Mama Lo's was a

soul food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

restaurant located in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

, United States. It was founded by, operated by, and named for Lorene "Mama Lo" Alexander in 1975. It was known to be popular, said to be more than 200 customers for the lunch hour and even more at dinner. It served large portions for a cheap price. The restaurant closed in 1995. Located only a few blocks from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and across the street from a railroad track, the establishment proved popular with students, townsfolk and travelers alike. It was also frequented by many local musicians such as

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

, The Stranger Band and Sister Hazel. UF alumni in the 2000s reminisced about their favorite Mama Lo's servings, such as chicken and rice, broccoli casserole, and sweet tea. It was said that through the Southern, home-style cooking Mama Lo served to loyal customers for over three decades, she put her four children through college in Gainesville. Mama Lo's was located at 618 NW 6th Street in Gainesville, Florida. Lorene "Mama Lo" Alexander died in 2007, at the age of 85.

References

*
Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History
', John Egerton 1993 UNC Press pp. 75–76 *
Two for the Road: Our Love Affair With American Food
'. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 168.
"Mama Lo Serves Up A Feast in Her Unpretentious Gainesville Cafe"
Jane and Michael Stern. Ocala Star-Banner. 12 October 1989.

External links

Gainesville FL: Is Mama Lo's Still Around?

Chowhound Chowhound (or chowhound.com) was a food website owned by Red Ventures. It ceased operations on March 28, 2022. History Chowhound was a popular online food community founded by jazz trombonist and food writer Jim Leff and Bob Okumura in 1997, kn ...

.
Mama Lo's Broccoli Casserole recipe
African-American history of Florida Economy of Gainesville, Florida Restaurants in Florida Defunct restaurants in Florida Restaurants established in 1975 Soul food restaurants in the United States 1975 establishments in Florida 1995 disestablishments in Florida Restaurants disestablished in 1995 {{US-restaurant-stub

See also

References

External links