Behind the Business: Ms. Audrey’s Southern Kitchen and Catering

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – It’s a love that started early for Audrey Watson Duncan — the 70s, to be exact.

“I started as a little girl with my mom,” said Audrey Duncan. “We used the top of the washing machine and put our board on top and I would chop seasonings and work beside my mother to help her prepare the dishes she had to prepare.”

That love which grew in the kitchen now feeds thousands across the Gulf Coast under the name Ms. Audrey’s Southern Kitchen & Catering, nestled in the Gaston Point community of Gulfport.

“My mother passed away at the early age of 52 from breast cancer, and being in the kitchen with her, she would always tell me if I can do this for these people, I can be doing this for myself,” she explained. “I heard that every day we were in the kitchen.”

Originally from Natchez, Ms. Audrey moved to Jackson following her mother’s passing. There, she managed several roles, working her way up the ladder. Over time, she earned promotions and offers, eventually planting her seed here on the Gulf Coast in 1999.

“Everything I found was shrimp and fish, and I never could find true southern meals here,” said Ms. Audrey. “I said, ‘Man if somebody could serve rice and gravy.’”

Nearly 10 years after the restaurant’s opening in March 2015, Ms. Audrey has been cooking just that and more, providing homecooked southern-style meals for a living with help from her team.

“I thank God I don’t have a lot of turnover, but most of my employees have been with me since day one

You can visit Ms. Audrey’s Southern Kitchen & Catering at 1526 Mills Ave in Gulfport, Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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