I’ve mentioned Jake Angel’s deli/fast food restaurant Jake’s Pickup a number of times in previous posts. It’s a hub for foodies and car enthusiasts alike, but is quickly expanding. Jake has bright eyes and big ideas about the future of both his restaurant, his merchandise, and his budding racing adventure. I am thoroughly excited to announce this new blog that will be following Jake and his story. The following can be considered the first installment of many, many more to come. Enjoy, and be sure to swing by Jake’s Pickup when you’re on Bainbridge Island!
Jake’s Pickup on Bainbridge Island is much more than a gourmet gas station deli. Every Thursday morning it is home to the incredibly vibrant Cars and Coffee group where ideas, stories and memories are shared. For many it is their daily lunch, perhaps an amazing Sconut (a scone and a donut mated in heaven) or simply to say hello to Jake himself. Bainbridge Island is home to around 25,000 people and I’m willing to bet Jake knows just about every single one of them.
Jake Angel has been working with food for most of his life. He grew up in the family kitchen and started working in restaurants at the age of 15 in one of the most food-rich cities in the United States: Memphis, Tennessee. As he grew, he tracked down some of the best chefs in the nation and trained under them, learning tricks of the trade and developing his own signature styles in the kitchen. For more than 30 years, Jake has been showing people what kind of food passion, creativity, and family tradition can create.
It’s not just flourless frittatas for breakfast or stop-and-go sandwiches for lunch. Jake has his own coffee, his own ice cream and more. Soon, you’ll be able to find your favorite items on the shelves of grocery stores.
His creativity doesn’t stop in the kitchen. Not many people know, but he studied Children’s Art and Literature at the University of Alabama and has written and illustrated his own book titled ‘Ecology from A to Z’. You can find it at the restaurant and take home a copy of your own!
So what we find at Jake’s Pickup is an visionary business owner, decorated chef, popular boss, and family-oriented father. However, Jake has a secret that not a lot of people know about. It’s loud, it bites, it spits fire and, I suspect, can cause earthquakes.
Jake is creating a monster for the track. It’s not done yet, but stick around and tune in to follow Jake’s race in both the kitchen and the cockpit of a customized 1960’s Corvette race car. He is no stranger to Corvettes (he’s got a small scrapbook of every single one he’s owned) but this will be a new chapter in both his and the restaurant’s life. In the meantime, Jake’s Pickup has become the epitome of Bainbridge’s not-so-secret-anymore car scene: fine food served with good friends and topped with a hunger for speed.
