Gathering Place
An Alabama couple ease food insecurity with a hearty portion of comforting fare at their donations-only restaurant.
Restaurateurs serve up meals with heart.
Last December I saw an invitation on Facebook to come have Christmas dinner at Drexell & Honeybee’s Donations Only Restaurant in Brewton, Alabama.
“What a selfless act!” I thought as I considered the generosity of the owners, Eleze “Lisa” ThomasMcMillan and her husband, Freddie McMillan.
Since my husband and I were celebrating on Christmas Eve and were free on Christmas Day, we wanted to lend a hand.
The restaurant, located in a run-down old building Freddie brought back to life in 2018, is a bright and sunny spot that on Christmas Day offered turkey, roast beef, dressing, dumplings, vegetables and desserts.
The comforting food, which Lisa and Freddie prepare, brings guests together from all different life experiences. A discreetly placed donation box allows those who can donate to do so; those with less means eat as well.
Throughout the year, Drexell & Honeybee’s serves a hot lunch Tuesdays through Fridays to about 100 customers—a feat I can’t imagine doing on my own! Plus, there’s breakfast on Tuesdays and dinner on Fridays. Lisa and Freddie offer a variety of meats, vegetables, bread and dessert. The bread pudding is a customer favorite, along with meat loaf and chicken potpie. Lisa says she’s partial to the chicken salad. “I love the crunch of the red and green peppers and the slight sweet taste.” Some days, a volunteer or two will show up to attack the mountain of dishes; other days Lisa and Freddie tackle it on their own. The community donates funds and produce to help stock the kitchen, but when resources are in short supply, Lisa and Freddie pay for it all themselves.
Generous by Nature
The couple are not wealthy philanthropists, but good, giving neighbors with hearts of gold.
Lisa grew up Brewton in the 1960s. Her parents taught her at a young age to enjoy helping others. She remembers stopping by neighbors’ homes after school to see if she could lend a hand. Ms. Nellie dug into her coin purse each time Lisa stopped by to help, offering a few pennies for her time. “I told her I could not take her money,” Lisa says. “I gave her a hug and left. I was only 13 years old, but I knew we were all struggling back then, and I did all I could to help. Moments like these helped mold me into the person I am today.”
There are other factors behind Lisa’s motivation. She believes her path is one God chose for her. “This work brings me joy,” she
❝I felt like everyone deserved a nice meal out sometimes.❞
—LISA THOMAS-McMILLAN
says, “a joy that only comes from knowing that as I serve others, God will always be with me.”
Finding Her Way
Lisa left Brewton for college in Michigan, followed by stints as far away as California. But she eventually made her way back home to Alabama and began lending a hand daily to those in need. Initially, she and a friend operated a traveling food bank to provide groceries to those who lived in rural areas and weren’t much noticed. She was astonished at the number of people she encountered who couldn’t afford food.
In 2004, wanting to raise awareness, she walked 110 miles from Brewton to the state capital, Montgomery, where she hoped to meet with the governor. She followed that up with a 928-mile trek to Washington, D.C., in 2005. She chronicles the experience in her book, Living Fulfilled: The Infectious Joy of Serving Others.
When Lisa met Freddie, she found a kindred spirit who shared her desire to help others. Lisa learned to cook in various restaurants during her time away from Brewton, and the two began serving Sunday dinners to students attending the local college. Wanting to do more, they began exploring the idea of opening a restaurant.
All Are Welcome
The donation model at Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen community restaurants in New Jersey inspired Lisa. “I was already making sure people had food, but I wanted to go a step further and have a place where anyone and everyone could come and sit down and have a wonderful meal. Most of the people I delivered food boxes to could never afford to eat in a nice restaurant. I wanted that to change, because I felt like everyone deserved a nice meal out sometimes,” she says.
In March 2018, through God’s grace, community support and hard work, Drexell & Honeybee’s opened its doors. A sign above proclaims: “We feed the need.” And so they do.
Lisa and Freddie aren’t boastful about what they do. They’re both pretty quiet, but their ideas about how to be good neighbors to the whole city speak loudly about their lives of service.