A Louisiana chef’s aspirations of beginning his own culinary business in Alabama are coming true as he begins preparations to open his restaurant and office.
Chef Blake Yount moved to Guntersville with his wife Alaina and son Jacques in October with the goal of starting a company that would fulfill several dining needs, not just a single restaurant. Chef Yount is calling the move “From Bayou to ‘Bama.”
Chef Yount’s company, “Southern Fare,” will manage several other culinary concepts like a dinner social club, a food truck, catering and personal chef experiences.
The 1893 Social Club is located in the Henry House on Blount Avenue directly across the street from the City Harbor. Most people in Guntersville probably know it as the “Pink House.”
“When we were deciding on the location for Southern Fare and 1893, we were looking for a place that had history, a view, and a place with enough room where people could come and gather around for fellowship and fine cuisine,” Chef Yount said. “The Henry House met all of our needs and became available at the perfect time.”
1893 Social will be a members-only dining club that will include a cigar bar with bourbons, wines, whiskeys and beers. Chef Yount plans on changing the menu regularly with a focus on Italian and Gulf Coast influences.
“1893 Social Club came about when discussing the menu and what kind of service we will strive to have,” he said. “So, we decided on a Dinner Club with the goal of having elite service and cuisine paired with harbor views and a historic atmosphere. Guntersville is a raw beautiful place untouched by anything from the outside world. So, bringing new culinary concepts to the area makes it more exciting. The locals here have never had anything like this. Locals deserve more great culinary experiences.”
Chef Yount continued, “1893 will have menu items that no one here has to offer. Our lunch menu will be open to the public and will have Italian, Cajun and French influences to make a unique menu. 1893 will also have the same influences but on a much finer scale to make the dinner club more of a one of a kind establishment.”
Bringing an Italian-style menu to Guntersville is something Chef Yount felt was a necessity.
“When we were testing out concepts and menu ideas, Italian style cuisine always came up as something Guntersville needed and was something a lot of the locals wanted,” he said. “So, I tested a few menu items on a few people when catering and it was very well received by the locals. I knew then that we might just be on to something.”
More information about how to join 1893 will be available this spring, and the tentative opening of the restaurant is set for July.
Chef Yount’s food truck concept of Southern Fare is called Pique Nique, which is French for “picnic.” Pique Nique is a fast food Cajun concept that embraces southern cuisine for an on-the-go lifestyle. Meals will be created fresh daily with exceptional service and southern hospitality.
“The idea of Pique Nique came about at a crawfish boil back in Louisiana where this all started,” he said. “I talked to a few people from Guntersville while they were traveling through on their way to a fishing tournament. Chris Lane was one of the men in the group. The concept is based off high end fast food grocery store deli idea that I had when working at Tony Chacheres. Me and my Executive Chef were working on a few things for a few other people and we came up with this concept.”
The last two years of living through a pandemic have changed many people’s idea of dining out of the house. Chef Yount felt there was a new market to tap into now that food-to-go has become much more popular.
“With COVID affecting the dining habits of everyone, whether they got the vaccine or not, it takes the concern away from the customer,” he said. “Fast food dining is changing, and in my opinion, it was changing well before COVID hit. The footprints of fast food restaurants are getting smaller and smaller every time someone builds a new location. The way to dine in the fast food way is grab and go and enjoy looking out onto Lake Guntersville. Families can grab it and go hang out while eating a quality take-out menu. The menu is Cajun-inspired, but chef approved, and it’s fast food done right.”
For more information about Chef Yount and the many concepts of Southern Fare, visit www.thesouthernfare.com or on Facebook at www.facebook/southerfaredining.
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