Meet & Three
- colleenbuyers
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
Who loves a good Meat & Three? It’s a classic local lunch – and this Southern gentleman’s philosophy on food, farming, family and faith.
Roadtrippers and locals alike can experience the magic off Hwy-49 in Drew MS… and fans everywhere can now get Stafford’s new book delivered to your door!
Here’s a "Meet & Three" excerpt:
“The hum of the tires on my truck shifts from the steady drone of Highway 49 to a crunching sound as I turn west onto the gravel… I’ve largely done my job: we chose great varieties, invested in necessary fertilizers, planted on time, and kept the farm free of noxious weeds. You control what you can and pray for what you can’t.
Today is a moment of grace. That’s what I’ve always loved about farming: you do your part, and then you surrender…
Food is the tie that binds. It’s more than sustenance; it’s sacred. Farming and breaking bread are biblical acts, rooted in tradition and stitched with grace. Food crosses lines of race, class, and geography. It’s a shared language, one that connects us in a way nothing else can.
In the South, we have the “meat and three” – a tradition older than most of the buildings it’s served in. Some say it came from post-church meals eaten on the ground under oak trees. Others trace it to the country diners that fed hardworking men something hot and hearty. Either way, it’s more than a plate – it’s a philosophy. As a play on words, for me, it has been meet and three.
Meet and three is about balance. It’s about abundance without waste, hospitality without pretense…
And maybe – if we do it right – it’s how we tie it all together: faith, family, farming, and food, the connector.”
If y'all haven't met Stafford, he and his hometown of Drew are true Delta gems. A Mississippi Renaissance man, he's a farmer, restaurant owner, entrepreneur -- and now author.
Follow Stafford Shurden for his now-famous gas station reviews, and come see him for lunch at 119 S. Main Street, in downtown Drew MS.
