The Fantabulous Day Off

My last day off was in January, I've been waiting for today for what felt like forever. Woke up this morning and watched the news on  the couch all wrapped up in a cozy blanket while Massey cooked breakfast for me. She even brought it to me along with a cup of coffee. Zach brought me a big glass of Nestle' Quik ( morning fave) and my day off was off to a "Fantabulous" start.

Houdini has still been escaping so I went out back on border patrol armed with chicken wire and covered every weak spot I could find.

Last week while waiting on two sisters at work, who are great regulars at the restaurant somehow the topic of good spots to eat home cooking came up. They asked me if I had ever eaten at Mother's Kitchen in Newnan? I  told them I had never heard about it. They said it was a tiny hole in the wall down a side alley off the town square. Owned and operated by a black woman who did all  the cooking herself, it was packed every day and sometimes even ran out of food if you  didn't get there early enough. Policemen, fireman, council members, lawyers and locals packed the place every day.  A meat and three vegetables with cornbread for six bucks.

I decided to take Massey and Zach there for lunch so after Border Patrol we headed into town. After calling to make sure they were open since it was a holiday and they feed a lot of politicians who  had the day off,  just told the kids I heard  about a new home cooking restaurant and  told Massey, who  was driving to head to the courthouse. A block before the courthouse is the tag office... across the street from  a huge old factory that builds gigantic culvert type pipes. I told Massey to pull over and park.  Both kids asked at  the same time "Where's the restaurant?"

I pointed to an alley that ran beside the factory. They both looked down the alley  and said "Nothing's back there and we ain't going down an alley....You never said anything about going down a back alley."

I assured them I was right and as they grumbled, led them down the alley. The two sisters had told me to walk down the alley  til I saw a screened door on the right. They warned me there was no sign...just simply a screened door. About halfway down  the alley I smelled fried chicken and continued on as Massey and Zach asked if I was trying to get them killed or what?

We reached a screened in door on springs just like every kid I grew up with had on their own back kitchen door . I pushed it open and looked in. There was a black woman standing behind a counter and another sitting in a chair in front of the counter. I asked "Is this Mother's Kitchen?"

The older woman in the chair smiled and said "It sho is and even if it waddn't come on in anyway."

Some people would have and probably HAVE been shell shocked...I immediately felt at  home. I went to a high school that by the time I graduated had more blacks than whites. I felt like I had stepped back in time. We went in and immediately the older woman asked Zach what his name was? Then the black guy behind the counter commented  on Zach's Hooters tee shirt. Then  another black woman came out of the kitchen where I saw another woman cooking away on a stove and asked "You  the one's who been calling on the phone?" I told her I had just called once to see if they were open and she simply said "Hmmph...somebody's been calling here all  day, can't find the place."

I looked into the dining room where a family of whitey's sat eating food that simply smelled Heavenly! I asked if we should go sit down and she said  "Nope you order right here at  the counter."

I looked for a menu on  the wall and then saw a beat up spiral notebook sitting on the counter. It had
Fried Chicken
Pork Tenderloin
Baked Ham

scrawled in ink pen on one side of the page and

Collard Greens
Speckled Butter Beans
Macaroni and Cheese
Dressing with Gravy
Rice
Black Eyed Peas

on the other side. Below it was a hand written Bible verse.

When we ordered, a HUGE black man who I  think starred in The Green Mile said "Don't forget dessert" and pointed to pieces of Red Velvet and German Chocolate cake wrapped up on paper plates behind the counter where we ordered. Behind him on the wall was a health  inspection report touting a score of 99.

The woman in the chair in front of the counter had been chatting with Zach the entire time Massey and I  were ordering and by then knew his life history. The woman behind the counter said "Zach, what do you  want to drink?"

While I was paying the screened door behind me opened again and an older white woman looked in and asked hesitantly "Is this Mother's Kitchen?"

Once again the woman came out of  the kitchen and said "You the one's who been calling?"  The  woman said yes and went back out the door to tell  her own friends they were indeed down the right alley.

By this point I was in love with the place! These were probably the most pleasant people I have run across in quite a while and the entire place smelled delicious!

I looked at the woman in the chair and said "I bet most people that ask that are white aren't they?" She said "All folks are welcome here...even if they ain't looking for Momma's."

We were sitting down to eat when another man (white as well) poked his head in and asked "Is this Mother's Kitchen." The reply was "Come on in."

I had a veggie plate...Black eyed peas with chopped onion and tomato on top, dressing, rice with gravy and collard greens. Massey had the Pork with sides and Zach had the most awesome fried chicken I have ever stolen a bite of. It was steaming hot and good  to the last bite...all for six bucks each.

I got Zach to go to the register to break a twenty for me so I could leave a tip and Massey and I both laughed when the woman behind the register hollered "Momma, Zach needs some change!"

After we were full and done I asked Momma if she would let us have our picture taken with her? She wiped her hands on her apron and said "Well just let me go put on some lipstick first." I told her she was beautiful just the way she was.

Momma also has this posted on her wall and says it all. It's stuck up with a push pin but hits deep.

What a wonderful day. What a wonderful restaurant. What a totally wonderful experience. The two tables that came in after us had heard about Mother's Kitchen on  the Internet. One group was from LaGrange (thirty minutes away) and the other  from Columbus (an hour away.)

Why this precious woman isn't a millionaire baffles me. If you  are ever in Newnan, Georgia or ever remotely close...walk down the alley between the factory and Mexican place on East Broad Street. You will smell the fried chicken before you ever hit the screened in door!


Massey, Zach and I all walked out full and happy.  It's not only a great restaurant but seems to be one of the happiest places on earth.

As an added bonus to my one day off...got home and it seems I finally have Houdini penned in. He spent four hours in the yard and didn't escape once. Thank goodness no one can see my hillbilly/ghetto patch job but if it works...I'll call it a success.

We are no where close to being rich in the sense of the word but way beyond it in  the concept. I am happy, my kids are happy and life is good.

Til next time...COTTON