About Us
Our story
Tradition you can taste
Sweet Jenny’s Restaurant was a cozy family themed restaurant sprinkled with antiques, keepsakes, and little treasures. The beautiful log cabin was welcoming and the food was fantastic. A regular place of dining for many people in Barnegat, Sweet Jenny’s was always full of loyal patrons. One cold December put an abrupt end to all of that as a fire sparked and tore through the cabin, leaving it in ruins. Some would say it was a total loss, but Joseph Dringus saw just the opposite. As a long standing general manager and head chef of Sweet Jenny’s, Joe knew his customers well and knew they would follow – a sort of “If you build it, they will come.” Sure enough, time passed and people started showing their support, as pictured here, with that same mentality.
As often happens though, the owners struggled with insurance claims and proverbial red tape while the building remained decimated. Joe could no longer sit idle and knew it was time to shine. With the blessing of the former owners, Joe moved forward with starting the next chapter on 2 pieces of history. Acquiring The Hurricane House, a historic restaurant/ice cream parlor in Barnegat with many great stories of its own, Joe combined the Sweet Jenny’s name and following with the yesteryear feel of The Hurricane House. From bottom up, a breath of fresh air and new ideas transformed the restaurant. Its nostalgic aura combined with a modern look rejuvenated the inside and immediately the homelike feeling was back! The outside took on a whole new life as flowers and décor draped the fresh air seating; giving it a warming backyard feeling.
The rest, as they say, is history; Joe hasn’t stopped since. With true passion and determination, Joe continues feeding his loyal following and has extended his services. From the rebirth of Sweet Jenny’s also came the incredible launch of Touch of Elegance. A division of Sweet Jenny’s, Touch of Elegance caters all occasions. With his culinary wisdom the driving force, his catering has begun to develop its own legacy with heartfelt recants of people who have experienced Chef Joe’s Touch of Elegance!
Family, friends, food – Welcome to Sweet Jenny’s