Bluffs & Bayous Nov 2011

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From Your Publisher . . .

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his month, we bring to our readers interesting articles regarding our staple of life, food! In particular, we spotlight some of the fabulous restaurants in our Bluffs & Bayous region; and we also share a salute to long-time food editor Laurin Stamm of Vicksburg, Mississippi, who recently published a cookbook of favorite recipes from her 50 years as the only Food Editor for The Vicksburg Evening Post. Another salute this month goes to the recently held Natchez Food and Wine Festival in Natchez, Mississippi, during which “An Invitation to the Natchez Table” welcomed chefs from the Natchez and New Orleans areas who created scrumptious Southern fare for a packed crowd at The Carriage House restaurant on the grounds of antebellum Stanton Hall. Our Delta writer Jenni Guido continues this focus on food and restaurants as she features another of her favorite spots to dine, The Carlyle

House, further north in Ruleville, Mississippi.

Along with our coverage of these features, come a number of recipes to try in your own kitchen at holiday time or at anytime that company comes calling.

Having celebrated through October’s month-long run of festivals, ending with the sundry hauntings of Halloween, we turn our thoughts to appreciating the gifts and privileges of living in our blessed country and, in particular, to enjoying the richness of our part of the South. We continue to count our blessings each day as we enjoy the people and their talents who make our area such a versatile, hospitable, nurturing place to live and who provide us challenges to preserve the excellence we have and to improve the shortcomings we find.

As we move closer to Thanksgiving and near the season of multiple religious holidays, be sure to keep our “November . . . Up & Coming!” events listings close so you can take part in our communities’ many celebrations of the season, musical arts performances, theatre performances, and historical lectures and symposiums.

Also, remember Bluffs & Bayous is now an

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interactive book online…just a click away to keep you abreast of all that is going on… and makes a great read during any of your travels. Download us, or email us to your friends and family throughout the country and even overseas. We are global!!

Enjoy this issue as much as we continue to enjoy sharing life along and beyond the Mississippi with all of you!

C o n t r i b u t o r s

publisher Cheryl Foggo Rinehart editors Jean Nosser Biglane Cheryl Foggo Rinehart graphic designers Jan Ratcliff Anita Schilling media coordinator Adam Blackwell staff photographers Van O’Gwin Elise D. Parker Cheryl Rinehart sales staff Susan Harris Cheryl Rinehart Donna Sessions JoAnna Sproles

Adam Blackwell

Jean Biglane

Susan Harris

Van O’Gwin

Elise D. Parker

Jan Ratcliff

Cheryl Rinehart

Anita Schilling

Donna Sessions

JoAnna Sproles

Columnist Dr. Gary R. Bachman is an assistant extension professor of horticulture at Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Fred Emrick, M.D., a mystery and thriller novel buff, is a noted physician and native of Natchez, Mississippi. He and his wife Mary live at The Gardens in Natchez, and she is the proprietor of Turning Pages, Books & More.

on the cover Chefs Kelly Fields, Todd Pulsinelli, Chuck Subra, Red Owens, and Tom Wolfe plate one of the courses during ‘‘An Invitation to the Natchez Table,’’ one of the signature events of the Natchez Food & Wine Festival.

Photograph by Cheryl Rinehart (See article on pages 28 through 31.)

Jennie Guido is a graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Master’s Degree in English Education. She currently lives in the heart of the Delta in Cleveland, Mississippi, but she still calls Natchez home.

Columnist Ross McGehee, a lifelong resident of Natchez, Mississippi, owns a diversified and far-flung farm operation.

Columnist Alma Womack lives on Smithland Plantation on Black River, south of Jonesville, Louisiana. In addition to her duties as maitresse des maison, she is the keeper of the lawn, the lane and the pecan orchard at Smithland.

Bluffs & Bayous is published monthly to promote the greater Southern area of Louisiana and Mississippi in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Bluffs & Bayous are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Bluffs & Bayous strives to insure the accuracy of our magazine’s contents.

However, should inaccuracies or omissions occur, we do not assume responsibility.

office

423 Main Street, Suite 7 Natchez, MS 39120 601-442-6847 | fax 601-442-6842 info@bluffsbayous.com editor@bluffsbayous.com sales@bluffsbayous.com www.bluffsbayous.com

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November 2011 FEATURES

Something Scrumptious Laurin Fields Stamm’s New Culinary Chronicle: From The Kitchen of The Cypress House.......................................... 24-27 An Invitation to the Natchez Table with Bingo and Friends................ 28-31 Roca—Traditional Southern Fare with a Twist...................................... 34-37 Delectable Dining at Rusty’s Riverfront Grill......................................... 38-40 Just Up Highway 61: The Carlyle House, Ruleville, Mississippi............. 48-50

FAVORITES All Outdoors A Cowboy................................................................................................ 20-21

Events November. . . Up and Coming! Premier Events.......................................... 60 November. . . Up and Coming!............................................................... 61-75

Laurin Fields Stamm’s New Culinary Chronical: From The Kitchen of The Cypress House pages 24-27

From the Stacks A Dream Land of Romance, Suspense, and Mystery.................................... 8

In the Garden Colorful Fall Bedding Plants........................................................................ 15

Southern Sampler Welcome to the Movies Natchez Style.................................................. 22-23 Wrapping Up Harvest and Awaiting the Holidays................................ 54-55

THE Social Scene 2011 NRMC Healthcare Foundation Gala.............................................. 10-14 Over the River Run....................................................................................... 16 King’s Daughters Foundation’s Think Pink Celebration............................ 19 Leonore O’Malley’s Eightieth Birthday.................................................. 32-33 2011 Brookhaven’s Taste of the Trust Ticket Pick-up Party........................ 41 Friends of the Library Annual Social........................................................... 45 May & Company’s Family Picnic.............................................................. 52-53 Book Signing at Turning Pages................................................................... 56 Chi Omega State Day................................................................................... 59 Mary Sue Parks Ladies Golf Tournament.................................................... 59 Thompson Retirement Dinner..................................................................... 76 Brookhaven Little Theatre “Meet Me at the Haven” Annual Membership Party...................................................................... 77 Sweet 16.................................................................................................. 78-79 Eighth Annual “Live a Dream” Golf Tournament...................................... 80-81

Weddings, Engagements, and Anniversaries Mexican Fiesta Honey Do Shower............................................................... 46 Wedding Shower for Braswell and Brown................................................. 47

Roca—Traditional Southern Fare with a Twist pages 34-37

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From the Stacks | review by Fred D. Emrick

A Dream Land of Romance, Suspense, and Mystery The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

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ebut novels are always a leap of faith for the reader since there is no well-worn path to easily glide along. Occasionally, initial novels such as John Grisham’s A Time to Kill, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help break through to attain near-classic levels of appreciation. Such is the potential with Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.

The book opens intriguingly: “The circus arrives without warning…the towering tents are striped in black and white…the black sign painted in white letters…reads: Opens at nightfall/closes at dawn. ‘What kind of circus is only open at night?’ the people ask. Le Cirque des Reves…the Circus of Dreams.”

The story follows Celia and Marco, two young illusionists locked in a battle of magic that can only end when one completely defeats the other. Unfortunately

for their behind-the-scenes teachers who are mortal enemies, these two young people fall in love. The course of their story extends over several decades and is set in the turn of the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.

Morgenstern’s prose is mesmerizing, elegant, and enchanting. The descriptions of the quirky circus characters, the bite of coolness in the fall air, and the mouthwatering smell of caramel apples all contribute to the enjoyment of visiting this dream land. However, throughout the story, there is a feeling that is beyond sensory reality, a feeling of the real and unreal, a subconscious world that we experience in the last moments of vivid dreams when we awake at dawn.

This story makes us question just how much of our own lives is really within our control and how unaware we are much of the time. Could certain occurrences in our lives be magic or the supernatural?

It’s a compelling question throughout Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.

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A delightful and imaginative read, The Night Circus is very different from the fiction now on the shelves. It is a love story, a thriller, and, most of all, a mystery. You won’t regret visiting the Cirque des Reves.

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and multimedia artist who lives in Massachusetts with her cat. She has a degree in theatre from Smith College and describes all of her work as “fairy tales in one way or another.”

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THE Social Scene 2011 NRMC Healthcare Foundation Gala

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t was a night of memories and tributes as the newly formed Healthcare Foundation of Natchez Regional Medical Center in Natchez, Mississippi, held its first gala on September 15. Over 220 guests enjoyed a presentation entitled “Memories in Medicine,” posthumously honoring the physicians who were a part of the hospital medical staff since its opening in 1960. Family members of the honored physicians shared pictures, doctor bags, coats and ties, and other memorabilia that took guests back in time as they viewed the displays.

Dr. Bob Barnes, Kim McAndrews, and Dr. Betina Barnes

Edie Christian, John Christian, and Deanne Tanksley

Rusty and Colleen Wilkins Lewis, Alan Massengale, and Alex Harrison

Danny O’Beirne, Virginia O’Beirne, and Melanie Sojourner

Dr. Kathryn Nutter, Sonny Gwin, Carolyn Gwin, Chris Nutter, and Mandy Brown

Patricia Lazone, David Cothren, and Marla Farmer

Lynn Perry, Kay Ketchings, and Sherri LeMay

Joan Evans, Joyce Washington Ivery, and Bonita Reed

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THE Social Scene

Kathy Blankenstein and Lucianne Wood

Front—Julia Rachel Kuehnle, Dr. Bruce Kuehnle, and Eleanor and Bill Ernst; back—Nancy and Bruce Kuehnle, Jr.; and Margaret and Reverend Travis Fulton

Agnes Holloway, Edie Christian, Scott Christian, and Elizabeth Gillon

Dr. Bruce Kuehnle, Lindsey Devening, and Lana Stamper

Colleen Wilkins Lewis, Marcia Passman, and Joan Evans

Paul and Linda Melancon with Agnes Holloway

Rainne Ikonomidas, Lindsey Gwin, Christina Hall, and Stephanie Rehems

Kim McAndrews, Sue Purvis, Lana Stamper, and Maryrose Welch

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THE Social Scene

Mark Coffey with Kathy and Bob Sizemore

Sabrina Rouse and Mitch Ballard

Betina Barnes, Dale Steckler, Nikki Read Hicks, and Faye Lehman

Walt and Teri Roddy

Johnny Byrne, Agnes Holloway, Joe Stedman, Charlotte Byrne, Brenda Rasco, David Cothren, and Patricia Lozone

Dr. Ruth Nichols and Debbie Hudson

Sara and Chandler Russ

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Rusty Lewis and Vance Custer

Kay Ketchings, Dr. Brad LeMay, and Sherry LeMay

Scott Christian and Deann Tanksley

THE Social Scene

Gerald Jones, Freda Lawrence, and Gregory Reed

Carolyn Doughty and Stratton Hall

Al, Suzanne, and Aimee Guido with Troy Eliser

James and Nancy Biglane

Suzanne, Dale, and Dr. David Steckler

Arthur Person and Dr. Tom Purvis

Margaret Perkins and Sue Stedman

Sarah Tillman, Dr. Barry Tillman, and Terri Tillman

Sandra and Eddie Burkes

Front—Nikki Read and Carolyn Read; back— John and Eileen Ball

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THE Social Scene

Dr. Carl Passman, Walter Brown, and Dr. William Godfrey

Hal Hicks, Claudia Malone, Marsha Passman, Butch Brown, and Missy Brown

Rusty and Colleen Wilkins Lewis and Representative Bob M. Dearing

Kay and Andrew Ketchings, Bill and JoAnn Heburn, Sarah and Chandler Russ, and Sessions and Mandy Brown

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In the Garden | story and photos by Dr. Gary R. Bachman

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Colorful Fall Bedding Plants ow is the perfect time to embrace your garden’s ability to support beautiful, colorful fall bedding

plants.

Garden centers are offering some great choices for fall bedding plants. Telstar dianthus is one of my favorite cool-season plants because it offers seasonal continuity for your landscape. Its flower colors include carmine rose, pink, and white. Like most members of the dianthus family, its fragrance is delicately floral. The flowers have a fringed margin and are available in single, double, and semi-double petal arrangements. The colors are from the same dianthus palette of pinks as the spring-blooming landscape varieties and summer varieties such as Purple Bouquet and Amazon dianthus.

Telstar dianthus will grow to be 8 to 10 inches tall. The bushy plants have a stout structure with linear toothed foliage, and plants should be spaced about 8 inches apart in order to form beautiful and fully massed landscape beds.

I am sure you have seen the brightly colored pansies at your favorite gardening center. These are another great way to add color to the winter garden. These plants are tough, cold-tolerant, and flower nonstop.

Pansies are known botanically as Viola wittrockiana and have a mounding growth habit of 4 to 10 inches tall.

There are many different cultivars and selections in a rainbow of colors. Older selections have multicolored flowers in yellows, purples, blues, and whites.

These flowers seem to have “faces” with features of color blotches that seem to give the pansies a variety of personalities.

Matrix pansies, especially the Coastal Sunrise mix, have been outstanding landscape plants for several years in Mississippi. The Coastal Sunrise plants are loaded with large, colorful flowers.

The flowers are held high above the plant and are a terrific landscape display.

The plants branch quickly, increasing the enormous number of flowers produced.

Violas are related to pansies and are another good choice for cooler weather.

These tough plants will grow well in the landscape or containers. Violas can be hardier than pansies, blooming right through winter and well into the spring season.

Violas are known botanically as Viola cornuta and are commonly called Johnny Jump Ups. It is quite common for viola to become perennial in the home garden

Pansies seem to have “faces” that give the flowers a variety of personalities.

because they are prolific reseeding plants. Garden centers usually carry wide selections in a nearly endless variety of colors.

For the best performance, be sure to plant any of these bedding plant choices before cold weather sets in, allowing the root systems to establish. If these plants are exposed to freezing temperatures, any current flowers will be lost. The flowers will, however, start to show again once moderate temperatures reappear. Add one pound of slow release fertilizer and a good layer of mulch to keep these plants well fed and comfortable during the colder temperatures of winter. They will be ready to continue blooming in the spring.

Take advantage of Mississippi’s mild winters and add these beautiful, colorful fall bedding plants to your garden.

The Telstar dianthus’ flowers have a fringed margin and are available in single, double and semi-double petal arrangements.

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THE Social Scene Over the River Run

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he Twenty-third Annual Over the River Run, an annual family event sponsored by the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation and supported by dozens of promoters and volunteers, welcomed hundreds to Vicksburg, Mississippi, on October 8, with its five-mile run, five-mile walk, and one-mile fun run for children. Volunteers from May and Company manned various water stations during the race. Following the race, complimentary entertainment, fun, and refreshments awaited all runners, walkers, and volunteers in the Ameristar Delta Point parking lot. Musical entertainment by the party band Slaphappy highlighted the post-run celebration.

Katie Feibelman and Will Furlong

Nancy Wansley, Paula Shores, Mari Stoudt, Katie Feibelman, and Lindsay Jones

Lindsay Jones and Nancy Wansley

Runners participating in the Over the River Run

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Paula Shores

On the River k On the River k On the River k On the River

Natchez k vidalia k Ferriday k Natchez k vidalia k Ferriday k Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 17

On the River k On the River k On the River k On the River

Natchez k vidalia k Ferriday k Natchez k vidalia k Ferriday k Page 18 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

On the River k On the River k On the River k On the River

THE Social Scene King’s Daughters Foundation’s Think Pink Celebration

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ing’s Daughters Foundation of King’s Daughters Medical Center presented its annual THINK PINK event on October 4 at First United Methodist Church in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Guests were treated to lunch and heard from a panel of experts regarding breast health. Keynote Speaker was Cynthia Stuart of the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Participants also were invited to ask questions and take home timely information.

(L to R) Sherri Mathis, Linda Moak, Susan Aycock, Shirley Estes, Dott Cannon, Martha Wilbert, Anna Peavey, Cindy Moore, Cynthia Stuart, Johnny Rainer, Shannon Clark, Pat Smith, and Karen Braden

Cynthia Stuart

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All Outdoors | by Ross McGehee

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A Cowboy

ark C got himself a nickname.

It wasn’t exactly his idea, but it made sense to the guys at the hunting camp. And given the propensity of hunting companions to rib one another, the tone of voice used to refer to “Cowboy” usually indicated whether or not he had pushed the envelope a little too far once again. What would happen at a deer camp to bring about nicknaming someone “Cowboy”? You have to know Mark C and a little something about hunting!

Like every other activity, hunting involves many different types of people.

It can vary from the laid-back woodswalkers that just enjoy the scenery and solitude to the competitive maniacs that take all the fun out of hunting. Some folks come to the hunting camp solely for the social component and rarely if ever put on camouflage and venture into the cold dawn. There’s also the thoracic surgeon who shows up with his quarry and becomes an analytical vivisectionist at the skinning shed. And for every hardwired accountant that takes a book to read on the deer stand, there is a guy claiming that he hunts to feed his family.

Mark C was in a class all by himself. He was obsessive about whitetail deer! And we’re not just talking about the ridiculous silhouette of some fantasy antlers in the back window of his truck with the camo paint job; he drove his friends to distraction with his behavior. Every night there would be an email from him with a picture of a deer that some guy had killed in Iowa or Alabama. At the camp he’d rattle off the Boone and Crocket score of a deer he’d heard had been taken in Ohio, just in case anybody would care to know.

He had a list of lodge owners across the country that he’d harass on a regular basis to learn what they were seeing in the woods weekly and when the “rut” was expected to peak in their area. He didn’t just schedule his vacation around deer season. On two occasions he quit his job entirely to hunt for three months! So why did he get the nickname “Cowboy”?

What is the opposite of cowboy? As LJ said to him one night at supper, “Hell, Mark, we gonna have to call you Cowboy on account of you ain’t no Indian! ‘Cause if you was, you’d a killed something by now!” Mark swole up pretty good about that.

He didn’t swell up big because he was only fivefoot four to start with so “big” wasn’t an option.

The conversation (if you could call it that) devolved into a discussion of just what LJ meant by “you ain’t no Indian.”

Imagine what it must have been like to live in the woods in the Deep South six hundred years ago. Think about the weather conditions yeararound and surviving in the humidity, heat, and cold without Thinsulate, Gore-Tex, Lacrosse Boots, Buck Knives, Coleman Stoves, or Muzzy Broadheads. All they had was what they made themselves from what they found in the woods. Sure, they ate plenty of roots and lizards. But they also caught fish without a rod and reel and learned to hurl a stick accurately enough to take rabbits or squirrels.

If the Native Americans wanted to eat something larger than rabbits or squirrels, they had to make their own artillery from bois d’arc trees and bowstrings from sinew, both cut with sharp rocks. They learned to slip up on game undetected through dry leaves or go hungry. They knew where the game trails were and where muscadine vines grew. Patience had to be deeply ingrained in them. But where else did they have to be if they weren’t hunting? They had no appointment at 2:30.

Twenty degrees and sleeting all night in the winter must have been horrific for them.

Essentially barefoot, they had no comforter,

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no central heat; the fire was smoldering, and all the wood outside was too wet to burn.

Fleas were in the hut, and no one had eaten in two days. The flip-side was 90 degrees at night in August, no screened windows and plenty of mosquitoes. Not a breath of air was moving, and the fire had to be kept going all night so cooking could be done whenever there was something to put on it.

In those terms, “you ain’t no Indian” would seem to be more of a blessing than an insult. But that’s not what LJ meant, and Cowboy knew it.

I suppose Cowboy may have had a Napoleon Complex or “little-man” syndrome. He tried too hard to overcompensate without realizing that nobody cared about his height, for goodness sake.

So he always wanted to get the biggest deer, or the most fish, or the most expensive gun. The problem was that he really never learned to hunt. Sure, anybody can read a few magazine articles about topographic maps and how to figure where wildlife will “funnel” through an area. Usually, if

you have time to read such stuff, you’re not spending enough time in the woods.

So Cowboy hunted fast to make up for the time he lost by not scouting.

He set up trail cameras to record deer movement. Whenever a camera got a picture, it would automatically call Cowboy’s cell phone or work computer with an instant picture. He bought corn and poured it out to induce deer to stay in the vicinity of his favorite hunting spot. He used an expensive four-wheeler to quickly transport himself to and from his deer stand so he wouldn’t waste any time walking.

He erected an elaborate deer stand with all the comforts one could want—sliding windows, carpet, swivel chair, heater, and blinds to slide down on the sunny side when it got too hot. My, my. The rangefinder, GPS, and ice chest just completed the deal, and the gang was so happy that Cowboy was set up so well.

The only problem with Cowboy’s efforts was that they produced no results.

He never got a deer! Why? He was what we call a “microwave hunter.” He rushed everything and never learned to read the signs. Hunting is not like baking a cake.

You don’t add ingredients, stir, bake, and voila! Cowboy expected the deer to come to him after he announced his presence with his entrance on a four-wheeler.

Then, once he’d sat in his stand for thirty minutes, he’d go looking for the deer to see why they hadn’t come to the party.

His stealth in the woods was noteworthy since he had on so much gear that he looked like the Michelin Man and could not sneak up on a glass of water! Of course his blundering around in the woods instead of sitting tight messed up everyone else’s hunt. That usually leads to blundering from one hunting club to the next.

There is really no right way to hunt but there are plenty of wrong ways to go about it. Learning to be still is a good way to start and a very large part of enjoying the outdoors whether an actual hunt is involved or not. If you think about it, nothing in nature rushes unless it is being pursued. If you disrupt that rhythm, you’re probably a “Cowboy” cause you ain’t no Indian.

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Welcome to the Movies

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Natchez Style

atchez, Mississippi, has been taken over by another movie— Rise Again, a story of human struggle and conflict in the immediate wake of the Civil War, all with a strong supernatural overlay. Natchez, of course, is not new to film crews, audition casting, company costuming, and the like, having hosted the mavens of movie-making for sixty years or so. And religiously during these decades, folks come from all over the region to be a part of the spotlight on

this area’s history and culture that create the unique combination of perfect setting, enthusiastic extras, cooperative local film officials and aficionados, and genuine community hospitality.

Writer and producer Jerry Quicklye confirmed that the geographical sites of Natchez were perfect for filming this story.

Will Godfrey, a Natchez native, served as location manager and assisted in securing the antebellum homes Longwood and Hawthorne as well as historic Jefferson

College to begin the filming. Andrew James Adams, production designer, spent weeks scouring the antiques shops of Natchez to find authentic props for the film and was enthusiastic about his finds there—period firearms, satchels, furniture, and other items perfect for creating the film’s post-Civil War realism. In addition, Adams oversaw the set design and used local artisans to construct and build sets in pieces that could be taken apart, moved on site, and rebuilt for filming purposes.

During the time Bluffs & Bayous visited the actual production site, we realized the tremendous amount of time the company already had spent in planning, organizing, and repeatedly conferencing before the first camera came into play. This orchestration was on going as the action got underway Far left—Jean Luc Charboneau inspects an authentic pistol used during the filming.

Left—Andrew James Adams, Set and Art Designer, holds a period rifle on loan from a local gun collector to be used in the filming.

Below left—Working in the temporary office are Tatiana El-Khouri, Jane Chase Wells, and Jerry Quickley Below—During one of the many script reads, staff members Andrew James Adams, Tatiana El-Khouri, Jane Chase Wells, and Director Craig Ross, Jr., discuss each action carefully prior to filming.

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so all involved in direction, location, camera angles and action, set details, and costuming were on that essential “same page” as the story unfolded for filming.

Look to the future of this exciting movie that is a boon to our economy and showcases Natchez, its eclectic culture,

and its historic backdrop to the nation and the world. Get that popcorn ready, be on the lookout for local extras, and settle in to embrace this suspenseful tale with its intriguing title that alludes to what the South Shall do through struggle, conflict, and an aura of the supernatural, which is, of course— Rise Again!

Visit the Rise Again website— w w w. r i s e a g a i n f i l m . c o m — a n d Facebook page for day-to-day updates.

Left—One of the sets, constructed by local artisans and designed by Adams, is built to be moved in parts to set up at film sites.

Top right—During a staff meeting, members listen carefully as each person discusses planning for each scene to be filmed. Pictured l-r Craig Ross, Jr., Cheryl Bedford, Will Godfrey, Carl Bartels, and Jerry Quickley Bottom right­—Adams and Wells attend to every detail of production during a staff meeting.

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Laurin Fields Stamm’s New Culinary Chronicle

From The Kitchen of The Cypress House Stamm takes careful consideration to make sure the cooking is as enjoyable as the eating...

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by Cheryl F. Rinehart

nique among many of Vicksburg, Mississippi’s treasures and traditions, is a new publication from one of the River City’s own, a local icon for over 50 years who is sharing some of her “hometown” savories and secrets from over the decades. Laurin Fields Stamm, the first and only food editor for The Vicksburg Evening Post, has recently published her first cookbook— From The Kitchen of The Cypress House. However, it is more than a mere cookbook; it is a tribute to Stamm’s career as a food editor, wife, mother, neighbor, friend, and civic-minded citizen.

The first six pages of the book explain who Laurin Stamm is and impart her reflections on the beginnings of her journalist aspirations and on her fond professional respect and admiration for then city editor and publisher Louis P. Cashman, Sr., and later for his son, Louis P. Cashman, Jr. Therein, she defines her family-like relationship with the Cashman family and chronicles her years of writing for The Post.

In 1998, Charlie Mitchell, managing editor of The Vicksburg Evening Post, wrote in his Conversation column that he was “awaiting Laurin’s Book,” indicating how long anticipated her new publication has been. His tribute to Stamm’s talent and status reflects the long-standing “family” atmosphere at The Post where opinions and comments are dealt out, respected, and often beloved.

In the next few pages, she explores the origin of From The Kitchen of The Cypress House—the name of her long-time newspaper column and now the title of her new book. Her remarks throughout the book reflect on the times of raising a family when her career was always front and center and on times of preparing and enjoying meals from hundreds of recipes she has found, been given, created, and shared over the years with her column’s fan base and now shares with all who select and treasure her new book.

Laurin Stamm worked for a solid year on sorting through the recipes—1,064 of them—along with notes and photographs, entering these items individually onto an Excel spreadsheet and organizing them, all to bring her years as a food journalist to life in a bound publication. Her daughter, Story Stamm Ebersole, a certified public accountant and one of Vicksburg’s esteemed caterers—featured in past issues of Bluffs & Bayous with her business Storycook Favorites—assisted in this ardent endeavor.

The result, derived from the experiences of Laurin Stamm’s decades as a Vicksburg resident, is actually a history book about the life, people, and food of Vicksburg as its Facebook page attests:

“The cookbook features 10 recipe sections with over 300 recipes—from mouth-watering appetizers right down to delectable desserts and all the meat and side dishes that come between. Each recipe is accompanied by an anecdote straight from Stamm’s prized food section, providing a dated snapshot of the community through food. Through the pages, Stamm celebrates different ethnicities, all of the seasons and food-focused family traditions, such as family beach trips, tailgating at college football games and church bazaars.

“Until now, these recipes have been accessible only through the now-yellowed newspaper clippings collected in kitchen drawers and recipe binders throughout the homes of the many devoted Food Section readers.

“This cookbook is unlike any other, because, through the stories that accompany each recipe, Stamm takes careful consideration to make sure the cooking is as enjoyable as the eating. The recipes are tried and true and many are the result of her creations from her own kitchen, which in her 1977 kickoff column she coined ‘a cafeteria, short order house, office, teenage hangout, recipe testing center, and the center for a good party.’ The recipes include, when needed, pronunciations, clarification on amounts and her signature ‘P.S.’ which would typically run in subsequent columns to address reader questions about certain recipes.”

Connie Hinnman with Laurin Stamm during Stamm’s book signing held at the B’ni Brith Literary Club, known as the “BB Club,” recently in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi. Family and friends came to celebrate the long-awaited book by Stamm.

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Friends and family share the fun at Laurin Stamm’s book signing.

Left—Frances Morrison (of Jackson) and Story Stamm Ebersole

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread September 29, 1999 Page 47 Several weeks ago, I visited in Dallas to welcome my new granddaughter, 9-pound, 2-ounce Lauchlin Davis Langston. A fellow student of Lauchlin’s mother at the Art Institute of Dallas welcomed the new baby with a large loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread her husband had made. It was delicious, and made such a hit that I brought home the recipe. According to the cook, he just added chocolate chips to a recipe he saw in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Here is his recipe.

Right—Story Stamm Ebersole and Maggie Stamm Langston (of Dallas )

Left—Brenda Ware Jones (of Jackson) and Story Stamm Ebersol

Right—Lauri Stamm Collins and Brenda Ware Jones (of Jackson)

Page 26 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

To order the book, visit the website at www.kitchenofthecypresshouse.com or log onto Facebook at From The Kitchen of The Cypress House. Better yet, come spend a day or weekend in Lauren Stamm’s Vicksburg and enjoy the shopping, restaurants, bedand-breakfasts, and other entertainment venues this historic river town has to offer.

So now.......from the ‘first folio’ of Vicksburg’s well-known culinary journalist, from Stamm’s creative touch to our region’s thousands of readers, we offer the following sampling, a tastetempting trio of delectables in their derivative settings:

1¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 ripe bananas (heavy black spotting) 2/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup margarine 2 tablespoons milk 2 eggs ¾ cup chocolate chips In a mixer combine half the flour with the sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth. Add bananas, margarine and milk. Beat on low until blended; then beat on high for 2 additional minutes. Add eggs and remaining flour; beat until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 70 minutes or until butter knife inserted in center comes out without wet batter (a little chunky is all right).

Note: I thought I wouldn’t like this combination, but I did. As someone reminded me, “Chocolate-covered bananas are the thing.”

Venison Chili January 14, 1981 Page 70 Thanks to Ben Lamensdorf of Cary, 15-year-old Craig Stamm got his first deer this season. As a result we’re playing the “game” with some 75 pounds of venison.

What fun it is! Venison roasts we prepare by an old Tallulah, Louisiana recipe, but because not everyone has venison, I have been hesitant to give the recipe. But when we made the Venison Chili, we found it so easy to prepare that the recipe could also be done with ground beef. See how you like this cold weather dish.

2 pounds ground venison 3 tablespoons bacon drippings 2 large onions chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bell peppers, chopped 2 cans (16 oz. each) tomatoes 2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce 4 tablespoons hot chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika 2 (or more) teaspoons salt Water to rinse cans, 1 to 2 cups Black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 cans chili hot beans or kidney beans Heat bacon drippings in heavy pot. Add meat and cook until meat is slightly brown.

Add onions, bell peppers and garlic and sauté until limp. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder mixed with a little water, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to blend. Rinse cans with water and add to chili. Simmer about 30 minutes. Add beans and continue to cook until beans are thoroughly heated, about 30 to 45 minutes.

4 slices bacon 3 pounds lean boneless beef, cut in 1-inch cubes (we like chuck roast, cut and trimmed) 1 can beef bouillon 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon salt Coarse-ground black pepper to tastes 1 bay leaf 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups (or more) dry red wine (we prefer Burgundy) 1 can boiled onions 6 to 8 carrots 1½ pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped Butter and minced parsley Simmer bacon in water for 10 minutes; drain, dry well. Cut into ½-inch pieces, place in heavy skillet, and fry until crisp.

Transfer bits to heavy casserole. To fat left in skillet (add a little oil if necessary), brown beef on all sides. Do not crowd beef. Put browned pieces in casserole with bacon and deglaze skillet with a little wine.

(Swish it around to save all the browned bits. Pour this into casserole.) Add bouillon, tomato paste, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and garlic. Pour in wine to almost

cover meat. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, or until meat is tender, basting occasionally. If liquid cooks down, add more wine, bouillon, or juice from canned onions. While meat cooks, prepare the vegetables. Drain onions, rinse, and sauté in a little butter. Sauté mushrooms in a tablespoon or two of butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Peel and cut carrots into 1-inchlong pieces. Add carrots to casserole about an hour to an hour-and-a half before meat is done. Add mushrooms and onions in the last 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Serve meat and vegetables with gravy over hot rice or noodles. Sprinkle with parsley. If the gravy is not thick enough for you, thicken with a little flour and water paste, or cream together a tablespoon of butter and one of flour and gradually blend a little hot liquid, and then add back to gravy.

Beef Bourguignon, Stamm Style November 12, 1980 Page 118 When you like beef stew as much as we do, you want to serve it to guests.

But whoever heard of having friends to a dinner of beef stew! That must be the reason someone came up with a recipe for Beef Bourguignon (say BOOR-GEEN_ YAHN if you want to be somewhere close to the French pronunciation). The recipe is not nearly so difficult to prepare as it is to pronounce. So easy, in fact, you don’t have to have company to serve it, but it’s delicious enough to serve your favorite guests. Try this with a green salad, good red wine, French bread, and cheese and fresh fruit for dessert.

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 27

An Invitation to the Natchez Table

with Bingo and Friends

by Cheryl Rinehart

Top—Uncle Doug Depp, Bingo Starr, and Hayes Vaughn Right—Bingo introduces the menu for the evening with his dew rag.

Page 28 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

D

uring the Natchez Food and Wine Festival, held July 29 and 30 in Natchez, Mississippi, this year’s agenda heralded the region’s most remarkable culinary experience from one event to the next during this three-day festival. With such extraordinary events as Tastings along the River, the Progressive Lunch and Home Tours, a Wine and Cheese Tasting, the Mint Juleps and Calliope Concert, Brews and Burgers, and a Champagne Jazz Brunch, there was something to fit everyone’s taste.

Lucky for me that I was beckoned to the opening event, Tastings along the River, to experience An Invitation to the Natchez Table – Bingo style! One of my dear, respected friends, Bob “Red” Owens was part of Bingo’s team of esteemed chefs for this culinary feast, and he was excited about sharing this unique and one-of-a-kind event with a table of friends. I gathered up my dates for the night, Kitty Bray, John Burns, and his guest Milford Thomas from Atlanta, Georgia; and off we went to dine, enjoy, and experience an evening of laughter, amazing wines, delightful dinner guests, and the most amazing food I have had the privilege to taste.

Chef Bingo Starr is chef for The Carriage House Restaurant, located on the grounds of antebellum Stanton Hall in Natchez and noted for its “nationally famous, delicious southern cooking.” His yen for cooking began by working alongside his mentor Uncle Doug Depp in his restaurant Bull’s Corner in New Orleans, Louisiana; and it is his “Uncle Doug” with whom he credits his love of cooking. Chef Bingo attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has garnered unique culinary experience working at Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas, Texas, and at Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as working along with Chef Emile Lagasse in New Orleans.

Chef Bingo has a flare for orchestrating the excellence of his cuisine as well as the talents of those alongside him in the kitchen. Such a flare results from his congeniality mingled with his witty, highly energized personality, a most successful formula in the world of culinary creativity.

For the opening gala of the Natchez Food and Wine Festival, Starr assembled an extremely talented, quick-witted, and clever-tongued consortium of culinary magicians to mesmerize a dining room packed with guests eager to be amazed.

Top left—Guests enjoy the energetic atmosphere prior to the first course.

Top right—Friends Liza Plauché, John Burns, and Eugenie Cates visit following the dinner. Plauché and Cates were the initial organizers of the Natchez Food and Wine Festival.

Second row left—Aunt Dixie, Cousin Ann, and Roberto Depp with Hayes Vaughn Second row right—William McGehee, co-owner of Tin Roof Brewing Company, pouring up original brews before dinner Above—Janie Moore and Richard Moore Left—Dorothy Miles, Jackie Matthews, and Mary Starr

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 29

Top left—Chefs Bingo Starr, Todd Pulsinelli, Red Owens, Uncle Doug, Kelly Fields, Chuck Subra, and Tom Wolfe Top right—Chefs Tom Wolfe and Kelly Fields dress the first course, Crab and Chilled Golden Beet Salad with Baby Arugula, Pickled Red Onions, Fennel Pollen Gastrique, and Tarragon Beet Vinaigrette.

Second row left—Second Course: Pan Seared Redfish, Shrimp, Crawfish, and Sweet Corn Couche Couche with Sweet Corn Tasso Reduction Second row middle—Chef Todd Pulsinelli organizes the fifth course of the evening, Chef Doug Depp’s Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Hoppin John Risotto and Fresh Lady Peas.

Second row right—Pit Master Red Owens and Chef Bingo Starr’s fourth course dish, Mr. Red’s Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder with Sweet Corn Pudding and Turnip Greens Above—Chef Bingo visits with diners during the second food course.

Right—Pit Master and Ring Leader, Red Owens enjoys the camaraderie with Chef Tom Wolfe.

Page 30 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Chef John Besh, owner of August restaurant and the World War II Museum restaurant in New Orleans, sent two from his stellar staff, Chef Todd Pulsinelli and Pastry Chef Kelly Fields. Chef Chuck Subra from La Cote restaurant in New Orleans and Chef Tom Wolfe from Wolfe’s on Rampart restaurant in New Orleans completed the ensemble along with Natchez’s own Pit Master, Ring Leader, and chef in his own right, Red Owens.

This fusion of NOLA and Natchez culinary mastertalents with their passion for the creative artistry of food and their panache for its chic presentation, staged a six-course meal that astonished us all, even the most discerning of our gourmet guests. With his finesse in creative cooking, his popularized “taste of NOLA” now fused with the flavor of Natchez, and his ease in working among an array of chefs, look for more exciting events to come from Chef Bingo Starr, and be sure to be among those enjoying his delicious dishes as he coordinates and prepares daily menus, Sunday brunches, and elegant catered occasions at The Carriage House in Natchez.

Natchez Food and Wine Fest Chefs’ Dinner Chef Tom Wolfe

Crab and Chilled Golden Beet Salad with Baby Arugula, Pickled Red Onions, Fennel Pollen Gastrique, and Tarragon Beet Vinaigrette

Chef Chuck Subra

Pan Seared Redfish, Shrimp, Crawfish and Sweet Corn Couche Couche with Sweet Corn Tasso Reduction

Chef Todd Pulsinelli

Pan Seared Sea Scallop and Pork Belly with Heirloom Tomato and Summer Squash

Pit Master Red Owens

Mr. Red’s Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder with Sweet Corn Pudding and Turnip Greens

Chef Doug Depp

Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Hoppin John Risotto and Fresh Lady Peas

Chef Kelly Fields

Louisiana Peach and Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Above left—Pan Seared Sea Scallops and Pork Belly with Heirloom Tomato and Summer Squash Above middle—Chef Kelly Fields’ simple, but with a twist, Louisiana Peach and Wild Blackberry Cobbler served in mason jars with a lid Above right—Jimmy Algood and Uncle Doug Depp enjoy Baton Rouge brewed beer from the Tin Roof Company.

Left—(r-l) Chefs Chuck Subra, Red Owens, and Tom Wolfe plate the third course.

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 31

THE Social Scene Leonore O’Malley’s Eightieth Birthday

I

n September, Leonore O’Malley was honored on the occasion of her eightieth birthday with a Ladies Lunch in the Queens’ Room at the Carriage House on the grounds of antebellum Stanton Hall in Natchez, Mississippi.

Leonore O’Malley, Carolyn Krueger, Clare Eidt, Judy Grimsley, and Rita Holland

Clare Eidt, Sallie Ballard, Pat Dale, and Jeanie Peabody (standing)

Camille Durkin, Leonore O’Malley, and Jeanie Leckie

Leonore O’Malley, granddaughter Laurie Fields, and great-granddaughter Riley Whalen

Sherry Hanson and Sally Young

Nancy Byrne and Carolyn Krueger

Mary Brown Kaiser and Bernice Berdon

Gretchen Gulmon

Sherr Anna Johnson

Kathie Blankenstein

Page 32 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Margaret Ward and Leonore O’Malley

Denise Fields, daughter, and Leonore O’Malley

Patsy Armstrong, Betsy Feltus, and Beverly Aldridge

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 33

Roca— T Traditional Southern Fare with a Twist

o spotlight some of Vicksburg, Mississippi’s finest and best restaurants, I decided there would be no better place to start than Roca.

This restaurant is located inside the Vicksburg Country Club and offers daily lunch specials, a full dinner menu, and a Sunday brunch as well as Sunday football specials in the bar.

As I strode to my table in eager anticipation of the fine dining awaiting me, I noticed a medley of others there for the same treat—business professionals, golfers from the course outside, and several groups of young hipsters, all enjoying the fare. Jay Parmegiani, the owner and head chef, came by to greet me and spend a few minutes talking to me about Roca and its expansive menu.

Roca has been open a little over two years.

Parmegiani explained, “To get to this point has been a long and grueling struggle, but it has finally begun to come together in a pretty picture that I can be proud of.”

Story and photos by Susan Harris

Page 34 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Parmegiani is no newbie to the restaurant industry. He grew up in a home with parents who loved international cuisine.

His father owns the local restaurant Jacques’ Café and boasts a culinary career that has taken him all over the world.

Parmegiani took full advantage of the worldwide culinary influences his dad passed on to him. “I didn’t always want the lessons my father was teaching me,” he reflected, “but somewhere along the way, I decided to be thankful and take advantage of the talents around me and learn what I could.”

Parmegiani moved on to attend culinary school in Miami, Florida, and worked in numerous restaurants there. “In the restaurant industry,” he stated, “it is imperative that you work with multiple people so that you have a wide array of knowledge and experience to pull from when you get ready to create your own restaurant menu.” He added that all chefs go through trial and error to find what works and does not work in the creation of a menu, in the preparation and presentation of menu items, and in the ambiance of the dining experience.

At the end of the conversation, I asked him for suggestions of what to sample while I was there. He said, “Look around.”

I did and saw that almost every patron there was having the fried chicken. I made my decision and put in an order for the same. As I awaited my appetizer, I could not help but notice that Parmegiani was hard at work, concentrating on his kitchen staff and what they were preparing for patrons. I learned Parmegiani is meticulous about what he serves and is in constant communication with his staff to make sure they are performing to his high expectations.

I started my lunch with a sampling of the Crab Cake Napoleon as well as the Benton’s Prociutto and Smoked Gouda Fritters. They were both absolutely amazing. I could not believe the flavor Parmegiani was able to pack into this petite crab cake, and the prociutto and smoked Gouda were outstanding as well. Also on the menu for starters are such selections as Shrimp and Grits, Buttermilk Fried Calamari, and Potato Gnocchi, all with the exceptional, traditional flavors we Southerners have come to expect, but with a Parmegiani twist for that extra bit of zing.

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 35

Soon I moved on to the entrée. I had been looking forward to this since the moment I laid eyes on the chicken-laden lunch plates passing by me headed to other tables. The menu’s Fried Chicken was not your usual southern fried chicken breast; it was so much more! The chicken had been removed from the bone and cut butterfly style with a sweet honey glaze drizzled over it so that every bite had a small amount of it. Layered beneath this juicy piece of heaven were a few more surprises. The blackeyed peas were seasoned and cooked with more of the Benton’s bacon, so surprising and delicious at the same time. The mashed potatoes were another of Parmegiani’s creations that used small red potatoes, smashing them with the skins on.

Roca offers other lunch specials throughout the week that include lasagna, meatloaf, and red beans and rice, as well as a take on beef tips and rice. Also included on the menu are steaks, pastas, and seafood dishes, all of which can be enjoyed during dinner with a glass of wine. Guests can choose from over 40 wines from the ever-changing wine list as well as sample their seasonal martinis. Presently, their seasonal beverages include caramel apple martinis and Oktoberfest lagers.

For dessert, I sampled two very different treats. The first was the Milk Chocolate Espresso Torte, one of many house specialties offered on a regularly rotating basis. This espresso torte is filled with mocha-flavored pastry cream and topped with decadent chocolate ganache—the chocolate lover’s dream with an added bonus of coffee flavor. Truly, I thought I had found the most perfect dessert. That is, until I sampled the second one. Again, Parmegiani surprised me with this one—his Pecan Lace Cookie Cup. It was a shell filled with vanilla pastry cream and garnished with the freshest fruits in season. I know it sounds simple; but, trust me, it is anything but simple tasting.

Parmegiani took me on a tour of the kitchen and showed me how to make this flavorful dessert. The shell is a combination of pecans, almonds, and sugars all melted together on the stovetop; then it is baked on a sheet pan, cooled, then carefully formed into the shell waiting to be filled with a variety of things. The vanilla pastry cream is a refreshing, light-tasting palette cleanser that is perfect after dinner. Let’s not forget the nod to our Southern roots; the cream is topped with a variety of in-season fruits that can include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, bananas, and many others.

After talking with Parmegiani and tasting some of his most popular dishes, I highly recommend stopping by Roca. While I did not sample the fire-baked pizzas on this occasion, I plan to save that until I can stop by on a Sunday and enjoy it with my favorite football team on the TV. If I see that Sunday football is not going to work for me, I want to sample it with some live local music. After smelling those pizzas and watching others around me devour them, I am really looking forward to this occasion.

Pecan Lace Cookie Cup with Vanilla Pastry Cream, Seasonal Berries, and Strawberry Coulis Vanilla Pastry Cream 1 quart plus ½ cup milk 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 ounces cornstarch 9 ounces sugar Pinch salt 3 eggs Page 36 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Combine milk and vanilla in a 4-quart saucepot. Bring to a scald. In a stainless steel bowl, blend cornstarch, sugar, salt, and eggs until thoroughly combined.

While whisking rapidly, add the hot milk to the egg mixture. Do this slowly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Pour mixture back into pot; and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil. The mixture should thicken to a pudding-like consistency. Cook for another 10 seconds. Pour the pasty cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool; then store in the refrigerator. The pastry cream will keep for 3 days. Yields 4 cups Pecan Lace Cookie Cups 3½ ounces unsalted butter 3 ounces sugar 1 ounce Karo corn syrup 1/8 cup heavy cream 3½ ounce sliced almonds (lightly crushed) 1 ounce pecan pieces (lightly crushed) 1 ounce oats In a 4-quart saucepot, cook butter, sugar, Karo syrup, and cream over medium heat until butter has completely melted.

Add crushed almonds and pecans; cook for 2 minutes. Then add oats. While stirring constantly, cook for approximately 4 minutes; the batter should pull away from the sides of the pot. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a silpat, place 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter on the center, and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool just until pliable, and mold cookie over an inverted cup. Repeat until you have 4 cups. Use the breakage for garnish. This will take some practice. If the cookies are too hot, they will fall apart; if too cold, they will become brittle before you have the opportunity to mold them.

Strawberry Coulis 1½ pounds strawberries (hull removed) 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 ounces sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice In a blender, puree the berries; and add a little water to make 2 cups of liquid. Blend a little of the liquid with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Then combine with the rest of the liquid. Cook in a 4-quart saucepot over low heat, just until the sauce simmers.

Add the lemon juice and sugar, and then taste. You may need to add a little more sugar if the berries are not sweet enough.

Filling ½ cup strawberries (hull removed and sliced) ½ cup blueberries Assembly: Place a small pool of strawberry coulis in the center of 4 dessert plates. Top with a cookie cup. Fill each cup with a blend of strawberries, blueberries, or other seasonal fruit. Top with 2 heaping tablespoons full of the pastry cream.

Sprinkle broken pieces over the top and around the plate. Lightly dust with powdered sugar.

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 37

Delectable Dining at Rusty’s Riverfront Grill

W

hile Rusty’s Riverfront Grill is a longtime Vicksburg favorite, I was new to town and had to check it out for myself.

Well, Rusty’s has not disappointed me on any of my visits thus far.

When talking with Rusty Larsen, the owner and chef of the restaurant, I discovered the rhyme and reason behind the successful restaurant: Loyal local patrons are what have kept Rusty’s Riverfront Grill going for almost a decade. From my brief chat with Larsen, I learned that the first restaurant burned to the ground from a fire in 2004 and a newer version reopened at its current location on Washington Street in that same year.

Larsen recalled, “I had to keep the restaurant open once I discovered how much the town of Vicksburg loved the restaurant and my family. We opened the new location right at a month after the fire and could not have done it without the compassion and help of the local community.”

Story and photos by Susan Harris

Page 38 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

In deciding on what to order, I asked Larsen what his most popular items were.

He answered me without a moment’s hesitation, almost as if he is asked this question regularly—fried green tomatoes for starters and the house specialty for an entrée. He added, “Everything on the menu is fresh and always good to eat, but those seem to be the customers’ picks regardless of season and weather.” He advised that I end the meal with a healthy slice of key lime pie. I followed suit.

I learned that Rusty and his wife Stephanie are originally from Florida; but after finishing culinary school and working in the Panacea, Florida, area for over 13 years, they decided to take a chance on Vicksburg where he had heard of a restaurant opportunity from some friends. Turns out, it was a good move for his family. “I could not be happier with the success of the restaurant,” Larsen said, “but I know it can all head south if you don’t put out a good product for the people to enjoy.”

After our conversation, I settled in for an early weekend dinner. When I had arrived, shortly after business hours on Friday afternoon, many patrons already had claimed tables in each dining room at the restaurant. Anxiously, I awaited my appetizer; and after its arrival and my first taste, I was more than impressed. It was a luscious, deep-fried green tomato that had the ideal amount of crisp batter paired with the natural tartness of the tomato. As if that were not enough succulence, it was topped with the creamiest hollandaise lump crabmeat sauce I have ever seen or sampled, indeed, a delectable blend and enticing introduction to my dining experience.

In the interim between entrée and main course, I took a good look around. What is not to love about this place? Its busy, bustling atmosphere, visions and aromas of delicious food, and view of the Mississippi River ambling by out front are a boon for patrons. Soon, my eagerly-awaited entrée, Rusty’s House Specialty, arrived. The blackened redfish was moist and heavily seasoned with aromatic spices and then topped with a red crawfish cream sauce.

It was fresh, well seasoned, cooked to ideal tenderness and taste, and paired with perfect complements—Southern green beans and cheese grits.

I realized that the people of Vicksburg knew exactly what they were talking about when I was advised over and over again to visit this restaurant. Also on its menu are Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 39

freshly prepared salads, hand-cut steaks, pasta dishes, and the always amazing sandwiches (think seafood po’boys, chicken, and burgers), all of which have the same reputation as the house specialty.

At this point of the dinner, I was wondering how Larsen’s recommended dessert could top the superb appetizer and entrée I had enjoyed. So, as he suggested, I ordered his Key Lime Pie, which, he confirmed, “is always a customer favorite and sells out daily.”

The pie, a towering marvel, was tangy and zesty, but light and airy at the same time. Its graham cracker crust was pure perfection as well, firm on the fork but meltingly crumbly in the mouth. The entire dining experience was an excellent ending to any day.

My recommendation for your next family dinner outing is Rusty’s Riverfront Grill on Washington Street. Vicksburg is a beautiful city with many attractions. Stellar among these is Rusty’s Riverfront Grill, a local favorite and scrumptious dining experience not to be missed.

Both as a treat and an enticement, Rusty Larsen shares with our readers the recipe for his restaurant’s most popular dessert.

Rusty’s Key Lime Pie 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup sugar 1 stick unsalted butter 3 eggs, separated 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk ½ cup key lime juice 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar ½ teaspoon cream of tartar 1/3 cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla Crust: Combine first 3 ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly in bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake crust at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes.

Page 40 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Filling: Using a mixer, combine egg yolks and the next 3 ingredients until smooth. Spoon mixture into pre-baked pie crust. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Meringue: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla, beating just until blended. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing meringue to the edge of the crust. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool 1 hour on wire rack. Chill at least 3 hours before serving.

THE Social Scene 2011 Brookhaven’s Taste of the Trust Ticket Pick-up Party

A Carl Smith and Malisia Smith

Ticket Pick-up Party for the upcoming Taste of the Trust was given recently at the home of Dr. Jeff and Shannon Clark in Brookhaven, Mississippi. The annual Taste of the Trust, hosted by the Brookhaven Trust and scheduled for November 10, will be held at the Brookhaven Recreation Department. The event offers a sampling of the most popular menu items from dozens of area restaurants and caterers and also features live music and both a live and silent auction. The Trust uses funds raised from this event to complete preservation and renovation projects in Brookhaven. Tickets are $25 in advance (via telephone at 601-748-1328) and $30 at the door.

Lindsey Robinson, Emily Phillips, and Shannon Clark

Betsy Belk, Nic Belk, and Rachel Powell

Matt Hall, Sloane Smith, and Dr. Jeff Clark

Malisia Smith and Mary White

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 41

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Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 43

THE Social Scene Friends of the Library Annual Social

F

riends of the Library in Natchez, Mississippi, recently held its annual social at the home of Bradley and Ginny Harrison where members and guests enjoyed a variety of hors d’oeuvres beautifully displayed in the dining room. Special guests were the Harrisons whose home will be featured on the Friends of the Library Christmas Tour in December.

Suzanne Tomlinson, Lucy Miller-Denet, and Leslie Bruning

Agatha Weeks, Sharon Browning, Betty Lou Hicks and Don Estes

Maria Bowser, Ella Young, and Casey Hughes

Edwidge Mead, Barbara Aucoin, Ginny Harrison, Ella Young, Chris Shirey, and Mary Ann Raley

Maria Bowser, Judy Wiggins, Lucy Miller-Denet, Ella Young, Edwina Mead, Linda Ogden, Don Estes, and Virginia O’Beirne

Micki Hartley and Betsy Crawford

Jean Farrar and Sallie Ballard

Faye Weatherly and Cathy Estes

Ginny Harrison and Elaine Gemmell

Page 44 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

DEPOT DISTRICT

MID-TOWN

SUMMIT

The Fig Tree 315 Minnesota Ave, McComb

Black Hawk Antiques 230 Main St, McComb

Alfordʼs Flowers 115 N 6th St, McComb

Dazzlinʼ Dancewear 640 Delaware Ave, McComb

Holmes Stationers 1136 Hwy 51 & 98, Summit

Savy Peacock 708 Robb St, Summit

Graphics Etc/ Moon Pie Designs 218 Main St, McComb

St. Andrews Senior Center 201 Main St, McComb

Pineapples Gifts & Accessories 704 Delaware Ave, McComb

Japonica Gallery/ Signatures 119 N 6th St, McComb

The Paisley Pumpkin 708 B Robb St, Summit

The Village 710 Robb St, Summit

Westbrookʼs Flea Market 108 Main St, McComb

McComb Electric Supply Company 119 S Front St, McComb

debecʼs/Sew Be It 529 Delaware Ave, McComb

Edgewood Interiors 530 Georgia Ave, McComb

Covingtonʼs Ace Hardware 721 Robb St, Summit

Maseyʼs Jewelers 800 Robb St, Summit

Gulf/South Art Gallery 228 Fifth Ave, McComb

Traditions Art & Antiques 125 S Broadway, McComb

Southwest Vendorʼs Mall 806 Robb St, Summit

Rustic Charm Vendorʼs Mall 810 B Robb St, Summit

This ʼn That Gifts 713 S Broadway, McComb

Whistle Stop Gifts 711 S Broadway, McComb

Frolic Boutique 801 Robb St, Summit

Girls Gone Junkinʼ 803 Robb St, Summit

WEST MONROE Selmanʼs JewelersGemologist Inc. 1311 Delaware Ave, McComb

Rogerʼs Western Store 325 W Presley Blvd, McComb

Page 45 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

Flower Nook 1406 White St, McComb

Friendgirl Things Edgewood Mall, McComb

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 45

I

Weddings t Engagements t Weddings t Engagements Mexican Fiesta Honey Do Shower

n honor of their engagement, Betsy Crawley and Joseph Beard, formerly of Vicksburg, Mississippi, were feted with a Mexican Fiesta Honey Do Shower on October 1, hosted by Jimmy and Renee’ Grigus at the home of Kevin Broussard in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The pool area of the home was transformed into a Mexican villa with lights, fountains, and food, including Mexican wedding cookies. Guests wore Mexican attire complete with sombrero and “mustache.” A December wedding is planned at First Baptist Church in Vicksburg.

Nikki Bolton, Joseph Beard, Betsy Crawley, and Allison Walker

Betsy Crawley and Susan Crawley

Renee’ Grigus, Kevin Broussard, and Betsy Crawley

Front—Betsy Crawley and Renee’ Grigus; back—Lacey Bryan, Nikki Bolton, Allison Walker, and Laura Tarver

Renee’ Grigus and Betsy Crawley

Jimmy Grigus, Renee’ Grigus, Betsy Crawley, and Joseph Beard

Renee’ Grigus, Laura Tarver, and Lacey Bryan

Nikki Bolton and Allison Walker

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Joseph Beard and Susan Crawley

Renee’ Grigus and Jimmy Grigus

L

Weddings t Engagements Wedding Shower for Braswell and Brown

isa Braswell and Billy Brown were recently honored with a wedding shower by her co-workers at the Mutual Credit Union, Clay Street Branch, in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Guests enjoyed delicious food and the congeniality of family and friends as they celebrated this happy occasion.

Lisa Braswell and Billy Brown

Front—Rosie Harris and Linda Evans; middle— Cassie Suchowrski, Nikie Emmons, and Lisa Braswell; back—Gayle Dolan and Heather Blok

Front—Lisa Braswell and Jackie Foster; back—Gayle Dolan, Rosie Harris, Nikie Emmons, and Crystal Sanchez

Lisa Braswell

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Something Scrumptious | story and photos by Jennie Guido

Just Up Highway 61

The Carlyle House Ruleville, Mississippi

A

bout ten miles west of Cleveland, Mississippi, on Highway 8, you can find a small little hamlet of a town called Ruleville, Mississippi. Home to a little less than 3,000 people, the most I have ever been to Ruleville for is to pass through on my way towards Charleston or to make a quick stop in Indianola. However, in July of this year, Ruleville became home to The Carlyle House—a lunch-time jewel of home cooking and fine dining combined in one historic stop.

In a building around 100 years old, chef and owner David Crews wanted to introduce the idea of food that is “southern with a little something different.” Being a classically trained chef, Crews claims, “It’s about the food, not the fine dining”; and his goal is to focus on simple southern dishes Above—Shrimp and Grits Left—The Dining Room

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such as chicken pot pies, meat loaves, and hamburger steaks smothered in gravy.

However, a number of these simple dishes have an interesting spin on them to bring some of our favorite southern-comfort foods from our grandmothers’ tables into our own kitchens today. With a different menu for each season, The Carlyle House uses many local ingredients for each of the exquisite dishes available. Whether it be the Delta-raised catfish or the homemade breads from The Mockingbird Bakery in Greenwood, this new restaurant allows its guests to enjoy delectables from all over the Delta.

With one of my best taste-testing friends in tow, I recently visited The Carlyle House where we settled into a southern sampler of some of Ruleville’s favorite dishes to come out of Crews’ kitchen. Starting with the appetizers, Crews delivered the tried-andtrue fried green tomatoes along with an

Top—Fried Green Tomatoes and Portobella Fries Middle— Grilled Pimento and Cheese Sandwich with Signature Fries Bottom— The Carlyle House

innovative first course of Portabella fries – both complemented with spicy “comeback” sauce. As a fried delicacy, the mushrooms were something to savor to the last nibble; and you can never go wrong with those tangy, young tomatoes.

Our next round of dishes covered three of Crews’ personal picks for entrée options. I have never had a grilled cheese taste like the one at The Carlyle House. First of all, it was a grilled pimento and cheese. Secondly, there were three types of cheese in this fabulous concoction of grilled perfection—cheddar, pepper jack, and cream cheese—all between two slices of homemade sour dough.

Our next sandwich was the Delta Catfish “Philly Cheese Steak.” This new take on a grilled favorite features farm-fresh catfish in place of the regular steak. Smothered in cheese on top of a freshly made hoagie, this lunchtime staple goes superbly with the signature fries made in Crews’ kitchen. Finally, we got a taste of the Shrimp and Grits filled with perfectly sautéed mushrooms and roasted bell peppers and onions in a yummy butter sauce.

With all of these fabulous dishes, it was hard to imagine any kind of dessert option; however, a plate of The Carlyle House’s luscious fried banana pudding graced our table to top off our extraordinary spread of samples.

Next to all of these scrumptious comfort foods, I think what I loved most about this place was the connection to home that I felt. Driving up to a big white house with a wrap-around porch always seems to remind me of almost every family home in downtown Natchez; and being three hours from home for me and more hours away for many others, makes you start to miss some of the more familiar trademarks in your memories. The Carlyle House definitely sparks these kinds of memories as soon as it comes into view when driving down Harrison Street in the heart of Ruleville.

Not only the old southern charm of The Carlyle House but also the sounds and smells when you walk through the front door are what seem to bring me back home. With possible seating of a hundred people, each dining room is filled with long dining tables for large groups to gather around and catch up on mutual goingson over a home-cooked meal. The furnishings of this older home add to its charm as well. Crews Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 49

explained that most of the décor is original to the building’s history. All the fireplaces and floors are original with restorative facelifts to bring them back to life. Even the photographs on the walls depict the “olden days” of Ruleville’s small, closeknit community. Crews told me that so many customers have stopped to tell him a story about one of the pictures whether it was about the place or the person captured in the image.

If you ever find yourself near Ruleville, Mississippi, I suggest that you stop at The Carlyle House and let Crews deliver one amazing Catfish “Philly Cheese Steak” to you. This place is definitely one of the best when it comes to old southern charm with a little something extra in its simply rustic atmosphere.

Delta Catfish “Philly Cheese Steak” 1 3-5 ounce catfish filet ¼ red bell pepper, diced ¼ green bell pepper, diced ½ yellow onion, diced 1 tablespoon diced Jalapeno Mockingbird Bakery Roll or standard hoagie Pepper Jack cheese Spice Blend: 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons paprika 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon oregano Start by blending the spices together in a blender and set to the side. Sauté the peppers and onions in butter. Season the fish with the spice blend and place in a super hot skillet. After about 4 minutes on one side, flip and pepper on top of the fish.

Cook about 2 minutes until fish is tender.

Slice fish into 5 pieces, and place fish and the sautéed peppers and onions in the hoagie. Top with cheese and finish in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve hot!

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THE Social Scene May & Company’s Family Picnic

M

ay & Company of Vicksburg, Mississippi, held a family picnic on Saturday, October 8, at the home of Dr. Michael and Alice Ellis in Port Gibson, Mississippi, where the staff shared time with their families and each other before the impending, hectic tax season.

After enjoying a lunch of barbeque ribs and pulled pork, the children and adults had a blast playing in the bouncy house.

Teddy Oliver, John Paris, and Maria Signa

Anna Jones, Nick and Karen Jones, and Katherine and Bobby McComas

Daniel and Melissa Hickman with Barbara and Garry Hickman

Mari Stoudt, Barbara Hickman, and Nancy Wansley

Linda Cook with daughter Kim Arias and grandsons

Jane Paris, Wiley and Amanda Paris, and John Paris

Alyssa Oliver, Maddi Oliver, and Teddy Oliver

Alice Ellis, Dr. Michael Ellis, and Amanda Frazier with Avery

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THE Social Scene

Nancy Wansley and Lisa Gwin

Josh McBride and Blair McBride

Katie Feibelman and daughter Grace

Lindsay Jones and Will Carruth

Kelli Trest and Nathan Cummins

Mari Stoudt and Linda Cook

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Southern Sampler | by Alma M. Womack

H

Wrapping Up Harvest and Awaiting the Holidays

arvest is wrapping up, with just two main fields of cotton left; and the last of the late planted milo and soybeans are ready to go. It will be good to get it all gathered and in the elevator or at the cotton gin. Then it’s time to wash and store the harvest equipment, do some fall plowing, and clean up around the place, since cleanup work was ignored in the 100-degree heat that lasted all summer.

Thank goodness for cooler weather and lower humidity; I had about given up on either condition ever reaching the upper confines of beautiful Black River this year.

Saturday the eighth was a perfectly glorious day to be outside mowing. The air was dry, the wind was brisk and cool, and the lawnmower was full of diesel, so I mowed all day long under those pecan trees on the lane and in the orchard. The space between the rows of trees in the orchard was cut for hay, which left a grown-up mess around the trees. I mowed what I could with the tractor then finished up with the yard mower. By the time I got to the lawnmower that afternoon, the weather was warmer and less breezy, and the dust was choking. The limbs on the trees hang so low that I have no choice but to mow with the mower, so there was nothing to do

but keep going. I got half of the orchard done and will complete the job next week.

Woodrow and I have been working in the yard a goodly bit since the weather improved. He is my helper in getting ready for our annual Class of ‘66 party on October 29, and we have a lot to do. We have trimmed plants, picked up limbs, cleaned out flower beds, and straightened up some areas that needed some help. We have hauled buckets of sand that washed off our gravel road back when Tropical Storm Lee came through with twelve inches of rain. The sand box is full of sand again and loaded with John Deere equipment that digs, hauls, smoothes, and plows the sand.

We also went to Champlin’s Net Company in Jonesville and bought a fine net to catch a chicken with when we go to the chicken yard. When I told the men working there that I needed a net to catch a chicken, they said, “Okay?”—which translated into “what in the world are you doing in a fishnet store looking for a chicken net.” We looked over the offerings and found one that was just right; and when we tried it out, it worked wonderfully well.

So far, we have caught two yellow pullets and two red pullets; and while they squawk at first, they settle right down and

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let Woodrow pet them while I am putting out feed and water. I need to take a picture of him for the record, I suppose, but forget the camera every time we go out to the chicken yard. He is quite proud of himself and tells his mama and pop that he “caught that chicken and held it for a long time.”

November is Thanksgiving month even though it’s not mentioned a whole lot anymore. From Halloween, it’s almost straight to Christmas if the displays in the stores are any indication of what is on the way. It’s awful to say, but I seem to enjoy the trappings of Christmas less each year even though I do enjoy and appreciate the church programs that focus on the Christmas story for the entire month of December. At Trinity Presbyterian Church in Jonesville, we have a lovely, moving service on Christmas Eve that I look forward to each year. Dot Lazarus is the driving force behind this annual holiday program, and it is always appreciated by our members and guests alike.

As for Thanksgiving, it has mostly turned into a good meal, football games, and going to the deer camp. Pilgrims, Indians, and turkeys get mentioned; but except in churches, I don’t see a whole lot of thanks being given to God that we

live in this wonderful, best country in the history of mankind. We seem to take it for granted that we are blessed by right and not because hundreds of thousands of young men and women have given their lives to keep this country a beacon of hope for the oppressed on earth.

Our own country is hurting now, but the pendulum is swinging in the right direction for needed change to come. As we give thanks this Thanksgiving Day, let us remember to pray for our country and for those brave young people in our armed services who do their very best to keep us safe and free from the terrors of the world.

A Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and batten down the hatches: Christmas is coming.

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THE Social Scene

A

Book Signing at Turning Pages

s part of the monthly Second Saturday celebrations in downtown Natchez, Mississippi, Turning Pages Books & More hosted a Second Saturday book-signing event on September 10. Honorees at the “book party” were Montrelle Greene, Ph.D., and Robie Greene, Ph.D. This husband-and-wife author duo with Natchez “ties” are the authors of a motivational series of books for children—The Magic In Me Series.

Windelle Greene, Doroethea Woodfork, Lawendellyn Franklin, Tena Payne, Montrelle Greene, Helen Brooks, Robie Greene, and Alvin Clark

Montrelle Greene, William Larry, Kidada Rice-Larry, Robie Greene, Doris Rice, Dr. Evaline Foster, and James Foster

Emma Jackson, Montrelle Greene, and Robie Greene

Robie Greene, Mildred Chatman, Montrelle Greene, and Lillian Johnson

Montrelle Greene, Clara Maxine Rounds, Joyce Arceneaux Mathis, Dorethea Woodfork, and Robie Greene

Cylynthia Ware and Montrelle Greene

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Dr. Montrelle Greene and Dr. Robie Greene

Cynthia McKnight, Montrelle Greene, and Robie Greene

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Chi Omega State Day

Brookhaven natives Amy Sproles Smith, Sarah Sproles Foster, Kathleen Carolla, Leslie Driskell Ashford, and Marilyn Driskell recently celebrated Chi Omega State Day, hosted by the Epsilon Delta Chapter of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. A pre-party was hosted at the home of USM President and Chi Omega Alumna Martha Saunders, with a luncheon at the Trent Lott Center on the USM Campus. Natalie Allen, a CNN International Anchor and USM and Chi Omega Alumna, was the guest speaker. Over 150 Chi Omegas from across the state gathered for the event.

Mary Sue Parks Ladies Golf Tournament

The Mary Sue Parks Ladies Golf Tournament was held at the Lake Bruin, Louisiana, Golf and Country Club this past July. Twenty teams participated in the tournament activities.

Dorothy Callaway and Kay Renner, First Flight, Third-place Winners; Sandra Smith and Sandy Renner, Second-place Winners; and Carre Stegall and Debbie Haddad, First-place winners

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November... Up and Coming! Premier Events November 12 Tour the Lofts of Vicksburg Upstairs…Downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi Long known for its unique shopping, museums, and art galleries, downtown Vicksburg is burgeoning as a popular place to renovate a former shop, loft, or upper story and “set up house,” living amidst and even atop downtown businesses. To highlight a handful of these spaces and their views of historic Washington Street and the Mississippi River, on November 12, Vicksburg Main Street will present The Lofts of Vicksburg, a unique tour of downtown living spaces. During this first-year event, downtown residents will open their doors to offer an exclusive look into their homes and showcase the residential side of Vicksburg’s historic district—and, at the same time, raise money for façade grants necessary for downtown building restorations.

Tours of the lofts will begin at 10:00 a.m. and run to 3:00 p.m. during the day; and an evening tour, just as the sun sets over the Mighty Mississippi River, will begin at 5:00 p.m. and run to 8:00 p.m. Wine and cheese will be served during the evening tour hours.

Tickets are $25. For tickets and additional information, contact Vicksburg Main Street: 1617 Walnut Street, 601-6344527, kimh@vicksburg.org.

November 18 through 20 The Fifth Annual Woodville Antiques Show & Sale Woodville, Mississippi The fifth annual Woodville Antiques Show & Sale will be rolling out the carpet to selected dealers from five southern states to display their wares in Woodville, Mississippi, on US Highway 61 mid-way between St. Francisville, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. Wilkinson County Park, the show’s new quarters just four miles north of Woodville on US Highway 61, invites visitors to enjoy its 16-acre lake, walk around the scenic park, dine at its popular café with outdoor barbeque, and shop in the area’s two exhibit buildings.

In conjunction with this weekend event, the Wilkinson County Museum and the African American Museum on the Woodville town square, two of the town’s most historic buildings, will be open along with the town’s gift shops, antiques shops, and both antiques malls. The museum will be offering for sale its fifth book in the series The Journal of Wilkinson County History. The journals and other books and CDs are also available online at the museum’s website www.historicwoodville.com.

Saturday Night Downtown will offer a progressive drinks fundraiser at the museums and dinner at the town’s newest

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restaurant, Town Square Café. While in the vicinity, view the current restoration of the old Woodville Hotel Building—The Woodville Lofts—right on Woodville’s historic square. For Saturday evening reservations at $50 per person, call 601-888-7151 or email info@historicwoodville.com.

The three day show is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. A $5.00 admission per person is good for all three days. www.historicwoodville.com; info@historicwoodville.com.

December 4 Friends of the Library Christmas Tour Natchez, Mississippi The annual Friends of the Library Christmas tour will take place on Sunday, December 4, from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in historic downtown Natchez, Mississippi. The tour, which raises funds for the support of public library activities, features four notable properties not often seen by the public—the Callon House, 400 South Pearl Street, home to Katherine and Lindsey Callon; Chesney and Marc Doyle’s home, the Doyle House, located at 704 State Street; the Mapels House, 506 Orleans Street, home to Lisa and Ken Maples; and the Staniforth House, 315 North Rankin Street, home to Kirk Bondurant and Bruce Zabov.

Stratton Chapel located in the back of the First Presbyterian Church, 405 State Street, will host a refreshment center for tour participants.

The admission fee of $15 per ticket or $25 for two includes all home tours and the refreshments. Tickets may be purchased in advance at George W. Armstrong Library or at the door of any of the homes on the day of the event. Tickets are also available at the Natchez Convention and Visitors Center on Canal Street.

For additional information contact Maria Bowser, President of Friends of the Library at bowser2222@aol.com, 601-445-2153, 601-445-2153, and 601-807-4218.

Home of Katherine and Lindsey Callon

November... Up and Coming!

Through December 31 A World Turned Upside Down: Civil War Home Front Perspectives West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana www.westbatonrougemuseum.com

November 1 - 15 Cotton Picking & Ginning at Frogmore Frogmore, Louisiana Mon. - Fri. 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Sat. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm 11054 Hwy. 84 frogmore@bayou.com www.frogmoreplantation.com November 1 St. James November Social St. James Episcopal Church Baton Rouge, Louisiana 11:00 am Lunch w/ program / $13 225-387-5141 www.stjamesbr.org

November 2 - 5 Mistletoe Marketplace Mississippi Trade Mart Jackson, Mississippi 7:00 am - 3:00 pm 1-888-324-0027 www.mistletoemarketplace.com November 3 Decorating for the Holidays with John Burns Magnolia Hall Natchez, Mississippi NGC Meeting & Speaker Cookie Exchange 10:00 am - 11:30 am 215 South Pearl Street Reservations 601-443-9065 ntzgardenclub@bellsouth.net www.natchezgardenclub.com  November 3 A Night of Classic Music Concordia Bank Lobby Vidalia, Louisiana 7 pm / Free

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November... Up and Coming!

November 3 Wine and Watercolors West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana 6:00 - 8:00 pm / Free www.westbatonrougemuseum.com November 3 4th Annual Bras for Breast Cancer Vicksburg, Mississippi Donation of Bras for American Cancer Society Drop off @ Riverwalk Casino & Shape Up Sisters $$ Donations Appreciated 8:00 a.m. Healthy Breast Rally 9:00 a.m. Ceremony, Old Hwy 80 MS River Bridge www.riverwalkvicksburg.com November 3 - 4 Celebrity Golf Outing Natchez, Mississippi Benefiting Natchez Children’s Home Buffet Dinner & Auction Grand Soleil 601-442-6858

November 4 High Note Jam The Art Garden Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi 5:30 - 7:30 pm www.msmuseumart.org November 4 Laugh with Ginger Snapp The Carriage House Restaurant St. Francisville, Louisiana 7 pm / Free Lounge Reservations 225-635-6278 www.myrtlesrestaurant.com November 4 Mistletoe & Magic McComb, Mississippi Holiday Open House in McComb & Summit Sponsor: McComb Main Street Open all day until 8 pm 601-684-4942

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November 4 Classics in the Courtyard Blues, Pop & Originals Vicksburg, Mississippi Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Music & Lunch 12 - 1:00 pm 601-631-2997 www.southernculture.org November 5 Civil War Women Perspectives: A Historical Performance West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana 10:30 am - Noon / Free 225-336-2422 ext. 15 Registration www.westbatonrougemuseum.com November 5 EXPLORE! History Victorian Ornaments Historic Jefferson College Washington, Mississippi 9:00 am - Noon / $15 Toni Avance: tavance@cableone.net

November 5 Charity Sale Natchez, Mississippi Belk / Natchez Mall 6 am - 10 pm 601-442-5559 Michele@prview.com November 5, 12; December 3 Art & Soul Beading Class Vicksburg, Mississippi 10:00 am / $15 20% off beads 601-629-6201 www.artandsoulofthesouth.com November 6 Vicksburg Blues Society presents Grady Champion Vicksburg, Mississippi 6 pm - 9 pm The Coral Room On the Mezzanine of The Vicksburg 801 Clay Street Cash Bar, No Smoking Reservations 601-618-9349 Ticket Sales 601-630-2921 shirleywaring@vicksburgheritage.com www.vicksburgHeritage.com November 6 Carlow Choir Performance First Baptist Church Vicksburg, Mississippi Sponsor: The Four Seasons of the Arts 5 pm / Free $$ Donations Appreciated 601-636-0390 November 8 Music in the City Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi Trustmark Grand Hall 5:15 pm hors d’oeuvres / cash bar 5:45 pm program Free / $$ Donations Appreciated www.msmuseumart.org

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November 9 Travel Journal Workshop Vicksburg Art Association Vicksburg, Mississippi 12 pm - 1 pm Old Constitution Firehouse Gallery $50 VAA members; $55 non-members (supplies, journal w/pen, watercolor set & lunch) vicksburgartassociation@gmail.com November 9 & 11 File & Folder Management MSU-ES Warren County Office Vicksburg, Mississippi 1100-C Grove Street 8:30 am - 3:30 pm / $20 601-636-5442 November 10 Mixed Nuts Peterson’s Art & Antiques Vicksburg, Mississippi 1440 Washington Street Artist works & display 5:00 - 7:00 pm / Free 601-636-7210

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November 10 Susan Haltom Lecture & Book Signing One Writer’s Garden Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Vicksburg, Mississippi 4 pm SCH Auditorium 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org November 10 AARP Driver Safety Course Concordia Parish Library Vidalia, Louisiana 8:30 am - 1:00 pm Free / Complimentary Lunch 55 yrs. and older Pre-Register 318-336-5043 or 336-0904 November 10 A Taste of the Trust Brookhaven, Mississippi Brookhaven Recreation Department Food Tasting, Live Music, Silent Auction 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm / $25 Malisia Smith: 601-833-1329 November 10 Toast n Tails Ice House Courtyard McComb, Mississippi Silent & Live Auction Cocktails & Appetizers Free & Open to Public Glaustin2@bellsouth.net 601-684-3952 November 10 - 12 Colonial & Post-Colonial Ceramics of the Mississippi Delta Natchez Eola Hotel Natchez, Mississippi Free Symposium jbarnett@mdah.state.ms.us 601-446-6502 November 10 - 13 Othello Natchez Little Theatre Natchez, Mississippi 319 Linton Avenue / $15 Nov. 10 - 12, 7:30 pm Nov. 13, 2:00 pm www.natchezlittletheatre.org

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 65

November 11 - 12 Angels on the Bluff Natchez, Mississippi Natchez Visitor Center / $25 601-446-6345 www.visitnatchez.org November 11 - 12 Choudrant High School Rodeo Ruston, Louisiana North Louisiana Expo Center 318-243-4941 Nlec.lincolnparish.org November 11 - 13 Vicksburg National Military Park Fee Free Weekend Vicksburg, Mississippi 601-636-0583 www.nps.gov/vick

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November 12 In Their Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones, Book Two: Family Mark LaFrancis Book Signing Natchez Mall Natchez, Mississippi 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm Based on conversations with and research into soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan and their loved ones Also signing Book One: Soldiers Proceeds benefit Fisher House Foundation www.fisherhouse.org November 12 Lofts of Vicksburg Tours Downtown Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi 10 am - 3 pm; 5 pm - 8 pm $15 day / $25 evening 601-634-4527 www.downtownvicksburg.org (See Premier Events, page 60.)

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 67

November 12 Harvest Ball Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg Auditorium 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm Tracey Wilson: 601-218-7465 mtcarmelministries@bellsouth.net November 12 ArtsNatchez Exhibit ArtsNatchez Gallery Natchez, Mississippi 425 Main Street Artists: DeMarie Walters & Allyn DeVries Free / 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm November 12 - 13 Wirt Adams Raid into Natchez Civil War Reenactment Historic Jefferson College Washington, Mississippi rperson@mdah.state.ms.us November 13 The Vicksburg Orchestral Society Vicksburg, Mississippi The Church of the Holy Trinity 7 pm Concert 601-636-0542 November 14 - 17 4 Day Stained Glass Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Vicksburg, Mississippi 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Reservations required 601-631-2997 info@southernculture.org November 15 Lunchtime Lecture: Invasive Species Historic Jefferson College Washington, Mississippi David Carter Noon / Free / Bring Sack Lunch rperson@mdah.state.ms.us November 15 Unburied Treasures Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi Trustmark Grand Hall / Free 5:30 pm hors d’oeuvres / cash bar 6:00 pm program www.msmuseumart.org

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November 16 Vicksburg Chamber Luncheon Vicksburg, Mississippi Noon, Vicksburg Convention Center www.vicksburgchamber.org November 16 Lunch Time Lecture: Radical Reconstruction in the Sugar Parishes West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana Adam Foreman Noon / Free www.westbatonrougemuseum.com November 17 Jazz, Art, & Friends Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi Cocktails & Jazz www.msmuseumart.org

Bluffs & Bayous { November 2011 { Page 69

November 17 Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler McComb Garden Club Fernwood Country Club Fernwood, Mississippi Live & Silent Auction w/Dinner / $15 Rachel Williams: 601-248-5189 Rachel.Williams@csouth1.blackberry.com November 18 Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Luncheon Vicksburg, Mississippi Guest Speaker: Ward Emling, Director, MS Film Office $12 601-631-2997 www.southernculture.org November 18 - 19 Chefs & the City: A Taste of Hollywood Fairview Inn Jackson, Mississippi Fri. 6 pm, 5-course dinner with guest chefs Sat. 9 am, 5K Walk/Run $$ Donations Accepted www.chefsandthecity.net November 18 - 20 Miss Magnolia State Pageant Vicksburg Auditorium Vicksburg, Mississippi $15 Chris Shannon: 601-892-3982 www.missmagnoliastate.com November 18 - 20 Woodville Antiques Show & Sale Woodville, Mississippi Fri. and Sat. 10 am - 5 pm Sun 11 am - 4 pm www.historicwoodville.com info@historicwoodville.com (See Premier Events, page 60.)

November 19 EXPLORE! Native American Art Historic Jefferson College Washington, Mississippi Ages 6 - 8: 10:00 am - 11:30 am Ages 9 - 12: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm $10 Kay McNeil: kmcneil@mdah.state.ms.us 601-442-2901

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November 19 Impact Wrestling Vicksburg Convention Center Vicksburg, Mississippi 7:30 pm / $55 www.IMPACTWRESTLING.com November 19 Tree Lighting Outlets at Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi www.outletsatvicksburg.com November 19 Natchez Clay Natchez, Mississippi Mom & Me Family Clay Day $35 1 adult / 1 child Additional family members $20 601-660-2375 www.natchezclay.com

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November 25 - 26 Christmas in Natchez Kickoff Downtown Natchez, Mississippi ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ November 25: 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Natchez Book Party with Southern Author / $20 Cover to Cover Books 401 Main Street www.c2cbooks.com ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm Hot Cocoa Stand / $2 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Third Turkey Gumbo Cook Off ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Longwood in Lights / $5 per car ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 6:00 pm Live Music 8:00 pm Lighting of Christmas Tree 8:00 pm. Univ. of Ark. Marching Band Downtown www.christmasinnatchez.com November 26: 9:00 am Turkey Trot 5 K Run / $25 10:00 am Youth Fun Run / $5 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10 am / 2 pm / 4pm The Towers Bejeweled Christmas Tours $15 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm Lunch with Southern Authors / $20 Cover to Cover Books 401 Main Street www.c2cbooks.com ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 6:00 - 9:00 pm Longwood in Lights / $5 per car 6:00 pm Lighting of Bluff & Street Dance / Free 6:00 pm 9:00 pm Music & Light Show / Free 9:00 pm Fireworks on the River www.christmasinnatchez.com November 25 - 27 December 2 - 4 Deathtrap Westside Theatre Foundation Vicksburg, Mississippi Strad Theatre 717 Clay Street 6:30 pm / $12 show / $25 dinner & show 601-636-8313 Page 72 { November 2011 { Bluffs & Bayous

November... Up and Coming!

November 26 Pinocchio Hattiesburg, Mississippi 3:00 pm.

Hattiesburg Sanger Theatre www.hattiesburgsanger.com November 27 Old-fashioned Christmas Open House Downtown Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm 601-634-4527 www.downtwonvickburg.org November 27 The Towers Bejeweled Christmas Natchez, Mississippi 801 Myrtle Avenue 6 pm - 9 pm $15 Adults / $10 Students www.thetowersofnatchez.com November 28 - 29; December 1- 3 Caroling Contest Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg Convention Center 11/28: 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Preliminaries 11/29: 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Preliminaries 12/1: 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Preliminaries 12/3: 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm, Finals

November 29 Holiday Appetizer Workshop Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Vicksburg, Mississippi Workshop / Holiday Party Tips $30 members / $35 non-members 601-631-2997 info@southernculturre.org December 1 Victorian Luncheon Magnolia Hall Natchez, Mississippi 11:30 am - 1:00 pm $12 Soup & Casserole Sale Back Gallery 601-443-9065 ntzgardenclub@bellsouth.net www.natchezgardenclub.com December 1 Eola Hotel Christmas Concert Natchez, Mississippi 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm / Free www.christmasinnatchez.com December 2 The Burn Candlelight Tour Natchez, Mississippi 5:30 pm www.christmasinnatchez.com

December 2 - 4 & 9 - 11 It’s a Wonderful Life Parkside Playhouse Vicksburg, Mississippi $12 adults / $10 Seniors $7 Students / $5 under12 yrs.

101 Iowa Ave 601-636-0471 www.vicksburgtheatreguild.com December 2 - 4 Christmas at Melrose Natchez National Historical Park Natchez, Mississippi Fri. 6 pm - 9 pm Sat. 9 pm - 5 pm Sun. 9 pm - 5 pm Free 1 Melrose-Montebello Parkway 601-446-5790 www.nps.gov/natc December 3 Christmas Parade Downtown Natchez, Mississippi 6 pm www.christmasinnatchez.com December 3 4th Annual Holly Days Arts & Crafts Show Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Vicksburg, Mississippi 9 am - 3 pm www.southernculture.org info@southernculture.org

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December 3 Breakfast with Santa Vicksburg Convention Center Vicksburg, Mississippi $7 Breakfast, Games, Cookie Decoration, Photos 601-630-2929 www.vccmeet.com December 3 Christmas Parade of Lights Downtown Vicksburg Vicksburg, Mississippi 5 pm 601-634-4527 www.downtownvicksburg.org December 3 Museum Merriment Family Day Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, Mississippi Trustmark Grand Hall 10 am - Noon Free www.msmuseumart.org

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December 3 Holiday Bazaar & Merry Market Natchez Convention Center Natchez, Mississippi 9 am - 5 pm / $5 holidaybazaar2011@gmail.com December 3 Treasures on the Trace Brandon Hall Natchez, Mississippi Tour, Carriage Rides, Music 1 pm - 4 pm 1213 Hwy. 61 N. Mile Marker 8.7 @ Natchez Trace Parkway 601-304-1040 www.brandonhallplantation.com December 4 Holiday Open House West Baton Rouge Museum Port Allen, Louisiana 2 pm - 4 pm / Free Music, Gingerbread & Apple Cider www.westbatonrougemuseum.com December 4 Brunch with Santa Dunleith Natchez, Mississippi 10 am - 2:00 pm Photos with Santa Dunleith Parlors 11 am - 3 pm Brunch in the Castle www.christmasinnatchez.com December 4 Friends of the Library Christmas Tour Natchez, Mississippi Four Holiday Homes 2 pm - 5 pm $15/person; $24/two Maria Bowser: 601-445-2153 bowser2222@aol.com www.naw.lib.ms.us (See Premier Events, page 60.)

Be sure to confirm details of the events should changes have occurred since events were submitted.

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THE Social Scene Thompson Retirement Dinner

M

ike Thompson retired from the McComb, Mississippi, Post Office recently and enjoyed a dinner with his wife and co-workers at The Caboose restaurant in McComb. Photography by Elise D. Parker

Paula Dugas, Brenda Martin, and Randy Carruth

Tommy and Patrice Cook

Wilma and Charles Robinson

Dennis and Renada Taylor

Jules and Barbara Scott

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THE Social Scene Brookhaven Little Theatre “Meet Me at the Haven” Annual Membership Party

T

he Brookhaven Little Theatre in Brookhaven, Mississippi, hosted its annual Membership Party on October 11 with a “Meet Me at the Haven” after-hours reception. Guests purchased their season tickets and enjoyed the good food while listening to live, acoustic music by local musician Tyler Bridge. Season tickets will also be available at the November Taste of the Trust Christmas Parade and at opening night of A Christmas Story, the first play of the new season. For more information visit www.haventheater.org.

Stan Foster, T.A. Boyd, and Logan Cap

Buzzy Ezell, Sarah Lloyd, and Tracy Crozier

Kellye Sicks and JoAnna Sproles

Asem Zeini, Mrs. and Mr. John Landress, and Shirley Estes

Sherri Mathis and Heather Thurgood

Mark Mathis, Sharon Ellis, and Zeke Ellis

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THE Social Scene

L

Sweet 16

aura Lee Dyar and Mary Elizabeth Stringer from Tylertown, Mississippi, best friends since childhood and classmates at Parklane Academy in McComb, Mississippi, enjoyed a “Sweet 16” birthday bash at Fernwood Country Club in Fernwood, Mississippi. Many family members and friends attended the semi-formal event; and after the buffet and cutting of the cake, the teens enjoyed dancing to DJ tunes in the ballroom. Photography by Elise D. Parker

Laura Lee Dyar, Mary Elizabeth Stringer, and birthday party guests

Jade Kitaif, Laura Sumrall, Lindsey Yawn, Laura Lee Dyar, Mary Elizabeth Stringer, Taylor Cooper, and Emily Baughman

Brad Ashmore, Ashley Ashmore, and Maggie Clark

Hailey Thibodeaux and Marisa Siebert

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Ashley Jordan and Robert Loper

James Thornhill and Jessica Knippers

Carlie Thompson and Sarah Lea

Sarah DeLee and Anne Marie DeLee

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THE Social Scene Eighth Annual “Live a Dream” Golf Tournament

O

n October 8, 2011, the Marketing Association for Mississippi Healthcare hosted its Eighth Annual “Live a Dream Golf Tournament” at Quail Hollow Golf Course in McComb, Mississippi. Twenty teams participated in the golf tournament with all proceeds going to the Live a Dream Foundation that grants dream wishes to senior adults.

Front—Leanne Jenkins, Tammy Strickland, Tammy Anderson, Kim Hodges, and Lindsey Alexander; back—Sally McCoy, Tina Brumfield, Alison Strong, Donna George, Lacey Weaver, Sabrina Rouse, Jane Flowers, Becky Love, Minor Griffin, Earnestine Varnado, Kristi Berch, Patsy Price, and Talita Roberts

Jane Flowers, Niece Mabry, Mickey Goff, Kris Chandler, Adam Greer, and Kim Hodges

Bobby Quin, Ric Varnell, David Varnell, and Ed Codding Michael Anders, Jerry Chambers, Henry Anderson, and Brannon Dickerson

Paul Luckett, James Lewis, James Kate, and Reverend Edgar Lewis Bill Covert, Marty Niehaus, Morris George, and Benny May

Todd Fortenberry, Charles Aycock, Minor Griffin, and Rob Surrett

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Dr. Ash Riad, Richard Williams, Danny Easley, and Dr. Don Boone

THE Social Scene

Tommy Kellar, Don Alford, Larry Hill, and Poochie Kent

Bubba Cooper, Ken Dixon, Darrell Morse, and Ronny Ross

Minor Griffin and Tina Brumfield

Tammy Strickland, Richard Williams, and Leanne Jenkins

Talita Roberts, Earnestine Varnado, Kristi Berch, and Lindsey Alexander

Front—Tammy Anderson, Cindy Ashmore, and Sabrina Rouse; back—Tammy Strickland and Becky Love

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