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Editor’s Note: This feature originally ran in the Dec ‘24/Jan 2025 edition of the LaGrange Living magazine, a publication produced bi-monthly by the LaGrange Daily News. If you would like to pick up a copy of the LaGrange Living magazine, please visit our office at 115 Broad Ste 101.

Feature by Jeff Moore

Taste of Lemon in LaGrange continues to delight its patrons with delicious Southern food more than 40 years after opening.

But the story of the restaurant didn’t start as an eatery. Betty Daniel first opened it as an antique shop, which then expanded to include the cherished restaurant located at 200 Morgan St., just off Broome Street.

Today, Betty’s daughter Donna Close, her family and a dedicated staff keep the family tradition alive.

Taste of Lemon wasn’t always a restaurant, Donna said, reminiscing about the business’s origins.

“She just had a little antique store and then it grew to a little bit bigger store. She had it for a year, called The Lemon Tree,” she said. “It was out by the interstate. The property was the Hanley property.”

The Hanley property, with its historic country store and slave-era shacks, was a perfect setting for the antique store.

“That’s what she had, a passion for the antique stuff,” Donna said, pointing to how her mother was inspired by her brother-in-law who was also in the antique business. They both enjoyed traveling to find unique pieces.

In the early 1980s, an opportunity arose that would change everything. A piece of property in downtown LaGrange became available, and Donna’s mother saw its potential.

“She decided to move her business there and thought, ‘Why not try a restaurant?’” Donna recalled. “I have no idea why she thought a restaurant would be fun, but she was determined to give it a try.”

Transforming the property into what would become the Taste of Lemon was no small feat.

Donna’s father, Richard, played a key role in making her mother’s vision become a reality.

“Daddy was a handy guy,” Donna said, explaining that he moved buildings from their original location on High Street to the current lot.

“He wasn’t thrilled about it, but he made it happen because it’s what Mama wanted,” she said.

The centerpiece of the new business was an old church, St. John’s Methodist, built in the late 1800s.

“The church is just beautiful. It was moved from across the street,” Donna said. “It was active until I think into the 1970s.

The church sat vacant until her parents bought it. Today, the original wood floors and plaster walls are still intact.

The church housed the restaurant, while the larger two-story house and smaller buildings were used for the antique shop. Donna’s aunt Martha, affectionately called Masi, joined the venture, running the shop alongside Donna’s mother.

Donna noted that at first the church area was initially used for special events, but later became the area where they served lunch.

For Donna’s family, the Taste of Lemon was more than a business—it was a way of life.

“I was teaching school and raising my kids at the time, so I only helped out with special events,” Donna said. “But it really was a family effort.” She recalls that her dad cooked, her mother baked biscuits, and her husband, Steve, and her brother, Dick, would step in wherever they were needed.

For Donna, the Taste of Lemon is more than just a restaurant; it is a family affair. Her husband, Steve, a former high school tennis coach, has been an integral part of her life since they met. Their sons, Carl and Daniel, though primarily involved in their own construction business, continue to contribute to the restaurant’s upkeep, ensuring the legacy of their grandparents lives on.

The restaurant quickly became known for its home-cooked meals, especially its vegetable plates.

“Mama’s idea was to offer a little bit of everything,” Donna noted. “We serve real mashed potatoes, fried okra, and even rutabagas—nobody makes those anymore!”

The cornbread is another standout.

“It’s just wonderful. It’s the real deal,” she said.

The road hasn’t always been smooth for the family. Running a restaurant proved more demanding than Donna’s mother initially expected.

“It was a lot of work,” Donna admitted, pointing out that they would have long days of lunch service followed by events at night. “It wore us all down.”

In the mid-1990s, tragedy struck.

“We worked really, really hard on a Friday,” Donna recalled. “We had a huge school school-wide day here at the restaurant.”

When her dad got home that night he had a heart attack.

“After that, I just told mom that was enough. You know we cannot do this,” Donna said. “Lunch was good and we all enjoyed it, but the night stuff was just, it was too much.”

A year later, a fire destroyed two of the smaller buildings on the property. “It was devastating,” she said. Then, a year after that, her Aunt Masi died.

“It was a tough time for all of us,” Donna said.

Despite the setbacks, the family persevered. They refocused their energy on the restaurant, scaling back on evening events and the antique business.

“Mama worked so hard,” Donna recalled. “Even as she got older, she never slowed down.”

Today, Donna oversees the Taste of Lemon with a trusted team.

“I’m 72 now, and I don’t work as much as I used to,” she says. “I have a wonderful staff who runs the place beautifully.”

Her sons, Daniel and Carly, and her husband Steve also have played roles in working at the restaurant.

Donna’s mother, now 97, resides in a care facility after falling and breaking a hip last year.

Asking about when her mother retired, she said Betty never really took that step.

“I wouldn’t really say she’s retired, she is but she’s not,” Donna said. Betty’s role just evolved out of many of the daily operations at the Taste of Lemon, but continues today to keep up with what’s happening at the restaurant that she envisioned and grew into a community fixture.

The restaurant continues to thrive, serving up its signature dishes to a loyal customer base.

“Our vegetable plate and salad plate are still the stars of the menu,” Donna says. “We’ve also added favorites like fried catfish on Fridays and chicken and dumplings.”

Thanksgiving is their busiest time of year, with hundreds of orders for catering.

“We do turkeys, dressing, sweet potato soufflé—you name it,” Donna said. “It’s just good, regular cooking.”

For Donna, the best part of the business is the people.

“Our customers are like family,” she said. “We’ve had some who’ve been coming for decades. Losing them over the years has been hard, but it’s a reminder of how special this place is.”

The restaurant has also become a landmark for those with personal ties to the old church.

“We’ve had couples come in who got married there,” she noted. “It’s so special to hear their stories.”

As the Taste of Lemon approaches its fifth decade, Donna remains grateful for the community’s support.

“I can’t believe it’s been 40 years,” she said. “It’s all thanks to the amazing people of LaGrange.”

Donna credits the work of her staff at the restaurant, led by manager Lisa Culp. Culp’s daughter Michelle Sellars and long-time employee Dale Burge also are key in the daily operations.

Through hard work, resilience, and a deep love for their community, Donna and her family have turned the Taste of Lemon into a lasting legacy—a true testament to the power of family and Southern hospitality.

Taste of Lemon is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Takeout orders can be placed by calling 706-882-5382.