Robert St. John: Mississippi's Restaurant Renaissance Man

Robert St. John is indeed a renaissance man, especially when
restaurants and food are involved. 


When I mentioned food during a recent visit to Southern
Mississippi, two close friends immediately said I should
interview Robert St. John. I felt terrible that I never heard of
the man who has been named Mississippi Magainze's Best Chef, not
once, but three times! 


I finally caught up with him during his Florida vacation and
scheduled a meeting in his office the following week. I came away
convinced that St. John loves talking about food as much as he
loves preparing it.


Raised by a school teacher mom in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, St.
John didn't grow up dreaming of running a restaurant, much less
owning several. It's doubtful he imagined authoring cookbooks,
organizing food tours of Italy, or becoming one of the regions
leading proponents of dining and shopping locally.


Like many of his friends, when St. John graduated from high
school he left Hattiesburg for Starkville and Mississippi State
University. However, his first attempt at college was
short-lived.


Thankfully, this South Mississippian took the lemons given to him
by life and proceeded to make lemonade. 


Returning to his hometown, St. John took put his engaging,
19-year-old personality to work and found a restaurant job,
learning important skills like customer service and how to
prepare dishes that kept patrons returning.


Admittedly, St. John will tell you he's not a great chef. "My
desire to cook came after I had to fire my chef on opening
night," he stated with a wide grin. "I did learn to cook, but
deep down I'm just a restauranteur who loves family, people,
food, and my community."


Once St. John realized his true talent was the hospitality
industry, he had to figure out how to make a respectable living
serving food.


First, he decided to continue his college education in his
hometown and enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi,
even taking extra hours while holding down a full-time restaurant
job. 


At the ripe age of 26, St. John opened his flagship restaurant in
1987, the Purple Parrott Cafe. 


Since then he's added other eateries to his collection including
Crescent City Grill, Mahogany Bar, Branch Tabella, Ed's Burger
Joint, The Midtowner, and Midtown Donut. 


Unfortunately, St. John closed Purple Parrott in August of this
year after a 32-year run. The coronavirus pandemic certainly
didn't help, yet the other reasons were determined in part by
access and style.


"In years past the Purple Parrot was one, if not the nicest
restaurant in town," explained the weathered restauranteur.
"People loved to dress up and eat at a white-cloth establishment.
Today, they have access to more venues, including private clubs.
We also live in a more casual society, and that also dictates
where people dine."


That's how building a well-balanced restaurant portfolio comes
into play. Crescent City Grill is an ideal venue for today's
diner. They serve excellent food (the cajun dishes are wonderful)
in a casual, yet tasteful atmosphere. 


More importantly, St. John realizes that adapting to your
customer's taste is key to surviving in the hospitality and
restaurant industry.


A Tex-Mex eatery is opening soon. St. John also thinks the way
customers order and receive take-out is changing and he's excited
about some innovative concepts he hopes to roll out in the near
term.


For now, this husband and dad is enjoying the fruits of his
labor. St. John's plans also include future writing projects and
a few more trips to Italy. In the meantime, he'll be thinking
about even more ways to improve Hattiesburg and the state and
region he loves so dearly.


Listen to the complete episode below, or on Apple, Spotify, or
wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.