It’s hard to stay humble when you’re a seventh-generation Sumter Countian serving the best grilled cheese in town, but Cheyenne Davies displays modesty with a southern breeze. 

As the proud owner of The Humble Native in Wildwood she’s curated a Florida-themed café and marketplace established with heritage and humility that melts your heart like the sandwiches melt in your mouth.

“When Sumter County was founded in 1853, my family settled Adamsville and my maiden name is Adams,” she says. “We’re deeply rooted here.”

Cheyenne spent a decade in the medical field before realizing she needed something more fulfilling. “I wanted something that would serve my family in a deeper way,” she says. 

She opened Humble-Potamus Children’s Boutique in June 2023, and less than a year later, The Humble Native was born.

“It’s about intention,” Cheyenne says. “It’s about family, community and love of my home state.”

Her family legacy is everywhere in the lovingly restored 1920s house. Florida pride surrounds you the second you walk through the door. The gift shop is lined with local hot sauces, locally made gifts like jewelry and candles next to shelves of quirky home goods. Pink flamingo wallpaper covers the back wall behind the Yoder’s Ice Cream, which is made in Sarasota.

“The food part wasn’t the original plan,” Cheyenne says. “We just wanted to scoop some ice cream to complement our kids’ boutique, but Tallahassee had other plans as there is a state law that requires a full restaurant license to do that.”

Instead of giving up, Cheyenne leaned in.

“We wanted something that tasted like comfort food, so I started with soup and salad and a panini press,” she says. “Then we went through the recipes and I doubled (or tripled) the cheese and it just worked.”

For me, the charm starts on the porch, where bright pink wooden chairs sit beside native Florida plants and a rack of locally sourced kids’ clothes. Just inside, we heard the unmistakable sound of a local bluebird tapping frantically at the back window.

“I need to order a blow-up owl or that poor thing is going to peck himself silly,” Cheyenne laughed. Welcome to Florida.

Aside from bird duty, Cheyenne was poised to cook, and with help from her family, she designed a menu of Florida-inspired melts that read like gooey love letters.

Our chief photographer Nicole and I chose three styles of sandwich: The Cracker Cuban, The Florida Roadkill and the Don’t NY My FL, with a side of their trademark tomato soup.

The Cracker Cuban is a Florida twist on the classic, using shredded, smoked pork instead of the usual pressed loin, and layered with pickle, Black Forest ham and their signature mustard sauce. It all comes together in your mouth instead of falling apart down your chin like most Cubans do.

Don’t NY My FL is Cheyenne’s favorite and a playful nod to transplants, with pepperoni, pesto, bruschetta and mozzarella in a pizza melt that screams Italian-American.

The star by far—and soon to have its own billboard on Highway 301—is the wildly popular “Florida Roadkill.” It’s got roasted turkey, bacon crumbles and sharp cheddar cheese, already enough to satisfy any grilled cheese groupie. But then she adds local orange marmalade on golden sourdough to lend a combination of salty, sweet and just the right amount of sticky.

“It’s worth the pain,” Cheyenne says, showing me where the hot jam singed her finger as it oozed out of the press.

Other standouts include It’s Not the Heat, with candied jalapeños, cream cheese, bacon and cheddar. Highfalutin gets fancy with goat cheese, pepper jelly and bacon. Oh Look, Cows brings brisket, provolone, Swiss, horseradish and pickled onions. Sassy Snowbird mixes shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch and cheddar.

Sunshine State stacks American, cheddar and provolone for the purists. Smoke Show comes loaded with smoked pork, blackberry BBQ sauce, fried onions and cheddar. There’s also the Southern Belle with pimento cheese, tomato and bacon, and the Tree Hugger for plant-based diners with dairy-free cheese and bruschetta.

There are also kid-friendly grilled cheeses, “char-kid-erie” boxes and gluten-free or keto bread options. You can sip on crafted lattes, dirty sodas or try a seasonal soup flight on cooler days. There are a multitude of Yoder’s ice cream flavors like Gator Trail, Key Lime Pie and Siesta Sea Turtle and I was very grateful for my lactose tolerance.

As I left, still licking the marmalade off my fingers, I said something to Nicole I never thought I would. “I can’t wait for another mouthful of Florida Roadkill.” She agreed, and since it’s already on my commute, I’m plotting my return. 

Photos: Nicole Hamel