Twenty-two years ago, The Tomato Place was nothing more than one of four fruit and veggie stands run by Luke Hughes.

“I was here sorting tomatoes, when this guy comes up, takes a look at my tomatoes and asks if we could make him a sandwich. I made him a sandwich. Guess he must’ve really liked it,” Hughes says with a chuckle. “Because the very next day, he came back for another one. The rest, as they say, is history.”

And, so began The Tomato Place, located just south of a wicked curve on the blues highway — U.S. 61 South — in Vicksburg.

A sign in the business brings a smile to the faces of all who come: “Welcome Home! We are a slow food, smell the roses, hear the music, feel the atmosphere kind of place.”

So, there was never a need for a Robert Johnson-esque deal with the Devil for success. The great food, friendly atmosphere, Americana art and souvenirs have made the little roadside business a worldwide attraction.

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The Tomato Place, a Mississippi treasure

by Vickie King, Mississippi Today
June 28, 2022

<h1>The Tomato Place, a Mississippi treasure</h1> <p class="byline">by Vickie King, Mississippi Today <br />June 28, 2022</p> <p>Twenty-two years ago, The Tomato Place was nothing more than one of four fruit and veggie stands run by Luke Hughes.</p> <p>"I was here sorting tomatoes, when this guy comes up, takes a look at my tomatoes and asks if we could make him a sandwich. I made him a sandwich. Guess he must've really liked it," Hughes says with a chuckle. "Because the very&nbsp;next day, he came back for another one. The rest, as they say, is history."</p> <p>And, so began The Tomato Place, located just south of a wicked curve on the blues highway — U.S. 61 South — in Vicksburg.</p> <p>A sign in the business brings a smile to the faces of all who come: "Welcome Home! We are a slow food, smell the roses, hear the music, feel the&nbsp;atmosphere kind of place." </p> <p>So, there was never a need for a Robert Johnson-esque deal with the Devil for success. The&nbsp;great food, friendly atmosphere, Americana art and souvenirs have made the little roadside business a worldwide&nbsp;attraction.</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074865" data-id="1074865" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place1.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074864" data-id="1074864" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place2.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074863" data-id="1074863" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place3.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074862" data-id="1074862" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place4.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074861" data-id="1074861" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place5.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074860" data-id="1074860" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place6.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074859" data-id="1074859" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place7.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074858" data-id="1074858" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place8.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074857" data-id="1074857" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place9.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074856" data-id="1074856" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place10.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074855" data-id="1074855" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place11.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074854" data-id="1074854" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place12.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074853" data-id="1074853" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place13.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074852" data-id="1074852" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place14.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074851" data-id="1074851" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place15.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074850" data-id="1074850" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place16.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074849" data-id="1074849" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place17.jpg" /></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1074848" data-id="1074848" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Tomato-Place18.jpg" /></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org/2022/06/28/the-tomato-place-a-mississippi-treasure/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org">Mississippi Today</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MT_square-thumb.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" 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