Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, Wednesday, 12:15 p.m. Hurricane Isaac is pounding eastern Louisiana right now. Residents in the southwest portion of the state are watching and waiting for the storm. Many of the large stores in the area have closed. Local convenience stores remain open at this time. Most are out of fuel, but they are still selling water, batteries and liquor. … [Read more...]
Hurricanes, C-Stores & Our Cone of Uncertainty
Here in South Louisiana, we're thinking about Tropical Storm Isaac right now. People on the Gulf Coast are once again preparing for it to become a hurricane. When a storm is about two days out people pay attention to the cone of uncertainty. Cone of uncertainty sounds like a reference to my career or a mystery ice cream treat, but it's actually a computer model that … [Read more...]
A Simple Hamburger
Finding Great Burgers in America’s Convenience Stores I don’t want to debate what should go into a hamburger patty. In Cajun Country you'll find everything except the kitchen sink in patties. Recipes are diverse. I do want to share what I’ve discovered. One day, I picked up food from a small convenience store outside of Maurice, Louisiana. Sammy’s Country Store has highly … [Read more...]
2000 Pounds of Sausage A Day
Centerville, MS- In the heart of Mississippi Deer Country is Vine Bros, a store that's been in the Vine family for over 100 years. In 2010, Benny Vine left Green Bay, WI and his career in environmental engineering to come back and keep the tradition going. Centerville has a population of 1800, but that more than doubles during deer season. Hunters come here for outstanding … [Read more...]
Cigars Too
Sequim, WA- You might not expect to find a walk-in cigar humidor inside a convenience store. One of the best cigar selections on the Olympic Peninsula is at the Longhouse Market & Deli on the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s 7 Cedars Casino property in Sequim, WA. Customers come from Canada to browse around the cedar lined humidor. Randy Lemon manages the store. He … [Read more...]
Colossal Onion Rings
Nacogdoches, TX - This is the oldest town in Texas. One hears everything is bigger in Texas. I can say that the biggest onion rings I've ever seen or eaten is here at Mr. Will's. These things weigh more than my son did when he was born. They're made from a huge onion appropriately called the Colossal Onion. Mr. Will takes this huge onion and does just single batter, not even … [Read more...]
