This Holiday Enjoy Admiral Risty’s Famous Recipes and Jolly Memories from their 5-year reunion By Writer and Contributor NJ Jaeger
“The kids were teachable, they all wanted to be somebody.”
An iconic and beloved figure on the peninsula, Wayne Judah was known to be one of the most desirable employers on the hill. An incredible mentor and role model Wayne prepared employees for a successful future in life; so, it is no surprise five years after the Admiral Risty closed dozens of Wayne’s former Admiral Risty employees traveled back to Lunada Bay for a reunion at Charlie Mowat’s to celebrate Wayne Judah’s 80th birthday.
Admiral Risty’s 5-Year Reunion Party in Lunada Bay with Wayne Judah
Thanks to the steady hand of Wayne Judah the center of gracious dining hospitality for decades on the Peninsula was the Admiral Risty until it closed due to new untenable lease terms. Known for their special camaraderie, Admiral Risty’s employees formed lifelong friendships and strived to be the best at their jobs to win Wayne’s approval. Wayne said his work ethic was always, ”If you had to support yourself that should be your focus.”
A few employees were fired, some more than once, his most erratic employee three times. Wayne recalls one former employee had this to say at the reunion, “Wayne you did two important things for me, you hired me, and you fired me. That made me accountable. I realized I had to be accountable.”
Wayne’s Top Sayings as Told by Staff
How Do You Get Up In The Morning Without Me?
Clean as You Go / Got to Rotate Son / That’s the Food Cost / It’s the Detail Son
The local kids who left Admiral Risty went on to become responsible mothers and fathers, pilots, a chaplain, business owners and realtors. All of them hold the same opinion of working for “Judah.” They say that it is impossible to explain a place like the Admiral Risty to someone not from PV, and that there will never be another like it.
Mike Dempsey took the microphone to say, “ You were our father in many ways. The lessons that I have in life come from what I learned at a young age at the Risty when I was no longer under my parents’ tutelage.”
Wayne ran a tight ship but there were high jinks by the young staff to be sure. The most colorful story at the reunion was about the late-night Baked Potato Chucking Competition gone horribly wrong. One employee sheepishly fessed up and gave a full account of why all the lights went out in Golden Cove lo’ those many years ago.
Angie Neumeier Butler traveled to the reunion from her home in Connecticut. Angie worked at the Admiral Risty for twelve years, she says, “It’s the most influential job I ever had. I was in my twenties when I started there. I moved from an Ohio family of 20 children, and it was like a second family to me. I was green and I told him I would work harder than anyone and he took a chance on me. Wayne hired me then brought an artichoke out from the kitchen and taught me how to eat an artichoke. “
Arguably the most popular menu entrée for decades was Admiral Risty’s signature Flank Steak. Five determined reunion attendees entered the Flank Steak Competition with hopes of winning. Wayne says, “I had five guys that did a lot of the cooking at the Risty, and they all cooked their flank steak, and they all sliced it the way it was supposed to be sliced. I’m like there’s no way. They’re all perfect. You all win.”
FARM BOY TO SERGEANT
Two years into his college experience at the University of Florida to study Agriculture and prepare for a career in citrus farming Wayne was drafted and sent to Vietnam. His Gator Pride never left him however and throughout his years at the Risty he enjoyed bonding with University of Florida alumni regulars.
Wayne was the eldest son of a tight-knit hardworking Florida farm family; at twelve Wayne could drive a tractor, prepare the land, plant crops, harvest orange trees and get in the cows. Wayne fondly remembers the family’s delicious meals, the fresh vegetables, and homemade butter. With a catch in his voice, Wayne shares the following advice given to him by his father, a man of few words who passed while he was at college, “Anybody can be average but if you put in a little extra effort in, you’ll be above average.”
THE ADMIRAL RISTY LIFE
Sergeant Wayne Judah arrived to work his first shift at the Admiral Risty two days before he mustered out of the army at Fort MacArthur on January 23,1969. Ralph Woods Jr built the Admiral Risty, named for his wife Barbara “Risty” Ristrom Wood, as an ocean-themed standalone dinner house. Admiral Risty’s panoramic ocean views were spectacular, but the restaurant was a long drive out onto the peninsula and underperforming, enter Sergeant Wayne Judah armed with three months of bartending experience from Fort MacArthur’s Officers Club. Eager to succeed at his new post, Wayne got in early and stayed late to help with restaurant purchasing. A big fan of spreadsheets, Wayne improved the ordering process and was promoted to manager by September. Wayne had two passions, flying and hospitality; with 900 hours of lessons on the GI Bill at Torrance Airport under his belt, packed in before work at the Risty. Wayne watched jet jockeys back from war land the best jobs and decided the smarter path to full employment was hospitality.
WAYNE RETURNS AS GENERAL MANAGER
In 1979 the economy was freefall, and Wayne was laid off. Wayne spent a few years in insurance and then returned to hospitality with a high-volume corporate chain hotel as food and beverage manager. It was soulless job without the human interaction he loved, making it the perfect moment for Ralph Wood Jr to come calling and woo him back to the Admiral Risty. After several meetings, with an agreement that Wayne would become an equity partner, Wayne returned as co-owner and General Manager.
Wayne’s insurance years, while a detour from hospitality, gave him the knowledge base to eventually secure 100% ownership of the Admiral Risty. Upon his return as the restaurant’s General Manager Ralph and Wayne took out life insurance for each other, and this policy provided funds to acquire the remaining family interest in the restaurant after Ralph’s passing.
Patrons loved that over half a century Admiral Risty’s high standards and quality remained unchanged. There were innovations with new sauces, breads and desserts, sausage, cold cured gravlax, and expanded seafood offerings like cioppino, all made in house. Bread recipes could take up to a year to perfect, and it was an especially proud day when Wayne’s cioppino became award-winning.
Wayne’s Award Winning Cioppino Recipe
LOVE ARRIVES
Wayne married his perfect match, the beautiful, kind and hardworking Jan Jay in 1990. Jan says she knows the exact moment she fell in love with her Sergeant: “As dusk fell, I watched Wayne go outside and perch on a milk crate to feed the feral cats that lived in the adjacent open field. He was giving them their only soft moments in life, and I just loved his humanity.”
After a few years the colony’s most independent feral cat, Wayne named Nigh Nigh, was losing his hearing and needed to age out of his hard knock feral life, so Wayne stepped in, and with Jan’s support, brought his feline buddy home to live out his last years in comfort. The couple teamed up with a local vet to rehome the rest of the colony.
Jan’s backstory is a fascinating one of loss, hard work and success. Jan and her mother struggled after her journalist father passed at age ten and her brother was killed. Mother and daughter relocated from the wild territory of Alaska to Southern California and at the age of seventeen Jan went to work in accounting and office administration, putting herself through college at night. Later as a single mother Jan worked tirelessly to become one of the area’s most successful realtors while she raised her two boys on the Peninsula. Both sons worked for Wayne until they graduated, they said they could tell Wayne was sweet on their Mom, but it wasn’t until the boys left the Risty that Wayne asked Jan out on a date. Presently Jan operates two companies, the JayJudah Group and Travel Planners International. Jan is Wayne’s biggest fan and credits him with modeling work habits that enhanced her success.
HAPPY DOGS, HAPPY RETIREMENT
“For the first forty years of my life I had no time for anything but work.”
Wayne and Jan’s two dogs, Beau 12 and Ginger 11, are hard workers just like their owners. Both Beau and Ginger take Wayne for long invigorating walks in between his softball games and practices to keep him in top shape; Beau and Ginger are dedicated door greeters who bound to the front door with delighted woofs to welcome you; and Beau and Ginger are uber-conscientious assistants, keeping the kitchen floor spotlessly clean whenever chef Wayne cooks or bakes.
Wayne played baseball in high school and began his sponsorship of Manhattan Beach Whalers softball team during the Admiral Risty years, then when the time was right, Wayne joined the senior softball team as a center fielder. Last week Wayne returned from league play in Arizona. Currently Wayne is busy baking a variety of tasty breads, including sourdough and walnut cranberry for the family’s holiday bash.
NJ is a storyteller who has written in many voices for clients in health, education, entertainment, food, sport and politics. Her firm managed publicity for documentary films, book authors and the U.S. Championships. NJ received the Lynn Weaver Award from the Entertainment Professional Publicists Society for her lifelong commitment to philanthropy and community volunteerism.