Chef Vern Mitchell

Coming from a family of cooks as far back as 4 generations, Vern, as he is known in culinary circles, has brought back the “Old Style” of cooking for the masses that has somehow slipped away from Creole cooking.

His first cooking experience was at the tender age of 8 as he learned the art of Bar-B-Que from his dad Frank who was considered to be a Bar-B-Que master by the town locals. That enthusiasm for cooking soon turned into a love for the culinary world and at the age of 17 landed his first job cooking off-shore as a baker's helper on the night shift. Among his taste testers, the rig crew, he became known for his new twist on cooking donuts and for his grits. Who could have ever known that something as simple as cooking grits would ignite in him the desire to become a chef?!

Vern was quickly noticed by the culinary elite for his boldness in breaking into the cooking arena.

As he began to collect cookbooks, he researched, prepared, and brought forth old and forgotten recipes. He learned new recipes and perfected ways to prepare the recipes of the old days. He began to challenge the taste buds by adding herbs and spices to original recipes that he knew and loved as a child. He would constantly question the older cooks in the town about the way they prepared certain dishes. That interest was noticed by his supervisors on his job and lead to his promotion to 2nd cook by the age of 19, this meant he was responsible for planning and preparing 200 meals per day with assistance.

This position fueled a desire in Vern, he was burning with passion for a place in the culinary world, and he cooked as often as he could for friends and family gatherings in the community. Vern met his sole mate when he met his wife Debbi, who shared his same passion and desire to be a part of the culinary world. Together and with prayer, they teamed up and Vern's Catering emerged.

Vern has won numerous awards and accolades from cooking competitively against well known Restaurants and local top chefs, as well as earning the opportunity to "wow" NFL Films for 2 weeks in Superbowl XLVII.