Seasoned chef returns to native Fayetteville; serves Southern comfort food along the river
Sheldon China spent three decades in the food industry before returning to his hometown to open a restaurant of his own.
He and his wife, Joyce, opened Melvin’s at Riverside on Sept. 1 along the Cape Fear River east of downtown Fayetteville. The Person Street restaurant and bakery bills itself as serving "Southern comfort food," which is open for lunch and dinner, serving sandwiches, seafood, barbecue, and dessert. It is not affiliated with Melvin's Hamburgers & Hot Dogs in Elizabethtown.
The restaurant is named after China's uncle, and many of the menus reference other family members: his aunt Addie, his brother-in-law Ant, his mother Carolyn, and her wife, Bernice. Joyce said the current menu is inspired by the food their friends and family love.
“We’ve cooked a lot of these foods for our friends and family. They liked them so we thought, why not put them on the menu?” she said.
Joyce handles the sweet side of the menu, “Sweet P’s Desserts.” The childhood nickname is short for her middle name, Pecolia. Banana pudding is the house dessert. Strawberry, chocolate, carrot, and pound cake are served by the slice for $7.50 and whole cakes ordered ahead are $40.
Her husband said the restaurant has a more approachable price point than the restaurant previously housed in the 4,000-square-foot space, Chef Judy’s Riverside Seafood. The average price for an entree, drink, and dessert is about $25.
The house specialty is marinated and smoked ribs served with cornbread and a side for $18. Entrees start at $11.
Before the culinary veteran opened Melvin’s, he managed restaurants like Chili’s, Bahama Breeze, and Sweet Tomatoes around North Carolina and even worked as a private chef for the University of North Carolina football team.
The former Deep Creek Road resident said that after decades of running restaurants, he wanted to open a spot to serve food the community loves and to hold family and church gatherings.
“I’ve been successfully opening restaurants and wanted to give back to the community that I grew up in,” he said.
China and his staff of seven will cater lunches for Alpha Academy on Raeford Road starting next month and plan to do the same for other area charter schools, many of which do not have their own cafeterias. When food service vendor Preferred Meals went out of business this summer, he said, it left some charter schools in the lurch.
“It’s a good thing for the community and we’re helping feed kids,” he said.
The Chinas already have their sights set on their next venture. They plan to open Smoke and Lick, a casual barbecue spot on Ramsey Street or Skibo Road next year. They said the restaurant will serve smoked meat dishes that are finger-licking good.
In the meantime, Sheldon China said he is happy to enjoy the positive public reception of Melvin’s at Riverside.
“The proof is in the plate,” he said. “When everyone leaves, it's empty.”
The details
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.
Location: 1130 Person St.
Phone: 910-339-3059
On the web: facebook.com/MelvinsRiverside
Food, dining, and business reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Melvin's at Riverside opens in former event space in East Fayetteville
