There’s a lot of talk these days about self-made people. I’m not one of them.

Whatever I’ve done, whatever I’ve built, whatever I’ve been blessed to be part of – it wasn’t done alone. Not even close.

I’ve always tried to stay grateful, but lately that gratitude feels deeper. I keep coming back to the people who stepped in at just the right time. Folks who carried more than their share when I couldn’t carry mine. The more I look back, the more I realize how much of my life has been held together by the kindness, patience and grace of others.

I made a mess of things in my early years. I was aimless, restless and caught up in addiction before I even understood what it was doing to me. Some of it was just being young and foolish. Some of it came from pain I hadn’t dealt with. But most of it was just being lost. I drank too much. Hurt people who didn’t deserve it. Burned bridges I couldn’t rebuild. Had I gotten what I deserved back then, I’d either be dead or in jail. That’s not drama. That’s the truth.

I didn’t clean myself up. Grace did.

Grace was always just a word I heard in church. I didn’t understand it until it was gifted to me. I’ve been carried by grace more times than I can count. Not the kind you earn – the kind that finds you when you’ve got nothing left. God’s grace has shown up right in the middle of my messes. I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t deserve it. But it came anyway.

I’ve been clean and sober for more than four decades. That’s not a badge – it’s a blessing. It didn’t come from willpower. It came from surrender, and from people who stood beside me when I couldn’t stand on my own. My friends in recovery have been my compass. Quiet strength in the background of my life. I owe them way more than I can repay.

I’m a seventh-generation Pine Belt native. Hattiesburg isn’t just where I live – it’s part of who I am. This place raised me, gave me second chances, and kept calling me back every time I strayed.

When I started in business, I didn’t have a father to show me the ropes. But a lot of men stepped in. They gave advice. They offered encouragement. A few stepped in when things got rough financially. They didn’t have to. But they did. Too many to name here, but they know who they are. And I hope they’ve always known how grateful I am.

Whatever good I’ve had the chance to do in this town – through restaurants, writing, feeding folks, or just trying to be a good neighbor – was only possible because others helped me grow into it. I think about the cooks who believed in something we were building before there was much to show for it. The servers who came in on slow days with the same heart they brought on busy ones. The teammates who gave more than they had to give because they believed in what we were building. The guests who kept coming back. You never forget that kind of loyalty.

Over the years, more than 10,000 people have worked with us across all the restaurants. I never set out to employ that many folks. It just happened one step at a time. One season after another. They taught me more than I ever taught them. They made me better.

When Katrina hit, when the recession dragged on, when COVID shut us down – there were moments it felt like everything might slip away. We didn’t have a roadmap. We just leaned on each other. Guests checked in. Team members stayed steady. Friends in the community asked what we needed and then showed up with it. Not in big, showy ways. Just quiet help, at the right time. That’s what got us through. It still does.

During the pandemic, I found myself in conversations with other restaurant owners, all of us trying to figure out how to keep our doors open and our people working. Somehow, through a lot of voices coming together, help – $28.6 billion of it – found its way to the right places. But the real work happened at home, in towns like ours, where folks kept their heads down and took care of each other.

I’ve been fortunate to travel – hosting tours in Europe, writing about food and culture, learning from chefs and artisans across the ocean. But I never travel without knowing exactly where I come from. I carry Mississippi with me everywhere.

My wife has been beside me for the long haul. Patient in the early years. Steady in the hard seasons. Joyful when joy found us. We raised two children who are kind, smart and rooted. Watching them grow into themselves has been the most meaningful work I’ve ever done.

A sense of place doesn’t come from buildings. It comes from people. The neighbor who checks in after surgery. The teacher who stays late to tutor. The dishwasher who doesn’t call in sick even when he probably should have. The mentor who picks up the phone when you’re out of ideas. These are the people who define a town. They are the people who carried me.

I’ve been lifted, forgiven and carried by more people than I can count. Some I know by name. Some I’ll never be able to thank in person. But their impact is stitched into everything I do.

If you’ve played a role – large or small – in helping me along this road, thank you. If you offered a kind word, shared a meal, gave me a chance, or forgave a mistake – you are part of this story.

You always have been.

This isn’t a victory lap. It’s a walk of gratitude, a thank-you note. And I’ll keep walking it as long as I’m able. Because I believe in place. I believe in people. And I believe in paying forward what was so freely given to me. Grace is real. Again, thank you.

Onward.

SPINACH FLAN

(Yield: 8 servings)

Cibreo in Florence is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Chef Fabio Picchi serves a light-as-air spinach flan as a course on his tasting menu. This is my version, which is a nice, light vegetarian first course option.

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained well
4 eggs
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano as needed for garnish
1 recipe Roasted Tomato Coulis

Directions
■ Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
■ Combine heavy cream and spinach in a small sauce pot and warm over low heat, just to take the chill off.
■ Remove from heat and puree until smooth. Strain through a chinois. Discard any solids that remain.
■ Transfer to a bowl and combine remaining ingredients gently.
■ Coat 8 (4-6 ounce) oven safe ramekins with nonstick spray and divide mixture among them. Bake in a water bath for 30 minutes or until set. Allow to cool slightly. Using a paring knife, loosen the flan from around the edges and unmold onto desired plate. Garnish with fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

ROASTED TOMATO COULIS

(Yield: 1 cup)

Ingredients
6 roma tomatoes
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions
■ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
■ Coat tomatoes in oil and place on sheet pan in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until skins begin to wrinkle and begin browning. Rotate tomatoes every 10 minutes to avoid one side burning.
■ Allow to cool just enough to handle, remove skins and place in food processor or blender with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pass through a chinois if a smoother texture is desired. Serve warm.

Robert St. John is a restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, and world-class eater from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He has spent four decades in the restaurant industry, written 13 books, and written a syndicated newspaper column for more than 24 years. Read more about Robert at robertstjohn.com.