Carolyn Anderson loves the color red. It’s on the walls, on the ceiling, on the tables, on the door and all over her signature brisket.

Anderson recently opened the Red Dore’ Restaurant in the corner of Magnolia Mall and hiding among all that red is a unique blend of southern cuisine and a “taste of class.”

Anderson offers everything from fried chicken and lasagna to catfish and pigs feet. The menu is not lacking for diversity.

“We do southern cuisine — some folks call it soul food — and try to show southern hospitality along with it,” she said. “We really try to lay down the red carpet for our customers.”

The Natchez native first learned the art of soul food cooking when she was young. In the 1960s, Anderson’s grandmother had a restaurant in Natchez and she honed her kitchen skills watching her grandmother work.

“I learned a lot from her, but I also taught myself as well,” she said. “I’ve been cooking for over 20 years now.”

After leaving her grandmother’s kitchen, Anderson expanded her culinary horizons while working for a caterer in Europe. Anderson and her husband spent several years overseas and she spent most of that time in the kitchen.

“We even did some soul cooking in Europe. They loved it over there,” she said in her best French accent. “They said it would really stick to their bones.”

It was her time in Europe that inspired the unique name of her business.

“I had neighbors that were from Paris that really loved my southern cooking,” she said. “I wanted to put that love into the name of the restaurant, so I chose dore’, which is French for door. Also, there’s so much power in the color red.”

After cooking in Europe for six years, Anderson returned to the states and took a catering job in Houston. While there, she cooked for former President George H.W. Bush. Anderson eventually made her way back to her hometown and decided Natchez needed to taste her food. So she found what she calls a perfect location and got to cooking.

“This is such a nice spot here,” she said. “When I was little, this used to be a very popular location. It brought back so many memories for me. I used to do a lot of shopping in this very building.”

The Red Dore’ has been open for about a month and Anderson said she has gotten a great response from the area.

“We haven’t really advertised much, but we have tons of people coming in every day,” she said. “People really like our food.”

Anderson said it’s her “special seasonings” that make food so attractive to the masses. She wouldn’t divulge what those seasonings were, but said they are all made in house.

Anderson wears many hats at her restaurant, serving as owner and head chef. She also greets customers at the door and will even meet patrons at their car with an umbrella if it’s raining.

“We really try to make you feel royal,” she said. “You don’t have to do anything but bring a healthy appetite.”

Along with Anderson’s southern cuisine, the restaurant also offers the sweet treats of baker Vernitra Hill. Hill handles the entire dessert menu, which includes peach cobbler, berry dumplings and Hill’s famous lemon cake.

“That lemon cake with special icing is so good,” Anderson said. “They’ve been coming in and buying it all at once. We usually run out before the lunch crowd gets here.”

Currently, the restaurant is only serving a lunch menu, but will soon expand to offer a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Anderson also plans on staying open later in the future to accommodate the soul food needs of the area.

“Our restaurant is here to provide an atmosphere that caters to the needs of the customers,” she said. “We want to make Red Dore’ a household name, a place where families can come out and enjoy each other and eat.”