This Brit Fell in Love with Southern Cuisine
It’s a long way from Yorkshire, England, to Indianola, Mississippi, but Trace Williams Donato has found her niche there as owner of Ella & Bee Bakery. She even met her Argentine husband there and they were married last August.
But Donato hasn’t always been a small town bakery owner. She lived in California for a long while where she worked for many celebrities. “While I was working for Jamie Oliver’s foundation in California, I met two chefs from Mississippi who became some of my best friends and I started visiting Mississippi regularly and fell in love with the Delta and the people,” she says. “I opened a restaurant in California that was really a love letter to the Mississippi Delta.
“After visiting for twelve years and after my kids were old enough to fly on their own, I decided to move here and work with my friend at Nola, which I think is the best restaurant in the Delta. Mississippi has a great deal of culinary talent and I love having my chef friends from all over the world visit and open their eyes to the amazing food and culture we have here.”
While living in California, Donato cooked for Journey, the Steve Miller Band, the San Francisco 49ers, the Golden State Warriors, Erykah Badu, MC Hammer, Zendaya, Stevie Wonder, Maya Angelou, Tower of Power, Metallica, Dr. Dre, Clint Eastwood, Leon Panetta, George Schulz, Governor Jerry Brown, and Elon Musk among others.
“I got to cook for these folks really by word of mouth. I cooked at a bunch of major music, festivals and entertainment venues, and I suppose many of the celebrities must’ve liked my food because I got calls after that to cater and do private chef work,” she recalls. “It’s been pretty cool to meet so many people with different perspectives and experiences and even get to know them a little. In Mississippi, I’ve been blessed to cook for Secretary of State Michael Watson and my favorite Mississippi celebrity, Steve Azar.”
Donato has been a caterer and private chef for more than thirty-five years and still does both. She recently had the opportunity to do a beautiful dinner in New Orleans for some of her former culinary colleagues from California. “That was really special,” she says.
Her career began as a child growing up in an Italian restaurant family where she worked in the kitchen as soon as she was old enough to hold a knife. Later she went to culinary school, but she says the very best culinary education is working in kitchens around the world and learning from amazing colleagues. “I have worked in BBQ joints, butcher shops, diners and fine dining Michelin-starred restaurants and learned something from every single cook and chef I’ve worked with,” she said. “I also married into a Southern family and was blessed to have two mothers-in-law who were my dearest friends. They insisted that I better learn how to cook their way no matter what my fancy chef training was.”
This Brit fell in love with real Southern cooking and found there were many similarities to the rural fare she ate in Yorkshire. “I have really dedicated over twenty-five years to learning and growing in Southern cuisine, especially in keeping some of the old family recipes alive,” she says.
Ella and Bee Bakery is named for her two mothers-in-law and had a successful first year of business. “Both ladies had a sweet tooth and when they both lived with me, I always had to have something sweet in the cake stand to keep them from fussing,” Donato says with an affectionate laugh. “They were both very special to me, and I love honoring them by naming the bakery after them.”
Currently, Donato and staff are knee-deep in king cake production using grandma Ella’s recipe. They sold out the 1,000 king cakes they made during Mardi Gras season last year, including shipping all over the United States.
Everything produced at the bakery is done without chemical preservatives, made from scratch and with love. “We will gladly take custom orders for just about anything our customers can dream up. We even do custom wedding cakes,” she adds. “We do everything from specialty breads, traditional southern desserts, French pastries to some Argentine-inspired goodies.”
Her customers at Ella & Bee Bakery may not be celebrities, but Donato says she loves seeing people enjoy what she creates, whether savory or sweet. “Food takes people back to memories and moments that are precious, and it brings me so much joy to be able to help people feel good,” she says. “We are really grateful for the support we received, especially given how tough the year was for small businesses. This makes us even more excited for what we may be able to do in 2025.”