TASTE OF THE TREASURE COAST
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stands alone as the only Treasure Coast restaurant to ever
have been mentioned in The Times for its food.
“After The New York Times article, it all started,” she says.
“The tourists found me.”
The longest running business on Avenue D, with the exception
of Sarah’s Memorial Chapel (formerly Percy C. Peek
Funeral Home), Granny’s Kitchen has been an encouraging
stable force on a street that at times was notorious for drugs
and crime. The Russes were at the forefront of helping to
change the reputation of Avenue D, working with the Fort
Pierce Redevelopment Agency.
“Every town has an Avenue D,” Russ says. “But we were
able to take some of the negative away and it has been very
rewarding for us as business people in the black community.”
The business received a matching grant from the Fort
Pierce Redevelopment Agency to add on the banquet room
and office space. The banquet room became a much-needed
gathering space for the community.
She says that all that time in business, the restaurant was
never robbed.
“People have always respected us,” she says. “This is my
territory, and our whole family is here.”
At one time or another, all four of their children, Angela,
Tharesa, Greg and Fenee, as well as grandchildren, have
worked at Granny’s.
RESTORED DIGNITY
She says one of her proudest moments was when Lincoln
Park Academy’s Class of 1965 had its reunion at her banquet
hall. Longtime music teacher Earl Little, known affectionately
as “Mr. Little” to generations of Lincoln Park and Fort Pierce >>
Generations of
neighborhood
families grew
up working at
Granny’s during
the summer and
being rewarded
with free meals
if they excelled
during the school
year. A block party
was held Feb. 2 to
honor the restaurant
owners.
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