Yahoo Finance Hopewell: New restaurant serves soul food, unity, love six days a week
HOPEWELL — Raised on a farm, Chef Toni "Tee" Turner opened a new restaurant in Hopewell. On weekends, she watched her mother and grandmother who had seven children cook a buffet for the entire family.
The new eatery Table of Love in historic downtown Hopewell is next to Haley's Honey Meadery in the former home of Paddy’s Irish Pub. Pastors at Turner's church Faith Temple Ministries suggested Hopewell as the location for Table of Love since the city did not have a Southern soul food restaurant.
After Turner began cooking for her friends, they encouraged her to open her own restaurant. She moved up north where she earned culinary certification. She moved back to her hometown in 2017, prepared meals and sold them out of her SUV, got her business license and began catering for different companies.
"It started to get too much for me to handle, so that's when I decided to open up a soul food restaurant. After the encounter I had from my first restaurant, I didn't really want to open up another one, but people I knew among friends and family wouldn't let me stop," Turner of Powhatan said. "A lot of people just see the food part... they come and get their food and go... they really don't know how much money, time and preparation there is running a full brick and mortar."
Turner prepares everything at Table of Love fresh.
"I know other small business in the food industry would agree. In order to have respect for the business, you have to know the business," Turner said.
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Hopewell restaurant: Table of Love
Table of Love offers breakfast on the weekends and brunch on weekdays with items such as biscuits and sausage gravy, chicken and waffles, omelets and Benedicts [ham, pulled pork barbecue, crab, veggie], bacon/sausage egg sandwich, home fries and fruit parfait.
The most requested menu items so far are the turkey wing dinner, fried chicken wing dinner and Table of Love burger. The signature burger has two eight-ounce patties dressed with lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, a fried egg and signature sauce on a toasted bun.
"Our fried fish, salmon cakes, chicken and waffles, collards, and cabbage are also diners' favorites," Turner said. "And, of course, my homemade sweet potato cake."
Other items on the menu include fried or smothered pork chops, pigs feet, meatloaf, baked chicken, fried fish [whiting, trout, catfish], club and cheesesteak sandwiches, yams, green beans and more.
Children have a choice of six items: chicken tenders, grilled cheese, hamburger, cheeseburger, macaroni and cheese and cheese fries. Each is served with a choice of one side for $8. Beverages available are tea [sweet/unsweetened], soft drinks and flavored lemonade/teas [strawberry, blue raspberry, mango, cherry].
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I ordered the collard greens when I stopped by. They were magnificent, flavorful and tender as love.
Dashawn H.'s review on Yelp stated, "Amazing food and customer service, beautiful building with a friendly environment. I will definitely be back!"
"Let's also talk about those string beans and mac and cheese... delicious, and I've also had the shrimp... amazing," Carla Jones of Richmond commented on Facebook.
After Latasha Coleman of Richmond got home and tore up her pork chop, rice and gravy, yams and cornbread, she did a happy dance. Then she posted this review on Facebook, "It was delicious and filling. I added pepper to my pork chop and rice because I love a lot of pepper. And I didn't even have to warm it up, stayed nice and hot."
"The food was delicious! All my food was hot and freshly made. I had the turkey wing, which the meat fell off the bone. My wing dings was nice and crispy just like I like them, and all her sides were deliciously good," Kisha Jordan's Table of Love recommendation on Facebook stated. "I will definitely be going back. I really wish the owner much success."
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What sets Table of Love apart from other restaurants?
"My vision statement where we as a people of all race, creed and color can come to the table of love to share love with one another in conversation and enjoy good food while doing so," Turner said.
Turner's vision statement is framed and hangs on the brick wall for diners to read. It states:
Table of Love is where family gathers to share togetherness. Table of Love symbolizes unity and acceptance — representing all people as one.
Now more than ever is the time for people of all races, religions and beliefs to come together. So, we invite you as a family to sit here symbolically at Table of Love and take the first step to understanding and loving each other. The Table of Love is where we sit, discuss and solve problems.
The world has reached a crisis where our differences are causing hatred and division. This is what happens when we as people don't know anything about one another. The aim of the Table of Love is asking a stranger to join each other at the Table of Love to talk, to get to know a stranger. You never know it might just be an angel that sits before you. When you share love, you spread love.
At each table, there are pockets for phones. Diners may free their phones from their hands and spend time with loved ones.
"Customers love the phone pocket idea," Turner said. "After reading the statement, they kinda chuckle and immediately put their phones in the pockets that are attached to the table."
Table of Love is located at 239 E. Broadway Ave. in Hopewell. Currently, the hours are 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday - Thursday, Saturday noon - 7 p.m. and Sunday noon - 4 p.m. Visit Table of Love Southern Soul Food on Facebook to view a menu and for more information.
Before Wednesday, June 7, take advantage of the "Buy one, get second half off" special offer.
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— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell: New eatery with phone pockets serves soul food, unity, love
