Wally Joe’s culinary career started in his family’s restaurant, KC’s in Cleveland, Mississippi. By the time he completed his teenage years, he had learned the basics of cooking at his parents’ stoves and decided to pursue a dual degree in banking and finance at the University of Mississippi. During college, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and South America. After graduation in 1987, he returned to the family restaurant and began his cooking career and experimenting with new ideas.

KC’s Restaurant reputation and success rose with the ascension of Wally Joe to the stoves. In 1994 he was invited to cook at the James Beard House. In 2002, he moved on to Memphis where he opened Wally Joe Restaurant to numerous accolades, including 4 Stars from the Commercial Appeal newspaper.

In 2011, after four plus years of planning, he opened a new restaurant in East Memphis called Acre in a converted home in residential east Memphis, with a menu to die for. In 2015, it’s difficult to get reservations, but well worth it!