Daughters of Appalachia 003
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I didn't know Delsie Mae personally, aside from seeing her in passing at Southern Kitchen, the legendary diner she opened in 1947 in Charleston, West Virginia. It was open for over 60 years, serving consistently good and affordable food, along with tons of personality.
I think I first heard about Southern Kitchen from my Pawpaw Bill, a Teamster and frequent customer of theirs. I mainly remember going there in high school, once my best friend got her drivers license and we could go places on our own. It was open twenty-four hours and they had cheap homemade peanut butter pie.
We came up with the idea to make a shirt celebrating Southern Kitchen, so I started looking into the history of the place and thought Delsie deserved some celebrating. She was a pioneer, running her own business in a time before girl bosses and internet likes. She just did her thing, did it really well, and touched a lot of lives in the process. A true inspiration and Daughter of Appalachia.
Delsie Mae Hanshaw was born in 1918 in West Virginia. She grew up in Pinch, about fifteen miles northeast of Charleston. She was one of six kids, and her family owned Hanshaw Grocery, a small store next door to their house. After graduating from Elkview High School, Delsie moved to Charleston and got a job in the cafe at the Greyhound Bus Station on Summers Street. She was briefly married, but everyone I talked to said it wasn’t worth mentioning, but she did keep his last name--Hersman.
One day Delsie went across the street to The Empire Diner and asked owner Jesse Young for a job. He hired her on the spot. She started working at The Empire as a waitress, moved into the kitchen, and then learned to do the books and run the floor. She became fast friends with Jesse and his wife Lyda, who became her lifelong best friend.
Jesse learned that Delsie wanted to run her own place, and he wanted to help make that happen. He drove her over to B & H, a hot dog and root beer stand in Kanawha City. He told her to walk in and tell the guy that she wanted to buy the restaurant. She came back outside and told Jesse that she was told it wasn't for sale. He told her to go back in and tell him everything is for sale and ask his price. She went back in. He named the price, she agreed, and that was the beginning of Southern Kitchen.
Jesse helped her with everything from securing financing, to lending her staff, to helping train her new hires. The Youngs really believed in her and that she could make a go of it. Southern Kitchen opened in 1947 at the corner of MacCorkle Avenue and 53rd Street in Kanawha City. MacCorkle Avenue was only two lanes at the time, before the interstate came through in the 1970s. It was a busy route, frequented by truckers, and Southern Kitchen was a popular stop. The restaurant was counter service only, with eighteen stools and soon added five booths. Delsie expanded the menu beyond hot dogs, adding affordable country cooking, including the addition of her fried chicken. It was a big hit with the truckers.
Business was booming and they soon needed more space. Construction started on a new two-story building, located next door, on the same plot of land. They remained open in the original location right up until the new one was ready to open. “Maybe we were closed a day,” Hersman says. (Charleston Gazette, June 4, 1997) In 1954, the new Southern Kitchen opened its doors.
With a bigger kitchen, the menu expanded to include even more homemade comfort foods, including breakfast served 24 hours a day. The prices were cheap and it was cash only. They served things like beans and cornbread, hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti, corned beef hash, meat loaf, sandwiches, chicken and dumplings, so many pies, cobblers, apple dumplings, and even milk toast.
The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit, with wood paneled walls and scalloped woodwork trim. The wood booths had high backs, a cushioned seat, and coat racks attached. The formica tables were set with paper placemats with inspirational sayings and ads for other local businesses. There was a smoking section and a non-smoking section, but since they were only separated by a row of plants, it was pretty much all a smoking section.
The decor was maximalism at its best. There was not a white wall or Edison bulb in sight. There were framed photos hanging everywhere--photos of scenes from around West Virginia and framed newspaper articles and awards. By the front door was a wall of photos of well-known patrons who had stopped by on their way through town: musicians, Richard Petty and other Nascar drivers, pro wrestlers, and politicians--along with regulars like Nick Nolte and Robert Byrd, who sometimes used a table at the Southern Kitchen as an impromptu campaign headquarters.
Probably the most memorable thing about the interior of the Southern Kitchen was the chickens. There were chicken knickknacks EVERYWHERE--hanging on walls, lining rows of shelves all around the dining room. Baskets of eggs hung from the ceiling. It started out with just a few chickens, but over the years it grew to the hundreds as Delsie and customers added to it.
"The decor!!!!! All those dang chickens!!! I miss it all the time." - Emily Porter, customer
"Those damn chickens. You have no idea how hard they were to clean and how long it took!" - Jennifer Waggener, employee
Southern Kitchen was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 364 days a year--only closed on Christmas Day. The reliable hours, homey atmosphere, and friendly staff appealed to a wide-range of people. It remained a popular stop for truckers, but also became a much-loved spot for family gatherings, teen hangouts, night-shift worker meals, after-bars-close meet-up, and hangover recouping.
"I'd go there not only with my family, but also with my friends. The late-night dining was so fun. Southern Kitchen was a place that was certainly comforting. I knew the staff there, it always felt safe, and I was guaranteed to have a wonderful, satisfying meal. One of my silliest, deepest regrets is that I never got to see the upstairs section. In my young mind, I imagined it to be very fancy." – Sam Masley, customer
"My dad used to take us there when I was little in the middle of the night and I always thought it was so cool to be up late eating. He passed a few years ago, but that will always be my favorite memory." - Eloise Hope, customer
"I was in 4th grade, my twin sister and I had worked for weeks on our science fair project with our step dad who walked us through building a way to test if something was a conductor of energy. We made it to the Kanawha County science fair and after a very nerve racking day, we took first place. To celebrate, my parents took us to Southern Kitchen for apple dumplings and my step dad was so excited that we had won, he was telling all the servers. It was the first time I really appreciated him stepping up to help raise us." - Morgan Pitman, customer
"The Capital High band kids would go straight from Laidley Field to Southern Kitchen after our home games. I think we'd take up at least half the booths in the restaurant, all wearing our white bibs and "Pride of Capital High" T-shirts. It was a fun atmosphere because it was the first time in our lives we could go somewhere unsupervised. Underclassmen would hitch a ride with older siblings or friends. The band kids weren't big partiers, so it was the main social scene for us. My sister Carol's favorite meal was the grilled cheese. She couldn't come back to town before the restaurant closed, so she had my mom buy her a final grilled cheese and freeze it." – Cathy Caudill, customer
"When I was in high school there were so many late nights at Southern Kitchen, after dances or parties. It was also a place my parents would want to go for breakfast on Sundays after church. I’ll never forget, after one heavy night out with friends, we piled into a booth and scarfed late night fried chicken, well after midnight. I have no doubt we were loud and obnoxious. The next morning, I somehow peeled myself out of bed to meet my parents at 8:30am mass. When they told me to meet them (and their post church breakfast crew) at Southern Kitchen, I didn’t even think twice. It was only after we sat down, in the SAME BOOTH and the SAME WAITRESS took our coffee order, that I started to worry about being called out. Ever the pro, she made no mention of my previous visit. It was only after we were headed out that she gave me a knowing wink and a grin." – Shawn McNamara, customer
"I remember sneaking out of the house on a school night at 2am to get high and go down to Southern Kitchen for a double portion of home potatoes and hot sauce and some pie. We’d come home and food-coma for two hours and regret it all at school the next morning on no sleep." - Evan Wilson, customer
"I worked for a decade at the Legislature. We all went to Southern Kitchen on the last night of session, at like 3am, to celebrate the end of the wackiness!"– Susan Canfield LeFew, customer
"I loved that it was open 24 hours. When you work midnights at Highland Hospital that lasagna and salad hits different at 3am." - Tori Kay, customer
"I remember that the late-night customers ran the gamut: truck drivers, partiers, post-partiers, lobbyists and lawmakers. It was—like so many places in Charleston—egalitarian and unpretentious. All kinds of people like breakfast food at 2am. The great equalizer!" – Molly Martin, customer
"AA had weekly meetings upstairs on Saturday mornings, which was ironic considering how many people with hangovers were probably downstairs at the same time. A group of us go in on Saturday morning...a little green from Friday night at the Red Carpet. There's an AA meeting going on upstairs. Our friend's stepdad comes down from the meeting & hands us all a chip. Tells us there's no time like the present to make a change. It didn't work. Favorite thing there: 2, 2 & 2 (pancakes, bacon & eggs). And don't forget - cash only!" – Ruthie Reavis, customer
"I’d like to have a dollar for every time I heard my mawmaw talking about somebody layin out drunk over at that Southern Kitchen'"– Jessica Kirk Perry, customer
"I went after playing a show at the Empty Glass and these two middle-aged men got into a gnarly physical fight right next to where we were seated. Not only was blood involved, but one of em rolled onto our table during the melee. Just another Saturday night in the capital." - James Marinelli, customer
"All I know is bless their wait staff! They had a LOT to deal with after midnight. I don't really remember much more than that." - Hope Johnson, customer
The employees were always a big part of the charm of Southern Kitchen. Many were older women, friends and family of Delsie, which added to the homey-Mawmaw's-house feel of the place. Repeat customers were known by name and their usual orders were remembered. Some of the employees had worked there for decades, beloved by the public, and frequently brought up by name when I asked folks about their memories of Southern Kitchen. Two were mentioned to me repeatedly: Susie Messenger who worked there for over forty years, up until the day they closed. And Marvin Arden who worked there for over thirty years and lived in an apartment one street over.
"She was a serious businesswoman, but she had an absolute golden touch with people. Everyone loved her, most vividly demonstrated by the loyalty of her staff. Susie, Marvin...all of them became family… She was a GREAT storyteller and her laugh was contagious. She knew – literally – everyone. She had tons of great friends who stopped in not just to eat, but to make space at the table for her to sit down with them and chat. She was famous for squeezing into a booth filled with faces she loved and just talking, watching her staff like a hawk, and keeping one eye on the front door.” - Jennifer Waggener, granddaughter of Jesse and Lyda Young
"In 2003, I moved to the USA from my home in Egypt. Southern Kitchen was right by my new home and it was my first job. Delsie was the sweetest. Good times I had there." – Mai Essa, employee
"Delsie was amazing! Her personality was very funny, full of dedication to what she loved, but she didn't take any crap! She worked right alongside of us all, even stepping into the kitchen from time to time. She was stern, but fun. She greeted every single person with a smile. She was well known. She was there all day, with one break she took at her home, which was close by for about an hour. She returned and didn't leave until 11:00 P.M." – Tina Parsons, employee
Delsie was well-respected among Charleston's small business community. In 1971 she was elected as a new board member of the Kanawha City Businessmen Association and all meetings were held upstairs at Southern Kitchen. Based on the organization name, I'm curious if she was the only woman in attendance. Her work ethic and independence were also an inspiration to many who knew her.
"My favorite part of the whole place was Delsie's office. It was packed to the gills with anything you can imagine, including magazines, industry publications, and bills. She had a big old adding machine, just like my grandpa had in his restaurant office. I just remember, even when I was a little girl, knowing that she was a woman who owned this place all by herself and took care of everything all by herself—bills, customers, staff--everything. It was all up to her." - Jennifer Waggener, granddaughter of Jesse and Lyda Young
"She was a really smart woman. She taught us kids to work. She said, ‘Never depend on a man.’" – Stells Tofi, niece
“I admired her because she was a self-made woman who didn’t need a man to define her. And she could be tough as nails. The day I heard she died I was stunned. She also had a funny streak. I recall once she set a mechanical chicken at our table which pooped out eggs." – Daniel Faber, food vendor and customer
While Delsie spent a lot of time at work, she also had a vibrant life outside of the restaurant. She was an avid reader, loved to shop, go see funny movies, and went to church on Sundays. She went on day trips and occasional longer vacations with the Youngs and her sister would manage the Kitchen while she was away.
Family and friendships were very important to her. She didn't have children, but loved them. She loved Jesse and Lyda's kids and grandkids as if they were her own. And was close to her nieces and nephews. She always had dogs, with one bulldog in particular referred to as the love of her life.
"Delsie was a member of the family. She was there for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and every significant family event. I adored her. She and grandma would sit at the dining room table with their heads together, chain smoking Salems, and their laughs...my goodness. They were both witty, sharp, and devoted." - Jennifer Waggener, granddaughter of Jesse and Lyda Young
"Delsie was a character. I remember her jet-black hair and oversized tops. She drove a Cadillac and she pulled it right up to the door. That’s how you knew she was there. She was the matriarch of MacCorkle Avenue." – Kathryn Brown, neighbor and customer
Delsie worked daily at the Southern Kitchen up until she passed away suddenly at home on September 15, 2007. She was eighty-nine years old and her dog Oreo was by her side. She left the restaurant to her niece in Texas who, much to the community's dismay, decided to close the business and sell the building. The restaurant remained open for about a month after Delsie's passing, closing at 11pm on October 15, 2007. The last day was packed with people who wanted to pay their respects to Delsie and to say goodbye to a one of a kind place in the community.
Delsie seemed to know that what she was doing was special. According to Jennifer, “Whenever she was off the clock, she'd join our family for long family drives or a nice dinner out to check out the "competition." Once, we went to a new place in town - still open and fancy to this day. Grandma and Delsie sampled a little bit of everything from all of our plates. The whole family was going crazy about how delicious the meals were. As we walked out of the restaurant to our cars, I was standing between Delsie and Grandma. Grandma said, "Well, it was pretty good, I guess." To which Delsie replied, "Yeah, if you like that sort of thing."
When we first started thinking about doing a Southern Kitchen tribute shirt, I made a post on Facebook asking for people's memories of it. I was overwhelmed with how many (and how emotional) the replies were and quickly realized how much the restaurant (and Delsie) meant to folks, beyond what I realized. I even met a guy who purchased most of the interior of SK at an auction after it closed and has kind of set it up as a makeshift museum in his garage! Turns out he used to date my aunt--classic West Virginia.
As I started compiling stories and digging into the archives, I decided this could be an ongoing project. So, I'm still collecting Southern Kitchen memories and stories for a larger TBD project (online archive, zine, book--who knows how it will take shape!) But I wanna hear from you!
If Southern Kitchen (and/or Delsie, Susie, Marvin, the rest of the staff) holds a special place in your heart, get in touch.
Things I'm looking for:
STORIES
MEMORIES
PHOTOGRAPHS
MENUS
MEMORABILIA
RECIPES
WHATEVER ELSE!
Get in touch here: hillary@kinshipgoods.com
**Special thanks to Jennifer Waggener for sharing her memories and photos. And to Richard Fauss for his help at the WV State Archives.
