Fusion food: the blending of two regions’ or cultures’ culinary styles into one menu.
Chef Robert St. John could give another meaning to the term fusion chef… outside of the kitchen, that is. A self-proclaimed “chef, author, restaurateur, and world-class eater,” St. John’s accomplishments surely are a blend of distinctive and diverse talents.
The Hattiesburg, Miss., native has been the executive chef, president and CEO of the Purple Parrot Café, The Crescent City Grill and the Mahogany Bar in Hattiesburg and Meridian, Miss., for the last 20 years. Like many Southerners, he has a deep appreciation for good food and his Mississippi roots, and has been lucky enough to make a career out of those passions.
Restaurateur and chef are just two of the many hats that St. John wears. The chef actually gained national acclaim outside of the kitchen, sitting at his home computer. You might say it was almost by accident that St. John became a nationally acclaimed author.
“Most of the things in my life happened by accident. I am just an accident waiting to happen most of the time,” laughs St. John.
His writing career began in 1999, when, while writing “really bad” food columns for the local newspaper, he penned an essay in about 15 minutes about the South.
The editors pieced the column together, emailed it out, and almost over night he was receiving national attention for what is now known as the My South essay—and like that, by accident, he was a writer.
“Within a few days, I had over 800 emails,” he said. Although he says he certainly did not expect the essay to become such a sensation, he acknowledges, “I am glad it touched a chord with people.”
Inspired by an awkward dinner conversation over whether the South has fine dining restaurants and blended with St. John’s personal agenda of changing the national opinion of the South, his My South essay described the intrinsic qualities that make the South unique. He soon discovered that this was a sentiment shared by many.
“We are proud of where we are from,” St. John reflects. “I guess there are a lot of people who feel like that about the South.”
“Sometimes we think it just might be a better idea not to let the secret out.”
It was not long before the email landed in the hands of the advertising agency that represented the Turner South TV network. Turner South purchased the exclusive rights to the essay and began to use it in a new branding and image campaign that quickly filled the TV screens and mailboxes of millions.
A year later, St. John wrote and published the book, My South: A People, a Place, a World all Its Own. Now, St. John is not only a world-class chef, but also a blogger, weekly columnist and the author of eight books.
“I wrote a lot early in life, and I’ve always looked for creative outlets,” he says.
In his writing his fusion continues, combining forces with other creative Southerners to create books that are not only culinary, but also visually delightful. For his first book, he partnered with artist Wyatt Waters to create a masterful cookbook filled with beautiful images by the painter, creating a magical collaboration entitled The Southern Palate. As with most things in his life, the partnership with Waters was accidental. “A customer at the restaurant was trying to convince me to write a cookbook, and I had a whole list of reason why I couldn’t,” he said. This persistent customer brought a publisher in to the restaurant and introduced the two, saying “tell us about your cookbook.” St. John says at that point he said that if he did a book, he would want it to be a coffee table book with paintings by Waters.
“I think Wyatt kind of sees the South as I do.” St. John said. The two formed an instant friendship, and have recently worked together again on a second book that will be released in October entitled Southern Seasons.
The first book, which was ultimately published by St. John himself (another accident, he says) sold out within three weeks. “I think this is a better book.” St. John says of the new book, which is about 100 pages longer than the first and has twice the artwork.
Adding to his literary accomplishments, St. John is now regarded as one of the nation’s only food humor columnists in the country, having been called a “Jeff Foxworthy-style chef with an opinion on all things culinary”
Having been recognized in Time Magazine, on National Public Radio, the Travel Channel, the Turner South network and the Food Network, it is no surprise that St. John continues to combine creativity with his love of food.
This year he has filmed pilots for a new TV show, Eating The South, an on-the-road program that focuses not only on Southern food, but also Southern personalities and quirks of our unique and wonderful culture.
“It is something I have kind of been playing with in the back of my mind for a long time,” he says about doing television; however, this family man did not want to film in a studio in New York or L.A., leaving his family for long periods of time.
“I’ll eat three meals in a city, town or locale while showcasing the distinctive aspects of the area – the serious, the quirky and the seriously quirky,” he says.
“One thing is certain—if a television program focuses on Southern food, culture and personalities, it will never run out of material.”
With all of his projects and accomplishments he certainly is concerned about his home, his South. St. John has served as the Chairman and President of the Mississippi Restaurant Association, and currently serves on the Mississippi Arts Commission, The Mississippi Museum of Art and is on the National Chef’s Council for the Chefs Humanity Organization.
In response, it seems that his home has recognized the self-taught cook, as well, with the honor of being voted the state’s top chef by Mississippi Magazine in 2006, which only added to the many awards his restaurants have won. And Southerners will soon be able to taste his craft as his own line of prepared food, aptly named My South Foods, has just been launched.
While some people maintain that the world is their oyster, it’s clear that for St. John, the South will do just fine.
