Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1184232
J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 9 M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 101 Dubbed The Doobie Shop on Cherry (after Saranya's beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Doobie), Saranya's still in the process of figuring out what the space might hold and what to do with all those wigs. In the meantime, next time you're strolling down Cherry, look for the window with the cherry blossom- festooned colorful portrait of a cute pup's face. Look closer and you might be able to catch Sir Doobie reclined on a sheepskin chaise in the front window of his shop, in true diva fashion. To hear her tell it, Saranya's experience owning and operating a successful restaurant that has grown into an icon of longevity and excellence in our now-revitalized downtown has been easy, a piece of cake. She says it's like the place is on autopilot. But the thing about autopilot is that it's programmed by somebody; there's an expert involved to teach the machine how and why to navigate. That's what Saranya's life's work has been – occupying the perfect-for-her niche both in location and in cuisine, curating and maintaining loyal and skilled team members, crafting a menu that offers reliably delicious comfort food but doesn't shy away from innovation, and becoming a bright spot in the days of so many of the adoring customers who enter that calm little oasis. Saranya makes sure her customers are well-fed and well-loved; she keeps up with families, has ser ved noodle salad to children as they grow up, get married, and bring their own children in to eat. In a hyper- busy, corporate-restaurant-clogged environment, that kind of personal involvement is rare, and we're lucky Saranya chose us as the soil to anchor her sometimes-wild roots. "Macon has been so welcoming," Saranya says. "I left home when I was 17, so now I've lived here longer than I lived there. So, this is my home, and it feels like it's my home, too." Deason Art Travis Jean Emporium | Henry's of Bolingbroke Dina Deason dina.crownover@gmail.com • 478.737.8213 • Coming this fall! Full service branch 4040 Vineville Avenue 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 700 | Macon, Georgia 31201 478.803.9385 | www.centerstatebank.com PICTURED FROM TOP LEFT, CLOCKWISE: Retail Branch Manager, Brittany Beauchamp; Community President, Mark Stevens; Commercial Lender, Ellen Bunker; Commercial Lender, Robby Redmond; Mortgage Banker, Amy Gibson; Mortgage Banker, Barry Butcher.