Chef Nick Wallace is preparing a meal in his kitchen in Jackson, Mississippi.

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Nick Wallace Brings Sizzle and Soul to Jackson’s Culinary Scene

By: TLP's Partners

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Chef Nick Wallace isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of his craft and jazz up the Jackson culinary scene. Born and raised in Mississippi, he is always cooking up ways to serve Southern cuisine while paying homage to Jackson’s storied, vibrant, and complex history. Watching his grandmothers, Queen Morris and Lennel Donald, work in the kitchen inspired Wallace to pursue the culinary arts, and he has since become one of the state’s most recognized and awarded chefs.

Chef Nick Wallace stirs a pan with vegetables in one of his Jackson, Mississippi restaurants.

Wallace has placed Jackson’s culinary scene on the national stage through numerous media outlets and Food Network appearances, including Comfort Nation, Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, and competing on Top Chef. With a steadily growing restaurant and catering empire, he’s evolving what it means to cook with soul in his city.

“Before she passed, my grandmother emphasized the importance of maintaining your voice in your cooking,” Wallace said. “Working in Jackson, I’ve found that soul food often gets stereotyped. I love soul food, but my goal is to also try and break those stereotypes. I want to open people’s eyes…. to how we can cook a variety of foods, foods that rely on preservation and our past.”

Wallace recognizes that much of the origins of Southern foodways lie within the complicated histories of slavery and the Civil Rights movement, with foods aiming to nourish during times of survival. The creativity of coaxing flavors from limited resources has fueled Jackson’s creativity in restaurants and beyond.

“I believe the Freedom Movement serves as our anchor and guide in Jackson,” Wallace said. “We feel a deep connection to those backstories.”

A spread of fried meats and southern sides on styrofoam plates at Bullys in Jackson, Mississippi.

Reflecting on Jackson’s rich and diverse culinary scene, Wallace says, “The chefs are very competitive and that’s a good thing. It’s friendly competition because we all are trying to cook the best and be the best.”

That spirit of friendly competition has led to acclaim for several area chefs. Local eateries Elvie’s and Sambou’s African Kitchen recently earned recognition as James Beard Award semi-finalists, and longtime soul food favorite Bully’s has a James Beard Award for American Classics up on their wall from a few years ago.

Food-wise, Jackson’s “an eclectic ball of nothing but fun,” said Wallace. The City With Soul is great gathering of entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, each with their own story.

“You will see the energy when you dine out in Jackson, Mississippi,” Wallace adds. And that first bite? “It’s gonna light you up.”

At his restaurant, Nissan Café by Nick Wallace at the Two Mississippi Museums, Wallace has taken the stories from the Museum of Mississippi History and the Civil Rights Museum and infused them into his menu as a homage to those who led the way for himself and so many others, including Grandmas Queen and Lennel.

“Our state’s history has inspired my creations, particularly my Mississippi Gumbo, which I never would’ve thought to serve had I not been surrounded by these stories. They propel us forward.”

For a full list of Jackson eateries, go to visitjackson.com/restaurants.