My Visit to the History of New Jersey Diners Exhibit
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to visit the History of New Jersey Diners Exhibit, sponsored by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Middlesex County Museum/Cornelius Low House, located at 1225 River Rd., Piscataway, NJ.
On this particular Sunday, they were holding a “Taste of NJ Diners” reception which included food from 3 local diners; Somerset Diner, Colonial Diner, and Fountainbleu Diner. Each diner brought different food ranging from Greek specialties to mac and cheese.
I also had a chance to meet Clifton author and historian Michael Gabriele. Gabriele had been retained by the Middlesex County museum to help develop the show as a co-curator for the exhibit, contributing information and photos from his book, “The History of Diners in New Jersey,” which was published in September 2013 by The History Press.
The exhibit, which opened last year, runs through June 26, 2016 so if you haven’t gone yet…time is running out!. It is free and open to the public. I HIGHLY recommend you go and see the featured photos, paintings, artifacts, blueprints, and food, all of which will provide a comprehensive review of the colorful, 100-year history of the Garden State’s diner business.
As a New Jersey diner enthusiast, the exhibit was fascinating to me. I loved learning about the history of NJ Diners, how they came to be, the original look of diners, artifacts from original diners (like some pretty cool mugs), and much more.
I’m lucky enough to enjoy the nostalgia of the original diner concept. I used to love going to diners, enjoying the individual jukeboxes on the tables and flipping through songs. Now if you see a jukebox on a table (which is SUPER rare), most of the time they don’t play music anymore. At the exhibit, you could flip through songs and play something… which was amazing.
I also really enjoyed seeing the fake food at the staged diner tables. It reminded me of all the French Onion Soups, Gyros, Burgers, Fries etc I’ve been eating over the last 30 years (and reviewing over the last 2). I don’t think people realize how important the food is to a diner. In my opinion, if a diner doesn’t serve breakfast all day it is not a true diner.
If you are a NJ Diner enthusiast like me, you should definitely be visiting this exhibit. NJ Diners are a part of NJ culture. It’s a fact. We have more diners than any other state. It’s important to learn about the history of NJ diners because over it’s 100 year history, sadly, a lot of them have closed. Even when I started doing my weekly diner reviews, a lot have closed since I reviewed them. So many interesting diners that were featured on the walls of this exhibit are no longer in business…which is shame.
Whether you are young or old you will appreciate the history of the diners especially if you visit them frequently. If you enjoy having breakfast for dinner, or good coffee all day, or having a homemade dessert at 2am…you should go check “The History of New Jersey Diners” Exhibit out.
About the History of NJ Diners Exhibit:
About: (From the Website) When was the last time you ate at a diner? If you are like millions of New Jerseyans, the answer is not too long ago. Dubbed “the land of diners,” New Jersey has forged a unique relationship with these casual eateries. Stainless steel, neon and menus that go on for days are part of the Garden State landscape. Come explore their rich history with us!
Address: Cornelius Low House Museum; 1225 River Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854
Hours: Tuesday – Friday 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Closed Monday, Saturday & Holidays
Call the museum at (732) 745-4177 for additional information.
