After opening nine restaurants located in New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Miami, Emeril Lagasse has expanded his culinary empire—spreading the love, if you will—to Gulfport, Mississippi. Though it’s the smallest of the cities he’s carefully chosen so far, Gulfport is probably the one closest to his heart.

For years, the Mississippi coast was a refuge, a place of relaxation for the busy chef/restaurant owner/TV star /husband/father and his family. Emeril’s wife, the former Alden Lovelace, grew up in Gulfport, so the couple has close family ties there. They had just moved into a home in the idyllic town of Pass Christian when Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005. Their painstakingly renovated and beautifully decorated home—a landmark in the Pass—was, like so many others, destroyed.

Last year, Emeril decided it was time to open a restaurant on the coast and lend a hand in the recovery effort. Island View Casino Resort owners Rick Carter and Terry Green, both Gulfport natives with background in the casino industry, easily convinced him to partner with them. In June of 2007, Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House opened, with Emeril himself overseeing the grand opening and the first few weeks of operations.

For more of Emeril's story—and the entire Holiday 2007 issue—click here!!

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