Images courtesy of the Sacred Ground BBQ team.
Chef Derek Emerson at work.
A California boy, young Derek Emerson always looked forward to visiting his grandparents’ house in Mississippi. He didn’t realize it at the time, but the seed to his future in food service was planted during those summers in Meridian. “My grandmother was a wonderful cook, and I loved being in her kitchen,” he recalled. “My grandfather enjoyed taking us to New Orleans, where we ate in the Grill Room, the Bon Ton Café on Fridays for lunch, Galatoire’s, and other great restaurants.” All of those influences worked to give him an appreciation for food and its memory-making powers.
After one semester at Hinds Community College, Emerson learned that a close friend from California had enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. “That’s something I had not previously considered,” he said. He dropped out of Hinds to attend a small culinary school in Memphis, “and it changed the course of my life.”
When Emerson completed the program, he returned to Jackson, where he worked at Brick Oven Café and Bravo! Italian Restaurant and Bar. He then moved to Atlanta, where he honed his skills working for restaurants like Buckhead Bread Company, Blue Ridge Grill, and Nava before accepting the executive sous chef position at Dick & Harry’s. During his time there, Dick & Harry’s was voted “best new restaurant” by the readers of Atlanta Magazine. Derek’s approach to Southern cuisine focused on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and dishes that told a story.
“Ultimately, my goal is to make a lot of people happy with food.” —Chef Derek Emerson
After four years in the Atlanta area, Emerson returned to Mississippi to take on the executive chef position at a new restaurant in Jackson, called Schimmel’s. While there, he met the woman who would become his wife, Jennifer‚ who handled private events for the restaurant.
When Jackson’s iconic Walker’s Drive-In came up for sale, Emerson saw an opportunity to finally set out on his own. The couple purchased the nostalgic 1950s diner and put their everything into it. The restaurant had been a staple on North State Street in Jackson for decades, and with the developing Fondren area in Jackson, it quickly became a centerpiece for the community. In the kitchen, Emerson worked to create a menu defined by dishes like his signature Redfish Anna—wild-caught redfish lightly fried and piled high with lump crab meat. His tamales became a local staple, served with fresh pico de gallo, chipotle sour cream, and a sweet corn sauce. While at Walker’s, Emerson was named a James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef in the South for three consecutive years, from 2008 to 2010, and then again in 2014.
Image courtesy of the Sacred BBQ team.
Ribs from Sacred BBQ.
Amidst the success of Walker’s Drive-In, which easily became a Jackson classic, the couple decided to open a second venture to showcase Emerson’s expanding culinary interests. Local 463 Urban Kitchen opened in Madison, Mississippi, before relocating to The Renaissance in Ridgeland. There, he served up fresh Gulf fish, premium Duroc pork, and Wagyu beef cuts—each paired with locally sourced produce, innovative sauces, and slow-cooked demi-glace. CAET was added to the Emerson restaurant portfolio, beginning as a restaurant serving small plates in the Fondren district before moving to a larger space in The Renaissance, transforming into CAET Seafood & Oysterette. With an emphasis on dishes created with fresh, locally sourced seafood prepared in sometimes surprising iterations like Spicy Jackson Hot Catfish, served with chili oil, or wood-oven baked crab fondue. At CAET, Emerson was once again named a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the South.
Then, last year, Emerson found himself in totally new territory. He’d purchased an old building on Highway 49 in the unincorporated community of Pocahontas, Mississippi, just across the highway from the Pocahontas Mounds, an archaeological site from the Plaquemine culture dating back to 1300 AD. The mounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and were once used for religious ceremonies and as a political seat for the regional chiefdom. In honor of the site’s spiritual and historical significance, the Emersons named their new restaurant Sacred Ground.
A barbecue joint, Sacred Ground felt more like a passion project than any of Emerson’s ventures since Walker’s; it was a place where he could find his mojo again. “It’s easy to get burned out in this business,” he said. “And while I have always loved what I do, I realized I needed something different.” After much trial and error, he perfected his own brand of Texas-style barbecue—inspired by a trip he took with one of his daughters to show horses in Texas. “They do it differently there,” he said. “Everywhere I ate, I saw an emphasis on getting it right. People take pride in their barbecue in Texas.” Emerson said his barbecue is not heavy on the sauce; “The meat should speak for itself.” He makes a rub mix he sells in the store, and seasonally, he will make a fruit-based sauce at his wife’s request. “I’ve made a watermelon barbecue sauce and a blueberry sauce. Neither are super sweet.”
The result is a restaurant that, like most of Emerson’s projects, has become a destination for people in central Mississippi. These days, Emerson is working harder than ever, up at 4:30 am and often returning home as late as 10:30 pm, only to do it again the next day—but it’s all motivated by an energized love for the work. “I enjoy it,” he said. “I am outside a lot, and for me, it is a great situation. Ultimately, my goal is to make a lot of people happy with food.”
“The meat should speak for itself.” —Chef Derek Emerson
Sacred Ground features an indoor dining room as well as several outdoor spaces, courtesy of Jennifer’s design know-how. “If I could cook as well as she designs things, that would be fantastic,” said Emerson. “What we have done is to create something we wish we had when our kids were growing up. I needed this more than I realized.”
Batteries recharged at Sacred Ground, Emerson is ready to take on his largest project yet. The Emersons sold Walker’s this summer and have their focus set on The District, a live/work/dine development in northeast Jackson. They plan to take over the former Cultivation Food Hall space with their new concept. “There will be three parts to what we are doing there,” he explained. “We’ll start with a bar called Effie’s in honor of Effie Kappis Hubanks, who served as general manager for Walker’s Drive-In for twenty-two years.” Hubanks herself will oversee the bar’s craft cocktail offerings and wine selection. The bar menu will feature small plates, pizzas, and flatbreads fired in a wood pizza oven behind the bar.
Next door will be Emerson’s Provisions, a retail shop offering the sauces, rubs, and demi-glace Emerson has become known for, bottled and available for locals to take home and create their own takes on his dishes. “The demi-glace can take twelve to twenty-four hours to make, so it will be a time saver for home cooks,” he said. And across the street in the previous Eudora’s Brasserie location will be Masa Mesa, a taco and burger spot. “I’ll be bringing some of my barbeque over here, and we will make our own corn and flour tortillas from scratch. We are working to create a fun, light-hearted dining experience.” All three should be up and running by late fall.
