A little twist of fate brings homestyle eatery to Stoner Hill neighborhood

In the always  ckle restaurant industry, opening an eatery would always be considered a gamble. Ironically, with Sherry’s Diner in Shreveport, there are two direct connections to gambling.

First, owner/chef Sherry Jefferson cooked in the kitchens of two of the area’s upscale casino restaurants before she opened her self-named diner in Shreveport’s Stoner Hill neighborhood. Secondly, it was her winnings at a local casino, some $28,000, which provided the initial funding that allowed her to open Sherry’s Diner. Five years later, the gamble appears to be paying off as the diner is staying busy for breakfast and lunch and is right on the cusp of an expansion of hours to include dinner traf c.

Having learned home cooking skills and recipes from her mother and grandmother, Jefferson has created a small, comfortable diner where homestyle cooking and soul food are the stars. In addition to many general menu items, Sherry’s Diner offers daily lunch specials served with a choice of meat and two sides with cornbread.

On Monday, you can get a choice of beef tips and rice, country-style ribs or smothered chicken wings; Tuesday the choices are neckbones, meatloaf or smothered pork chops; Wednesday, select from chicken tetrazzini, smothered pork chops or country fried steak; Thursday’s choices are smothered liver and onions, hamburger steak or barbecue pork chops; Friday offers fried cat sh, chitterlings (boiled, baked or fried) or pigs’ feet; and Sunday you choose from baked chicken and dressing or lemon pepper, garlic grilled or blackened grilled  sh.

With each lunch special, you also choose two from the varied side orders available, which include green beans, yams, cabbage, corn, purple hull peas, pinto beans, red beans, mac and cheese, okra and tomatoes, potato salad and turnip greens. At Sherry’s Diner, everything is prepared fresh daily on site. Everything is freshly made and seasoned to country perfection with many creative twists that rise above the usual. Jefferson said there are at least two things she does differently to her okra and tomatoes, and one of them is adding some Ro-Tel.

She would not divulge the other, but I still have become addicted to them and their slight kick. The red beans come with sausage and are exceptionally well- avored. The yams are so sweet and tender, they are almost a dessert. The purple hull peas are country comfort personi ed, and if you crumble one of the incredible cornbread muf ns into the dish, you will be in culinary heaven. Suf ce it to say, all the sides are perfectly seasoned and prepared.

There is a short basket menu, which includes shrimp basket,  sh basket, chicken tender basket, pork chop basket, chicken basket and a hamburger basket. The hamburgers are homestyle winners with a meat that is of a de nite premium quality. Jefferson’s beloved aunt, Linda Lewis, makes the outstanding banana pudding and peach cobbler should you save room for dessert. Both are exquisite and will take you back to grandma’s house – or your mama’s house – when you were a child.

Moist chocolate cake is also available. If you are a devotee of breakfast away from home, will not disappoint. Homestyle breakfasts include, eggs, omelettes and pancakes accompanied by grits, hash browns, toast, biscuits, ham, bacon or sausage. Jefferson and her staff always have a smile and a hug so you will feel welcome whether you are a regular or a new diner.

SHERRY’S DINER
2135 Freewater St., Shreveport
(Go east on Olive Street from Youree
Drive, take a right on Freewater a
couple of blocks in, and you cannot miss
Sherry’s on the left about a half-block.)
Phone: 227-9071
Hours: Until Sept. 7: Monday through
Friday 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.; Sunday 11
a.m. until 4 p.m. Hours: Beginning Sept.
7: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday 8 a.m. to 9
p.m. Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Service: Exemplary
Prices: Inexpensive
Catering is always available.

Homestyle: Smothered chicken over rice is paired with corn, cabbage and cornbread.

Seasoned: Catfish and shrimp top a bed of fries for a crowd favorite.

A Fresh Twist: Barbecue pork chops served with green beans and yams delight customers.