You may have seen Red Deese on Food Network, on local TV news, and in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Clarence Ray “Red” Deese died earlier this month, on November 10 at age 93, at home with his family.

Known for many unusual aspects of his long life, he was best known for founding a unique Southern-style restaurant 40 years ago. He and his daughter, Debbie Deese, spotted an abandoned 1910 schoolhouse, overgrown and posted for sale by the Montgomery County school system.

They bought it for $3,500.

Red and Debbie had a dream of a Southern country café in the middle of nowhere. With a lot of sweat equity, they turned that old school into Red’s Little Schoolhouse. They opened on May 1, 1985.

Would people from Montgomery drive 30 miles south to enjoy old-fashioned food like their grandma cooked? Would folks from Troy, Luverne, and other nearby towns make the drive? The answer turned out to be “yes.”

They came, they enjoyed, and they spread the word.

Beyond the ambience of a pre-Depression schoolhouse, what is the draw of Red’s? Fried chicken, fried cornbread, homegrown vegetables from Mr. Red’s garden, and homemade pies. Longtime customers could add many favorites to this list.

Today, Debbie and her staff are carrying on the Red Deese legacy by continuing to operate the restaurant. Customers still arrive Wednesday through Sunday when the doors open at 11 a.m. They serve until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Daughter Debbie tells the story this way:

It’s crazy to think that our little country cafe has been around four decades. There’s a lot to the story of how it all began. There’s more than just the building and the business, but hey, that’s a sure good place to start.

Hills Chapel Community School was built in 1910. Black students, grade 1-6, were taught there until the school closed in 1960. That old one-room schoolhouse was empty until the Board of Education put up a “For Sale” sign in 1984.  By that point, the land was so grown over, you could barely see the building from the road.

The schoolhouse sat on 2.2 acres of land and was only two miles from our farm. Dad was interested in the land, and he was one of only two bidders. He won with a bid of $3,500. Dad had several ideas for the purchase, but I wanted a cafe. He said to me, “Folks are not going to drive to the middle of nowhere to eat.”

He had a point, but I had a dream.  It took a lot of convincing. Plus, I used a daughter’s two most powerful words, “Please, Daddy”, and that was it. It was final!

Mr. Mike Mosley drew our kitchen plans, and Mr. Otis Toles built it.  After our day jobs, Dad and I worked patching and painting the dining area, and we spent our weekends looking for affordable restaurant equipment and old tables and chairs.  And most importantly, we were constantly praying for the Lord’s blessing. In less than a year, on May 1st, 1985, we opened the doors to Red’s Little Schoolhouse, named after Dad, Red Deese.

Ephesians 3:20 comes to mind when I think about the history of this cafe. The scripture says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us.”  

I was just praying to serve our community and have a little catering business.  But it was clear God had far more in store ahead of us. Well..

The following month, M.P. Wilkerson, a food critic from The Montgomery Advertiser, secretly visited us. She wrote some very nice comments in her weekly article. Then boom… Omg, that next Friday, we had to call our friends at church to help us manage the crowd through that weekend.  We had our two days off Monday and Tuesday, to regroup, hire help, and cook for more customers than I could have ever imagined.

Business was steady, so six months later we built our first addition – another dining room.  We started growing even more, and we became a popular meeting place for church groups, clubs, family reunions, and so on. So, two years later we built our third dining room.

And here we are today. Our main goal is for our customers to come to the country and enjoy a real country meal.  Food like we grew up on. We use Mama and Granny’s recipes, Dad’s homegrown vegetables, and four generations of our family to make that happen. May 1, 2025, Red’s Little Schoolhouse Restaurant is 40 years old.  Our hearts are full of gratitude to our customers, our employees, and especially to the Lord for this amazing journey.

Red had grown up on a farm in the aftermath of the Depression with a big family and a single mother.

He quickly learned how to work hard, work smart, and give thanks for what he had. He attended Montgomery County High School in nearby Ramer, and in 1949 he left his home to serve his country during the Korean War.

After his military service, he returned to Grady, Alabama, graduated from Montgomery County High, and married the love of his life, Jeanette.

They eventually settled on some land off Gardner Road, where together they built a home, a family and an impressive farm life. In later years, his daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would build homes and live on the same land. Red was a man you didn’t want to be far from.

Red loved his farm. He was always on that tractor whether he was plowing fields to grow rows of peas, turnips, and other veggies, which in later years would be served at Red’s Little Schoolhouse, hauling material across the pastures, or carrying his grandchildren & great-grandchildren in the bucket to go feed the cows.

Red knew how to enjoy life.

He was not only hard-working, but highly resourceful. And he was generous too. Everyone knew they could come to Red, and he’d help ‘em out. Red loved to garden and he loved to watch things grow. He built a greenhouse off the side of his home, so that not even the winter could stop him from growing flowers.

His appreciation for God’s creation and beauty never ceased.

Red was a simple man, but he was far from ordinary. His work ethic and strong faith led him to make bold decisions that would have a deep impact on his community and leave quite a legacy.

In 1956, Red opened the first and only barber shop at Montgomery Country Club. Red loved being a barber because he loved people and making relationships.

In 1970, Red helped the community launch South Montgomery County Academy (SMCA) in Grady, Alabama where his children, and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren, received their education.

He was committed to his community, and whenever there was a need, Red was quick to step in.

When he retired from the country club in 1994, he opened up a barber shop behind Red’s Little Schoolhouse where he continued cutting hair and building relationships.

More than any business he established or decision he made, Red’s greatest legacy will be the impact he made on his family.

He was devoted to the Lord Jesus and was committed to raising his children to know the love and truth of Jesus, and walk in His ways. That he did.

He raised a son who would go on to plant a church in the big city of Atlanta and do ministry all across the world – sharing the love of Jesus on about every continent. And he raised a daughter who is the modern-day Mother Teresa — feeding and serving everyone in her community.

Red’s impact reached beyond just his children. His grandchildren and great- grandchildren have carried on Red’s legacy of being hardworking, funny, personable, generous and full of faith.

A service was held at on Monday, November 17th, at Friendship Baptist Church, Grady, AL.

What an abundant life.

Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected].