Phillippia Rome's soul-food restaurant might have closed, but she hasn't lost her soul for home cooking - and neither has Jefferson City.
Rome - better known as "Fefe" - closed The Blue Skillet about a month ago. The restaurant at 226 E. Dunklin St. opened in fall 2015 after moving to Jefferson City from Georgia, where she had spent a decade planning to one day serve home-cooked meals from her own eatery.
"I made everything homemade. I don't have pre-battered chicken or fish, and I don't use canned vegetables," she said. "And you can't hold homemade food as long as you can hold canned food."
She found the restaurant's ebbs and flows of customer traffic made it difficult to cook up the right amounts of food without too much waste.
But The Blue Skillet's fried chicken and fish, hand-cut chicken tenders, glazed ham, baked macaroni, smothered potatoes and other favorites live on in Skillett's - the catering business Rome is running from the restaurant's kitchen.
Catering business has been steady, Rome said.
In addition to catering events, she's also willing to open the restaurant space for groups of 10 or more with at least 24 hours' notice.
"I would like to thank Jefferson City for accepting me here, and as long as people will use me for catering, I will be here as long as you all patronize me," Rome said.
More information about Skillett's Catering, including a menu, is available at skilletts.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/skilletts or by calling Rome at 706-593-5468.
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