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What to Order: Southern Hands’ veggies, pork chops and cornbread

By , Special to The Daily Memphian Updated: August 26, 2024 3:27 PM CT | Published: August 26, 2024 4:00 AM CT
Jennifer Chandler
Special to The Daily Memphian

Jennifer Chandler

A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.

She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.

The story of Southern Hands Homestyle Cooking starts with cornbread dressing.

Betty Baskin spent most of her life as a hairstylist, working at the Warren’s Original Hair Styles salon on Thomas Street in North Memphis. The proprietors of the adjacent cafe knew how good her dressing was, and started asking her to make a pan every day or so for them to sell in their tiny restaurant. Before long, Betty’s dressing was the most popular item on the menu.

Fast forward more then 15 years later, and Baskin’s cornbread dressing is still one of the most popular items on a restaurant menu. But this time it’s her family’s restaurant: Southern Hands Homestyle Cooking. 

Baskin died in 2018, but her restaurant has thrived and expanded as her children have carried on her legacy. The four restaurants serve Southern soul food made from scratch following Baskin’s tried-and-true recipes. 

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