Ask Chef Jim Shirley

Jim Shirley is the executive chef and part owner of the Great Southern Restaurant Group, which owns The Fish House, Atlas Oyster House, and The Deck Bar in Pensacola, Fla. and is part owner of the Great Southern Café in Seaside, Fla., He also writes a weekly column, "Good Grits!," for the Pensacola News Journal. Jim is on the state board of Directors of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA). He is president of the Society of Great Southern Chefs and a member of the Southern Foodways Alliance. He is very active in his community, dedicating his time to many charities such as sitting on the board of directors of the Children’s Home Society of Florida and the Autism Society.

Jim opened his first restaurant, Madison's Diner, in 1995 and opened the Screaming Coyote in 1997. His style of cooking is one that he likes to call Modern Southern. As the son of a Navy pilot who was stationed all around the world, Jim learned to enjoy a variety of cuisines from many cultures. But he always went back to his roots—his grandmothers' traditional Southern cooking. His expertise is in combining different flavors in ways unlike anyone else. Most recently Jim appeared on the Travel Channel's show "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern."  He was also chosen to go to Washington, D.C., to feature his signature dish, Grits à Ya Ya, in A Taste of the South event.

Jim is the author of "Good Grits! Southern Boy Cooks" available online.

Visit www.GoodGrits.com