Draft:Robert St. John

• Comment: It is vital that a reference validates the fact you have stated in the text. The first one I checked did not do so. Please check all your referencing.
  For a living person we have a high standard of referencing. Every substantive fact you assert, especially one that is susceptible to potential challenge, requires a citation with a reference that is about them, and is independent of them, in multiple secondary sources which are WP:RS, and is significant coverage. Please also see WP:PRIMARY which details the limited permitted usage of primary sources and WP:SELFPUB which has clear limitations on self published sources. Providing sufficient references, ideally one per fact cited, that meet these tough criteria is likely to make this draft a clear acceptance (0.9 probability). Lack of them or an inability to find them is likely to mean that the person is not suitable for inclusion, certainly today.
  I am wondering whether Ec=xgtra Table might be notable, and am 8% sure that St John is not. Perhaps you should repurpose this draft? 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 10:59, 1 September 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: Please fix the references so they're useful (eg so they don't just say "New York Times"), and make sure biographical data is referenced. If you don't have reliable sources talking about things like where he lives and who his kids are, remove this kind of info. asilvering (talk) 20:12, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: The title of this draft either has been disambiguated or will require disambiguation if accepted.
  If this draft is accepted, a hatnote will need to be added to the primary page to refer to this page. If there is already a hatnote on the primary page, please review whether a disambiguation page is in order instead.
  The primary page is Robert St. John. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:32, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

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Robert St. John (born October 2, 1961) is an American restauranteur, author, philanthropist, and international travel host, based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Early Life + Education

St. John was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to parents Virginia and Lawrence Holleman St. John. After graduating high school from Beeson Academy in 1979, St John attended Mississippi State University for a brief period of time, eventually dropping out to begin working in the restaurant industry. Years later, St. John finished his studies in Hospitality Management at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Restaurants

Robert has been in the restaurant industry for four decades and currently owns six restaurants and two bars in Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi, that are all part of the New South Restaurant Group.

St. John began working in the restaurant industry when he was 19 years old and instantly fell in love with it. Seven years later, St. John opened his first restaurant, the Purple Parrot Café, in December 1987 when he was twenty-six years old.

He then opened Crescent City Grill and Mahogany Bar in 1990, Italian restaurant Tabella in 2011, Ed’s Burger Joint in 2016, The Midtowner in 2018, and El Rayo in 2021 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. St John and a partner then opened Enzo’s in Jackson, Mississippi in September 2022.

Philanthropy

In 2009, St. John founded Extra Table, a  Mississippi non-profit organization that currently ships more than 200,000 pounds of healthy food to more than 60 Mississippi soup kitchens and mission pantries each month. In 2020, Extra Table shipped over 5.9 million pounds of food during a global pandemic.

St. John is a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and was an integral part of a small group that secured $28.6 billion in grants to aid independent restaurants affected by the Covid crisis. He also served on the inaugural board of directors.

St. John is the founder, and a board member, of Hattiesburg Hundred, an organization that assists sworn law enforcement and first responder’s families in their times of crisis. He is also the founder of the Midtown Merchants Association in Hattiesburg, where he serves as chairman of the projects committee.

Published Writing

In addition to his restaurant businesses, he is the author of 12 books and has written a weekly syndicated newspaper column for more than 23 years.

St. John’s weekly syndicated column began in 1999 and quickly built a loyal readership. His column can be found in several Southern newspapers as well as on his website and in his weekly newsletter.

Books

A Southern Palate (2002)

Deep South Staples (2003)

Nobody’s Poet (2004)

My South: A People, A Place, A World of Its Own (2005)

Deep South Parties (2006)

Southern Seasons (2007)

New South Grilling (2007)

Dispatches From My South (2009)

An Italian Palate (2013)

Fred the Red Frog (2014)

A Mississippi Palate (2017)

Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life of an Islander (2021)



 

Television

St. John is also the creator, producer, and co-host of the Public Broadcasting Service series, Palate to Palette, the upcoming series Yonderlust, and the producer of the Southeastern Emmy Award-winning, Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander.

St. John has appeared on the Food Network, the Travel Channel, and the Turner South networks.

 

International Travel Host

St. John leads groups of travelers to experience the heart of European countries, primarily focusing on Italy but also offering excursions in other countries such as Spain and Holland.

 

Personal

Robert St. John and his wife, Jill, reside in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and together they have two children.