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Carolyn Quinn’s provides food found most prevalent in the southern United States but also has established roots throughout the nation. Southern comfort food gets its name from its use. In times when food provisions were less than amicable, men and women used talented seasoning to make unsavory food enjoyable. To be able to do so was considered a coveted and celebrated skill and the practice soon offered a measure of “comfort” to an otherwise unpleasant circumstance.

When asked about their motivation to create Carolyn Quinn's, (the owners first names combined), smiles immediately come to the couples' faces. "We just like to cook." says Quinn with a hint of laughter. "My wife and I have always cooked for each other and our family and friends. We use old family recipes, ones we've created and combinations of the two to establish our own flavor. I'm from Louisiana and shes from DC so I tease her about being a Yankee and she calls me a her country bumpkin. Eventually, through another business venture, we were asked to prepare foods for a few clients. That quickly turned into clients and their family, their friends and their clients. Add to that a short stint at catering and here we are." Turns out Quinn was adamantly against preparing foods for clients and wanted to focus on the already successful business at hand, but Carolyn thought it might be a good idea. "Quinn was always the entrepreneur type. He could probably get fish to buy bottled water." "That's because they've never had your bottled water baby", Quinn chimes in. (The smiles get bigger.) "I wanted to give it a try and even though he was against it he was supportive. I actually think he liked delivering 50 orders to hospital employees 25 miles away." She laughs at his grimace and now there's only one smile. Though gung-ho initially Carolyn admits being apprehensive about catering and even more so about becoming a restaurateur. "Though we loved to cook and everyone had always told us the food was exceptional these were friends and family. They almost have to say that."Quinn secured catering contracts reserved for more experienced and well known companies forging ahead, learning as he went. "I'm a hands on guy. You let me try it once and I'll not only have it but I'll try to make it better." He acknowledges he and his wife compliment each other well. "If it were up to me I'd give almost anything reasonable a try at least once. My wife however, sometimes has a more reasonable idea of whats reasonable." (This time he laughs at himself.) "Shes the only one who has a prayer at slowing me down once I get started on an idea." When asked how shes does it the answer come easily. "The way you slow any southern man, she says looking him in the eyes. "Feminine wiles." (Now I'm even laughing.) "I just tell him can we slow down a little on this one Daddy?" (I almost burst into laughter at Quinn unconsciously nodding until I noticed my head was bobbing too.)
When it came to opening the restaurant, however Quinn was not to be daunted. "I was planning to retire and relocate soon so there was a time limit on the opportunity." Carolyn however, wanted no part of another business. "I'd been after him to retire from the fire department for almost four years and now that he'd promised to do so I was ready to give life in the south a try. But like I told you he's a smooth talker. He promised to retire from the fire department. He simply decided to open a restaurant 4 months before doing so." (Again only one smile.) The husband/wife duo did a soft opening without advertising in order to give their employees, (two daughters as beautiful as their mother), the opportunity to train. "They'd helped with the catering events but this was a little different. We needed to incorporate running registers, solicitation of passerbys, and introduce the girls to a deeper level of cooking with rapid turnover." All in all it turned out to be the perfect recipe for a successful business as the small restaurant has caught fire with increasing numbers of customers weekly. "I'm glad its doing as well as it is. Now our plan is to train staff and management to maintain what we've begun. Then I can take my husband and teach him how to relax. No more business ventures for a while." (Two smiles, however one looks like the cat that ate the canary.) If you're ever in the McDonough area stop by Carolyn Quinn's Southern Comfort Food. Like the logo says: "You never ate so good!"

-TMCD