Page 149 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2023

doors open and close by themselves out of the blue and some- times the water spigot in the kitchen comes on for no reason. The Sycamore House opened its doors to diners in January
2003. Later that year, Michael decided it was time he and Stella tied the knot. “I planned a romantic proposal right out here on the patio. I had a ring, I got some wine and glasses, and I sat out there on the bench. I asked Stella to join me. I waited and waited, but she didn’t come out. I had to ask staff who were wrapping up an evening in the restaurant to tell her to come outside. I told her I wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together, presented the ring, and she promptly jumped
up and ran back into the house, saying, “I’ve got to go call my parents!”
Twenty years and two children later, Michael knows the answer to his question – they are in this life together, forever. “We are two parts of a whole,” he says. “We cook together every day, but we each have our own niches. We just fell into our spots. I do all the meat preparation and Stella does all the desserts. If we were to switch jobs, it would take twice as long to get your meal,” he says, chuckling.
For the family, both cook upstairs in their private quarters' galley kitchen but always have the option of coming down- stairs to their commercial one. And they have plenty of dining space when the guest list runs over!
The two share parenting duties with the same ease. Mimi and Alexander are 16 and 17 years old now and are import- ant parts of the family business. “We are very close to our children. As babies they napped in the kitchen while we were cooking and now, they help out any time we need them,” says Stella. “They have always known that we are right here and available to them. That’s been a great advantage of living over the restaurant.”
Like their parents, the teens are very artistic and enjoy pre- paring food and meeting people, but neither of them wants to follow their parents into the restaurant business. COVID was
particularly challenging for the family, remembers Stella. “The kids were key to us getting through the pandemic. They did whatever needed to be done. They waited tables and were in the kitchen. It was a hard time. We had to rethink everything because we didn’t want to put our family at risk. When you live here and work here, you are basically inviting people into your home every night.”
Grateful to return to some sort of normalcy, Stella and Michael are focused now on what they love to do, offering the Mississippi Coast unique flavors they have refined over time. “We are still inspired to introduce new tastes to our guests. We work on new recipes until they are just right. We bring in seasonal offerings through our nightly specials, but we know too that folks want to be able to find their favorites like Thai Curry and BBQ Shrimp and Grits on the menu every time they come to The Sycamore House.”
The family has just added a new screened-in porch off their private living area where they love to watch the world go by on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights when the restaurant is closed. They eat family dinner together there and look ahead to what is next. “It’s time for us to start thinking of letting the kids go,” Michael says. “Mimi just got her driver’s license, and they will both be moving on before we know it.” Until then, we look forward to seeing the whole family in the kitchen of one of our favorite spots on the coast.
Holly Harrison has been a licensed interior designer for over 35 years.
Shannon Stage has spent nearly
20 years in the giftware industry. Together they own Sassy Bird Interiors in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Sassy Bird Interiors
122 Court St., Bay St. Louis 228.344.3181 | www.sassybirdinteriors.com
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