This MS restaurant serves Southern and Creole cuisine and the main ingredient is love

When Charles Smith of Vicksburg arrives at work he says "I love you" to a photograph that hangs on a wall.

At the end of the day when the customers are gone, he does the same as he leaves.

It's a photograph of his mother who died in 1997. She taught him to cook as a young boy.

Now, he's a veteran chef cooking some of the best in Southern and Creole flavors and the main ingredient in every dish he serves is love.

"Everything is made by hand," said Smith, head chef and owner of Loveys Seafood and Grill in Vicksburg. "Everything is made from scratch. It's all fresh ingredients and everything is made with love. The first ingredient we use in everything is love."

Smith said his career has spanned 40 years, but his passion for cooking began at home as a boy. Because he grew up in a family that included two parents and seven children, dining out wasn't an option. Smith said his mother encouraged her children to learn to cook and it quickly became a passion for Smith as well as one of his brothers who is also a chef.

"We loved it," Smith said. "We didn't do it because mama told us to, we did it because we loved it. That's why we're still doing it today."

His mother taught him to cook. He named his business after her

His mother was also the inspiration for the name of his business.

"Lovey actually comes from my mom," Smith said. "Daddy called her Lovey.

"I couldn't think of a better name to put on the front. She taught me how to cook."

The restaurant opened in 2021 is somewhat tucked away. It's located in Pemberton Square Mall, away from downtown where tourists tend to gravitate. Some of the locals are unaware of it.

"We have people come in and tell us they didn't know we're open," Smith said. "It's been two years. It's quite intriguing."

But just like he cooks his food, he chose the spot with customers in mind. He said it offers plenty of parking and because the lot is flat, it's good for guests with physical limitations or who are elderly.

Fresh ingredients and special attention

When customers find it, they find delicious flavors. Smith said his burger is fresh, never frozen, and ground daily. His steaks are cut by hand to order. The house seasoning is his own blend and his chicken seasoning is, too. As far as fresh goes, some of the ingredients can't get any fresher.

"The rosemary I use, I grow in my back yard," Smith said.

And then there's attention to detail.

"People come in and eat my grilled oysters and say, 'They're so wet. How do you get them so wet?'" Smith said. "We pay attention to them. We don't overcook them."

Smith said everything is cooked and served to order.

The attention is something customers like Jason Gargaro of Vicksburg notice.

"He genuinely cares about food and you can tell," Gargaro said. "He puts a lot of love into what he does."

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The flavors of New Orleans and the South

Smith said 25 years of his career were spent in New Orleans where he was classically trained. His education in Creole cooking is reflected in his menu. Customers can begin their meals with appetizers such as fried green tomatoes topped with Creole sauce and shrimp or seafood cakes. Others include chicken wings and fried mushrooms with a house sauce.

For the main course, guests can choose from dishes such as shrimp or fish over cheesy grits, blackened catfish topped with a crawfish and shrimp cream sauce or his Seafood Supreme pasta which is linguini pasta with shrimp, crawfish and crab claws with a garlic wine sauce.

"My most popular dish of all is the Hilly City Pasta," Smith said. "It should be; it's my favorite dish to create.

"It's got andouille. It's got shrimp. It's got crawfish."

Another is a Southern staple.

"The next one would be the hamburger steak," Smith said. "It's a 12-ounce patty and again, it's made by hand with fresh meat every day."

Customers can have the meat cooked to order and it's served with his special gravy.

"That gravy on my hamburger steak, oh man," Smith said.

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Customers talk about their favorites

Johnny Reynolds of Vicksburg said he eats at Loveys about three times a week and one of his favorites is the chicken wings.

"The wings, I like the flavor," Reynolds said. "And they're really wings. They aren't those small things you get at other places and you get plenty, too."

Another favorite is the fried bologna sandwich.

"If you haven't eaten one of their egg and bologna sandwiches, you have to try one," Reynolds said.

For Gargaro, it's about the burgers and steaks.

"My personal favorite is the mushroom Swiss burger," Gargaro said. "It's really the best burger in town.

"I'm a big fan of it because it kind of has a Cajun taste to it and the meat tastes clean. You can tell he uses a good product for it."

Then there are the steaks.

"The steaks are really high quality, too," Gargaro said. "He puts a spin on it and it's really good."

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Southern and Creole cuisine is seasoned with love at this restaurant