“Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder It’s true that there’s no place like home, and I deeply and dearly love my hometown of Hattiesburg and my home state of Mississippi. I could live other places, but I never will. My family’s taproots are deep rooted in the loblollys of SouthContinue reading “Mississippi You’re on My Mind”
Category Archives: Weekly Column
The End of an Era
“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — James N. Watkins The restaurant business, and all its aspects— positive, negative, challenging, rewarding, complicated, and simple— is my life. I love what I do. Other than my faith, family, and friends, restaurants have brought the most joy toContinue reading “The End of an Era”
Michelin Dreams and BBQ Realities
My 23-year-old son is starstruck. It’s not Hollywood celebrities that have his attention these days—it’s the stars awarded by Michelin for restaurant excellence. For over a century, the Michelin Guide has been handing out its coveted stars, a system that was started to sell tires but quickly became the world’s highest culinary honor. My son,Continue reading “Michelin Dreams and BBQ Realities”
Florida 2024
WATERCOLOR, FL— August. The end of summer. It’s that time of year. Since our first child was born, 27 years ago, we have travelled to the Florida Panhandle to spend a week at the beach. Actually, only part of the family spends time on the actual beach. I catch up on work, handle pressing issuesContinue reading “Florida 2024”
Core Values
This year has been the year for core values around here. One would think that New South Restaurant Group, a business that has been opening and operating restaurant and bar concepts for the past 37 years, would always have been an organization that eats, sleeps, and breathes, core values. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.Continue reading “Core Values”
Breadlike Dreams
Young boys dream. In my early years, while friends fantasized about being astronauts, soldiers, and firemen. I wanted to be Darren Stevens on the television show, Bewitched. The prospect of being married to a beautiful witch who could conjure up Benjamin Franklin in the middle of her living room with a twinkle of her noseContinue reading “Breadlike Dreams”
Ice & Tweezers
My initial exposure to a fine dining restaurant was Galatoire’s in New Orleans. I was probably five or six when I first dined there. My mother took my brother and me to New Orleans every year in December. We went to the Maison Blanche department store, visited Mr. Bingle, had our photo taken with Santa,Continue reading “Ice & Tweezers”
Jubilee 2024!
When I was a kid, there always seemed to be chaos surrounding the scramble to get ready for Sunday School. It’s hard to recall exactly what created the disorder, but I remember always having a hard time finding my “Sunday shoes.” One would think that an item of clothing worn once a week would haveContinue reading “Jubilee 2024!”
Breakfast By the Bay
SAN FRANCISCO— Whenever I’m in a new city, I always go to the front desk of the hotel and ask, “Where is the best independent breakfast joint?” I tell them, “I want to go to the place where the old men sit around a table every morning talking about sports and politics.” It never fails,Continue reading “Breakfast By the Bay”