Local Eats
The Little Griddle
Small town folks , big town flavors
Story and Photos by Thomas Howard
The Little Griddle ’ s pile high fries offer a little something for everyone with fried shrimp , steak , bell peppers , onions , jalapeños , cheese , ranch and bacon .
Charlie Peterson knows his way around the kitchen having learned how to cook from his dad while growing up in Wisconsin . As he grew older and found his way to Mississippi , cooking stayed with him and blossomed into a full blown passion .
“ Charlie loves to cook ,” said his wife Wanda Peterson .
On her side of things , Wanda said she has an entrepreneurial spirit and has always enjoyed having little side jobs to occupy her time and bring in a little spending money . Her dream , however , was always to
Charlie and Wanda Peterson started their food business , The Little Griddle . own her own business . In 2011 , the Petersons decided to put their talents together and take a chance .
The two found a small food trailer for sale on Craigslist and began their business as a food vendor at events and festivals .
“ I was building log houses and we wanted something to do as a family as a side , so we just started doing festivals on the weekends ,” Charlie said .
That first trailer had two tiny electric fryers and an even smaller griddle , Wanda recalled , and at their first event , Meridian Mardi Gras , it quickly became clear the trailer ’ s cooking space was not going to be able to meet demand .
“ That first event , we had a line , and it was just too much for us to handle ,” she said . “ So that next week , we went and bought all gas , and we just grew from there .”
Although it was quickly replaced , that first flat top also gave the restaurant its name : The Little Griddle .
That is how it went for a while , Wanda said . The two would go to fairs , festivals and events and sell the traditional fair foods , including hamburgers , hotdogs and the sugary funnel cakes .
After seven years , the couple learned the space on
10 • MERIDIAN LIFE