Local couple opens their hearts and their restaurant

BLADENBORO – It’s something that is not done often – inviting an entire community over on Christmas Eve for Christmas dinner.

And… not a potluck meal, but fully cooked with the wishes of a young couple that has decided in their hearts that they not only love their community, but want to give back.

Shannon and Bridget Todd, owners of Aunt B’s Country Kitchen in Bladenboro are excited about having “extended family” for dinner this Christmas at their restaurant located at 131 Main Street in Bladenboro.

This is the couple’s first official restaurant as they have been in food service, but it began with a hot dog cart.

“We had our hot dog cart about three years,” Bridget said. “And we have worked our way up to a brick-and-mortar building. So, January will be a year that we’ve been here.”

The business is in one of the downtown buildings that were rebuilt from the floodwaters of both Matthew and Florence. From the ashes came beauty and in the midst of the beauty comes a spirit to give back.

“It was laid on our hearts, now that we are in town, we can see there is a lot of need here,” she said. “There is a lot of people can benefit from what we are proposing. We are going to have our family here, it’s going to be a homecooked meal and it’s for anybody that needs it, or handicapped or simply doesn’t want to spend Christmas alone.”

It is a no-strings attached act of goodwill. No presents or food or money required, only someone who wants to share in this historic downtown event. The Todds have invited a community not only to come for a meal, but to come and be a part of their family for Christmas.

“Right now, we are getting a head count, because we kind of don’t know,” she said. “We are asking people to call and let us know if they are coming and how many are coming. It’s not necessarily reserving you a plate, but is just getting us a head count.”

The Todd family is providing an old-fashioned Christmas dinner with ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rice, green beans, macaroni and cheese and they promise a good gourmet meal.

The restaurant that is a popular place for locals has home cooked meals at a very reasonable price – and on Christmas Eve you can’t do better than a free family gathering.

As for the future of Aunt B’s – the couple say that they want to grow it and they want it to be a destination spot for people when they come to Bladenboro – and perhaps be a place for people to come to eat and find the quaintness of Bladenboro’s shops and activities.

“I hope, maybe this is the start to more Aunt B’s” she said. “It will always be our hometown spot.”

When one thinks of Aunt Bea, the thoughts tend for an older generation to drift back to the mythical town of Mayberry from the ‘60s television show “The Andy Griffith Show.”

“When I was younger, I worked at a little diner,” she said. “My name being Bridget, I was just always known as Aunt B and it stuck. So, when I started my hot dog cart and back into the food industry, I just decided to stick with Aunt B.

As for the cooking, both Bridget and Shannon help and Shannon said that “she prepares it and I cook it.”

“We’ve been here in our first year, so we still have the builders doing the maintenance on it,” Shannon said. “We’ll take over the care of the maintenance after the warranty. I don’t think we will ever own the building as it is owned by the county, so as long as we’re here, we’ll be paying rent.”

Shannon was born in Columbus County and Bridget was born in Bladenboro. Born North Carolina friendly and able to give back at a young age. That is a good recipe for a tasty restaurant.

If you would like to be a part of the hometown Bladenboro family Christmas dinner, please call the Todds at 910- 809-0133.