Chef Jernard, the Mississippi-born TV personality who has built a career reimagining Southern comfort food, is bringing a full-service restaurant to metro Atlanta just in time for Mother's Day. Season 6 of his CLEO TV series New Soul Kitchen is already on the air, and local television reports say his latest dining venture will debut over Mother's Day weekend, putting his polished takes on down-home dishes within easy reach of suburban diners.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Jernard confirmed the holiday-timed launch and described it as a long-planned move toward a permanent restaurant home. His official site directs fans to the Cornbread & Butter project in downtown Grayson and presents the spot as an elevated Southern brunch and dinner destination.
What To Expect On The Menu
The draft menus stick to comfort food, but with Jernard's signature upgrades. Pressure-fried chicken and shrimp creole share space with cornbread griddle cakes, Georgia peach-focused dishes and higher-ticket plates such as lobster tail and Creole-seasoned salmon. Those items appear on the online menus at Cornbread & Butter, mirroring the "New Soul" twists Jernard regularly shows off on television.
On TV: New Soul Kitchen Season 6
The sixth season of New Soul Kitchen premiered earlier this month on CLEO TV, where Jernard walks viewers through riffs on classic recipes with guest cooks and TV-friendly techniques. CLEO TV's show pages and schedule list new episodes and highlight dishes such as carrot-cake pancakes and a collard-green frittata, echoing the playful, brunch-forward approach planned for the restaurant.
Why It Matters
Jernard's national profile, which includes television work, festival appearances and branded product lines, could help pull diners from well beyond Gwinnett County, turning downtown Grayson into a suburban stop on Atlanta's dining circuit. Outlets including Forbes Travel Guide have followed his TV projects and the Cornbread & Butter concept as part of a larger wave of media-native chefs moving into brick-and-mortar restaurants.
When To Go
Mother's Day lands on Sunday, May 10, 2026, and FOX 5's reporting places the opening sometime over that weekend, which would immediately put Cornbread & Butter in the running for holiday brunch reservations. The restaurant's site outlines weekday brunch and dinner hours and offers reservation options. Diners are encouraged to book once a firm opening date and reservation links go live, per Cornbread & Butter.
If that Mother's Day weekend launch holds, Jernard's arrival gives suburban Atlanta a headline-grabbing new option for modern Southern cooking and leisurely weekend brunch. We will update with confirmed opening details and reservation windows as they are announced.
