It's a family thing at Kopper Kitchen)
BY COURTNEY GAIIXARD
THE CHRONICLE
You will know The Kopper Kitchen by the
pig and bull-shaped wood grills that stand out
side of the restaurant on the corner of Fifth and
Cherry streets. Owners Jeter and Peggy "Mama"
Floyd, both retirees from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Co., are on a first-name basis with many cus
tomers who've been eating at their Restaurant
most of their lives. Stand out front long enough
and you'll be sure to hear a passerby on foot or
in a car yelling out "Hey, Mama" to Peggy
Floyd.
The Floyd family has been serving cus
tomers Southern American cuisine since 1999.
Son Milgo Floyd, who manages the restaurant,
explained that his father decided not to rename
the restaurant once he bought it out of respect for
the previous owner, ^bert Kerrigan, who ran
the business for decades.
"He could have changed the name, but he
appreciated the nostalgia of an establishment that
had been there for 30 years," Milgo Floyd'said.
The Floyds are no strangers to entrepreneur
I
Photo by Courtney Gaillanl
Kopper Kitchen owners Jeter and Peggy "Mama" Floyd pose with their son. Milgof;?he
restaurant's manager, and Milgo Floyd's son outside of the Fifth Street eatery.
ship, with several businesses - ranging from a
charter bus business to a salvage business -
under their belts.
Known for their biscuits, fried chicken and
Mama's Mcatloaf, the cafeteria-style eatery
offers greens, turnips and collards every day.
After all, as Milgo Floyd put .it, "There's some
i
people who think that greens are medicine."
Com bread, fried fish, home-s^yie steak and
gravy - all of your basic "soul food" staples -
also can be found on The Kopper Kitchen menu.
Hamburgers and hot dogs also are offered for
those wanting a taste of Carolina, Georgia, Texas
and New York-style dogs. The restaurant boasts
a country-style breakfast complete with omelets
made to order any way you want. Desserts also
are made upon request for those who crave
something on the sweeter side.
"There's a little taste of everything that's
down-home, country cooking," Milgo Floyd
said.
He said the restaurant's menu is heavily
inspired from his father's days as an employee at
the K&W Coffee House, which once stood
where the Adam's Mark Hotel is located.
As many eating establishments are placing
smoke-free signs in their front windows. The
Kopper Kitchen allows smokers to light up dur
ing their meals. The family feels the local tobac
co industry's history is too much a part of the
community to refuse customers the right to
smoke cigarettes.
The restaurant relies on foot traffic from con
vention crowds at the M.C. Benton Convention
Center, which is located a few blocks away,
Milgo Floyd said. The menu will expand during
the busier convention seasons to suit a variety of
visitors.
"We have a very good rapport with a lot of
our regular customers. Most of them work
downtown and they love down-home cooking,"
Milgo Floyd said. "Our regulars, we love them
and we have a special place in our hearts for
them."
Over the next year, customers may notice the
restaurant undergoing some renovations. But not
to worry, Milgo Floyd said the restaurant witp
maintain its down-home feel that mi many have
come to love.
"When you hear how much people love the
food - it really makes a difference and makes it
all worthwhile," Milgo Floyd said.
Photo courtesy of Cultural Odysscs
Rhodessa Jones and Idris Ackamoor in
"They Speak Through Us."
Play channels
voices of greats
from yesterday
CHRONICLE STAR Rt PORT
Rhodessa Jones and Idris Ackamoor will
bring "They Speak Through Us" to life with
the help of guest artist pianist/composer Rudi
Mwongozi.
From the wailing blues that have con
tributed to the foundations of American music,
to the rhythms of the tap masters, to the
screaming saxophones of bebop, cool, and
avant-garde jazz, African-Americans have
birthed and sustained a vibrant cultural contri
bution to contemporary American culture.
In the process, their art has created dynam
ic changes in our society that have derailed
segregation, protested injustice, and trumpet
ed positive political change.
Many of the artists themselves have paid
the ultimate price: Bessie Smith's death at the
hands of Jim Crow, Bird's (Charlie Parker s)
great addiction, Albert Ayler's murder. It is the
intention of the three artists to act as conduits
through which the spirits of some of the great
departed African-American artists can speak
What would Billie Holiday and Lester
Young say to the present and future genera
lions of artists if they were able to speak
today? "They Speak Through Us" tries to
answer that question and many more.
IMBHI
Profile: Sherman Hemsley,
Living Legend recipient
w *?'
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Sherman Hemsley Will receive a Living
Legend Award Aug. 4 during Ihe NBTF
Opening Night Gala.
Hemsley is best known for his Emmy
Award-nominated role as George Jefferson
in "All in the Family" and "The Jeffer
son's." ,
Hemsley also
starred as Deacon
Frye in the hit series
"Amen" from 1986 -
1991 and provided
the voice of Rich
field in ABC's
"Dinosaurs" from
1991 - 1994. He first
became interested in
acting with perform
ances in elementary
Hem $ ley
school plays. Alter a stint in the service, he
attended Philadelphia Academy of Dramat
ic Arts to perfect his craft. He worked as a
postal clerk hy day and actor by night. As a
member of the Society Hill Playhouse, his
performance in the stage play "The Blacks"
prompted a noted Philadelphia director to
M.
encourage Hemsley to pursue work in the
New York theater.
In New York, he became part of the
famed Negro Ensemble Company and took
private acting lessons from Lloyd Richards,
which led to a spot in Vignette Carrol's
Urban Arts Group. In 1968, Hemsley made
his Off-Broadway debut in "The People vs.
The Ranchman," and his Broadway debut
in "Purlie Victorious" followed. When
"Purlie "closed. Hemsley joined the touring
production of "Don't Bother Me, I Can't
Cope." It was during the San Francisco run
that Hemsley was spotted by producer Nor
man Lear and asked to play the role of
George Jefferson
After "Amen," Hemsley became part of
the cast of "Goode Behavior," playing an
estranged ex-con father struggling to make
peace with his strait-laced college dean son.
In recent years, he has starred on stage
in productions of "Norman, Is That You?";
"I'm Not Rappaport"; and "The Jefferson's
- The Stage Play." with the original cast.
Hemsley was nominated for a 1995 Cable
Ace Award for his work in the spoof of the
filn? "Dumb and Dumber" at the MTV
Movie Awards.