Chef Nick Wallace Makes Magic in the Kitchen and the Community
In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
Some of Nick Wallace’s earliest memories are of busy days on his family’s farm, specifically in his grandmother’s kitchen as summer gave way to fall.
“As we got ready for the winter, the kitchen was the center of activity,” says Wallace, an Edwards native and award-winning chef. “From chopping green stems, making chowchow with green tomatoes, and boiling and jarring fruits and vegetables, it was a time that gave me a glimpse of what my future could hold.”
As early as 5 years old, Wallace was tugging at his grandmother’s leg to taste what she was cooking. She taught him how to gather eggs, pick wild berries and dig up the right sweet potatoes.
“I would see her make a mess in the kitchen rolling out biscuit dough and dropping berries in boiling water in the evening, and the next morning she would be telling me how to eat the biscuit with just the right amount of blueberry jam in the middle,” Wallace says. “It seemed like magic to me.”
Today, Wallace continues the magic making, combining what he learned from his grandmother with French culinary techniques to create his modern Mississippi-inspired cuisine. It’s been a journey that has taken him from the farm kitchen in Hinds County to the sets of numerous cooking shows in Hollywood and across the country, with honors accumulating as he goes.
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Tasting Success
But success didn’t happen overnight.
“I worked in freestanding restaurants from the time I was a teenager, washing dishes and doing prep work, but it took me a long time to realize my calling because I was seeing it as just a paycheck,” Wallace says. “I got serious about cooking and was inspired by other chefs in Los Angeles and around the world. I wanted to do what they did but do it in Mississippi.”
He started working at the Marriott in Jackson at 20 years old and in two years was named the executive chef. Later, as the executive chef at the Hilton Garden Inn, he continued to hone his culinary craft. His talent and innovative style brought him kudos from grateful diners and caught the attention of the culinary industry.
In 2013, Wallace made his first television appearance on the Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen. Since his debut, he has been a featured celebrity chef on seven additional shows, winning Chopped in 2017
and Fire Masters in 2021. That string of success led to an invitation from the producers of Top Chef in 2022, where Wallace was named a finalist.
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Despite the national and international success, the heart and spirit of his company, Nick Wallace Culinary, remains deeply rooted
in Mississippi and committed to the state and local community.
He opened his first signature restaurant, the Nissan Cafe by Nick Wallace, inside the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, where diners can experience such authentic and inspired tasty treats as Mississippi gumbo, smoked brisket wrap and peach cobbler cinnamon rolls.
A Big Helping of Service
Wallace is also committed to giving back and inspiring young people, not only in terms of what they can aspire to but in exposing them to healthy, locally grown food.
“I am a graduate of Blackburn Middle School in Jackson, and the food service director called me one day to ask if I could host the awards for the cafeteria workers,” Wallace explains. “It led to another discussion of how I might be able to spend some time in the kitchen in Blackburn, preparing healthy food and even desserts. I created menus for every Monday. We made it a good way to start the week for the kids, adding colorful tablecloths and letting them visit the kitchen to see what we were doing. We also brought in local farmers to educate the students about local food production.”
That was the start of Wallace’s Creativity Kitchen. After the successful launch at Blackburn, all 13 middle schools in the area asked to be a part of the initiative, which lasted until the pandemic.
“This was a very, very proud moment for me of being able to serve the community where I have my roots and make a difference
to young people,” Wallace says. “I want to write my own story and help others to see the opportunities that can be part of their story, too.”
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Nick Wallace’s Quiche
Locally sourced eggs are a staple of many Nick Wallace recipes, including this one.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped, or substitute pork belly if available
- 1 ½ cups smoked Gouda, shredded
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shaved by a potato peeler
- 1 refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a glass pie plate
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender (or simply use a whisk and a bowl).
3. Layer the spinach, bacon and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set.
4. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.