Another Coast restaurant shuts the doors. This time it’s for a winter break
Changing the name last year didn’t provide the desired boost to business at Farm & Flame restaurant and butcher shop in Ocean Springs, and now the owner is taking a winter break.
Joseph Mason posted on Facebook Friday the restaurant at 1108 Bienville Boulevard, just east of the U.S. 90 and Washington Avenue intersection, is closed for a while.
“For right now,” he told the Sun Herald. “We are just taking a break for the wintertime.”
This is the slow time of the year for restaurants, he said, and he plans to take the time to look at where to go from here.
“We’re trying to make sure we manage our resources and take care of our customers,” he said.
Mason bought 4-Bulls butcher shop in Ocean Springs and temporarily moved it first to his farm at Grand Bay, Alabama. He then brought it back to Ocean Springs when he bought the building that previously housed The Shrimp Basket and some pizza shops.
Last fall he changed the name to Farm & Flame to convey the farm to table concept he wants to bring to Ocean Springs, Mason said.
He raises the animals and processes the meat under USDA inspection at his 250 acre farm just across the Mississippi line. Beef brisket, sausage, ribs and chicken were on the menu and available at the butcher shop, along with his own blend of seasonings and sauces.
Gift certificates purchased at Farm & Flame will be honored at the farm store at 11652 A North Wheatcroft Road in Grand Bay, about a 40-minute drive from Ocean Springs.
“We’re making some changes as we downsize and focus our efforts, but our commitment to our customers remains the same,” he said.
