The Brookhaven Iron Sign
Janie's Pastry Shop
The Coffee Pot
The Inez Restaurant
Bob's Sandwich Shop
Outside of Serio's Grocery
Inside Serio's Grocery
Brookhaven Foodways
Brookhaven, Mississippi, (also known as Ole Brook) boasts a thriving and growing downtown while other small Mississippi towns have a downtown area that is literally dying. This is largely due to a unique arrangement made by the founder, Samuel Jayne. In the 1850’s he made a contract with The Great Northern Railroad Company requiring Brookhaven to be the only railroad stop between Jackson, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana. The first thing a visitor would see as they exited the train was The Iron Brookhaven sign promising a “Homeseeker’s Paradise”. This sign is a promise of what one will find in this quaint southern town. Many who arrived tended to stay; this is evident with all the family owned restaurants that still exist today. The South is famous for using food not only for sustenance but as a social event. Brookhaven upholds this southern tradition in its entirety.
Janie’s Pastry, which faces the train depot, opened its doors in 1939. Today the bakery started by Norman and Janie Traber has since been passed down through three generations of family. At any time of the day, you can walk into the small bakery and see people sitting on the old barstools eating a donut and discussing the news of the day. If you travel one mile south you will find the Coffee Pot, built in 1921 by J.J. Carruth and operated by family before closing. It has the distinction of being the first “fast food” restaurant in the South. This building is no longer a place to find a good cup of coffee and escapes demolition solely due to its unique rooftop. Back in its heyday, this was the place everyone would gather if they were traveling by a Gray Hound Bus. Once, a famous pianist played on the roof for twenty-four hours to promote the restaurant.
The Inez restaurant is located one block east of the depot in the historical Inez Hotel and was built in 1901. The restaurant features good, old fashioned Southern cooking as well as daily luncheon specials. Bob’s Sandwich Shop is booming with business on Wednesdays and Sundays from children that go to First Baptist Church which is located right across the street. This small structure cannot hold all the people craving the signature “flat dog”. You often see takeout orders that don’t make it far; people end up sitting and eating at the church playground right next door. Bob’s has served the community with “flat dogs” and po-boys since the 1940’s. Owners have changed but the menu has remained constant.
Serio’s Grocery, established in 1915 by a young couple from Sicily, is less than one-hundred yards from the Coffee Pot. The Serio’s had five children, Charlie, Josephine, Rosie, Camille (nicknamed Babe), and the baby boy Jimmy. Jimmy was the only one to leave home and marry. The four remaining children continued to live above the store and ran the business after their parents’ death. Rosie and Charlie are still alive and continue to run the business even though they are well into their 90s. They are known for “the coldest beer in town” and raw oysters. Charlie will shuck them for you till you stop him. There is a tradition of having the first shell of your first oyster to be placed on the wall after you have signed and dated it. It is amazing to walk in there and see all the oysters; the oldest ones date back to 1943 which is the year they started serving them. Almost everyone who has ever lived in Brookhaven or passed through has their name on that wall. It is not unusual to walk in on a Saturday evening and see customers laughing, talking, and telling stories with Charlie and Rosie, all standing of course because there are no barstools along the bar.
The rich history of Brookhaven is a pleasure to both the eyes and tastebuds and continues to be a “Homeseekers’s Paradise”. Current residents appreciate and enjoy both the traditions and tastes of the past integrated with the promise of a progressive successful future.
