There are magazines and books

on simplicity. Ways to cut back clutter, make life less stressful. Sandra's

Cafe is one of those places that defines simple. This is functional, clean

decor and southern-style home cooking without palate-irritating frills.

The fried chicken tastes like

fried chicken should. And it's owner Sandra Jackson's favorite

dish. "It's my grandmother's recipe. She taught me how

to make it when I was ten years old."

Jackson grew up on the family

farm in Mississippi. As one of 13 children, she and her siblings were

integral in keeping the family - which included both parents and

a set of grandparents - fed.

"The boys did the work

outside. The girls cooked," said Jackson. "Our vegetables were

farm-raised; so was our beef, chicken and pork. Even our fish was caught

in one of our three catfish ponds."

That understanding of how fresh

food is supposed to taste flavors the food Sandra Jackson serves in her

Fayetteville cafe. Every day, selections like fresh greens are washed

and prepared, real potatoes are mashed, homemade macaroni and cheese is

served up.

"I call it southern cuisine,"

said Jackson. "We don't use a lot of pork, salt or grease. We

have a lot of vegetarians who eat here, because we don't season our

vegetables with pork."

The steam table at Sandra's

Cafe offers up a rotation of entrees and vegetables each week. Every Thursday

roast beef and fried chicken are the choices. And every meat-loving person

should consider the roast beef. Tender. Juicy. Seasoned perfectly. But

that's not to disparage Monday's smothered pork chops. Let's

just say they taste far better than they look.

The fresh vegetables are what

Sandra says set her apart. Her rotation has comforting predictability.

You know you'll get broccoli casserole on Monday, fried okra on Tuesday,

rutabagas on Friday.

Ask the regulars. A customer

Sandra calls "Mr. Steve" comes in every day for a vegetable

plate. He takes his wife an entree plate and an extra side. Sandra said

he joked with her that he even came in on a Saturday, the only day she's

closed, just to see if she might open by some miracle.

Jackson doesn't believe

in seeing customers leave hungry or broke. She serves large portions at

excellent prices. A meat entree with two side dishes is only $6.70 for

lunch or dinner. Add her special-recipe sweet tea for a dollar, or a soft

drink for a little more.

The size of the portions may

cause some to pass by dessert. A big mistake.

Jackson and her sister, a talented

in-house baker, make buttermilk pie, raved about by their customers. Buttermilk

pie has the consistency of a custard pie, and is flavored with fresh coconut.

The other customer favorite, according to Jackson, is the Million Dollar

Pound Cake, a buttery rich delight.

Also not to be skipped are

the hot, gooey fruit cobblers available every day. At $1.95 each, desserts

at Sandra's are an affordable ending to a meal.

On a recent afternoon, Bill

Hines came in just for a slice of just-out-of-the-oven chocolate pound

cake and a cup of coffee. One of Sandra's regulars, he drives down

from College Park to eat three or four times a week. He proclaimed the

cake "delicious."

"I rely heavily on Sandra

to prepare things for me on special events. My wife's family came

in from South Carolina, and Sandra prepared food for us. The food is fresh

and good and everyone always enjoys it," said Hines. "I'm

going to have her fix me about a hundred cookies to take to my wife's

nursing home on Valentine's Day."

Catering through Sandra's

is made as easy and affordable as her regular fare. She'll cater

events for $12-$15 per person, including two entree choices, three side

dishes and dessert. At her Fayetteville location, she has a private room

available that seats between 75 and 80 people.

"I enjoy cooking and seeing

smiles when people taste food that reminds them of their grandmother's

cooking," said Sandra Jackson. That's the simple reason why

she opened just over a year ago, and why she continues to offer simply

delicious home-style cooking to Fayette County.

Sandra's Cafe is located

in the Lee Center, just a few miles north of Fayette Pavilion on Ga. Highway

314. For catering or to find out the day's menu, call 770-460-6484.

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