Full disclosure, I used to work at the Hotel Chester when it first opened. I was a cook and a sous chef in the kitchen, working along side Chef Chad, one of the most naturally talented chefs I know. The menu was fantastic and the business was always hopping. This was one of my first real paying jobs out of culinary school, having bounced around after graduating and working for experience only.
After a year, I left to pursue other opportunities, as one does as a chef, and went to Alaska. But Starkville was my home town, and always will be. I was born and raised there and will always love it. I grew up in the shadow of this hotel, and was thrilled to work there. After a few years, and a few chefs coming and going, again as happens in this industry, I was sad to see what happened to the quality of the food and the state of the hotel.
David is just as much a character as he appears on the show. The first time I met him, he was laying in front of the restaurant's stove (they have to be lit from the bottom) with a lit cigarette and a blow torch trying to figure out how to turn on the gas! I will never forget that! I found out about his accident several years after it had happened and was very sad to hear that he and his family were struggling. I'm truly thrilled to see them doing so well. I hope they continue to ride a successful wave. All my love to the Hotel Chester.
Chef Bill Mullins, MBA, CEC, CCE
University of Memphis
Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute.