What can you say about a building in the shape of a mammy? That it's politically incorrect? Outdated and regrettably stereotypical? That it's survived to achieve the status of a local landmark? Yes, and it's a piece of the past that may make you remember the Bad Old Days. But like a vintage cookie jar, it's a relic that you probably wouldn't want to destroy, even as it may make lots of people a bit uncomfortable.
Mammy's Cupboard was constructed around 1940 by the Gaude family to attract customers to the Shell Filling Station that was here for many years. The building has housed a number of different businesses since then, but probably none as successful and memorable as the wonderful restaurant that Doris Kemp started here in the late 1990s. It's a lunch-only place where Doris and her family cook up outstanding daily specials along with a variety of soups, sandwiches, salads and "fantastic desserts that you'd travel a hundred miles for."
Mammy's Cupboard sits beside Highway 61 just south of Natchez, a Mississippi River town with a long and celebrated history. If you're anywhere near the area, you will want to make time for lunch in this unusual building that can make you think about lots of things while you sample some sublime Southern cooking.
What did they say
in the show?
Here's an article that celebrates
Doris's cooking and her hummingbird cake!
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