HELENA — In 1912, Fred Jorgenson was on the way to California when his train broke down near Helena, and he decided to stay.
Jorgenson worked at Mount St. Charles College which would eventually become Carroll College, and then was the head chef at the Montana Club from 1919-1950. In 1958, Jorgenson would go on to open his own restaurant and inn with his three children.
Like Jorgenson, Chris Abrego is making a big impact in Helena-area cuisine, opening two Copperline restaurants in Helena, Hardware Cafe in neighboring Montana City, and now breathing new life into the eatery that Jorgenson started about 68 years ago.
Abrego has ambitious plans for the Jorgenson's at 1714 11th Ave., which offers a lot of space to feed folks in Helena.
"It’s almost 7000 square feet total, including the dining room, kitchen, and the conference center downstairs," says Abrego. "It’s a big space. We have the capacity to feed 160 people upstairs and 215 downstairs."
Jorgenson's American Restaurant will open for breakfast on New Year's Day. On January 3, it will open for dinner. From then on, you can count on the doors being open 7 days a week from 7AM to 9PM.
Meanwhile, this winter Abrego will be closing the 1018 W. Custer Ave. Copperline spot to refurbish the 1936 Royal Spartan Trailer. When it reopens in the spring, it will rebrand as a sub shop.
As for Jorgenson's, Abrego jokes, "We're going to make Jorgenson's great again."
