Peggy's Airport Café Story
Meet Peggy Lott
The picture above says it all… Are you hungry yet?
If you’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Peggy’s Airport Café, in Anchorage, Alaska, later renamed Peggy’s Restaurant, you’re in for a treat.
And if you are a former customer, you are probably thinking about your favorite menu items right now.
By the way, word has it that the strawberry rhubarb was a favorite pie, along with banana cream. Are you hungry right now?
A Lady Named Peggy
No, she wasn’t a professional cook. She was a school teacher.
Peggy first came to Alaska to teach school in the small community of Bethel. Located 398 miles west of Anchorage.
While in Bethel, Peggy met her future husband, Frank Lott. Frank came to Alaska from England. He had first gone to Nome in the early years of the world-famous Nome Gold rush.
1930s Anchorage, Alaska
Pictured above is Aviation Field in Anchorage, Alaska.
Now a Little Connecting History
The first airplanes in Anchorage were flown by pilots, known as “bush pilots” because they had the ability to fly in and out of places in the Alaskan bush that didn’t have runways.
In the picture above is bush pilot, Russel Hyde Merrill, seen here with a plane load of furs.
Prior to 1930, the bush pilots used a small strip of cleared land near Anchorage, later named the Park Strip. It was crude, but usable.
In 1930, Aviation Field opened at the east end of 5th Avenue in Anchorage. Then in September 1932, the Anchorage Women’s Club dedicated the new airstrip with a new name, honoring Russel Merrill. It has been called Merrill Field since then.
1944 was the Year
In the picture above is a menu from the first Peggy’s Restaurant location.
Peggy Lott decided to open her own café in a one-story building right across from Merrill Field.
To attract customers from Merrill Field, she named her new place, Peggy’s Airport Café’. It was a warm, friendly place and the food was good.
Peggy’s Airport Café quickly became a favorite of bush pilots and other aviators using Merrill Field.
But one menu item became a stand-out favorite… her pies.
Peggy’s Pies
Besides Peggy Lott, there have been many who made pies in the restaurant.
One of them was Feodora Pennington, the mother of Mary, of Anchorage Memories. But no matter who made the pies, they were always prepared using the same recipes first used at Peggy’s Café.
For the entire 79 years that the restaurant was in business, they used the same recipes.
Yes, You Can Share This Edition
Do you want to make your friends and family hungry for a slice of one of Peggy;’s pies? It's nice to share the good things in life. Can you hear the happiness?
Just click on the following link:
The 1954 Location Change
Pictured above is the 1675 E. 5th Avenue location in Mountain View of Peggy’s Restaurant.
Yes, Peggy Lott decided to change the name of her place from café to restaurant when she relocated in 1954. Her new address was still only a short distance from Merrill Field.
The 1964 Earthquake
When the 5-minute-long. 9.2 earthquake struck Alaska on Good Friday, March 27 in 1964, Feodora Pennington was baking pies in Peggy’s Restaurant.
Mary of Anchorage Memories recalls what her mother Feodora said about her experience during the quake.
“My mom told me that when the 1964 earthquake started shaking, Peggy Lott and my mom ended up crawling around on the kitchen floor on their hands and knees dodging flying pots, pans and knives.”
Mary
Enter Nancy Burley
When Peggy Lott decided it was time for her to move on, she sold Peggy’s Restaurant to Nancy Burley in 1988. At that point, Nancy had been working at Peggy’s for two years.
Wisely, Nancy decided not to mess with success and continued the restaurant menu and atmosphere of Peggy’s that Anchorage loved so much.
Pictured above, customers enjoy those famous pies… are you hungry now?
What Became of Peggy?
She relocated out of the state and lived to be 103 years of age.
It was said that Peggy Lott was “feisty”… maybe that had a lot to do with her success and longevity.
In the picture above, Mary of Anchorage Memories stops by Peggy’s Café booth at a community event in Anchorage. Notice the sign that reads “FRESH Home Made Pies”.
The 50th Reunion
In 1994, Nancy Burley had a great idea.
She invited former employees and customers to a 50th Reunion Lunch. Can you imagine the stories, the laughter… the tears?
As with Most Things
After reading this edition of your Anchorage Memories VIP Club, you may be thinking about going to Peggy’s on a visit to Anchorage.
However, Peggy’s Restaurant closed in 2023.
Regular customers and long-time employees must have shed a tear. The passing of this Anchorage icon will not soon be forgotten. Those of us who grew up in Anchorage or lived there, have our Peggy’s Restaurant menu favorites… and oh those wonderful pies… What was your favorite?
BONUS
Would you like to know more?
Take a look at Peggy’s Restaurant: A Slice of Mountain View, Anchorage and enjoy.
From Our North Stars (that’s you)
From our Anchorage Pioneer edition on Osky and Henrietta Weeda.
“Yes, I do remember Osky Weeda. I remember because he wore his hair the same way I wear mine; in other words; I'm one of those bald guys. I have a vague recollection of running one of Osky's delivery trucks for a short period. My dad got me signed up with the Teamster's and I did some local deliveries around Anchorage and spent a couple of summers working with Alaska Orient Van Service moving families in and out of Anchorage. I remember Osky well, and he was an excellent employer.”
Don
“Had a cabin next to the Weeda family at Kenai Lake!”
Paul
From our mention of Bert’s Drug Store
“Thanks for reminding me of Bert's Drug Store. I was there many, many
times during the time I was growing up in Anchorage.”
Edi
Connect with Us
All this talk about Peggy’s Restaurant pies made us hungry. While it’s not from Peggy's, it still looks pretty good. (Mary looks like she’s planning to eat the whole thing).
Did you know that you can easily send us your comments about Peggy’s Restaurant?
Just reply to this email.
You can even Contact Us to say, “My favorite Peggy’s menu item was…”, or “my favorite Peggy’s pie was…”
Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Anchorage Memories Club
Yum! Loved those pies!
When my family first moved to Anchorage, we lived at Martin Arms apartments. I would often stop at Peggy's for a slice of her pies on my way to the old Denali theater before the quake. Nice memories. I was about 13 and remember how kind the waitresses were to me.