Erika Council, owner of Bomb Biscuit Co., never wanted to go into the restaurant business. “I’m definitely a reluctant restaurant owner,” she laughs during a recent chat.
As the granddaughter of famed Southern cook, Mildred Council, she knew firsthand the hard work that went into making a successful restaurant. Affectionately known as Mama Dip, the elder Mrs. Council was a trailblazer, feeding generations of UNC-Chapel Hill students, locals and their families, and tourists. Her stick-to-your-ribs cooking was as famous as her dedication to civil rights.
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Erika grew up with Mama Dip’s. “I knew it was difficult and it was not what I was going to do.” But food was always part of her identity. “I’ve always done something with food, whether it was cooking in my dorm room or having people over for Sunday dinner.” When Council moved to Atlanta for her career as a software engineer at Salesforce, she turned to food to help develop her network of friends. Her Sunday dinners became legendary, with friends of friends angling for invitations. “My husband eventually said, ‘maybe do this somewhere else,’” she laughs.
She took her “hobby” elsewhere, organizing a pop-up with a local chef friend at his barbecue spot. One pop-up grew into more, until finally in 2017, she realized she made and sold 1,500 biscuits—in one day. Despite her success, she was determined to avoid going into the restaurant business, shifting to deliveries. When the popularity soared and she realized she made 160 deliveries in one day, she said to herself, “Ok, maybe I should give this a shot.”
She opened during Covid in a 350-square-foot stall in a food market. In just six months, she outgrew the space and moved to an 850-square-foot spot across the hall. If you’re wondering, yes, she did outgrow that space, too. “I can’t wrap my head around it,” says Council.
In September 2022, a vacant restaurant was available down the street from the market. She took the plunge, leaving her IT career behind for the biscuits that Atlanta can’t get enough of, and opened Bomb Biscuit Co. It’s been slightly more than one year since opening and Council still can’t believe her success. “The New York Times named us one of the best restaurants in America (“The 50 Restaurants We’re Most Excited About Right Now”) and there are so many people coming in. It’s just crazy.”
She hasn’t let success go to her head, though. Instead, she looks to the past, thanking her grandmother Mama Dip, and her maternal grandmother, Geraldine Dortch, who attended Columbia University for her masters as a Black female during segregation for blazing a trail. Their pictures are on the walls as a reminder of her roots. “I want Bomb Biscuit Co. to be a place for people to come. It feels family-oriented here and everyone has a story. I love to hear those stories.”
She also has plenty of gratitude for the people of her adopted hometown, Atlanta. “This community will show up for you,” she says. “Everything is because of the people here, if you vibe with the people, they’ll stick with you ‘til the end.”
But for Council, it’s only just the beginning. She’ll be up tomorrow at 4:00 AM making biscuits.
Hero image: Andrew Thomas Lee/Bomb Biscuit Co.
