The first thing you notice when you walk into Pappy’s Cookin’ in Flatwoods, Kentucky, is the tremendous warmth you feel. But that warmth doesn’t just come from the kitchen. It radiates from every inch of the place — from the friendly welcome to the generous portions of comfort food on the plates.

“When you walk in the door, we want you to feel like family,” said Carl Wellman who owns the restaurant with his wife Denice. “We want you to get comfortable and enjoy a good meal with us.” The Wellmans, who have been married for 17 years, opened Pappy’s in the Hamor Village Shopping Center in October 2017. Pappy was Carl’s father who passed away two years ago. “Denice called him Pappy,” Carl said. “Dad and I always loved cooking in the kitchen together, so she said what better name than Pappy’s Cookin’.”

The menu is filled with down-home cooking favorites like baked steak, open faced roast beef, and soup beans and cornbread. Breakfast patrons can enjoy classics like the Pappy Platter, which features two eggs, breakfast meat, a choice of bread and a choice of potatoes. “If your grandma fixed it, we probably do too,” Denice Wellman said.

Some of the meals are family favorites, but the Wellmans have also enhanced some of their recipes to appeal to a broader range of both adults and kids. But Carl Wellman said they all have othe same ingredient. “It’s the love we put in our recipes that makes Pappy’s special,” he said. 

The restaurant has many regular customers, but new customers come in the doors daily. “We’re down-home people who love to make new friends every day,” he said. “Our customers come first, and we’ll do our level best to make everybody happy.” “We have a good breakfast crowd, a good lunch crowd and a rockin’ dinner crowd,” Denice Wellman said.

Pappy’s also regularly welcomes customers into its party room which is available to book for private functions and can accommodate up to 40 people. Church and community groups also use the room.

“Flatwoods has been so good to us,” Carl Wellman said. “It’s a great community to own a business in and a great community to be involved in.”

A key ingredient to Pappy’s success is its staff, many of whom have been with the restaurant for years. “They’re our extended family and we treat them that way,” Denice Wellman said.  “Without our staff, we can’t do anything,” Carl Wellman said. “We work with each other.  Everybody tries their very best and there’s nothing more that you can ask for.”

Pappy’s offers takeout and online ordering, but most customers prefer to dine in and experience all that warmth for themselves. “We have had fun every day for the past seven years,” Denice Wellman said. “You can’t pass up eating at Pappy’s Cookin’.”

Pappy’s Cookin’ is located at 2135 Argillite Rd., Suite L, in Flatwoods. Online ordering is available at pappyscookin.com. Customers can also visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/PappysCookin.