by Eric D.GrahamIn the world full of fast food restaurants, where McDonald’s signs cloud the skyline, it’s refreshing to have some “real” soul food being cooked with the same love that our grandmothers had, when the entire family would come together after church on Sunday in order to have dinner.
Well, Joseph & Marcella McClarin have brought that feeling back to the “small town” of Magnolia with the opening of their “NEW” restaurant-simply named Marcella’s.
“I have been cooking since I was 14 years old…” Mrs. McClarin confessed.
“I learnt how to cook by simply watching my mother in the kitchen when I was growing up.”
Marcella said her passion for cooking gives her peace of mind and brings her “JOY” seeing other people “ENJOY” her food.
That “JOY” could be seen on the familiar faces who eagerly returned to the restaurant at 109 North Railroad Street that Friday afternoon as they prepared for another meal at the Soul Food restaurant.
They all comfortably walked in “shouting out” their orders, sharing bottles of hot sauce, while sprinkling it on their fried fish before requesting that their favorite dishes, which include the fish stew, Catfish and Barbeque chicken to be placed on tomorrow’s menu.
“I will have some fish stew tomorrow…” Marcella tells a disappointed customer.
“But, Baby, them hushpuppies are good!!!”
From the outside looking in, it seems as if Mrs. McClarin is doing everything by herself. But, she has the loving support of her husband (Joseph) along with her aunts, cousins and faithful friends, who have all pitched in to help her business to become lucrative.
“My husband, who was a truck driver dropped everything to back my idea.” Marcella said with a smile.
“Plus, on opening day, during Sundays, after church, my friends have helped me by taking orders, pouring tea and waiting on tables even without pay just to see me get this restaurant off the ground.”
Marcella, with the hard-working spirit of her father and the business savvy of her mother, who once owned her own restaurant in Pink Hill, gets up every morning around 2:00 am, where she heads to Magnolia to prepare breakfast for her loyal breakfast club, who have fallen in love with her Omelets, French toast, and grits.
After breakfast, however, Marcella’s day doesn’t slow down.
Matter of fact, it intensifies.
As a result, you will probably find her multi-tasking as she leaves the kitchen, preparing take-out plates for lunch, while “pleasantly” answering the phone and taking more orders.
When asked, “How does she balance operating a restaurant, cooking, and maintaining a happy marriage?” She simply says “I give it to God.”
“I prepare, pray each day and He makes the way…” she confessed.Despite that, she said she still had a few “haters,” who have questioned where she got the money to start a restaurant, while preparing for her Grand Opening.
“You know, honestly, when people ask me that…Where I got the money to do this?” she says.
“I say, ‘I don’t know’..I simply prayed and fasted and walked on Faith.”
The power of her Faith and hard work can be seen as the lines continue to grow inside and outside the restaurant, as people of all colors patiently wait for an opportunity to taste her “Soul Food,” which includes her famous Southern Fried Chicken, potato salad and her “classic” Million-Dollar pound cake.
With that said, the town of Magnolia won’t be eating any fast food for a long time. Especially, with Marcella cooking in the kitchen.
Eric D.Graham, a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, where he received a B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Radio and Television, with a minor in History, with an emphasis in African-American Studies, is currently the Managing Editor of Black Athlete Sports Network, where his articles appear daily along with his controversial cartoon character Bobbee Bee “The Hater.” Graham can be reached at lbiass34@yahoo.com or go to www.bobbeethehater.blogspot.com
