The Southern Experience

Located at 1915 6th St. in Southside Park, South is contemporary Southern cuisine, heavy on seasonal vegetables and driven by historical inspiration. South is traditional family food, unpretentious, with no gimmicks, and no crazy science. At South we are not trying to reinvent the wheel, we are just trying to express 200 years of our family’s story on a 12” plate.

The Building

South resides inside the former "Paris French Bakery" and the later Sacramento Tofu Company building. The building was built in 1915, first owned by Joseph Bianchi. Mr. Bianchi was born July 4, 1892, in Italy, the son of August and Caroline Bianchi. When he was fifteen years old he came to America with his mother, and went directly to Sacramento, where he worked on his uncle’s farm for three years, and then learned the bakery business. In 1914 he established his own bakery which was equipped with the latest modern improvements for the time. He did a great deal of retail business and some wholesale, having four delivery automobiles to handle the distribution of his bakery goods.
In 1947 Hiroshi Kunishi and three other partners moved into the location and opened The Sacramento Tofu Company. One of the largest tofu manufactures in Northern California.  The company garnered much success and eventually out grew their 6th street location.  In 1979 they moved to South Sacramento to a larger more modern facility, where you can still walk right up to the building and buy their famous tofu products.

The Owners

Some would say that he’s “The Mayor” and she’s “All Business”, when describing the husband and wife team of Ian and N’Gina Kavookjian. Owners of South, these restaurateurs started their first food based business in 2009 with the opening of their catering and full service wedding company, Private Events by Eight. Three years later they opened their first brick and mortar restaurant Eight American Bistro in Granite Bay, California. With a combined thirty plus years encompassing all aspects of the service industry from restaurants to hotels, this couple has a passion for service, well thought out menus and balanced beverages. The Kavookjian’s goal for South is to offer a friendly and comfortable neighborhood restaurant with an energetic vibe and a creative menu designed to appeal to the palate of Sacramento.

The Chef

He was born a “left brain” in a family of CPA’s, but his creative “right brain” could not be restrained. While other kids watched cartoons, Michael was watching “Yan Can Cook” and “The French Chef” on PBS.  Michael began his culinary career after finishing his B.A in Economics from the University of Arizona in 2001. Upon returning home to Woodland, he got his first culinary job at The Sheraton Grand Sacramento; quickly working his way up through the ranks under the tutelage of Chefs Mark Helms and Bill Daniels.  He began his career with The Kavookjian’s in 2009 as the Lead Catering Chef. Shortly after the opening of Eight American Bistro, Michael took over the kitchen, turning the culinary concept around and producing amazing seasonal fare that garnered rave reviews.