Scott County: A great place to eat your fill

Scott Lambert grew up in his grandparents' cafe and is no stranger to the concept of "throwed rolls." He and his brother, Ben, have helped run Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri, since they were young boys. They went on to open two more locations since the original cafe's conception: one in Ozark, Missouri, in 1994, the other in Foley, Alabama, in 1996.

Davin Hays tosses a hot roll through the air at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

Scott attributes the success of the business to the faithful patrons who come to Lambert's for its home cooking, and the hardworking employees who keep the business running.

"We are so fortunate to have so many loyal customers. We keep our goal simple: We treat people how we would like to be treated. But we couldn't have done it without the help of our loyal employees. We have several managers and employees that have been with us between 20 and 30 years. ... We really don't like to call them employees; they are part of our family," Scott says.

Scott says Sikeston is special to his family because they were all born and raised there, and it's where their business began. One of his first memories of Lambert's was going to the store with his grandmother, Agnes, to buy groceries for the cafe. Now, he says, the groceries come in on tractor-trailers.

Scott's son, Scotty, also is involved in the business and works at the Sikeston location. "I couldn't be more proud to see him carry on the tradition," Scott adds. Scotty and his wife, Carolyn, gave the Lamberts their "fifth-generation roll thrower" with the birth of their son, Joseph Scott Lambert, on Jan. 31, 2014.

Davin Hays checks on customers before tossing hot rolls through the air at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, Missouri Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. (Glenn Landberg)