Weekly Column

The Gift of Work, the Blessing of People

(A Life I Didn’t Plan, But Am Grateful to Live) PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Two full days off. That’s a rarity over…

Friendship

PETROGNANO, Italy — Something unexpected happened over the course of the last 13 years. A quiet village in the Tuscan…

Rolling Fork is Truly Rising

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Since 2017, over 1,350 people have traveled with me on more than 55 trips to seven European countries…

Onward

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY—I wear a cap most days with a single word stitched across the front. “Onward.” A guest of mine…

No Sign, No Menu, Just Home

No one signs up for a European tour expecting to have lunch in a stranger’s home in a village so…

The Romance of a Pig Farm

SEVILLE— No one expects to use the word romantic when talking about a pig farm. But standing in the soft…

A Father’s Reflection on a Wedding Weekend

There are only a few moments in life when time slows down enough to let you take it all in.For…

The Weight of a Wedding

Life tends to deliver milestones in clusters, never spreading them out at a leisurely pace, but stacking them up all…

End of an Era: The Last Chapter of Coney Island Café

Some people judge towns by their population. Others point to school systems, parks, water and air quality, or thriving local…

The Wedding

These days, emotions are running high. One minute, I’m in my truck thinking about our restaurants or the travel business,…

Ribeyes, Foxes, with a Side of Zebras

In the 1990s, I was at a statewide board meeting for the Mississippi Restaurant Association, and during a discussion about…

My Kind of Town: RSJ’s Chicago Favorites

CHICAGO— This city has been a part of my life for the past thirty-five years. It’s a city that holds…

S’mores Are a Sticky Lie

Last week, a polar vortex blew through the region and New Orleans got eight inches of snow. I think that’s…

The Weight of Weather and a Wedding

A bitter cold has settled into the Pine Belt of Mississippi this week, and it’s the kind of chill that…

A King Cake Conversion

Most of my life, I wasn’t a fan of Mardi Gras king cakes. Even during the decades when I consumed…

Holy Smokes: Discovering Barbecue Heaven at Sacred Ground

For most of my early life, barbecue wasn’t much of a staple. Not because I didn’t like it—far from it—but…

RSJ’s Most Memorable Meals of 2024

For the past 25 years, my final column of the year has always been a list of the top 10…

Parental Pride

Pride is a complex emotion. Sitting in the audience, watching my son walk across the stage to receive his bachelor’s…

Team and Leadership

Last night, my leadership team gathered for our 37th annual Christmas dinner—a tradition I cherish. It’s a moment to pause,…

Success Starts with Failure

My success today is rooted in the failures of my past. Failure can be a necessary ingredient for success, and…

Thanksgiving in the Kitchen

Thanksgiving was different this year. The usual hum of our family traditions felt even richer, the air filled with the…

Mom part II

It’s a strange position to be asked to write an obituary for your mother. It was something I dreaded for…

No Place Like Home

HATTIESBURG, MISS— After seven weeks overseas, I’m finally home. My time in Italy was a whirlwind of hospitality, history, and…

The Yonderlust Spirit

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY—Bringing people together has become one of life’s greatest joys, and that’s exactly what these RSJ Yonderlust Tours are…

Exposure

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY—Yesterday, I took my guests to a local friend’s sheep farm just down the road from our villa. It’s…

The Hospitality Gene

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Last night I was sitting at the long dinner table in our Tuscan villa. Fourteen of my American…

Gratitude and Candor

At 63, I’m still a work in progress. If you'd asked me at 30, I’d have told you I’d have…

Mom

My first clear memory of her is not a happy one. It’s when she came into my brother’s bedroom and…

Sicily 2024

Palermo, Sicily— Travel has a way of opening the world, peeling back the layers of the familiar, and revealing the…

A Silver Anniversary of Sorts

There’s something comforting about a Saturday night in a Mississippi catfish house. The smell of catfish frying, and the familiar…

Mississippi You’re on My Mind

“Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder It's true that there’s no place like home, and…

The End of an Era

"A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence." — James N. Watkins The…

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…

Labor Day at the Lake: A Family Affair

My iPhone read 8 a.m. when I woke up this morning. For anyone who knows me, that’s quite the feat.…

Florida 2024

WATERCOLOR, FL— August. The end of summer. It’s that time of year. Since our first child was born, 27 years…

Core Values

This year has been the year for core values around here. One would think that New South Restaurant Group, a…

Breadlike Dreams

Young boys dream. In my early years, while friends fantasized about being astronauts, soldiers, and firemen. I wanted to be…

Ice & Tweezers

My initial exposure to a fine dining restaurant was Galatoire’s in New Orleans. I was probably five or six when…

Jubilee 2024!

When I was a kid, there always seemed to be chaos surrounding the scramble to get ready for Sunday School.…

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,…

A wide view of the Mahogany Bar Patio with feet propped on the fire pit ledge.

To the Morning

One of the more unique and unusual pleasures of my life is sitting in the stillness of one of our…

A photo collage of family photos over the years.

Location, Location, Location

The older I become the more I appreciate crossroads in life. All of us reach different crossroads at various times…

RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2024

NEW ORLEANS— In a poll of national food critics I believe New Orleans would be listed among the top three…

The Bear Truths

The third season of the Hulu original program, “The Bear” will air this week. If you’re unfamiliar with the series,…

Father’s Day 2024

By the time this column is published Father’s Day will be several days in the rearview mirror. That may be…

For the Love of Fish

This month kicked off my 44th year in the restaurant business. The first seven years were spent working for other…

Big Apple Birthdays

BROOKLYN— Growing up I had relatives in New York. My maternal grandmother and grandfather lived here for 10 years or…

Simply the Best

For the 26-plus years this column has been in existence I have typed over 1,000 words a week, every week,…

My Kind Of Town

CHICAGO— No one would ever accuse me of being a creature of habit. Other than my morning breakfast routine, I…

My Top 25 Cookbooks

The view from my desk is inspirational. I’ve been in the same office for 27 years. There are no windows,…

Travel Connections

QUEENS, NEW YORK— After 62 years, and millions of miles logged, I have learned that travel is about one thing—…

A True Magical Mystery Tour

LIVERPOOL— I am midway through a 10-day tour of England and Scotland with a group of 26 Americans. All have…

RSJ’s Advice to Upcoming Graduates 2024

My advice to upcoming graduates: You are a few years away from beginning your professional life, but you are only…

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On

Music has been a constant companion throughout my life. It has accompanied me in times of joy and sorrow and…

Pizza Ground Zero

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Naples is the birthplace of pizza. It’s an ancient and historic seaside city that can be a little…

EAT LOCAL

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, ITALY— As a kid almost every restaurant in my hometown was independently owned and local. Granted, there weren't too…

Birthplace

PETROGNANO, ITALY— It’s true that there’s no place like home, and I deeply and dearly love my hometown of Hattiesburg…

Oh, Jesse Where Art Thou? — A True Tight Spot

VALENCIA, SPAIN— It was a tight spot. Not in the figurative sense in which one is faced with a challenging…

Spanish Breakdown

MADRID— The motto of the Boy Scouts of America is to be prepared. That’s all well and good, except I…

Burgers I Have Known

There are long stretches in my life when I dedicated all my culinary focus, research, development, and meals to fine…

The Best Job Ever

There are many emotions associated with parenthood. Joy and amusement come to mind immediately. The early responsibilities of parenting can…

Nobody’s Poet

In the late 1990s I was asked by my local newspaper to write a weekly food column. I politely declined…

Bad Food

It took me 60 years to start eating like an adult. I am 62 so I’ve only been eating responsibly…

Ed’s

Since 1999 I have written every week in this space, a thousand words a week, never missing a week. That’s…

I Love This Business

In the 1985 Ron Howard movie, “Cocoon,” a group of senior citizens from a retirement home break into an abandoned…

Fried Shrimp

The late great Ella Brennan, long-time matriarch of the New Orleans restaurant scene as head of the Brennan clan— and…

Cakes Fit For A King

It’s king cake season. Those four words don’t carry a lot of weight across 90% of this country. Though in…

Good Morning, Hattiesburg

A few weeks ago, an interviewer asked, “Give me a typical day in the life of Robert St. John.” I…

Next Up in New Orleans

I have often wondered what it must have been like to have attended the Beatles first live performance as a…

Robert’s Top 10 of 2023

For the 25 years I have written in this space I have always reserved the final column inches of the…

The Currency of Christmas

Everyone has a favorite holiday. Many of my friends are partial to Halloween. They have fond memories of trick-or-treating through…

Not Your Typical, Everyday, Run-Of-The-Mill Christmas Message

Let’s talk about failures. The holiday season may seem like a peculiar time to air personal disappointments but stick with…

Cousin Jim

They buried my cousin last week. He was sent to his reward with full military honors in one of the…

Mississippians Feeding Mississippians

It is said that Texans have an unparalleled pride for their state. My wife grew up there and my father-in-law…

It Takes a Village (or at least a dedicated team)

There are a lot of factors that go into the process of writing, testing, re-testing, editing, photographing, re-editing, styling, re-re-editing,…

All In the Family

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— It could be said— and probably has often been said— that I am a slow learner. It took…

From A Hot Dog Cart

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE— This week will mark the final week of my most recent work stint in Italy. I host tours in…

When In Rome (mostly)

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— One of the travel codes I abide by is the when-in-Rome-do-as-the-Romans-do dining philosophy. No matter where I am…

Tuscan Son

BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— I first came to this part of the world in 2011 on a three-week stopover with my wife…

It’s All Lessons All the Time

It’s funny how at different ages I have assumed I had life completely figured out. When I was 19 no…

Breakfasts Abroad

PALAERMO, SICILY— Ten weeks out of each year I work over here leading tours of Americans through European countries. It’s…

It’s Good Work If You Can Get It

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth…

An Engagement to Remember

This past weekend was a memorable one for our family. Our 26-year old daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend.…

Wonderland

Everyone has a personal wonderland. When my brother visits a hardware store, a garden center, or a tackle shop he…

The Blue Crab Invasion of 2023

Featured image: "Crabs" by Wyatt Waters, from our book A Southern Palate One of the most frequent questions I am…

RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2023

NEW ORLEANS— In a poll of national food critics I believe New Orleans would be listed among the top three…

My Latest Addiction

Let's talk about addiction. I know what you’re thinking. Ol’ St. John is about to ramp up all that recovery…

If These Walls Could Speak

“If these old walls could speak Of things that they remember well, Stories and faces dearly held” – Jimmy Webb…

How Tuna Came to the Panhandle

WATERCOLOR, FLORIDA— Once a year I bring my wife, our kids, and their friends to the Panhandle of Florida to…

Potatoes, Peas, Popcorn, and Pancakes (but not all at once)

A few weeks ago, I wrote that 2023 will go down as the summer of watermelon. I mentioned how I…

Ten Things I’ve Learned Opening a Bakery

I am opening a bakery today. Opening any style of restaurant is one of the most stressful activities one will…

A Good Foot Forward

Last week I read an online article about feet. I can’t remember where I read it, or from which website…

Watermelon 2023

Cartoon by Marshall Ramsey If I were to make a list of my favorite fruits, it would be extensive. Peaches…

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

“The best things in life come from patience.” – Author Unknown As a kid I grew up across the street…

Happy Birthday, America

If I were asked to rank the holidays my family and I celebrate, Christmas would go down as an easy…

Mississippi

Texans are often recognized for the pride that they have in their home state. I get that. Not because I…

A Former Fruit Cart at A Century

Some people judge towns by their population. Others judge them by amenities such as parks and playgrounds. Many consider school…

It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got To Chew It

“No one trusts a skinny chef.” In my business— if you posess the body style I walk around with every…

Friends On the Level and Restaurants Off the Track

Everyone has “that” friend. He or she is the friend that doesn't sugarcoat his or her comments. It's a straight-talking…

Small Town Guy

“I cannot forget from where it is that I come from Cannot forget the people who love me Well, I…

Windy City Rendezvous

CHICAGO— I have been coming to this city almost every May for the past 35 years. This time of year…

TO THE MISSISSIPPI GRADUATES OF 2023

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver It’s graduation…

A Bridge Not Too Far At All

YPRES, BELGIUM— Friendships in the 21st Century carry a different dynamic. A constant connection throughout the World Wide Web has…

The Curious Case of a Sliding Door Monopoly Game

AMSTERDAM— A sliding door moment is a seemingly inconsequential action that alters the trajectory of future events. I am sitting…

Pondering Chips

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Things are different over here. It’s not just the language. Spaces are smaller. Roads are tighter. Bathrooms are…

An Easter to Remember

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Most of my early childhood memories come from Christmas and Easter. If I let my memory go back…

Perfect Simplicity

Sometimes the simplest things give me the most satisfaction. That probably seems like an obvious statement to most. I have…

A Lifetime Love Affair

TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— My love of bakeries goes back as far as my episodic memory will allow. The earliest bakery recollection…

Porcine Paradise

SEVILLE— Travel is situational. I could almost end this column with that first sentence. That sums up everything I am…

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling in Spain

MADRID—Irish pubs have always intrigued me. The attraction doesn’t come from the typical things one expects from a pub. I’m…

Seasons in Mississippi

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to…

Endure

Cartoon credit: Marshall Ramsey It’s February in the Pine Belt of South Mississippi. It’s 82 degrees outside, the azaleas…

Easy Bake Memories

The year was 1968. It was my 7th Christmas. Also, the first Christmas after my father died. The only thing…

Neck Deep In King Cake Development

It looks like 2023 will go down as the year of the king cake— at least in my book. I…

An Unbalanced Force in the Foothills

BLACKBERRY FARM— A portion of Newton’s Law of Motion states, “An object in motion remains in motion at a constant…

A Golden Opportunity

To be successful in the restaurant business it takes total commitment and sacrifice. It's a brutal way to earn a…

It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got to Chew It

“A party without cake is just a meeting” –Julia Child It started as a whim. It ended as a quest.…

Breakfast, Routines, and Bacon

Many of the business books I am familiar with go into great detail about how successful people commit to a…

Restaurant People

It is my belief that some people are born with their life’s mission already implanted deep in their DNA. Just…

Local Hopes

NEW ORLEANS— The practice of making New Year’s resolutions is something that has never interested me. I guess I have…

RSJ Top 10 Meals 2022

For the 22 years I have written in this space, I have always reserved the final column inches of the…

RSJ’s Top 10 Christmas Movies

Nothing quite matches the energy and excitement one experiences as a kid during the Christmas Eves of his or her…

My Top 20 Christmas Songs

Music has always been a huge part of my life. It surprises me that— in the 23 years I have…

Pass the Crackers (and the butter, and the slaw, and the comeback), Please

Appetizers are often the most interesting part of a restaurant menu. I could live in the appetizer section, alone, and…

My Favorite Season

It has been said that the four seasons in Mississippi are— almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. I have…

Home Is Where the Realized Nouns Are

L. Frank Baum nailed it when he penned the line, “There’s no place like home,” in his novel about the…

Restaurantsick

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my travel guests who was talking about being homesick…

RSJ’s Tuscan Top Ten

Barberino-Tavarnelle, Tuscany— For the past 11 years I have spent considerable time in this region. Specifically in the two towns…

Home Away From Home

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, ITALY— Is it possible that one can fall in love with a town? I love my hometown of Hattiesburg,…

Sometimes I Feel Like a Magpie

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A few months after my wife and I started dating, she wanted me to meet her grandmother. We…

It Takes A Village (or at least a couple of Dutch People and several Italians)

BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— There’s a big difference between a tour host and a tour guide. A tour guide goes through rigorous…

All Roads Lead to Rome, They Really Do

ROME— If 2022 had a personal theme created specifically for me, it would be decorated in the green, white, and…

The 32nd Anniversary of My 29th Birthday

Yesterday I entered my 62nd year on the planet. The thing about turning 61 years old is that I thought…

Another Blessing

This morning I read a Business News Daily article that listed the most stressful jobs in America. Enlisted military personnel…

A Different Kind of Welcome

NEW YORK— I first came to the city sometime in the mid-1960s. My grandparents lived here. My father had recently…

In Search of Voice

For the majority of the 23 years, I have written this weekly column, the primary focus has been on food…

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday Morning

For the past 23 years, I have written a 1,000-word column every Monday morning. Always early in the morning. I…

In Honor of Mississippians

“To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.” – William Faulkner “Work hard and be kind…

The Best Job, Ever

If I carried a business card, there would be a lot of job titles listed on it— restaurateur, author, producer,…

Enter Enzo

Forty years ago, I worked my first shift in a restaurant. It was almost the first hour, of the first…

RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2022

NEW ORLEANS— This city is, unquestionably, one of the top five restaurant cities in America. I would imagine that if…

Support Your Local Catfish House

We are a nation of regional dining concepts and local dishes. Chicago has deep-dish pizza parlors. New Orleans has po-boy…

The Restaurant Family Takes a Vacation

Last week I spent seven days in the Florida Panhandle on “vacation.” I used the word “vacation” because that is…

Vacation Food

It's always interesting to me how we enjoy some foods only during certain times of the year or on certain…

Welcome to America, My Dutch Friend

There is something deep inside of me that enjoys hosting people. It borderlines a compulsion or obsession. I've been that…

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Last Friday I wrapped up a photo shoot for my new cookbook, “Mississippi Mornings.” It's a book I've wanted to…

Harry’s Homecoming

I am a fan of first lines in books. But I also like the last lines in movies. In the…

Peaches

Peach season is here. Peaches are my favorite fruit. Period. End of story. Strawberries, bananas, grapes, and blackberries fall into…

A Blunt Request

Everyone needs at least one friend who is frank and to the point. Someone who speaks their mind no matter…

Mississippi Mornings, The Photo Shoot Begins

Over the course of the past 20 years, I have written 11 books. Four were collaborations with my friend and…

The Great Bakery Expedition of 2022

Some men dream of playing the back nine at Pebble Beach. Others dream of bagging that big buck or landing…

Chicago 2022

CHICAGO— I first came to this city over 30 years ago. I fell in love with Chicago instantly. There was…

Bowling, Movies, and the Restaurant Biz

“What's it like owning a bowling alley?” That's a question I am asked a lot these days. To be honest,…

To the Mississippi Graduates of 2022

It’s graduation season. This year’s high school seniors have experienced an extremely uncharacteristic high school career filled with Zoom classes,…

Home Again

It’s great to be home. I have spent the last two months overseas. First in Spain leading a group of…

Arrivederci

TAVARNELLE VAL D’PESA, TUSCANY— A little over six weeks ago I boarded a flight for Spain to spend 10 days…

Finito!

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A little over five weeks ago I boarded a plane to Spain. I was arriving two days before…

Tuscany Top Ten

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— There are several places I have considered my second home over the years. In my youth I spent…

The A Team in Italy

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— It all starts with a lady named Annagloria. In 2009 I started planning a long trip that would…

Harrison In Florence

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— For the good part of the past decade I have hosted groups of American travelers— mostly Southerners— in…

Nine Days of Spain in 1,182 Words

SEVILLE— Nine days into this Spanish deep-dive, I find myself sitting in the front jump seat of a tour bus…

Yonderlust: Spain Week One

MADRID— I spent the final month of 2011 in Spain. I was nearing the end of a six-month sojourn with…

Feline

For the past couple of months, we have hosted a special guest in our home. Feline Been is the daughter…

Sweet Roll Swan Song

December is considered the month for giving in these parts, but something is going on in February. Last week I…

The Notebook

It doesn't take much to make me happy these days. My wife might argue with that statement, but it’s true.…

The Great Pot Roast Cookoff of 2022

So, there’s this thing called a “Mississippi Pot Roast.” I’ve seen it pop up on my social media over the…

King Cake Bread Pudding

I really don’t know when it started, or who came up with the idea. It could have been me. Or…

The Class Reunion

For the 22-plus years I have written this weekly column I have focused mainly on food and travel. Occasionally I…

Recipe Inspiration

Recipe inspiration comes from many places. In the early days of our first restaurant, I ended up in the kitchen…

It’s Good Work If You Can Get a Hobby

My 45-year working career has been varied and full. The first official paying job I held (after three years of…

Breakfast for Supper

When I was a child there were several absolutes growing up in my mother’s home. There were the obvious good-manner…

Eat Local

NEW ORLEANS— Every day of my life I wear a small button on my shirt, jacket, or vest— sometimes all…

RSJ’s Top 10 for 2021

For the past 20-plus years, my final column in December is always a list of the top dining experiences I…

The Wish Book

As a child I started thinking about what I wanted for Christmas around the Fourth of July. I reached a…

Radio Days

My neighbors a few doors down started decorating their yard for Christmas a couple of decades ago. At first it…

Wake-Up Call at A Gift Shop

It is book season. For many people, that’s the time of year when summer paperbacks are released, or the holiday…

Walter Anderson, A Free Man

There are three constants that have been ever-present in my life from day one— food, music, and art. For the…

All About the Mouse

ORLANDO— I have had a long history with this city. In the summer of 1972, when I was 10 years…

On the Road Again

ORLANDO— Sometime in the next few weeks I’ll be opening a new restaurant, bar, and tiki bar in the Fondren…

Legends and Icons

The chances of being in the presence of genuine, iconic, living, breathing, legends are few and far between, if ever…

30 Minutes in the Grocery Store And A Lifetime of Poor Food Choices

Last week I was walking around a New Orleans grocery store with my daughter helping her re-stock her apartment, which…

Thanksgiving Turkeys and Extra Table

Thanksgiving is my favorite non-religious holiday. It's not even close. I guess it's been that way as long as I…

World-Class Views

PETROGNANO-SEMIFONTE, ITALY— Customers judge restaurants by many criteria. I once read a survey in which a majority of the people…

It’s A Tough Job But Somebody’s Got To Chew It

PETROGNANO-SEMIFONTE, TUSCANY— The first tour I ever led was seven years ago. My friend, Andy Wiest, a history professor and…

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