Pizza Just The Beginning

WEST FORK — Pull into the parking lot at Jake’s Pizza, and wonder why a pie joint has a barbecue smoker out front, or why there are so many cars at 10 a.m. Can the residents of West Fork want a slice so early?

Turns out pizza is just one small part of the choices at Jake’s. A full traditional breakfast is on the menu, and lunch and dinner offerings include classic Southern cooking including catfish, fried chicken and barbecue.

Often, Mexican- and Asianthemed specials are also available.

Does the idea of the omelet make more sense now?

“It was going to be a major hassle to change the name on all the business paperwork, so I just kept it,” says Maryanne Antipuesto Keyes, the owner. “Pizza is big at night, especially between Wednesday and Saturday, but some days I hardly sell any pizza. When there’s catfish, people don’t even think about pizza.”

There’s even a doughnut machine in the back, a holdover from Keyes’ earlier food-service experience as an owner of Daylight Donuts.

The machine hardly gets used at Jake’s though, because it’s too time consuming when Keyes is manning the breakfast grill herself. That’s pretty much every day.

“I don’t like frozen, store-bought ingredients. I cook fresh, real food, like I learned growing up in the Philippines,” Keyes says.

“There’s no secret to the flavor, just good ingredients.”

There’s room for about 50 people at two- and fourseat tables, and one long, 12-seat “community table” often turns into an informal meeting place for business, politics and general West Fork discussion.

“There are a few folks I know shouldn’t sit together because they’ll just end up arguing, but for the most part, it’s great,” Keyes says.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees run less than $10, and large loaded pizzas top out around $15. Takeout is available, but delivery isn’t.

If the guy in back cooking pizzas looks familiar, it’s because he’s also a local police officer and the owner of the building that houses Jake’s.

One unique aspect of the decor at Jake’s is down right now. Customers have been bringing hats home from their travels for years, and the collection is usually pinned along the ceiling beams throughout the restaurant. They were taken down to allow the drywall and ceilings to be recovered in tin and wood for a more rustic country look, but they’ll be back once the renovation is complete.

Memorabilia, antiques and knickknacks are being loaned and donated from all over town.