Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture
Starr Chapman sees in each new day an opportunity to do something remarkable.
And as partner/manager of Rum Kitchen restaurant in Waveland, she performs plenty of extraordinary feats — many of which are edible.
“There are so many wonderful flavors in this world,” Chapman says, “and combining them and creating something new and incredible to eat is exciting. Then, sharing that creation is the ultimate reward.”
GOOD FOOD EQUALS GOOD MOOD
The New Orleans native and her husband of 38 years, John “Chappy” Chapman, have maintained that philosophy through decades of entrepreneurship. He’d always wanted to own a restaurant, and the pair opened Chappy’s Seafood Restaurant in Long Beach in 1984. After losing everything in Katrina 20 years later, they relocated to Nashville.
The pair returned to the Coast in 2016 and opened Rum Kitchen, which specializes in coastal Creole cuisine, burgers, steaks, craft cocktails, seafood and more. The name is an amalgamation of two of the couple’s favorite restaurants: Whiskey Kitchen in Nashville and Rum House in New Orleans.
Although the venture has been a “wild and crazy ride,” according to Chapman, it was a success from the start.
“Our customers are those who love good food prepared beautifully while being attended to by a caring server,” Chapman says. “We have a saying: ‘Good food equals good mood.’”
LIVING THE GOLDEN RULE
As a child, Chapman developed deeply ingrained principles surrounding service, which formed while watching her mother in a crucial moment. When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in 1964, Chapman’s mother was a waitress working at Jim’s Fried Chicken. Black patrons now could eat anywhere they liked, and the waitstaff called in sick in response. However, Chapman’s mother stayed and served each customer with a big smile.
“I remember how tired she was — how her back was killing her, and how strong she was,” Chapman says. “I asked her why she stayed, and she said, ‘All people deserve respect and to be treated to a night out with good food.’”
Chapman herself always has loved to cook, as well as to eat, and takes Rum Kitchen’s quality seriously. Everyone on the team, from those on dish duty to the ownership, is held to the same standard of excellence and dedication.
“Consistency is the word that motivates all of us,” she says. “Making sure that each dish, each craft cocktail — each and every mouthful — arrives at your table as perfect as possible.”
Rum Kitchen’s menu represents years of experience plated and presented with flair. Some dishes that have made guests’ mouths water recently include royal reds au gratin; crab on crab on crab, featuring crabmeat on top of a fried softshell crab sitting on a crab cake drizzled with meuniere sauce; and the Elvis burger, an 8-ounce cheeseburger topped with a fried egg and a scoop of guac, then completed with hardwood-smoked bacon.
The food may be Rum Kitchen’s main draw, but Chapman says the restaurant’s friendly, relaxed atmosphere creates loyal customers.
“We really have a sense of family here; we treat our guests like we want to be treated,” she says. “I want all of our guests to feel like they have walked into their home, relaxed and safe.”
COMMITMENT TO SERVICE
That philosophy extends to her attitude about community service. In 2019, Rum Kitchen won the Restaurant Neighbor Award for HemFest, a festival the Chapman’s started that celebrates the life of Ernest Hemingway and benefits Waveland’s Ground Zero Museum.
Bernadette Cullen, who has known Chapman for a decade, worked with her for years on the fundraiser. She also invited Chapman to be a part of Hancock’s Relay for Life committee, of which Cullen is the co-chair. Chapman serves as a judge for the Relay’s Dancing with the Stars event.
“She is a dynamo who has endless energy, and I don’t think she ever says no,” Cullen says. “She is a visionary and leader, but also a worker — a rare combination. She is kind-hearted and generous with her time and resources.”
Cullen doubts there is any aspect of the community her friend hasn’t supported or touched in some way. Chapman has been a leader on the boards of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, The executive board of the Hancock County Republican Women’s Club and the Hancock Republican Executive Club, as well as The Church Council of St. Clare. Last year, she was voted secretary of the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women for the 2022-2023 term.
“Her accomplishments showcase her ability to be a role model for women of all ages,” Cullen says. “She epitomizes (the idea) that anyone can make their dreams come true.”
According to Tish Williams, executive director of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, there is nothing Chapman can’t do. Not only is she one of the Chamber’s most active board members, attending every event and ribbon-cutting, but Williams deems her “a master at bringing people together to achieve common goals.”
“She knows that one of the best ways to bring people together is through food and beverages,” Williams says. “The Rum Kitchen is our go-to place for special events, meetings and everyday dining, and that’s why we recognized them as Business of the Year recently.”
MORE TO DO
Chapman’s other accolades include being a three-time 100 Successful Women to Know honoree, a two-time Top Influencer at the Success Women’s Conference and a 2021 Woman of Achievement finalist for Lighthouse Business and Professional Women. In 2020, she received the Jody Compretta Person of Passion Award, presented to someone annually who exemplifies what it means to be tenacious, determined and always striving to advance Hancock County; at the time, Chapman said she could only hope to emulate Compretta’s “shining example” as a person of vision, compassion and immense love for his family.
As a mother of two and grandmother of three, Chapman can relate to that love. Both personally and professionally, she wants to be a woman of substance, a contributor, a motivator and an innovator — but most of all, a friend.
“Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose; I feel that I still have to accomplish (mine),” she says. “I feel that there is so much more to do.”