Instead of continuing to exist as the restaurant formerly known as The Blue Chef, a new name along with new food now inhabit the spot in the form of Roxie’s Square Table Spoon.
Raymond Jackson, the owner and co-chef of Roxie’s Square Table Spoon, has traveled most of America through his restaurant experiences. After growing up in Grenada, Miss., Jackson attended Del Gado culinary school in New Orleans where he learned different styles of cooking from Oriental to Italian. Jackson then found jobs in New Mexico and Boston as a chef before deciding to return to Mississippi.
When Jackson returned to Mississippi, he moved to Starkville to be with his wife and to attend Mississippi State. During his time in Starkville, Jackson worked for The Grill in Columbus and Harvey’s.
“I picked up a lot of valuable experience from working at the Grill and Harvey’s,” Jackson said. “I learned a lot about the restaurant business and decided that I wanted to start my own one day.”
In 2000, Jackson decided that he would start his new restaurant in Grenada, Miss. He named it after his new born daughter and started Roxie’s Square Table Spoon in a corner building of Grenada’s downtown.
After two years in Grenada, Jackson knew that he needed to move Roxie’s to another town
“It’s not that Grenada was a bad town or that Roxie’s wasn’t a good restaurant,” Jackson said. “Grenada was just too small to support a new restaurant.”
Jackson became worried when few opportunities arose to move. He received good news when a friend told him that The Blue Chef had moved out.
“We knew that we needed to do something before New Year’s,” Jackson said. “My friend called me two days before New Year’s and told me that there was a place in Starkville. I jumped at the opportunity.”
Jackson hasn’t taken long to establish a New Orleans style restaurant in The Cotton District. The walls are covered with artwork from local artists such as Wyatt Waters and Bill Andrews to give it a jazzy, laid back environment. The food varies from baked artichokes and Portobello mushrooms to shrimp and grilled tuna.
“We want to serve things that other Starkville restaurants aren’t doing,” Jackson said. “A lot of vegetables and salads are part of the cuisine, but there are also a lot of different foods. Thai chicken may be on the menu one night and vegetable quesadillas the next, but we will never serve burgers, fries and chicken wings.”
The restaurant is divided into two different rooms: the dining room and the bar. Smoking will not be allowed in the dining room but will be allowed at the bar. Musicians will also occasionally play in the bar. Jay Kergis will play his blues in the bar on Valentines night and Jason Jones and Lee Graham bring their music to the bar on Feb. 19.
Roxie’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.