Around The Table’s warmth and community spirit continue to inspire, proving that a simple meal shared with kindness can transcend borders! Originally published in Le Dimanche Parisien (The Parisian Sunday) on October 27, 2024, this article has been translated for our local readers. Read on to learn how owner Ammie’s story of perseverance and success has resonated across the Atlantic, earning recognition not just in the Center of the Universe but now on an international stage.
Ammie’s American Dream
By Ariane Riou, special correspondent in Ashland, Virginia, for Le Dimanche Parisien (The Parisian Sunday)
As soon as he arrives, every customer is greeted with a warm, “How you doing, baby?” Ammie hands them out without hesitation. Her restaurant’s motto is proudly displayed on the back of the servers’ T-shirts: “There’s a place for everyone at Ammie’s table.” She repeats it cheerfully, “You come here as a guest, you leave like a member of the family.”
On this October afternoon, the dining room at Around The Table is already bustling with hungry customers at 11 a.m. It won’t empty until closing time, nine hours later.
Ashland rushes there.
In Virginia, the economy is booming. As of September, the state boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country—2.9%, practically full employment—while the national average stands at 4.2%. “You can feel that the state is growing. The city’s population has doubled in just a few years. You see houses going up, businesses popping up everywhere,” notes Patricia, a regular customer. She takes her seat and orders the Thursday special: meatloaf with rich gravy. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
The Gathering Place next door to Around the Table hosting Downtown Ashland Association’s Business Leader’s Roundtable
In the next room, Ammie is busy decorating tables. In just a few days, she’ll be hosting a reunion for 50 octogenarians—members of Ashland High School’s Class of 1964. Gold balloons fill the space. Gisele, a decorator and friend, folds napkins into elegant swan shapes. “This place is the symbol of Ammie’s success.”
The 120-seat banquet room opened just a year after the restaurant’s launch. It has since become a coveted venue for private events—booked by everyone from county police officers to newlyweds and families celebrating life’s milestones.
“The dream isn’t dead,” Ammie declares, embodying the American mantra of perseverance.
After just four years, the Ashland-based restaurant—nestled in a town of 8,000 on the East Coast—is expanding again. In this typical American shopping plaza, where parking lots dominate the landscape, a neighboring barber shop recently vacated its space. Ammie seized the opportunity.
“I have customers waiting for tables, and I hate to keep them waiting. So, we’re expanding—50 more seats before the end of the year.”
It’s hard to believe that, in 2020, the owner with the ever-present smile thought she had hit rock bottom.
Built from the Ground Up
Ammie, 56, built everything with the sweat of her brow. “I’ve worked my whole life,” she says proudly.
The youngest of seven children, she grew up in the heart of Virginia’s lush forests. Taking a bite of potato chips, she recalls, “We didn’t have silver spoons in our mouths. At home, we didn’t even have plumbing. We washed in basins.”
Her mother, a single woman, passed away from a heart attack when Ammie was just four years old. She and some of her siblings were raised by their aunt, while the others lived with their grandparents.
Faith carried her through hardship. She attended church every week, sang in the choir, and, by age 12, started working.
“I did gardening for my neighbors every weekend. Then cleaning.”
She juggled countless odd jobs—seamstress, insurance employee, fast-food cook—often working two or three at a time. Like many, she had never dreamed of running her own business.
“At the time, I wasn’t thinking about starting a restaurant,” she admits. “I just wanted to earn a living and have a roof over my head.”
When her sister passed away, she dropped out of school to raise her niece and nephew—repeating the cycle of her own childhood. She raised them alone.
A Passion for Cooking
Cooking was her refuge. Ammie worked as a pastry chef at a university in the mornings and as a cook in a soul food restaurant in the afternoons.
Ammie judging pies at the Ashland Fourth of July Parade
“This cuisine connects me to my African American roots,” she says.
She loved it. She worked from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Customers raved about her creamy cornbread. They couldn’t get enough of her slow-cooked pig’s feet and crispy fried chicken.
In 2016, she started a small catering business on the side. It was her uncle who encouraged her to take the leap.
“I was terrified of failing. But I went for it anyway.”
She scraped together what little savings she had, found a location, and opened a café in July 2019.
Then, just months later, COVID hit. The pandemic put millions of Americans out of work, and Ammie’s dreams nearly crumbled.
“I was devastated.”
Her friends and family rallied around her. She pulled herself back up.
And so, the American Dream rolled on.
A Local Staple
Around The Table—a cozy, 50-seat eatery—welcomed its first customers on April 1, 2021. A local news station covered the grand opening. Ammie beams as she shows the video on her phone.
She poured her heart into this business. Photos of loved ones and cherished moments fill the walls.
“I never imagined we’d grow this fast,” says Shakira, a 21-year-old waitress who has been with Ammie since day one.
“Ammie’s success is an inspiration to all of us.”
Ashland's destination for soul-food is "serving up" a $100 gift towards their mouth-watering meals. Don’t let this "sweetheart" deal pass you by!
Raffle proceeds benefit Downtown Ashland Association’s non-profit mission.
The winner will receive an email from Downtown Ashland Association on Friday, February 28.