LaMont on TV
By: WALTER WEBB, Editor
The primary player in the LaMont's of Holly Springs venture now believes "divine intervention" was involved to secure a key element which will give the project a kick-start.George Bryan, CEO of Bryan Foods who has been friends with LaMont Burns for several years, had expressed his concern that the television show proposed to showcase authentic southern cooking was essential to make the project go.
"He said unless we have the television show, he didn't think it would work," said Charles McKellar, executive director of the Industrial Development Authority.
McKellar said he had put together some ideas about the television show and gave them to LaMont to take to Bryan at his office in Cordova.
Bryan called back a couple of hours later saying that Turner South Television had just called out of the blue asking if he had an idea about a cooking show featuring southern food.
"They told him they knew he was an expert in southern cooking and they were looking for a southern cooking show," McKellar said.
Within a week, representatives from Turner Television were in Holly Springs being briefed on the project and getting the experience of Holly Springs, complete with lunch at Walter Place.
"They said they liked what they saw and liked the concept," McKellar said.
What's more, Turner wants to launch the television show, featuring LaMont Burns, now before the first brick is laid on the proposed LaMont's of Holly Springs building to be located along Highway 78 at Highway 7.
"The show will give Holly Springs publicity that we could never buy," said Tourism Director Sandi Stovall.
Those involved with the project, including George Bryan, will be going to Atlanta in mid-April to seal the deal.
Right now plans are for a weekly show being produced as if it were originating from Holly Springs.
The show could go daily eventually, McKellar said. Ideas of guest chefs the likes Oprah Winfrey and Morgan Freeman are already being tossed around.
McKellar said when the show begins to hit the air it will give the whole project credibility and help secure the private funding.
This week the Legislation allowing the City of Holly Springs to issue $4 million in revenue bonds for the project passed the House and is headed to the Governor for his signature.
The project will be a building which will include a tourist gift shop, a television studio for the cooking show, a restaurant with a 300 buffet line and a formal dining room.
Lifestyle Ventures, the management company for the project, will arrange for five tour buses visiting the complex where they will board tram buses for tours of Holly Springs antebellum homes.
They will return for lunch or dinner at the LaMont's of Holly Springs restaurant, where they can view cooking that will be on the Turner TV cooking show.