For Jill Allison Bruner, cooking was a skill and a love that was passed down through generations of women in her family. Through Biscuits & Grace, Bruner has found a way to share her tried-and-true Southern home cooking with the community, one blueberry sausage ball at a time.

Bruner says she comes from a long line of special women who had a passion for cooking, which was instilled in her from a very young age.

“My great-grandmother, Mertie Bruner, was an amazing cook,” said Bruner, who grew up in Bay. “I loved her fresh, scratch-made in an iron skillet cream-style corn, and nobody could beat her Italian cream cake. It was my absolute favorite. My great aunt, Leola Warren, tried to teach me how to make it, but to this day I cannot replicate it. I have a close favorite with my customers with my scratch carrot cake.   

“My dad’s mom, Dorothy Bruner, was a great inspiration to cooking in my life. She always had something sweet baked in her house and cooked a homemade meal for us every Sunday to enjoy after church. Growing up in the Methodist church, there was always a lot of home cooking served in potluck form; fellowship usually served around food. My grandpa, Emmet Pendergraff, was well known for his massive garden and could cook up some fresh vegetables like no other. My great aunt, Juanita Fletcher, made the best jam cake, and my grandmother, Lavina Pendergraff, made the best made-from-scratch cooked banana pudding. Then there is my mom, whose chicken n’ dressing was the staple to every Thanksgiving and Christmas meal. When we were sick as kids, she would make us a pot of potato soup, which would always make me feel better.”

As Bruner’s family sat down to Christmas dinner in 2020, she received a phone call from her cousin, Carla Wilson, who had an opportunity to rent a small kitchen. Both women had been baking and selling cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods out of their homes for years and had a substantial customer base, so Bruner jumped at the chance. CJ’s Plate was born in February 2021. After Wilson left the business at the end of the year for personal reasons, Bruner formed her own company and rebranded as Biscuits & Grace.

“Cooking is something I’m good at and feel like I have control over in my life,” said Bruner. “It’s uplifting to have something you feel confident and knowledgeable in. If you find something in life that brings you joy, something that makes others happy and you’re good at and can profit from it, why not follow that? I took a huge leap of faith leaving a great paying job to dive into this, and it has blessed my kids and me beyond measure. The hustle and bustle take my mind off any stressful situations in my life, and I love every minute of it. Always stay humble and kind has always been my go-to phrase, and I pass this on to everyone I meet.”

Biscuits & Grace, located on Phillips Drive, offers baked goods, daily plate lunches, meal bundles, family meals, frozen meals to take home and catering. Canned items, such as jams, jellies, pickles and apple butter are also readily available, with fresh-baked bread sold around the holidays. Popular menu items include chicken and dressing, chicken and dumplings, fried cabbage and greens, black-eyed peas, smothered pork chops, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, Salisbury steak, creamy mac and cheese, beans, cornbread and more. Bruner says the most popular meal bundle last year was the Marry Me Chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.

“Finger foods are very popular right now,” said Bruner of what is in-demand with her customers and for catering orders. “I’d say at least half or more of our caters revolve around finger foods and grazing tables. Staples for these events are our famous blueberry sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, bacon-wrapped smokies, cold spinach dip, buffalo chicken dip, cheeseballs, crab poppers, stuffed mushrooms, sliders, homemade pimento cheese and a variety of salads, including potato, macaroni sand Mediterranean pasta salad. The options are just endless. I like to include the bride and groom or special guests’ favorites on the food bar in some way, whether it’s in a special dish, party favors, shooter cups or whatever we can come up with.”

Biscuits & Grace caters to a wide variety of events, including weddings, baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties, celebrations of life, anniversaries, meet and greets with politicians, corporate meetings, lunches for local medical clinics, schools, end-of-year celebrations, teacher appreciation luncheons, graduations, proms, hunting camps and lodges, holiday parties and churches. The business also offers grill packs and prepped food for customers to take to the river and lake during peak season. Once a month, Biscuits & Grace caters meals for the First Church kids at Cooper Alumni Center, as well as school lunches for Blessed Sacrament and Ridgefield Christian School. Local and state entities such as Nestle, Anchor Packaging, Arkansas Game and Fish, and Arkansas State University are customers, as well.

“My crew and I are always open to special requests,” said Bruner. “These are my favorites because you get to make exactly what the customer wants. I’ve had people bring in their own recipes, as well, or describe a dish their grandma used to make, and I’ll whip it up.

“I think what sets us apart from other places like us is that we cater to each individual customer. There is no set menu. Each order is unique to that specific person. I have customers who are allergic to mushrooms, can’t eat chicken, those who do not like onions and so on, and we will make individual servings just for them. I love the challenge of trying new things so bring on the requests.”

Bruner says it’s those customers, both returning and new, who inspire her cooking, because she loves making people happy with her food.
“It’s so rewarding for me to see the smiles on people’s faces when they eat my food,” she said. “… Cooking is such a lost art, and it brings me great pleasure to help bring it back to life. The creative gene is strong in my family, and this is my way of expressing myself. If I get challenged with an obstacle I’m not familiar with, I’ll set my mind to it and make it happen. Teaching and cooking help me awaken long lost traditions and show people how to make new traditions with their families to pass on for generations. Food can trigger memories the same way music does, and the learning never ends.”

Passing the torch to her own children, 22-year-old Riley and 17-year-old Miley is something that’s important to the Biscuits & Grace owner, as is teaching others in the community to love cooking as much as she does.

“Over the years, I’ve taught several different cooking classes for adults and children, such as cookie decorating classes and charcuterie classes. I’m not a professional cookie decorator by (any) means; I’m learning right alongside them, just sharing my knowledge and experience. The classes are usually themed around each month’s holiday or special events. January is Super Bowl, February is Valentine’s Day, March is St. Patrick’s Day and so on. I’ve taught classes for Black River Technical College, as well, on canning and sourdough bread.

“This summer we are looking forward to a Kid’s Cooking Camp. Kids always have a blast at the store learning new skills and playing with their food. Cooking teaches so many skills not everyone has the chance to learn at home in the kitchen such as how to do research, organizing skills, multi-tasking, planning, comparing prices, reading, math – oh the math – percentages and fractions were always my downfall, and now I do them every day. Kids learn the difference in teaspoons and tablespoons, how to measure liquids and dry ingredients properly and kitchen and food safety.”

As the business continues to grow, Bruner needed more help. Following her mom’s stroke, Judy Guthrie, a former catering client, joined Biscuits & Grace as Bruner’s right-hand woman, followed by Breanna Whitaker, who keeps the storefront going.

Upcoming events include a Mother’s Day Cookie Decorating Class on May 6 and a Mother’s Day Charcuterie Class on May 8, both at Judd Hill Farmers’ Market.

Biscuits & Grace, located at 2704 Phillips Drive, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information or to place an order, call (870) 761-1779, visit biscuitsandgracellc.com or find the business on Facebook.