Category Archives: Uncategorized

CHICAGO— I first came to this city over 30 years ago. I fell in love with Chicago instantly. There was something about a big city, combined with a Midwestern sensibility, that appealed to me on several levels. It didn’t hurt that, at the time, the city was becoming a major player in the national restaurantContinue reading “Chicago 2022”

“What’s it like owning a bowling alley?” That’s a question I am asked a lot these days. To be honest, it’s a question I never thought I would be asked. When I got into the restaurant business over 40 years ago, all I wanted was to open one restaurant. That’s it. Just one. I wantedContinue reading “Bowling, Movies, and the Restaurant Biz”

It’s graduation season. This year’s high school seniors have experienced an extremely uncharacteristic high school career filled with Zoom classes, masks, and mandates. But this once-in-100-years craziness appears to be over. We are, once again, hosting graduation ceremonies with caps, gowns, cords, and commencement addresses. When my two children went to college, I wrote eachContinue reading “To the Mississippi Graduates of 2022”

It’s great to be home. I have spent the last two months overseas. First in Spain leading a group of 25 enthusiastic Americans from the top to the bottom of that country while filming an upcoming television show. Then I spent a month or so in Tuscany leading tours for three weeks, and with aContinue reading “Home Again”

TAVARNELLE VAL D’PESA, TUSCANY— A little over six weeks ago I boarded a flight for Spain to spend 10 days leading 25 people through that country. After a day off, I headed to Italy to lead three groups of 25 each through one of my favorite regions on the planet, Tuscany. Once the third groupContinue reading “Arrivederci”

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A little over five weeks ago I boarded a plane to Spain. I was arriving two days before 25 guests who hail from all over the American South. Most of them had traveled with me before. We were all heading over so I could lead them through that part of the world whileContinue reading “Finito!”

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— There are several places I have considered my second home over the years. In my youth I spent summers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and our fish camp always seemed like a second home. I have lived in Jackson, Mississippi several times. I have had— and currently have— businesses there. So Jackson certainlyContinue reading “Tuscany Top Ten”

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— It all starts with a lady named Annagloria. In 2009 I started planning a long trip that would take my family through 17 countries and 72 cities on two continents. We left the United States in August 2011, but a trip such as that takes a lot of planning. For the two yearsContinue reading “The A Team in Italy”

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— For the good part of the past decade I have hosted groups of American travelers— mostly Southerners— in this part of the world. I have always believed that Tuscany is a lot like the American South. It’s an agrarian society, but instead of soybeans and cotton they grow olives and grapes. The TuscansContinue reading “Harrison In Florence”