Page 98 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2023

DINING DARWELL’S HAPPINESS
Crawdaddy Burger.
ADDRESS
127 East First St. Long Beach
CONTACT
228.838.8946
SOCIAL
Facebook @DarwellsHappinessCafe
HOURS
Mon. & Tues., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., Closed Fri. and Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
story and photos by Kimberly C. Rasmussen
98 | March 2023
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
One of the most exciting things to occur among the Coastal culinary scene is the reopening of Darwell’s Café in Long Beach. Like so many fans, I was beyond saddened when after almost 15 years of service, Darwell’s closed its doors a few years back. However, that somehow made its rebirth in March of 2022 that much more electrifying.
With a culinary career spanning decades, Chef Darwell Yeager, III honed his skills and developed a passion for cooking
that sets him apart from the rest. From
his humble beginnings bussing tables at Chappy’s at the age of 14 to his current role as manager, head chef, and owner of the rebranded Darwell’s Happiness Café, Yeager is back at it in his coastal kitchen, and you are definitely in for a treat!
Darwell’s menu hasn’t changed much throughout the years and that is a great thing. You don’t have to change much when you’ve got an incredibly delicious product that works. Sandwiches and salads are an easy option at Darwell’s, where
the sandwiches feature the freshest of ingredients and poboys are served warm
on delicious Leidenheimer bread. One of Yeager’s most standout
sandwiches is the Crawdaddy Burger, which has evolved into the Crawdaddy PoBoy. Born from a kitchen accident when Yeager inadvertently spilled crawfish etouffee on top of a nearby hamburger, the Crawdaddy Burger became an
instant success. Handcrafted beef patties are formed to perfectly fit the awaiting Leidenheimer. Dressed to kill, the Crawdaddy Burger is topped with Yeager’s signature crawfish etouffee and blackened shrimp. Grab a fork and a napkin and dig in!
The Seafood Yum Yum is a dish that was crafted specifically to please customers when Yeager noticed that some of his non-native patrons were a little hesitant
to try crawfish. Not one to disappoint, Yeager took his crawfish etouffee base and substituted the crawfish for fresh shrimp and lump crab meat. He added fresh mushrooms, onions, and celery and developed an incredibly rich and creamy sauce that made his patrons say, “yum yum!” From there, the Seafood Yum Yum