Willie Mae's Scotch House

Willie Mae's Scotch House

Willie Mae's Scotch House is a restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2005 it was named an America's Classic by the James Beard Foundation.

History

Fried chicken, red beans and rice, country-fried pork chop and green beans and rice

Originally opened in 1957 in the Tremé neighborhood by Willie Mae Seaton operating as a bar, beauty shop and restaurant.^[1][2] After one year to their current location at 2401 St. Ann Street in the 6th Ward. They sustained significant damage during Hurricane Katrina but were able to reopen in 2007. As of 2019 it is run by Willie Mae's granddaughter Kerry Seaton Stewart.^[3]

In 2014, Seaton-Stewart opened a second location in the Uptown neighborhood.^[4] In 2022, they announced they would be opening a location in Los Angeles.^[5]

Ownership

The restaurant was originally owned by Willie Mae Seaton, who was born in 1916 in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.^[2] After Seaton died in 2015 the restaurant was taken over by her great-granddaughter Kerry Seaton Stewart.^[2]

Awards and honors

• 2005, James Beard Award for "America's Classic Restaurant for the Southern Region",^[3][6]
• 2008, first season of Food Paradise^[3]
• 2012, featured on Bizarre Foods America^[3]
• The Food Network and the Travel Channel named them "America's Best Fried Chicken"^[3]

References

1. Price, Todd (22 September 2015). "Willie Mae Seaton of Willie Mae's Scotch House dies at 99". Nola.com. Times Picayune. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
2. James Beard's All-American eats : recipes and stories from our best-loved local restaurants. Anya Hoffman, Andrew Zimmern, John T. Edge, James Beard Foundation. New York, NY. 2016. pp. 10, 18–19, 21, 56, 57. ISBN 978-0-8478-4746-4. OCLC 915120360.
3. "About Us". Willie Mae's. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
4. Price, Todd (October 24, 2014). "Famous fried chicken of Willie Mae's Scotch House comes to Uptown New Orleans". Times Picayune. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
5. Elliott, Farley (June 28, 2022). "Absolute Legend Willie Mae's Expands Its Fried Chicken From New Orleans to LA". Eater Los Angeles. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
6. "In Memoriam: Willie Mae Seaton". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 6 February 2019.

29°58′09″N 90°04′44″W