Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me Pembroke, GA

Jerry Benitez stared out the window of his food truck, waiting for someone to place an order. Picho’s Taco Truck was open for business.

Months of planning went into his menu and logo, but there were no customers in sight. “I thought about throwing in the towel at that point,” said Benitez.

Little did he know his taco truck would be the catalyst for two restaurants in the future.

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On Tuesday, Benitez opened for Picho’s in Pembroke, a sit-down restaurant featuring Mexican cuisine. The community had been anxiously awaiting the opening, showing support on social media and thanking Benitez for choosing their tiny town to set up his new eatery.

It is the second restaurant opening for the 35-year-old after opening his first location in Claxton in 2017. “The community has been amazing,” said Benitez. “They have been pumping me up and cheering me on.”

Bryan County resident Karen Shuman said the restaurant is a welcome addition and a good change from their usual southern cuisine.

“We don’t have many choices here,” said Shuman. “We need more options, so this is nice. I think they are going to do well here.”

It took a while before he found his footing in the food industry. Now, Benitez can look back at those weeks where business was dry and say it was all worth it.

‘Don’t give up’

Benitez grew up in Claxton and Statesboro, and his journey to entrepreneurship started in his early days where he manned the kitchen, creating entrees for his family and friends. Impressed by his combination of seasonings and savory bites, they encouraged him to take his talent a step further.

“I started cooking for my friends and other people’s events,” said Benitez. “Sometimes they would ask me, hey man did you cook this? And I would tell them absolutely I did. People kept asking me to help them with their food needs. It all started through word of mouth.”

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He decided to start out small and bought a food truck, which he operated two days a week in Claxton. But his business was not profitable early on.

Benitez counted his earnings at the end of each week and began wondering if he was cut out for the food industry. He was hanging on by a thread and picked up a part time job to make ends meet.

“If I made $100 in two days, that was a big deal,” said Benitez. “My dad told me I have to keep pushing, because if it were easy, everybody would be doing it. He told me don’t give up.”

Still, he would only see a handful of clients most days. But as the weeks went by, word of his taco truck began to spread. “We would have people wait over an hour to pick up some tacos,” said Benitez.

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“Some of them told me they would wait all day just to get some food. They kind of cheered me up even more and made me think something good was coming my way.”

Benitez said although he was grateful for the outpouring of support, it was nerve-racking going from little-to-no business to managing the influx of hungry customers.

“A lot of people started popping up at the taco truck,” said Benitez.

“It was a lot because we never experienced anything like that. We would get 5-10 people but after that, on Fridays, they were coming at us fast. It was stressful but then again, we were very blessed.”

‘Look at us now’

Benitez watched his father operate several businesses, including managing rental properties in Statesboro and the surrounding area. He was inspired by his father to go into business for himself but never imagined owning two restaurants.

“I knew I wanted to own something and do my own thing, but I didn’t think it would be this,” said Benitez. “This has been amazing.”

According to Benitez, rumors of restaurants coming to Pembroke had been a talking point amongst neighbors and community members for years, but nothing ever became of it. He saw it as a window of opportunity and felt confident business would be the same, if not more if he branched out to Pembroke.

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“My dad told me you have to keep pushing,” said Benitez. “All of my family encouraged me and they cheered me up. I'm here now because of them.”

His restaurant will feature traditional Mexican cuisine, such as tacos, quesadillas and chimichangas. As he reflects on his father’s career as a businessman, he strives to be an ally to the community in the same way.

“I always wanted to follow in his steps and that's exactly what I am doing now,” said Benitez. “He is a very successful person and I've always wanted to be just like him. He has always worked really hard for what he has and he told me if you work hard for what you want, you'll get it sooner or later. And here I am now.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI), the Community Partnerships arm of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, has awarded Pembroke’s Friends of Tos Theatre, Inc. a financial grant award totaling $25,000 to engage the consulting firm Sinclair Townes & Co to assist the local non-profit organization raise funds for the revitalization of the Tos Theatre.

“With FTI’s grant of $25,000, we can move forward with our capital campaign to revitalize the Tos Theatre,” said Elizabeth Norman, President of Friends of Tos Theatre, Inc.

“This funding enables us to hire fundraising professionals to guide us in raising the funds needed to re-open the Tos Theatre which will serve as a catalyst for the development and revitalization of our entire downtown area. We envision a bustling hub of culture, entertainment, and community engagement, and it’s all within reach,” Norman said.

Pembroke’s Tos Theater was built by S.G. Tos in 1938. It hosted movies until it closed in the 1970s and was a carpet warehouse in the 1980s and 1990s, according to city officials in a previous interview.

The FTI program has committed more than $2.7 million since launching in 2008, according to a press release. Marking its 15th anniversary, FTI aims to bolster both economic and cultural vitality in local communities, extending from Atlanta and beyond, through its 20232024 grant program.

“Now in our 15th year, FTI has had a tremendous opportunity to increase not only the preservation of historic theatres, but to see positive results for the ongoing economic and cultural impact created in their surrounding downtowns. We have many exciting plans for the next 15 years and look forward to continuing investing, but also expanding, the footprint of programs here at the Fox,” said Leigh Burns, director of the Fox Theatre Institute, in a press release.

FTI also manages various outreach initiatives such as “Fox in a Box,” a complimentary educational program for Georgia’s elementary schools; Georgia Presenters, a unique statewide talent booking network; and Preservation Grants, which offer exclusive funding options for historic theater preservation.

For more information about the Fox Theatre Institute, visit www. foxtheatre.org. To learn more about the upcoming renovated TOS Theatre in Pembroke, visit the Facebook page entitled “Pembroke TOS Theatre Revitalization’’.

About the Fox Theatre Institute

The Fox Theatre Institute (FTI) is a dynamic outreach program offering historic preservation expertise, consultation, and education to performing arts venues in Georgia and the region. Created by Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, an iconic attraction widely applauded for being a catalyst for positive change in the community, FTI pays it forward, helping other cultural institutions renew, reinvigorate, and restore artistic vitality in their backyards and beyond. Keeping environmental and economic impact top of mind, FTI offers the financial assistance, restoration support and operations mentoring needed to leverage scarce resources and stimulate local economies. Not only that, but it keeps the artistic pulse of beloved communities beating for decades to come.

Pembroke has a new eatery, with this one touting its authentic Korean cuisine.

Korean Food and Deli owner Pok Holbrook speaks passionately about how Korean food should taste. She said what sets her menu apart is that it is true to Korean culture. Her menu includes pork belly, seafood and spicy rice cakes and fried dumplings.

“It tastes different,” said Holbrook. “A lot of people, when they try my food, they know it’s authentic.”

At the restaurant's opening on Monday, Tracy Smith, who works for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, was the first customer of the day. When word of the restaurant began to spread around town, she kept her fingers crossed that it was not just another rumor.“I’ve heard everyone is so excited and we have not had something like this before I don’t believe,” said Smith. “I heard about it a couple weeks ago. I’m glad they are open.”

Holbrook moved to Orlando from South Korea in 1976.

“America is dreamland,” said Holbrook. “That is what we used to call it.”

After she arrived in the U.S., she realized it was a much harder to get established. She traveled throughout the country and did whatever she could to make a living, including cleaning hotels in Chicago.

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She lived in Atlanta and Macon before settling in Savannah, where she owned Korea Garden on Derenne Avenue, a popular hotspot for original Asian cuisine.

Holbrook credits much of her cooking skills to her church members who gave her the confidence to utilize her skillset in the kitchen.

“When I started going to a Korean church in 1986, I started cooking for them and they fell in love with my food,” said Holbrook. “I used to have a big garden and used all the fresh vegetables.”

Holbrook is collecting her seeds for the vegetable garden she plans to grow. Her collection includes cucumber and an array of leafy greens. She is anxiously awaiting spring so she can grow and pick the crops from her land instead of making the drive to Atlanta twice a week to get her produce.

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Aside from the positive feedback about the opening of her new restaurant, Holbrook said there is one other thing that was proof the meals she prepared were satisfying.

“When people are dancing while they are eating, you know the food is good.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

Tiffany Zeigler continued her family’s legacy of serving in city government when she was elected mayor of Pembroke Tuesday night. Although all results remain unofficial until certified, Zeigler defeated Sharroll Fanslau 381 to 107 to secure the seat.

Her grandfather, Harry Owens, served as mayor in the ‘70s. Her grandmother, Elvie Owens, also served on City Council and her dad Terry McCoy served on the Development Authority of Bryan County.

"I would like to give God the ultimate glory for seeing me through this election process," said Zeigler. "I also want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the citizens of Pembroke for placing their trust in me and granting me the opportunity to serve as their mayor. I am committed to fulfilling this responsibility with utmost dedication."

Zeigler has served on city council for 16 years and was mayor pro tem. She graduated from Bryan County High School and helps her mother run Owens Supply Company, a lumber business that has been in the family for three generations.

Zeigler’s passion for Pembroke comes from the townsfolk she has come to know and love and her father’s upbringing gives her even more perspective and motivation to help decrease the town’s poverty rate.

Voters like Karon Bacon told the Savannah Morning News in a previous interview that "she has the background and she has the relationship with the State of Georgia to help make Pembroke grow.”

Zeigler’s dad spent his childhood working on a farm in Bulloch County ― not because he wanted to but because he had no choice. He often would miss school as the family needed as many hands as possible to cultivate the land.

Her father's sacrifices are just one of the many reasons driving Zeigler to do more for her hometown – a railroad town established in 1905 and within a stone’s throw of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the biggest economic development in Georgia’s history.

Zeigler told the Savannah Morning News in a previous interview that her focal points will be affordable housing, revitalizing downtown and creating infrastructure to mitigate traffic congestion.

City Council Election Results for Bryan County

Pembroke

District 2

Sharon D. Lewis def. Karen Cook Lynn 64-53.

District 3

Diane H. Moore ran unopposed.

District 4

Rufus Ed Bacon def. C. Edward Winter 118-44.

At Large

Ernest D. Hamilton def. Jerry Gallisaw Sr. 310-181.

Richmond Hill

Post 3

Van Hunter def. Chris Raiford 451-438.

Post 4

Steve Scholar def. Rafael Redondo 626-262.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

Garrett Darsey and Chris Martin were recently promoted at First Bank of Coastal Georgia, a two-branch bank with locations in Pembroke and Richmond Hill, GA. Darsey was promoted to the position of President and CEO at First Bank of Coastal Georgia. Martin was promoted to Executive Vice President of the First Bank of Coastal Georgia.

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Darsey Promoted to President

Garrett Darsey, 29, was recently promoted to the position of President and CEO at First Bank of Coastal Georgia located in Pembroke, GA. With a second bank in Richmond Hill, GA, he will lead the two-branch bank.

Darsey, a member of the Southeast Bulloch High School class of 2013, is a 2018 graduate of Georgia Southern University where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After graduation, Doyce Mullis, Jr. hired him to be the bank’s Loan Processor. He was promoted to Assistant Vice President for Compliance and Administration in January 2021, and then Vice President in January 2023. Mullis and the board of directors promoted him to President in December 2023.

He completed the Community Bankers Association Consumer Lending School in 2019 and the Community Bankers Association Leadership Academy in 2020. He also holds a certification with Bloomberg Market Concepts.

He was a member of the Statesboro Bulloch Chamber of Commerce Leadership Bulloch class of 2023. He has also served as a member of the Finance Committee and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Pittman Park United Methodist Church in Statesboro, GA.

Martin Promoted to Executive Vice President

Chris Martin, 50, was recently promoted to Executive Vice President of the First Bank of Coastal Georgia, a two-branch bank with locations in Pembroke and Richmond Hill, GA.

Martin is a member of the Pinewood Christian Academy class of 1992. He earned his Diploma in Computer Information Systems from Ogeechee Technical College. He has training in current Federal Lending Regulations, and has completed Consumer and Commercial Lending Schools, and Advanced Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Officers School.

He began his tenure with First Bank of Coastal Georgia in 2012. He has served in the areas of Levy Operations, Information Technology, and Human Resources. In addition, he has served as the Automated Clearing House Manager and the BSA Officer. He also worked at South Georgia Bank in Customer Service and as a Loan Processor.

In addition to his banking experience, Martin has also served in the automotive industry in sales and leasing, and as a finance manager. Martin is a member of the National Vocational Technology Honor Society, enjoys football, and other outdoor activities.