FLAVORFUL

They say sometimes you receive little winks from heaven, and on a trip to Edd's Drive-In, I couldn’t agree more. You’ll need to do your penance before taking down these heavenly treats. A staple in Pascagoula serves up the Holy Trinity of meat, cheese and bread! Well, that’s not really the Holy Trinity, but it works in this case.

Edd’s Drive-In started out as a Dairy Queen in 1953 by Ed McElroy. Quickly earning a reputation for value and quality, the burgers and milkshakes were a local favorite. Don Dean bought the establishment from McElroy and kept the tradition consistent. In 2001, a local family group, Foster-Martin Family Enterprises, LLC, assumed ownership with the intent to remain true to the legacy and tradition.

As a child, the amazement never left me. I would watch as people arrived in droves after work and the staff would remember orders by memory, and count money in their heads. Yep, no calculators or debit card machines in those days. Good, old-fashioned elephant memory and arithmetic. In those days, I would arrive and was almost always greeted by Miss Debbie. She would see me with my Daddy and would instantly say, “Hey, Baby.” I thought I was so special. Miss Debbie would always greet me and my Daddy with a smile and send me off with a hand-dipped cone that would relentlessly get me in a heap for the mess it made after melting, but it did not deter my enthusiasm.

For as long as I can remember the hand-dipped chocolate cones, and chili cheeseburgersin that order - have been my favorite. I like the sloppiness of the chili that oozes out with each bite, and the best part of chili cheeseburgers at Edd’s must be the chili that melts into the bottom of the wrapper paper. At the completion of each chili cheeseburger is this little token of bliss just waiting for you to devour, and look, if you’re not licking the bottom of the wrapper to make sure you get every ounce of that gold, then we just can’t be friends. But just as much as I love those chili cheeseburgers are their hand-dipped cones. From the moment Miss Debbie would hand it to me, it was melting. My face would be covered in chocolate, the cone would act as a hand towel, however, within minutes it would be one big mess. Looking back, I would not trade the memories and the scolding for a jewel in my crown.

Today, Edd’s is still serving up its chili cheeseburgers, chili cheese hot dogs, shakes, dipped cones and special hamburgers, but a lot has changed since those days of innocence. With Foster-Martin Family Enterprises, LLC, purchasing the local walkup restaurant in 2001 came new, improved, streamlined ordering. Eventually, they traded in their memory bank for up-to-date technology, installing a point-of-sale system, accepting debit cards and jumping on the bandwagon of online ordering. The faces and the daily processes may have changed in the last 35 years from my countertop welcome from Miss Debbie, but the food and memories remain embedded in my soul.