A spur of the moment decision saw two friends travel across the world and start a new life in Liverpool
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen owners Reggie Pulliam and Adam Williams
Two friends left their lives in the United States behind to open a business in Liverpool. In just a few short weeks, Adam Williams packed his bags, found a place to live, converted a vacant space into a fully operative kitchen, and has plans to transform the city.
Adam, 44, hails from Alabama, where he worked for years in some of the top restaurants along the Gulf Shores. Throughout his hospitality career, Adam was at the helm of opening several businesses, including the Sassy Bass, which is where he met pal and business partner Reggie Pullman.
Reggie would of visit London for work, and every time he was there he’d make the pilgrimage to Goodison to watch his beloved Everton play at home. Reggie was born in New Orleans but grew up in Oklahoma, which is also the home of former Everton striker Joe-Max Moore.
Reggie was familiar with Liverpool but Adam got his first taste of the city last year when he joined him at an Everton match. The pair noticed a startling gap in the local market and asked each other, “should we open a New Orleans venue here?”
Adam told the ECHO: “We spent some time here and realised Liverpool had many restaurants, but it didn’t have any Cajun restaurants. We happened to be passing by looking at places and we stopped in Molly Malones to have a pint. We ended up talking to the owner who was very helpful to us, as everybody in Liverpool has been for two idiot Americans.
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen owners Reggie Pulliam and Adam Williams
“We spent a couple weeks back here again in December so we stopped by Molly Malones again and we found out the kitchen had not operated since the Covid-19 lockdown, so for four and a half years it’d been empty.
“We went back to America to our regular day-to-day jobs, still trying to plan this out. I called the owner and asked if we could lease the kitchen and in a couple of days it was ours.”
The pair rallied their industry contacts and set about launching a business in a foreign land. Adam said: “One of the biggest tasks was leaving everything behind.
“We had to leave our friends and family, and I had to give away my dog of four years. Reggie has a wife and five year old son. That was hard for us both.”
Reggie and Adam serve authentic deep-south comfort food
Adam and Reggie arrived in May with only their determination to make the business a success. Adam secured a place to live and began building the team, while Reggie had always planned to return to the United States, leaving Adam to manage the restaurant on his own.
Despite the challenge, their relentless effort paid off when SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen opened on Victoria Street on Monday, June 9. Reggie left the country last month and Adam recently enjoyed what he described as “a luxurious” 48-hours off. In the end, all the hard work has proven to be worth it.
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen, named after Reggie’s mum Susan, serves authentic deep-south comfort food like fried chicken po’boys, chicken and sausage jambalaya and gumbo, smash burgers, shrimp bread and more. The restaurant doesn’t offer salt and pepper because all of the dishes come loaded with flavour already.
SuSu’s baked oysters
SuSu’s kitchen works with local suppliers such as Bexley’s butchers for special ingredients like andouille sausages for the authentic Cajun flavours. Adam said: “Culture is paramount to making a place like ours thrive.
“It’s about creating that situation where all of your family and friends come over on the weekend for a crawfish, shrimp or crab boil. Everyone is gathered around the table, having drinks, telling stories and laughing. That community feeling is what is so important to a place like this.
“I love seeing people’s faces as they try something new. We actually don’t have salt and pepper because we put so much flavour into everything. If someone asked me for salt, I could pour a little into a ramekin, but there is nothing available on the tables.”
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen owners Reggie Pulliam and Adam Williams
Business has spread through word of mouth and SuSu’s is starting to build a customer base. Despite still being in its infancy, Adam has huge plans not only for the future, but for Liverpool.
He added: “I want to bring Mardi Gras over here. Liverpool is a crazy city so I think it would love a huge Mardi Gras party, a parade, a masquerade ball – everything. I don’t think I could turn it around by February 2026 but maybe the next year.
“For now we’re focusing on the food and making customers happy. I really want to grow the business so it has full-fledged restaurants around the city. There is a lot planned but we’re taking it day by day for now.”