The Bread and Butter Shoppe started as just a side project for Valour Cobbins, a winemaker who needed to generate revenue while getting her business off the ground at the former site of The Winery at Williams Landing on Howard Street.
Now, thanks to high demand and the challenge of finding fresh ingredients in the Delta, Cobbins’ deli has become an all-consuming venture. “It’s taken over my life,” she laughed. “I’d never served food to people before. But it’s been a fun journey. I’m getting the chance to live out my Food Network dreams.”
A Canton native, Cobbins spent the past seven years in Little Rock, Arkansas, but was first inspired to pursue winemaking in Greenwood. She developed a passion for vinification while living in the Johnson Subdivision and eventually obtained her license from the state of Mississippi while living with her husband, Sam, who works at Milwaukee Tool.
Running a deli is new territory for Cobbins, but she’s quickly found a culinary gap to fill in Greenwood.
“People started saying our food is kind of healthy,” she said. “I didn’t even think of that; I was just making what I like to eat.
“I was surprised to see that people were eating soul food, like, every day. That’s when I realized, ‘OK, I am doing something a little different.’ And it challenged me to keep bringing new stuff. If it’s lighter, then that’s fine. Let’s bring some healthy foods to the Delta.”
Cobbins’ selection changes weekly based on the produce She picks up, often from farmers markets or farmers themselves. This week, for example, she’s serving caprese sandwiches and peach tea made from fresh tomatoes and peaches grown locally.
“Right now, my menu is whatever I can find,” she said, adding that she doesn’t use food distributors.
Cobbins refuses to take shortcuts — part of the reason why The Bread and Butter Shoppe has been the most difficult project of her life. But the support she has received this summer in Greenwood has been rewarding and encouraging as she continues to build up her wine business. Cobbins, who has lived all over Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee and even Kansas, has never been greeted so warmly, she said.
“It’s definitely not easy, but it is doable,” she said. “I’m thankful for everybody who has come through. I have gotten the best reception in Greenwood. I have been pleasantly surprised. I opened a business in Canton in 2012, and it wasn’t nearly as supportive as what I’ve seen here.”
She must jump through a few more hoops before she can start producing wine, including finding 51% of her fruit from in-state sources. But in the meantime, she’s also renting out event space in the building next door to The Bread and Butter Shoppe, which can hold up to 225 people.
- Contact Riley Overend at 581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
