Customers drive from Springfield, Baxter Springs and Golden City to experience an authentic Louisiana catfish recipe at a 40-year-old little white cafe in Goodman.
Owner John Ervin and his wife, Karen Sprenkle, oversee Redneck Catfish & BBQ, serving up some down-home cooking that pleases the palate.
"I want people to enjoy what they're eating," Ervin said.
The couple, who lives in Neosho, opened the cafe about two and a half years ago. The building has been in existence, right there along old Highway 71 in Goodman, for at least four decades. In the past, the building has served as a restaurant -- Dairy Queen, Big W and others.
Ervin now finds himself behind a grill, after leaving behind a 16-year casino career as a general manager and head of security and surveillance crews.
Miami, Okla., is a crossroads for drug and human trafficking from Chicago to Mexico. Casinos see all types of customers and surveillance crews have to be on top of their game, all the time.
Ervin doesn't miss the challenges of the job. In fact, one of his last stops -- helping out with a Margaritaville resort in Bossier City, La., -- proved to be a critical part of his future success.
A friend there gave him a catfish recipe as well as a brown bean recipe. He utilizes those to feed hungry customers who stop by for a bite to eat.
"Our specialty is the catfish. People say we have the best catfish and the best brisket, mashed potatoes and brown beans. People get mad if I don't have brown beans," Ervin said, smiling.
From GM to Chief Bottlewasher
Ervin served as general manager, assistant general manager at Indigo Sky, and led security and surveillance teams during his extensive career in gaming.
His wife had a successful career as a food and beverage director in the casino world. During the last five years, the couple looked at various options as another career choice.
The cafe in Goodman had recently sold at auction and friends of theirs bought it.
"It seemed like a good opportunity," Ervin said, "and the stars aligned right."
Though the couple had entertained different ideas, this one seemed to come together quickly.
"God has His own plan for you," he said, laughing.
Ervin left behind a career of number crunching, consulting and surveying people, to picking up an apron and cooking from scratch.
Ninety percent of the food cooked at Redneck Catfish & BBQ is homemade. Ervin draws from his mom's potato soup recipe, as well as her chili recipe. His parents owned a restaurant, but he mainly learned to cook after his service to the U.S. Navy.
He doesn't necessarily follow a recipe to the last detail, but mainly cooks to taste, texture and look.
For instance, when he mixes the cornmeal and seasoning for the catfish mix, he aims for a certain scent. "It has to smell a certain way," he said.
Ervin often reads through a recipe, then adapts it to create his own signature mashed potatoes, brisket, and hand-breaded fish, hand-breaded chicken and chicken-fried steak.
"A recipe is like a philosophy," he said. "It's somebody's opinion."
These days, Ervin finds he's the only cook, the maintenance guy and light bulb replacer. Still, working behind a hot grill is "a ton easier" than working upward of 80 hours a week in a casino.
"I'm not getting calls at 2 a.m. anymore," he said.
Ervin and his wife rely on family members to help at the cafe, including their sons, ages 16, 17, 18 and 22. Though most of the older boys have moved on to other jobs, they all helped out in the beginning. Other family members pitch in to make it all work. Open five days a week, with popular buffets featured in the evening, the little cafe keeps steadily plugging along and really hums in the summer.
"On Friday nights in June, people wait 40 minutes to get a seat," he said.
The Writing on the Wall
Goodman resident Keith Kohley had recently undergone knee surgery and came into the Redneck Catfish & BBQ every day. Since he was officially the first customer and there all the time, people actually thought he owned the place, Ervin said, smiling.
One day, a lady came in. She had been looking for gas, saw the little cafe and stopped for a bite to eat. "I think she's someone famous," Kohley said to Ervin.
After talking with her, they discovered that she was famous -- an actress from NBC's soap opera, "Passions." Tracey Ross, aka Dr. Eve Russell, stayed almost four hours, visiting, eating and making new friends. She was the first person to sign the wall, Ervin said.
Years ago, when other owners oversaw the cafe, they allowed customers to sign the restaurant's walls. Customers who dated in the 1960s and 70s later came back with their children and their grandchildren to show them where they had signed the wall.
In later years, other owners repainted the walls, covering up all the dates and signatures.
Ervin and his wife decided to bring that back, and Ross was the first one to sign the wall. Today, several of the cafe's walls are adorned with sayings and John Henrys.
People from as far away as West Virginia, Ireland and Yugoslavia have signed the walls. "In this little town, you wouldn't think of that," Ervin said.
The cafe also features a small cove that shows off various wares, including flea-market-type items. Karen, John's wife, loves to tinker and redecorate, refurbishing furniture and reselling it. The small space, known as "Redneck Revival," features those types of items.
Operating a cafe may be challenging, but Ervin revels in the change of pace. He loves cooking for people and seeing them leave the little cafe full and happy.
Running his own restaurant definitely has its perks.
The best part of the job?
"Seeing people enjoy the food I cook."
General News on 12/28/2017