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Angie's celebrates 45 years of home cooking in the core en Bill Graham bought a mouse on Erb Street West in the late 1940s, his intent was to convert it into a restaurant one day with his wife, Angie. He had experience in the food, service industry, having started another restaurant, Graham's Grill. on King Street, with his father and uncle. His dream eventually came true in 1962. when the couple opened Angie's - a 32-seat restaurant on the verandah of their uptown Waterloo home. The restaurant. which then backed onto the old Snider's Flour Milling Co, and Waterloo Manufac- turing, quickly gained a reputation for its fresh home-cooked meals. Michéel Graham, one of Bill and Angie's Five children, was nine years old when the restaurant opened in his home. "hnd we always had work to do," added his sister, Teresa Hue- The kids' workload increased after their father was killed by a drunk driver outside the restaurant less than two years after it had opened. - "We always had food," he jok ingly recalled. _ - _ _ "She was running the business with five children. The youngenct“ that time was just turning sewn." said Huegle. 58, Walerfoo only had a few restau- rants at that time. so Angie's was But that didn't slow Angie BY IENNIFEH ORMSTON ChmpitjeEla/f onLT2models 10tochooeefrttm. 2006 Cobalt m513,995' a CHEVROLET . HUMMER The co-owners of Angie's, timings Michael Graham and Teresa Huegle, sit in one of the 45-year-old uptown Waterloo restaurants original booths. KW" W0“ 'MOTO always hopping with people com- But everyone from the plants' Its ownership changed hand: ing for their specialty: fish and managers to its workers dropped too. In the catty 19705. Huegle ant chips. - A _ by fat the famous breakfast, Michael bought the business fmn The young boys peeled pota- toes every day - that was their after-school job. _ “It was Ithe days of peeled French Mes," Huegie recalled. Back then, the restaurant pri- marily appealed to the blue-collar crowd, many of whom worked in nearby industries. BUSINESS Cobalts a Ilmpallas In Stock But everyone from the plants' managers to its workers dropped by for the famous breakfast, including warm mufrms straight from the oven, Huegle said. Angie's grew with its clientele, expanding from the home's veran- dah into the living room, dining room and kitchen. Today, Angie's. at 47 Erb St. w, by Waterloo Town Square, can seat 100 people. "tONICll And in 1976 the pair opened another restaurant: Angie's Coun- try Kitchen in St. Agatha, - _ The 250-seat reitaurant is in the former Ttaveler's Rest hotel. which dates to the mid- new century. Its ownership changed hands too. In the catty 1970s, Huegle and Michael bought the business hom their mother. That location offers the same good food as Angie's, but in a dif- "Aatttc3suvtr,-aeprmrsremAvmtrtpotmsrstratABS, ttrt.trtmmtattstarttmLT_ttxtgt. WAT FMI (X) CHRONICLE 'Wedntsdayx March U100? . I? 2006 Impala _ m515,995’ ferent atmosphere, said Michael, 54. "It has a nice country charm to it." It attracts a range of customers, from university groups to couples on their way to the Stratford Festi- val, "You can come in a mink coat or your track pants, and you're very comfortable there." Huegle said. The verandah is the same as it was 45 years ago, with booths and bar stools that line the counter, where freshly baked treats. includ- ing gooey butter tarts topped with pecans. sit. The uptown Waterlbo restau- rant, in contrast. has the feel of a quaint old-time diner. The walls in the rear of the restaurant are covered in memora- bilia the Grahams have collected. Framed newspaper articles about the restaurant that have faded over time hang beside pho- tos of local sports celebrities and teams that have dined there. Angie, who died in 1997. watch- es over the patrons and staff from a watercolour portrait of her that hangs on one wall. And, in Huegle's. opinion. it's the comfortable atmosphere that has drawn people back for the last 45 years. Many customers have continu- ally returned for more of Angie's fare. "We put a platter of meat and potatoes on the table. You get to help yourself, just like you would at home." She and Michael have become friends with many of the people who frequent the establishment. 10tochoo-tttNtt. owttfnuedottpqte19