by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer

PASS CHRISTIAN (GG) — December 6th was a cold and gloomy Saturday; however, Cat Island Coffee House glowed from within, with an unexplainable warmth that not only emanated from the hot coffee. Pass Christian Books curated a holiday cheer, neighbors drifted inside, greeted by the scent of coffee and the steady hum of conversation. At the center of it all, at a small table near the window overlooking the gulf, was Mississippian Robert St. John, signing his cookbook, Mississippi Christmas, with a grin, ready to meet you. The afternoon felt less like an author appearance and more like a gathering built on what Robert calls the Five F’s: faith, family, friends, food, and fun—the pillars that shaped him and now shape his newest, long-awaited cookbook. 

Though Mississippi Christmas is his fifteenth book, Robert admitted it’s the one he carried with him the longest.

“About my third or fourth book is when I wanted to do this,” he explained. “I pitched it to my publisher in New York, and they said, ‘We only do holiday. We can’t do Christmas.’ And I said, ‘Well, forget it then, because we do Christmas down in Mississippi.’”

The idea lingered for decades, tucked in the back of his mind, until now.

“It’s really satisfying that I can finally get it done,” he said. “I think this is my best. If it’s not my best, it’s my favorite.”

More than a cookbook, it is a memoir, rooted in those Five F’s: faith, the first and most central, found throughout his earliest memories.

“So many of the stories are about Christmas when I was a kid,” he shared. “We had big dinners after church on Sundays. So it was faith, then family all around the table. Friends were always invited. Great food. And when you get four of those together, the fun just happens.” 

Family and friends form the emotional backbone of the book. Raised by a single mother, “a public school art teacher,” Robert said, “We didn’t have a lot, but we had this awesome neighborhood.” His voice softened as he added, “You hear it takes a village, I’m literally breathing, walking, talking proof of that.”

Some of the recipes in the book come straight from those people: “That’s my across-the-street neighbor and her casserole,” he said proudly, flipping through the pages. He called the book “a nod and a big hug” to the people who raised him: his mother, his grandmother, and the neighbors who filled in every gap. 

“So many of them had such a big influence on me around that time of year,” he said. “My grandmother especially. Out of all the advisors, consultants, business types I’ve had over the years, none of them had as big an influence on me as she did.” 

Food, of course, is the tasty thread binding everything together. “A lot of the recipes are dishes I grew up eating,” he said, “but not all of them.” His life beyond Mississippi makes its mark, too. “In 2011, I took my wife and kids… we flew to Sweden, bought a Volvo, and spent six months in 72 cities and 17 countries,” he recounted. “We were in Spain during Christmas, and that’s where I learned about the Feast of the Seven Fishes.” 

Other dishes come from his restaurants, from his bakery, and from his children. “My son is a chef, that recipe is his,” he said while pointing to his book’s pages. “This bread pudding comes from Crescent City Grill. There’s heritage in here, and there’s new stuff too.”

But it’s fun, the natural product of the other four F’s, that lights up the whole project. “When you get faith, family, friends, and food together,” he said, “the fun just happens. So do the memories.” Standing in the bookstore, that truth played out in real time. People chatted, and strangers became fast friends. 

When asked how it felt to see so many people come out on this chilly, rainy day, Robert beamed. “I love it. I love doing this,” he said. “I’ve been to this bookstore for every book I’ve written. Scott has always been a huge supporter. This place is one of the jewels in the bookstore crown of Mississippi.” 

He paused, then added, “And the fact that somebody from D’Iberville would drive all the way over here just to get a book signed… I mean, what a blessing. I’m blessed.” Throughout the afternoon, it became clear that Mississippi Christmas is far more than a cookbook. It’s a life story—an accumulation of 64 years of flavorful life full of faith, family, friends, and fun. 

Grab your own copy at Pass Christian Books.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)