After six months without a job, Ashley Hudson found a new start and her dream job at Anchuca Historic Mansion and Inn.

At 16, Hudson’s first job was as a waitress at Waffle House; however, she soon followed her passion into one of the cook positions. During her years in the restaurant business, she has learned to take any job to get her “foot in the door,” so to speak. Her start at Anchuca was no different. When the last restaurant she worked at closed, she found herself out of the kitchen and doing odd jobs, which led her to Anchuca.

“I got hired as a dishwasher, but I went to my boss and told him I really wanted to be in the kitchen,” the 29-year-old chef said. “Eventually I worked my way over, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Hudson said her passion for being in the kitchen started around age 7.

“I used to always follow my dad around,” she said. “He loved to cook as well, and I think that’s where I got it from.”

Her father recently passed away, but Hudson said he’s still her source of inspiration.

“Once I realized I could come over here and start this career over here, that’s what pushed me to do it,” she said. “I knew I should just go ahead and do it because it would have made him happy.”

Hudson said her training has come from a mixture of learning on her own, odd jobs and some help from an acclaimed chef.

“When I started here, they hired Tom Ramsey, a Vicksburg native, to help me out and work on some things,” she said. “He’s definitely my mentor.”

Ramsey described Hudson as “a very promising young chef.”

“Ashley has done a great job in her new role as chef,” he said. “She has found her calling and is eager to contribute her own ideas and creativity to this unique place.”

Hudson said even though she’s living out her dream, she hopes to continue improving her skills.

“I want to get knee deep in this, as far as I can go,” she said. “I wouldn’t mind traveling around the world different places trying different foods. I want to be like a sponge and absorb everything I can about cooking.”

A small but refined operation, Hudson must do a lot of preparation to keep the kitchen at Anchuca running.

“I start my day by checking my books to see how many reservations we have and how many people we have in the house,” she said. “That’s how I base my menu and how much of what I’m going to do.”

The menu, created by Ramsey, was reintroduced just last month.

One goal of the new menu is to use Mississippi products, made fresh to order. Ramsey believes this will help give the guests what they are looking for — a truly southern experience.

The menu features many old-school, southern classics, like panéed catfish, crawfish étouffée and pork and sunday gravy, as well as chicken and dumplings and filet mignon. Among a host of new starters are two developed exclusively for Anchuca, the oyster biscuit and Glenwood Rumaki, named for Ramsey’s childhood neighborhood.

As for Hudson, she said her favorite is the panéed catfish.

Anchuca Historic Mansion & Inn, circa 1830, is an award-winning B&B with eight guest rooms, fine dining and the backdrop for many kinds of special events. Anchuca is open for dinner most evenings from Monday thru Saturday, starting at 5:30 p.m., and for Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Call 601.661.0111 for reservations.