Chef Spotlight: Terry Taylor of Fratello’s Italian Steakhouse

Meet Terry Taylor, chef and owner of Fratello’s Italian Steakhouse in Hernando, Mississippi. This local restaurateur made his way into the culinary industry after spending 39 years in the electronics industry. Yep, that’s right. This whole successful restaurant thing is Terry’s encore career!

A creative at heart, Terry decided on a whim to visit L’Ecole Culinaire, a culinary school once located in Memphis, Tennessee, and at age 57 he stepped away from the only work he ever knew. That visit led to enrollment and just two and a half years later, Terry graduated with a 3.98 GPA and was off on his new adventure. During his time at L’Ecole, he spent two weeks in Italy training under a two-starred Michelin chef for 12 hours a day. He soaked up every bit of information (and red gravy!) he could to Americanize the dishes to better please his future customers’ palates.  

In 2013, Terry purchased a food truck called Gourmet Grillers. It was quite successful and kept Terry busy, but he wanted to do more. Within six years, Terry’s portfolio expanded to include two brick-and-mortar restaurants in Hernando – Underground Cafe and Uncle Bubba’s Barbecue and Smokehouse.

Eventually, Terry sold the food truck and Underground Cafe to focus solely on Uncle Bubba’s. This afforded him more time in the kitchen, so he committed to tapping into a cuisine he learned to prepare at L’Ecole – Italian. With a wealth of knowledge under his apron, Terry began serving Italian dishes every Wednesday at Uncle Bubba’s. The response was stellar, so after extensive kitchen renovations and upgrades, he transitioned the space to Fratello’s Italian Steakhouse in June 2022.

Fratello’s menu was created by Terry and the dishes are absolutely delicious. The Italian sausage is made in-house and you will also find prime beef and prime ribeye, the latter of which is very hard to find, on the menu. The restaurant’s offerings are well-balanced with something for everyone, but it’s the pasta that reigns supreme. Lasagna, Lobster Ravioli and Penne Salsiccia are among Fratello’s best-sellers. 

Next time you’re in DeSoto County, head to Hernando and pay Terry a visit at Fratello’s for a meal you won’t soon forget. Fratello’s Italian Steakhouse is located at 2353 Highway 51 and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily