This past Friday, my husband Cavin and I were introduced to Wetumpka, Alabama. You may or may not have heard of this small town that is just a hop, skip, and jump outside of Montgomery, Alabama. It’s been getting a lot of attention lately because of HGTV and the movie The Big Fish which was filmed there.
Wetumpka is pronounced “we-tuhm-ka” As you can probably imagine, it was originally settled by Creek Indians who gave it the name. It is derived from the Indian words “we-wau” (water) and “tum-cau” (rumbling) in reference to a prominent point in the Coosa River where rapids raced across the river rocks. In 1837, the legislature divided the town and incorporated the area on the west side of the river as West Wetumpka. Today it is simply called Wetumpka.
As we drove across the massive bridge crossing the Coosa River, we were excited about what we would find in the simple small town of Wetumpka. We had left home early that morning and I’m going to be honest, the small slice of banana bread I had eaten before embarking on our journey was long gone. I was hungry and couldn’t wait to get a taste of Wetumpka!
As we arrived in the downtown area, we noticed a lot of activity. Most of the buildings appeared to be occupied by businesses such as boutiques, legal and medical offices, non-profit organizations, and of course restaurants. There was a hotdog stand and a deli that deserved consideration, and then we stumbled upon Coosa Cleaver and the decision was made!
As we walked in the door, we were promptly greeted by the hostess. Every booth was full of hungry and happy customers. The hostess mentioned that there were seats available upstairs. As we accepted her offer, I noticed a sign that said “Sam” was in charge.
We took the stairs and found a pub table in the corner. As we seated ourselves, we were welcomed by a server who took our drink order. While we were waiting for our beverages, a young man came up the stairs and noticed us sitting at the table. He came a little closer and said to Cavin… “You’ve been here before!” To which Cavin responded with a puzzled look, “No, this is my first time here!”
At first, the young man thought Cavin was kidding. He said, “You have a familiar face!” Finally, he realized that Cavin really was serious and this truly was our first time to visit this little piece of the South. The young man then asked questions about what brought us here and where we were from. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know these two Samplers of the South.
He took the time to review the menu with us and ask what types of things we like to eat. He mentioned a few personal favorites before giving us a little time to make our decision. As he left our table, he casually said, “By the way, I’m Sam!” I remembered the sign I had seen earlier. He was the man in charge!
I observed Sam as we were dining at Coosa Cleaver. He was singing as he sauntered through the restaurant. He greeted the guests as friends. He worked with the other staff members and gave assistance as needed. In a world where good customer service is a rarity, I saw something in Sam that stood out. He seemed to actually enjoy what he was doing and sincerely took an interest in serving others and getting to know them beyond the surface level.
Cavin settled on the Cork Burger and I chose the Cheese Flatbread. We went pretty plain and simple for this visit. At the core of who we are, we are pretty plain and simple people ourselves. Cavin’s burger came with hand-cut fries, which in itself is quite impressive. It takes a little more time to hand-cut potatoes instead of pouring frozen fries out of a bag. When our entrees arrived, we were pleased with both of our selections. The burger was good quality beef… you could tell by the taste. It was plain and simple with a slice of cheese melted on top and served on a brioche bun. The flatbread had a good texture and was also simple, but good. The olive oil and cheese mingled to create a pleasing combination. Again… simple, but good!
As we left the restaurant, we passed Sam on the way out. He was smiling as he said, “Nice to meet you! Thanks for coming in!” We headed out the door and took another ride through town. We saw the boutique that HGTV has helped to renovate and we saw the house where The Big Fish was filmed. Through the HGTV renovations, a town has been restored and has new life. The theme of the movie The Big Fish has to do with a strained father-son relationship being restored near the end of the father’s life. At the heart of Wetumpka, it appears that relationships are important.
Nice to meet you, Wetumpka! Thanks for having us today! You are simple but good!
And that’s our take away from Wetumpka, Coosa Cleaver…. and most importantly, the customer care we received from Sam…. simple, but good!
Sampling the South….it doesn’t have to be fancy to be good!
