Food Truck Review: Carolina Catfish Company (Spindale)

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Deborah Keller

Spindale- I have been seeing social media posts about a food truck in Spindale selling fried catfish and fried bone in chicken. I do love good bone-in fried chicken and catfish is one of my favs. (I loved Scoggins catfish……miss them so much, sigh.)

I had to go do a Walmart grocery pick up so I decided to try them out. It was a silver food trailer parked in the empty lot beside the old dry cleaners in Spindale. It is between the church and Wayne’s. They are open from 11:30 am – 8:00 pm or until they run out of food.

The name on the trailer was Carolina Catfish & Mighty Fine Chicken Too. Since I wanted to try both the fish and the chicken I ordered a combo. It costs $16.00 which seems pricey (inflation is getting to all of us) but it does come with slaw, beans, fries, 2 chicken pieces, and 2 pieces of catfish.

The catfish tasted like old time fish camp fried catfish. It had a salty cornmeal type breading that complimented the tasty soft texture of the fish. The chicken was also delicious with an old fashioned breading that was satisfyingly crunchy when biting into the tender chicken.

The fries were good. I am not a big fan of slaw but it was a white slaw and my husband said it was good. The beans were seasoned. All in all I have to say I did like it.

The owner Jimmy Collins, said he will try to be at the Spindale location on Saturdays and Sundays unless he has a previous booking as he does do catering and such. He will not be there Saturday the 16^th as he has to be somewhere else that day.

I have not found a facebook page yet but you can call him at 828-305-0026 to see where he will be set up next or to talk with him about catering your next event. If you like fried catfish and bone-in fried chicken he is worth checking out.

Carolina Cafe in Spindale – Restaurant Review

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Gayle Clayton, BS, MA

Tonight I had the pleasure of going to Carolina Café in Spindale to eat. I saw where they had expanded their hours to 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturdays and decided to give it a try. Previously they were only open Mon-Fri from 7-2.

I am so glad I went. It’s a place that makes you feel welcome from the moment you see it. From the brightly painted window scenes to the comfortable seating it just seems to be a place where the locals all know each other and make newcomers welcome.

I have had their breakfast before, but have never tried lunch or dinner there. Their breakfast is excellent with waffles, French toast, pancakes and the usual breakfast foods. Breakfast is served all day except for pancakes that end at 11 am. I will say the blueberry pancakes are my personal favorite there. (Breakfast is not served on Saturdays when they open from 11:30 to 7:30)

Tonight I had the ribeye steak with macaroni and fried okra. The steak was perfectly cooked and beautifully seasoned. The macaroni was very cheesy and the okra breaded and fried with just the right blend. My companions got the ribeye steak with fries, hamburger steak, beautiful crunchy onion rings, and a side salad. They go there frequently for the delicious hamburgers (their exact words).

All in all it was an extremely pleasant experience. We did have to wait a bit as we got there during a rush of orders but the waitress got our drinks and checked in with us frequently while we waited. I must say it was worth the wait.

Mike and Linda Spina, the owners, came out to speak with us and make sure the meal was to our satisfaction. They apologized about the wait and said they were getting the dinner rush figured out and that it would get better. They sold out both nights on their ribeye special. I think they did a great job for just the second time doing this.

If you get a chance, check them out. They are located on 584 E. Main Street in Spindale. (directly across from Barnes King Tire Company) Just look for the brightly painted windows and full parking lot. Enjoy and have fun – we did.

Silence Speaks Volumes When It Comes To Politically Endorsing D.A. Ted Bell

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Deborah Keller

May 6, 2022

As everyone in District Attorney Ted Bell’s district is aware Mr. Bell recently sent out a district wide political mailer stating that the heads of all law enforcement unanimously endorsed him in the race for the office of D.A. in the upcoming May 17^th primary election.

The reason this is so very important at this time is that this primary decides who the next District Attorney will be as there is no Democrat party opponent. The race is strictly between Mr. Bell and Marion Attorney Krinn Evans.

There have been numerous complaints and concerns about Ted Bell’s performance as the District Attorney for the past seven (7) years of his administration. The most recent being his apparently “protection” of former Judge Randy Pool. So it was surprising to see him claim that the head of every law enforcement agency in his district endorsed his candidacy.

The real surprise being that it is actually against the law to politically endorse a candidate if you or your department receive any federally funded grants or monies. All of these named officials departments receive federal funding in some form.

Mr. Bell knows about the restrictions and penalties of violating the Hatch Act, yet he still went with this advertising campaign putting each official and their department in potential jeopardy. After having it brought to his attention he tried to “walk it back” on Facebook with a post saying that they were “personal” endorsements, not official ones. Hummm….not what the flyer received in the mailbox (shown above) said.

Mr. Bell has not posted any written endorsements by any of these officials. Each official was contacted multiple times via email and asked specifically if they endorsed Mr. Bell. Now be advised each of these officials work for the taxpayer and are answerable to them. Silence from all but one……..

Marion Police Chief Allan Lawrence did answer the request for comment saying “ The only position that I have taken in this matter has been an indication of personal support for the current District Attorney’s office.” He specifically used the word “office” not “person” or “political”. I have to take a minute and congratulate the people and city of Marion for having a Chief with such integrity to be brave enough to stand up and state publicly exactly what he said.

These are the “SILENT” ones,

Chief Clint Ingle of Rutherfordton Police Department (who it appears recently removed a banner with Ted Bell’s image on it illegally at Ted Bell’s request),

SILENT!

Chief Eric Shelton of Spindale Police Department,

SILENT!

Chief Chris LeRoy of Forest City Police Department,

SILENT!

Chief Sean Humphries of Lake Lure Police Department,

SILENT!

Chief Melvin Lytle of Old Fort Police Department,

SILENT!

Sheriff Chris Francis of Rutherford County, and

SILENT!

Sheriff Ricky Buchanan of McDowell County have all remained suspiciously quiet.

SILENT!

These officials have not replied to multiple emails asking about their professional versus personal endorsements of Ted Bell. Even after being told that they could be reported for violating the Hatch Act. I do understand that they have in fact been reported for investigation to the U.S. Special Council for violating this law due to the fact that they have remained silent.

A violation of this can result in dismissal and loss of funding for the official/department found in violation. It is a very serious charge with very serious consequences. Mr. Bell has in fact, by doing this, put his entire district in jeopardy.

Their silence on this matter does not release them from this, quite the contrary. It makes them seem guilty. I do feel for them as they are proverbially caught between a rock and a hard place. If they confirm, then they are guilty of breaking the law, if they don’t then they are guilty of confirming that D.A. Ted Bell was lying about their endorsements and since he continues in his position until January it could make making working with him very difficult.

Either way Ted Bell has put them in an untenable position. It is hard to believe that only one of these gentlemen “manned up” and actually answered the question asked. What does that say about the leadership of law enforcement in our communities? Silence in this instance is not golden.

Transparency must be returned to our governing bodies. It starts with you. Vote!

Your vote in tis primary determines who our next District Attorney will be. Vote for honesty and transparency.

Early voting continues until May 14^th. Final voting in this primary is May 17^th.