My Story

“I grew up on the farm. Off in the woods, walking through the blueberry bushes, shoes off. I ate dirt as a kid. When I tell you I was living off the soil, I was living off the soil because I know what it tastes like.” 

Mississippi born and raised, Nick credits his grandmothers, Queen Morris and Lennel Donald, for sparking his love of the culinary arts. Since a young age, they could see that Nick belonged in the kitchen with his natural talent and love for cooking.  

Since then, his love and talents in the culinary arts have grown as he combined his family farm origins with learned French techniques to create his modern and unique Mississippi cuisine. Through it all , Nick has remained focused on the beauty of food as nature is one of his biggest inspirations. 

Nick’s passion for culinary arts has led him to serving as an Executive Chef for some of the country’s most prestigious museums and hotels. Through all of these positions, he’s continued to flourish as a leader and innovator in the culinary arts. 

 

Accomplishments& Recognition

In Mississippi, Nick was voted Best Chef in Jackson for the last four years. In 2020, he was named Best Chef of Mississippi and has remained on the list of Best Chefs in America. 

Known for redefining the southern culinary experience, Nick has participated in “50 Chefs – 50 States” [Flavored Nation] in Chattanooga, TN. He has also presented five Mississippi Themed dinners in New York for the James Beard Foundation. 

Due to his success, Nick has been featured on numerous national media outlets such as Southern Living Magazine and Food Network. For Food Network, Nick has appeared on Comfort Nation (Season 2), Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, and Top Chef (currently). Nick won Chopped (Season 34) in 2017. Nick has also appeared on Food Network Canada’s Fire Masters.  

Internationally, Nick has appeared on the French channel ­Voyage on the show Unexplored America -Mississippi. He has also been featured twice on Beautiful Destinations for Visit USA. 

 
 
 

My Mission

 
 

The heart and spirit of Nick Wallace Culinary is deeply rooted in Mississippi, and we advocate for the distribution of home-grown and farm-raised products. We are a resource for local farmers, regional chefs, restauranters, and for individual families who are as passionate about cooking food that is as close to home as we are.

 
 
 

Giving Back

 
 

Nick has started his own non-profit organization, Creativity Kitchen, to give back to his local community. They have worked with Jackson Public Schools to help provide better tasting and healthier foods to students that attend these schools. 

They have also worked with Whole Food’s 5% Community Giving Program to put money back into the community by donating to the local elementary schools. 

Nick has also partnered with organizations such as Dole, Novo Nordisk, and the American Cancer Society as well as serving as the co-chair of Share the Gulf, Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi in order to reach out and continue to connect with the community.