Yes, they still have catfish. Wood Colony restaurant serves scratch-made Southern food
If someone says “meat-and-three” and your mouth starts to water, either you’re from the South or you’ve been to the new Magnolia Southern Kitchen in Wood Colony.
The restaurant opened late last month in the rural northwestern outskirts of Modesto, along Beckwith Road about two miles from Vintage Faire Mall, in the old Farmer’s Catfish House building. Echoes of its former life slinging fried catfish abound in the restaurant, down to the always present fried catfish on the menu.
But chefs and co-owners Trace Tedde-Vega and William Ross hope to cement their own legacy serving the full breadth of Southern heritage cuisine, including the iconic meat-and-three (as well as other combinations and rotating menu items).
“We are mindful of carrying on (the Farmer’s Catfish House) legacy with its Southern food that became a tradition for the people in this community,” Tedde-Vega said of the former restaurant that operated for 30 years in the space before closing in 2016.
For the uninitiated, a meat-and-three is a plate frequently offered in Southern states. Diners have the choice of a variety of proteins and a variety of sides all cooked in traditional Southern style, meaning typically low and slow and for a long time. Favorites like the fried catfish and fried chicken will always be on the menu at Magnolia, Tedde-Vega said.
The rest will change daily, as will a small selection of kitchen menu items also offered daily. Tedde-Vega said expect four to five main dishes a day (including a vegetarian option because it’s still California, after all). They’ll be paired with a selection of six to seven sides daily, from collard greens to hush puppies, cheesy mac to candied yams, red beans and rice and more served from a steam table.
Ross and Tedde-Vega pride themselves on making nearly everything they serve from scratch. And each meal gets a generous hunk of homemade cornbread as well. Plates come from the smaller one-meat and two-sides combinations ($11.95) to standard meat-and-three ($14.95) and for the biggest appetites two-meats and three-sides ($19.95). It’s all served up on sturdy cafeteria trays.
Magnolia will have rotating daily specials as well, like po’ boys (sandwiches from Louisiana served on French rolls), or steaks, burgers and gumbo. There’s also a selection of daily desserts, and, if you must, salads.
The small restaurant, which started its life in the 1930s as a service station, has done away with Catfish’s signature plastic red-checked gingham tablecloths and Mason jars. Still red accents the interior walls and outside trim of the freshly painted white building tucked amid orchards.
Magnolia has room for about 35 people inside, and a slab has been poured for a new patio facing the parking lot that will double seating with outdoor space and should be completed by the end of July. The business is a true family affair with life and business partners Tedde-Vega and Ross’s family members rounding out most of the 10-person staff.
Still, it’s been a long road getting to opening day. At the end of March 2020 they were finishing up some of the renovations and waiting for initial inspections to begin. But COVID-19 had other ideas, and then came a 15-month wait to get all of its permits and inspections approved, while trying to also wait out the pandemic.
Tedde-Vegas’s love of Southern food is personal. Years ago her now ex-husband’s mother demanded she learn to cook their family’s Louisiana cuisine, and the rest is gastronomic history. Between them Tedde-Vega and Ross have some 30 years of cooking experience, and through their catering business have served the likes of soul legend Stevie Wonder, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and hip-hop superstar Dr. Dre.
But Tedde-Vega said her food isn’t about the stars, but about heart.
“Southern heritage food is really food that triggers memories. For instance, today we have banana pudding and we’ll hear people say, ‘Oh my gosh, my grandma used to make me that,’” Tedde-Vega said. “It’s not fancy food, it’s good food from scratch that triggers good feelings. I hope it makes people happy. That’s the reason for doing this — to make people smile.”
Magnolia Southern Kitchen, at 4937 Beckwith Road, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. For more information call 209-566-2303 or visit www.facebook.com/magnoliasouthernkitchen.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
