Sterl Simmons, owner of the Union Canal House, has seen his share of adversity, having suffered the loss of a wife two decades ago, followed by a loss of a son, then his daughter, right before Tropical Storm Lee roared in and wiped out practically everything in the area.
That could have been the final straw for a man with a weaker constitution, but Simmons doesn’t suffer defeat easily and, evidently, neither does the historic structure, which dates back to 1751.
“I know of at least three really large floods. Back in the 17- or 1800s, there may have been a flood here bigger than Lee. They didn’t record things well back then. In ’72, Hurricane Agnes brought water that came within an inch of the ceiling of the first floor; Lee was worse than Agnes, by about three foot,” said Simmons.
The task to restore the South Hanover Township restaurant was daunting, but Simmons knew, by doing so, that he wasn’t just paying homage to his father “Babe,” who bought the business back in 1971 (and whose picture watches over the establishment from the dining room), but also preserving history.
“It served the soldiers fighting the French and Indian War when there was nothing but wilderness surrounding the area,” he said. “They used the tunnel beneath our building to avoid being attacked by Indians and later used it to hide slaves.”
Although some items like the bar, beams, tables and chairs were salvageable, others were a total loss and, oftentimes, the rebuilding process was emotional for Simmons. “In the beginning, I had a few setbacks, including a bad contractor, which is why it took me a year-and-a-half to reopen,” he said.
Simmons also hired a new chef as part of the restaurant’s rebirth. “His name is Ed Monuteaux, and he comes from Massachusetts, but has worked at a lot of establishments, from the Florida Keys to Atlanta. He worked at Char’s Bella Mundo for years,” said Simmons.
Monuteaux said he collaborated with Simmons to update the menu. “It’s a combination of the old classics and some new dishes, but I’d say our steaks are the most popular. I’ve never sold so much meat in my life, even though we’re not classified as a steakhouse,” he said. Simmons agreed, adding that the blackened Delmonico is a big fan favorite at the moment and nearly everything is made from scratch.
Customers like Ken Wolfe and his wife Gloria are thrilled to see the restaurant up and running again.
“We think it’s a great dining experience,” said Ken. “The menu offers a wide variety of items from meat to fish. My friends and I have tried a lot of different things and nothing disappoints.”
Harrisburg-area residents Bob Scomak and his wife Cindy, who had been patronizing the restaurant for about four years before it flooded, said they are glad it’s back. “My favorite is the duck and my wife enjoys the crab cakes,” said Bob, adding that his friends just tried the osso buco, and they loved it.
Sally Springer from Hummelstown said she’s very happy for owner Sterl now that things are up and running again. “He works very hard, and we were sad because, at one point, we weren’t sure it was going to make a comeback,” she said.
As for Simmons, he admits it’s been a lot of work and, at times, was frustrating, but today he’s happy with the end result. “I love the changes. It’s better than it was before. The flood forced me to update some things; the kitchen is set up a lot nicer now, and the entire place is brighter,” he said, smiling.
Union Canal House
107 S. Hanover Street, Hershey
717-566-0054
Open Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Sunday.
https://unioncanalhousehershey.com
