Draft:Robert St. John

Robert St. John (born October 2, 1961) is an American restauranteur, author, philanthropist, and international travel host, based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Early Life + Education
St. John was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to parents Virginia and Lawrence Holleman St. John. After graduating high school from Beeson Academy in 1979, St John attended Mississippi State University for a brief period of time, eventually dropping out to begin working in the restaurant industry. Years later, St. John finished his studies in Hospitality Management at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Restaurants
Robert has been in the restaurant industry for four decades and currently owns six restaurants and two bars in Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi, that are all part of the New South Restaurant Group.

St. John began working in the restaurant industry when he was 19 years old and instantly fell in love with it. Seven years later, St. John opened his first restaurant, the Purple Parrot Café, in December 1987 when he was twenty-six years old.

He then opened Crescent City Grill and Mahogany Bar in 1990, Italian restaurant Tabella in 2011, Ed’s Burger Joint in 2016, The Midtowner in 2018, and El Rayo in 2021 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. St John and a partner then opened Enzo’s in Jackson, Mississippi in September 2022.

Philanthropy
In 2009, St. John founded Extra Table, a  Mississippi non-profit organization that currently ships more than 200,000 pounds of healthy food to more than 60 Mississippi soup kitchens and mission pantries each month. In 2020, Extra Table shipped over 5.9 million pounds of food during a global pandemic.

St. John is a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and was an integral part of a small group that secured $28.6 billion in grants to aid independent restaurants affected by the Covid crisis. He also served on the inaugural board of directors.

St. John is the founder, and a board member, of Hattiesburg Hundred, an organization that assists sworn law enforcement and first responder’s families in their times of crisis. He is also the founder of the Midtown Merchants Association in Hattiesburg, where he serves as chairman of the projects committee.

Published Writing
In addition to his restaurant businesses, he is the author of 12 books and has written a weekly syndicated newspaper column for more than 23 years.

St. John’s weekly syndicated column began in 1999 and quickly built a loyal readership. His column can be found in several Southern newspapers as well as on his website and in his weekly newsletter.

Books
A Southern Palate (2002)

Deep South Staples (2003)

Nobody’s Poet (2004)

My South: A People, A Place, A World of Its Own (2005)

Deep South Parties (2006)

Southern Seasons (2007)

New South Grilling (2007)

Dispatches From My South (2009)

An Italian Palate (2013)

Fred the Red Frog (2014)

A Mississippi Palate (2017)

Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life of an Islander (2021)

Television
St. John is also the creator, producer, and co-host of the Public Broadcasting Service series, Palate to Palette, the upcoming series Yonderlust, and the producer of the Southeastern Emmy Award-winning, Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander.

St. John has appeared on the Food Network, the Travel Channel, and the Turner South networks.

International Travel Host
St. John leads groups of travelers to experience the heart of European countries, primarily focusing on Italy but also offering excursions in other countries such as Spain and Holland.

Personal
Robert St. John and his wife, Jill, reside in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and together they have two children.