Winstead enjoys volunteer cooking
Larry Winstead has been generously volunteering at The Southern Butcher, located near the bowling alley, for the past few months, helping owner Dan Stone grow his business.
“It gets me out of the house and makes me do something,” Winstead said. “I can’t stand sitting at home. I’ve worked two and three jobs all my life.”
Winstead has been instrumental in preparing plate lunches at the butcher shop, including dishes like fried chicken, pork chops, fish, chicken and dumplings, and more.
“I don’t serve any food unless it’s good,” he said. “We try to give people good food in a good environment. Everyone here is fun to work with.”
Winstead’s journey in the kitchen began 51 years ago at the old Bamboo Shop on the West end of town. What started as a summer job washing dishes between his sophomore and junior years of high school quickly turned into a passion for cooking when he was asked to work the night shift in the kitchen.
“I discovered that cooking is what I love to do,” he said.
Some of Winstead’s favorite dishes to prepare include baked ham, fried chicken and pork chops, casseroles, and fresh Southern vegetables like Brussel sprouts.
His signature dishes, such as ribeye steak, chicken and dumplings, chicken spaghetti, and real mashed potatoes, have become customer favorites at The Southern Butcher, where his special steak seasoning is also a hit.
Despite being a skilled cook, Winstead often opts for simplicity when it comes to his own meals.
“I’d rather do something simple,” he said. “Stopping to get a pizza on the way home from work is the quickest thing to do.”
One of the highlights of Winstead’s career was cooking for entertainers and cabin owners at the Neshoba County Fair from 2000 to 2015. He recalled meeting Trace Adkins, who once ate six tomato sandwiches and requested Winstead every time he returned to perform.
“I really enjoyed that and got to meet a lot of people,” Winstead said. “Most of the time I cooked Southern foods and had a list of food that the entertainment wanted. You want them to get a feeling of home, and that’s what I tried to do.”
For Winstead, the key to success in the kitchen is confidence and patience. His advice to aspiring cooks is to take your time, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid if something doesn’t turn out right.
“I love seeing the look on people’s faces when they tell me they enjoyed the meal,” he said. “That means more to me than anything in the world. It warms my heart to know that I’ve given someone a meal they may not have gotten anywhere else.”
Outside of the kitchen, Winstead enjoys reading and watching classic TV shows like “Hazel”, “The Doris Day Show”, and “The Addams Family”.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
1 lb. pork sausage
1 block cream cheese
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bundle green onions
Pop stems off mushrooms, then brown sausage. As you brown, add onions, cream cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine and stir ingredients together.
Take mixture and fill mushrooms. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
MEXICAN CORNBREAD
2 cups cornmeal
½ cup self-rising flour
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup diced jalapeños
1 cup shredded cheese
Mix ingredients together. Take a cast iron skillet and heat in oven with 3 tbsp. of vegetable oil at 400° for about 15 minutes. Pour mixture into skillet. Cook until golden brown.
CHICKEN ALFREDO
2 cups half and half
1 cup parmesan cheese
8 chicken tenders
Fettuccini noodles
Take chicken tenders, salt and pepper, and place on cooking sheet. Cook at 375° for about 35 minutes. Take half and half and heat on stove until warm. Then add parmesan cheese.
Take noodles and cook until done. Cut chicken strips into cubes and add to your sauce. Serve over noodles with garlic bread and enjoy.