About Us
The Restaurant
The Iron Horse Cafe and Snug Pub is a destination restaurant with all the culinary flair you would expect from such a venture. The quaint town of Jackson, Louisiana has its own unique vibe and a nice dining experience is the perfect way to showcase that, welcoming both locals and visitors to enjoy a delcious culinary experience.
Our Chef
A native of Florida but Louisiana-raised, Chef Scott Varnedoe’s Southern roots were ingrained at birth. It isn’t surprising then, that his love of the South has been the benchmark of his culinary endeavors. “Upscale Down South,” the tenet of his cooking style, is evident in the way he pairs local ingredients with French, Italian, Spanish or Asian influences.
His culinary career began in Baton Rouge, at White Oak Plantation, where one of his role models, Chef John Folse, taught him the basics of managing a kitchen and the art of Cajun-Creole cuisine. His years in New Orleans earned him top honors when Bon Appétit named him one of the “Top 5 Chefs in New Orleans” alongside Chef John Besh and winning the top award of “Best of Show” four times at the New Orleans and Acadiana Culinary Classic competitions.
In the years that followed, Scott ventured into several aspects of the culinary world throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama: catering, food manufacturing, hotels, country clubs, and his own namesake restaurants. The kudos continued as well: the Wall Street Journal named his restaurant at The Myrtles Plantation one of the “Top 5 Places to Eat” in Baton Rouge; he has been invited to cook at The James Beard Foundation four times; was selected to represent Louisiana at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival; and has been twice selected for Best Chef in America - South.
Scott fulfilled one of his culinary aspirations as the Executive Chef of Juban’s Creole Restaurant & Caterers, following in the footsteps of several of his mentors and friends, and was an integral part of the Wayne Stabiler team behind Catering Cajun and Disaster Resource Group during the pandemic years. Scott is excited to begin a new opportunity as the head chef and general manager of The Iron Horse Grill in Jackson, Louisiana, bringing his love of wood-fired pizza to the public.