BACKROADS • JULY 2021
SHIRLEY’S SOUL FOOD CAFÉ
124 W CURRAHEE ST, TOCCOA, GA 30577 • MON-SAT: 11:30A-2P 15 years. That’s the first time we walked through Shirley’s doors. It was after seeing the first episode of Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt. We were heading to the now defunct Curved Cowboy Rally which was being held at a very nice resort in Georgia. Being fans of anything Alton Brown brings to us, we were delighted to make a stop at one of his featured restaurants. We have told you about Shirley and her wonderful home cooking. You already know that when you walk in her door you will be greeted with a smile and have some of the best soul food around. But you may not know the full back story of how Shirley came to bring her delicious food and goodness to the community. First and foremost, Shirley Combs is a devoted and religious woman. By trade, Shirley was a school bus driver, and happy doing that. Cooking and driving a school bus were two of the main things she always wanted to do. One day her son came home and told her about an empty restaurant next to the barber shop in her town of Toccoa and he suggested that she open her own restaurant. She told him he was crazy, but also knew that the Lord worked in his own way and if it was meant to be, it would be. In 2000, Shirley opened her Soul Food Café. With much anticipation, she expected many folks to show up to eat all the food she had prepared for her cafeteria-style servings. As the day progressed, her anticipation waned as there were no customers coming through the door. At one point, a homeless gentleman came by, looking hungry, so Shirley fed him
Page 15 and asked him to bring others and she would feed them as well. From that day forward, each day, at 2pm, the front door is closed and the back door opens for those who are homeless and in need to eat their fill and soothe their hunger. As Shirley says, ‘It does not matter how many paying customers we serve. What matters are the people who come through the back door.’ It gives her joy and reinforces the knowledge that THIS is what she was meant to be doing. With good fortune and prayer, Shirley opened her first shelter in 2007, giving men and women a place to heal themselves and get back on their feet. These folks work at the Café while they are fixing their paths, and Shirley has been able to open two more shelters since, giving 250-300 men and women a chance to better their lives and become self-sufficient. In 2013 Shirley suffered a heart attack, having one stent put in and another blockage which the doctors said they could not fix. As Shirley said, ‘That’s okay, I know who can fix it…’ and with her faith in God she has been fighting the good fight and helping so many souls to help themselves. For 21 years, Shirley has fed thousands, both through the front and back doors, and every one of them have received her gracious smile, amazing home cooking and good will. Should you find yourself in this part of Georgia, there is no finer spot to park your bike and grab a bite than at Shirley’s Soul Food Café. Fill up your plate, enjoy the company and please tell Shirley that we send our best to her. If you would like to make a donation to Shirley’s Shelters, you may make the check payable to Shirley Combs and mail it to: 124 W Currahee St, Toccoa, GA 30577. God bless. ,
