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The co-owner couple and braintrust behind Seersucker and Smith Canteen launch a new take on traditional Southern fare at Wilma Jean

By Brendan Fitzgibbons

Putting a Brooklyn spin on food usually means making any cuisine cool, modern, and typically good for you, a moderately easy task for most fare.

But making fried chicken healthy?

If there’s one team up to that challenge, it’s the couple and co-owners of the popular Brooklyn food stops Nightingale 9 and Smith Canteen, Robert Newton and Kerry Diamond. The restaurateurs are also the minds behind the celebrated Carroll Gardens joint Seersucker before opting to close its doors in favor of opening the fried chicken-themed Wilma Jean.

“Closing Seersucker was a hard decision,” said head chef Newton. “I come from a fine dining background and love composing plates, but our fried chicken had become the core of the business at Seersucker, so to anchor a restaurant with it just made sense. Our philosophy at Wilma Jean is to basically give people what they want along with something that we love, as well as local vegetables and a focused beer program.”

Newton’s menu is divided by category: snacks, salad bowls, fried chicken, sandwiches, and sides like southern favorites okra chips, coleslaw, and cheese grits, while beverage options include a list of craft beers and wines. The most beloved items are the fried chicken sandwich (the owner estimates they sell between 150-200 a week), the sizable cheeseburger, and staff favorite pimento cheese and bacon.

One of the ways Wilma Jean deviates from classic deep-fried, cholesterolheavy cuisine, however, is by incorporating seasonal vegetables specials like Maque Choux (a delicate blend of late-season corn and peppers from local farms) and a market vegetable salad. Newton also relies on a nutrition-friendly culinary background to give customers a healthier fried chicken experience. (“At Seersucker I was always doing elevated cleaned-up Southern food that was lighter and more plant-forward than traditional fare,” he said.)

VJ SPREAD

The chef has lived in Carroll Gardens for almost six years and the idea of setting up business close to home seemed a logical place to start in the hospitality industry.

“When Kerry and I decided to open a restaurant together, the deal was it had to be walking distance from her apartment,” he said. “Danny Meyer is a huge influence for me and initially all of his places were near his home, so we thought it made sense for first time restaurateurs.”

This home-business proximity, Newton added, ties them to the community’s growth in more ways than one.

“We created gathering spots for the people who already lived here,” he said. “And we also work on programming and fundraising with PS 58 and Carroll Park, so when we do something specific with these groups, it really comes full circle for us.”

The positive response to Wilma Jean speaks to the larger trend of successful southern-inspired restaurants and BBQ joints popping up all over the borough. And while it’s natural to think the primary reason for this trend is the food’s inherent ease, Newton cautioned not to conflate basic and simple.

“I think Southern food is approachable and accessible.” Newton said. “That doesn’t mean that it’s easy, because it isn’t. It has gusto without a lot of self-consciousness or pretense. It just is what it is. That really coincides with what Brooklyn is about, too; It’s a heartbeat away from Manhattan, but still keeping it on the level.”

Wilma Jean
324 Smith St. / 718.422.0444 / wilmajean345.com