I caught up with Chris Andrews, owner and operator of Bienville Bites and Taste of Fairhope Food Tours, to discuss his upcoming book release party at The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile on Monday, October 23. Who better to write about the City’s rich culinary history dating back to before the French laid claim to the area?

Many old-timers who grew up in Baldwin County and the surrounding area have fond memories of hanging around Judge Roy Bean’s place. A proverbial “hole-in-the-wall” on a spit of land between Fairhope and Daphne (actually, in Montrose), it was owned by the late Jack West and was the go-to spot for people to gather with friends, play with the resident goat (Billy) in the backyard, listen to music and perhaps rub elbows with Jimmy Buffet, who oftentimes stopped in unannounced.

What do Governor Haley Barbour, author Willie Morris, All-Pro NFL Cornerback Willie Brown, three-time All-SEC sack leader at Ole’ Miss “Gentle” Ben Williams, comedian Jerry Clower, and award-winning small batch bacon king, William E. Stitt have in common? Here’s a hint, they all hail from a small town in Mississippi with a rich history. They all loved Ole’ Miss, too.

Growing up, Zeke’s Marina on Cotton Bayou was where you went to charter a fishing boat, or get bait, frozen menhaden or squid, before heading out into the Gulf to try your luck. There really wasn’t much to it. Several of these marinas dotted the Orange Beach area where gas, ice, and fish cleaning stations were essential for the sportfishing crowd.

Finding a nice place that is open for dinner on a Monday night on the Eastern Shore is often a challenge. I am lucky to have found a jewel in Le Bouchon, Wine and Tapas Bar in Daphne. On old Highway 98, just past Manci’s Antique Club, it's a destination all its own. I am a big fan of Caitlin Horne, chef at Kitchen on Main, and I heard that she cooks on Monday nights at this Bar, so I checked this off my to-do list.

It’s been my experience with so many Southerners possessing a discerning palate, that your average restaurant will be just a flash in the pan, or part of a conversation that goes something like, “What was that place before it became whatchamacallit?”

On the waterfront in downtown Pensacola, one of the city’s most popular entertainment establishments, The Fish House Restaurant and Atlas Oyster House sit. The brainchild of the Merrill brothers, Collier, Burney, and Will, they formed Great Southern Restaurants seeing the need for new and exciting restaurants to revitalize the downtown waterfront area.

With our four-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Penny, Linda and I ventured to Coden, Alabama, to visit an oyster farm operation. It was fascinating, to say the least! Penny was visiting for a few days from Athens, Georgia, and we were taking her to stay with her other set of grandparents after spending five days in Fairhope with us.