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Jacobs not slowing down

From staff reports
April 15, 2010

Mara Jacobs’ favorite Jones of Washington wine changes often, but she said the Jones syrah rates consistently high on her list.

Mara Jacobs considers herself blessed because of the way she’s been welcomed to the Quincy Valley ever since she moved here from the west side of the state in 2003.

“Everything I’ve gotten involved with has been with amazing families and quality people,” she said. “I’m really lucky. It’s easy to get involved with things here and have fun.”

One of those instances came in 2004, when Jacobs ran into local farmer Jack Jones at the Idle Hour Cafe. At that point Jones was just starting his family winery, Jones of Washington. Jacobs knew a little bit about wine from her 30-plus years spent in the restaurant industry, so she immediately became interested in Jones’ venture.

Soon thereafter, Jacobs, along with her husband, Ken, became the managers of the Jones tasting room in Quincy, a job she relishes.

“I’m very passionate about the wine industry and all of the great things that are happening in Quincy,” she said. “The Jones wines are excellent quality. When I was buying wine back in the old days for my restaurant, everything came out of the Napa Valley in California. Now I don’t see any reason for anybody here to buy anything but a Washington wine. It’s very exciting. There’s so many opportunities for Quincy area wineries. Hopefully, we can work together and grow as a wine region.”

Jacobs said she’s learned a lot about the wine industry over the past few years.

“I knew how to serve wine to restaurant customers,” she said, “but now I’m understanding the farming and production aspects of it and the role of the winery and the tasting room. I’m learning something new all the time.”

Jacobs also works part-time at Quincy Valley Fitness Center, another endeavor she innocently came to.

She and Ken decided to retire and move to Quincy full-time in 2003. (They had a vacation home at Crescent Bar they had been spending weekends at since 1995.)

“When we first moved here, we had just retired and I didn’t know a soul,” she said. “I was sitting at home one day out in the sun, reading a book, and I said, ‘This is crazy. This isn’t going to work.’ So I decided to join a gym, which was a fluke because I had only worked out maybe one day in my life. I was intimidated at first, but now I’m embracing the lifestyle. I’ve learned a lot about fitness and nutrition. Now I can’t imagine not working out. I actually like it. That may make me weird. But I didn’t like it for the first few months.”

In addition, Jacobs is also involved with Quincy Valley School. She was recently approached by school founder Warren Morgan and administator Harriet Weber to help with advertising and promotion of the school.

“They’ve got a lot going on. They’re building the new school and trying to expand to sixth and seventh grades,” Jacob said. “It’s an amazing team to work with. I believe that it’s huge for this area to have an alternative to public education.”

Jacobs was born in Chicago and grew up in a very small community in Indiana. Her parents owned a pizza restaurant, so it’s not surprising that Jacobs wanted to purse a career in the restaurant industry when she was done with college. In 1980, she began working for Keg’s Steakhouse on the west side and eventually bought into the business before retiring.

“When I was away from the business, I missed the chaos,” she said. “I loved it when it was packed and busy. I love the restaurant business. It’s never dull or boring, and you’re always around people.”

Jacobs and her husband have five children — Michelle, Kenda, Ron, Tom and Chantel — and 10 grandchildren, all of whom live in Washington.

“I am so fortunate all of our children and grandkids live in the state, so we are able to see them often,” she said. “They love coming over here and playing, especially in the summer.”

Jacobs is also involved at St. Pius X Catholic Church, volunteers at the Reiman-Simmons House and works with the Quincy Chamber of Commerce.

“I think the beauty of retirement is you get to choose what you want to, which doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down,” she said. “My goal is to keep busy, be able to learn, grow and contribute, be around positive people and give back to our community.

“I am super happy – I would not want to live anywhere else. I thank God for giving us Quincy and all of the wonderful people.”