A griot of Flagler County’s history: in memory of Hilda ‘Sister’ Hall

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

She was a beloved cook — known for her signature “Twisted Sisters Omelette” — until she retired in 2013, but Hilda “Sister” Hall also lived with the memories of a darker time in Flagler County history, when she had to sneak in the back door to work in the kitchen. Hall, a Bunnell resident, died from cancer on Thursday, Jan. 25. She was 80.

Hall started her culinary career at Malphurs Diner, eventually switching to State Street Diner; then she tried her hand at Len and Lou’s, now known as the Red Gator Café Co. Finally, she worked at the Chicken Pantry Restaurant, where the “Twisted Sisters Omelette,” can still be ordered.

“Sister was affectionately known by many of our customers,” said Maureen Pavlak, owner of the Chicken Pantry. “She was always able to keep up with me in the busy kitchen, working right by my side. Whenever a customer came in that she knew, she would go out to talk to them. She was always a bit of a ham.”

In 2002, Hall received an award as the “Best Cook in Flagler County.” “Thanks for all the good eating,” the award reads.

Hall was born in Bunnell, and, according to Pavlak, Hall could vividly recall the period of segregation.

In a documentary produced by Flagler Palm Coast High School TV Production students, teachers, community members and the African American Cultural Society, Hall shared her memories from the time of Flagler County’s segregation.

Mary Lou Cooper met Sister at the age of 24, and they became inseparable friends for life. The two shared many memories together working side-by-side at many of the local restaurants. Photo by Anastasia Pagello

“It was great out in the country, but when we moved to town it wasn’t so great,” Hall said in her interview for FPCTV, in 2013. “It was dangerous; you weren’t allowed in the town at night. The look that they gave you … well, that was enough. We knew what was going on.”

Until she died, Hall lived with her daughter, Annie Hizine, in Bunnell. “My mother was quite reserved about her experiences as a young women in a newly segregated county,” Hizine said.

Although Hall may be a part of one of the last generations in the United States to live through and remember the struggles of segregation, her memories are preserved in the documentary, “Project Griot: Memories of Segregation in Flagler County,” which can be viewed on YouTube at bit.ly/1JTQSYe.

Hall’s memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at St. Paul Baptist Church, in Bunnell.