We love sharing the latest on, well, pretty much everything, but we especially enjoy a story about one of our own returning home after cooking at some of the country’s best restaurants. Chef William Alexander, locally known as Billy, has created (and is expanding) the divine menu at The Little Whiskey. Formerly called The Little Whiskey Christmas Club, owners Bobby Kilpatrick and Noell Broughton have rebranded. While the bar is still open, their focus has shifted to dining. Noell says, “The Covid shutdown gave us the opportunity to make the changes we wanted to the building and our love of a great meal made us want to transition the spotlight to food”

And they were in luck. Billy, an old friend and world-class chef, was coming home. Billy says,“When I spoke with them before moving back, they told me they wanted it to feel more like a restaurant.Bobby had already mocked up a menu. It had good bones so I just made a few adjustments and started testing recipes.We want to showcase great ingredients, proper cooking technique, and developed, layered flavors in everything coming out of the kitchen.”

 Billy’s been cooking since he was 8 years old.“I could either work in a hot potato shed or a hot kitchen,” he jokes. “Between the two evils, I chose the one with my mother,” he laughs. Billy hails from a restaurant and farming family in Baldwin County and has cooked for as long as he’s been able to work. His résumé reads like a foodie’s bucket list, from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans to Michelin-starred Michael Mina in San Francisco, among other fine dining meccas, as well as being an instructor of fine dining and sustainability at Kendall College and helping start the Chicago Culinary Museum.

His current menu favorite? “I like the goat cheese croquettes; the cheese and accompaniments pair well together,” he admits. “Weadd brown butter and garlic oil to the cheese before beating it into submission. It makes them lighter, sweeter, and adds a deeper base flavor to balance the acidity of the cheese,” he declares. Based on his description, this will be at the top of our list when we visit. Other menu highlights include charcuterie, the maple bacon Caprese salad, skillet pizzas, and the barrel-cut filet with sauce perigourdine, served with truffled potato purée, pot licker greens, and chimichurri gremolata. Did we mention there’s also an artisanal cocktail menu?