“We were able to be perhaps the last patrons at his restaurant. We decided on a whim to go there this past Sunday at lunch. It was a surreal experience. My wife and I and our two young children were the only ones in the entire mansion at lunch hour.

We were fortunate enough to have the mansion to ourselves and sure enough, Chef Manigault came out and spent 20 minutes with us hanging out and getting to know us. He went so far as to give each of my children a stuffed animal and balloons. That was unexpected and the kids loved it. He asked all about our family and our life. we discussed our faiths and found common ground in Christ.

The most compelling thing that I will remember is that he shared with me his vision to have an event at the end of June called “take back our youth“. He had become troubled with the direction of some of the youth in our community and he wanted to get them back into the church and help them find the Lord. He had been planning to host an event to invite all of the churches and their youth in downtown Greenville to come have a picnic at his mansion and then a march downtown in unity. His heart and intentions seemed as pure as gold. He truly cared about the well-being of the people of Greenville and clearly was here to serve others. I truly was grateful to have met him and had a brief time in alive spent with him.”

Ben W., a GVLtoday reader, on his visit last Sunday with Chef Manigault, who passed away the following day (on June 4).

Manigault served Greenville for decades as the gourmet cook behind Chef Manigault's La Vieille Maison on Howe Street.