by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop M ix equal parts small-town charm with from-scratch flavor, and you're cooking from the same book of recipes as Rich and Joy Porter. If the bright red sign of the Home Town Diner in Hermitage doesn't catch your eye, the smell of Joy's fresh-baked bread, dinner rolls and burger buns certainly will. Taking cues from classic American diner menus of the 1940s and '50s, the Porters - Rich, Joy, their four children and daughter-in-law - take pride in the restaurant's oldfashioned favorites served in a nostalgic setting. Rich and Joy have plenty of experience in the comfort food department. The broadcast journalism students-turnedconcessionaires earned their culinary stripes working fairs and festivals and catering company picnics. After moving from Illinois to Missouri in 2019, the couple searched for a permanent location and found it in the former home of Jack and Virginia's, as the restaurant was previously known. Left: Joy and Rich Porter focus on making as much of the Home Town Diner menu as they can from scratch. Right: The Pecan Waffle comes loaded with toasted pecans and maple pecan butter. Below: The breakfast go-to for hungry diners is the Mountaineer Skillet.