Jo Cusker

There may be less of her to love these days. But a decidedly slimmer Jo Cusker, 31, still serves up a big heart of gold — and those great steaks — at Doe’s Eat Place!

Jo Cusker, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! Everyone loves you! You are just so fun!
I’ve never met a stranger in my life. I’m just a people person. Even as kid, my mom says she’d carry me around in a backpack and I’d flirt with all the guys and they’d wind up talking to her.

So you were her wing baby?
Yes, I guess I was!

Did you make any matches?
I hooked her up with her first husband. But it didn’t last. She now dates a guy closer to my age.

Woo-Hoo! Your mom’s a cougar! Are you going to follow in her footsteps?
Definitely. We age pretty well in my family, so hopefully I can pull it off.

What’s the age of the youngest man you’ve dated?
I used to date a guy seven years younger.

How was that?
It made me feel old.

Oh no! So maybe you’re not cougar material after all?
Not yet, but I’m working on it!

Hah! Speaking of work, waiting tables is a tough job, even at a fun place like Doe’s. But you’re always in such a good mood!
It’s easy. We have a lot of regulars. It’s important to remember people’s names, their drinks and how they like their steaks cooked. People like to feel good when they go out, so I try to make sure everyone has a good experience.

And Doe’s food rocks.
I’m so proud of our food. I want to take the steak and show everybody and say, “This is how a steak is cooked.” Most of the time I talk people into the two-pound T-bone.

Two pounds! Can people really put away two pounds of steak?
You share it. You get a filet on one side and a New York Strip on the other. Plus two sides and two salads. People think our steaks are expensive, but that dish is $39.95. So when you share it, it’s just $20 apiece. Our steaks are for sharing.

What kind of wine do you recommend to go with it?
A good cabernet is always good. I like the Dynamite.

Me too! You’ve been in the restaurant business for quite awhile.
Ten years. I’ve worked at Jeremiah’s, Froggy’s, Texas Roadhouse, Max’s. I’ve bartended at the Landing in Metropolis and the old Moss Rose.

Waiters or cooks? Who’s cuter?
That’s putting me in a hard position! Both.

Do you ever hang out at Sigma Delta Doe’s?
(Editor’s note: That’s the house on 5th and Harrison where Doe’s employees Evan, Preston, David and Mike live.)
Yes, we’re neighbors. That’s where I do my laundry. And we do cookouts together.

What makes a Sigma Delta Doe’s cookout different from what you all cook at the restaurant?
Normally we cook something like a pork shoulder or Boston butt. We make all kinds of stuff. Preston makes a mean red beans and rice.

You must have missed a few meals lately, Jo! You’ve shrunk! You’re tiny!
I’ve lost 40 pounds.

Wow! What was your inspiration?
I needed to have breast reduction surgery. And the doctors said that I needed to lose all the weight I wanted to lose before the surgery. It took me a year to save the money for the surgery, and about six months to lose the weight. I had the surgery June 23 and went down four sizes.

That’s fantastic! How did you drop 40 pounds in six months?
I just watched what I ate. I ate fresh fruits and veggies — uncooked. I had fish twice a week and chicken the rest of the time. And I stay active. I don’t drive — I walk everywhere I go. I was a size 14 at one time and now I’m a size 6. I definitely feel the difference.

Did you get to go shopping for all new clothes?
Well, it turned out that my mother gained weight and I lost weight. So we traded clothes. Here things are too big for me now, so I will have to go shopping. But I want to lose 10 more pound and tone and tighten everything up.

Dang, I don’t know what you have left to lose. You look awesome!
Thank you. It’s been really nice to hear all the compliments. I really appreciate it.

And you’re from here?
I’m from Massac County near Metropolis. My grandma raised me. She has a horse farm with about 18 horses.

You’ve never married.
No, never married and no children. And being from Massac County, I’m pretty much an endangered species!

Would you ever consider marriage?
I would say no, but I try never to say never. I’ve been to a lot of weddings that didn’t last. Seems like most don’t work out these days.

Ever been close?
No. I’m a good long-term dater, though.

What kind of fella do you like to date?
Well, he can’t live with his parents. He’s gotta have a job and his own place to live. I don’t care if he has a roommate. He needs to be an animal lover. And he can’t be someone who spends all his time on the couch.

What’s your favorite thing to do?
Lay on the beach in Florida. And I spend a lot of time with girlfriends. We go out after work. I like to do the Doe’s to Jo’s pub crawl, meaning we stop in the bars between Doe’s and my house.

Doe’s to Jo’s. Sounds like a marathon.
Sometimes it feels like it!

And you love riding horses.
I grew up riding and training horses. My best friends as a child were horses. We used to adopt wild mustangs and retired racehorses. My grandma took me to see a Lipizzan show one time — those are the horses that rear up and bow and do other tricks. The next day I called her out to the porch and said, “Let me show you what I taught Easter to do.” And then I made my Easter rear up and kick.

How did you do that?
I stuck a nail in her butt.

Oh, well, yeah, I guess that would work!
Easter did all sorts of things. She did bows and she liked to roll in the mud, even when I was still on her. I grew up getting beaten up by horses!

After I’m fully healed, I definitely want to get back to riding.

Right on! Jo, you’ve got the cutest little tattoo on your middle toe on your left foot. Didn’t that hurt?
Yes! It doesn’t even go all the way around because it hurt so much. I got it when I was 16. It’s an Irish tribal band.

It’s darling!
I have nine tattoos, but I can only see three without a mirror.

Hah! What are your other ones?
I have a peacock on the back of my neck, and I have two lovers intertwined on my back — I drew that one. And I have a lotus flower.

Are they addictive?
They kind of are. It’s definitely a commitment.

Is it easier to commit to a tattoo than to a man?
Yeah, but I’m open to trying!

Right on! So what’s next for you, beautiful Jo Cusker?
I’m not sure. I love Paducah. It’s so cool that, on my way to work, 10 people honk or wave. And as I’ve been going through these changes, I get compliments everywhere I turn. It’s nice to be loved.

Well, you’re awful easy to love, Jo Cusker!

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