Mrs. Wilkes’ Savannah Red Rice

Selma Wilkes finally passed to her reward a couple of years ago at age ninety-five, after operating her legendary Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House restaurant (today, Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room) in Savannah for more than half a century. Many were the times I stood in the long lunch line out front to sit at a communal table, eat fried chicken, stewed okra and tomatoes, and squash casserole, and, of course, to chat with Mrs. Wilkes. The array of Sout