Overlooking much of downtown Vicksburg, 10 South Rooftop Bar and Grill has quickly become a local dining staple for the year it’s been perched atop the old First National Bank building on Washington Street.

As a testament to its success, 10 South won the Outstanding New Development Project Award at the Mississippi Main Street Association’s 27th Annual awards luncheon in downtown Jackson on June 16.

“It has taken off beyond my wildest dreams,” said Jay Parmegiani, the restaurant’s co-owner who along with partner Tim Cantwell dreamed up the food destination three years ago. “The award not only highlights 10 South, which is cool for us, but it puts the focus on the entire downtown, and we’re absolutely focused on historic downtown Vicksburg. We want to see it get back to what it used to be many many years ago.”

The award was “granted to an individual or business that has undertaken a new development project within a downtown district,” according to information from Mississippi Main Street.

Kim Hopkins, executive director of the Vicksburg Main Street Program, accepted the award on behalf of 10 South at the luncheon.

“We are always proud to bring home an award, especially one that shows that one of our businesses stands out from the rest of places in Mississippi,” Hopkins said.

“Any award dedicated to a business, individual or event downtown will always show that Vicksburg is a great place to visit or live.

“We always want to encourage our businesses and show people how proud we are of anyone that wants to better our community.”

Parmegiani and Cantwell worked through numerous obstacles during the two-year building process, including needing a crane to hoist supplies to the 10th floor and adjusting plans to fit the shifting the 100-year-old building had undergone over the years.

“Tim was able to piece it all together while I was freaking out on the side,” Parmegiani said, laughing. “For two years, the conversation went, ‘If we move this, can we get the kitchen like that? I’ve latched onto a really big elephant. What’s going to happen when the doors open.’”

The award stands as a testament to hard work done right, Parmegiani said.

He added that the collaborative effort of many members of the community is what he believes allowed 10 South to pull out at the top of the pack and take home the award.

“There were so many people involved in making it stand out,” he said. “So many people were involved, so many people wanted it to succeed and so many people had my back.”