I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Grits are good!
They have all the attributes of comfort food: mild flavor, creamy texture and a real affinity for butter, cream, sugar, and cheese.
But until recently, only Southerners appreciated the secrets of grits.
Now, the coarsely ground dried corn finally is getting the recognition it deserves, thanks to the growing interest in American regional foods. Some of the country’s most creative chefs are putting grits on the menus of upscale restaurants, and historic Southern mills are shipping old-fashioned stone-ground grits from coast to coast.
And it’s about time as far as I’m concerned. I’ve always loved grits. I eat them plain without any butter or sugar.
But I didn’t always like them. I developed a taste for grits over the years. I didn’t particularly care for them when I was a child.
But there aren’t too many restaurants in the area that offer grits on their breakfast menu.
One place where you can get grits around the clock on any day of the week is the Omelet Shoppe in Beckley.The highly praised eatery draws an estimated 50,000 customers a year.
“Although omelets are our forte, we have a lot of ourregulars come in just for the grits,” says manager Nikki Kershner of the 2001 Harper Road eatery, where customers can get anything on the menu 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
And that includes sandwiches, waffles, desserts, and more.
Grits at the Omelet Shoppe are Quaker brand, not the instant variety. The grits are cooked for about 12 minutes and served in a bowl. “Some people like butter with them,” Nikki explains. “Some people even crush bacon up in them.”
A few of the Omelet Shoppe patrons stack the grits in a pyramid on their eggs. “We can fix them any way that a customer wants them,” Nikki adds with a smile.
The manager has been cooking professionally for years at a variety of different restaurants. She’s managed the Omelet Shoppe on and off for the past 15 years.
Strangest thing she’s seen a customer do with grits:“Pour them over sausage gravy and biscuits.”
Some of the Omelet Shoppe’s regulars come in just for the breakfast menu, which includes a wholesome bowlof the ground corn specialty, as well as eggs, bacon, waffles, and toast.
Nikki adds, “One guy eats a bowl of grits every morning. When I see him coming, I put on a Western Omelet and a bowl of grits. That’s what he has seven days a week. He really loves his grits.”
Nikki cooks at the Omelet Shoppe daily from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sometimes she comes back in at 11 p.m.
“I have a great relationship with the regulars, but we try to be friendly with everyone who walks in the door.
“I love everything about my job,” she says.
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Top of the morning!
Note: pictured is Omelet Shoppe manager Nikki Kershner