In August 2016, Alex Eaton told the Jackson Free Press that after helping open a pizzeria in Boulder, Colo., he knew he wanted to be a chef. He attended a culinary program at Johnson and Wales University in North Carolina, receiving his associate’s degree in culinary arts in 2009.
After college, he toured the U.S. to hone his craft, and in 2013, he and Steven O’Neill opened The Manship in Belhaven. As the restaurant’s co-owner and executive chef, he creates a menu with Mediterranean and southern inspirations with dishes such as spit-fired Greek-style chicken.
Over the last year, Eaton has also been making his mark in the culinary world in the South. He competed in and won the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, which was in New Orleans this past August, with a trio of dishes that highlighted the different types of shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico.
At the restaurant, he says his favorite thing to do is break down a whole fish and use every part of it to create a dish or multiple dishes.
On being honored in Best of Jackson, Eaton says: “You do a lot of hard work; it’s obviously not for pay. For people to recognize that, it’s truly an honor.”— Amber Helsel
WINNER: Best Chef
Address: Manship, 1200 North State St. Jackson MS 39202
Phone number: 601-398-4562