Tiffany Keller

Tiffany Keller, a wife and mother of three wonderful children, is gearing up for her first season as the owner and operator of the Homewood Grill in Newton. While this is more than exciting news, on this early May day when we chat, Keller is understandably a bit nervous. Like all who take risks, she cares deeply about the success of the business, the happiness and drive of her workers, and the satisfaction of every patron in her community. Keller is going through a lot of preparation to ensure that the Homewood Grill is a success. She’s helping train 32 employees and starting from the ground up to see to it that the Homewood Grill flourishes and shines. Newton and all of Jasper County couldn’t be more thrilled and proud of this entrepreneur and her venture into a thriving (and delicious) business.

To be clear, while this location is affiliated with the Homewood Grill in Effingham, Tiffany will be more than running the show here in Newton, a town and community she loves and cares deeply for. This place is home, home to her family and to the eager and cheerful customers who will no doubt enter and support her new business. The Homewood Grill will be a fun window (literally and figuratively) into the souls and taste buds of the entire town and region. There will also be great items on the menu. At the time of this publication’s release in early August, we suspect many readers will have already sampled their favorite traditional treats and more.

From ice cream to burgers and other treats, the Homewood Grill will have more than enough to go around, offering something for everyone. When asked about her memories of growing up and of experiencing the high school days many of her new team members have recently experienced, Keller remarks in a cheerful and clear voice, “I loved being close, hanging out with my high school friends. I actually loved high school. I would go back in a heartbeat. We had such a good group of friends.” While it’s often considered fashionable to critique one’s small-town roots, or to pretend we’re only fully developed if we have disdain or an icy distance from our youth, Tiffany Keller sees right through all of that. After all, what would make her (or anyone else) serve their communities and return to them if truly beautiful memories had not been forged over time, particularly when young? To listen to familiar songs, to see and recall older faces, to be nostalgic for goodness’s sake, to benefit the people and places around us—there’s nothing cooler than that. Tiffany Keller is opening the Homewood Grill not just for profit or personal success, but for the love of Newton, for the love of home and the memories she will always have of this place. We think that’s pretty great.

When asked about what a successful season would look like, Tiffany gives a short summary of that ever-fleeting idea of what success might be: “I think if we’ve brought something to the community that has thrived and succeeded, and we’ve put smiles on some faces.” It doesn’t need to be hammered home, but note her emphasis on community and the smiles of other folks. That’s service, and that’s real. Her kids are proud of her, and moreover, they’ll be involved with the Homewood Grill, helping, working, and taking an interest as it thrives. There’s Madison, a freshman; her son, Grant, in seventh grade at Limitless Day Program; and Alex, who attends St. Thomas as a fifth grader. Friends, family, and people in the community and beyond will all help the Grill be what it needs to be. After all, there’s nothing like good food (and delicious ice cream) to bring people together again and again.

While Tiffany Keller’s natural fear is real (she’s training over 30 people and readying for the first season), she’s also excited to get going with this enterprise. The Homewood Grill will have an outdoor area for playing bags, other games, and socializing during the accommodating weather. Reflecting on our own pasts, we might get a glimpse into what the Homewood Grill will be like when it’s full of souls ready to eat and hang out, to talk and listen, to forge bonds over all of it, and to secure families and friendships as time goes on. Keller is surprised herself about what’s happening and about what could happen.

We asked her what she’d say to her younger self, some words of advice she might give—a pep talk that would hold true for herself and perhaps everyone around. “Never limit yourself. I would never, in a million years, think we’d own a Homewood Grill or any business. So just be confident. Believe in yourself.” It’s that mix of thinking about tomorrow and also believing in yourself that could just be the key to making it all work. We worry and plan, but if we didn’t believe in ourselves or anything bigger, we’d never get to that place that even needed worry or planning. It would be a static life, idle and somewhat empty. Tiffany Keller straddles those two spaces, and after taking her own advice to heart, after worrying and planning, she’s going to see to it that the Homewood Grill is more than a name and place. It will be a home for her, her family, and for Newton and beyond.

Come October, when the season ends, when the hustle and bustle subside, we know that Tiffany Keller, her team, and everyone touched by the new spot in town will be talking. They’ll be talking about the Homewood Grill and the memories they’ve already made there, and the memories yet to be made. All the worry and preparation will have been more than worth it. And those smiles Keller hopes to see? There will be plenty of those, too.