NORFOLK, Va. - Most would consider Park Place in Norfolk the inner city. A neighborhood where the needs are many.
And no one knows that as well as two folks who grew up there: Randy and Kennita Baker. They are the owners of Granny's Country Cooking restaurant on 35th street.
"We've been blessed with this restaurant. We're making money and we want to give back," says Kennita Baker.
For the past six years, the couple has hosted a free Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who wants to stop by. This year they served up 500 meals to people in Park Place. Former NFL player Bruce Smith heard about their generosity and donated a dozen turkeys this year which was a big boost to the effort.
Kennita has always wanted to serve up her grandma's best recipes, southern-style: Fried fish and pork chops, chitterlings, and potato salad.
"I've always wanted to feed people my grandmother's cooking and my husband helped me by finding this restaurant," says Baker.
So Randy's cousin, Crystal, decided to write News 3 telling us how much Randy and Kennita did for the community not just for Thanksgiving, but all year.
"If someone comes in and they're hungry, we feed them, whether they can pay or not," says Baker.
So we surprised Randy and Kennita with a People Taking Action Award. And we also presented them with a $300 gift certificate form our community partner, Southern Bank.
"Thank you so much! this will help a lot," says Randy.
And we thank YOU Randy and Kennita for helping feed those who are hungry and showing the rest of the community what Southern hospitality is all about.
