By Michael Tomberlin
If you’re not from Alabama’s Wiregrass region, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of the town of Samson in Geneva County. It’s not on an interstate or even a main road to the beaches.
But Samson has emerged as a dining destination for those in the know, thanks to The Ginger Root.
Owner Keisha Hall is the ginger (redhead) with roots in Samson and the driving force behind the restaurant that has created quite a buzz for a combination of great food, inviting décor and excellent service.
“I think we love people. We love them through our food. We love them through the waitresses who come to their table and treat them with respect. We’ve had people say, ‘We feel welcome when we come in here,’” Hall says. “What we have going for us is our true love for people. Our food is amazing. It’s beautiful. We’re going to treat you like you should be treated so your whole meal, your whole time with us is happy. So I think you boil it all down to love.”
Though she has been a foodie all of her life and has long dreamed of opening a restaurant, the dream was delayed as Hall had a successful, stable career in accounting, closing out her 22 years at Carr, Riggs and Ingram in Enterprise as chief financial officer.
To feed her creative and entrepreneurial sides, Hall opened a clothing boutique. But after retiring from accounting, she realized she wanted more.
“Truly how it came to life was I decided that I wanted to do something in Samson,” she says.
While getting a massage and doing yoga in Destin, Hall was seeking what to do in her hometown. That dream of opening a restaurant returned with a newfound fire.
So she found a building that was a former police station (and a former clothing store and a former movie theater). She began working with a chef on a menu and opened The Ginger Root three years ago.
“The only thing I knew about a restaurant when we opened this was how to eat in one,” she says. “So, it’s been three years of trying to figure things out.”
Apparently, The Ginger Root has figured things out, because it has attracted a following. Customers come from neighboring Covington, Coffee, Dale and Houston counties as well as from Geneva County and Florida.
“I would say 90% of our customer base is from out of town,” Hall says. “If you’re coming from a bigger town to me, that means I’m doing something right.”
Sophisticated Southern cuisine
For Hall, so much of her is in The Ginger Root that she is pleased when people respond favorably to it.
“I just wanted it to be me, a reflection of who I am, and serve good food, treat people well,” she says. “I love that the building is beautiful. It allowed me to be creative, to bring some of the things to life that’s kind of been hidden inside and make people happy. If you come in and you’re smiling and you leave and you’re smiling, that’s made my day.”
From the décor to menu input, Hall’s imprint is everywhere at The Ginger Root.
“My motto: … If we cannot make it as good or better than I’ve had somewhere else, it’s not going on the menu,” she says.
That menu reflects the sophisticated Southern cuisine Hall is aiming for.
Diners can start with something like pork belly with fried green tomatoes, fried okra bacon crumble or popcorn shrimp with pickled peppers. Entrees like a tomahawk bone-in pork chop, grouper Tuscana or blackened salmon are among the favorites.
The menu changes seasonally and as much as possible is made from scratch at the restaurant.
“The core of us is our food,” Hall says.
Hall has always loved to cook and considers herself “a very good cook.”
“I will actually stress release in cooking,” she says. “At home, if I needed to get out of my head, I would cook. I would be so absorbed in what I was doing that I couldn’t think about anything else. One of the few hobbies that I have is cooking. So, why not do this? Why not bring your hobby to life? Could I cook on that line back there? No. Do they want me on that line back there? No, they do not.”
Plans are to expand into the space next door to create a bigger kitchen, more dining space and maybe a place for live music and a piano bar. Big thinking for Samson?
Hall doesn’t think so. She sees no reason why Samson can’t have the kind of place she envisions.
“I think the locals have somewhere nice to come and eat. I hope that it’s the start of growth,” she says. “Maybe it’s a start of rebuilding a thriving town.”
This story originally appeared on the Alabama News Center website.
The Ginger Root
13 E. Main St., Samson, AL 36477
334-997-4132 | theoriginalgingerroot.com
Hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday
Closed Sunday – Tuesday
