A historic post office on E. Jefferson between Mt. Elliott and E. Grand Blvd. will house The Sunday Dinner Co., a restaurant specializing in Southern comfort food. Home-cooked food and gatherings of friends and family are the inspiration behind the concept, says co-owner David Theriault. "We want every day to feel like Sunday, with a home-cooked meal."
Food will be served buffet-style; expect traditional dishes such as corn bread, deep-fried catfish, fried chicken, smothered pork chops, baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens alongside Chef Eric Giles' twists, like fried corn with maple sausage and dirty rice with shrimp. Friday evenings will include seafood and Sundays will add ribs to the menu. Lunch will run about $10 and dinner, $14 -- with a bit of an increase on Fridays -- and will include sweet iced tea, dessert and salad.
An E. Jefferson location is key to the restaurant's success, says Theriault. "We're in the middle of a critical mass," he says, noting the proximity of The Villages, Harbortown and senior housing. Carryout will be available for the commuter crowd, and local delivery is being explored.
Besides being a restaurant, Sunday Dinner Co. is a social enterprise. Construction workers and eventually, kitchen and front-of-the-house staff, are being hired through Goodwill Industries'
Flip the Script program, which works to reintegrate former felons released from prison via job training and placement. The restaurant will be closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays for training, and the food cooked will be shared with food banks programs such as Forgotten Harvest.
Keith Bennett, Flip the Script's director, sees his program's relationship with The Sunday Dinner Co. as a win-win. "When you feel good about the job you are doing, worthwhile, (you become) part of the community," he says. "And when you get returning citizens to feel like part of the community, they will no longer be predators, they will be part of the community."
The Sunday Dinner Co. is located at 6470 E. Jefferson and should open by the end of March.
Sources: Eric Giles and David Theriault, The Sunday Dinner Co. and Keith Bennett, Flip the Script
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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