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!"
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
