Shrimp poboy with hand-battered onion rings

Southern small towns are incomplete without at least one local eatery serving plate lunches, small talk, and warm hospitality. During our recent move to Woodville, The Orchard Cafe on the Square quickly became one of our favorite places. Having lived in South Louisiana most of our lives, we have eaten some really good food; however, delectable cuisine is only part of the equation when it comes to a great dining experience. Without passion behind the plate, even the tastiest meals fall flat.

Proprietor Terral McDonald, his staff, and the welcoming environment keep us coming back for meals that feel like they’re being served at the kitchen table of an old friend. The Orchard Cafe opened in November 2016 and has become a hub of activity. Situated in the Woodville Lofts and Studios on Boston Row, the restaurant offers homestyle plate lunches during the week along with a regular menu of burgers, chicken wings, sandwiches, fried chicken, salads, and desserts. Local folks and travelers alike will appreciate McDonald’s can-do attitude. If he has the ingredients, he’ll make it for you.

“I’m gonna fix it--whatever you want. I may have never fixed it before but as long as I can Google it or I have some pictures, we can fix it.”

Owner Terral McDonald comes out of the kitchen for a speaking engagement at a local high school

I recently sat down with McDonald to learn more about the man behind the business. A self-proclaimed “workaholic,” he comes from a long line of hard workers and believes in seizing opportunities. “If an opportunity presents itself, no matter what it is, you can’t let [it] walk out your door. If you let opportunity walk out the door, there’s no telling how many sales that person could have brought back to you or they could have referred somebody else to you.”

A year into the venture, people began asking if The Orchard catered. McDonald’s response to the opportunity was a hearty, “We do!” and thus another facet of the business came into focus. From business lunches in town to wedding receptions across the state to brown bag lunches for local school field trips, McDonald and his staff have brought their food and hospitality wherever asked. They also host birthday parties, luncheons, bridal showers, and retirement celebrations at the cafe, which offers a spacious patio with tables, greenery, beautiful brick, and a fountain.

Prior to The Orchard’s opening, people with more experience and larger businesses warned McDonald, “Don’t do it. It’s not gonna work.” He refused, however, to give in because he knew he had the drive to see it through. He spent most of his childhood in New Orleans, where he started his own lawn mowing business at ten years old and also recycled cans and bottles to make extra money.

Bacon cheeseburger with fresh, hand-battered onion rings

“He’s always been a hustler, you know,” his mother, Mandy Clark, recalled his work ethic as a kid. “I guess he’s like me. I’m always out trying to make something extra, do better. So I guess it’s just ground in him. Me and my husband used to work two jobs. We’d come off of one and go to another one, and that’s the way [McDonald] is. If you ain’t got it, you gotta work hard for it--and one day it’ll be easier.”

Originally from Woodville, McDonald’s family moved back when he was 16. He graduated from Wilkinson County High School and enrolled at Southwest Mississippi Community College where he studied Information Technology and Accounting. During college, McDonald spent his time away from campus back in Woodville where he worked at Treppendahl’s Super Foods and South of the Border restaurant, where he first started cooking and learning from then-owner, Shelton Smith. After finishing college, he then went on to work for AT&T in sales and support for the better part of a decade.

McDonald believes the people and experiences in his life have made The Orchard Cafe possible, which motivates him to volunteer in the community, speaking to young people about entrepreneurship, work ethic, and focus.

“I do it to give back because I had to learn the things that I have learned once I got grown. I figure if I can teach them while they’re in school, it will help them advance.”

The Orchard Cafe team caters all types of events

McDonald also believes that God has blessed him so he can, in turn, bless others. “We’ve had different charity events [at The Orchard] that have allowed families to have something for a loved one who has now passed. There’s a lot of different conversations that go on here--meetings, people seeing others here often and becoming friends. My goal with the cafe is to just bring in the community. When we’re not feeding the community food, the cafe is still feeding them in different ways and bringing them closer together. The Orchard Cafe means growth, and it’s growing people together.”

Details

The Orchard Cafe, 131 Boston Row, Woodville, MS 39669

601-888-6488; https://www.facebook.com/theorchardcafems/

Monday - Thursday 9:30am-4:30pm; Friday 9:30am-5:30pm or later on local football game nights; Saturday 10am-3pm - any changes to hours will be posted on Facebook page.

Breakfast, lunch, delivery, catering, event space.