Author Archives: paul

In the 1990s, I was at a statewide board meeting for the Mississippi Restaurant Association, and during a discussion about tourism, I mentioned the Hattiesburg Zoo in my hometown. That got some laughs. “Hattiesburg has a zoo?” they scoffed. Some of them chuckled like I’d just suggested we start promoting Hattiesburg as the next greatContinue reading “Ribeyes, Foxes, with a Side of Zebras”

Last week, a polar vortex blew through the region and New Orleans got eight inches of snow. I think that’s a record. We had a couple of inches in Hattiesburg—just enough to shut everything down and turn the South into a snow day for grown-ups. The night before the freeze seemed like perfect weather forContinue reading “S’mores Are a Sticky Lie”

A bitter cold has settled into the Pine Belt of Mississippi this week, and it’s the kind of chill that makes you appreciate the sweltering days of August. Down here, cold weather feels like an event, something that calls for a hearty soup on the stove and extra layers by the backdoor. As the temperaturesContinue reading “The Weight of Weather and a Wedding”

Most of my life, I wasn’t a fan of Mardi Gras king cakes. Even during the decades when I consumed bucketsful of sugar—cereal straight out of the box, candy by the case—I still thought king cakes were over the top. Too sweet, too dry, too artificial. The filled ones I came across were like oversizedContinue reading “A King Cake Conversion”

For most of my early life, barbecue wasn’t much of a staple. Not because I didn’t like it—far from it—but because there simply weren’t a lot of barbecue options in Hattiesburg, Mississippi during the 1960s and 70s. There was a popular legacy restaurant called The Wagon Wheel, and it was beloved by locals, though manyContinue reading “Holy Smokes: Discovering Barbecue Heaven at Sacred Ground”

Pride is a complex emotion. Sitting in the audience, watching my son walk across the stage to receive his bachelor’s degree, I felt it surge in a way that caught me off guard. Pride isn’t always a good thing—too much can be toxic, too little can lead to defeatism. But pride in your children? That’sContinue reading “Parental Pride”

Last night, my leadership team gathered for our 37th annual Christmas dinner—a tradition I cherish. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and thank the incredible hard-working and dedicated people who make everything we do possible. This tradition brings together our leadership team, C-Suite, admin staff, and their significant others for an evening of barbecue ribsContinue reading “Team and Leadership”