By Loretta Humble/Around the Town
This week I actually got out and went “around the town” for a change. For one thing, I met Donna Rinn for dessert at Rachel’s, the new bakery/café located across from Malakoff Middle School. To the disappointment of her loyal Canton customers, Rachel (there really is a Rachel, and she is usually there though I didn’t get to meet her) closed down a similar establishment she had operated in Canton for years to move down here and make us all happy with her fantastically wonderful desserts showed in that cake display fridge in the window, as well as huge creative sandwiches and salads, and a plate lunch special.
In fact, I just went to her Facebook page, and saw pictures of all kinds of scrumptious things, including quiche, luscious-looking soups, sometimes steak, and some of the most outlandish sandwiches I ever saw. What I had was bread pudding. It was so big I tried to get Donna to share it with me, but she insisted on having the cheese cake, which she let me taste, and was great. My bread pudding was perfect. I stuffed myself on it, and still took half of it home, where I had it for supper, and again for breakfast. From what I observed that day, many of the dishes people were being served were big enough for two. An extra treat was that Teri Caswell came in for lunch and sat down with us. I forgot what she had, but there was a lot of it and she said it was great. The place is really cute, and it looks like people are really loving it.
I don’t go to restaurants a lot. I’m staying in my apartment next door to Cedar Lake Nursing Home, and I walk over and eat almost all my meals there. My excuse is that I do it to make sure we serve first rate food to our residents, but the truth is I love it. It’s like eating out all the time.
I do, however, need to mention Faith Hope and Love that Barbecue, another great new eating place here in Malakoff. It is operated by Michael and Patricia Voyles and their son Tyler. The Voyles also own Voyles Paint and Body Shop just down the road. I haven’t written about them here, but I did write about them and put some pictures of them on www.facebook.com/aroundthetown. I’m not going to turn this whole column into a restaurant review, but I do want to state for the record, that Faith, Hope and Love That Barbecue makes the best barbecue I ever ate. I would imagine that these places are using some very high-quality equipment. Products like those sourced on sites similar to NellaOnline.com are popular amongst restaurants that require hardware and appliances, as a barbecue restaurant would.
A bunch of us from the nursing home went to dress rehearsal night at Henderson County Performing Arts Center, which I still insist on calling Athens Little Theater because it is easier to remember and write. Terrina Schmidt, our Activity Director, drove the Cedar Lake van full of folks, and I took three of my favorite ladies in my old Mercedes SUV. That was a little scary, because I hadn’t driven it in a while, and when I took it to gas it up, it didn’t want to leave the gas station. Luckily, my lady friends weren’t with me yet. Sonny had to hunt up jumper cables and come save me. Since he was going to be at choir practice about a mile away from the theater, and could come save us again if necessary, we decided to chance it. After the play was over, my three friends and I headed home. The old car did just fine, just adding a little sense of adventure to our outing. But the evening’s excitement had just begun for Terrina. As she and Assistant Activity Director Evelyn were loading our other residents for the trip home, patients from another nursing home were getting into their own van. Suddenly one of the patients from the other nursing home fell and hit her head. Nobody wanted to leave them there alone, so our folks stayed and helped till the ambulance arrived. So Terrina arrived at home kind of late, hoping to get a little rest. Suddenly she heard shouts that the house across the street was on fire. It burned up, and they were up all night with water hose, trying to save the surrounding trees. I would say Terrina had a big night.
By the way, the play is “Daddy’s Dying, Who’s Got the Will?” and it is just great. By the time you read this, most of the performances will be over, but if you can get squeezed in at the last minute, please do. It is a really funny comedy and every actor is just excellent. If you miss this one, please make up your mind now to be sure and go to the next one. Every one of them is super.