Chef Jim Shirley Focuses on Florida Ingredients at His Restaurants

In partnership with: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

As the son of a Navy pilot, Jim Shirley often sampled exotic cuisine from the countries where his dad was stationed. However, the memories Shirley cherishes most revolve around picking and eating vegetables at his grandmother’s farm in Alpharetta, Georgia.

“We had to go pick the okra, the peas, the collard greens and turnip greens, and they were amazing,” says Shirley, chef-owner of eight popular eateries on Highway 30-A in Florida. “And they had an old crabapple tree that made the most amazing jelly. The closer it is to where it was grown, the better it’s going to be.”

Years later, as a chef in his hometown of Pensacola, Shirley encouraged local farmers to grow specialty foods, including heirloom figs, for his budding restaurants. But his first attempt was disappointing.

“I actually bought the seed and told them I would buy all the stuff that they grew,” Shirley says. “And at the end of summer, they gave me the seeds back, and they had grown only squash and zucchini. There were thousands of pounds, and they were trying to sell it by the road, getting a quarter a pound when they could’ve been getting $5 a pound for the gourmet varieties.”

Soon after that, Shirley learned that a local group was traveling to Pienza, Italy, to study the farm-to-table process, and he jumped at the chance to join them. Upon his return, he opened The Great Southern Cafe in Seaside on Florida’s Emerald Coast. Since opening the restaurant, it is known as a culinary innovator and destination because of its fresh local seafood and produce that attracts locals and 30-A visitors alike.

“There were maybe two gourmet farms in 2006 when I opened, and now everybody’s doing it,” he says.

Today, Shirley operates several restaurants along 30-A: The Great Southern Cafe, The C-Bar, 87 Central, The Meltdown on 30-A, b.f.f., The Bay, Farm & Fire, and North Beach Social. All rely on ingredients grown and harvested nearby.

See more: Florida Farm Families Keep the Tradition Going Through the Generations

Global Cuisine, Backyard Ingredients

Housed in an Airstream trailer in Seaside, The Meltdown on 30-A recently introduced Strawberry Goat Forever, a sweet-and-savory twist on the traditional grilled cheese sandwich, with preserves made from strawberries purchased at the Seaside Farmers Market.

At The Great Southern Cafe, Shirley uses end-of-summer peas – zippers, crowders and baby lima beans – from the market to cook up a hearty succotash. And he purchases everything from trumpet to lion’s mane mushrooms from an organic mushroom farm in Freeport.

“It’s like, ‘What they have today is what’s going to be on the menu,’” Shirley says.

Shirley’s signature dish, Grits a Ya Ya, which he created in 1998 during Mardi Gras, starts with grits ground by CB Family Farms. Gulf-caught seafood is also a highlight on the restaurants’ menus.

“Cedar Key clams and those varieties of aquaculture are really doing a nice job,” he says. “And the microgreens industry is really strong.”

See more: Southern Seafood Market Reels in Local Flavor

Far-Reaching Impact

Featuring Florida products on his menus is essential for Shirley.

“I think it’s the driving force,” he says. “We’re lucky to have some amazing sources of incredible, fresh fish that’s all coming straight out of the Gulf. You can really tell the difference. With produce, everything else – if it’s not coming from Florida – has been on a truck for a while.”

Eating local, he says, is also important to the local economy and area farmers.

“We’re all deeply intertwined,” he says. “These food industries are our neighbors. Our children are in school together. It’s also a lesson that we need to impart to our children: This is where you get your food, and you can talk to the people it’s coming from.”

Shirley urges Floridians, including those in the 30-A communities, to support their local farmers markets.

“We have great ones in Rosemary Beach, at Seaside and at Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach,” he says. “I encourage everyone to go to their farmers market wherever they are in the state.”

See more: Florida Restaurants Serve Homegrown Fare