I had the pleasure of of seeing Robert St. John speak at a tourism convention about a year ago. He was billed as a "Jeff Foxworthy-style chef," but I don't really get that comparison. As a native of Hattiesburg, Robert may have a "redneck" story or two up his sleeve, but there's much more than that. His stories make you laugh, cringe, some might get choked up, but most of all, he gets you excited about cooking and eating.

Chef Robert St. John is the Executive Chef/Owner of the Purple Parrot Café, Crescent City Grill, and Mahogany Bar in Hattiesburg and Meridian, Mississippi. He shares his passion for food and the South in several books and a weekly syndicated column (which you can enjoy excerpts from on his blog robertstjohn.com.) St. John will be in Starkville the weekend of August 7th and 8th to headline the 6th Annual StarShine Weekend benefiting the Starkville Area Arts Council, but this won't be his first time in town. He was a Bulldog!

"I am looking forward to my Starkville visit. I started my college career there in 1979." In a recent email exchange, Robert gave a preview of what's in store, "I've got a full two days lined up. I'll be judging the cooking competition on the first night. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it! The next day I'll be demo-ing a four-course seafood summer meal at lunch, and hosting a dinner where I'll be serving two of my most popular dishes-- Corn and Crab Bisque and White Chocolate Bread Pudding."

See, I told you. Aren't you excited already? I'm excited that I will actually get to taste some of his cooking this time instead of just hearing him talk about it.

All StarShine events will be hosted by the Bistro at the State Theatre including an auction, local chef cook-off, a cooking demonstration, and the big dinner prepared by Chef St. John. Visit the Starkville Areas Arts Council site for details.

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