Juanita-cover
Bathtub
Muu muu face
Restaurateur Juanita Musson
Where To?
Corte Madera
Fairfax
Greenbrae
Kentfield
Larkspur
Marin City
Mill Valley
Novato
Ross
San Anselmo
San Rafael
Sausalito
Tiburon
West Marin
Juanita Musson owned Juanita's Galley in
Sausalito during the Fifties and Sixties. It was a
greasy spoon housed within the broken down
carcass of the Charles Van Damme Ferry, still
docked in the Sausalito mud.
Juanita was known for running a wild
establishment. The 300+ pound muumuu-
wearing restaurateur carried a one-eyed rooster
atop her shoulder and an orphaned fawn followed
at her heels everywhere she'd go. Juanita was
well-known for screaming at her customers to
bus their own dishes and for punching out those
who complained about their orders -- even if they
were wearing a badge! For obvious reasons, she
was a fixture at the local jail.
When I learned Juanita was still alive and living
in a retirement home in Sonoma, I phoned to
meet her.
"You sound cute," she said in a Southern drawl,
"Why don'cha come visit me? I like cute men."
This wasn't the gruff and angry voice I was
expecting. She sounded more like the energetic Granny from the "Beverly
Hillbillies."
I quickly checked out her biography Juanita! The Madcap Adventures of a
Legendary Restaurateur by Sally Hayton-Keeva from the library to learn more
about her. It was a bit unnerving to suddenly read anecdote after anecdote
of her bludgeoning people with a rolling pin. Just don't make her angry, I
thought, definitely don't make her angry.
When I arrived at the retirement home and finally met her in person, I was
not confronted by the mammoth bruiser as depicted in the book. Today's
Juanita is nowhere near 300 pounds -- although she was dressed in a
muumuu and a silver tiara. At 85, she was frail and I could see the bones of
her face. She had kind eyes and a big smile and laughed when she saw I
had brought the Juanita! book.
She laughed even harder when I said to her, "Have you read this book??? It's
just page after page of you hitting people!" She continued laughing heartily
as she casually flipped the pages, obviously amused at how she's portrayed
in print.
"Is there any topic in particular I should stay away from so you don't hit me?"
I said.
"I won't hit'cha, I promise," she said, still chuckling.
"Is all this stuff true?" I asked.
"Oh yes," she laughed.
Below are a few audio clips from my interview with her. Click the PLAY
button next to each headline to hear them:
COPYRIGHT
All of the material
on this website is
copyrighted by
Jason Lewis
unless otherwise
stated. Those
images not owned
by Jason Lewis
are copyrighted
by their
respective
owners. If you
are interested in
using material
from these pages,
please contact
Jason Lewis at
jason@marinnost
algia.org prior to
doing so.
COPYRIGHT
All of the material
on this website is
copyrighted by
Jason Lewis
unless otherwise
stated. Those
images not owned
by Jason Lewis
are copyrighted
by their
respective
owners. If you
are interested in
using material
from these pages,
please contact
Jason Lewis at
jason@marinnost
algia.org prior to
doing so.
Sissy The Fawn:
Throwing food into a customer's car & jail:
JUANITA STORIES:
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and read what other visitors have written.
