the bell peppers, onions, and carrots. Put the cabbage, bell peppers, onions, and carrots in a very large nonreactive bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir until blended. Mix in several ice cubs to chill the coleslaw.