Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room Explained

Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
Pushpin Map:USA Georgia
Street-Address:107 West Jones Street
City:Savannah
County:Chatham County
State:Georgia
Postcode:31401
Zip:-->
Country:United States

Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room is a casual restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, US which offers a menu of Southern US home cooking. Situated in a historic house dated to 1870, it is a popular dining spot in the city. The restaurant was owned and managed by Sema Wilkes for 59 years, from 1943 until her death in 2002 at age 95.[1]

History

Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room was previously the dining hall of the Wilkes House, a downtown boardinghouse. Today the restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the same historic house, built in 1870, at 107 West Jones Street.[2] [3] The restaurant was described by author William Schemmel as "a treasure hidden away in a historic district town-house."[4] Its longtime owner, Sema Wilkes, published several cookbooks.[1] her family continued to run the restaurant, serving lunch on weekdays.[5] [6]

Mrs. Wilkes and her restaurant have been the subject of newspaper and magazine articles.[1] Japanese chef Hoshinao Naguma was once apprenticed to the restaurant.[7]

Customs

Mrs. Wilkes' is noted for its homestyle traditions, in which guests are escorted in shifts of ten into the dining room, where a variety of dishes are freshly laid on one of several long tables.[8] There is no menu; dishes are selected by the restaurant and change daily. Travel Holiday in 1993 recalled that the "tables were set with steaming bowls and platters of tasty Southern food".[9]

The guests sit at the table and pass the dishes around to one another like a family.[10] There are usually long queues waiting to get in.

Notable guests

See also

External links

32.0725°N -81.0958°W

Notes and References

  1. News: 'Everyone just loved that lady' Sema Wilkes Restaurateur 1907-2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021117121707/https://www.savannahnow.com/stories/110102/LOCWILKESOBIT.shtml . 2002-11-17 . Erin. Rossiter. Savannah Morning News . November 1, 2002 . dead.
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/16/travel/making-yourself-at-home.html "Making Yourself At Home"
  3. Book: McKee, Gwendolyn. Savannah, where to go and what to do with children. 1994. Me and My Friend Publishers. 978-0-9642753-0-0. 41.
  4. Book: Schemmel, William. Off the Beaten Path Georgia: A Guide to Unique Places. January 1, 2003. Globe Pequot Press. 978-0-7627-2375-1.
  5. Web site: Savannah In Style . wmagazine.com . Condé Nast . Sarah . Leon . April 17, 2015 . September 11, 2015.
  6. Web site: Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room . Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room . 10 May 2013 . 1 March 2024.
  7. Book: Harman. Jeanne. Harman. Harry E.. Georgia at its best. October 1992. Rutledge Hill Press. 978-1-55853-202-1. 69.
  8. Book: Peffer. Randall S.. Miller. Debra. Savannah, Charleston & the Carolina Coast. registration. 2004. Lonely Planet. 80. 9781740597906 .
  9. Book: Travel Holiday. February 1993. Travel Magazine, Incorporated. 6.
  10. Web site: Tybee Island: A quiet family getaway. Greenville Online. September 12, 2015.
  11. News: President Obama surprises diners at Mrs. Wilkes . March 2, 2010 . Savannah Morning News . Lesley Conn . https://web.archive.org/web/20100305074328/https://www.savannahnow.com/latest-news/2010-03-02/president-obama-surprises-diners-mrs-wilkes . 2010-03-05 . dead . November 30, 2019.
  12. Web site: With Stripper Scenes Wrapped, the Magic Mike XXL Cast Feasts on Southern Food in Savannah. Greatideas.people.com. October 31, 2014. September 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906171448/http://greatideas.people.com/2014/10/31/joe-manganiello-matt-bomer-magic-mike-mrs-wilkes-sweet-potato-recipe/. September 6, 2015. dead.

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