By the point festivals roll round within the fall, you may virtually hear the drool hitting the pavement. Individuals wait all 12 months for a style of carnival.
Properly, the wait is over… for the meals aspect, at the very least. Queenz Carnival Cease has been working for simply over a 12 months from the little blue and pink constructing at 2413 E. South Boulevard, in entrance of the purchasing heart.
“I dare to be totally different,” mentioned Queenz proprietor Monique Clark, 33. “Everybody’s carried out soul meals. Everybody’s doing seafood. I wished us to face out. We wait 12 months spherical for carnivals. We wait 12 months spherical for festivals. I wished to present the folks one thing that they are not used to.”
Amongst her choices are polish sausages, fish, hen, chili cheese canine, cheeseburgers, loaded fries and nachos. She sometimes does fried Oreos, and provides turkey legs each different Saturday.
“There’s sure occasions I do fish and grits. I’ve sure occasions I do chef salads,” Clark mentioned. “I do various things on totally different days.”
However her massive draw is one thing uniquely carnival.
“Funnel muffins. They love the funnel muffins,” Clark mentioned.
Her funnel muffins are available a wide range of flavors: common, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Twix, chocolate and strawberry.
Together with being the proprietor, Clark is Queenz’s prepare dinner and sole worker. Do not hassle asking for her secret recipes. Her lips are sealed on all however one particular ingredient: Love.
“Proper now, I am the proprietor, the employee, and I take delight in that,” Clark mentioned. “Each plate that leaves out of that window, I do know that I put my coronary heart into it,”
What she is going to say is that she bought inspiration for her recipes from Louisiana, by a few greatest associates.
“I really like the feel of the meals and the seasonings,” Clark mentioned. “I take slightly little bit of plenty of my recipes from their recipes.”
Company can eat at Queenz on the patio space, or get meals to go. It is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from midday to eight p.m.
“It has been superior,” mentioned Clark. “I recognize all of the help from the Montgomery space. However at first, I all the time must thank God, as a result of with out him all this is able to not be doable.”
Clark additionally praised her fantastic mom Olivia Clark and devoted father Raymond Payne. She grew up on the north aspect of Montgomery and has a household historical past of serving the group. She’s the granddaughter of the late William Payne, generally known as the Montgomery shoeshine man, who shined footwear for years on the Alabama Legislature.
“To beat the chances arising, that is all the time been a motive to me,” Clark mentioned.
The restaurant was a particular birthday reward to herself final 12 months on March 12. Whereas it hasn’t been simple, particularly opening in the course of the pandemic, she mentioned it has been truthful and that she’s constructing her enterprise day-to-day.
“You are able to do something when you put your thoughts to it,” Clark mentioned.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at sheupel@gannett.com.
