<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Kkwi6_1D6l7NDk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Kkwi6_1D6l7NDk00" width="3840" height="777" >*Editor's Note* This and more can be seen in the Summer 2026 edition of TroyLife Magazine, available now. In the heart of Downtown Troy, one can find a variety of boutiques and restaurants, one of those being Flo’s Kitchen at 201 Love Street.Flo’s is run by Troy native Ziad Rollins and originally opened in 2011 on Academy Street with the help of his mother, Flora. In 2012, Flo’s moved to its Love Street location and has been there ever since.Rollins gave an overview of his background and how he ended up where he is today. “My mom had foster kids, so I was adopted, and she ended up keeping me here,” Rollins said.Rollins was born in Fulton County, Georgia and was in the care of Flora Rollins since he was a month old and was adopted by her at 5 years old.Rollins was also a student at Charles Henderson where he played football and participated in marching band before graduating in 2001.After graduating, Rollins spent some time studying at Troy University before moving on to work for Troy Cable’s Studio 52, where he worked on a variety of TV shows and video games. Rollins then devoted time working as a mortician apprentice at Grubbs Funeral home and also spent some time working at the Walmart distribution center before opening Flo’s.Flo’s is named after Rollins’ mother, Flora, who was originally from Birmingham. She was involved in the community through her work with Pike County Schools and church as an educator, social worker and guidance counselor.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1z7iRP_1D6l7NDk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1z7iRP_1D6l7NDk00" width="1920" height="1440" ><figcaption>Flo’s Kitchen has been a staple in Downtown Troy for years. Josh Boutwell</figcaption></figure>“She was a long-time educator, and she taught a lot of people that come to the restaurant and have come to the restaurant in the past,” Rollins said. “The Pike County School System, she worked there for years and after that she did foster work through the church until she wasn’t able to anymore.”Flora also got the chance to witness the early years of Flo’s before passing away in 2013.“She was here kind of greeting everybody and everything before she passed,” Rollins said.Rollins says reaching the peak in his last job is what drove him to start his own business.“We started barbecuing on the weekends and that did well,” Rollins said. Rollins also shared that he found a real passion for cooking through his work with Flo’s.“I cooked a little bit in high school,” Rollins said. “We had gatherings and barbecues and I would barbecue at the house for friends, so one day I had a line of people waiting, and I was like we might have something here.”Rollins also noted spending time in the kitchen with his mother.“She wasn’t actually training me, but I was spending time looking and tasting, and she would always tell me the recipe is in your tongue, not on a piece of paper,” Rollins said. “I kind of learned to identify flavors and stuff with her and have a balanced palate to be able to have good food and produce good food.”Rollins also shared what it means to him to be able to serve the Troy community.“I love it, and just to have longevity, just to get through the slow times, and we’re still blessed to be busy,” Rollins said. “Right now for us is usually dead, but we’ve been busy ever since school got out, so being able to develop a customer base where everyone actually supports past those dead spots through the year where everyone can have hours, get paid and eat.“It’s a blessing just to be able to grow up here and produce a product that everyone loves and has become a staple in the community.”Rollins also described what his business means to him.“It’s really all I got,” Rollins said. “I nurtured it up from a baby, and it’s developed into a beautiful thing, and it’s a reason to get up every day, a reason to be proud, a reason to be happy and thankful everyday.”Rollins also shared that his biggest achievement with Flo’s was winning Restaurant of the Year in 2017, as well as the overall longevity of the business. Alongside the positive, he also discussed how he overcomes hard times.“I tell a lot of people that Flo’s didn’t make it this far because we were just so successful,” Rollins said. “I had to adjust a lot of times, years where I had to live far below my means to get through difficult times.”In closing, Rollins shared some words on finding himself this far with Flo’s.“I didn’t think I’d be here right now with 15 years of business still in my hometown,” Rollins said.Rollins has worked his way up to Flo’s being a staple in the community, so he shared some words for the Troy community that helped him get there.“Thank you for 15 years,” Rollins said. “The ups and downs, the critics, the people that praised, I like it all. All of it has developed me to who I am now, so I’m just thankful for everybody's support.”</div></body>

Block Source: Troy Messenger

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

*Editor's Note* This and more can be seen in the Summer 2026 edition of TroyLife Magazine, available now. In the heart of Downtown Troy, one can find a variety of boutiques and restaurants, one of those being Flo’s Kitchen at 201 Love Street. Flo’s is run by Troy native...

Flo’s Kitchen: A staple of Downtown Troy

NewsBreak

*Editor's Note* This and more can be seen in the Summer 2026 edition of TroyLife Magazine, available now. In the heart of Downtown Troy, one can find a var

Flo’s Kitchen: A staple of Downtown Troy

Comments