Southern Foods - Kenosha, WI

Yesterday I passed a white clapboard building with a modest sign in front: Southern Foods. I had passed this place earlier this year when it wasn’t open for business and presumed the same yesterday. When I saw cars in the parking lot and people walking out the door, I u-turned to investigate.

In a rather tight space, Southern Foods is a bit of Alabama hospitality, green grocer, deli, Southern foodstuffs and carry-out. I saw White Lily flour as well as Martha Washington from regular to self-rising to grits. I saw Southern condiments rarely seen this far north though no Texas Pete.

While you could buy whole cured hams for just over $3. per pound, you could buy them by the slice:



They also offer bacon, too:



They did not advise their source for the hams and bacon, this may be a hint or a red herring:



In their freezer case were beans shucked on the premises and frozen:



We talked about local sources for these beans. I commented about a truck farm in Zion specializing in beans, which they advised they knew. In addition to the beans pictured, I saw Crowder Peas, Icy Wunder pole bean, baby limas, purple hull peas, show peg corn, whole okra, butter peas, field peas with snaps (green beans) and lots of blackberries – all from local sources. They also had frozen homemade biscuits and frozen commercial products very likely dear to Southerners and rare to find here:



From the obvious care to carefully preserve locally grown beans, I am convinced their carry-out food will be very good. They offer meats of oven-fried chicken, ribs or rib tips with chicken and cornbread stuffing on Sundays:



All that is missing is the other southern vegetable: macaroni and cheese.

They sell homemade pies for $9.50 and mini pies (which you see baking under the menu) for $1. I checked the whole pies, the crust is not made the on the premises though the fillings of pecan, sweet potato and a 3rd variety I cannot recall are made from scratch.

Raw peanuts were for sale as well as freshly roasted peanuts. All that was missing was the boiled peanuts.



This is a niche market store, which would be challenged to survive in Chicago. I cannot imagine the challenges for them to pull off what they do on a lonely stretch of Sheridan Road between Kenosha and Racine. I know we have Southerner’s who might want to consider going up there to load up on foods not easily available.

When the weather warms, I look forward to picking up a dinner there. I will then head back to town and picnic along the harbor.



Southern Foods
777 Sheridan Road
Kenosha, WI 53140
Phone: 262-522-9015
Open 6 AM – 6 PM
Closed Tuesday.

Regards,

Hi,

In response to a PM, the package states Shoe Peg Corn:



Regards,

Meat and Two? Be still my southern heart. Thanks for the tip- I'm adding it to my mental list for our usual Wisc. trip this summer.

Country Gentleman is an heirloom white sweet corn with irregular kernel arrangement. This variety is often called Shoe Peg in the South. Burpee's has a pretty decent picture in their on-line seed catalog. Quoting from the listing:

HEIRLOOM. From 1890. Unusual white corn with irregular rows. Great flavor.
92 days. One of the most unusual sweet corns because the white kernels are arranged irregularly, not in rows. The kernels are also very deep and narrow, hence its alternate name "Shoe-peg". Developed around 1890 in the Connecticut Valley, it is a much bigger form of a very old variety, Ne Plus Ultra ("nothing better"). In fertile soils, it can yield three ears per stalk, and sometimes more. It is a beautiful corn with wonderful texture and flavor. It holds its peak quality much longer than most heirloom corns.

As a child I grew this corn around 1950 give or take a year or two. My parents encouraged me to grow and eat somewhat unusual foods. Country Gentleman tends to annoy people, like my late father, who like to eat their sweet corn going along the rows on the cob.

Green Giant produces frozen shoe peg corn, so it is available in a lot of stores. We often have some in the freezer. The level of corn flavor is good for a white corn and beats the next-to-flavorless-except-for-sugar supersweet by a large margin.

Southern Foods also sells frozen pre-baked biscuits made on the premises:



I bought a dozen out of curiosity to find them quite good tasting. If they were this good frozen, then fresh from the oven must be something special.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:From the obvious care to carefully preserve locally grown beans, I am convinced their carry-out food will be very good. They offer meats of oven-fried chicken, ribs or rib tips with chicken and cornbread stuffing on Sundays:

They sell homemade pies for $9.50 and mini pies (which you see baking under the menu) for $1. I checked the whole pies, the crust is not made the on the premises though the fillings of pecan, sweet potato and a 3rd variety I cannot recall are made from scratch.
Regards,

Quick question, since I may be misunderstanding the above - is the food
offered only on Sundays? Or is is just the chicken with cornbread
stuffing that is offered only on Sundays? Same question about
the pies too - offered everyday, do you know?

I do getup to WI once in a while, but rarely on Sundays - sometimes
Saturdays. Id like to stop off at this place on the way the next
time, but if the food is offered only on Sundays it may not be
worth it. (Though, of course, it will now make choices even
harder - Captain Porky's, this place, a couple spots in Racine,
plus Mazos and Kopps if youre going all the way up to
Milwaukee...)

c8w

Quick question, since I may be misunderstanding the above - is the food offered only on Sundays?

They serve food every day, except Tuesday when they are closed.

Or is is just the chicken with cornbread stuffing that is offered only on Sundays?

Every Sunday ... though since they rotate meats and vegetables daily anything is possible.

Same question about the pies too - offered everyday, do you know?

Every day they are open.

I will be interested in your opinion once you make it up there.

Regards,

HI,

Yesterday I returned to Southern Foods to buy more biscuits, a slice of ham, Shoe Peg corn, salt & vinegar cracklins and a single serving of coconut pie.

In my original post I commented the exterior is rather modest. In fact it gives the air of a closed and abandoned enterprise:



From the greenhouse frame, I supposed this structure had once been a retail nursery. I was advised it was once a Dairy Queen by the owners, though they do sell flowers commencing the week before Mother's Day.

Southern Foods has been at this location for 22 years. They have only begun offering food for pick up and go since last year. Since I really enjoyed their biscuits, I was hoping they might offer biscuits and gravy. The lady who does the cooking rolled her eyes because she doesn't want to begin her day at 6 AM. I then suggested she might prepare the sausage gravy to sell frozen, because it is the natural pairing with those delicious biscuits. If and when you go, you may want to make the same suggestion.

Sometimes you have to give fate a little push!

Regards,

I finally made the trip up to Southern Foods on Sunday. Thanks for finding this, Cathy! Next time, I won't stop for a sandwich at Tenuta's first, and will have room for a meat and two. I picked up a few items on this visit, including a dozen of the frozen biscuits, which were very good quality biscuits and held up well to the freezing, too. Twenty minutes at 350 degrees, and they were ready to go. A bit on the doughy side (I'll blame that on the freezing), but otherwise with a great flavor and crispy crusty outsides. Excellent, especially with the slice of country ham I purchased. Although, as the sign indicates, this is a particularly mild version, it definitely has the pedigree -- including signs of beautiful and promising rot on the fatty rind. I would prefer a stronger flavor of smoke, but that would be more of the Virginia ham, which this decidedly is not. But very tasty stuff. I also bought some of the country cured bacon, which was sliced thick and cooked up nicely ... although with the almost insane quantity of fat (probably 75% by volume), a little of this goes a very long way!

JiLS wrote:I picked up a few items on this visit, including a dozen of the frozen biscuits, which were very good quality biscuits and held up well to the freezing, too. Twenty minutes at 350 degrees, and they were ready to go.

This really makes my day! I have suggested to the lady to make sausage gravy and freeze it. I have a feeling she makes a mean one!

Sometime this summer, I want to get up there on a Sunday for her chicken and corn bread stuffing.

This small place feels like it dropped from the star named Alabama.

Glad you appreciate the place like I do.

Best regards,

My pleasure, Cathy! It is a neat little store. It looks like a dump, but it's not; the inside is nicely kept, the meats and vegetables (and that includes fresh produce) are all top notch. Plus, it looks a lot better in the summer because the whole front of the building is covered in hanging baskets and planters, including a number of very successful potted tomato plants (I saw one ripe tomato in one of these pots that must've weighed 24 oz.; don't know if the tomatos outside the store were being sold inside, however). You'll be pleased to know the place was relatively busy on this early Sunday afternoon; a couple left with a large bag of foodstuff as I entered, and another patron came in right before I left. That's probably enough for a little store like this. Plus, I have a feeling they serve as a 7-11 for the folks living up and down Sheridan in the area, as well as the little 1950s-era honeymoon motels that line Rt. 32 north of Kenosha.

Interestingly, I was there on Sunday too, after picking my son up from camp at Carthage College. I got there around 11, and it was pretty slow. I too was impressed with the place, and learned a lot about the difference between black eyed peas and pink eyes. There was no food being served, and when I asked, he said that all they make now is the pies. Not sure if this was because I was there early, or if they have stopped serving food at all. The menu board was up, but the steam table was off. Jim, were they serving when you were there? I did buy a very nice sweet potato pie, as well as a bunch of the frozen peas. My son insisted that we try all the brands of pork rinds. I also bought the only brand that they had of non-instant grits, Jim Dandy, and when i got them home, I noticed that they expired 3/06. Hopefully they will be fine. -Will

HI,

I am almost finished with a package of Jim Dandy grits. I have been cooking them in my rice cooker, which beats all that stirring and watching.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I have been cooking them in my rice cooker, which beats all that stirring and watching.

I have never heard of cooking grits in an electric ricer.

Would you please provide some further direction?

Thanks,
E.M.

WillG wrote:Interestingly, I was there on Sunday too, after picking my son up from camp at Carthage College. I got there around 11, and it was pretty slow. I too was impressed with the place, and learned a lot about the difference between black eyed peas and pink eyes. There was no food being served, and when I asked, he said that all they make now is the pies. Not sure if this was because I was there early, or if they have stopped serving food at all. The menu board was up, but the steam table was off. Jim, were they serving when you were there? I did buy a very nice sweet potato pie, as well as a bunch of the frozen peas. My son insisted that we try all the brands of pork rinds. I also bought the only brand that they had of non-instant grits, Jim Dandy, and when i got them home, I noticed that they expired 3/06. Hopefully they will be fine. -Will

I got there around 12:30 and no, the steam table did not seem to be fired up. However, as noted above, I had just come from Tenuta's, and was full of Italiano panini (that's a mighty good sandwich, by the way!)

HI,

A few months ago, I saw an article on how to get more use out of your kitchen appliances. One such suggestion was to cook regular grits in your rice cooker.

Recently I tried it in my non-fuzzy logic uber-simple rice cooker. I simply measured out the grits, water and salt to package directions. In Jim Dandy's case it is 1/3 cup grits to 1-2/3 cup water and some salt. I hit the cook switch and walk away. When I return there is usually a bit more liquid on top than on the bottom, so I stir it up to even out the grits. I add some butter and cheddar cheese, then eat it.

Only once did my grits taste ever so slightly undercooked. It is possible I may have shorted on the water. I don't know.

Regards,

Hi,

I went to visit Southern Foods today. I noticed the steam table was empty and the sign offering various meats and sides was empty. They had only recently begun selling food to go and maybe the experiment didn't get the response they wanted. Sadly the answer was worse than I imagined: they are closing once their inventory is sold.

They were advised a few weeks ago the land was for sale. A few days ago they learned it has a buyer and they must leave. They were not in a good mood about this turn of events. They said something that sounded like they were leaving retail and continuing their wholesale business. When Rene G and I were in Tennessee Deli in Hammond, I recognized some of the same merchadise. Either they buy from the same source or perhaps Tennessee Deli is a client of theirs. I hope to ferret this out next week.

Regards,