Page 56 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2016

DINING having fun making dough
story by Susan Ruddiman photos by Susan Ruddiman and courtesy of The Green House on Porter
hen Kait Sukiennik, 31, was introduced to Jessie Zenor, 34, two years ago, no one could have guessed this
duo would share a vision that has become one of the most popular gathering spots in Ocean Springs — Greenhouse on Porter. Within three months of meeting,
the two women embarked on a creative enterprise that keeps evolving from a simple premise of serving coffee, homemade biscuits and local beer.
The daily menu includes at least three types of biscuits — baked by one of the owners — that are plain, sweet potato or made with in-season ingredients. All the biscuits can be enhanced with fixings
of seasonal jam, honey butter, sorghum and more. The pour-over, high-quality coffee is placed in a ceramic cone over a 12-ounce mug with hot water poured into the cone. Teas are also available.
Besides the fresh food, people gather at the Greenhouse on Porter for bingo, trivia, yoga, bicycling, live music, local art, lively conversation and even a biscuit tournament that is held each Wednesday from August through December.
“We have made lots of friends with people we probably never would have spent much time with. We love checking up on their lives when they come in,” Zenor said. “It feels like we have a family.”
Sukiennik added, “We always said if this isn’t fun anymore, we will quit. It’s still real fun, and we aren’t quitting anytime soon.”
Sukiennik’s background is in the
design field. Zenor arrived on the Coast post Hurricane Katrina as an architect involved in rebuilding with affordable housing.
However, no matter what they
did professionally, the two of them maintained what Zenor calls side projects. Sukiennik sold jams and waited tables at least one night a week. Zenor pursued her art in one form or another. She had known it would be hard to find someone who would work well with
her and put up with her flightiness.
As it turns out, “we are both flighty,” Sukiennik said. In fact, they complement each other so well that some mornings Zenor and Sukiennik show up at the Greenhouse wearing the same outfits, and they share sentences.
Sukiennik and Zenor found the old greenhouse that had been empty for about 10 years. With the help of friends, the building was transformed into an informal gathering place that reflects the women’s eclectic tastes. By the summer of 2015, they had to hire more employees and now have eight.
“We realized we couldn’t work behind the counter as much if we were going to make the business go any further,” Zenor said.
“We had to work on the business rather than in the business,” Sukiennik said.
404 Porter Ave. Ocean Springs Open 6 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sun - Tues; 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed - Sat 228.238.5680 www.greenhouseonporter.com
56 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • October 2016
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