Professional chefs often talk about their first childhood cooking experience, and it’s usually not so good.
Tyler Clancy, owner of Clancy’s Cafe in Red Banks, Mississippi, was in sixth grade when he made his first real stab. “It was Valentine’s Day and I woke up super early before my parents got up and I cooked a breakfast,” he says. “I did Scotch eggs by myself. They’re the hard-boiled eggs covered with breakfast sausage. It came out of a Eureka Springs bed-and-breakfast cookbook that I found.”
He served it with fruit and French toast. “It was pretty impressive, looking back. A passion for cooking has always been there.”
Growing up in Helena, Arkansas, Clancy was fascinated with Creole cooking on TV. “I was watching Justin Wilson on PBS when other kids were watching cartoons.”
Clancy, who always wanted to own a restaurant, got his first job in high school as “the baked potato boy” at Colton’s Steak House & Grill in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
He worked at other restaurants, including a Downtown bar in Little Rock, Arkansas. “This is about the time Anthony Bourdain was getting popular with Kitchen Confidential.
“The whole restaurant thing kind of took on this ‘rock star chef’ in my eyes. For a 20-year-old, that whole image intensified my passion for cooking.”
Clancy learned teamwork at Bouré Restaurant, and “fine-tuned flavor profiles” and cooking from scratch at Emileigh’s Bakery & Catering Company, both in Oxford, Mississippi.
He then became co-owner of JT’s Fish Shack, which opened on New Year’s Eve 2010 in Red Banks. Five months later, Clancy became sole owner and changed the name to “Clancy’s Cafe.”
“Being 26 years old and still a bit naive, I thought we were going to take over the world instantly.”
But it was “a lot of learning.” Business was up and down until 2020 when the restaurant went to curbside pick-up during the pandemic. “We just came up with the idea to do these ‘Family Packs,’ which were meals that fed three to four people: the entree, sides, desserts, bread, and tea.”
He advertised on Facebook. “That first night we were mandatory curbside, the parking lot was slam-packed full. The community came out to support us. People from Collierville and DeSoto County discovered us ’cause there weren’t many of these options available. And we still retain a lot of these customers.
“Once we opened back up, they couldn’t wait to come and check out the inside and see our full menu.”
His restaurant was a catfish place before he owned it, but Clancy decided to sell barbecue, too. “I’ve always loved cooking on fire and smoking it.”
His catfish, hush puppies, onion salad, and tartar sauce recipes came from the old Starnes Catfish Place in Abbeville, Mississippi. But, Clancy says, “I’ve always been pushing for the barbecue to take over catfish in sales.
“It’s just like here in the past two years people are realizing, ‘Man, that catfish place has some amazing baby back ribs.’ And, ‘That catfish place has some of the best brisket you’re going to get east of the Mississippi River.’”
Clancy posts his “outrageous sandwiches” on Facebook. “If you post a mile-high burger or barbecue sandwich on Facebook, it instantly activates the drooling mechanism.”
Two of those, “The Sippi” — pulled pork, homemade pimento cheese, fried pickles, and sweet barbecue sauce — and the “Firecracker” — a half-pound of ground beef stuffed with pimento cheese and jalapeños and topped with onion rings and homemade queso — made it to the menu and have “reigned supreme.”
Norma Jackson, Clancy’s grandmother, makes eight cakes a week as well as chocolate cobbler and fried pies.
Clancy’s Cafe also caters events. And when he’s home, Clancy cooks for his wife and two children on occasion.
“Food and cooking have always been a passion. And I’ve always felt blessed to have a passion. I just think it’s helped me in so many ways to keep me out of trouble. To have something to focus on. And food has always been that.”
Clancy’s Cafe is at 4078 Hwy. 178, Red Banks, Mississippi; (662) 252-7502.