Manufacturer: Carr China
User: White House Cafe, Greenwood, Mississippi
Pattern name (of platter): Ellwood – Underglaze Print Pattern #7000
Distributor: H & R Supply Co., Atlanta, Georgia (Hotel and Restaurant Supply Co.)
Date of bowl and platter: Circa 1927-1932
Notes: Like so many restaurants with popular names, there were myriad examples named White House Cafe, even in Georgia, where H & R Supply Co. was located, and especially in the Southern states where H & R is known to have operated. To narrow it down, we searched specifically for restaurants with this name that advertised their association with this distributor, and vice versa. And it narrowed the search to one: the White House Cafe in Greenwood, Mississippi. There is still the possibility that this is not the right place, but its dates of business match the era in which both the Ellwood pattern was especially popular as well as the Art Deco logo.
Also, it is worth noting that even within Greenwood, there were mentions of the opening of a White House Cafe in 1919 and 1937, but they seem to be completely unrelated and another reflection of the popularity of this name.
This White House Cafe in Greenwood opened on Sept. 16, 1927. An ad that accompanied the opening, shown above, congratulating the owners Angelo Vafino and Jim Hargis and wishing them success, was placed by the Hotel and Restaurant Supply Co. of Atlanta – H & R Supply Co., the distributors of these pieces.
According to a long feature story in the Jan 2, 1928, Greenwood Commonwealth, when restauranteur Angelo Vafino decided upon a location for his new cafe, he looked for a spot that "would be easily accesible [sic] to the elite, the busy man, to those who wanted a convenient place to step in at any time for quick service, breakfast, luncheon dinner or any light refreshments. At last he found the very place right on Howard Street, Greenwood's busiest street, opposite the First National Bank, the Irving Hotel and two of the busiest department stores in the city, Goodman's and Fountain's. Several names suggested themselves but he was not going to name his cafe – it remained for the city and surrounding territory's contestants to offer the best name. A contest was opened, offering $10 [in gold] for the most appropriate name, that he would personally select." And it was Bessie DeLoach who won the prize.
It should be noted that the use of the word "white" in the title was quite fashionable at that time as businesses strove to present especially clean and sanitary images in an era in which foodborne infections were common. In addition, in singing the praises of Vafino's artistry in "selecting the appropriate and refined surroundings commensurate with his excellent cuisine," the fawning article also mentioned that "Neatly attired white waitresses were employed to serve the patrons of the cafe, Greenwood girls who easily and quietly serve their guests." It is probably not a coincidence given the racial discrimination that was so common in the Deep South that having White as part of the restaurant's name also subliminally confirmed that this was a place for white customers only. Indeed, the story closes with this sentence: "The White House Cafe is all that the name implies, A White, Clean, place to eat."
Only two years after its opening, the restaurant undertook "remodeling and redecorating," according to a Sept. 12, 1929, story in the town's newspaper, The Greenwood Commonwealth. In addition to painting the walls and ceiling, "The fixtures will all be renewed and extra equipment added to this already beautiful cafe. … White waitresses are employed and only those that are thoroughly experienced can hold a place with the White House." The story goes on to add that "New draperies, new paintings, new silverware and many other added features will be noted at the White House after the completion of the work that is pow [sic] going on."
This update to the restaurant and its furnishings probably accounts for the differences between the two examples shown (and up until now, the only that we have seen). While they share the same topmark, the one with the Ellwood pattern is more elegant, and the one with the logo in deep blue and no other decoration more closely resembles the style of the "white" restaurants that became synonymous with hamburgers and fast food, such as the White Castle chain, whose first location opened in Wichita in 1921.
The good times at the White House were short-lived, thanks at least in part to the Great Depression. Ads began appearing that because of the "hard times," the White House was reducing its prices. On March 19, 1932, the furnishings were advertised in a liquidation sale that included "chairs, tables, linen, silverware, tableware," etc. And on that same day, a bankruptcy notice appeared for "A. Vafino, trading as White House Café."
Sources:
Greenwood Commonwealth – Sept. 14, 1927
Greenwood Commonwealth – Sept. 17, 1927
Greenwood Commonwealth – Jan. 2, 1928
Greenwood Commonwealth – Sept. 12, 1929
Greenwood Commonwealth – March 19, 1932
Greenwood Commonwealth – March 19, 1932
Contributors:
Angela McCravy, Ellwood pattern photos
Susan and Ed Phillips, ID and blue logo photos