Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
When this newspaper reported Savannah was losing a landmark cooking school and its celebrity chef, Savannah did what it does best. After an outpouring of support, concern and a change of heart, Chef Joe Randall’s Cooking School on Waters Avenue has a new two-year lease and will get a facelift as well.
“The article came out on Sunday, Oct. 20,” Randall said, “and I started getting calls and emails that day. One lady called and said she had a building that she wanted me to come and look at as a new location for the school.
“Another person was interested in buying the cooking school, name and all.”
Some called to wish Randall well in his “new phase” of life. Others called or came to the school personally to sign up for the few remaining classes before the end of the year.
Randall left Oct. 21 for New York but continued to hear from well-wishers.
“Barbara (his wife) and I received notes from people we’ve known over the years,” he said.
But it wasn’t until he returned that he got the phone call he said was an answer to his prayers.
“I resolved in my heart and my mind that if this would be (closing) we would go on to the next phase,” Randall said. “I knew the Lord knew my heart and I really didn’t want to stop because I enjoy what I do and the people still enjoy it. So, I told Him, ‘Lord, if you want me to continue, you’ll have to fix it.’
“And He fixed it.”
On Oct. 30, Randall got an email from the building’s owner, saying he wanted to meet the next day at 2 p.m. At that meeting, the owner offered a two-year lease with an option. Plus, the owner would do some maintenance and landscaping, paint the building, put up new signs and put on a new roof.
“I told him, let’s do it,” said Randall.
Two days later he had a signed agreement.
On hearing the news of Randall’s change in direction, Joe Marinelli, of Visit Savannah, expressed what many Savannahians feel.
“The news about the Chef Joe Randall Cooking School continuing is terrific for Savannah,” Marinelli said. “His legacy, cooking style and charisma help to attract many visitors to town each year. When we bring prospective group tour planners and travel media in, we enjoy showing off Chef Joe as one of Savannah’s many unique and authentic culinary experiences.”
Randall’s December classes are selling out fast, but plans are already underway for the next two years.
While Barbara Randall’s plans for retirement have been put on hold for a while, Chef Randall said they are going to continue to “keep on keeping on.”
“I’m happy,” he said. “This gives me the opportunity to finish something that I started. Now I can plan it, and if we decide to shut down in two years, we can do some special things as we count down to retirement.”
Randall opened his cooking school at 5409 Waters Ave. in September 2000. In two years, the school will celebrate its 15th Anniversary.
“Tell people if they want to go to the 15th Anniversary Party, to get their reservations in early,” he said.
