Article and photography by Fitz
There is love in the food at Ddeb’s. The long fingers and strong hands of a South Carolina transplant puts it in there. The food is cooked low and slow, conceived from scratch, and with attentive care. That is why driving deep into Chesapeake from Norfolk for lunch sometimes makes sense to me.
Chef Stan in the kitchen at Ddeb’s A Taste of Home
Chef Stanley Edwards cooks his food for the public out of a house on a side street tucked behind a 7 Eleven. Get there early and you might see him eased back on the porch fiddling with his phone. Get there during a rush and he is likely sweating in the tight back kitchen. Whereas his food is nothing short of big and bold with flavors, his demeanor is muted. At least that was the impression I got while chatting with him on the porch. The first time I went there for lunch I got there early.
While shadowing him with a camera in the kitchen, the one time I saw him get slightly animated was when he pulled his signature meatloaf out of the oven. The meatloaf along with the liver and onions sport his name on the menu. Chef Stan’s passion for food began when he was ten, watching his grandmother cook. As he explained to me, “She was my inspiration. She liked to make people smile with her food and that has been my objective from home to college to the military.”
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I likely wouldn’t have gotten to know Chef Stan a bit had food blogger Kim Parker of So Full Zest not first told me about her love for Ddeb’s. As she explained to me, “Eating at Ddeb’s is like having dinner at your Grandma’s house. From the moment you walk up to the porch, [the owner] Deb standing behind the door to greet you and the simple yet elegant and unpretentious decor, it makes you feel like you’re home. The food completes it.”
When I sat down in the dining room, I noticed the sun flowing through the windows and washing over the wood of the tables. The plate on which my meal was served was modest. The meal, what else but Stan’s meatloaf, also plated modestly. The taste of the meatloaf itself, anything but. Juicy, tomato-rich, it was a bit on the sweet end just like I like it. The veggies brimmed with flavor which I honestly wasn’t surprised by considering his low and slow approach to food. Kim was spot on. I could taste the nostalgia as I dug into the meal. I’d just add the addendum, it’s even better than I remember grandma making it.
Chef Stan’s meatloaf fresh out of the oven
There is an elegance in the simplicity with which Chef Stan approaches food. His hands will be in every mix, every rub, every sauce. Nothing will be rushed. Nothing will be overlooked. Corners will not be cut and care, dictated by an allowance of generous time for rendering the food, will always be given. He’s a throwback. He’s a talent flying under the radar. And you should have his food. Even if you’re driving from Norfolk to try it.
For more on Ddeb’s A Taste of Home, visit them online at HERE
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