FLORIDA CRACKER COOK SHACK

Delicious Twist On Florida Soul Food

Written by: Dave Kelly

In the little central Florida town of Brooksville, the Hensley boys are at it again.

Ten years after the successful debut of their Florida Cracker Kitchen restaurant, Brooksville natives and brothers Blair and Ethan have created and opened the Florida Cracker Cook Shack.

Situated at the only intersection in the country where three U.S. highways — Routes 98, 41 and 50 — all meet up, it should come as no surprise that its quirky design and mouth-watering menu are as unique as its location.

Like its older sibling, the Florida Cracker Cook Shack takes its culinary inspiration from the term “cracker,” a colloquial name for the pioneers and cowboys that settled what is now Florida. The culture of these folks dates back some 200 years and refers to the sound of whips used while driving cattle.

These innovative families used the food and ingredients on the land around them, formulating recipes and cooking methods handed down through the generations.

With this approach in mind, Florida cracker traditions come alive at the Cook Shack.

Why the Cook Shack name? Throughout the years, hunting and fishing camps in Florida have traditionally featured cook shacks, where members congregated to eat and socialize with fellow campers.

Cook shacks often provided family meal portions, supplying enough of the main course and side dishes for everybody. Additionally, they also afforded places for cowboys to sit, unwind, socialize and tell tall tales about their hunts, their catches and of course the ones that “got away,” all while enjoying some good ol’ Florida soul food.

Throughout the years, hunting and fishing camps in Florida have traditionally featured cook shacks, where members congregated to eat and socialize with fellow campers.

In keeping with this spirit, the Florida Cracker Cook Shack features a full menu of Florida soul food.

What does that look like? How about chipped-pork platters or sandwiches slathered with your choice of over a halfdozen custom barbecue sauces?

Or spicy hot chicken sandwiches or tenders, each with their own mouth-watering traditional sides like dirty baked beans or homemade mac and cheese.

There is even the Cook Shack’s very own brisket Sloppy Joe, a southern twist on the classic made with loose brisket meat smoked in a house barbecue sauce and served on a sweet Hawaiian roll.

Round out your meal by indulging in a mac and cheese boat with gator sausage and some sweet tea, and you will understand the appeal, and deliciousness, of Florida soul food.

They also serve up local craft beer and a selection of cocktails, including infused shakes and spiked teas.

Additionally, in keeping with cook shack tradition, they also offer ready-to-go family meals that can feed up to 10 hungry people from a special menu.

The Hensley brothers have been busy over the past decade. There are now six Florida Cracker concepts in the state, as well as other unique aspects such as the Florida Cracker

Monkey Bar in Homosassa and the new Florida Cracker Fish Company in Citrus Park in north Tampa.

Add in tap rooms, shops and an event venue, and it’s evident that Floridians cannot get enough of the Florida Cracker tradition.

Try them soon and you will see why! FCM

Roundup

We were photographing the endangered snail kites hunting snails. This adult male turned and banked to the left, giving me this beautiful angle and image. Palmetto’s William Steele captured this image on the Kissimmee River using a Canon EOS.

‘OUT WEST’

This photo is of my daughter riding her horse, Ellie. It represents what is like to live in western St. Lucie County. Amelia loves “out west” and this photo shows everything she loves about it … from the beautiful sunsets to being able to ride her horse every afternoon. AJ Messina of Fort Pierce, Florida, caught this image on the family home using a Google Pixel 7.

‘CONTINUING TRADITIONS’

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Sebastian Monroe Combee, 2 years old, helps pick some sweet Dancy tangerines for the family. He is the fifth generation on what once was the 30,000-acre John Weatherford Ranch in northwest Polk County, east of Hart Hammock. The tangerine tree is one of the few citrus fruit trees which has survived greening and is believed to have been planted in the early 1900s by the Bolden family, who were the original homesteaders. Desiree Vaughn of Polk City, Florida, captured her image using a Samsung S10 phone.

‘FAVORITE PLACE’

Ilove going to my favorite place in my small town to watch and listen to the wildlife. I was able to watch this ibis and his reflection look for dinner while the sun started to set. Bethany Respress of Fort Meade, Florida, used a Canon R for this image on Peace River.