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A real eye-opener
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WAFFLES, BACON, EGGS: Barack Obama had waffles, bacon and two eggs over medium at the Yankee Kitchen Family Restaurant in Boardman. Joe Biden ordered the French toast. With them Saturday morning are their wives, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden.
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YOUNG SUPPORTER: Tavares Hodge, 7, of Boardman wears a T-shirt that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois signed for him. The candidate, along with running mate Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware and their spouses, stopped for breakfast at Yankee Kitchen Family Restaurant in Boardman on Saturday.
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EAST AND GREET: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama greets patrons at the Yankee Kitchen Family Restaraunt in Boardman. The 50 or so people eating breakfast there early Saturday got to see Obama and Joe Biden, his vice presidential running mate, along with their wives.
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TABLE TALK: Michelle Obama shares a memorable moment with Phillip Raptis of the Yankee Kitchen Family restaurant in Boardman. Before their breakfast, her husband, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, stopped in for a workout at Fitness One in niles.
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WAFFLES, BACON, EGGS: Barack Obama had waffles, bacon and two eggs over medium at the Yankee Kitchen Family Restaurant in Boardman. Joe Biden ordered the French toast. With them Saturday morning are their wives, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden.
Obama, Biden drop in for breakfast in Boardman for breakfast
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
BOARDMAN — Barack Obama had waffles, bacon and two eggs over medium.
Joe Biden took the advice of Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree and ordered the French toast.
And the 50 or so people eating breakfast at the Yankee Kitchen Family Restaurant in Boardman had a memory that will last a lifetime.
The Democratic presidential nominee and Biden, his vice presidential running mate, along with their wives ate breakfast at the restaurant early Saturday.
While some — primarily Boardman officials and their families — knew ahead of time that the foursome were making the stop, it came as a surprise to others eating at the Yankee Kitchen.
Robert and Beverly Dixie of Youngstown eat breakfast at a different place every Saturday.
This was their first meal at the Yankee Kitchen in 25 years, he said.
“It’s divine intervention that we stopped here,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You don’t get to shake the hands of the next president of the United States and the next vice president every day.”
Joining the Dixies were Serafhin and Janice Okello of Youngstown.
“It’s our lucky day,” Serafhin Okello said. “We’re so proud to be here. I’m very surprised they are here. We were just looking for breakfast. “
The couple have a 22-year-old son in Afghanistan as a member of the Army National Guard. He’s been there for about a year.
“We want him home now, and Obama is the only one who can do it,” Janice Okello said.
The Obamas and Bidens talked for about 20 minutes with those at the restaurant and shook many hands before ordering breakfast.
Local businessman Herb Washington, who hosted a fundraiser at his Boardman home for Obama on June 20, 2007, stopped by on his way to the golf course.
The two hugged, with Washington asking Obama if he wanted to join him.
“The sticks are in the car; let’s go,” Washington said.
“Sorry, I’m going with him,” Obama said as a joke to his wife and the Bidens.
After, Washington said it was wonderful to see Obama again and to meet Biden for the first time.
“They’re both the all-American families,” Washington said. “It just makes you feel real warm and good to know what they can do for the country.”
Tomi Beach of Boardman sat at a table with her daughter, Abbey Beach, and Abbey’s fianc , Jason Loree, just a few feet from the Obamas and Bidens.
“It’s surreal to be eating this close to them,” Tomi Beach said. “It’s totally overwhelming. I’m really happy that we came.”
Loree said he’s a longtime customer of the restaurant and recommended the French toast to Biden.
After a quick bite, the foursome spent an additional 15 minutes with those at the restaurant.
The four seemed at ease talking to fellow diners and enjoying themselves at the restaurant.
At one point, a wallet was found. Obama opened it, looked at the name on the driver’s license inside and repeatedly called out the woman’s name.
The woman had apparently left the restaurant, and Obama gave the wallet to a waitress.
When asked by The Vindicator about the crowd’s response at the restaurant, Obama said, “I’m happy with it. Not only that, I’m happy with the waffles.”
Before breakfast, Obama stopped in for a workout at Fitness One, at U.S. Route 422 and Tibbetts-Wick Road, Niles. “It was a short workout, it was about 25 minutes,” said employee Scott Baird. The gym was informed the night before that he’d be there, and opened up for him early.
Obama was serious at the restaurant when asked about the campaign.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “That’s the reason we run.”
The two couples spent the night at an Austintown motel after a Friday rally in Beaver, Pa.
They were on their way to the funeral of U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones in Cleveland that was to start at 11 a.m., and then later to a rally in Dublin.
They didn’t get out of the restaurant until 9:15 a.m.
“You need to step it up with Michelle,” Obama told a campaign worker. “She’s always the last one.”
At the time, Obama’s wife was near the rear of the restaurant talking to a group of people.
In a brief interview with The Vindicator as he left, Biden said he was “very happy” with the reception he got at the restaurant.
“It’s kind of like home,” he said. “This is like Scranton,” in Pennsylvania, where the Delaware senator was born.
When asked about debating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, selected Friday as Republican John McCain’s vice presidential running mate, Biden said, “Oh, I think she’s going to be awful good, awful good. I’m impressed with her so far.”
skolnick@vindy.com