Mississippi Offers a Chef Education in Soul Food
By Sonja Albrecht
Catfish, BBQ ribs, collard greens???yes, you’re in Mississippi, heart of the deep South. You’ll find plenty of soul food here—and plenty of star chefs serious about putting the soul (food) back into fine dining.
Mississippi’s culinary school education basks in the influence of some of America’s most innovative chefs. The Food Network’s Cat Cora, acclaimed chef and author Robert St. John, and Bill Latham are a few of the chefs establishing Mississippi on the culinary map.
Mississippians take their food seriously. You can sense this epicurean zeal in Mississippi’s culinary schools and fine restaurants, which offer innovative updates of old classics. You’ll encounter Cajun barbeque ribs that fall off the bone—but don’t be surprised if they arrive with a cane syrup vinaigrette or yucca soup.
A Mississippi chef education goes beyond your culinary school’s classroom. The Southern Food Alliance, established by Mississippi food writer John T. Edge, runs an oral history project to “celebrate the diverse food cultures of the American South.” Its tours through the Mississippi Delta include a thorough chef education in local specialties like the hot tamale.
Of course, there’s more to Mississippi than a world-class culinary school chef education. The state’s rich heritage is evident in its antebellum mansions, Civil War sites and landmarks, and civil rights museums. The arts are central to Mississippi’s culture. Blues was born here, and the legacy of B.B. King and Muddy Waters lives on in a thriving music scene.
By pursuing a chef education in Mississippi, you’ll be continuing the state’s proud tradition of culinary excellence and artistic innovation.
Sources
Away.com
John M. Bailey, Fine Dining Mississippi-Style (Starr-Toof, 1999)
Mississippi State
The Official Mississippi Travel & Tourism Guide