When customers stopped going out to restaurants during the pandemic, Mississippi’s hospitality and tourism industry was almost destroyed.
State Sen. Lydia Chassaniol (R-Winona), chairwoman of the Senate’s Tourism Committee and a former restaurant owner, made it her mission to come up with ideas that would help rejuvenate the industry.
“That’s when I first had the idea of a TV show that would celebrate food and storytelling. Lots of people visit Mississippi because of the blues or certain museums. Well, if there’s one thing I know it’s this: 100% of all tourists in the state need to eat,” Chassaniol told Today in Mississippi recently.
Food is something the state is famous for and Chassaniol wanted to use that as a catalyst to tell the culinary history of Mississippi.
“This has all been Sen. Chassaniol’s brainchild,” said Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) Chief Content Officer Taiwo Gaynor.
That idea has become “Southern Dish,” a new television show that celebrates the state’s rich culinary heritage and the talented chefs who bring it to life.
According to MPB, the show “will take viewers on a journey through the state’s most iconic kitchens. The show will explore not only the food, but also the personal stories of the chefs, their families, and the deep-rooted traditions that make Mississippi’s culinary scene one of the best in the nation.”
Chassaniol not only came up with the idea for the program, but she is also the show’s host.
“When they first asked me if I would be comfortable behind the camera, I told them it wasn’t a problem. I used to be a teacher, and I’ve been in politics for almost 20 years. I can talk,” Chassaniol said laughing.
Chassaniol and MPB shot a pilot episode and premiered it in the Old Supreme Court Chamber at the State Capitol in March. During the episode, Chassaniol visited with John Ballas, the owner of the Crystal Grill in Greenwood, famous for their “Mile-High Pies,” which the pair made during the show. Although Ballas closed the historic restaurant last summer, Chassaniol and Ballas talked about the restaurant’s fascinating history.
During the other portion of the pilot, Chassaniol visited with Chaz Lindsay, owner and executive chef of Pulito Osteria, an Italian restaurant in Jackson’s Belhaven neighborhood.
Gaynor said MPB plans to shoot episodes for the first season during the summer with a plan to begin airing the program in July 2026.
“At MPB, it’s our job to tell Mississippi stories. And we feel like food is one of the best ways to do just that,” said Royal Aills, MPB’s executive director.
Both Gaynor and Aills said Chassaniol is the perfect host for the show.
Food has played an important role in Chassaniol’s life, she said.
A former art teacher, Chassaniol was born and raised in Winona. The daughter of a livestock auction business owner, Chassaniol learned how to cook from her mom, who ran a part-time café during her father’s auctions.
Food is a big part of the story of Mississippi. And I see the show as a love letter from Mississippi to rest of the country.
“My mother was a wonderful cook, but my cooking is not like hers. She used a lot of vegetables, whereas I’m more of a carnivore when it comes to my stuff,” Chassaniol said.
Later in life, the senator ran a catering business out of her home kitchen, until state law outlawed that method. Before she was elected to the Legislature in 2007, Chassaniol owned and ran a Winona restaurant, The Sample Room. She had to close the restaurant after she became a senator.
Food was also the way she and another freshman senator at the time — Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall) — got to know other longtime legislators after they were elected.
“I said, Joey, we need to figure out a way to get these folks to like us,” Chassaniol said. So, the pair hosted a senate dinner every session that still occurs today.
“I make beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, pork sausage — and it has to be Polk sausage of course (Polk’s Meat Products is State Sen. John A. Polk’s family business) — Pasta Alfredo, and marinated shrimp and artichokes. Joey makes a terrific Punchbowl Cake and baked tomatoes,” she said.
“There are no enemies when it comes to food.”
Chassaniol said maybe the show might make her “a redneck Martha Stewart.”
But “Southern Dish” is really about the food of Mississippi and the stories behind it.
“Food is a big part of the story of Mississippi. And I see the show as a love letter from Mississippi to rest of the country.”
