Featured 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…
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King Cake
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…
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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…
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RSJ's New Orleans Favorites
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…
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RSJ’s Top 10 New Orleans Breakfasts
The following is the first in a summer-column series that will cover dining in New Orleans. Over the next four…
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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.…
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Recent Columns
Friendship
PETROGNANO, Italy — Something unexpected happened over the course of the last 13 years. A quiet village in the Tuscan…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Wedding
These days, emotions are running high. One minute, I’m in my truck thinking about our restaurants or the travel business,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Parental Pride
Pride is a complex emotion. Sitting in the audience, watching my son walk across the stage to receive his bachelor’s…
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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,…
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Success Starts with Failure
My success today is rooted in the failures of my past. Failure can be a necessary ingredient for success, and…
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Thanksgiving in the Kitchen
Thanksgiving was different this year. The usual hum of our family traditions felt even richer, the air filled with the…
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Mom part II
It’s a strange position to be asked to write an obituary for your mother. It was something I dreaded for…
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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…
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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…
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The Hospitality Gene
PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— Last night I was sitting at the long dinner table in our Tuscan villa. Fourteen of my American…
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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…
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