There is a place in McComb that can put out more casseroles than church potlucks or even grandma’s house.
And for those who can’t get enough of the meal-in-a-dish, it’s a magical place.
Just a short walk west of the downtown fire station on Minnesota Avenue stands The Fig Tree.
Don’t be fooled by the knick-knacks and other gifts displayed up front at The Fig Tree. The meat of the business is in the back, where owner Susan Armstrong has been cooking up casseroles for customers since 2003.
During the day, an apron-clad Armstrong and cook Lora Jackson prepare one of their many casserole varieties like Tuna Noodle, Shrimp and Tasso, Poppyseed Chicken and the customer favorite, Crawfish Pasta.
“She makes so many really good ones,” Fig Tree casserole fan Marjane Gillis said.
After the casseroles are prepared and packaged, the bulk of Armstrong’s dishes head straight for the display freezer because this is primarily a take ’n’ bake operation. Once home, customers just need to plop the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes to an hour, and presto — homemade goodness.
Armstrong calls it true comfort food. They’re the kind of casseroles people would make if they had time — provided they had Armstrong’s 25 years of casserole-making experience.
“That’s the appeal because it’s just like what you have at home,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong started The Fig Tree with the idea of offering casseroles.
“I knew from Day 1 I wanted to make casseroles,” she said.
The rest of the business, which includes specialty cakes and catering, evolved later.
Armstrong said she has always made casseroles for her family and friends.
After more than 30 years peddling oxygen tanks to the aged and working other medical industry jobs, she sprouted the shop, which is her first commercial cooking operation.
“I really am a foodie,” she said.
She advertised and sent word of her casseroles through the grapevine, and people responded.
Armstrong said she has established herself as an alternative to the fried and greasy fare associated with take-out.
“You can only buy fast food so many times a week before you get sick of it,” she said.
The casseroles are basically Armstrong’s home recipes, multiplied into larger batches. Some varieties took some tweaking to retain the same taste, and some didn’t make the grade.
“You’re selling this to the public. If they don’t like it, then they’re not going to come back,” Armstrong said, adding that the menu is often revised to keep up with her clients’ tastes.
Crawfish Pasta, however, will probably never leave the menu — simply because it helps pay the bills.
“That has always been the No. 1 seller,” Armstrong said.
She checks the freezer daily to see which varieties need replenishing, and usually it’s the Crawfish Pasta.
Armstrong or Jackson start with a celery, green pepper and onion base for just about every variety of casserole. Then they take the ingredients, which are already cooked and prepared, and piece them together.
Over the years, she’s figured out short cuts to streamline the process, like buying in bulk. Buying arm loads of regular-sized cream of chicken soup cans was starting to get tedious, she said.
Armstrong and her chief delivery driver Francis Varnado said the casserole idea caught on pretty quickly because there’s a big market in home cooking made convenient.
Her sales vary from day to day. On brisker days, Armstrong might sell 10 to 15 casseroles.
Armstrong says nowadays families are always on the go and rarely have the time that’s required for such an effort. But with her service all people have to do is drop by or phone in for delivery. She can even deliver it hot for a nominal fee.
Although Armstrong removes any unsold casseroles from the store’s freezer after two weeks, they can keep in a customer’s freezer up to six months.
They’re children-tested too. Most kids dig into the Fiesta Chicken and lasagna selections, Armstrong said.
Gillis, who buys Fig Tree casseroles at least once a week, says the meals come in handy whether she’s preparing for large crowds or small gatherings.
Casseroles are popular because they’re a reminder of family reunion food or days when food was prepared creatively with what was available, Armstrong said.
Armstrong said people also send their congratulations or condolences with her casseroles.
“We live in the South where if there’s an illness, a death or even a new baby, people want to send food,” she said.
Gillis says she commonly uses Fig Tree casseroles as thank-you gifts.
“I’ve helped her build her client list, I think,” Gillis said with a chuckle.
A good bit of her business also comes from bringing casserole lunches to businesses and other folks at work. Luncheons at the McComb School District are often filled with the smells of Armstrong’s casseroles.
“From the appearance of them you’re really like ‘I wanna taste them.’ Then once you taste them the taste is just as great as the appearance,” said Margaret Lewis, McComb Schools assistant community relations director, who often recommends The Fig Tree as a caterer for meetings.
Prices are generally $9 for a small, which feeds up to four, and $18 for a large, which can feed six.
Armstrong’s casseroles are more expensive than frozen brands sold in supermarkets, but she says that’s what happens when only fresh ingredients are used.
“That’s the difference. It tastes home-cooked,” said Monique Gilmore of McComb Schools.
