Mama E's Wings and Waffles — soul food to rave about

The outside of Mama E's might not be much to look at, and the décor inside isn't the kind you'd encounter anyplace else, but those aren't the reason people have been coming back time and again for more than two years — it's the food.

Owner Keith Patterson, who named the restaurant after his late mother, puts a lot of love — and a little something else — into every dish.

"He prays over the food while he's cooking it," said his wife, co-owner Stephanie Patterson. "Soul food comes from the soul, not from a can."

Nothing comes pre-made at Mama E's, she said. They peel the yams, they bread the pork chops and they make their dressing from scratch, not out of a bag. It's a pride of ownership that finds its way from the kitchen to the table and has followed the restaurant from the beginning.

"See that little cigarette shack out there," Patterson said, pointing out the window. "When we started up, we were in there.

"Only two of us could fit at a time, but we had a line around the building."

With the recent addition of a second room, Mama E's can seat around 50 patrons, but it still gets packed at lunch time when people line up for the big flavor and big portions.