MORE THAN CHICKEN
A Skillet, A Recipe, and A Shack
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“In 1938, a newly widowed Black woman stepped off a train in Saratoga Springs, New York, with just $33 in her pocket. Her name was Hattie Austin Moseley.
No family. No safety net. In the middle of the Great Depression.
But what she carried with her was more powerful than circumstance: a cast-iron skillet, Southern recipes from her Louisiana childhood, and a fierce will to rise.
Hattie had known hardship from the start — her mother died giving birth. She worked as a maid and in restaurant kitchens to survive.
But when she arrived in Saratoga, she turned her roots into a future. She opened a small food stand: Hattie’s Chicken Shack — open 24 hours a day. She served fried chicken, cornbread, biscuits — real comfort food.
And soon, the line started forming: locals, tourists, jockeys, musicians.
Her golden fried chicken and warm heart became legend.
Jackie Robinson stopped by. Cab Calloway came too. Even Mikhail Baryshnikov became a fan.
Within a year, she opened a full restaurant. And she didn’t stop. She worked tirelessly into her 90s. At 92, she retired — leaving behind not just a restaurant, but a legacy.
By 2013, Hattie’s Chicken Shack was still alive and thriving. Still serving that same fried chicken — named Best in America by Food & Wine Magazine.
Hattie Moseley didn’t just serve food. She served dignity. She served hope. She served soul.
Her story is a reminder: when love meets grit, something beautiful always rises.”
Reposted from FB’s “How Vintage” Cassa 5/23/25
At the time of this writing, Hattie’s still exists in Saratoga Springs, NY!
Hattie had to have more than a penchant for cooking. She had to have faith (as some articles indicate). Otherwise, why invest her last $33 in a start-up chicken shack?
Hattie’s faith in God ushered impossible into the possible. She worked hard, turning her recipe for chicken into a meal. And her “shack” became a highly-desired, world-famous restaurant chain.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb.11:1, NKJV)
Special thanks to Selena Ruth for swapping stories on BookFunnel!
Here’s the link to her free book - Second Chances in Honeybrook:
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/91jk24ueos?tid=9xzqss5e4
What a beautiful story!