-larksville, Purchases Cruiser, Spreader

Bernard Gavlick 
November 6, 1999

By PAMELA C. TURFA Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, November 09, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9B 





PLYMOUTH - He once fed 5,300 PP&amp;L employees. He hosted a testimonial for
Congressman Dan Flood. He rebuilt his catering business after the Agnes Flood
of 1972. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, for years, he hosted military events, wedding receptions and the
monthly meeting of the Luzerne County Chiefs of Police. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But three months after a fire destroyed much of Jimeal's Catering, Jim
Moses is calling it quits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moses was already in the process of trying to sell the historic building at
29 W. Main St. in downtown Plymouth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The fire ``finally made the decision to close it up,'' he said Monday of
the 43-year-old business. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fire officials have said the July 24 fire apparently started near a couch
in a third-floor apartment. The state fire marshal could not be reached Monday
evening; Moses said he was told last week that a report on the fire is coming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I don't think the building is safe,'' he said from an office at the back
of the once glamorous catering hall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Before the Agnes Flood sent eight feet of water into his downtown Plymouth
business, Moses and his wife Bernadine ``Deanie'' Moses ran both a restaurant
and a catering business. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 (A 1965 menu advertised a t-bone steak dinner for $2.75 and a hamburger for
25 cents.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the flood, he remodeled using $300,000 in federal money and turned
his attention exclusively to catering. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now, as he closes, Moses provides an explanation of the business name. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His mother, he said, always called him ``Jamil,'' the Arabic word for
James, his given name. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His brother christened the restaurant the soundalike ``Jimeal's,'' short
for ``Jim's Meals.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moses, a graduate of Plains High School and a former student at Paterson
Commercial College and Penn State University, has been active in the
community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He was a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard 109th Field Artillery;
and later catered dinners for the unit. He also organized the Plymouth
Historical Society and served as its first president from 1986 to 1990. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He might have a buyer for the building, he said. And catering equipment
will be sold at auction on Nov. 22 and 23. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Photos courtesy of Jim Moses &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1964, Congressman Dan Flood was the honored guest at Jimeal's, sponsored
by the U.S. Social Security Administration. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jim and Bernadine Moses focused on catering when they reopened their
business in 1973 after the Agnes Flood. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

After 43 Years Of Service ... Jimeal's Closes July Fire Weighs Heavily In Decision