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Joe Willis

As a boy growing up in 1950s and ’60s Augusta, Joe Willis would escape the steamy heat of a Southern summer and travel with his older brothers and father, Mallie Willis, to a mountain getaway where his father would serve as the resort chef. There, Joe would wash dishes while his siblings helped with the food, but the youngest Willis eagerly looked forward to his chance to cook. When his brothers grew up and left home, Joe finally became his father’s sous chef, of sorts. From those earliest days until today, Willis has excelled at service, whether cooking, teaching or sliding a tall, cool drink to an appreciative guest.

It can be said that Willis comes by his entertaining skills honestly. When his father wasn’t working in a cool mountain respite, he was cooking for some of the world’s best golfers as head chef at the Augusta National.

In the greater community, Joe Willis has earned a few titles himself. Some people know him as the man everyone wants to manage their beverage service from in-home special occasions to extravagant parties and weddings. “I have some people who will call me before they call the caterer,” says Willis with a twinkle. Those with a good memory for Augusta history might remember Willis as the maitre d’ and manager at the first Green Jacket.
Still others know him as Mr. Willis, with a masters degree in education, and a former Richmond County special education coordinator and one-time teacher. In his early days, it was a time when teachers could become more involved in a student’s life outside of school walls.

“If I needed somebody to hold my class while I went out to find out why a kid wasn’t in school, I could do it. I went to their house,” Willis recalls.
“I have kids who are grown now that will come up to me and say, ‘Mr. Willis, you saved me.’

“That’s the joy of teaching.When kids come up to you from 30 years ago and say, ‘You had an impact on my life.’”

Now retired from public education after more than 30 years, Willis can still be found at the city’s most exclusive social events,  mixing up or pouring out a beverage of choice for invited guests.

The youthful, placid Willis has built a reputation for stellar and individualized service for some of the city’s most prestigious occasions. He attributes his ongoing demand to quality work and being known “on a personal basis.”

Over the years, he has personally met with some interesting as well as influential guests. He has swapped stories with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He has helped host events for corporate CEOs. He has whipped up classic Southern-style meals for international guests. At the end of every day—a fact that no doubt will make women everywhere wistfully wonder if Willis has a twin—he is and has been the head cook at home for his entire 36 years of marriage, while he and his wife raised four children.

According to bar lore, a bar is the place where everybody knows your name. “My name is Joseph Willis, but everybody runs its together like it’s one word —‘JoeWillis.’” explains the statesman of mixicology. “I told my people, ‘Now when I pass, make sure you put, ‘Joseph Willis, quotation ‘JoeWillis’ so people know who you’re talking about.”

No worries, Joe. Everybody knows your name.