What pairs well with Coast’s new Chandeleur brewpub? Chef Austin Sumrall
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- Pascagoula train station was renovated and repurposed as Chandeleur Depot Brewpub.
- Chef Austin Sumrall will create the brewpub’s menu and collaborate on the project.
- Brewpub will offer on-site beer consumption, 12 beers on tap, and a full bar.
What a transformation the 1904 Pascagoula train station has experienced over the past year, and what a surprise that acclaimed chef Austin Sumrall is collaborating and creating the menu for the new Chandeleur Depot Brewpub opening there soon.
One of the most renowned chefs in Mississippi, Sumrall has a “recommended” designation from Michelin and is a three-time semi-finalist for James Beard Foundation’s best chef in the South. He and his wife, Tresse Sumrall, own White Pillars restaurant in Biloxi and Siren Social Club in Gulfport, and now are taking on this project and providing the menu, recipes, training and presentation.
It doesn’t work without Chef Austin, said owner and Coast developer Joe Cloyd.
“The elevated culinary opportunity to bring him on board here was a must-do,” Cloyd said. “We feel like we did so many things right, and this is the most important piece, and the collaboration with him is going to ensure that this component is done properly and excellently.”
The project actually combines the talent and vision of three South Mississippi business owners. Cloyd had the idea of restoring the 1904 train depot that was abandoned and looked like it was one hurricane gust from collapsing.
Cloyd partnered with co-owners Cam and Cain Roberds, who also operate Chandeleur Island Brewing Company in Gulfport and C. Roberds General Contractors. His construction company righted the building, which was listing 9 degrees on its brick foundation, and repaired the damage caused by time and termites. His line of craft beers will be sold and brewed on site.
Chandeleur beer and Sumrall’s bold flavors are the final pairings, and once the liquor license process is complete, a soft opening is expected to begin in the next few weeks.
A destination
The 122-year old train station at 505 Railroad Ave. greets Amtrak passengers who land right at the door for a day of sightseeing in the beach town where singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett was born.
A family-friendly restaurant, the depot also is an attraction with something for all ages. Kids will be delighted to find the arcade tucked in one corner of the building. “We wanted old-school games,” Cloyd said, and they went for shuffleboard, retro pinball games, Ms Pac-Man and Golden Tee golf.
History buffs will appreciate the restoration and detail of the building. All the original heart pine floors were taken up, planed and put back down, giving the building a honey glow. The original wainscoting and wood walls and ceilings were restored
“We hope it will be here another 100 years,” Cloyd said of the depot. “That’s how long my lease is.”
Windows all along both sides of the depot open it to the community and the light, and a room full of shiny brewing equipment is where beer tasting will be offered and customers can sip and dine while considering what brew is next off-line.
Take a look at the menu
The collaboration between Cloyd and Sumrall is five years in the making. They met at the Ocean Springs Farmers Market when the Sumralls first came to the Coast to open White Pillars. They spent Saturday mornings cooking at the market to meet the community and engage more customers.
Chef Austin’s corn dog recipe, made with three large shrimp instead of a hot dog, launched them on a plan to imagine an upscale bar menu.
“We tried to do things that you would see in a bar setting, but with kind of our own twist on them,” Sumrall said. “So we have fried mushrooms, but they’re tempura battered oyster mushrooms, and we do serve them with ranch — we’ll make it from scratch,” he said.
Other pubs have olives and nuts to snack on with a beer, but the Chandeleur Depot’s are premium Castlevatrano olives and the warm Marcona almonds are sweeter, softer and more buttery tasting than traditional almonds.
The all-day menu covers lunch, dinner and a quick bite. “It starts off at the top with snacks, which are things that we chose specifically as something that you can get quick and eat and drink a beer, because it is a brewery, after all,” Sumrall said.
“I wanted to have a few things that really felt like White Pillars, Sumrall said. “We have regulars that come to Biloxi to eat from Pascagoula, and they’re so excited.,” he said. He’s added coconut ceviche to the menu and pimento cheese served with Crystal hot sauce and fried saltines.
The brew pub has Korean barbecue pork belly similar to the White Pillars, but a “playful” style with a steamed bun to hold in the sauce, the crunchy slaw and cilantro.
The infamous shrimp corn dog is on the “smalls” menu, along with shrimp toast, fried mozzarella, oysters on the half shell or salt-and-pepper fried oysters. “Bigs” are dishes like shrimp roll, steak frites and shrimp pasta.
The chef created salads and dishes for vegetarians, chicken sandwiches and a good smash burger for the kids and chicken thighs with vegetables for those eating healthy.
The brews
The restaurant will be open daily to start, with 12 beers on tap — mostly Chandelier Island Brewing Company beers, but also some domestic beers and a full bar.
The beer will be brewed and kegged for on-site consumption, since the depot isn’t large enough for packaging., although they will have grab-and-go six-pack and four-pack beer in the cooler for customers and train passengers.
“This tank system gives our brew master the option of small batch,” Cloyd said, where traditional Chandelier recipes can be made, but also used as a test kitchen, with the possibility of creating gluten-free and other specialty and beers.
One bar glows, another glistens
Customers have two gathering rooms to choose from, where Joe Cloyd and his wife Jessica Cloyd combined elements that bring the depot to life, from historic photographs to new works by local artists.
“Joe and Jessica are fantastic interior design people. They have really beautiful spaces, and this is no exception,” Sumrall said.
The centerpiece of the dining room is a gray onyx bar that glows golden from within. “It kind of drove color and art,” Cloyd said. “We kind of built everything around the bar.”
A young artist from Ocean Springs, Dale Harvey, painted the Pascagoula River scene and a parrot guitar, which paired with a photograph of Jimmy Buffett standing outside the depot, will create a kind of tribute wall in the dining room.
Ocean Springs artist Matt Stebly created the art on the cans of Chandeleur beer. The labels will be hung with an explanation of the beers on tap. “Instead of like a chalkboard beer list, we’re going to take advantage of the great art that’s already there,” Cloyd said.
It’s another twist to make the new brewput stand out in South Mississippi.
