Soulful electric blues plays in the background as the kitchen staff gets a few orders ready. First up are two half-pound hamburgers fully dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions served with sides of jambalaya, red beans and rice.

The man who had stopped in for that to-go order was absolutely raving about the food he'd enjoyed at Southern Bayou Grill a week or so earlier, and this was music to Barbara Edwards' ears. In her new line of business, repeat customers are a precious commodity.

Experienced in the healthcare field, Barbara now has her plate even fuller as a restaurateur on the side. Since the end of June, she's been the busy owner of this cozy, casual eatery east of town on County Road 32 that for many years was the original Fish River Grill.

The thick, juicy burgers are popular there, but even more so are the menu offerings that give the place its middle name. So far, shrimp (either fried or grilled) is the number-one attraction, and if you want, you can enjoy it as a po-boy on Leidenheimer bread from New Orleans, accompanied by some deeply flavored gumbo. You might also want to leave some room for the white chocolate bread pudding, which, as a signature dessert, has quickly become something of a sensation.

This strong Cajun accent comes courtesy of Chef Perry Boyd, who is Barbara's boyfriend. They are both Mississippi natives, but he traces his culinary roots to Louisiana. His mother's family hailed from New Orleans and Houma, while his father's was centered a bit upstate around Gonzales and French Settlement. 

"We grew up together in Rolling Fork, Mississippi," she says. "I've known Perry since I was in kindergarten, and he was in the second grade. We had each gone our separate ways by the time we were in high school, and kind of lost track of one another, but then we reconnected quite a few years back on social media."

How's this for a busy schedule? Barbara is juggling her duties at the new restaurant with her full-time job as a nurse manager at Thomas Hospital. She oversees the staffing of two units as well as payroll and maintenance of equipment, and she also assists them in their nursing duties and covers shifts as a nurse herself when needed. 

She says she's gotten used to such multitasking after many years in that profession, and she believes that has helped to prepare her for a new role as restaurant owner. "It teaches you to plan how to be very strategic with your time," is how she puts it.

She also loves to cook, but at work, she leaves it in more professional hands.

"I've worked as a waitress and in food service before, but not in the capacity that Perry has," she says. "He's operated popular restaurants before and catered to hundreds of people. He has spent many years perfecting recipes and bringing people together with the food he makes."

At first, the culinary partners had their sights set on the old Bay Break property along the bay in Fairhope. They had envisioned a convenience store stocked with grab-and-go Cajun food, and that the parking lot would be a base of operations for their food trailer (which is named "The Rolling Fork" after their shared hometown). After encountering some issues with zoning, they looked for an alternate site. They feel fortunate to have landed at the site of what has long been a Baldwin County favorite.

Though the menu is a fresh change for this particular neighborhood, they've been careful to leave some elements alone, such as the vibrant shades of orange, purple, and turquoise that are holdovers from the small structure's earlier incarnations.

"Everybody loves the bright colors, and lots of people comment on them," Barbara says. "That's a good thing because we want people to feel at home. People have really fond memories of Fish River Grill and The Grill 32, and we don't want to break that connection." 

Being the enterprising types that they are, however, they are kicking around some ideas.

"We've got plans, hopes, and dreams for the future, including expanding it out and having a covered patio with seating. We could also have some items for people who are passing by and maybe getting out on the boat. We could have some ready-made sandwiches, and they could maybe pick up some water, beer, snacks, or whatever. Another possibility would be ready-made meals that they can pick up and take home and heat in the oven. That was the plan from the beginning."

In the meantime, Barbara says she's pleased about the response from the community so far, after just over two months in business.

"I think it's going really well," she says. "All businesses have their ebbs and flows, but we have people coming back, and  we have new people coming in, so we're really happy about that."

‍Located at 11950 County Road 32, Southern Bayou Grill is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  To place an order, give them a call at (251) 517-7058.