When Hattiesburg couple Grant and Carmen Ford arrive to work each day, they are quite literally prompted to be grateful for the many good things sprinkled throughout their lives.
It would be hard for them to forget to express gratitude; the name of the downtown eatery they founded and operate together, GrateFull Soul, is both a play on words and a gentle reminder to always show thankfulness while serving up delicious lunches that fill the belly and warm the heart.
The restaurant – located on Main Street in Hattiesburg – opened in the fall of 2014, and it has been a rollercoaster ride of joy for the family.
The Fords, both instilled with a strong love of Southern cooking, met in the early 2000s while students at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“I am originally from Biloxi,” Grant, 38, said. “I came up here to attend USM, and I realized I wanted to work in restaurants, so I switched my major from marine biology to hospitality management, and I met Carmen. At that point, the major still had a restaurant on the backside of campus that we got to cook in for a class … and we met there and hit it off.”
Carmen, 40, is originally from the Mississippi city of Philadelphia, and she also relocated to the Hub City to attend Southern Miss. The budding romance had a strong start, and the couple moved in together around the time of Hurricane Katrina.
They married in 2010.
“At that point, we both have worked in several restaurants around town, and we were about ready to open up our own place,” Grant said.
A few years passed, and the couple initially planned to start a food truck operation. However, fate had other plans, and GrateFull Soul – a beacon lit with Southern comfort food like meatloaf and mashed potatoes – was born.
“We left our last job and realized that we had a shot at opening up our own spot,” Grant said. “I knew the guys down here that owned the building were getting it ready for a restaurant for a lady, and she backed out on them. We swapped our food truck plan and moved into the building.”
Carmen said the concept of the restaurant is based around home cooking and favorite meals.
“We also wanted to be a quick-service restaurant that offered super fast service, in and out,” she said. “We wanted the menu changed daily, so you have daily specials. And we wanted Monday through Friday, lunch – 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. – short and sweet. Downtown needed something that’s fast, clean service, because people have short lunch breaks these days … or things to do on their lunch breaks.”
Grant said the couple derives joy from seeing people enjoy their various menu items.
“We really enjoy cooking for people and getting to see their enjoyment from eating the food … that’s the main reason why we do what we do,” he said. “We also wanted to continue the story of Southern food. It’s a rarity that we don’t make it through a day with somebody not telling us that something they had on their plate reminded them of a grandmother or a relative.”
The design of the restaurant complements those oft-heard remarks.
Grant said the couple was going for a “hipster grandma” look while contemplating their interior design options.
“Everyone sees one of the crocheted pieces on the wall that either their grandma had, or they saw at one of their older relative’s house … something like that, and it helps us connect with people,” he said. “I’m glad we can continue the Southern food tradition and help prompt people’s memories.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for the restaurant as shelter-in-place orders spread and small businesses folded around the country.
Grant said many of the restaurant’s regulars helped keep them in business.
“We seat a lot of the older folks here in town that, in their own fixed income, get out to eat,” he said. “That was the population that was told to stay home at all costs. So, we’ve been trying to reach out to our older customers, and we made sure that we serve them curbside and accommodated them any way we could. That helped us at the beginning.”
Carmen said many of their first-time customers become regulars.
“We have really good customers that religiously come to eat here and really have supported us throughout the pandemic,” she said. “We’re really grateful for our customers.”
The Fords – who live in the midtown area – said they are thankful for the way Hattiesburg, their adopted home, has embraced them throughout their six years in business.
“We love Hattiesburg because it’s a small town … but a big town,” Carmen said. “It’s got everything you need, but it also has that small-town feel.”
The couple said they are also grateful for each other and the quality time restaurant work brings them.
“I’m glad that I get to work with Grant every day,” Carmen said. “We’ve worked together 15 years, 14 years, so we’re really close. We spent a lot of quality time together. I don’t know a lot of couples that could actually do that and still like each other, but we do.”
While 2020 has presented many challenges for people around the world, the difficult year has brought the Fords a special gift.
Their first child, Hardy, is now six months old, and the healthy boy is named after both the street and Carmen’s maiden name.
“He was born right in the middle of the pandemic, so that’s been interesting, but it’s been a joy,” Carmen said.
Hardy is an ex officio member of the GrateFull Soul team, and he often goes to work with his parents.
“We’re working parenting into our daily routine at the restaurant,” Grant said.
The Fords are looking toward a bright future in the downtown area, and Grant said he is especially looking forward to the construction of new downtown train overpasses that will alleviate the daily traffic jams around their business.
“That’s something else to be thankful for,” he said with a laugh. “There’s certainly a lot to be thankful for all of the time.”
Photos by Keith J. Kujath
