July 24, 2025
Manager Debbie Button Keeps Umatilla’s Mason Jar Cooking for Over 30 Years
By Kyle Coppola
Manager Debbie Button Keeps Umatilla’s Mason Jar Cooking for Over 30 Years
If you’ve stopped by The Mason Jar in Umatilla for breakfast any time over the past three decades, there’s a good chance Debbie Button was there to greet you or serve you one of the best southern style breakfast’s you have ever had in your life.
Debbie is the general manager of The Mason Jar. She has been a cornerstone of the restaurant and the community for more than 30 years. Known for her energy, dedication and unbeatable breakfast skills, she’s as much a part of the place as the pancakes she serves.
(One thing has been constant the past 30 years in Umatilla and it’s been Debbie Button in the kitchen of The Mason Jar.)
From eggs and sandwiches to southern-style stacks of comfort food, Debbie runs the kitchen and front of house with a kind of ease only experience, and heart, can provide. Her team describes her as “fearless” and full of love for both her staff and the guests who come through the door.
“She runs circles around the rest of us and still finds time to root for her Seminoles,” staff said in a recent tribute online. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without her.”
(Southern food done right. The Mason Jar serves up some of the best food you can get.)
There’s even a local tradition among regulars. Bring Debbie a mini bottle of Fireball, and your order might just make it to the front of the line, no promises, of course.
The Mason Jar is one of the most popular breakfast restaurants in Lake County. They’ve been serving up hometown southern favorites for decades and continue to under new ownership. One thing is for sure, when you go to The Mason Jar, you will not leave hungry. From the famous biscuits and gravy, to the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and many other southern favorites, my mouth is watering just thinking about this place.
(The gravy is famous at the mason jar and is some of the best Southern Style gravy you can get.)
As The Mason Jar continues to serve up hearty breakfasts and hometown hospitality, Debbie remains its driving force in the kitchen. Next time you stop in, be sure to thank her and maybe offer a high five, if she’s not too busy flipping eggs. So what are you waiting for? Go try this place!
(I mean just look at this place… Southern charm doesn’t even begin to describe it. You simply have to experience it yourself.)
(Biscuits and Gravy that will leave you asking for more.)
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
