In 2018 at a Fourth of July celebration, I tasted the best fried chicken I had ever eaten.
I’m not a huge fan of yard bird, but there is something about the chicken prepared in Lunenburg County that makes me crave it.
Believe it or not, I actually went an entire year without eating chicken. I have no idea why all of a sudden I developed an aversion to it, but I absolutely detested it. The smell turned my stomach, and I didn’t want the foul stuff anywhere near me.
Then, out of the blue, I once again fancied chicken. Yes…very odd.
On that hot July afternoon, I inquired about the recipe. My friend Pat Bigger of Chase City informed me the fried chicken came from Vaughan’s Grocery in Victoria.
“We’ve been serving it at our annual event for eight or nine years now,” shared Pat’s husband David Bigger. “It’s the best fried chicken I have had since my mother’s fried chicken 45 years ago.”
The yard bird along Route 49 beckons out of state fans.
David Bigger’s family member Ralph Hope of Columbia, S.C. stated, “It’s the best damn fried chicken I’ve ever had.”
Where can one find the tasty thighs, breasts, wings, and legs?
A fixture on Nottoway Boulevard, locals refer to Vaughan’s as a cornerstone of the community.
Speaking of stones … you can kill two birds with one stone: pump gas and purchase delectable chicken inside at the deli.
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According to the history posted inside the store, Vaughan’s Grocery was established in 1961 by the late Arthur Vaughan and his son the late Jesse Vaughan Sr.
In 1971, Jesse Sr. added on to the store so he could truly call it Vaughan’s Grocery ‘Victoria’s Biggest Little Store’ which he had advertised for years.
Four Vaughan generations have worked at the store which is stocked with everything from fresh meat including hog jowls, snacks, auto supplies, to hardware.
Jesse Sr. would say, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
With that being said ... in the cooler on the rack above the Canadian night crawlers and blood worms, I discovered an item I had never heard of: souse.
According to Wikipedia, souse is head cheese, a terrine usually made from the head of a pig or calf and set in aspic. Head cheese or brawn is a cold cut that is meat jelly often made with flesh from … let’s just stop right there!
For now, I’ll just describe it how a friend of mine did, “Souse contains everything but the squeal.” I read that head cheese can be made from pork, chicken, beef, or lamb parts. A pickled version is known as souse.
My boss Bill Atkinson commented, "I'd rather be trapped in a hermetically sealed room with a farting dog than to be in a room with head cheese." LOL!
Enough said, however, sampling souse may need to be a future Butterfly when I muster up enough courage.
The business has been operating for nearly 60 years making it the oldest grocery store in Victoria today.
What does Victoria native David Wells think of the chicken?
“Vaughan’s Grocery has been there my whole life,” said David Wells. “A lot of people rave over their chicken and have for years.
“It’s good, but it’s been years since I’ve had any to be honest with you,” admitted Wells.
According to Wells, every little country store has a following and he happens to spend time at his friend Timmy’s business across town.
“Timmy’s not famous for his chicken. He’s known as the ‘Hotdog King’,” said Wells. “He has people driving from North Carolina and everywhere else to get a ‘Timmy Dog’. That’s his claim to fame, and I guess Vaughan’s is his chicken.
“They were both the only place you could eat during the COVID-19 there for a while,” added Wells.
How often do I travel to Victoria to appease my taste buds? Not often enough.
I’ve picked some up when traveling through the area, stopping by the annual Independence Day celebration, skeet shooting, or attending a tractor pull.
Recently, I made it to the Victoria Fire and Rescue Truck ‘N’ Tractor Pull held at the Victoria Railroad Park. The stellar show is put on by Victoria Fire and Rescue volunteers to raise operating funds to save lives in Victoria and Lunenburg County.
My pulling buddy Vicki Young of Fredericksburg and I love exploring old towns, so we decided to take a joyful journey from the park to Vaughan’s to get some chicken.
Along the .7 mile trek to the fried bliss, we checked out a local thrift store. We’re not ashamed to admit that it’s the second time we’ve abandoned trucks and tractors to shop! Ha!
We asked resident Ira Newcomb who was rocking on her front porch if we were headed in the correct direction and how much further we had to go to reach the chicken.
“Two blocks,” said Newcomb. “It’ll taste good and fresh if they just dropped it.”
What did employee Paula Bruce have to say?
“Our chicken is awesome! It takes 14 minutes to make.” said Bruce. “It’s very popular. Generations have been coming here for years.”
“What did Vicki think of the chicken?
“I thought it was very good,” said Vicki. “It had that buttermilk old-fashioned fried chicken taste.”
I introduced tractor puller Rocky Meadows of Chester who entered his Oliver ‘Buck Eater’ in the 5000 Economy Modified class held on Saturday, Oct. 24 to Vaughan’s chicken.
Before winning first place, Meadows tried a piece of my chicken, and another, and then I went in for the block. Ha! He enjoyed it so much he ended up eating three or more pieces.
If you’re looking for crispy, fried chicken, keep looking. I prefer chicken with a crunch, however, the taste of Vaughan’s makes up for the lack of it.
Another thing…I usually drench my fried chicken in barbecue sauce, however, this chicken is so damn good that it doesn’t need anything.
I do have one bone to pick, the owner Jesse Vaughan Jr. needs to come up with a better way to package the fried chicken. The cartons used now tear apart very easily. I would hate to have one of my wings fly the box!
Thanks to many loyal customers, Vaughan’s Grocery is still running as ‘Victoria’s Biggest Little Store’.
For a scrumptious taste of small-town America, drop into 2200 Nottoway Boulevard in Victoria to try the best damn yard bird you’ll ever eat. The convenience store is open seven days a week: Monday - Friday 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 pm., Saturday 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Kristi K. Higgins, aka The Social Butterfly, can be reached at khiggins@progress-index.com. On Twitter: @KHiggins_PI
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The Link LonkNovember 02, 2020 at 07:01PM
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'Victoria's Biggest Little Store' Vaughan's Grocery makes the best damn fried chicken - Progress Index
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