Rex at the Royal's new culinary director is cooking up southern-inspired dishes

Philadelphia, Pa. (WPVI) -- Paid Sponsor Partnership: Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
Chef Angie Brown has been cooking in restaurants around the city for more than three decades.

"I started my culinary career in 1989 here in Philadelphia," says Brown. "I went to The Restaurant School."

She owned some well-known restaurants around the city, including her namesake restaurant, Angie Brown's in Mt. Airy. She also opened a restaurant with her daughter called Soul, which was in the center of Chestnut Hill.

Now, Brown is the culinary director for Rex at the Royal on South Street.

"I specialize in Southern food," says Brown. "Sometimes Cajun creeps in, but predominantly I am a Creole chef."

She's classically French-trained, cooking up Southern-inspired favorites. She says she's "evolved" as a chef.

"My family has Southern roots," she says. "That's the food that stuck with me."

Brown's menu includes items like seafood gumbo and chicken jambalaya.

"In my jambalaya, I don't put in the shrimp," she says. "I just use andouille sausage and chicken thighs."

She says the seared scallops over fried tomatoes have been in her culinary repertoire for at least 20 years.

She tops that dish with a little bit of jicama, red pepper and andouille sausage.

"Everybody likes it," she says.

The historic space has a New Orleans vibe.

"Rex at the Royal was a theater back in the 1930s," she says. "It is truly a beautiful restaurant."

Brown says there is live jazz on Sundays.

"And we have great cocktails," she says.

With bartenders mixing up drinks like the Royal Espresso Martini.

Brown says her favorite part about this latest venture is mentoring the next generation.

"The goal is to have them cook better than me," she says. "I really enjoy showing them different things."

She says Rex at the Royal is "my swan song."

Rex at the Royal
1524 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146