MILLIANS: Sweet smell of success

Published 3:00 pm Saturday, July 13, 2024

Ever travel down West Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and smell the sweet fragrance of ribs, pork chops, or Boston butts on the smoker behind Ms. Stella’s restaurant?

Well, get ready to enjoy that aroma when you’re driving on North Columbia Street (Highway 441).

Ms. Stella’s is moving to the spot in the Town Central Shopping Center (1850 N. Columbia St.) where Crockett’s used to be located.

“The ball is rolling; it’s going to happen,” Ms. Stella’s owner Lucious Trawick was telling me on a hot morning this week as he loaded racks of ribs into his smoker. “We’re just dotting the ‘i’s’ and crossing the ‘t’s.’

“I’ve been saying we’ll be moved by August, but it could be October. I just know we’ll be moved by the end of the year. It’s no longer a question of ‘if’; it’s just a question of ‘when.’ “

Trawick’s to-do list gets shorter every week.

The Town Central Shopping Center has 10 tenants, including Tractor Supply, BodyPlex and Pearle Vision, and is adjacent to the Food Depot grocery store.

The shopping center recently sold at a price of more than $8 million.

Trawick, with the help of Fickling & Company agent Patty Burns, had a lease drawn up with the new owners.

“They’re excited; I’m excited,” Trawick said.

Next will come improvements to the air conditioning system by the new shopping center owners.

Then, Trawick is planning some renovations inside the restaurant. He purchased the restaurant equipment from the Crockett family.

The move will provide Ms. Stella’s customers with more parking, more space in the kitchen, more room for diners, and a wider variety of food selections.

Trawick said the new restaurant will still be cafeteria-like, but slightly different.

He plans to continue with all the Ms. Stella favorites. For instance, entrees on Sundays include: roast beef, baked turkey wings, oxtails, Cornish hen with dressing, pulled turkey with dressing, baked chicken, grilled chicken, grilled porkchops, and chitterlings — when available.

The meat and sides choices will still rotate daily. Fried foods will be served fresh. There will be sandwiches, such as burgers and Philly cheesesteaks.

And Trawick plans to have a salad bar put in.

Basically, it’ll still be the same classic southern comfort food. You wouldn’t expect anything different from a restaurant named in honor of Trawick’s grandmother.

The recipes have been passed down from family and friends. Trawick’s wife and a cousin are two of the main cooks.

Ms. Stella’s has been open for 13 years in Milledgeville, and the location in Eatonton has been open for six years.

The restaurant has a big catering business, for wedding receptions or any variety of events. They cater the Wednesday night meals at the First Methodist Church.

Crockett’s was a daily meeting place for many friends. They could have lunch and catch up on the news from each other.

Trawick hopes to continue that same vibe. Good food. Good conversation.

Ms. Stella’s hours at the new location will remain the same: they are closed only on Mondays. Hours on Tuesday – Friday are 11 a.m. til 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the hours are 11 a.m. til 5 p.m. They are closed on fifth Sundays.

Trawick has already talked to the fire department and gotten the OK to have his smoker behind the new location.

“The smoker? You’ll be smelling it up Highway 441 when we get up there,” Trawick said. “Basically, we’ll be doing the same things we’ve been doing. We’re just taking it up Highway 441.”

Watch for a “Coming Soon” sign at the new location.

Ms. Stella’s is on its way.

Rick Millians, a 1970 Baldwin High graduate, retired after working for more than 40 years at newspapers in Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. Reach him at rdmillians@aol.com.