create | cuisine
mary’s kitchen home away from home Mary Presnell is a woman who knows her way around the kitchen, In fact, she spends more time in her “personal” kitchen than most women ever dream – or desire. Her ovens warm up in the wee hours of the morning, six days a week, and her tables are always weighted down with good country cooking.
It’s a good thing that Mary’s Kitchen is off-premise from her family home or she would never see a moment’s peace. In other words, she has the best of both worlds – a smaller kitchen in her house and a larger, public domain a few miles away that has served as a unique gathering place for nearly 22 years. Stepping into Mary’s Kitchen on George Wilson Road just outside of Boone is like taking a step or two back in time – it’s a piece of Americana that is quickly disappearing. Mary and her husband Emory Presnell and their only child, Brenda Castle, are responsible for the success of the community cornerstone. Brenda’s husband Brad Castle and daughter, Ashley Winebarger, lend a hand from time to time, when not occupied in their own neighboring businesses of Castle’s Auto Repair and New Generations Hair Salon. “They are good folks doing a good job for good people,” said local business owner, John Campbell, who has been meeting the same friends there in the same corner booth every Thursday morning for the last two years. “It’s predictable. Mary walks up to the table, and all we have to do is nod our heads and she knows what we want. We know them, they know us and
Mary Presnell is an icon among High Country women, known for her country cooking and compassionate heart.
there are no surprises,” he said. “It’s a country club for the average guy.” Weather and politics usually top the menu of daily discussions – “with a lot of bull thrown in for good measure,” we’ve been told. Many of the world’s problems have been solved around the table at Mary’s, whether at her current location of earlier when she owned the Mountaineer Restaurant. Local building contractor, Cliff Baldwin, sees Mary’s as “family.” “You don’t find places like this every day,” Baldwin said, pointing to a central table, “There’s usually a jar there to help raise money for someone dealing with an illness or just hard times. That’s the way it is here all the time.” Mary Presnell has spent the majority of her life in food service. “I started out waitressing years ago,” she said. “I worked at the Tar Heel Barbecue for 6 ½ years (current location of Red Onion Café), and the Town House Restaurant for six years and then went into business for myself. A woman said, ‘Let’s go up there and run that restaurant on Greasy Corner,’ and that’s what I did for 10 years and five months. Mary first moved her Mountaineer Restaurant to Perkinsville and then to the present location on the outskirts of town, where most of her regular customers followed and others soon discovered. It’s not unusual for the 68-year-old to arrive at work at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. every workday. Mary opens the doors,