The Pear Tree destroyed by fire

BEVIER, MO — A well-known restaurant in Bevier, The Pear Tree, was destroyed by fire along with the Rainbow Room and Historical Black Diamond Building/Museum. The Bevier Fire Protection District was dispatched about 12:30 a.m. Nov. 29, 2012, to the fire which eventually claimed the three structures. The site hosted many before-prom dinners, Christmas events, and meetings. Some memorabilia and antiques were retrieved before fire consumed the buildings but an inventory of saved items is not immediately known. The loss will impact other businesses, too. Preparation of hamburger patties and desserts for A.J.’s in Macon were done at The Pear Tree, and steaks were also aged there for the Macon restaurant. Al Abbadessa of Macon opened The Pear Tree in 1986. It had a reputation for fine dining and was repeatedly listed as a favorite place to eat by Rural Missouri magazine. An employee said over 220 reservations had been made for the first Saturday alone of the traditionally busy holiday season at The Pear Tree.