Page 186 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2024

FINAL SAY
KENNY
WILLIAMS
Owning a restaurant on the Gulf Coast is a lot like playing in nature’s pantry, and now, that secret is out. The genie
is out of the bottle. The toothpaste is
out of the tube. People are starting to understand just how great the food is on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and we are quickly becoming a major culinary destination.
It’s a pretty simple recipe. We have
all the bounty offered from the Gulf. We have tons of great farms within 20 to 30 miles of the coastline. We have nuts and fruits of all kinds unique to the Coast. All of this allows us to create extraordinary, fanciful plays on food and drinks by subverting expectations and providing a unique experience in a wonderful community that’s unlike any other you’ll ever find. Anywhere.
Also, the Gulf Coast restaurant
chefs and owners are a big family who support one another, pull together, and want everyone to succeed. The familial nature is just part of being in Mississippi and what makes the Coast restaurants successful. I can go to any restaurant
on the Gulf Coast and know that I’m having an experience that is just as good as any experience I could have anywhere in the world.
I constantly tell people that if we
were welders, we’d all go have a beer together after work. I’m probably one of the oldest and one of the newest in the business, but I’ve definitely found a harmony, a family. Every time I have an opportunity to talk to Alex Perry, Austin
Sumrall, Will Taylor, or Chris Collier, I learn something new every single solitary time.
We want people from outside the area to know
all of this and if you stay
here for a vacation or a business trip you can eat at five different restaurants on five different nights and have five distinctly wonderful, unique experiences. You can also have cocktails at five totally different places and have a completely different experience and you can do
all of this while staying in amazing accommodations like the Hemingway or the White House Hotel.
Ocean Springs Restauranteur
186 | May 2024
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If you’re planning on
spending time on the Coast,
you can gamble, play golf,
come to Mosaics, head over
to the Lady May, or cruise
around the corner to the Half
Shell Oyster House. There
are just a million things to do here and we’re lucky to have a community of chefs, vendors, and farmers that all work together to create a unique culinary community for anyone and everyone.
The future is bright for the Gulf Coast restaurant community. With compassionate thoughtful growth, we can become a better version of the Florida Gulf Coast. I see a pro-growth environment on our Gulf Coast that
Kenny Williams and his wife, Susie.
doesn’t believe in over-development just for the sake of development. Overall,
I see positive growth and a continued successful culinary community down the road.
Kenny Williams is the owner of Evergreen, Mosaic Restaurant & Bar, Red Apple Lounge, Neon Moon, Lost Springs Brewing Company, and Eleven Cocktail Lounge.