Susan Barr
Kern Valley Sun

If anyone had told Cheryl Borthick 35 years ago that she was going to own a popular restaurant in the charming town of Kernville, she would have laughed. And if they had gone on to say she would one day celebrate a quarter century as a successful restauranteur she likely would have said they were out and out crazy. But both came to pass and today Borthick is still happily traveling along the career path that she came upon by chance so many years ago.

Borthick moved to the valley from northern California in the early 1970’s along with her husband Lanny and their three young children.

Left to right, Patty Frenes, Sandi Johnstone, and Cheryl Borthick at Cheryl’s Diner on Thursday morning. (Susie Chevallier not pictured)

Borthick already had a fondness for the area as a result of vacationing on her grandmother’s homestead as a youngster and visiting her mother and siblings as an adult.

As a young stay-at-home mom, Borthick had never had what she called a “real job,” so when her mother Nelda Bartell, asked for some help at the Mt. Mesa Diner where she was working, Borthick was somewhat hesitant. But after a couple of hours wearing a waitress apron and chatting with good-natured customers, Borthick was hooked. Looking back, she recalled, “I couldn’t understand why someone would pay me to have so much fun.” Borthick has never lost that attitude and even today, she still has just as much fun working alongside her staff and conversing with her customers as she did that first afternoon so long ago.

In 1984, after several years working as a waitress at diners around the valley, Borthick’s husband, who conveniently happened to be a contractor,, suggested to her it might be time to take the plunge and build and operate her own restaurant. Jerry Click, a realtor and friend of Lanny’s, showed them a prime piece of real estate right on the main strip in Kernville. “It was actually as a result of Jerry that Cheryl’s came to be,” Lanny recalled, ”He jokingly said that he wanted to have a restaurant there so he could sit in the first booth and watch for customers going into his real estate office across the street.” Click and Borthick worked together and the project came together so smoothly that Lanny still believes that it was all just meant to be. Incidentally, Click did go on to have “his” booth at the diner and happily watched for customers for many years to come.

As the years have gone by, Cheryl’s has seen each generation of the Borthick clan work at the diner, either as full time “lifers” like daughters Sandi Johnstone and Susie Chevallier and “adopted” daughter, Patty Frenes, or as grandkids who worked as part-time or summer help.

Borthick feels blessed to have had such wonderful people working for her at the restaurant, be they family or otherwise.

Johnstone who has worked at the diner for 25 years stated, “I have been so fortunate to have had a job at a place like this. We work hard, but we still have so much fun. And we have the best customers. They really are just like family.” Frenes echoed her co-worker’s sentiments stating, “I started working here fresh out of high school and I chose to serve people for a living. I love all of my customers and I have been blessed to have made so many wonderful friends as a result of working here at Cheryl’s.”

Customers definitely appreciate the warm, family atmosphere and the ongoing good-natured bantering that goes on amongst the staff. The camaraderie spills over to the customers and almost everyone is welcomed by name when they come into the cozy eatery. Cheryl’s regular Verlon Robinson of Kernville comes into the diner for a couple of meals a day and even let’s “the girls” surprise him with what he will have for lunch. Robinson lost his wife several years ago, and the staff at Cheryl’s have literally become family to him. Other customers like Rex Keeling who owns a local excavation business, has also been a regular for years. Keeling summed up Cheryl’s appeal by simply stating, “The service is as great as the food.”

Obviously loyal customers, valley residents and returning travelers alike, enjoy the good old-fashioned home cookin’ and tasty menu offerings that are still prepared from scratch on-site. One local known to the staff only as “Pion” was more than happy to sing the restaurant’s praises. Sitting in a favorite booth accompanied by some out-of-town friends, the Kernville woman stated, “I always bring company here. The food is fabulous and the service is superb. I always give Cheryl’s five stars!”

When most people are starting to think about taking it easy and enjoy their golden years, Borthick has no desire to take a break from her diner. “Food, food, and more food, that’s what I see in my future,” Borthick stated without hesitation, “I’m still having so much fun. Why would I stop?”

Next time you’re hankering for a great meal and some good company, head over to Cheryl’s Diner in Kernville. You’ll find Cheryl and the gang at 11030 Kernville Rd. If you want to find out what the daily special is, you can give them a call at 760-376-6131.