Setting Sail

Chef Hunter Evans reboots a century-long culinary legacy in Mississippi

- JIM BEAUGEZ

When chef and restaurateur Hunter Evans would run through his grandmother's kitchen in New Orleans as a kid, the aromas of boiling shrimp and crab wafting through the air left a lasting impression.

Years later, those formative memories inspired Evans to pursue culinary arts as a profession—and in 2024 led him to rescue The Mayflower Cafe, a signature downtown eatery in Jackson, Mississippi, with a legacy stretching back nearly a century.

“This place seems like it embodies the city so much—it felt bigger than a restaurant,” says Evans, a 2023 James Beard Best Chef: South semifinalist. “There was excitement that this will live on, and there was hope, especially for the downtown area, but for the city as a whole. It’s such an iconic place for the city.”

In a region best known for South-ern soul food and barbecue, much of contemporary Jackson cuisine can be traced to the chamfered entrance of The Mayflower Cafe, founded on West Capitol Street in 1935 by Greek immigrants George Kountouris and John Gouras. The popular gathering spot has served fresh Gulf seafood to generations of Jacksonians and is one of the first restaurants to serve comeback sauce, which is still placed on every table.

When third-generation owner Jerry Kountouris decided to close its doors in early 2024, Evans and Cody McCain, his partner in the acclaimed Belhaven neighborhood brunch and dinner spot Elvie’s, stepped in and acquired The Mayflower.