By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Leading up to the closing of Texy Mexy, there were many questions for owners Sophie and Gerry Abell.
Why are you closing? What’s next for you? Hey – can I get your recipe for [insert beloved dish here]?
Reporter Shana Sloma spoke to Sophie Abell about the closing of the restaurant, and you can read all about it in today’s edition of The Reporter. As for those recipes …
The day after the Texy Mexy doors closed the final time, Abell spoke to The Reporter about her next venture: a book that will both tell her story and share her recipes. She also said she’s getting some help from The Reporter’s own Janet Hart Leonard.
“That’s the new direction that we’re heading after closing our restaurant,” Abell told The Reporter. “We’ve had lots of interest and when I checked in with our restaurant mentor, he suggested to go that route.”
Abell’s mentor is Toby Miles. Toby and wife Melanie own Rail Cafe & Market in Westfield.
“Since we announced we were closing about a month ago, the big question has been, ‘Can I have such and such recipe?’” Abell said. “We’re not going to open another restaurant. We’re aging out of that industry. I figured this was a new venture to get into.”
The book will be filled with recipes and will tell the story of Texy Mexy.
“We have a lot of personal stories that are super encouraging. Not only with our employees, but the experiences that customers have had. Fortunately, people have shared a lot of good things on how they’ve been impacted. So I would like to share that story and also to give credit to my mom and dad that are no longer with me. They are the inspiration for me pursuing what I’ve been doing.”
Abell said her mother taught her many of her recipes and her father worked in the hospitality industry.
“I would love to share the heritage and their story as well.”
Abell shared one of those stories with The Reporter.
In the chaotic early days of the restaurant, there was one gentleman who often came in.
“It was at the very beginning when we were just figuring everything out,” Abell said. “It was pretty much a train wreck, you know, trying to figure out how to run any busy restaurant. You try to figure it out and eventually we did. But he was always supportive. He would come in and just wait in the long lines for his food and he was very encouraging to us. Very supportive. He always had a kind of word.”
One night he was at the restaurant like any other. A few days later, this man’s wife and son came to Texy Mexy to tell Sohpie and Gerry Abell he had passed away.
The man’s wife continued to come to Texy Mexy regularly. When she moved to an assisted living facility, she had people bring her to the restaurant.
“Texy Mexy has been a place for her to like kind of feel his presence and remember him,” Abell said. “So that was her thing. She always came in to kind of get connected with the husband she had just lost. When they had his celebration of life, they asked us to host it. We hosted that for the family and had a private event for them. That was very early on and that’s kind just one of many, many, many stories where people have had experiences and have shared things like that with us.”
Now, with the help of Janet Hart Leonard, Sophie Abell will begin working to tell those stories and share the recipes for the meal that brought people together at Texy Mexy.
“I actually have Janet’s book and she’s been a loyal customer and a loyal supporter,” Abell said. “She’s a sweet lady and very involved with supporting everything in downtown Noblesville. I contacted her because I knew that’s the person that can be an inspiration and kind of guide me along.”
Keep reading The Reporter for updates as Abell works on her book. When her stories and recipes are ready, we will let you know here to buy a copy.