Located in what was once a backwoods filling station, Kennesaw’s Mountain Biscuits, opened in 2009, has breathed new life into a formerly rundown outpost with a little bit of quintessentially Southern flair and a lot of big honking biscuits.

Owner Debbie Ingram took a chance on the boarded up building, which she regularly passed, on the advice of a friend and the rest, as they say, is history.

“We were going through a really bad economy and I put myself back through school,” she said. “I was working at Waffle House for 20 years but have been in the industry in some capacity all my life. Someone told me that I could do it, so…”

And no one could say that chance hasn’t paid off — even though Ingram had no knowledge of biscuit making at the time.

“Most people can’t make biscuits,” Ingram said. “My son’s best friend’s mother gave me the low down, and I practiced until the day we opened.”

Today, Ingram and her staff, including her youngest daughter Copper, make some of the biggest, butteriest, flakiest biscuits this side of the Mason-Dixon. And, they’ve garnered quite a loyal customer base in the process.

“We have people who eat here twice a day,” Ingram said. “They’re like family. We know their names and what they eat. You can come in here and you’ll make a friend sitting at the bar. It’s a happy place with good food and good people.”

Although the unofficial motto at Mountain Biscuits (for breakfast and lunch) is, “If we have it, we’ll make it for you,” the fresh, homemade on-menu breakfast items, with their real butter and lard broken by hand, are Deep South country cooking crowd pleasers.

The savory Fried Chicken Biscuit with Sausage Gravy is classic perfection. From the superbly fried chicken breast nestled in one of their signature biscuits to the creamy, thick sausage gravy with just the right bite, this is a must-order for first-timers.

A newly invented menu item, the Fat Boy is any biscuit with hash browns added. We tried it with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese, which wrapped just about everything you could love about breakfast into one tidy package.

Top it all off with another Mountain Biscuits creation — the Fried Cinnamon Roll. Served piping hot, it’s a knife and fork special with a slightly crispy outer shell and a luscious center you won’t want to share.

One part Southern charm (a direct reflection of Ingram’s infectious personality) and one part real, fresh ingredients, Mountain Biscuits is set to expand as part of the recently approved Mountain Walk Community. And, that just means a chance for Ingram and her staff to learn more folk’s names!

Find them at 1718 Old 41 Hwy. NW, Marietta 30060; 770.419.3311.

*Originally published in the August 2015 issue of Cobb Life magazine.