Accent Dec My South

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dispatches from my south

10 QUESTIONS WITH ROBERT ST. JOHN TEXT BY ROBYN JACKSON

I

Hattiesburg restaurateur and chef Robert St. John has published his eighth book, a compilation of his syndicated newspaper columns, just in time for Christmas. “Dispatches From My South” also features his Top 40 recipes and 20 new ones. He will have signings on Dec. 3 at Sisters By Design in Brookhaven, and on Dec. 7 at Main Street Books in downtown Hattiesburg and Dec. 23 at Books a Million in Hattiesburg. St. John, who owns the Purple Parrot Cafe and Crescent City Diner, is also launching a nonprofit organization, Extra Table, that enables restaurants to contribute to food charities. If that wasn’t enough, he has his own gourmet food product line and is shopping a pilot for a TV show, “Eating the South,” to the networks.

1. W HO ’ S YOUR FAVORITE CELEBRITY CHEF ? If it’s a chef on television, I like Anthony Bourdain. He’s the real deal. I like Andrew Zimmern, too. I’ve done an episode of “Bizarre Foods” with him, and he is a very nice, charming, and humble man. John Besh is a good friend. I

admire his work. My favorite chef is probably Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, he’s in a class all by himself. 2. D O

YOU WATCH ANY OF THE COOK -

ING COMPETITION SHOWS , LIKE

“TOP

C HEF ” OR “I RON C HEF ”? W OULD YOU EVER COMPETE ON ONE OF THEM ? I like “Top Chef.” Watching “Iron Chef” makes me too nervous. I would love to judge one of those shows. I’d be a terrible contestant on that type of format. My cooking style and culinary interests are very limited. 3. W HAT ’ S

THE ONE INGREDIENT YOU

CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT AS A CHEF ?

Creole seasoning. 4. W HAT ’ S

THE ONE GADGET YOU CAN -

NOT LIVE WITHOUT ?

6. I S

At home, I love my cast iron skillet. Though, I probably use a six-inch omelet pan more often. 5. Y OU

JOT DOWN COLUMN IDEAS ON

EVERYTHING

would flesh it out in my mind, and then I would tell myself to remember the idea. I never remembered it. Two years later, something would trigger a memory and I would think of it again. It made me mad that I had forgotten it. That’s when I started taking notes. They’re everywhere. If I think of something that is worthy of fleshing out, I write it down. I have Mead Five Star 9-inch notebooks everywhere - in my car, by my bed, on my desk.

FROM

NAPKINS

TO

RECEIPTS , AND EVEN USE THE NOTES FUNCTION ON YOUR I P HONE .

A RE

YOU

ORGANIZED ?

My notes are scattered everywhere. Early on in my writing career, I would have an idea, I

WRITER ’ S BLOCK EVER A PROB -

LEM , OR DO YOU EVER HAVE TROUBLE COMING UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A COL UMN ?

I’m probably going to jinx myself here, but no. So far, that hasn’t been a problem, probably because I have so many notes lying around. So far, so good, 700 words a week, 52 weeks a year, for 10 years. I’ve never missed a week. 7. D O

YOU COOK FOR YOUR FAMILY OR

a cc e n t s o u t h m i s s i s s i p p i

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DO YOU LEAVE THAT TO YOUR WIFE ,

J ILL ? W HAT ’ S

YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE TO

COOK AT HOME ?

Jill cooks for the family, I cook for friends. Cioppino or Baked Shrimp and Squash (Both of which are in the new book). 8. You travel a lot and dine in some of America’s best restaurants. W HAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THESE DINING

EXPERIENCES

THAT

YOU

HAVE

BROUGHT BACK TO YOUR OWN RESTAU RANTS ?

Tons, too many to mention. I believe that it is vital to get out there and see what’s happening in the culinary world across the country. I have always been a firm believer in that concept. I bring a lot of ideas back here and we implement them in our restaurants. It’s the only way to stay fresh and on the cutting edge. I also send our chefs and managers out to restaurants all of the time, to dine and discover in cities all across the country, you just don’t hear from them because they don’t write about it. Though you do eat the results of their research and development when you visit the restaurants. 9. W HAT ’ S

THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL

RESTAURANT ?

Most of the textbooks will tell you: Location, location, location. That’s bunk. It’s: Management, management, management. No question. Good management can overcome a poor location, but poor

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management will close a good location. All of our restaurant’s daily successes are a result of management (not me, the managers) following through on our policies and goals. Conversely, when we drop the ball, it’s usually due to management not following through on our mission. I’m proud to say that our management team is the best in the state. We are hitting on all cylinders right now. Our success is 100 percent due to their hard work. 10. A RE

YOU EVER SURPRISED AT HOW

SUCCESSFUL

YOU

ARE ?

W HEN

YOU

and I thank God multiples times every day.

Muz’s Fudge Cake (Brownies) 4 squares Baker’s chocolate 2 sticks butter 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup nuts, chopped Pinch of salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter

STARTED OUT, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE

together in a double boiler. Once

DOING ALL THE THINGS YOU ’ RE DOING

incorporated, let cool slightly.

NOW ?

Cooled chocolate should still be

I don’t really think of myself as all that successful. I’m just a lucky guy who’s been in the right place a few times. Seriously, that’s not false modesty. There are hundreds of people who are more talented and dedicated, I just worked really hard early on, got a lot of help from friends and associates through the years, and got a few lucky breaks. No, I never imagined any of this. I just wanted to own my own restaurant, partly because I could wear whatever I wanted to work. I didn’t want to wear a tie everyday and I wanted to be my own boss. Other than a deep passion for restaurants and food, that’s about as far into it as my thought process took me. I am a very lucky and blessed guy, I try to never forget that,

liquid in form. Mix together the four eggs and gradually add the two cups of sugar until completely incorporated. Slowly pour the slightly warm chocolate mixture into the egg/sugar mixture, making sure not to scramble the eggs. Carefully incorporate the flour into the chocolate/egg mixture. Add vanilla, nuts, salt and mix. Line a pan with waxed paper or parchment. Pour in the chocolate mix. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let cool for five minutes. Carefully flip the fudge cake and finish cooling. Once cooled completely, remove waxed paper and cut into squares. Makes 12-14 brownies.