Simple Pleasures

Living in Lincoln for the last ten years, simple pleasures are some of the things I love most about this town. I love the little moments and all the joy I get from them. However, Simple Pleasures is also my favorite place to eat in town. Diana Burke, along with her family, owns this cozy little restaurant. It's been in the family since 1979. I remember coming her just a few months after we moved here, and I knew I had found a treasure! Not only is the food delectable, but I love the smiles on all their faces when a customer walks through the glass door. With the family owned stove that is in the front room, and the greeting all their employees give you when you go in, you definitely feel that you're being welcomed into their home.

The reason I'm blogging about this special place is that I went out there early this morning to photograph them as they were being interviewed for Sac's Fox 40 morning show. It was fun to see Diana prepare her famous potato salad at 5:45 this morning! I could eat this potato salad ANY time of day or night! The reason for the spot on the morning show was to showcase Simple Pleasure's signature line of sauces and dressings. The line is called "Mom Like Me Best", and everything in their product line features a photo of Diana's mom on the label. Among other things, Doris was a pin-up girl in the '40s, so all the photos that are used are from when she was a young girl and woman. They have dressings (that can be used for everything from potato salad, to fruit to green salad), barbecue sauce, chipotle dressing and...wait for it..... APPLE CINNAMON DESSERT SAUCE (try it with vanilla ice cream to make an apple pie milkshake!).

One of the highlights of the morning was when Diana showed me the small cooking utensils she used as a little girl, to help her mom make the pies. She said she remembers the first dinner party she and her mom threw. She recalled that she made a pear salad, a wedge of meatloaf with mashed potatoes. She didn't remember what was made for dessert, be we figured it was probably pie ;)


It is such an honor for me to live in this town, and to know people like the Burke family. Wonderful and generous don't even begin to describe them. It's truly wonderful to know people who care so much about what they do. If you'd like to support this family enterprise, please visit their website at MOM LIKES ME BEST, or visit Simple Pleasures on 5th St. in Lincoln. They're open M-F until 3:00 pm, but during the summer they're even open for dinner on Thursday nights (when the farmer's market is open). Trust me when I say you will enjoy anything that comes out of their kitchen!!!

If you'd like to see more of the images from the shoot this morning, please visit my facebook page