A Purveyor of All Things Good
For Owners Chris McDonald and Will Taylor, The Lady May Restaurant is an ODE to our Grandmothers–How she cooked, how she lived, and how every Sunday was like a holiday when you went over to eat.
How She Cooked: Clean. From Scratch. Sunday Brunch. For Family.
How She Loved: Sincerity with every action. A love that surpassed all.
How She Worked: Dedicated to great food. Infused with passion and soul.
How She Cared: Come one, come all. Authentic care for each family member.
The Lady May Story
Is there really anything better than going to grandma's house?
It all started at our Lady May Restaurant, where we cooked and rendered tallow just like our grandmothers did. As our market and online sales grew, we needed a partner who could uphold these traditional methods. We found the perfect match with a fifth-generation family of meatpackers. Their pasture-raised, sustainably processed beef was exactly what we were looking for, and they were more than happy to render it the old-fashioned way.
Did you know the flakiest pie crusts are made with tallow? There’s a reason your grandmother used tallow in everything from pie crusts and biscuits to fried chicken! Our tallow is a traditional, natural cooking fat that’s Keto, Paleo, and Whole30 friendly. Plus, all our products support nose-to-tail sustainability.
Our premium tallow is produced with care and dedication by a network of small, sustainable farms in the Southern United States. Each batch is crafted using the traditional wet rendering method, ensuring the highest quality and purity.
The Start of Lady May Tallow
At The Lady May, we take pride in using traditional cooking methods and ingredients that have been passed down through our families. One ingredient that has become a cornerstone of our menu is tallow. But how did we discover this versatile and flavorful fat?
It all started with our love for fried chicken. Growing up, no family gathering or special occasion was complete without a plate of crispy, golden fried chicken. And who could blame us? Fried chicken is the perfect complement to any meal.
We had our grandmothers' recipes for brine and batter, but we were missing one crucial ingredient: tallow. In the past, tallow was not readily available at grocery stores like it is today. Our grandmothers would make it themselves from beef fat after processing, and we soon learned that West Point, Mississippi (where Will's family is from) was once a major producer of beef tallow.
This discovery led us to delve deeper into the world of tallow and its many uses in cooking. We started using it not just for fried chicken, but for frying all kinds of dishes, from okra to macaroni and cheese. We even began experimenting with incorporating it into our baked goods for added flavor and texture.
But tallow's uses go beyond the kitchen and our Grandmothers had another turn they set us up for on the journey of exploring their way of living.
We had been rendering and cooking with tallow for years, offering it for sale at May's Market in front of our restaurant. But one memorable morning, an elderly regular customer requested us to “whip” some of our tallow for her to use as a skin application. Her request took us by surprise, we were a little shocked honestly but as a good restaurantaur does, the customer always gets what they want.
Imagine our astonishment when we brought her the jar of whipped tallow and she and her friends applied the whipped tallow on their hands and faces right there at the table! They were looked almost giddy over the whipped fluffy tallow. I about fell out. They were kind enough to share about the olden days when their Mothers would open a big jar of white whipped tallow and lather it on them for skin nourishment, burns or itch relief. That day, we sent 3 more jars of the whipped tallow to their table and embarked on a new journey that very night.
As we immersed ourselves in research on the skin-enhancing benefits of tallow, we were thrilled to find that it is renowned for its incredible skin-healing properties. Inspired by the knowledge and our regular customers' enthusiasm, we took the leap to create our own line of tallow-based moisturizers.
Starting from our humble market in front of our restaurant, we expanded our reach online, and the response took us by storm. The tallow moisturizer not only became an instant hit among our local customers but also resonated with consumers globally. We sold over 40,000 jars in the first year itself, earning over 10,000 five-star reviews.
It might have started as an unexpected request, but it has become a profound journey of discovering the untapped potential of tallow as a powerful moisturizer.
We also use tallow to make candles and soap, further showcasing its versatility. Who knew that one simple ingredient could have so many uses?
At The Lady May, cooking with tallow is not just about flavor or tradition, but also about honoring the resourcefulness and ingenuity of our grandmothers. It's a nod to the past while also looking towards the future and constantly finding new ways to incorporate this humble yet amazing ingredient into our dishes. So come join us at The Lady May and taste the difference that cooking with tallow makes!
