Chef Hunter Evans has long ruminated on branching out beyond Elvie’s, his all-day café in Jackson, Mississippi, to become a multi-eatery restaurateur in the mode of his former mentors, John Currence in Oxford and Danny Meyer in New York City. Of course, such a move requires assuming extra layers of non-kitchen duties. In the case of Mayflower Cafe, the iconic, eighty-nine-year-old seafood house that Evans will reopen by the end of August, it meant that before he could tackle the menu, he had to tackle the restrooms.
“If you wanted to use the bathroom, you had to walk outside and then down the sidewalk and up a flight of rickety stairs, and then it was pretty gnarly in there,” he says of the Mayflower’s former layout. “Definitely not up to code. They must have been grandfathered in or something.” To remedy said gnarliness, not to mention become ADA-compliant, Evans leased an empty space next door and constructed a new hallway to access ground-floor restrooms.
That’s just one example of the labor needed to restore the restaurant to its former glory. After George Kountouris and John Gouras opened it in 1935 on a prime corner on Capitol Street, Mayflower Cafe became a big part of Jackson’s then-vibrant downtown. Dubbed “Mississippi’s Original Seafood House,” its front windows looked in on big ice bins displaying all manner of fresh catch. Poured terrazzo floors were inlaid with custom nautical designs, including a golden anchor just inside the front door.
“Governors and mayors ate here for decades. It was a huge hub for legislators and business people but also workers coming in for blue-plate specials,” Evans says. “It has had such an impact that I think has gone largely untold.”
Comeback sauce is part of that story. Though the mayo-based salad dressing is believed to have originated at another Greek-owned Jackson restaurant (Dennery’s, now closed), the Mayflower concocted a curry-spiked version that delighted customers and helped spread the comeback-sauce gospel across the South.
As downtown faded by degrees, however, so did Mayflower Cafe. By the time Evans was a teenager, it remained a mainstay primarily for longtime regulars who recalled a bygone era. Exterior tile work damaged by a car was never repaired. Paint liberally flaked from the story-high neon sign above the entrance. And those enticing ice bins sat forlornly empty. Earlier this year, third-generation proprietor Jerry Kountouris let it be known that the doors would soon close.
Given the success Evans has experienced since opening Elvie’s in the Belhaven neighborhood in 2020, including being named a 2024 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: South, it’s no big surprise that interested parties reached out with the idea of saving the Mayflower. Luckily he was ready to jumpstart his restaurateur ambitions after pumping the brakes to begin a family. “I’d always said I wanted to do something downtown and was intrigued by the possibility of getting involved with an institution that means a lot to people here.”
Fixing up that institution has been a sizable endeavor, largely accomplished by looking to the past. Light fixtures are being matched to those seen in vintage photos, and the “new” retro cursive logo is inspired by one emblazoned on an old matchbook found upstairs. The exterior tile and neon sign have been refreshed, and yes, those window-facing ice bins are back in action, now anchoring a new bar. Even more important, continuity is provided by a loyal kitchen and waitstaff that remains in place.
“It’s a pretty delicate balance to redo an eighty-nine-year-old restaurant and maintain history while bringing things up to date,” Evans says. “The same way that we’re going back to old photos for inspiration, we’re making sure we return to sourcing the best crab and fish possible and using only the freshest ingredients. Of course, we’re keeping redfish on the menu because customers are wild for the redfish. And people love Mayflower’s pies, so we’re going to do a lemon icebox with a tall meringue.”
Evans plans to spend most of his time at Mayflower Cafe in the opening phase, then rely on his team as he oversees the missions of both restaurants. “Elvie’s will remain farm-to-table and seasonal, with French bistro touches,” he says. “The Mayflower is seafood first, the kind of classic seafood house people love. I believe we can bring some life to this place, and to downtown. We aim to make it a destination again.”
