Zarzours is on Rossville Avenue behind Fire Hall #1 that is on Main Street
photo by Mark Herndon
The cornbread is back at the venerable Zarzours restaurant along with the mashed potatoes, pinto beans, slaw, black-eyed peas and pickled beets.
Proprietor Shannon Fuller said it is all due to assistance from an old friend.
The late Bobby Stone was a regular of the tiny diner on the Southside, and he was one of Shannon's best friends before his untimely death in August 2018.
Mr. Stone left behind a foundation to administer his considerable fortune, and it has already been a big help to local groups like the Tivoli Theater.
Ms. Fuller said she received a call from the administrator of the Bobby Stone Foundation, who asked how Zarzours was doing.
She said it had been tough going with the COVID-19 keeping many people at home, but the restaurant had managed to keep the doors open by offering take out of her famous hamburgers and other grill items. At the same time, it was unable to afford to continue the cornbread and fresh vegetables.
Ms. Fuller said she afterward got a generous check in the mail that allowed her to bring back longtime cook Mary Smith and restart the regular menu.
It was almost back to the good old days at Zarzours with one difference being all personnel wearing masks.
Shannon says it was "a generous gift from heaven."