Crowds at the Dixie National Rodeo in Jackson learned something last weekend that local folks already knew – the best steaks in Mississippi can be found at The Enid Depot.

Owner Brent Tippitt and his family accepted the prize and official designation on the floor of the Mississippi Coliseum in a presentation by the Mississippi Beef Council and the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association.

For Tippitt, a graduate of the famous Le Cordon Beu culinary school in Las Vegas and a longtime executive chef, there is no secret to his legendary steaks.

“I’ve worked in a lot of five-star restaurants in my life and over the years I’ve learned to elevate a steak’s natural flavors,” Tippitt said. “If there is a secret to the success of The Enid Depot it’s that we have a pretty easy menu that we prepare like a five-star restaurant, and that’s the difference.”

A Hernando native, Tippitt worked for years as a corporate chef in Memphis, and spent time in the kitchen at Erling Jensen’s legendary fine dining restaurant. There were stints at casinos in Las Vegas and Mississippi before he hung up his tongs to pursue a career in commercial real estate.

That career was also successful, but the draw of owning a restaurant was never out of the retired chef’s mind. “My wife and I were riding down I-55 looking for land we could buy and farm when we pulled off at the Enid exit and ended up eating at the restaurant. Things went from there and about two months later we were the owners and we haven’t looked back.”

That was in November 2022 and the business has grown exponentially since. With a customer base that often drives more than an hour for dinner, Tippitt is sharply focused on maintaining the highest quality for the most discerning of palettes.

“I had been offered many opportunities to get back into the restaurant business but when I added things up it was always bad math, and I wouldn’t get paid for my time or make a profit,” he said. “When I had the chance to own my own building and run the restaurant from the front to the back then I knew things could work.”

And work they have. The restaurant is usually reservations-only for weekends and steady or full each night they open. Hard work and a great staff are the keys, Tippitt said.

“I’m really blessed that the entire wait staff from the old restaurant stayed with me. It really helps when the front of the house is solid. All of our staff was really eager to learn.”

Judging for the Best Steak in Mississippi involved nominations from customers and two rounds of visits from judges. Those two rounds impressed the officials, the same as diners from surrounding counties are each week.

“From day one we kept the original menu and tweaked some things to improve on what was already here,” Tippitt said. “We fixed the sauces and kept the menu simple, nothing special. But once a week I would run a special and that’s where I would showcase my skills. Doing that, the restaurant just took off.”

“We are grateful to be able to serve this area. We have customers driving from Oxford and DeSoto County and really from all over and that means a lot to us.”