Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerston Crawford-Thorns.
Hi Kerston, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi, I’m Kerston Crawford-Thorns, a native of Riverside, California, and the cook and owner of Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen.
Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen is a family-run operation with my husband, Shawn Thorn’s fellow cook, and pitmaster, and our two children Dayvion and London armed with the same determination for success and passion.
Collectively Shawn and I have more than 15 + years of experience in the restaurant/catering and concession industry.
My inspiration and cooking style derived from my grandmother, Pearlie Mae.
Often, people inquire how deep my southern roots are, and well…they’re pretty deep, most notably in Alabama which is where she was born and raised. She has taught me to make everything from peach cobbler, collard greens, dressing, sweet potato pie, and gumbo to hog head cheese, crackling bread, and chow chow to name a few but you get it, right?
Because of her, I learned that food is more than nourishment, it’s comfort, kinship, and a sprinkle of laughter on a plate.
Under her guidance, my first introduction to cooking started with cornbread, when I was about six years old, I can recall her calling me in the kitchen to help assist in preparing our family’s meal. My heart was racing because I was finally able to do “big kid” stuff and as she handed me the mixing bowl, I could remember how sweaty my palms felt.
One by one, she handed me item after item from the pantry to put on the counter. I was careful to listen to every word. We had a medium-size yellow and black stool that I stood on to measure up to the counter, which allowed me to peer over the ingredients. She handed me a big silver bowl, a wooden spoon, and a handful of measuring tools that had been handed down to her. First came the yellow cornmeal, then the white cornmeal and flour, sugar and butter followed. She guided my hand as I measure each ingredient delicately and warned me about not getting any shells in the mix as I cracked each egg one after another.
Mixing by hand was a necessary task she explained. It allowed the ingredients to “marry” and prevented overbeating the mixture. At that time, I had no idea what that meant?
She said, “Recipes were a good start but true cooking came from smells, taste, and touch…something you can’t capture in writing or measurement.” “It’s from the soul”. Laughter always found a comfortable place in our home and people would travel near and far to experience her kinship and cooking. The house was always filled with old classics like Brook Benton’s “A Rainy Night in Georgia” one of her favorites or a Pattie LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Dinah Washington type filling your heart with love and sometimes pain of a love lost…but she said, “That was life”.
While mixing, we would sing along and almost sync to the rhythm of the tune that was playing. Once she put it in the oven, I could remember the warm, sweet, buttery scent that almost suffocated you every minute until it was done. I watched it rise in the oven anticipating that savory moment when you bite the first piece. Waiting was the hardest part.
Today, my cooking evolved to launching Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen to continue her passion for cooking and champion her legacy.
In 2018, Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen was nominated by Mrs. Judith Collins, Senior Business Advisor, Dallas Metropolitan Small Business Development Center, and Mrs. Rose Blair, Director of Dallas Metropolitan Small Business Development Center to Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew, Vice President of Community Affairs for the State Fair of Texas to participate in the 2018 Concessionaire Cohort for Fairs, Festivals, and Expositions (CFFE.)
After competing in the food competition, Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen was extended an invitation to participate in the 2018 Cohort for Fairs, Festivals, and Expos for the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, TX.
The program was a 6-month education series for entrepreneurs which focused on both classroom, mentoring, and hands-on opportunities for growth and exposure to the industry.
Upon graduation, Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen was offered the opportunity to be the first graduate of the CFFE program to participate as a food vendor in the State Fair of Texas ( This is a BIG DEAL—the average wait is 10 years).
Humbled by the opportunity, I was just as shocked to receive so much support from fairgoers and the media press on our freshman deep-fried dish, known as Deep Fried Potato Salad. It was our first year as concessionaires at The State Fair of Texas so we were overwhelmed with all the positive feedback and support.
Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen has been featured on national television with the Kelly Clarkson Show for our signature dish, “Deep Fried Potato Salad” at the State Fair of Texas.
We have also been featured on other outlets as well as described below:
Kelly Clarkson
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Kelly-Clarkson-Gets-a-Taste-of-the-State-Fair-of-Texas_Dallas-Fort-Worth-563160712.html
Dallas Morning News
https://youtu.be/fA3SO0mt8us
Dallas Eater
https://dallas.eater.com/2019/9/23/20880122/state-fair-of-texas-new-food-available-2019
Dallas Culture Map
https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/09-24-19-state-fair-of-texas-fried-foods/
Spectrum Local News
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2019/09/28/state-fair-of-texas-kicks-off
True to the motto, “From our generation to yours” I believe the key to a successful business is in the food and the customer’s experience. Our competitive edge is in the people and we are excited to share a plate with you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Character is not built on the times you fall, it’s built on the times you stand AFTER you fall. My grandmother always told me you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room but you NEVER let another person outwork you!
Much of my experience is in catering so I knew I needed to focus a lot of time on the nuts and bolts of the business. Attending the State Fair of Texas Concession Cohort definitely helped jump-start my knowledge base.
We have taken advantage of many different opportunities to gain a real-world understanding of the industry: Dallas Metropolitan SBDC Business Coaching, Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching: Dallas, Frost Bank 2018 Business Building Series “Taking the Next Step”, Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Executive Business Summit, 2018 Concessionaire Cohort for Fairs, Festivals, and Expositions (CFFE.) and Next Street Focus Group.
A lot of hardships came from learning about business credit and being financially ready and secure to move to the next level. I had a lot of doors closed because we were too new, didn’t have enough collateral and/or credit, and simply didn’t fully understand the lending process for small businesses.
In addition to that, the pandemic closed a lot of opportunities including the State Fair of Texas but we were able to pivot and cater small events and holiday gatherings.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen, Inc. ?
Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen is a southern-style concession booth at the State Fair of Texas. We are a family-owned and operated establishment featuring Pearlie’s Soul Rolls, Deep Fried Potato Salad, and other southern staples with a Deep Fried twist! All of the menu items are my grandmother’s recipes with a deep-fried twist.
We are known for our soul rolls which were introduced at the State Fair of Texas in 2021. When you attend the fair, if you’re looking for a concessionaire’s twist on a southern classic-this is it!
Pearlie’s Smoked Turkey/Gouda and Collard Greens Soul Rolls. This leafy green vegetable is seasoned with our special southern house seasoning, paired with shredded smoked turkey; to add a hint of smokiness and enveloped in smoked gouda cheese before it’s rolled into a spring roll. Deep-fried and served with our favorite southern-style hot sauce.
Are you STILL yearning for another southern classic? Pearlie’s Deep Fried Peach Cobbler Soul Rolls are considered another true southern staple around the holidays but our version is on the go! These sweet peaches are bathing in butter and our housed spiced sugar mixture before it’s rolled into a spring roll and deep-fried. It is served with vanilla ice cream.
Pearlie’s Deep Fried Potato Salad is deep-fried comfort food. This recipe consists of Pearlie’s mayo-based potato salad which includes diced eggs, potatoes, relish and tossed in our house seasonings, and deep-fried to perfection. Yum.
Pearlie’s Deep Fried Shrimp Étouffée. Our twist on a seafood classic! A deep-fried dumpling filled with rice and juicy house-seasoned shrimp smothered in onion, celery, tomatoes, green peppers, and cheese. Looking for a kick? Add our favorite southern-style hot sauce on the side!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We are currently preparing to purchase a food trailer. Outside of the SFOT, Pearlie’s Southern Kitchen will offer a southern-style mobile restaurant experience. The focus will be offering delicious home-styled comfort food made mobile. We are dedicated to delivering a southern-style family dining experience on the go, without sacrificing flavor and time.
We want to create a mobile restaurant where you can enjoy your favorite southern comfort foods – the foods that take you back to grandma’s house. I want to share my passion for cooking yummy foods with the Dallas County, TX area – and eventually the entire Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan areas.
The trailer will be used for more than daily lunch and dinner food service; we have big plans for catering to all your important events – from work parties and office meetings to graduations, pool parties, showers, neighborhood gatherings, and any other event you can think of! We will bring the trailer to your next special occasion!
Once we have opened, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram for our daily location and menu options.
Contact Info:
- Email: pearliessouthernkitchen@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/pearliessouthernkitchen
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/pearliessouthernkitcheninc
Image Credits
Byron Bennett (Bennett Photography)
Sir Adrian Jones (Marked Media/@imhannahg)
