Every good biscuit is made with love. And every Southern family has that one person with the secret touch. They can get that bowl of flour and work in their fats and make a perfectly fluffy and flaky biscuit. Whether you add jam, jelly, bacon, or sausage or top it with gravy, there is no argument that buttermilk biscuits are a staple in Southern cuisine. Since 2008, there has yet to be an argument that Natchez, Mississippi, is the Biscuit Capital of the World and home to the Queen of Biscuits.
Chef Regina Charboneau grew up in Natchez and, like many, moved away for many years to pursue higher education and experiences.
“I left Natchez and went to several Southern universities, having a better time at each one,” shared Chef Charboneau. “I even went to Alaska and cooked out in the bush. And found my way to Paris to cooking school, leading to San Francisco where I owned restaurants for many years.”
Chef Charboneau opened the first Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco, selling it right before the pandemic. Peter Trosclair, Charboneau’s brother, owns Biscuits and Blues in downtown Natchez, which is dedicated to preserving hot biscuits and cool blues. Chef Charbonneau returned home to Natchez about 20 years ago to raise a family and earn the title of the Queen of Biscuits.
“I came back, and the New York Times wrote an article that referred to me as the Queen of Biscuits, which was lovely,” shared Chef Charboneau. “The restaurant on the ground of Stanton Hall in Natchez was known for biscuits. And my brother Peter at Biscuits and Blues was making biscuits, and I was involved with tourism, so I decided we just needed to be the biscuit capital.”
In 2008, Natchez was named the Biscuit Capital of the World, a title they claimed after extensive research to ensure they were the only ones to be the Biscuit Capital and justify the distinction. This designation has positioned Natchez for fun and delicious opportunities for national brands to notice. In 2023, for one day only, the city of Natchez was renamed IHOP and hosted a celebration of IHOP, adding biscuits to its menu.
“IHOP put biscuits on their menu for the first time,” shared Chef Charboneau. “They came to Natchez and took over for the day to promote their rollout of biscuits. IHOP setup cooking stations on the Bluff, brought in their chefs, and served over 500 biscuits that day.”
Photo credit: Chef Regina Charboneau
You don’t get named Queen of Biscuits without perfecting a technique for a flaky, fluffy, airy, and buttery pastry. Unlike some, Chef Charboneau’s biscuit recipes allow you to make them ahead of time, punching them out and freezing them in muffin tins, enabling you to go straight into the oven.
“The key is I put a lot of fat into my biscuits,” shared Chef Charboneau. “I do a blend of margarine and butter. Three parts margarine to one part butter. I do a process called laminating where you don’t overmix the dough, and you have big chunks of the fat in there. You roll it out, fold it in thirds, and quarter turn it, and do that eight times. So you are creating twenty-four layers. They end up soft in the middle but flaky on the top and crispy on the bottom.”
You can learn from Chef Charbaneau at her popular Saturday brunch classes at her Cooking school. Biscuit classes are offered by appointment for groups of six or more. You can learn more about Chef Charbaneau’s extensive career, cookbooks available for purchase, or book a cooking class over at reginaskitchen.com
