BY MELISSA TOWNSEND • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAY ADKINS
The precursor to the chef-driven food truck trend in the Mississippi Delta is the food hut, a cross between a concession stand, a roadside barbecue pit and, in some cases, your grandmother’s kitchen. When hot food is so lovingly prepared out of a humble confines, no one’s judging. Here, three locally-revered eat places where a picnic table or a drive-thru window with styrofoam boxes will do just fine. Be forewarned, however: at these hungry hot spots, the early birds get the worm.
- RIVERSIDE QUE: Delta Snow/By-the-Bridge BBQ
Nearly every Delta town has a little local snow cone hut where folks wait at the window for flavored syrup squirted over crushed ice, a time-honored beat-the-Delta- heat treat. But entrepreneurial brothers Caleb and Ben Cox have also made room for barbecue. These early 20-something barbecue competitors (Caleb won his first competition at age 9) turned judges and Memphis Barbecue Network-sanctioned festival organizers, cater events and also the hungry local lunch crowd lined up for their pit-smoked pulled pork, served every which way but (and on) Sunday.
Their favorite creation? The pepperjack BBQ pulled pork quesadilla. We devoured a mound of the BBQ nachos (enough for two, if not three) and customers we met were waiting on BBQ tacos, made with the same charcoal/hickory/applewood- smoked pulled pork and sweet and tangy sauce. Park yourself at the picnic table or mosey down to the banks of Yazoo for a picturesque view of Greenwood’s iconic bridge over some de-luxe Delta-Mex ’que.
Location: 109 West Claiborne, Greenwood
- Road trip tip: The New Orleans-style snowballs are served till 7pm, but get the fresh-smoked barbecue at lunch while it lasts!
2. HEART AND SOUL: The Shorty Mobile
Good food sells fast and mighty early in the farming community of Inverness. Thanks to Gloria “Shorty” Hodges and Freddie Daniels, locals are fed three meals a day from this two-table, short order eatery, the Shorty Mobile. As early as 5 a.m., the ovens are warming with workers heading to the fields swinging by for dibs on sausage and biscuits, quite likely to be right back by 11 for the lunch plate, a daily special sell-out.
But like Gloria’s grandparents’ circa-‘70s Hodges Café, Shorty’s is known for their old-school burgers plus other classic sandwiches, from bologna to the Philly steak that she’s added to the lineup. While they may be frying chicken or pork chops and spooning out peach cobbler, Shorty’s is more Delta comfort food than Delta soul food. Take home a pint of chicken salad (crunchy celery with a hint of pickle) and bundles of their handmade Delta-style hot tamales.
Location: 907 Second Street, Inverness
- Road trip tip: Have cash on hand; Shorty’s doesn’t take credit cards.
3. PARKING-LOT PORK: Too Sweets
It all started with snow cones, then came crawfish season, and a small town with limited lunch options hungry for more. Now with a full-blown, short-order menu, Too Sweets is serving their parking-lot pulled pork on plates and sandwiches, in the “knock ya naked” nachos and as a topping on The Piggly Wiggly hot dog. “It’s just good ole’ backyard barbecue,” says local entrepreneur Kevin Oakes, who makes sure the wood-smoked barbecue is served fresh, never frozen.
Crawfish season is fleeting, but rest assured that
Tasty Critters, the crawfish shed side of the biz will have ‘em if harvested. The
same goes for Mississippi Coast Gulf seafood when ice-packed shrimp, crab
legs are oysters are trucking north and Delta bound in season. Back at the whimsical snowball truck, be tempted by any imaginable flavor with catchy names and discover funnel cake fries, slices of funnel cake piled up like French fries, county fair style! Closed Mondays.
Location: 201 Highway 82 East, Indianola
- Road trip tip: Next to Community Bank—can’t miss it!
Delta Magazine is considered one of the most unique regional lifestyle publications, which some even call “the most southern magazine on earth.” The Mississippi Delta is known for its literary, musical and culinary heritage, as well as for its legendary entertaining style and social traditions. The bi-monthly Delta Magazine embodies every aspect of the Mississippi Delta with its fresh content, cutting-edge photography and devoted readership. Learn more by visiting deltamagazine.com.
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