Memoir of the Sunday Brunch

September 3, 2012
A witty and affectionate debut from Pandl, an occasional standup comic who first self-published this book in 2011, is rife with colorful recollections of familial adventures at home and at her parents’ Milwaukee restaurant, Pandl’s. The youngest of nine, the author, now 41, began her restaurant career at 12, and she quickly learned the joys and horrors of working the Sunday brunch (hilarious depictions of panicked pancake-making and hungover fish-deboning are particularly memorable). Her parents, whom she calls Terry and George, are kooky for sure, but when George is in boss mode, he transforms into a twitching, tongs-wielding, dining-room tyrant. But it’s all part of the lovable, unforgettable package that is George—which makes Pandl’s story all the more poignant as she writes of Terry’s illness and death, and later, George’s own illness and dependence on his children. Pandl shifts perspectives from daughter and sibling to caregiver and companion; she writes, “Our parents are planted everywhere in us.” There’s much to relate in this worthwhile read, from funny family and workplace tales to thoughtful musings on faith, mortality, and loyalty.

October 1, 2012
Pandl's memoir recounts her Midwestern childhood and the behind-the-scenes action of her family's restaurant. The youngest of nine, the author and her siblings grew up working in their Catholic family's Milwaukee restaurant under the supervision of their father, the chef. Pandl's tenderhearted, humorous debut explores her childhood memories, at home and in the kitchen, and her relationships with both of her parents, particularly that with her eccentric, ferociously hardworking father, George. After he caught the 12-year-old Pandl on the couch in her pajamas one summer afternoon, he put her to work. Her first job involved "doing pancakes" during the restaurant's brunch service, and she rose to the task with hilarious results. The majority of her stories reflect the loving, chaotic atmosphere of her family, both in and out of the restaurant kitchen, but Pandl doesn't sugarcoat the darker ones with unnecessary sentimentality. Instead, she relies on humor to keep her vignettes engaging. "The few baby pictures that exist were all taken on the same day," she writes, "as if someone said, 'Let's get a few pictures, just in case she's kidnapped.' " In her 20s, Pandl watched her father "retire and unretire" more than a dozen times, continuing the work he had done his entire career even as his efforts grew less and less appreciated. She describes her parents' deaths with astonishing, plain honesty, and discusses the myriad ways, good and bad, in which they live on in herself and her siblings. Sweet, simple and often funny.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2012

In 1968, 40 miles north of Milwaukee, George Pandl opened a restaurant that became known for its ambience, service, and generous menu of local seafood and meat dishes. His daughter Julia writes here in a crisp, irreverent style about growing up as the last of nine children and, at 12, being initiated into working the grueling Sunday brunches with her father's "chain gang." Now, at age 42, she reflects on how her laidback dad morphed into a crazed taskmaster at work, snapping tongs and scowling at employees. She expresses her deep pain, anger, and confusion regarding lessons learned during her teenage years when her parents became distant and her home and the restaurant became unwelcoming places from which to escape. However, as illness required both parents to depend on their children, each family member's perspective changed, feelings deepened, and home again resembled a place of caregiving and companionship. VERDICT In this unmemorable memoir, Pandl shares a few sarcastic comments about food preparation and reflects on her eventual rekindling of fondness and care for her parents and siblings.--Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2012
Youngest of nine siblings born to a successful suburban Milwaukee restaurateur, Pandl early on had to toil in the family business, whose major profit center was Sunday brunch. One of the third generation of hardworking immigrants' descendants, Pandl tells with great respect how her forbears laid the foundation of a thriving business and left the family with resources enough for them to live in large homes in lakeside suburban towns. Pandl does not appreciate the too-fleshy limbs their genes also bequeathed her. Pandl's father, whose long hours often kept him from his family, relished his brandy manhattans, and he patiently taught Pandl to operate a stick shift, even though he himself exhibited innumerable poor driving habits. Pandl's narrative of her parents' dotage is poignant as her father's determination to keep himself occupied with a new eatery proves a sinkhole for his life savings. This autobiography overflows with heartfelt midwestern sensibilities.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)