When was the last time you ran into a two-part name? Jim Bob, Billie Bob, JoBeth, BobbieJo, Suellen, Peggy Sue: the South has a love affair with double derivatives. Even the U.S. government went Southern when they named the mortgage branches Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the name Mae has always been special, even in the South, because it denotes a time of gracious hospitality no matter how much or how little you owned.
Callie Mae Windley grew up in Washington, N.C. (that’s on the eastern side of the state). For the past 90 years, she has established herself as a tour de force of the Southern kitchen. She spent the bulk of her life in the hospitality industry where she worked in Washington- and Wilson-area restaurants and as a housekeeper — all the while raising her five children. Miss Callie’s family learned the art of her success at her elbow where she carefully taught each successive generation how to make her recipes just right. The Windley generation count now stands at five.
Sisters Sonia Windley and Betty Bland are Miss Callie’s granddaughters and co-owners, along with Betty’s husband Wayne Bland, of Callie Mae’s Southern Cuisine & Eastern NC Style BBQ, which opened in October 2006. The 226-seat space, once occupied by the Ole Smokehouse Family Barbecue Restaurant on Yorkmont near the airport, is cleanly appointed in a no-nonsense manner. The main dining area feels casual, unpretentious, and pleasingly neutral without any Southern kitsch. Lunch is the main draw and dinner is just starting to pick up.
“Callie Mae is famous for her warm hospitality. Her food is the kind not to be rushed — the kind to enjoy free from distractions — that’s why we don’t have any televisions in here. You know she fed everyone who came to her door — at all hours — from the chain gang to pillars of the community. Callie Mae’s (the restaurant) is almost like home,” report the owners.
Callie Mae’s seems at once old and young; located near an international airport, not some old highway, with food reminiscent of Southern family suppers. If the old saying about serving good food creating a path to your door is true, the folks at Callie Mae’s should stand back and watch the crowds descend. Without a doubt, Miss Callie’s collards here are the best I have ever had: a big mouthful of flavor.
When we talk red sauce here in Carolina, we’re not talking Italian marinara; it’s all cue, baby. For the uninitiated, the major divide in the state has to do with barbecue, which ironically also unites Carolinians. Barbecue has always been the food of the masses and the food used for fund-raisers, social events, and family gatherings. Eastern-style devotees have staked a claim to a more historically correct barbecue: whole pig with a vinegar-based sauce. Lexington — and the rest of the state — offers pork shoulders with a tomatoes in the sauce (mustard-based barbecue sauce hailed from South Carolina). In the past, the cooking source — wood burning (hickory) versus gas — also delineated barbecue. But so many restaurants have converted from fire pits to gas burning ovens it’s rare to find fire. (One Eastern barbecue restaurant told me that before gas, his dad could count on burning down the pit twice a year.)
The front door greeting at Callie Mae’s is warm and the food comes quickly. The small all-day menu offers the better-known Southern stars: barbecue, fried and pan-roasted chicken, fried fish, a few salads, and a host of sides. The owners hope to expand the offerings soon with more of Miss Callie’s recipes.
The Eastern-styled barbecue is amped up with transformative dip and comes as an avalanche on a plate with a couple of crispy hush puppies and some excellent corn bread. “We have tomato sauce, too,” our server noted. The chicken is deep fried, although Miss Callie’s original recipe was skillet-fried. Callie Mae’s daughter Shirley Mackey, however, is in the kitchen overseeing the secret ingredients which wring exquisite flavor out of the humble chicken. The exceptional macaroni and cheese proves a fine accompaniment to any entrée. The downside is the overload of food may not leave room for desserts which include a sublime chocolate cake, a rustic carrot cake, and a proverbial sweet potato pie.
Prices at Callie Mae’s are also welcoming: $3.25 for a barbecue sandwich, $9.25 for a large barbecue and chicken combo dinner.
Miss Callie, who still lives in Washington, N.C., has visited her namesake restaurant. “She was very proud — and overwhelmed,” her granddaughters reported. As an acknowledgement that good food matters, Callie Mae’s has already drawn in the workers around the airport and some ECU alums seeking Eastern style ‘cue. But last week a couple stopped in on a layover. “They just got in from the Bahamas,” Wayne Bland explains and went further to say that he hopes word of mouth will attract more out-of-towners to Callie Mae’s. And why not? This fine Carolina cuisine represents the region well and fits Charlotte like a surgical glove.
To contact Tricia regarding tips, compliments or complaints or to send notice of a food or wine event (at least 12 days in advance, please), opening, closing or menu change, fax Eaters’ Digest at 704-944-3605, or leave voice mail at 704-522-8334, ext. 136.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.
