Mama Dip’s Kitchen, a mainstay of classic Southern cooking in Chapel Hill since 1976, announced July 25 that it will be closing. The restaurant’s last day will be Aug. 17.
The building that houses the restaurant at 408 West Rosemary St. has been for sale for the past year. The announcement on Instagram hints that the restaurant or some other type of business may reopen later in a new location.
“This is not goodbye,” the video announcement says, referring to the “next phase of business.” Mildred Cotton Council, known as Mama Dip, founded the restaurant 48 years ago. She passed away in 2018 at age 89, but her family has run it since then.
Council famously said she opened her restaurant with just $64, using the proceeds from breakfast to buy ingredients for lunch, and so on. People are also reading..
. The restaurant became well-known for its fried chicken, sweet potato pies and other Southern dishes. Council eventually wrote two cookbooks, appeared on national television, was invited to the White House by President George W.
Bush, and received North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine, among other honors. Among her eight children – who all worked at the restaurant at various times – Erika Council went on to write her own cookbook, “Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes,” and open Bomb Biscuit Co. in Atlanta.
Mildred Council’s granddaughter Tonya Council runs her own bakery in Chapel Hill called Tonya’s Cookies and Bakeshop. [email protected] 336-727-7394 @mhastingsWSJ Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
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