When Chris and Laura Hamlin tell their 4-year-old son it’s time for supper, he hurries to put on his shoes. “He thinks we’re going to see Mr. Mark,” Laura said. “That’s all he knows.”
The Hamlins are among many area families who dine daily on the tasty creations at Farmers Grocery in Grace, a tiny Delta community of about 200 people about 15 miles from Rolling Fork.
Mark Crawford, the friendly owner who stops to shake hands, hug and greet his guests — most of whom he knows by name — started in the restaurant business when he was 17. He left the Delta for Nashville and started working as a dishwasher at a hotel.
“I was curious to learn how to cook, and one day a cook didn’t show up, and they gave me his position, and I’ve pretty much been going ever since,” 47-year-old Mark said.
After 15 years in Nashville, Mark moved back to Greenville to cook at Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub, a national chain restaurant. He worked his way up to become a corporate trainer and manager and spent about 15 years with the chain. He later operated his own restaurant in a Greenville casino for a year but decided to take a break from the restaurant hustle-and-bustle and moved to Houston, Texas, to spend the next four years driving a truck.
“I was ready to get back home, and the idea came to open up a restaurant in Rolling Fork,” he said.
The Highway 61 Café was open only about six months before it burned down. After another six months, Mark moved his homestyle fare into Farmers Grocery building on Highway 1. Formerly a convenience store and restaurant with the same name, the building had been closed for about five years before Mark took the reins.
The rustic cypress building, built and owned by a local farmer in 2001, resembles an old country store, which is a fitting scene for the down-home eats that fill the café-style tables daily.
The restaurant’s front is filled with easy-grab convenience store goodies and a cold-cut counter, where fresh cuts of meat are sold throughout the day. Farmers Grocery is the only convenience store for miles, so tourists and travelers add to the everyday mix of friendly faces, up to 100.
Every first and third Saturday features a seafood buffet with live local music. Mark said about 200 hungry patrons fill the restaurant on those nights. While that’s almost the entire population of Grace, people travel from outside communities — many from Vicksburg to Greenville — to dine and have fun.
“Good food and good customer service” are what Mark attributes to the success of Farmers Grocery.
“We try hard on customer service. I try to get to know each guest on a one-on-one basis,” he said. “That’s the only way you can make it now. That’s what sets us apart from the corporate, and I think that’s what makes us successful.”
Born in Rolling Fork, Mark and his family now live in Greenville, where he also owns and operates Crawford’s Wholesale, “a miniature Sam’s.” Mark’s home is about 35 miles from Farmers Grocery, where he drives every day.
Surrounded only by fields and steps away from the far-from-crowded Highway 1, Farmers Grocery is one of only a few restaurants in a 20- to 30-mile radius. And, from menu right down to ambiance, it’s the only one of its kind, Mark said.
“We’re the only ones doing what we do,” he said. “And, you know, people don’t mind driving 35 or 40 minutes to get a good meal.”
The menu, hand-crafted by Mark, offers a unique mix of Southern soul and farm-fresh Delta favorites. Homemade fried hot tamales and fried alligator are a couple of star starters, while the Catfish Pontchartrain is a top-selling entrée among diners.
“We pretty much make everything from scratch here,” Mark said.
The Farmers Grocery menu is inspired by Mark’s Mississippi upbringing and seasoned with “a touch of love” that sets it apart from other restaurants.
“We grew up dealing with catfish here in the Delta,” he said. “My father is a cowboy, so I grew up dealing with beef.”
While steaks and seafood top the dinner menu, lunch is buffet-style — and plentiful.
Fried chicken, baked potatoes, heaps of veggies and mouth-watering dessert are among the self-serve plate lunch offerings. The buffet works well for the nearby farmers, who stroll in from the fields.
“They don’t have to wait. They call their order in, and we’ll have it ready for them when they get here,” Mark said.
Just like the name suggests, Farmers Grocery is a hub for area farmers and their families, who come in to eat and visit. Mark, who left the Delta to escape becoming a farmer, never imagined he would be back in the Delta doing what he loves most.
“I left because I didn’t want to work on a farm,” he said. “Now, I’m back. I have a lot of farmers that support me. It’s been a blessing. I can’t knock anyone for working on a farm.”
Mark opens the store by 7 a.m. each day. By late morning, he is joined by his staff, including culinary chef Jamika Smith, who worked for him at Garfield’s; his kitchen manager, KK Miles; and restaurant manager Carrie Crawford (no relation).
“We have an excellent staff,” he said. “I mean — they’re awesome.”
The Farmers Grocery motto, Mark said, is “Food is everything,” and that’s something that has rung true for him since he was a young Delta boy.
“I always did want to cook,” he said. “I started with my grandmother — in the kitchen with her when I was a little boy. I just took the trade and ran with it.” 56 Lunches start rolling by 11 a.m., but the crowd thickens by half past noon. And, when the weather warms up and the farmers take to the fields, the lunch and dinner crew grows even larger. The restaurant has two dining areas with seating for 75. The front porch provides additional seating in the spring and summer. He also offers a sausage and biscuit breakfast when the farmers are in the fields.
While Farmers Grocery is Mark’s “baby,” he is opening another restaurant 50 miles south, in Vicksburg, which will carry out the same “food is everything” concept and focus on customer service.
While the food and atmosphere are clear draws, the owner himself — with his wide grin and kind demeanor — seems to have no trouble making regulars out of his customers.
“I love to see people smile,” Mark said. “We’re family-oriented. I talk to every kid. If the kids enjoy it, they will be back. Pretty much all of our customers — probably 80 percent — are regulars.”
“We love the food, and (Mark’s) like family,” Laura Hamlin said. “We love that it’s close to us, and it’s a good, home-cooked meal.”
STORY Lauchlin Fields
PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis
