Woman honors her grandmother’s memory with soul food restaurant close to Columbus

Charmaine Simpson moved to Georgia about eight years ago. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, but wanted a fresh start for herself and her three children.

After moving to Georgia, Simpson opened a Fat Momma Lucy’s restaurant in Columbus at the end of 2021, but problems with high inflation and a labor shortage forced her to close it last September, a few months after opening another location in Ladonia.

She decided to close the restaurant in Columbus to focus solely on the Ladonia location just outside Phenix City, about a 15-minute drive from Columbus.

Despite the challenges she faced in the restaurant industry, Simpson brought together friends and family Monday to celebrate Fat Momma Lucy’s first anniversary in Ladonia with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The first year of operating was full of ups and downs, Simpson said. During this time she’s been able to build a base of customers in Phenix City and Ladonia, along with her loyal customers from Columbus.

Fat Momma Lucy’s focuses mostly on “country cooking,” she said. But people can also expect to get a variety of other foods like alfredo spaghetti or Asian cuisines on certain days.

“I offer a variety to give people options throughout the week because I know everybody don’t want the same stuff every day,” Simpson said. “So, I pretty much can cook anything.”

More than a restaurant

Simpson learned to cook from her grandmother, Lula, she said. The memory of her grandmother both inspired Simpson to open a restaurant and it provided the eatery’s name.

She was a chubby little kid growing up, Simpson said, and her grandmother would always joke with her saying, “go sit down Fat Momma Lucy!”

“(The name) just stuck with me,” Simpson said. “I think it’s catchy. And it’s personal for me.”

Lula didn’t live to see the restaurant Simpson built, she said, but she knows that her grandmother would be proud. Simpson credits her grandmother for teaching her how to cook beginning when she was 7 or 8 years old.

“She pretty much raised me with my mom,” Simpson said.

She remembers being in the kitchen helping to cook certain dishes such as greens, and being the friend that would cook during sleepovers. Cooking came naturally to her, and soon became a passion.

“I probably worked at every restaurant to exist in Chicago,” she said.

As her own children get older, Simpson has enjoyed teaching her 6-year-old daughter how to do small things in the kitchen.

“She shows interest right now,” Simpson said. “She wants to get in the kitchen.”

Simpson hopes her daughter continues to show an interest in the restaurant. People visiting Fat Momma Lucy’s might occasionally see the young girl inside interacting with customers. Simpson isn’t sure if the restaurant will be passed down in the family because that decision will ultimately be made by her kids, if they’re interested in taking it over when they get older.

For now, Simpson enjoys building a community with the people that visit the restaurant. Because she moved from Chicago, Simpson doesn’t have family in the area. But the restaurant fills that void.

“We are much more than just a restaurant,” Simpson said. “We created a family space. Everybody is my family. These people know I love them.”