Some people say they love to cook, but I think my grandmother cooked to love, and we’re carrying on that legacy.”Debbie Veres, Co-owner of Augusta’s Sports Grill
CULLMAN – A new restaurant has opened its doors in Cullman on March 5, and the response has been tremendous in that short time. Augusta’s Sports Grill is a family owned and operated business on Graham Street SW where Debbie Veres, her husband and son have taken their love and experience in the food industry and turned it into something unique in the Cullman area.
Veres has been in the restaurant business for 30 years now and has passed that love on to her son as well. The love of food and family seems to be a tradition passed down in their family as Veres’ grandmother, for whom the restaurant is named, is what inspired this family to open the business.
“It is named after my grandmother who was a Lessman and grew up right behind us [the restaurant],” Veres said. “When I was growing up I spent a lot of time with her, and there was always people coming by, and she was always cooking for them. So when I was little I asked her ‘Grandma, why do you do this?’ and she would just smile and say ‘I’m just glad I can do it’. She was an inspiration to all of our family.”
It was around 20 years later that Veres found herself having a stressful day in the restaurant she worked at and was asking herself the same questions, and found that she too was happy to serve like her grandma.
“It hit me in that moment,” she said. “The reason she did it, and the reason I do it is for the joy that you see and get when you see others have a good time and enjoy the food. It was really a revelation for me. She was glad she could do it, but it also made her happy. Some people say they love to cook, but I think my grandmother cooked to love, and we’re carrying on that legacy.”
The new restaurant’s kitchen is headed up by Veres’ son Josh, who has brought his own experience from the restaurant business and has put it on the menu.
“Josh cooks and is in the kitchen all the time,” Veres said. “He actually worked for Logan’s Roadhouse for a long time. He would help open up new restaurants for them and would train the management, and set up the kitchen and bar. Most of the items on the menu come from mine and his experience together, and we just have a lot of great popular items that we know everyone loves.”
Posted by Augusta's Sports Grill on Wednesday, March 11, 2015
A key to their already growing success, according to Veres, is the freshness of their food.
“Everything is fresh here,” she said. “Everything is hand breaded, nothing pre-frozen. We grind our own meat and cut our own steaks. It makes a big difference in the flavor of the food I think, and we take a lot of pride in that. We try to do some things differently, like our prime rib that is available six days a week instead of just on the weekends.”
The restaurant's experienced bar staff are able to make almost any drink from the fully stocked bar and also offer a wide assortment of beers on tap. The past two weeks have been very good to the Veres’ and their family, and she says they are happy to serve every customer that comes.
“Business has been very good,” said Veres. “The support of the community has just been unbelievable. We know a lot of people around here because we all grew up here, and everyone has been so supportive and we are so thankful.”
Augusta’s is located at 609 Graham Street SW, Cullman, Alabama 35055. It is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
