A Culinary History of Mobile by Chris Andrews

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?

Encouraged by friends who have written similar books for Savannah and Atlanta, his book was a three-year project that started when the pandemic shut the country down and left  Chris with time on his hands. To capture the history of Mobile through food, Chris launched Bienville Bites Food Tours in 2017. “Almost like the food tours, the book gives just a taste from the restaurants that represent the connections of events and the culinary offerings of each period.”

A Culinary History of Mobile is designed to be a quick read, not an exhaustive history of every restaurant that ever graced the city. “There are twelve chapters,” says Chris. “Each chapter is tied to a specific period in Mobile’s history and references a current restaurant open today.” Mobile’s first documented restaurant was South Coffee Restaurant on Water Street between Conti and Government Street, which opened in the 1830s. “I tried to capture what was popular at the time,” he says.

The first chapter explores the Native American period in the 1700s when oysters and corn were prominent. Here, Chris features Wintzell’s Oyster House, famous for oysters. He tells me that every reference to Jambalaya credits Mobile with the dish’s roots, not Louisiana. “The first three uses I found were in Mobile.” (kind of like Mardi Gras!) 

The first jambalaya was one of three recipes mentioned in the May 1849 edition of the American Agriculturalists by traveling food writer, Solon Robinson. The recipe was again found in the Gulf City Cookbook, published in 1878 by The Women of the St. Francis Methodist Church. In 1881, What Miss Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking included a jambalaya recipe, called “Jumberlie.” 

“Abby Fisher was born enslaved in South Carolina and moved to Mobile after meeting and marrying a man from Mobile. They eventually moved to San Francisco, and her friends experienced and raved about her Southern cooking. Because Abby couldn’t read or write, these friends wrote and named the book. It became one of the most celebrated cookbooks in history.”

A Culinary History of Mobile also tells of the huge Greek influence on the food scene and the first famous restaurants that represented this heritage. He ties this period to Three Georges. While no longer open, he says that Constantine’s Restaurant was one of the most popular restaurants in Mobile’s food history.

The book includes references to the Civil War and the peanuts that sustained the soldiers throughout the regional battles. “Peanuts were not well thought of as food, but played an enormous role in that period.” Chris ties this chapter to A&M Peanut Shop in Mobile. He discusses Cuba, sugar,  and rum in the chapter on Prohibition tales. The 1900s brought Bill Bailey’s famous restaurant on Fowl River and the creation of West Indies Salad, a delicious local favorite. 

At the beginning of the 1900s, banana docks were an essential part of Mobile’s economy for nearly a century. The book references Sam Zemurray, an immigrant from Russia, who connected Mobile to Central America.   Zemurray purchased ripe bananas off the boats and sold them from railroad box cars at each stop traveling as far north as Nashville. He built an empire as depicted in the book, The Fish That Ate The Whale, a fascinating read, and where the term “Banana Republic” is credited. 

A Culinary History of Mobile discusses current iconic restaurants like Callaghan’s, The Royal Scam, Squid Ink, and the Dew Drop Inn, among others. Kazoola Eatery & Entertainment on Dauphin Street, owned by Mark Jackson, who grew up in Africatown, named his restaurant after a passenger on the Clotilda.

Chris credits Ben Raines with much of the Clotilda information he referenced in the book. “Every food item they carried on board was documented,” he says. “The book is a natural progression from the history I’ve discovered from putting together the food tours. Hopefully, it will inspire people to connect periods in Mobile’s history with restaurants of today.”

He tells me that writing the book was one of the hardest things he’s ever done. “I value my time with my family, having dinner, and going to ball games. When the country opened back up after COVID-19, I had to get back to running the food tours. It was challenging.” He tells me he used any spare time to research and write, often after midnight. “There are periods when you are in a rhythm to write and sometimes not.” 

He credits Arcadia Publishing, the world’s largest publisher of local enthusiasts, with helping him meet his deadline. “They publish local cultural hometown history to help  connect people to their communities, and this is what this book is about.” He tells me that Arcadia responded to his inquiry regarding their interest immediately, and it was off to the races.

I asked Chris about new offerings coming to Bienville Bites and A Taste of Fairhope Food Tours. They have Haunted Tours every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Mobile and a Haunted Cocktail Tour in Fairhope on October 27. 

They will also have a Haunted Trolly Tour on Halloween night. “Corporate Holiday Party food tours have become a thing,” he says. “January has even become popular for holiday parties because everybody is so busy between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Be sure to make plans to be with Chris and his wife, Laney, to celebrate A Culinary History of Mobile, on Monday, October 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Haunted Book Shop. Get a signed copy and consider purchasing several, they make great gifts! You can also catch Chris for a book signing on November 3 at Braided River Brewing Company on St. Louis Street in Mobile.

Thanks, Chris. I can’t wait to read the book!