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Insights > Feeding the Soul and Body
Feeding the Soul and Body
03/08/2016
Eric Luttrell, storekeeper, grew up around Entergy. Doing so not only influenced his career path, it also gave him the name of his catering side project, Little Diamond’s.
How Little Diamond’s Got Its Name
“Diamond Jim” Brady was a successful New York City multimillionaire in the late 19th century, whose love of precious jewels earned him his apt nickname. The legend of his lavish behavior put his name into the American vocabulary and still infuses culture today with mentions in books, songs and movies.
Jim Luttrell was a storekeeper at South Street in Jackson when he received the popular nickname. “One of the lineman started calling Eric’s dad ‘Diamond Jim,’ and it stuck; everyone started calling him Diamond Jim,” said Bruce Hulitt, operations coordinator.
The nickname birthright continued for Jim’s son, Eric, who continues his father’s legacy by working as a storekeeper in the Rankin office. “As a young adult, I was given opportunity to go to the South Street storeroom during the summer(s) to sweep, stock and just help out in any way needed. Bruce first nicknamed me ‘Little Diamond,’” said Luttrell.
“So, the name of my catering business is a tribute to my dad,” he said. “That’s also why the street sign reads ‘St. Jimmy Charles Avenue.’ My dad’s middle name is Charles.”
What Makes Little Diamond’s Special
Eric Luttrell is a musician—he’s been in metro bands including NOx and Dixieattle. He is also a vinyl enthusiast. His catering business directly ties into his love of music and records, as so far he has only sold his food at vinyl sales.
“It started as a way to fill a need at 4 the Record, a record swap in Midtown Jackson,” said Luttrell. Scheduled caterers never showed at the event, so both customers and vendors were unable to eat. Luttrell began cooking crawfish chowder, gumbo, and red beans and rice to bring to the record swap, and his efforts were a big hit. “Several of the vendors gave my chowder the nickname ‘Crack’fish Chowder, because it’s so addictive,” he said.
His success at the record swap built confidence in his side venture. “I’ve upgraded all of my cooking equipment and have decided to take the steps to go legit and turn this into an ongoing business,” said Luttrell.
His last catering event was in December at a record convention at Duling Hall in Fondren. He sold out of the chowder within an hour and the other food hours before the end of the event. The next time there is a big event involving vinyl, Eric and Little Diamond’s will probably be there, feeding the attendees’ bodies while the music feeds their souls.
