Friends surprise Pontiac resident for 85th birthday
Pontiac resident Paul Bobby, left, shakes hands with Joe Fortuna, owner of Smokin’ Joes BBQ restaurant in Gainesville. Joe helped Paul’s friends and loved ones plan a surprise 85th birthday party for him last week.
Submitted by Karen Hawkins
Last Friday, July 18, Pontiac resident Paul Bobby was on the way to his weekly BBQ dinner at Smokin' Joe's in Gainesville, unaware that a group of friends was waiting to surprise him with his 85th birthday party. A poster in the window greeted him. It was a real surprise as his birthday actually was the following day.
Restaurant owner Joe Fortuna and Destiny Bearden, his waitress, graciously rearranged tables and chairs in the middle of the restaurant to accommodate the crowd; Destiny even made a balloon centerpiece. When thanked for this, Joe commented that he would be glad to do this for anyone.
After everyone had enjoyed lots of ribs, brisket and turkey, they still found room for a piece of birthday cake made by Paul's favorite pastry chef, Deb Garcia of Deb's Diner & Bakery, also in Gainesville.
When interviewed, Joe smiled and said, "It makes me happy to see people enjoying the good food that we work so hard to prepare. We welcome anyone who wants to celebrate a special occasion. So make your poster and come on down. And, even if you don't have a special event, our kitchen is already hot, so there's no reason for you to heat up yours. Come on in to our air-conditioning or stop by and pick up BBQ, baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw to enjoy in your own home."