A Community Forward Entrepreneur with a Stirring Old Soul and the Heart of a Saint
When you think about downtown Ocean Springs, a few things come to mind – live oak canopied streets, luxury clothing stores, and exquisite art galleries. If you know the downtown well, you’ve no doubt visited culinary and lounge mainstays like Evergreen, Mosaic Restaurant & Bar, Red Apple Lounge, Neon Moon, Lost Springs Brewing Company, and Eleven Cocktail Lounge.
And if you’re a downtown expert, you just might know Kenny Williams. He’s the can’t-miss visionary, community advocate, and the mastermind restaurateur behind those popular social and award-winning destinations who often sports a kaleidoscope wardrobe complete with white sunglasses.
“I love Morris Day more than any other musician,” Williams said. “He was in ‘Purple Rain’ and I just wished I could be one-tenth as cool as he was.”
Williams, his wife, Susie, and their children, Jacob and Emma, made Ocean Springs home in 2017. He retired from the oil and gas industry after spending most of his career overseas and the family was looking to settle in a dynamic small town. The City of Discovery seemed like the right ticket because Williams, who was born in New Orleans, has deep Mississippi Gulf Coast roots.
Williams graduated from Saint Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis in 1984 and his mother and stepfather, Greg and Dianne Dickinson, worked for a time at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula as did his grandfather. His father, Del Williams, was an offensive guard for the New Orleans Saints for seven years in the late 60s and early 70s.
“I’ve been here off and on my whole life, but Ocean Springs, well, it’s special,” he said. “I can never repay Ocean Springs and the Mississippi Gulf Coast for what they’ve done for me and my family.”
Jacob headed to the University of Mississippi and is currently a junior studying computer engineering and biochemistry. Emma, an Ocean Springs High School senior, is immersed in the Mayor’s Youth Council, the Varsity Dance Team, and the Superintendent’s Committee. She will follow in her brother’s Ole Miss footsteps to study Chinese and international business.
“Soon we will have two Ocean Springs High School graduates, which is the greatest school district in the state,” he said.
Williams, Raj and Pam Tuli bought Mosaic in 2019 from the late Arturo Barajas. “We loved it as it was, but we wanted people to think of us as a New Orleans French Bistro in the 30s kind of place,” he said.
Neon Moon, a live music anchor for downtown nightlife, soon followed, with Williams and co-owner Nolan Keith cooking up Lost Springs Brewing Company in an unused area on the venue’s footprint. Taylor Pontius is a partner in both of these ventures. Lost Springs is the smallest brewery in the Magnolia State and home to beer brands 1699, the Mississippi Hippie, Rye or Dye, and Porter Porter. Red Apple came next and is a tribute to filmmaker Quentin Tarantino with retro touches and a swanky old Hollywood gangster vibe.
“I grew up in the French Quarter and saw these old guys in great suits,” he said. “They intrigued me. They were gamblers, shysters, and hustlers but also interesting, smart, and funny. They knew how to talk, and a guy once told me they all had verbal rap ability.”
Eleven is a chef-driven cocktail venture with four-time James Beard nominated Chef Alex Perry while Evergreen is an eccentric space that focuses on deconstructed southern cuisine with a modern twist.
But as demanding and rewarding as his businesses are, Williams has a remarkable approach to restaurant social skills and believes in wholeheartedly supporting other establishments.
“Rising tides raise all the boats,” he said. “Ocean Springs and the Gulf Coast work better when we work together. In Ocean Springs, we have Alex Perry’s Vestige which was nominated as the best restaurant in the United States this year by the James Beard Foundation. In Biloxi, you’ve got Austin Sumrall at White Pillar and Siren, and he has a nomination too. And we have Will Rester over at the Radish in Long Beach. So many great places on the Gulf Coast and we are all one big family.”
Williams says Ocean Springs is in the best financial position it’s ever been in thanks to the local government. “COVID was expertly handled and in a pro-business way with reasonable development that takes into account the environment and needs of the local citizens. They are doing the job we elected them to do, and they are doing it well.”
So, what will Williams serve up next in downtown Ocean Springs? He and downtown entrepreneurs Will Taylor and Chris Collier are considering a private, members-only club. Taylor is the brain behind Glory Bound Gyro Company, The Lady May, and The Garage at Cash Alley while Collier owns The Office Bar & Lounge.
“We should be ready to start announcing everything in the Spring,” Williams said, adding moving Ocean Springs and the entire Coast forward is forever on his menu.
Evergreen
228.447.3928 | www.evergreenoceansprings.com
Mosaic Restaurant & Bar
228.818.9885 | www.mosaictapasrestaurant.com
Red Apple Lounge
228.215.1380 | www.redapplelounge.com
Neon Moon
228.215.0137 | www.osneonmoon.com
Lost Springs Brewing Company
228.215.3238 | www.lostspringbrewing.com
Eleven Cocktail Lounge
www.elevenoceansprings.com
