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“Wait, is this your first time to Big Momma’s?”
“Yep.”
“Well then you get the Big Momma’s welcome. Are you ready for it?
“Uh, I think?”
“WELCOME TO BIG MOMMA’S!! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Owner Lyle Foster bellowed out his welcome and exaggeratedly waved his arms to the sounds of my peels of cackling laughter. It was indeed my first time at Big Momma’s and I am hard pressed to think of an occasion in which anyone was that excited to take my panini order. I sure appreciated it, though. Whether or not the folks quietly sipping their coffee and reading the paper nearby appreciated my screaming laugh is another story.
Big Momma’s is the caffeinated anchor of the Commercial Street district’s revitalization. On a stretch of the block that is at about 60 percent retail capacity, Foster’s coffee-and-sandwich shop (and dinner theater – more about that later) is both a local hang and a destination. It’s an exceptionally nice spot – not nice like super swanky, but nice like super comfortable. Foster and his approachable employees are extremely friendly and helpful and are quick to laugh and joke with customers. And those customers were coming in a steady stream when I was there. My lunch partner and I walked in at the time that straddled the breakfast and lunch hours. There were a few people still lingering over coffee and then a few more looking to feed their giddy post-election hangovers with melted cheese. After we sat down, the flood gates began to open.
Momma’s is first and foremost a coffee and espresso bar so a good deal of chalkboard menu real estate is devoted to joe and permutations thereof: drinks such as caffe au lait, Momma’s Mocha and the Momma Mint. The remainder of the menu is taken up by delicious sandwiches, salads, paninis and soups. Oh, and baked goods. Some serious, serious baked goods.
This is going to sound super duper cornball but the place has a great energy to it. Its proximity to Drury draws a sizable student crowd and the Big Momma’s Back Porch Theatre playing in the rear of its lofty space is contributing to the neighborhood’s burgeoning arts scene. The nearly-two-year-old spot has repurposed wood from the century-old building it occupies into tables, they are avid recyclers and they patronize local organic farmers as much as possible.
Foster’s plan appears to be paying off, as he recently opened a second location on the Westside. Perhaps we need to give that one a Big Momma’s welcome of its own.
