A hometown secret of the best kind
Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Family truly is the foundation for the success of Chef T’s Restaurant in Ragland. Chef Anthony Soles’s mother loved cooking, and that passion inspired him to work his way up through the food industry and spend more than a decade as an executive chef at a major hotel chain.
Their family kitchen stories and experiences influenced Chef Anthony’s son, Cordelro, to attend culinary school and become a chef. Several other family members work in the food business as well.
Chef T’s, named for Anthony (Tony), is a family affair – kin or not. His business partner, Carl Byers, also grew up cooking for his family and friends, and his son and daughter help out in the business as needed.
Restaurant and catering manager Melissa Burnette credits her passion for food and home fries for her dedication to the southern cooking offerings at Chef T’s. One of Melissa’s favorite menu items is the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. She recommends pairing that with the home fries or onion rings.
This restaurant is the quintessential, unassuming “hole-in-the-wall,” in a building that was originally built as a convenience store.
It’s a hometown secret of the best kind. Their mainstay is the barbeque pork, and they offer a small-chopped pork sandwich for the budget-friendly price of just $1.25. The barbecue sauce is homemade and is described by Carl as a “sneaky heat, but not overpowering.” The signature Chef T’s burger is remarkable and is served with a steak knife holding it all together.
“The home fries got me,” says Melissa. “As a customer, I just kept coming in and loving them and one day Chef (Anthony) said I should come to work for him.” So, she started out as a server at their Alexandria location before moving up to her current role in Ragland. She’s one of a staff of 10 who consider themselves a family.
There’s a lot of teasing and bantering among the crew, as there is in many family kitchens.
Byers and Soles opened the Ragland restaurant in 2010, building on the success of their original Alexandria location. They purchased the building on Ragland’s Main Street that had, most recently, been a Mexican restaurant and completely reinvented it as a Southern home-style eatery with a simple hometown atmosphere. Its following has grown so much that they are waiting for the opportunity to expand into adjacent space.
They made it through the early COVID pandemic days by converting to curbside pickup only, then adding outdoor seating in the parking lot. Now they’re even talking about opening a restaurant in a third location.
Long-time customer, Kay Carroll, is a huge fan. After she orders a blackened pork chop with home fries and a chicken salad to go, she chats with the wait staff and the manager like old friends. “You can do no wrong coming here,” she says. “You won’t find a friendlier place.”
Her husband comes in at least once a week. Even though they live 15 minutes away in Ashville, it’s “definitely worth the drive,” she says.
“When people finally discover us, they always tell us they’ll be back,” says Carl. “It’s just like Ragland, though,” he says. “It’s a hidden gem. You don’t go through it. You go to it.”
Carl, a longtime city councilman, is a strong supporter of his hometown. They are firmly committed to giving back to the community that has supported them. They frequently feed the football team for in-town games, as well as help to sponsor little league teams.
Since they opened 10 years ago, they’ve fed emergency workers several times when tornadoes came through nearby towns. Chef Anthony and Carl also make it a point to work with local churches to help feed “shut-ins,” or those who aren’t able to drive to get their own food.
“They’re good neighbors,” says Ragland Mayor Richard Bunt. “As a small-town restaurant, they always jump in and help when they can. They work with the town in situations where we have to feed workers.”
“Greet ‘em, seat ‘em and feed the people” is their unofficial rally cry. In this town of 2,000 people, they’re one of only two places to eat (the other one is a convenience store deli). They take that charge seriously, opening seven days a week to prove it. From the moment a customer enters the door, the staff makes it their mission to be friendly and accommodating.
The menu variety ensures that just about anyone can find something they’re happy to eat at Chef T’s. The mayor’s favorite, he says, varies with the daily special. “They’re known for the barbecue, but I love the hamburger steak meal,” he says. “They also make great burgers.”
Catering is another aspect of their business and is supported by two food trucks. They cater for many of the large corporations and businesses in the surrounding areas.
They’ve even sent a small contingent to cater a gathering in Alaska. Obviously, that’s not the usual delivery area.
