Community raises $3,100 to keep struggling Leesburg soul food restaurant alive

More than 100 community members and business owners recently gathered at The Venetian Center in Leesburg to raise money for Cotton's Kitchen. Construction on Pine Street has been difficult for the public to access the restaurant, and subsequently, the restaurant is struggling. 

"Many people don't know how to get to it," James Floyd of WQBQ said. "There's not a walkway through the middle and no parking lot at the end of the road. It's a mess." 

Floyd organized the benefit dinner in partnership with the Leesburg Police Department, which utilized this platform to share some tips on community safety. 

For restaurant owner Athia Linzy, this was the hope she needed to keep going. 

"I know I have to be patient," Linzy said. "This means so much to me. I'm running the whole thing by myself now but I'm going to keep pushing forward because I love what I do." 

Linzy is a single mom of three, two of whom who currently live with her. She first opened her soul food restaurant in 2021 after having a vision of people bustling up and down Pine Street. 

"I saw people everywhere," she said. "I knew I wanted to open my restaurant there. I used to go by every day and look at the building. I know that dream is still there; I just have to go through the growing pains first." 

Cotton's Kitchen offers southern comfort foods like smothered pork chop, meatloaf, smothered turkey wings, baked barbecue chicken, fried pork chop, oxtails, chitterlings, hog maws and fried chicken. Grab a dinner with choice of sides including yellow or white rice, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, Mac and cheese, collard greens, green beans, cabbage, black-eye peas, great northerns, potato salad, cornbread and fried okra.

Linzy also has recently bottled up her signature spices for sale including her chicken and poultry seasoning, steak and chop seasoning, collard green seasoning and fish and seafood seasoning. 

Because of the construction, they have limited their hours to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. They also offering catering services. 

The restaurant is located at 305 Pine St. in Leesburg. To access the restaurant, you can enter on Canal Street through the Children's Advocacy Center parking lot. There is also parking behind the restaurant accessible on Dixie and Childs Street. For more information, visit  https://www.facebook.com/blackcotton81  or call 352-460-0674.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Help is offered for Cotton Kitchen's restaurant in Leesburg