SAVING WILLIE MAE'S SCOTCH HOUSE

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SAVING WILLIE MAE'S SCOTCH HOUSE (2007)
Directed by Joe York

A year after its proprietress won a James Beard award for her simple, delicious home cooking, the New Orleans landmark Willie Mae's Scotch House—which for decades had served lunches of fried chicken, veal chops, and other favorites to a racially and socioeconomically diverse crowd—was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods. Months later, the spry, 89-year-old Willie Mae Seaton snuck away from her family in Houston and returned to her home and restaurant. She was picked up by a policewoman who took her for a homeless storm victim, until she revealed the James Beard award tucked safely in her purse. So began the involvement of the James Beard Foundation, the Southern Foodways Alliance, and the New Orleans Heritage Conservation network. What was initially slated to be a five-week restoration project became a complete overhaul of the severely damaged building, lasting over a year. This film documents that time and changes from a report of a feel-good volunteer project to something deeper and more complex, as Willie Mae's physical and mental health begins to deteriorate and those around her—particularly chef John Currence (himself a Beard award winner) and writer Lolis Elie—must accept the possibility that she will be unable to continue running the restaurant once it reopens. 

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Willie Mae's Scotch House is still open for lunch in its original location on St. Ann Street in the Treme neighborhood. It is run by Willie Mae's great-granddaughter, Kerry Seaton, who returned home after college to take over following the renovation. Willie Mae's septuagenarian son Slim can also be found in the kitchen.

—SCA