Panjo's Town & Country: Saturday, February 24, 1974. It was my Eighteenth Birthday and I was in charge of the Pizza ovens: Cooking that Legendary Pizza for a packed house of West-Houston Suburbanites and their kids.
The kitchen crew was all High School kids, and most of us were half-drunk or better. Like every Saturday, we had temporairaly rerouted the Beer lines in the Walk-in cooler from the back of the wall taps to an empty cheese canister, and siphoned off a couple of gallons of Schlitz Draught. You could just dip a cup into the barrell when you went to get more Pepperoni. Chug-a-Lug, Chug-a-Lug.
The "Piano/Banjo" (Piano + Banjo = Panjo) combo that night was Paul Buskirk and Marianne. Paul and his Wife were exceptional musicians and Paul is credited with writing the song "Night Life" with Willlie Nelson. What they were doing playing at Panjo's, I'll never know, but he found out it was my birthday, and had the entire dining room crowd stand and face the kitchen to sing "Happy Birthday" to me.
It's one of my favorite Panjo's memories. Towards the end of the night, I began to burn the Pizzas, and they had to call in a Relief Oven-Man. And I went to get more Pepperoni.
Hey! I am also a Panjos alum - Town and Country - 1977-1980 and then San Felepe - 1983-1985. I was known as the Yankee from Pittsburgh in the 70s. Went to Memorial High - all the kids in T&C were from Westchester. What a crew! There was Dan the Manager - hard riding Harley type, Scott V - Scott turned me on to Jimmy Buffett - and I still am a huge fan, Mark "Mars" V, Dave P, Harry S - "Harry Pssy" Guru, couple of young guys that were brothers and twins - forget their names, Bill C - Who killed himself on the way home one night (ran into the back of a semi on the Katy freeway - I think he was trippen big time), many lovely gals from Westchester that worked there on and off - (Thanks Janice for attacking me in the walk-in cooler) . I have always wanted to set up a panjos alum site - this is as close as it gets - I sometimes wonder what happened to these folks - did some grow up and go to college and get real jobs? (I did .... I think ;-) ) how many are dead? In jail? There are too many stories to tell in one post with respect to the fun we had while working there. I think every bad habit I still have to this day started from Panjos!
Panjo's Pizza
in Historic Houston
Posted
Hey! I am also a Panjos alum - Town and Country - 1977-1980 and then San Felepe - 1983-1985. I was known as the Yankee from Pittsburgh in the 70s. Went to Memorial High - all the kids in T&C were from Westchester. What a crew! There was Dan the Manager - hard riding Harley type, Scott V - Scott turned me on to Jimmy Buffett - and I still am a huge fan, Mark "Mars" V, Dave P, Harry S - "Harry Pssy" Guru, couple of young guys that were brothers and twins - forget their names, Bill C - Who killed himself on the way home one night (ran into the back of a semi on the Katy freeway - I think he was trippen big time), many lovely gals from Westchester that worked there on and off - (Thanks Janice for attacking me in the walk-in cooler) . I have always wanted to set up a panjos alum site - this is as close as it gets - I sometimes wonder what happened to these folks - did some grow up and go to college and get real jobs? (I did .... I think ;-) ) how many are dead? In jail? There are too many stories to tell in one post with respect to the fun we had while working there. I think every bad habit I still have to this day started from Panjos!