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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

Guys, what’s your favorite part of being a chef in Jackson? #chefchat

@steakchef601
#chefchat Jackson has some amazing talent in its restaurants in its chefs and even cooks! Being a part of this great scene is amazing!

@ChefAndyCook
Jackson’s a great place to be a chef, because it’s easy to engage w/ your customers and to make friends w/ them.

@JxnRestaurantWk
Do y’all do much farm-to-table menu items? #chefchat

@ChefAndyCook
Love farm-2-table & feature as many local products as possible: pork, lamb, honey, produce, milk, butter, etc. #ChefChat

@hnrsupply
What can Jackson do to continue to improve its food scene? #chefchat

@steakchef601
#chefchat The people of Jackson have to embrace change and progression in the food world, Hang with us, Jackson and allow us to play.

@JxnRestaurantWk
What’s the most rewarding thing about being a chef, or is there one? 😉 #chefchat

@steakchef601
#chefchat Rewards are usually small wins amongst the major stresses, but to walk in to the dining room and see smiles … that’s the true reward. To make people happy.

@ChefAndyCook
Most rewarding thing about being a chef is creating memories. I love being part of people’s special occasions.

For more mouth-watering treats and tasty eats, chow down over at our Food Blog and the JFP Bite Club Facebook page, and follow the aroma on Twitter. Be sure to bring your appetite!

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.