The cooking school in Laurel, Mississippi featured on HGTV‘s “Home Town: Inn This Together” includes three uniquely designed kitchen spaces inside the renovated Heirloom Hotel. Ben and Erin Napier helped transform the old building alongside friends and family, opting for interactive cooking school kitchens instead of a traditional hotel restaurant.
Heirloom Hotel’s Laurel, MS Cooking School Has 3 Kitchens
On May 28, the HGTV Instagram account posted the reveal of the hotel’s “retro kitchen.”
“This is ur sign to buy that colorful kitchen item you’ve been eyeing 😊 #HomeTownInnThisTogether,” the caption noted.
In the video clip, Erin explained, “You know, people became afraid of color at some point in history, but not in the 1950s and ’60s. We were colorful then.”
The retro kitchen includes colorful cabinets, a subway tile backsplash, and tables and stools with brightly colored legs.
“What makes this room feel retro, vintage, nostalgia is color,” Erin said. “People were not afraid of color after World War II and it was ‘happy days are here again.'”
She continued, “Appliances were bright colors, cabinets were bright colors.”
The fun space was designed with families in mind with its colorful accents and vibrant kitchen items.
The other two cooking school kitchens are European and Mississippi themed.
Why the Heirloom Hotel Has a Cooking School Instead of a Restaurant
In a recap of “Home Town: Inn This Together” episode 3, co-owner Josh Nowell gave more background about the vision behind the cooking school.
“As we worked to transform this old, dilapidated building into a vibrant new space, we knew one thing from the beginning: people needed a place to gather around a table,” he wrote on the Laurel Mercantile blog. “As Southerners, we believe the dining table is one of the most sacred spaces left in our culture. It’s where prayers of thanksgiving are offered, stories are passed down, traditions are preserved, and arguments are settled. It’s where life happens.”
He continued, “That idea created a real challenge for Mallorie [Rasberry]. She didn’t want these kitchens to feel cold or commercial. Nobody wants to sit in a sterile kitchen and tell family stories. She wanted them to feel warm, timeless, and lived in — more like your grandmother’s home than a restaurant. Somehow, she had to do that three different times on a tight deadline, so Erin stepped in to help.”
They landed on three different kitchen designs, “each with its own personality and material palette.”
“Our Scotsman factory team then built all of the islands, tables, cabinets, and shelves using walnut, cherry, and oak to help define each room, and they absolutely crushed it,” Nowell shared. “Then the staging and design team layered in handwritten recipes, aprons, antiques, and family touches that honored the women and tables that shaped all of us growing up.”
He also briefly mention the 2025 fire that destroyed their hard work. “As you’ll see next episode, we did not get to spend nearly as much time together in these spaces as we had hoped. But that’s alright,” he noted. “These kitchens were inspired by our homes and the people who filled them. By God’s grace, we still have good tables to gather around while we work to build back what we lost.”
Awesome ideas & challenge! Cant wait to see it develop! Laurel area is definitely benefitting!