Mama Lee's Soul Food, San Antonio

After two decades in the Air Force, technical sergeant Ken Lee traded his airplane wings for chicken wings and finally opened his own restaurant, boasting two locations. And in May 2012, Mama Lee's received a televised makeover from the Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible crew. No detail was neglected. Celebrity chef Robert Irvine and his team renovated the facility and the decor floor to ceiling, replaced individual pots and dishes, and hung frying-pan flowers on the walls. They also revived the menu, which still proudly showcases classic favorites such as fried chicken, catfish, and mac ‘n’ cheese, as well as homemade desserts, such as peach cobbler freshly picked from a cobbler tree.