Chef Russell Davis shares thoughts about his new Mid City Italian restaurant, Josephine’s, opening soon

225: You named your other Baton Rouge restaurants, Eliza and JED’s, after your daughter and son. How about the new concept, Josephine’s—was that also named for a family member?

Davis: Yes. Josephine was my maternal grandmother. She was a first-generation Sicilian and grew up speaking Italian at home. We called her Nan. She was probably one of the biggest influences on my culinary career. We’d go to her house on Sundays, with a big group and lots of food and lively conversation.

225: How did you decide what to put on the menu?

Davis: I wanted to be true to the Southern Italian dishes that Nan made when we were growing up—lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, cannoli, stuffed shells, things like that. But we’re also going to have dishes from the North, like risotto and chicken Valdostana, which is this great dish with fontina and prosciutto and a panfried bone-in pork chop. We’ll also have a pizza oven for making our own pizza.

225: What do you make of the Baton Rouge food scene these days?

Davis: It’s fun because it’s really grown over the last 15 to 20 years. Taste buds and interest in food have expanded greatly.

225: You just walked into our interview holding steaks for Eliza from Cutrer’s Meat Market, which you picked up at the Thursday Red Stick Farmers Market. Is that a regular thing for you?

Davis: Yes, I try to go twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays to see what’s fresh. I get deliveries from a couple vendors, like Mushroom Maggie’s, but I like to go and see what’s available that I can incorporate.

225: How long have you been working on Josephine’s?

Davis: For about three or four years. I knew after we got JED’s going that we wanted to try to do a third and were really thinking Italian. And that was right around the time that Nan passed away. We started digging out all her recipes and waiting for the right location.

225: Tell us about the location.

Davis: We like Capital Heights. We like Mid City, and we were hoping to get a spot on Government Street. We got approached about the old Roman’s building. It needed some TLC, but it fits right into what we like in terms of size. We like a smaller footprint where we can better control the quality of the product and connect with everyone in the restaurant.

225: How would you describe the new atmosphere?

Davis: A mix of modern and rustic. We’re using a really nice sage green for the trim, which is really inviting, and some nice pops of color. It’s going to be warm and friendly. The kind of place you want to hang out with friends. We’re changing the entrance, so it’s on the [east] side now, and we’ll have a room we can close off for private events.

225: What’s the most challenging part of opening a restaurant?

Davis: Staying organized. There are, literally, about 110 things that have to get done to open any restaurant, and staying on top of that list is really important.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.