If you love good food, you recognize Grace Clemency. She graced the Stranded Cow Café for more than a year, breathing life back into the historic Cow House and serving amazing sandwiches, salads and that oh lá lá bread pudding. Grace, 54, closed the café in June, opening the door to a new recipe for living.Grace Clemency, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! I loved Stranded Cow.
I did, too. I loved the story of The Cow House, and got to tell it many times. I loved people's reactions to the food, the chopped salads, the '37 Flood sandwiches and oh, that bread pudding!
I know! The recipe for your bread pudding is even featured in a blog from Portland, Ore.! And Grace, your customers!The customers were great, and they said it felt like home.
It totally felt like home. Do you mind sharing what happened?
Rebuilding The Cow House cost more than twice what was expected and took more than two years. All of the start-up money was needed to finish the house. Plain and simple, I ran out of money.
But it was really something special, and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it and saving The Cow House.
Well, Grace, we just loved it. And all the cows!Yes, that was one of the highlights, cow paintings, cow figurines and cow toys came from all over the country. My favorite was the large purple cow painting from Karen Utz. It is now living in Karen’s Philosophy Gallery. When we had our goodbye party, I invited people to take a cow home to remember us.
That was so sweet, Grace. I have one. What are your plans now?
I'm not really sure what is next. I'm going to take some time to figure out what it is that I want.
That's a first for me. I've always thought of my family first, but now they are all grown and doing really well. I am looking forward to having more time for my art.
Grace, your jewelry is gorgeous. And I love your dotted art pieces. Where can we find them now?I have some pieces at BeBe's and Aspire Art Gallery. And folks can always email me if they'd like to see more of my jewelry and dots.
What's your favorite kind of jewelry to make?
My favorite thing is to remake old crystal necklaces. I've had many people bring me crystals belonging to their mother or grandmother and ask me to make something for their daughters or granddaughters.
I had a young woman bring me her grandmother's crystals who had just passed away. She wanted me to make her mother a necklace for Mother's Day. She cried as I showed it to her when she came to pick it up.
Wow, what a great idea to bring you heirloom pieces and have you do something new! I love that!
I like to think I'm making treasures from the past for today.
And your dots? My dots are a wonderful way to de-stress. When I get going, it's like I'm in another world. It occurred to me that there is very little art for those who are visually impaired. My dots can be seen with their hands. I have started putting Braille massages in my dots, and I love how people react to them.
I will also be continuing my dot and jewelry classes and parties. They make a great Ladies Night Out!
Absolutely! How will we know about those classes?
We'll have them on iList Paducah, of course!
Of course! Grace, tell us about your kids. You have three, right?
Yes, three. Maeve is 30, and just became a mother to my first grandchild, Benjamin. She's vice president of Peter Hart Research in Washington, D.C.
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| Blaine and his 1000 Cranes for Peace, Easter 2008 |
Mercy, my baby girl — she still lets me call her that — is 27 and lives in Colorado. She is planning to be married in July and is a third grade teacher.
Was Maeve the one featured in The New York Times wedding section?
Yes. It was like something out of Sex and the City. The morning after her wedding, we ran all over D.C. buying up papers.
How fun! Grace, you had some Paducah ties before coming here, right?
Yes, I was living in Long Beach and heard about the Artist Relocation Program from my sister Mary. She's married to Cal Sisto, who used to work for WPSD-TV. I thought it sounded like the perfect place for me and decided to give it a go.
And you're originally from New York?
I grew up on Long Island, went to high school in New Jersey and college in Manhattan.
Oh, Manhattan! Speaking of Sex and the City! Where did you go to college?
The Fashion Institute of Technology. New York City was a great place to live in the '70s. I even lived two blocks from where Carrie’s apartment was supposed to have been. I studied apparel design and marketing. I landed a dream job with LaMode Buttons that kept me in the city for five more years.
Well, Grace, we're thrilled that you're staying in Paducah. Now, kind of fella are you looking for now?Someone who likes himself and is looking for some good company right now. I'm not looking for anything serious.
So just casual dating?
Yes, a nice quiet dinner somewhere with good conversation would be really great at this point.
Are you finding it difficult to meet eligible men?
It's hard to say. I haven't done much looking.
Well, Grace! I don't think you'll have to look too hard. When men find out you're ready for a little casual romance, you'll be filling your calendar with quiet dinners and good conversation! You might have to bring the bread pudding, though!
I can do that!
