Georgia Magazine - October 2022 - 38

GEORGIA Cooks
By Jane F. Garvey
The Beaver House in Statesboro
serves a Sunday-dinner spread
to guests every day.
Food, family-style
Gather around the table for boardinghouse meals
B
oardinghouses were part of life in 19th- and early 20thcentury
America. Popular with single people, they also
often housed entire families. The draw was not only
the reasonable cost but also the camaraderie and safety they
afforded. Lodgers were provided with meals as part of the
accommodations.
Boardinghouses enabled women to contribute to the
household's income while remaining in the home. In a typical
boardinghouse, everyone gathered around a single dining table
at a set hour, and food was served family-style.
Classic boardinghouse dining historically has featured
traditional Southern fare. Fried chicken is the principal main
dish, and baked ham, pork chops or other classic meat dishes
may appear alongside. Vegetables are well-represented, with
dishes such as salads and cooked vegetables. Fried okra in
season is pretty much ubiquitous. Iced tea or lemonade is
served with the meal.
But true boardinghouses are few and far between
nowadays.
" The Dillard House Cookbook and Mountain Guide "
(2012) notes that " at one time, Rabun County was home to more
than 60 inns and boardinghouses. " Today, only three of these
original institutions remain: The Dillard House in Dillard, The
Beechwood Inn in Clayton and, until recently, the York House in
Rabun Gap.
John Dillard, grandson of Dillard House founder Carrie
Dillard, writes in the book's forward that, for these mountain
folks, " ... cooking has always been a direct, obvious connection
to the land. It's a daily testament to [the] love of and respect
for the land. "
In Dahlonega, the Smith House also keeps faith with the
boardinghouse tradition, offering both lodging and classic
38 Georgia Magazine October 2022
Southern fare. And in Statesboro, The Beaver House
Restaurant serves boardinghouse meals but does not provide
accommodations.
In keeping with the boardinghouse tradition, Clay Snider
has renovated a circa-1905 home and opened The Town
House Restaurant & Inn in Buena Vista. Dining room guests
may be occupants of the seven guest rooms-this is an inn but
not a bed-and-breakfast, he points out-or local residents.
Modern Southern favorites include pimento cheese fritters and
a boardinghouse classic: baked spaghetti. There is a wine list,
and strawberry cobbler may appear for dessert.
At Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room in Savannah, founded in
1943, communal dining and lodging are available. Guests seated
randomly at large tables pass the serving bowls and platters
among one another, and all help clear the table to make way for
dessert. The lines to get in to eat at Mrs. Wilkes' are long, but the
patrons are patient.
A recent guest, Waynesboro City Councilman Maurice
McBride enjoys what he calls " the power of the dinner table, " a
reference to the camaraderie fostered by this style of dining.
" The food is a given, " McBride says. " In this fast-paced
world, when you find an opportunity to enjoy a communicative
environment with strangers in a way you probably would not in
your everyday interaction, you never know what you're going
to get. If you're adventurous or a free spirit like I am, you love to
meet them. "
Good places for family or solo dining, boardinghouses
bring comfort and comfort food to those looking for community,
tradition and taste all in one fine experience.
Jane F. Garvey is a food, wine and travel writer from
Decatur.
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Georgia Magazine - October 2022

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