Cobb County

At a food mart in Mableton, Powerball and barbecue go hand in hand

COBB COUNTY, Ga — Inside Heby’s Shell and Food Mart in Mableton, in the back of the store, chef Shombe Jones serves up barbecue with all the fixings.

“I’ve been here nine years now. Every day, I get a new customer. Every day,” chef Shombe said.

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The chef says there are two reasons: People love his food, and they’d love to get rich.

“Here it comes! Here it comes,” the store’s owner exclaimed as Powerball tickets popped out of the machine. On Friday, the Powerball jackpot soared all the way to $825 million, one of the largest lottery jackpots ever.

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“I have to get the quick picks. I have to,” lottery player John Davis said. Davis bought more tickets, as did Jeff Linn. “It’s worth an extra couple of bucks. I (bought) three extra tickets,” Linn said.

While some folks did not get any tickets, most did, and most picked up a few more than usual. Chef Shombe says this is a place where it all seems to come together. “This is a blessed place, a blessed spot. (We are) always busy. The lottery is always going, and the food is always going,” the chef said.

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