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Helen Holmes of Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen (Illustration by Tequitia Andrews)
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Ms. Girlee’s is located at 4809 Parker St. (Photo via Google Maps)
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The original Ms. Girlee (Photo courtesy Helen Holmes)
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The seafood combo at Ms. Girlee’s Kitchen (Photo courtesy Helen Holmes)
Back in the Day: “I raised my kids in the Fulton area, and I used to bring them to the same building where Ms. Girlee’s is located. It was a Chinese restaurant; best Chinese food in the city.”
All for Mom: “We all visit my mom on Mother’s Day, all the kids and grandchildren. Everybody typically brings a dish so she doesn’t have to cook. There’s always fried chicken.”
The OG Girlee: “Ms. Girlee was my grandmother. As a kid, we didn’t have much, but my grandma would always find this awesome meal for us. It looked like we had no food in the house, but when it came time to eat, I swear we thought she was a magician or something.”
Constant Cravings: “Customers cannot get enough of our fried chicken or our signature dessert: bread pudding with brandy butter. They also love our seafood combo — crabcake, fried shrimp and fish, and hush puppies made with shrimp.”
Country Kitchen: “I currently have over 2,000 songs on my [personal] playlist. I love country music like Chris Stapleton and Kane Brown. I try to sing every song that comes on the playlist, even though I couldn’t carry a tune if it had handles.”
Made in the Shade: “My ideal day off: sit out on the deck with my husband, prop my feet up and just enjoy the outdoors. For a night out, I head to Lillie Pearl or any of the Lindsey Food Group restaurants.”
