The Tale of Toasty

Toasty was a ramblin’ man. You know the type. Spent his life riding the rails, hopping from town to town, on a quest to try every hamburger in the land. Toasty barely let his feet touch the railyard gravel, never mind putting down roots. Then along came Melba, a smokey-eyed redhead from Shelby Park. He and Melba would spend long evenings strolling around the neighborhood, taking in the history and working up an appetite.

On one of these strolls they followed their noses to Ogden’s Novelty Shop. Toasty was sure he could smell a beer-basted, onion-packed smash burger, smothered in cheese and steaming hot. It could have been a delicious vegan burger, hard to tell the difference these days. Alas, the building was completely empty, except for a scraggly little mutt, asleep on the stoop. There was no burger in sight, but the smell was giving Melba a craving so strong, she couldn’t leave that spot.

Without much cajoling, Melba convinced Toasty to open a tavern here, and share his favorite food with her beloved neighborhood. Besides, she was hungry! So Toasty finally put down his roots in 2020, and he, Melba, and their new pup Pickles opened Toasty’s Tavern in Shelby Park. Toasty still enjoys the not-so-distant sound of the trains from the patio every chance he gets, with a double cheeseburger and a side of fries.