Ms. Stella’s offers tasty soul food, catering and quick-order eats

Published 8:33 am Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Ms. Stella’s is a family-owned restaurant run by Lucious Trawick and his wife Jeri. 

Lucious was born and raised in Milledgeville, so it makes sense that the first Ms. Stella’s location opened its doors locally. Located at 960 N. Wilkinson St., the business was established in 2012 and the couple has spent the last 13 years providing delicious food to the community. Another location in Eatonton has been open for about six years.

Lucious said that getting into the restaurant business was something that he “sort of, kind of” wanted to do. Wife Jeri was cooking on the side, and the more that he began cooking, the more his passion for it grew. 

The decision to open Ms. Stella’s sprang out of a conversation that Lucious had with one of his aunts about wanting to go into business for himself. He said his aunt said, “Well you like to cook, so why don’t you just do it in a restaurant?” and from there, he worked hard to find a space. Once he did, the business was named Ms. Stella’s after his grandmother, who was well-known within the community.

That community, Trawick said, has been very supportive. He said that Ms. Stella’s sees new customers come in every day because they just heard about the business. Even folks from out of town who discovered the restaurant on Yelp, have left pleased, he said. 

“We have been getting good support from the community, so we try to show our support by helping out,” he said.

The restaurants offer a variety of different foods on the menu, with Ms. Stella’s primary specialty being soul food. The menu selection varies from day-to-day, so customers are bound to find something new to enjoy whenever they come in — from oxtails (a customer favorite), lamb chops, ribs, chicken, fish and more with several side dishes such as collard greens and mac and cheese. Ms. Stella’s also has desserts available for those who have a sweet tooth, plus there are specials that vary depending on the day. 

The menu is very much a collaboration between the Trawicks, and that is part of why things change as often as they do. Though soul food is the focus, Ms. Stella’s also offers quick order items such as hamburgers and cheesesteaks. They mostly do call in orders for pickup in Milledgeville, but the hope is that Ms. Stella’s will eventually be able to expand the dining area that they have here. 

The Milledgeville location is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To place orders or book catering services in Milledgeville, call 478-453-7311. The menu line is 478-454-4802. 

Ms. Stella’s, according to Lucious, catering accounts for a fair amount of their business. He says that Ms. Stella’s can cater for any sort of event, no matter the size. There is also not really a catering menu per se, because he prefers that customers get what they would like to have at their event.

The Trawicks cook a lot of their food from scratch and take pride in it, which Trawick believes makes the restaurant unique. It means a lot to him to have been able to open this business and keep things running, he said.

“It’s very special. I talk to other people, and I let them know that once you put your mind to doing something and be true to what you do, you can make it happen and achieve a lot,” he said “It’s just been a joyful ride.”