This episode is brought to you by the Savannah Economic Development Authority

The first meeting was an instant connection, but that didn't keep the start from being a bit rocky. Today, it would seem absurd to think of The Grey as unsuccessful but the journey taken by chef Mashama Bailey and founding partner John O. Morisano has been a challenging one. But it has been fruitful. Now nationally-recognized, The Grey has become a beacon of the emerging food scene in Savannah and Bailey has become a staple on the national chef awards circuit and a participant on the recent season of Netflix's 'Chef's Table' series. On this episode of Difference Makers, they talk about starting the restaurant and the challenges that entailed, how they focused on creating an enriching culture at The Grey, what the national spotlight has done to change the restaurant and what to make of the explosion of food culture in the Hostess City.

(6:57): Mashama's move into cooking

(10:30): Johno's experience buying the old Greyhound bus terminal

• Revamp planned for original Greyhound depot on MLK (SMN, Sept. 11, 2013)
• Savannah's own Greyhound terminal could soon earn a place in history (SMN, Dec. 5, 2016)

(13:57): Mashama and Johno's first meeting, development of their partnership

• Jane Fishman: New Savannah restaurant turns strangers into partners (SMN, Oct. 25, 2014)

(18:56): Culture is key to creating a successful enterprise like The Grey

(27:00): The growth of The Grey

• New restaurant The Grey opens with gusto (SMN, Dec. 20, 2014)

(33:17): What has the national attention around Mashama done for The Grey?

• Eater: The Grey is the 2017 Restaurant of the Year (Eater, Nov. 8, 2017)
• Savannah's The Grey earns international praise as one of TIME's 'greatest places of 2018' (SMN, Aug. 27, 2018)
• Savannah's The Grey featured in trailer for new season of Netflix's 'Chef's Table' (SMN, Feb. 13, 2019)
• Savannah chefs Mashama Bailey and Bryan Furman nominated for James Beard awards (SMN, Feb. 27, 2019)

(36:04): What does Johno and Mashama make of the food scene explosion in Savannah?

(40:11): The food scene in Savannah now compared to the Paula Deen craze before

(43:18): Creating a memorable setting at The Grey and other Savannah restaurants re-purposing old buildings

• City Talk: First visit to Husk yields look at renovation, creative menu (SMN, Feb. 19, 2018)
• Historic Savannah home gets new life as La Scala Ristorante (SMN, Oct. 20, 2018)

Make sure to follow The Commute podcast for daily news briefs from Adam.