By Antoinette Savoie

If you’ve ever been strolling down Palafox Street on the weekend, you may have noticed a shuttered restaurant nestled in between Intermission Bar and Graffiti Pizza. Being new to Pensacola, and with a culinary background, I was intrigued by this eatery that always seemed to be closed. How do they afford rent on such a popular street? What is the story behind this mystery spot? I started asking around town, and I am sure glad that I did! Read on to see what I discovered about Four Seasons Catering & Eatery, a true staple in the Pensacola community.

THE LOVE STORY

Kelly Greene and her husband, Chef Charles Mielke, are the proud owners of Four Seasons. Kelly has operated the business for over twenty years, but their love story began thirteen years ago. Chef Charles worked at Apple Market when he met his now-wife, Kelly. She had solely been catering before Charles came on board. Together they revamped the business model into what it is today. 

Mr. Apple let Charles go to work with Kelly and even stood by him as the best man at their wedding. Charles holds Mr. Apple in the highest regard saying, “He is our friend, mentor, and has helped us for years. He’s been involved  with our growth here at Four Seasons.” The way that Charles talks about his mentors is infectious. He has lived a hard life and gives back tenfold to the community. The next part of this story touches on the struggles Chef Charles faced and how he openly shares his story to help those in the community. 

THE MISSION

In his past life, Chef Charles faced a lot of demons. Struggling with addiction to both drugs and alcohol for decades, he had lost hope while living as a chef in New Orleans. (I am happy to report that the day I met Charles was his anniversary of 12 years clean and sober!) After surviving Katrina, he knew he had to get out of the Big Easy. Charles found himself in Pensacola shortly after and stumbled upon The Waterfront Rescue Mission. This incredible place helps fight hunger, homelessness, and addiction in Pensacola and Mobile. The Mission was able to successfully mentor Charles and lead him onto a better path.

“Even though they call me a success, I still have a lot to learn and more growing to do. I like to lead by example and help people by sharing my struggles and helping others not to repeat the same mistakes I made in my youth.” Charles has nothing but amazing things to say about the Mission and makes it a point to hire others from the Mission.

Mr. Donte, the smiling face behind the counter who greets you and takes your order, has been with Kelly and Charles for almost four years. Mike King has been with the couple and the eatery for over eight years! Although these are a couple of success stories, Charles is quick to point out that they don’t always work out successfully. “I inspire them to see that we are just little people in this world. We will help them if they are helping themselves. We won’t enable them.” 

I dined at the eatery and interviewed Charles. I was there for around an hour, sitting at a quaint table outside (perfect for people-watching). The sheer number of people who stopped to say hello to Chef Charles was impressive! Pastors, policemen, politicians, and everyday people stopped in on their lunch breaks. Did I mention the eatery is ONLY open from 11 AM to 3 PM on the weekdays?? Man, was it packed! Charles ended our interview by stating “We have a lot of people that support us because we support people facing problems.” Read on to discover what delicious food these supporters indulge in at Four Seasons Catering and Eatery.

THE FOOD

Four Seasons can be open for limited hours during the week because the bulk of their business lies in catering. If you don’t have an event coming up to book them for, then you can always stop in for lunch! They run daily specials that their regulars plan their schedules around:

• Monday - Meatloaf
• Tuesday - Chardonnay Chicken
• Wednesday - Sirloin Tips stewed in Brown Sauce
• Thursday - House-made Lasagna
• Friday - Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Besides their daily specials, they also run other specials throughout the week.   One thing that never changes, is the amount of love that they put into their food. There’s a reason their slogan on the window reads “Great Food Made with Love.” Chef Charles informed me that nothing gets served in the restaurant until four people have tasted it. “Everyone tastes differently, it all depends on how many taste buds you have per centimeter on your palate. You can have as few as 50 or as many as 1500! People drink, people smoke, people have bad breath… so we try to get a good salt and heat profile on all our food.”

The attention to detail that Kelly and Charles give to their food and community is unmatched. I’m thrilled to be a supporter of Four Seasons and I hope you’ll stop by to give them a try! I personally always order the fried pork chop with fried okra, it never disappoints. Make sure to ask for a sample of their gumbo with chicken and housemade andouille sausage. If you’d like to book them for an event, you can contact them at fourseasons212@yahoo.com or call (850) 434-6771.