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!

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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. I also discovered he loves his family – including his restaurant family – even more than food.

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 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.

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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.

The Building of a Renaissance Man

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.

This renaissance husband and dad finds a few moments to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but he hasn’t stopped dreaming. 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.