Jo Knowles Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Jo Knowles explains how she was inspired to write See You At Harry's by her childhood experiences growing up in the restaurant business.

BookBrowse's own Tamara Smith talks with Jo Knowles about her childhood experiences growing up in the restaurant business that inspired See You at Harry's

Much of See You at Harry's centers around the family restaurant. Do you have experience with such a place?

Yes, my family owned a series of restaurants when I was a kid, starting with Kellers' Ice-Cream, which was a family-style place as well as an ice-cream factory. Later they opened a second restaurant, and a tiny sandwich place called The Hole in The Wall. Later, they sold these businesses and bought a beautiful old Victorian home which they converted into a more upscale restaurant called The Hathaway House.

Harry's is such a warm, fun restaurant. I get the feeling that the regulars feel like they're home when they are there, and newcomers are pleasantly surprised when they experience the place. Did you base Harry's on your own experiences?

Definitely. It always felt that way when I was a kid. The staff were like family members, and so were many of the customers. There was a counter people could sit at and the regulars often sat in "their" seats when they came in. We couldn't go anywhere outside the restaurant without my dad running into people he knew from the...