Mission Monroe

Hunter Henrickson
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read

The Don is back in town. The Don is back in Monroe.

Executive Chef Donnie Simmons is back in one of the towns that played host to his start in his culinary career. “We are bringing it back to Monroe. Y’all ain’t ready! We are going to make Monroe a food destination!”

What does that entail, you may ask? Well, allow me to explain. I think you’ll be modestly surprised about what we have planned.

First order of business: biscuits and pizza. Not necessarily in that order, but hey, it’s 2017. Crust & Jam is the name, craft biscuits and artisan pizzas are the game. This restaurant is geared towards more handheld food items, food to-go, lunch pick-ups, etc. The biscuits start as a recipe from Donnie’s grandmother’s holy grail of recipe books (though if one did exist, it wouldn’t be in print. It’d be rotating around like a lazy Susan in Donnie’s head which I will bet you a dollar-to-a-donut that it is). The ingredients used in these biscuits hail from all over the Carolina’s, from Duke’s Mayonnaise to the chorizo that is made literally down the street. While not pushing the tired slogan “farm to fork”, Crust & Jam goes local for just about physically everything that is used in house.

“It’s the farmers from around this area that really started Monroe.”

Second up is the future fine dining go-to of Monroe, where it’s a surefire way to teleport you back in time to the early 1900’s era, called Franklin & Main. The only word that comes to mind is: authentic. Why? Because the culinary creations that Donnie drafted for F&M are inspired from cookbooks that local historians graciously allowed Donnie to study. Ranging from shaved liver on a pork shingle to a hot milk cake. Just wait until he releases the full menu. I, myself had to read through it a few times to truly grasp what he is on too, and my is it going to knock your shingles off!

Third time’s a charm, right? Just like Southern Charm, right? Well, that’s what the third place will be: the epitome of Southern. Inspired by the famed restaurant down in Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Wilkes, and the Daniel Boone Inn located in the mountains of North Carolina, where the traditional family style, everyone gathers around the table type of dining thrives, Don wanted to bring that deep-rooted Southern wholesome way to Monroe. I’ll break it down for you: Southern style food + buffet + charmed older home = Southern hospitality at its finest. What’s the name? We haven’t settled on one for it just yet but my idea: Full Plate.

During the next year or so, it is our plan to restore the shine to this simple and modest town. We came here on a mission; a mission to create career positions for people who might’ve been stripped of their ability to apply. We call this initiative the Klean Kitchen. As the name implies, he maintains a physically clean kitchen but also clean from any and all alcohol and drugs. For those who may not know, Chef Donnie has been sober for over 88 months from any drugs and alcohol that were heavily present in his life for many years. He refrains from anything that may alter his brain’s chemical balance so much so, that he will not partake in any beverage with caffeine. Hence, he carries a FIJI water bottle around with him everywhere he goes. (Tip: the bigger the bottle, the better. Oh, and bring a pack of almond M&M’s. He’ll be your best friend).

Jokes aside, Donnie’s main focus with his Klean Kitchen campaign is to give a second chance to those who are in the process and/or have “kleaned” up their lives. The idea started when a friend of Donnie’s way-back-when was arrested for a moderately hefty marijuana possession charge. He had no previous history — not even a parking ticket and because of this charge, his chances of even being considered for a position at McDonald’s was slim to none. This irked Donnie beyond all measure because this individual never had a serious charge involving hurting a woman, child or elder person for example, prior to the possession charge but he was still look at as though he had. Donnie exclaimed that he wanted to make a change for him — that he shouldn’t be completely outcasted by prospecting companies because of something like this. But you know what they say:

“To see a change, you have to be the change.” — Unknown

So, that is what he did. Donnie offered him a dishwashing position and threw him a shirt. The look in the man’s eyes said all that needed to be said.

These restaurants serve as tools for Donnie to give back to a town that gave him a lot many moons ago. He’s creating jobs for people, handing out food, partnering with local charities and foundations and boiled down: doing a lot of good and bringing life back into Monroe. This is something you don’t want to miss out on. I can assure you.

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