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Jake’s garners award
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Posted by editor Fri Apr 7, 2006 14:38:49 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments     Jake’s Steak House recently was awarded the Sterling Silver Certificate from the Southern California Restaurant Writers, Inc. (SCRW). Winning restaurants are judged on food, service, ambiance and beverages. 
“I was very honored to be selected,” said Barbara Ferrante, owner of Jake’s. “When I found out we were invited to this big banquet dinner, I felt like I was going to the Academy Awards.”

Award winners were chosen from restaurants stretching from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. Most were from large metro areas such as Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim, so it was slightly unusual for a restaurant off the beaten track in Tehachapi to be selected.

Writers evaluate restaurants anonymously during the course of the year. The organization rates restaurants with a scoring range of one to 100 points. Jake’s Steak House, located on Curry Street, received a Sterling Silver Certificate in the American Food Division. The Sterling Silver Certificate was given to restaurants scoring between 85 and 89 points.

Jake’s also was named to the recommended list of restaurants to visit because it’s
considered on the outskirts of main reviewing area. No restaurants from Bakersfield or the surrounding area were selected.

Ferrante said she couldn’t have won the award without the help of her staff.
“We have dedicated people who work very hard to keep this place running and make Jake’s the best it can be,” she said. “We’re a family-based restaurant and try to treat our guests like family when they come here. In addition to our regular customers, we also get a lot of out-of-towners from the hotels. We hope they feel like family by the time they leave. I feel very blessed with all the support I’ve gotten from the staff and our guests.”

The highest honor, the Golden Sceptre, went to restaurants that received between 95 and 100 points and which were elected by special vote of the members. Most of those winners were in bigger cities. In addition, individual awards were given to best restaurateur, chef, maitre d', manager and server of the year.

All of the awards were presented at an annual banquet ceremony, which was held on March 12 at the Disneyland Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

“It was such a wonderful banquet and to be among all those elite restaurants owners was an honor,” Ferrante said. “We’re a small town and Jake’s is not on the main road. I still can’t believe they found us. I’m just happy they did.”

The SCRW was formed in 1975 by restaurant writer Doris Crandall as a California non-profit corporation to improve the quality of the restaurant industry in the region. The organization gives awards to both restaurants and individuals whose standards of quality and service deserve special recognition.

SCRW founder Crandall also noted she wasn’t sure how Jake’s got the nod. “Each reviewer has to visit at least 48 different restaurants a year. One of our reviewers must have been in Tehachapi and gotten a recommendation or saw Jake’s billboard,” said Crandall, who has written several restaurant guidebooks. “It just pleases me that we could find a place like Jake’s. We love to recommend restaurants that aren’t just in the big city areas. We most likely will be back again within the next year to see how things are going.”

Ferrante has owned Jake’s Steak House, formerly the Garden Café, for about three years and is open for lunch and dinner. During her ownership, she  has revamped the menu and redecorated the interior.

The menu now includes a number of new burgers, salads and hot sandwiches for lunch, along with Harris Ranch steaks, a variety of pastas and fish for dinner.

There’s also a nice selection of wines and full bar. “We hope to expand and put in a full bar within the next year,” Ferrante said.

Keeping in line with that family feeling, Ferrante is planning a special Thanksgiving at Jake’s. “My goal is to contact the local churches and help centers to select needy families for a sit- down Thanksgiving dinner for about 300,” she said. “We’ll send out special invitations and have designated seating times so they can have a day out being served. My staff has been very enthusiastic about this and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

It will take some planning over the next few months and Ferrante is accepting any
outside help from those who might donate food, money or time. “Also from this, I hope to get a few names from our guest list and be able to provide them with dinner and gifts for Christmas.

“I also just want to invite everyone come and see us at Jake’s,” Ferrante said. “If you haven’t visited us in awhile, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with our changes.”

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