Centre County author, artist, biker, and "adventure eater" Ken Hull has spent years riding, exploring, and tasting his way across central PA to find some of the coolest locally owned places for food, beer, and coffee. In December 2007, his journey was chronicled and published by The Indie Press in a book called going LOCAL! An Adventurer's Guide to Unique Eats, Cool Pubs & Cozy Cafs of Central Pennsylvania. The book was an amazing success with 5,000 copies sold and fans wanting more.
His latest book, going LOCAL! Volume 2: A Second Helping was published in October of 2010 and is a continuation of his journey and adventures. This is not an updated version, but 64 new places including Altoona's very own Tom & Joe's Diner.
The going LOCAL! series is not a critique or review it doesn't compare places nor does it find fault. It's more like a journal, memoir, or travelogue in story form, guiding and encouraging readers to get out and support their "mom & pop" eateries, pubs, and cafs rather than chain places, and the wonderful experiences they can enjoy there and along the way. It covers a 150-mile diameter of the center of the state including over 25 counties.
This Saturday morning December 10th from 8am to 12pm, Tom & Joe's owner George Batrus Jr. will be hosting Ken for a Breakfast Book Signing event at his diner. Ken will be selling and signing copies amidst the cooking, chaos, and sass, that marks this downtown Altoona institution. The book retails for $18.87, and anyone who buys a copy during the event will receive a $5.00 gift card to the diner to be used on their next visit!
