Twenty-something chef brings aged quail, cabbage wedge and $95 seven-course meals to Jackson, Miss.

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More than just a menu, the bold cuisine of Southern Soigné in Jackson, Mississippi represents the vision of hometown chef Zacchaeus Golden, whose signature take on Southern classics draws influence from each step of his young journey.

At just 28, Golden, a native of Belzoni, Mississippi, has multiple Michelin-star restaurants on his resume and is establishing himself as an emerging name in the culinary industry his own way – by running the Southern Soigné kitchen himself, as reported by Clarion Ledger.

Located in a converted 19th-century cottage, the restaurant boasts a one-of-a-kind culinary experience for $95. The meals span between seven and twelve courses that change daily.

In one dish, the addition of caviar and bone marrow complement the flavors of a common wedge of cabbage. In another, quail is aged with the feathers still on. Pork belly and potatoes may be offered with cooked octopus and citrus butter, per the outlet.

Visitors of the acclaimed restaurant enjoy an intimate dining experience hosted by Golden’s mother Margie, Clarion Ledger reported.

“Southern food has been in my life my entire life,” Golden told the outlet. “So anything that I do, in a sense, automatically relates back to that.” Golden may have been influenced by the childhood memories he shared of being in his grandmother’s convenience store restaurant.

After moving to Mobile, Alabama in 2012 to finish high school, Golden gained his first kitchen experience at a Sonic Drive-In, later continuing his culinary training at a local community college. 

Golden in 2016 was offered an entry-level position at the Israeli restaurant Shaya in New Orleans, honing his craft while keeping his sights set on working at a celebrated Michelin-star establishment.

In 2018, the outlet reported, Golden’s dream was realized when he was hired at the one-starred Moroccan restaurant Mourad in San Fransisco. Golden could not afford housing and slept on benches, in bus stations and at the occasional hotel after arriving in California with $300 and a backpack of belongings.

The world-renowned three-starred restaurant The French Laundry in Napa Valley took notice of Golden’s rising talent, hiring him in 2019. He told Clarion Ledger that he felt this marked “the point where I crossed the line from being the weak link to the one who was pulling the weight.”

Since returning to Mississippi, Golden’s signature restaurant in the majority-Black city of Jackson has earned national recognition in Garden & Gun magazine and will be highlighted on ESPN’s “TrueSouth” series showcasing Southern culture, Clarion Ledger reported.

“I just want the quality of the experience to be as bold as the vision that I have in my head,” he told the outlet.

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