Memphis - March 2022

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Let Us Be Your Voice

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COVER PHOTOGRAPH: A SETTING MOON EARLY ONE MORNING NEAR HUGHES, ARKANSAS, BY HOUSTON COFIELD

V O L X LV I N O 11 | M A R C H 2022

UP FRONT 10 12 14 16 18

I N T H E B E G I N N I N G ~ by a n n a t r av e r s e f o g l e C I T Y S C E N E ~ by abigail morici P A G E S ~ by j e s s e dav i s C L A S S I C D I N I N G ~ by michael donahue S I P S ~ by b r u c e va n w y n g a r d e n

FEATURES

44

MIND’S EYE

Houston Cofield

Capturing life, loss, and grief. ~

54

by j o n w. s pa r ks

HABITATS

Creating a Sanctuary

Laquita Tate bridges the worlds of education and interior design. ~ by c h r i s m c c oy

88 Inside Black Lodge

How Memphis’ last video store became a cultural landmark. ~

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92 Sister City

A weekend in St. Louis will have you falling in love with another great river town. ~ b y f r a n k m u r tau g h

126 American Ghosts

Memorial Day in Memphis, Michigan.

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~ by alex greene

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WeOna Grocery Stores

Our history expert solves local mysteries of who, what, when, where, why, and why not. ~ by va n c e l au d e r da l e

134 D I N I N G

OUT

The Farmer at Railgarten

Chef Mac Edwards returns with Memphis’ farm-fresh favorites. ~ by s a m u e l x . c i c c i

136 C I T Y

DINING

112 L A S T

STAND

The city’s most extensive dining listings.

Finding Home at the International Farmers Market Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up less than 3 percent of our city’s population. ~ b y a s h l e y i n s o n g

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130 Investing in Relationships

Darrell Cobbins strives to create a more equitable Memphis. ~

by samuel x. c i c c i

SPECIAL SECTION Memphis (ISSN 1622-820x) is published monthly for $18 per year by Contemporary Media, Inc., 65 Union Avenue, 2nd Floor, Memphis, TN 38103 © 2022. Telephone: 901-521-9000. For subscription info, please call 901-521-9000. Subscription customer service mailing address is Memphis magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. All rights reserved.

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MARCH 202 2 • MEMPHISMAGA ZINE.COM • 7

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Home Maintenance Spring Checklist

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A F F I L I AT E B R O K E R

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Freshen indoor paint on walls, cabinets, doors and trim.

Clean and reorganize your home so its clutter-free and more efficeint.

Check caulking and grout around sinks, showers, and tubs.

Inspect the roof for missing shingles and damaged vent boots.

Vacuum box springs and matress. Rotate or flip matress.

•

Clean and degrease kitchen.

•

Clean air duct that connects the back of your dryer to the outside vents.

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I N

T H E

B E G I N N I N G | BY ANNA TR AVERSE FOGLE

Fire and Ice

I

MASTERWORKS SERIES

BEETHOVEN’S 9TH: “ODE TO JOY” Saturday, March 26 7:30pm Cannon Center Sunday, March 27 2:30pm Cannon Center Robert Moody, conductor Memphis Symphony Chorus, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, conductor University of Mississippi, University Chorus, Dr. Donald Trott, director MARKOWSKI Joyride BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

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know wouldn’t leave their cats and dogs in a The trouble with insurance-funded repairs is that their purpose is simply to “make whole” refrigerator-cold house.

Catastrophic storms have grown more frethe status quo of the structure before the fire. quent, a trend that will almost certainly conThe place where the fire originated (in the wall behind the dryer) is put together prop- tinue over the course of our lives. Memphis erly now, but the electrical risks in the rest of is vulnerable to strong winds (see: Hurricane the house weren’t mitigated. Which is why, in Elvis) and to damaging ice storms. (It was a few weeks, we will be visited by a different a year ago in February that the city issued electrician, whom we a boil-water order following another winter will pay handsomely to dissect each of our outstorm.) Then there’s the lets and light switches, matter of the New Malessening the odds that drid fault line. I do not our house will fry itself possess the emotional equilibrium at the moa second time. ment to devote much I mention this because I see a connection thought to that. to the condition of our The fact is that if we don’t make (expensive, fair city’s power grid. I time-consuming, disdoubt I need to remind a single reader that an ruptive) changes to our ice storm hit Memphis power grid, we are inFebruary 2022 ice storm. in early February. The viting future storms to power outages began almost immediately, leave our city cold and dark. And outages on Thursday, February 3rd, when ice began are more than inconvenient: For younger and to accumulate on power lines and tree limbs. older and sicker people, they can be devastatNot long after, we began hearing reports of ing. We need more than the patch jobs that transformers blowing, houses catching fire, follow big storms. We need to accept that the pipes bursting. combination of above-ground power lines, For Memphians of a certain vintage, flash- majestic trees, and regular major storms is backs to Ice Storm ’94 took hold. What if this not working for our community. were as bad as that? When all was said and I’m far from the first person to call for done, it turned out that Ice Storm ’22 was burying power lines in Memphis; this isn’t actually worse, at least in terms of total power a novel idea. The work is estimated to cost outages. The latest count, as of this writing, somewhere between three and seven billion is that 241,260 customers of Memphis Light, dollars — a staggeringly wide range. MeanGas & Water lost power at some point during while, the annual operating budget of the the storm, some for only a day or two, and City of Memphis is less than one billion. Still, we need better evaluations of what the work others for a week or more.

Friends reported that their homes were as will cost, and then we need to determine cold as 38 degrees — inside. Those fortunate where to begin. enough to have sufficient disposable income, When my family’s house was on fire, our or tolerant friends and family, decamped to first mission was to stop the burning. But hotels or guest bedrooms. But in a city as poor now that the immediate damage has been as Memphis, not everyone has the funds for remedied, our focus has shifted to making a hotel room (and even if they did, plenty of sure we don’t have to relive the experience. hotels were booked solid). Not everyone has The city has cleaned up the worst of the damage from February’s storm. What will we do folks in their lives ready to invite them in from the cold. Even if a refuge were found, to make sure our community doesn’t have to keep reliving those cold, dark days? would the pets be welcomed? Most people I

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANNA TRAVERSE FOGLE

f you have the good luck (or bad sense) to buy a house with some years in its bones, you realize quickly that your renovation budget — money you thought you might spend beautifying the place — needs to be sunk into repairs you’ll never even see. I speak from experience. In my family’s first year in our home, we suffered a house fire, electrical in origin, that displaced us for nearly four months. On our return, the house did, as it happens, look better — extensive smoke damage necessitated extensive painting — but was it safer? Well, only sort of.

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M Y L A G O S M Y W AY

C AV I A R C O L L E C T I O N S

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C I T Y

S C E N E

Remembering Mayfair A mother and daughter forge a connection through art.

BY ABIGAIL MORICI

Rosemary Marr (left) with her mother, Mayfair “Mary” Matthews below: The Red Truck

R

osemary Marr holds her mom’s spiral notebook in her hands. The cover is creased and the pages have been ruffled through so many times they ripple under her careful touch. On the back of the front cover is a drawing of a young girl, a doll in her hand. “That’s my mom,” Marr says. The title page, reads, “I Remember Mayfair.”

Mayfair “Mary” Matthews was born in 1938 in Senatobia, Mississippi. Raised by a single mother, she attended school through the third grade but then began working in the cotton fields and would do that until her late twenties.

Without a formal education, Matthews learned to read from books and magazines her mother would buy from the five-and-dime store in town. One of those magazines advertised a competition for a scholarship to an arts school.

“Once she filled out the application and drew whatever for the scholarship, they wrote her back and said she won,” Marr says. “It really meant nothing to her, given the circumstances she was in.

That just wasn’t her mindset.”

Marr didn’t learn about this scholarship until she read her mother’s handwritten memoir

years after her passing in 2011.

She didn’t even know about her mother’s artistic inclinations until Matthews was in her 50s.

“She was about 53 when she started painting in late 1991,” Marr says. “After my brother was murdered.” Jerry was her only son out of four children. He was struck by a car and killed.

The family suspected it was intentional, the result of a fatal attraction, but Marr says the police didn’t look further into it, believing it to be a hit-and-run and giving the family no closure.

For Matthews, who had already survived so much — from sharecropping to escaping an abusive relationship and moving her family to Memphis — Jerry’s death was an incomprehensible tragedy. So she took a pen to a sheet of notebook paper and

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sketched the image that kept flashing in her mind — a young man sprawled on the street, his sneakers thrown off and police officers kneeling over him. The image was simultaneously striking and heart-breaking.

“I can’t say she felt better after that,” Marr says, “but at least she was processing it.” This was the first time Marr had ever seen a drawing by her mother. Marr herself, though, had been drawing since she was young. “I was the child that liked to escape

and draw, and she knew that was what I enjoyed. She always made provisions for it, and she’d always buy me typing paper. I didn’t have a clue that my mother had any art ability or aspiration. It’s like having Billie Holiday as your mom, and at 53 she starts blowing out all these tunes and you’ve never heard her sing before.”

At the time, Marr was attending Memphis College of Art, so she shared her materials with her mother and brought her to art shows and galleries. “I thought it was just as natural as breathing,” Marr says. “She would even explain it as something she had no control over. It was something she just had to do. And I do know that it helped her tremendously with her grief because when she did create art, that was all she thought about.”

For the next 30 years, Matthews’ appetite to create was voracious. Her passion pushed her through the suicide of her partner of 40 years and the untimely death of her oldest daughter. She painted, sculpted, and quilted from sun-up to sundown.

“She was always looking for new materials and challenging herself because she was on this creative journey,” Marr says.

“And I know personally as an art-

ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY ROSEMARY MARR

2/10/22 4:36 PM

far left: The Folks Back Home above: Evening Stroll left: Rosemary Marr’s portrait of her mother, Let Her Eat Cake

ist — what I like about it — art is a problem-solving process, especially if you’re going into a new medium, and I think she enjoyed solving those problems.”

Though she was skilled in realism, Matthews developed a whimsical, folk-art style. “I think she had an affinity for that genre because she lived it,” Marr says.

“My mother was very attached to her life in Senatobia. Even when we moved to Memphis, she still drank out of Mason jars.

She knew a lot of people in the country. It’s definitely a lot of her childhood and young adulthood.”

Marr describes her mother as stoic and reserved, who kept a lot about her life close to her heart. “So to see the vibrant colors and the whimsical nature of some of her paintings,” Marr says, “she was definitely outpouring some of the joy that she felt in the inside.”

Matthews’ work appeared in a few shows in her lifetime, including a solo exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum. “My mom

did no-nonsense, but she would laugh and joke right along with anybody. If you were at one of her shows, she would hook you up by the arm and go painting to painting and just laugh with you,” Marr says. “And it wasn’t her telling you why she did it, it was you telling her what was so funny in that painting. I think she drew from that energy. She would put it out there to amuse people.”

When Matthews passed, after a long bout with depression.

Marr had been living in Oakland, California, a single mother and teacher. “I actually used some of her images to teach the principles of art,” she says. “I’ve taught color, but it was something I had to learn. My mother knew it instinctively. And the composition, [it was] just natural composition.”

As concern for the pandemic grew in March 2020, Marr decided to retire, move back home to Memphis, and accomplish her goal of promoting her mom’s work. While she was packing, she found that handwritten memoir,

tucked away in old boxes, and she says, “It came at the perfect time.”

“It was very emotional for me to read. I didn’t know what my mother lived through until I read this. I didn’t know people could be that poor. And it’s really, to me, an amazement that she had the level of resiliency she did to keep it together and take care of her children.

“When I read her memoir, it put the paintings in context,” she continues. “Even though our styles are different, I always try to find a common denominator between my and my mother’s art. I think just spiritually as far as image goes, we kind of go back in time.”

While Marr draws in black and white with a tendency for realism, referencing old photos of African Americans from decades past, Matthews painted from memories — memories of a yellow Cadillac an old boyfriend

once drove, her pregnancy as a 17-year-old, her job as a “domestic,” juke joints and dances and segregated bathrooms, community and hardship — memories Marr had no idea about until after discovering the memoir.

“When I do my own art, I really channel her. Just like I didn’t really know about her art abilities and her interest in art until she started, she has no idea of who I am as an artist today,” Marr says. “I am just starting to enjoy making art. I’ve never considered myself an artist. I’ve always considered myself as someone who had drawing skills. Being an artist is also being passionate, and I never had the passion until now.”

Now, in this post-retirement stage of her life, Marr draws with the same fervor with which her mother once painted. As for her first show, Marr plans to do a mother-daughter exhibition, so that their art can be celebrated together. For the time being, their works hang side by side in Marr’s home.

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PAG E S

Water Is Wide

Award-winning writer Jamey Hatley discusses the Trouble the Waters anthology, the P-Valley writers room, and the magic of storytelling.

BY JESSE DAVIS

Don’t Cross Over Water ’Til They Do” from Trouble the Waters.

She was a Prose Fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts, a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award Winner, and the inaugural Indie Memphis Black Screenwriting Fellow. She wrote, directed, and produced a short film based on her story-essay, Always Open, The Eureka Hotel, which is an official selection of the 2019 Indie Memphis Film Festival and the Black Film Festival of New Orleans. She is also a staff writer for the second season of the Katori Hall-helmed STARZ show P-Valley.

“WRITING BEHIND MY BACK”

W

A

s the saying goes, the only constant is change, which makes water, its fluidity and ability to conform to any shape, perhaps the most elemental of substances. So it’s fitting that the recently released Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue (Third Man Books) anthology takes water as its unifying motif.

Edited by Memphians Sheree Renée Thomas and Troy L. Wiggins, with additional editing by Pan Morigan, the collection bristles with stories from Memphis, the Delta, and the Mid-South.

The book features stories from Thomas and Memphian Danian Darrell Jerry, alongside an essay

by Wiggins. But, as those talented writers have been featured in this space before (What can I say? I’m a fan.), for this month’s edition of Pages, we turn our gaze to Memphian and author Jamey Hatley.

Her list of awards and honors is extensive, but in summation, Hatley is the author of “Spirits

riting is m a n y things besides the act of putting words down on paper — or on a computer screen. It’s revision, contemplation, and, perhaps most of all, it’s observation. So it should be no surprise that Hatley was a reader before a writer, and a listener before a reader. Stories have long been interwoven into the fabric of her life.

“Before I could read, my mother read to me. Those are some of my first memories,” Hatley says.

“My kindergarten teacher had to give me an extra book. So I was one of those children.”

She remembers visits to the library, chaperoned by her mother.

As with many children who fall in love with fictional worlds, she found herself romanticizing the literary life. In some ways, that’s a wonderful thing — an awareness of the allure of storytelling can call a future writer to create. But it can also be daunting.

“I loved writers too much. They were too big,” she says. “That was something I wouldn’t have said that my little scratchings in notebooks were.

“There was a long time when I didn’t think of myself as a writer,” Hatley continues. “I say I was

writing behind my back, trying not to draw attention to myself.”

When she was younger, first driven by her mother and later herself, Hatley would attend book events. “I would make myself the last person in line so that I could think of one thing to say that wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of the fancy writer. That’s how I met most of the writers I know now. That’s how I met Victor LaValle. That’s how I met my friend Tayari Jones. That’s how I met my mentor Arthur Flowers.”

She continues, “I was looking for the magic. I guess I wanted a fairy godmother to make me a writer. Instead I got Arthur Flowers, who always gives a speech about ‘If you can do something else, quit,’” she laughs. “He instilled in me that it’s work.”

WRITING IN THE WORLD

T

he process of writing is work, of course, but most writers have tricks to help the medicine go down, so to speak.

“Before the pandemic, I always wrote in cafés. So whenever I was having a very good writing day someone would ask me, ‘Are you okay?’” Hatley says, and it’s easy to imagine her typing away furiously at a table in a café in New Orleans.

“The writing happened out there, and I would have this buffer between the magical world and the real world. I write some difficult characters,” she says, a truth evidenced by her story in the Trouble the Waters collection.

“When I would leave the café I could leave them behind, but now I feel like they’re all just crowding around, hovering over me when I’m making my coffee or trying to vacuum.”

Just as important as finding structure in writing practices is finding a structure for within the work. After earning a degree in business at the University of

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Tennessee and a journalism degree at the University of Memphis, Hatley made up her mind to focus on the work that called to her — writing, storytelling.

She applied to MFA programs and attended a workshop at the Voices of Our Nations Foundation (VONA), where she studied under award-winning author Victor LaValle.

After being accepted to Louisiana State University to earn her MFA, Hatley studied a multitude of writing formats, including poetry. In her poetry classes, she would outline the necessary structure first, and then write her poems to fit it. In conversation, it’s clear that Hatley has lost none of the reverence for the written word that propelled her to readings and book-signings as a child, but that love for the magic of storytelling is undergirded with a bone-deep understanding of the work. Because, as her mentor Arthur Flowers pointed out, writing is work.

“Usually I give myself a kind of structure. That structure might not be apparent to anyone else,” she says.

Hatley has worked on numbered pieces, for example. “Spirits Don’t Cross Over Water ’Til They Do,” her story in Trouble the Waters, deals with several time periods in the protagonist’s life. It’s like an interlocking puzzle, and one can imagine the different eras of Rabbit’s life gives Hatley a template for the piece.

ON DIFFERENT GENRES AND DOING THE WORK

A

s pr ev iously mentioned, Hatley has written short stories, essays, and is working on a novel. She has also done some screenwriting. Hatley met screenwriter and director Dee Rees, who eventually invited her to work on a project. At first, Hatley thought it was spam mail, but she did some sleuthing PHOTOGRAPH BY JERI HILT

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and realized the offer was legitimate.

The only problem was, at that point, she was a stranger to screenwriting, but that was just a brief hurdle. “ I wo rke d it , worked it, worked it until I figured it out,” she says.

And, as she points out, from the work comes more work.

Hatley found herself hired as a writer for the second season of P-Valley, created by Memphian Katori Hall, who won a Pulitzer Prize for The Hot Wing King.

“I just happened to land in the perfect room,” she says. “Katori Hall — who’s also from Memphis — is just an amazing person. She’s an amazing writer. She’s an amazing thinker, and the way she ran her room, everybody got a say.”

“It was like being in the best workshop ever because everybody was brilliant. So it didn’t have to be on you,” Hatley continues, acknowledging that writing can often be a solitary pursuit — which might explain her penchant for writing in public spaces. “It was a lot of fun,” she says of the P-Valley writers room, “and our fans are so great.”

Jamey Hatley

Hatley interweaves mu ch i nto t h e narrative. This story asks questions, but it also has secrets and hidden depths only hinted at. The reader is compelled to finish the work in their mind, drawing together threads about returns and homecomings, about exile and hurt and socially acceptable modes of being in a world whose c r uelt y we ca n never truly accept.

The story pulls from histor y, of course, but it also draws from her own life. “I was gone for ten years, and then I came back,” she points out. And Hatley believes that the writing should do more than entertain. It should pose and answer questions.

“How do survivors return?” she asks. “There used to be rights of passage if you were a warrior.

You would go through this process to be reacclimated into the community. Even now we’re having all these talks about how our veterans are not being taken care of, how the waiting lists for mental healthcare are incredibly long.” In this way, Hatley offers compassion to the broken and outcast. Though the story is unflinching in its depiction of loss and displacement, its author offers a guiding light home.

“Every work I end up writing,” Hatley says, “ends up being a community work. And at the core of that community work is always liberation. Arthur Flowers instilled that in us.

“Whatever the work, whatever the project I take on, I always want them to be doing double work.”

“Before I could read, my mother read to me. Those are some of my first memories,” Hatley says. “My kindergarten teacher had to give me an extra book. So I was one of those children.”

STORIES SHOULD HAVE SECRETS

F

or her contribution to Trouble the Waters, Hatley set her story during the Vietnam War and just after the death of singer Otis Redding and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “There was so much silence about it,” Hatley says. “I remember every year when the anniversary of the King assas-

sination came around, I would ask my parents, as a little child, ‘Hey, what did you think? About what happened?’ And they would just say, ‘Why did it have to happen here?’ Or they would talk about the snow that happened right before, because there was an uncharacteristically huge snowfall that happened,” Hatley remembers. “It just felt like, to me, whenever there’s that much silence around something, that there’s a lot of shame there. It felt like a wound of the city. So I started asking myself these questions, ‘Can a city be wounded?’”

Some cities suffer a wound and grow more resilient around it. They become a civil rights center, a powerful locus for change, but Memphis took on the grief.

“What happens when the most important dreamer, the most important Black man, Nobel Peace Prize winner, is killed where you live? What does that say about your prospects as a human in this city?”

Those are big questions to answer in a short story, but

M A R C H 2 0 2 2 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • 15

2/10/22 10:59 AM

C L AS S I C

D I N I N G

Breakfast at The Arcade A “generous” breakfast is the most popular item at this iconic Downtown restaurant.

BY MICHAEL DONAHUE

He adds, “French toast is our top-seller, no doubt. Yesterday, we made 260 pieces. You get three pieces per order.”

Breakfast accounts for 50 percent of their sales during the week and 60 to 70 percent on the weekends, he says.

It all started more than a century ago, when Jeffrey’s great-grandfather, who emigrated from Cephalonia, Greece, to America, joined the Navy during

World War I. He wanted to see combat, but he volunteered to be the cook on the ship. And his food was a hit. “Everybody loved it,” says Jeffrey. “Admirals, captains, and generals.”

After the war, Speros “traveled around and ended up in Memphis. He saw Memphis as an upand-coming city.”

The Arcade Restaurant, which, Jeffrey says, is Memphis’ oldest restaurant operated by the same

left: Jeffrey and Kelcie Zepatos with their baby, Harry Speros Zepatos III. above: Michael Donahue enjoys the traditional big Arcade breakfast. frey says.

His dad “just wanted to knock out a wall,” but Kelcie asked if she could call some architects because “we wanted quality people” for the expansion.

Even the Covid pandemic didn’t slow down The Arcade for long. The restaurant closed for two months in 2020, but by May the staff was back and the restaurant was doing a good business with deliveries and take-out orders.

Jeff rey’s philosophy? “I think we can always do better. I’ll never be satisfied. As the city grows, I expect us to grow, too. Not necessarily in size, but in overall business. Never be complacent.”

And, he says, “I’m excited for the fifth generation.” On January 20, 2022, Jeffrey and Kelcie became the parents of Harry Speros Zepatos III. The Arcade Restaurant will be part of young Harry’s life, too, Jeffrey says. “He doesn’t have to work there, but he can get some work experience.”

The Arcade Restaurant is at 540 South Main Street.

ZEPATOS PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL DONAHUE | DONAHUE PHOTOGRAPH BY KELCIE ZEPATOS

M

ost people think of breakfast when they think of The Arcade Restaurant.

That’s their most popular item, says Jeffrey Zepatos, one of the owners and the great-grandson of founder Speros Zepatos. “Bacon or sausage, eggs any way you want, hash browns or grits, and biscuits and gravy or toast. It’s quite a big meal. I think that’s a much more generous meal than you’d normally get from most places that serve breakfast, really.”

family in the same location, opened in 1919 in a wood structure at the current location. “In 1921, we had a real building finally put up — the brick building that’s the restaurant today.”

The restaurant was part of an “arcade” that included several businesses in the same structure, Jeff rey says. The building could hold up to 10 tenants.

His great-grandfather, Jeff rey says, “had big dreams like any immigrant.”

Speros also owned the nearby and now-demolished Arcade Hotel, where the 1989 Jim Jarmusch movie, Mystery Train, was filmed.

The neon sign on the side of the building is the restaurant’s original sign, Jeffrey says. The rest of the neon outside, including the front door overhang, was added after a fire in the early 1950s.

“The interior changed a bit in the ’50s after the fire,” he says.

“It’s what you see today. All the interior is from the ’50s. That’s why it has the ’50s diner feel to it.”

His grandfather, Harry Spero Zepatos purchased the restaurant in the 1960s and continued to run it through the 1990s. “My grandfather ran the restaurant during a really rough time,” says Jeffrey. “It was one of only three restaurants open Downtown.”

Jeff rey’s parents, Karan and Harry Spero Zepatos II, took over in 2001. His dad guided the restaurant until Downtown began to bustle again, he says. “He really cared about the neighborhood and the people around him.”

Jeffrey and his brother, Michael, worked at The Arcade from the time they were teenagers. Jeffrey and his wife, Kelcie, got involved with the restaurant after they moved back to Memphis from Chicago in 2014.

Kelcie was the driving force in the restaurant’s expansion in 2017. “We just wanted to expand and build out a liquor bar,” Jef-

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2/14/22 3:01 PM

Jimmy Reed, President

A Career Built Upon TRUST JimmyReedRealtor.com

901.682.1868 ♦ 901.461.1868 ♦ jreed@m-brealtors.com

S H A R I N G

T H E

T R U T H

O F

C H R I S T

ONLY FI V E P ER F OR M ANC E S

M ARCH 31 – APRIL 3 at Mid-America Seminary

D I R EC T ED B Y DR. J AME S D. W HI T MI R E

P R E S E N T I NG

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P UR CH A SE T I CK E T S ONLI NE AT

midamericapassionplay.org

S P ON S OR S

2/13/22 2:18 PM

S I P S

Just Whistle!

A cozy new restaurant and bar opens in Cooper-Young.

Freddy (a.k.a. Winifred) Henry

M

emphis Whistle occupies a colorful bungalow at the eastern end of Young Avenue — on the outskirts of Cooper-Young, you might say. But because of the teal, royal blue, and deep purple paint job you can’t really miss it — and you shouldn’t, because this little gem is well worth a visit. Or several.

As I enter, I’m greeted by two women seated at the little fiveseat bar, and Freddy (whom I later discover is Winifred) Henry, who seems to be running things.

It’s a welcoming scene, cozy and reminiscent of some of the little home joints you can find on New Orleans backstreets.

Henry takes me on a tour of Memphis Whistle’s four eclectically decorated rooms, including the sassy bathroom and a luscious salon room. This place

is obviously a labor of love, and I have to admit I could see myself hanging out in the salon on one of the stuffed chaises some evening.

I’m soon introduced to owner and chief mixologist Jef (one F to give?) Hicks. He says the restaurant was born of the pandemic — “and one of the best things to come out of it,” he adds. “When the pandemic hit, we all lost our jobs, so it was a quick sinkor-swim moment. Some of us

decided we would deliver cockafter all, and I’m here to try a sigtails and food — and masks and nature cocktail, as tempting as the food menu may be.

T-shirts — anything to keep a little cash-flow going. We were “So, what am I going to drink?” looking at it as a way to promote I ask Hicks. “I’m making you a fun social distancing, reduce drunk one,” he says. “It’s got absinthe, Chartreuse, Japanese gin, lemon driving, and to let people have the fun of a bar or juice, and simple syrup.” restaurant in their “How about ‘Absinthe “Good lord,” I say. homes, since every- Makes the Heart Grow “What’s it called?” thing was closed.”

“Well, I guess I’m Fonder?’” — says one When the pangoing to have to come demic started to of the cheese-and-sauup with a name for it, ebb, Hicks decid- sage ladies at the bar. aren’t I?” ed, “I didn’t want “Oh, I got it,” says to go back to letting someone one of the sausage-and-cheese laelse control my destiny,” he says. dies. “How about ‘Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?’”

“So we found this place, which used to be Tam’s. We rebuilt the “Oh, I like that,” says Hicks. He mantels, re-did the floors, and turns to me and grins, “So, uh, yeah, repaired walls. The bar is made that’s what it’s called.” from doors salvaged from the After a minute or so, Hicks neighborhood.” slides the AMHGF my way. It’s a “And, honey, the food here is lovely presentation: a lime-greendelicious!” says one of the ladies colored cocktail in a frosty-lookat the bar. (Did I mention this is ing martini glass. I take a sip. The a small space?) “Here,” she says, first f lavor that hits the tongue, “try some of this sausage and unsurprisingly, is licorice, but it’s cheese plate.” cut with just the right amount I decline but make a note to of crispy citrus, so the absinthe come back and give the food a doesn’t overwhelm the drink. It try at a later date. The menu is an finishes with a lingering sweetambitious and eclectic melange ness. It’s very refreshing, and obof sandwiches, burgers, chili, bar viously very potent, given that the food, and even some vegan and absinthe is 124 proof. One of these vegetarian offerings. will make you witty. Three will Hicks says Memphis Whisput you in an Uber.

“The most fun part for me is cretle’s menu is as locally sourced as possible, from regional spice ating a drink for somebody,” says purveyors to local Longhorn Hicks. “I like to ask them questions: Beef and family-owned bakeries.

What kind of flavors do you like?

“We want to support small busiWhat kind of alcohol do you drink? nesses like us,” he says, “because And then I just riff and build off that way the money stays in the of things I know in order to create something unique and fun.” community.”

But this column is called “Sips” Sort of like Memphis Whistle.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

BY BRUCE VANW YNGARDEN

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2/7/22 1:16 PM

2022

You’ll find on the pages listed here the talented individuals behind many of Memphis’ favorite brands. This year’s Faces of the Mid-South include doctors and lawyers, rug sellers and pizzaioli, independent schools and centers for independent living. These impressive people and organizations contribute to making Memphis great.

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

1776 Men's Grooming Parlor - 100

Glankler Brown PLLC - 86

Peel Law Firm - 35

Pradeep Adatrow, DDS, MSD - 63

Glo Medical Aesthetics - 87

People’s Custom Rx - 42

Ashtoria Aesthetics & Wellness - 84

Harding Academy - 38

Pimento’s Burgers Bar & Grill - 34

Babcock Gifts - 120

Holloway Furs - 72

Premier Flowers - 71

The Bailey Law Firm - 68

Honest Monument Company - 102

ProTech Services Group - 62

Baptist Medical Group GI Specialists Foundation - 73

House of Aglaia Salon - 78

The Rices - 66

Hutchison School - 76

RKA Construction - 43

Independent Bank - 41

Robinson Tree Service - 112

Kirby Wines & Liquors - 123

Sage + Honey Hair Co. - 77

Lakeside Behavioral Health System - 31

Shelby Jewel - 124

The Langsdon Clinic - 28

SkinBody - 29

Ludy Callaway, The Mortgage Lady - 103

The Law Office Of Massey, McClusky, McClusky & Fuchs - 61

Southland Casino Racing - 74

Clay & Land Insurance, Inc. - 81

LRK - 26

Consolidated Medical Practices of Memphis, PLLC - 118

Mays & Schnapp Neurospine and Pain - 109

St. Mary’s Episcopal School - 20

Blair Parker Design - 83 Bob Richards Jewelers - 70 Boyle Investment Company - 40 Broadway Pizza House - 111 BrownDog Lodge - 67

St. Dominic School - 32 Starting Strength Memphis - 117

Corky’s Ribs & BBQ - 25

Memphis Center for Family & Cosmetic Dentistry - 30

The Crone Law Firm - 69

Memphis Dermatology Clinic, P.A. - 64

De La Belle Wellness & Spa - 122

Memphis Orthodontic Specialists - 108

EBiz Solutions, LLC - 65

Mid South Night Lights, LLC - 85

EBOX - 60

Mid-South OB-GYN - 106

Evangelical Christian School - 37

Minesh Pathak, MD - 105

Fertility Associates of Memphis - 113

MINIMAX Kitchen & Bath - 82

Vascular and Vein Institute of the South 119

Fleet Feet - 116

Nail Bar & Co. - 104

The Village at Germantown - 115

Fogelman Properties - 24

Outdoor Properties, LLC - 79

Walnut Grove Animal Clinic - 22

Forest Hill Dental - 21

Paradox Catering & Consulting - 36

Woodland Presbyterian School - 39

Gant Systems - 80

The Pear Martini - Mobile Bar - 101

Tactical Magic - 33 Taghavi Oriental Rugs - 107 Thomas Murphree & Jerry Lucius, MarxBensdorf, Realtors - 114 United Way of the Mid-South - 110 Van Atkins Jewelers - 23

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE ST. MARY’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL >>>

Every teacher, every lesson, and every discover new opportunities, and reach resource at St. Mary’s is dedicated her individual potential. Whether to how girls learn best. Our robust building robotics in our STEM lab or academic environment is designed to performing on the stage, each girl can engage and ignite young girls’ minds. be herself and take advantage of all St. The hands-on curriculum teaches Mary’s has to offer. students invaluable lessons about The mission of St. Mary's Episcopal problem-solving, tenacity, creativity, and School is to provide a superior cooperation. Each girl is encouraged to educational experience for girls which recognize her own talents and strengths will encourage and enable each student so that she may pursue her interests, to reach her individual potential.

60 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 38117 I 901.537.1405 I stmarysschool.org SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

AESTHETIC DENTISTRY

FOREST HILL DENTAL >>> Ryan Vick, DDS

Dr. Vick excels at creating beautiful a pillar of having great overall health. He smiles. World Class Cosmetic and believes that this starts with spending the time to create a trusting, lasting Comprehensive Dentistry is what you can expect when visiting Forest Hill relationship with his patients.

Dental.

Dr. Vick specializes in Aesthetic Dr. Vick is passionate about his Dentistry, and is known to be the “Best patients’ smiles and helping them to of the Best” in the Mid-South when it achieve and maintain optimal oral health. comes to Smile Makeovers, Porcelain A beautiful smile can completely improve Veneers, Cosmetic Dentistry, and one’s self image and confidence, and is maintaining beautiful, healthy smiles.

3011 Centre Oak Way, Suite 102, Germantown, TN 38138 | 901.701.7500 | vickdds.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ANIMAL CARE

WALNUT GROVE ANIMAL CLINIC >>> With every patient and client, we are guided by our core values: Integrity, Excellence, and Compassion. Our professional staff is highly trained and well educated. All employees participate in regular training and

development programs. Walnut Grove Animal Clinic is a full-service, state-ofthe-art, small animal hospital located in the center of Memphis at the corner of Walnut Grove Road and Tillman.

New clients are always welcome.

2959 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38111 | 901.323.1177 | MyMemphisVet.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ANTIQUE & ESTATE JEWELRY

VAN ATKINS JEWELERS >>> Left to right: Jack Cooper, Sam Cooper, Chuck Cooper, Van Cooper, and Ray Cooper What began as a family-owned group where most days you will find Chuck of department stores is now known for and Sam. Chuck's eldest son, Van, is at the helm in the Oxford location all things jewelry! Van Atkins Jewelers, the South's leader in Estate Jewelry on the square, along with Ray, who is and diamond solitaires, was opened by responsible for all hand-engraving and Chuck Cooper in 1990. Today, three of customer assistance. The youngest son, his sons are leading the way. Chuck, Jack, a recent graduate from MTSU in Aviation, can be found here when he is Van, Sam, and Ray have all graduated from Gemological Institute of America in not flying. Thank you, Mid-South, for California. The original store is in historic featuring us, and we look forward to seeing you. You Know She's Worth It. Downtown New Albany, Mississippi, 129 W. Bankhead Street, New Albany, MS 38652 | 662.534.5012 124 Courthouse Square, Oxford, MS 38655 | 662.236.5012 VanAtkins.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

APARTMENT INVESTMENT AND MANAGEMENT FOGELMAN PROPERTIES >>>

The Fogelman Difference. Built on more than 55 years of experience, innovation, and results, we are proud to be one of the nation’s leading multifamily investment and management firms. Our fully integrated approach brings asset, construction, and property management together under one roof, allowing us to maximize the investments of our clients and partners in all parts of the industry cycle.

Local Properties: • 99 FRONT 99 South Front Street, Memphis, TN 38103 | 99FrontMemphis.com • ADDISON AT COLLIERVILLE 400 Orchard Cir. W., Collierville, TN 38017 | AddisonCollierville.com • ARBORS HARBOR TOWN 671 Harbor Town Edge Dr., Memphis, TN 38103 | ArborsHarborTown.com • BRISTOL ON UNION 205 Pasadena Pl., Memphis, TN 38104 | TheBristolOnUnion.com • CHEROKEE CABANA 3204 Sharpe Ave., Memphis, TN 38111 | CherokeeCabana.com • THE EDGE OF GERMANTOWN 1730 Hunters Trace Dr., Memphis, TN 38120 | TheEdgeOfGermantown.com • LEGACY FARM 1130 Legacy Farm Ct., Collierville, TN 38017 | Legacy-Farm.com • LINCOLN AT WOLFCHASE 2460 Vintage Drive, Cordova, TN 38016 | LincolnAtWolfchase.com • MADISON SHELBY FARMS 330 N. Humphreys Blvd., Memphis, TN 38120 | MadisonShelbyFarms.com • THE RETREAT AT GERMANTOWN 7865 Grove Ct. W., Germantown, TN 38138 | TheRetreatatGermantown.com • THE SUMMIT 4981 Hidden Lake Dr., Memphis, TN 38128 | TheSummitMemphis.com • THE TENNESSEE BREWERY 495 Tennessee St., Memphis, TN 38103 | AtTheBrewery.com • THORNWOOD 7794 Kings College Ave., Germantown, TN 38138 | TheResidencesatThornwood.com Fogelman.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BAR-B-Q

CORKY'S RIBS & BBQ >>> Jimmy Stovall, Owner and CEO

I started my barbecue career from employees; many of them have been the drive-thru window at the original with us since 1984. We continue to slowCorky’s location on Poplar over 27 smoke all of our award-winning barbecue years ago. Now, as the owner and chief over hickory wood and charcoal in each executive officer, I oversee all divisions of of our restaurants. We have 4 legendary Corky’s and am lucky enough to be our Memphis-area locations, 2 franchises in spokesperson on QVC 50+ days a year!

Little Rock, 1 in Brentwood, 1 in Pigeon We are very proud to be a Memphis Forge, Tennessee. You can find Corky’s family business and believe we have iconic brand in more than 5,000 grocery stores across the US, and we ship more the best customers in the world. Our people are the secret sauce. We are than 250,000 orders of barbecue to all 50 truly grateful for all of our incredible states every year.

CorkysBBQ.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ARCHITECTURE LRK >>>

LRK is a team of talented professionals with a wide range of abilities and a passion to apply them for the greater good. Whatever the project — from a home to a stadium to a neighborhood — our expertise is in engaging people, nurturing community, and enhancing urban life.

LRK’s successful integration of planning, research, architecture, interior design, and sustainability has evolved naturally from a collaborative spirit to develop inspiring spaces and places. Architectural excellence is a given. An enhanced quality of life is the end result.

From our founding, we have woven a core set of beliefs into LRK. We understand that openness and trusting relationships are essential to exceptional projects. We know success is not built by a portfolio, but by people. Our willingness to ask, explore, and evolve fuels the creation of useful, beautiful, transformative places. This foundation has stood since 1983 and will continue to strengthen us and our work for years to come.

Collaboration Created | LRK.com | 901.521.1440

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BEAUTIFUL FACES

THE LANGSDON CLINIC >>> Phillip R. Langsdon, MD, FACS and Carol H. Langsdon, RNP

Celebrating 30 years in practice, Dr. Phillip Langsdon, facial plastic surgeon, has been treating one face at a time. Dr. Langsdon is Board Certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is the only surgeon in the Mid-South whose practice is limited to facial plastic surgery. Seeing each person’s face as unique, he treats the common and complicated cases and believes in “Compassionate Care with Natural Looking Results”. Carol Langsdon, RNP, provides expert nonsurgical aesthetics such as Botox®, dermal fillers, skin resurfacing and customized medical-grade skin care. Dr. Langsdon served as the President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) in 2019. To view before and after photos, visit drlangsdon.com.

7499 Poplar Pike, Germantown, TN 38138 | 901.755.6465 | DrLangsdon.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BEAUTIFUL SKIN

SKINBODY >>> Seated: Karren Elledge, Kristy Caywood, Tomi Beckemeyer, Muffy Liebenow, and Christina Vanlandingham Middle: Lexi Ford, Jessica Sims, Gina Aaron, Ashley Riggs, Jeanie Niehaus, Sam Colvin, Mikaela Gusikuda, and Tatum Harralson Back: Aisha Harvey, Aimee Bouton, Shannon Anzivino, Katie Gresham, Molly Barnes, Emily Dollahite, Bari Metz, and Courtney Polley EAST MEMPHIS: 1102 Brookfield, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.474.7636 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BEAUTIFUL SMILES

MEMPHIS CENTER FOR FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY >>> Miles C. Moore, DDS

Creating beautiful smiles is just another dentistry. Whether you seek a complete day in the office for Miles C. Moore, smile makeover, “invisible” braces, or teeth dentist at Memphis Center for Family & whitening, cosmetic dentistry can transform Cosmetic Dentistry. With a friendly staff, your smile in several ways. Dental veneers a soothing atmosphere, and the latest from Dr. Moore improve the form and technology, Dr. Moore’s practice offers all function of your teeth, leaving results that dental services, but specializes in cosmetic you have to see to believe.

725 W. Brookhaven Circle, Memphis, TN 38117 901.761.2210 | BeautifulSmiles.org SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

LAKESIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM >>> Left to right, front row: Kala Meadows and Tammy Delcourt Middle row: Lenora Coleman, Rita Dailey, Joy Golden, Teresa Scott, and Ella-Victoria Robinson Back row: Lindsey Blevins, Dr. Daniel Boyd, Kevin Parker, Joyce Jeffries, Dr. Ali Mahmood, Heather Tuck, Chris Scarbrough, and Tiffanni Richardson

For more than 50 years, Lakeside has struggle with mental health challenges, had one mission: to provide specialized substance use disorders, or co-occurring behavioral healthcare and substance diagnoses. In addition to providing use disorder treatment in a welcoming targeted treatment for our patients, environment for people in search of Lakeside is committed to helping our healing. Our 37-acre campus near community better understand and Memphis was designed to make recovery recognize the complexities associated an accessible, effective reality for with behavioral health and substance use everyone — from children to seniors who disorders.

2911 Brunswick Road, Memphis, TN 38133 | 901.377.4700 | LakesideBHS.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BOYS EDUCATION ST. DOMINIC SCHOOL >>>

Designed Distinctly for Boys. environment that is challenging, but From preschool to 8th grade, one that ensures every boy has the St. Dominic School is committed individualized attention and support to giving boys the best possible necessary to rise to that challenge. educational experience — one that St. Dominic has spent more than combines rigorous academics with a 65 years helping boys develop into focus on spiritual growth and lasting young men who have the wisdom, values. compassion, and principles they need We have created an academic to succeed. Brotherhood begins here!

4830 Walnut Grove Rd., Memphis, TN 38117 | 901.767.1377 | SAA-SDS.ORG SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BRANDING

TACTICAL MAGIC >>> Trace Hallowell has been an influential force in Memphis advertising for more than 30 years. Both strategist and creative leader, he is best known for developing high impact brand identities and marketing campaigns.

Having earned national and international creative awards, his work is also featured in books, magazines, and college textbooks as examples of branding excellence. Trace founded Tactical Magic in 2001. The firm’s diverse clientele includes Booga Music, CGHP, Eventive, IMC Companies, Kindred Place, Malasri Engineering, PuppyUp, Sound Credit, Sowell Realtors, Trousseau, and Youdle.

1460 Madison Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 901.722.3001 TacticalMagic.com

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

BURGERS

PIMENTO'S BURGERS BAR & GRILL >>> Trey and Jules Jordan The friendly faces behind Pimento’s Burgers Bar & Grill are the Jordan family members, Jules (director of marketing), Anne (design/decor), Trey (founder and CEO), and Lucius (project manager). In 1993, Trey started Holiday Deli & Ham Co. with a passion for entrepreneurship, good food, and great service. In 2016, Trey's dreams grew even bigger as he opened the first Pimento’s Burgers Bar & Grill. With the best burgers in the 901 and a happy hour that can't be beat, Pimento’s is the perfect spot for everything from a quick lunch to a fun night out with friends. We can't wait to see you!

6450 Poplar Ave. Suite 123, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.602.5488 3751 South Houston Levee, Collierville, TN 38017 | 901.453.6283 Pimentos.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:30 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CATASTROPHIC INJURY & WRONGFUL DEATH LAW PEEL LAW FIRM >>> David B. Peel, injury attorney

BIG-TIME RESULTS, SMALL TOWN RELATIONSHIPS After 27 years of practice, the FUTURE still looks by his peers as "AV+ Preeminent," the highest bright for David and his longtime staff. lawyer rating possible. He has been chosen as a Life Member of the exclusive Multi-Million Peel’s injury law practice is poised to open a second location in the Historic Arlington Depot Dollar Advocates Forum (reserved for those Square in 2022. CrashtheLawDog is his faithful with a single case result of over $2 million). He has been voted “Best of the Best Attorney” in office dog who clients look forward to seeing when they visit. local Readers' Choice Awards for many years.

He has also published an Amazon best-selling Regionally, he has been named a Mid-South book on the law and traffic safety, and his first Super Lawyer since 2012. Peel credits his many successes to his faith, his wonderful staff and novel “The Treasure of Solomon” has met with “our great clients who become friends.” great reviews.

His weekends sometimes involve fundraisers David B. Peel is active in international missions, Christian Legal Society, and serves on the Boards featuring his movie cars, like the cast-signed DeLorean featured by MemphisTimeMachines. of Love Worth Finding Ministries, as well as the Bellevue Foundation. His articles and other com.

Professionally, he has long been recognized information are online at PeelLawFirm.com.

8582 U.S. Highway 51 North, Millington, TN 38053 | 901.872.4229 | DavidPeel@PeelLawFirm.com | PeelLawFirm.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/14/22 4:51 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CATERING

PARADOX CATERING & CONSULTING >>> Chef Jimmy Gentry Chef/Owner Jimmy Gentry of Paradox Catering was formally trained at Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts. Before starting his own business with partner Alia Hogan, he led kitchens across the MidSouth to win multiple awards. Almost 12 years ago, Paradox Catering was created with the vision in mind to redefine what people expected not only from the food itself, but from the presentation and service

as well. Paradox's Jessica Lambert and Chef Gentry work closely with clients to define their personal style, which we then translate into every aspect of an event so we can provide that one-of-a-kind experience they always envisioned. We have been truly fortunate to be embraced by the Mid-South and have in turn seen tremendous success with our creative and innovative approach to catering.

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP EDUCATION EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL >>>

At Evangelical Christian School, we are college. We also understand that education committed to partnering with parents is about more than just college preparation; to build students for life. Our academic it is about being well equipped for life. That approach fosters critical thinking, group is why all ECS students are known, loved collaboration, and experiential learning, and discipled to become Christ-following engaging students to become owners in influential leaders in their homes, churches, their learning so they are well prepared for careers and communities.

LOWER SCHOOL CAMPUS (Age 2-5th grade): 1920 Forest Hill-Irene Road, Germantown, TN 38139 SHELBY FARMS CAMPUS (6th-12th grades): 7600 Macon Road, Cordova, TN 38018 901.754.7217 | ecseagles.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:32 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION HARDING ACADEMY >>>

Students love that they get to be so many things at Harding.

From engineering to pottery to athletics, Harding students have the opportunity to explore their interests and expand their minds.

Their East Memphis campus for

senior kindergarten–grade 12 provides a one-stop school in the heart of the city. For families with younger children, they offer Little Harding, a preschool serving ages 6 weeks–junior kindergarten in East Memphis.

HARDING ACADEMY (SR. K–GRADE 12): 1100 CHERRY ROAD LITTLE HARDING (6 WEEKS–JR. K): 1106 COLONIAL ROAD 901.767.4494 | HARDINGLIONS.ORG SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:32 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CO-EDUCATION

WOODLAND PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL >>>

think differently, process information Since 1956, Woodland Presbyterian differently, and interact differently than School has strived to teach the whole child: academically, spiritually (Christthemselves. Co-education encourages centered), creatively, socially, and collaboration among girls and boys emotionally. While academics are the where students are exposed to a “realprimary focus, students are also prepared world environment”.

Embracing academic excellence, to be productive members of society.

A co-educational environment spiritual development, social prepares Woodland students to consciousness, community collaboration, work with, solve problems with, and a positive self-concept is and communicate with people that Woodland’s mission for each child.

5217 Park Ave., Memphis, TN 38119 I 901.685.0976 WoodlandSchool.org I Co-Ed Age 2-8th Grade SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:33 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

BOYLE INVESTMENT COMPANY >>> WE LEASE MEMPHIS. Not many companies place equal emphasis on business and relationships, but at Boyle that is just what our office leasing, property management, and development team does on a daily basis. As a Memphis-based leasing team, we’re flexible to meet tenants’ needs no matter the firm size or space requirements so that you can focus instead on growing your business.

“The courtesy and consideration of our needs truly goes above and beyond what a typical ‘landlord’ would do.” — Southeast Regional Company, VP and Regional Manager 5900 Poplar Avenue, Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.766.4241 | Boyle.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

COMMUNITY BANKING INDEPENDENT BANK >>>

Strong. Safe. Customer-Focused. Local.

Since our founding in 1998, Independent Bank has been committed to supporting our customers and communities by helping you achieve your dreams and financial success. We are a full-service bank with personal and business loans, a variety of deposit and cash management options, mortgage loans and wealth management. We offer innovative solutions, effective products and heroic service. We invite you to experience the i-bank difference — it’s a better way of banking.

Proud to be the face of community banking. Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender 5050 Poplar • 844.0401 | 1711 Union • 844.2050 | 450 Perkins Ext. • 842.2620 6209 Poplar • 842.2600 | 5995 Stage • 842.1210 | 2116 W. Poplar • 842.1170 | 40 S. Main • 312.8900 3295 Poplar • 844.2075 | 7635 Poplar • 842.1190 i-bankonline.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/14/22 4:52 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

COMPOUNDING PHARMACY PEOPLE'S CUSTOM RX >>>

Since 1969, People's Custom Rx — the oldest and largest compounding pharmacy in the Memphis area — has been helping people and their pets feel better. We have two state-of-the-art sterile rooms that allow us to prepare your customized medications in the safest way possible.

Our pharmacists and technicians work hard to increase our knowledge and stay up-to-date with training in the fields of hormone therapy, sterile compounding, pediatric compounding, veterinary compounding, dermatological compounding, and so much more. How can we help you feel better?

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2/13/22 2:35 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CUSTOM HOME BUILDING & REMODELING RKA CONSTRUCTION >>>

Formed in 2011, RKA Construction is a custom builder located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Created out of a love for building and a desire to provide a better client experience, our focus is simple — provide superior quality, craftsmanship, and customer service in everything we do.

901.465.3400 | rka.build SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:36 PM

HOUSTON COFIELD Capturing life, loss, and grief.

THE MIND’S EYE ABOUT THIS SERIES: Memphis has played muse over the years to artists across the spectrum, from the music of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Al Green, and the collective at Stax Records, to the prose of Peter Taylor, Shelby Foote, and John Grisham. Visual artists, too, have been inspired by Memphis, whose look has been described as gritty, dirty, active, eerie, beautiful, and captivating. “The Mind’s Eye” profiles the photographers whose work documents the city. Past stories in the series — featuring Bob Williams, Murray Riss, Saj Crone, Karen Pulfer Focht, Willy Bearden, Jamie Harmon, Brandon Dill, Ziggy Mack, Ernest Withers, and Andrea Morales — are showcased in our digital archives. (memphismagazine.com).

BY JON W. SPARKS

H

ouston Cofield was immersed in photography from the start, born 32 years ago into a family that took the art form seriously. “On my mom’s side, my grandfather was

always shooting pictures, mostly family photos that he would develop and show to us and then send them to his friends,” he says. “My dad’s side of the family had photographers dating back to 1850. My dad’s dad and my great-grandfather were both studio photographers who

“I’m thinking a lot about time and the passage of time, and grief.”

worked for the University of Mississippi as portrait photographers, and then professors. They photographed William Faulkner throughout his life and published some books. I saw those books and their pictures all over our house growing up.”

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right: Houston Cofield. opposite: This image of the sun appeared in “Measuring Time,” a feature story in The New York Times.

PORTRAIT OF HOUSTON COFIELD BY REID MITCHELL: ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS BY HOUSTON COFIELD

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Cofield knew photography was a viable career option but didn’t get into making pictures seriously until high school. “I was working for the school newspaper mostly so I could have a free study hall at the beginning of the day,” he says. “But I would go out and shoot pictures for an hour each morning and I don’t think our teacher really cared what we did. I wasn’t so much drawn to any sort of student events or sports; I was just making pictures of the grass and flowers and chain-link fences — things I thought were interesting. I really loved seeing these little scenes in a rectangle.”

He attended Ole Miss, taking English and journalism courses and putting photography on the back burner.

“I felt I needed to have a career in writing and that maybe photography could complement that,” he says.

“But towards my junior or senior year of college, I was so drawn to making pictures that I started taking art courses and fell in love with the process of shooting on film and creating pictures in the dark room. I was thinking more about photography as an art form instead of purely documentary.”

Cofield went on to grad school at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he says he “loosened up more and more.” He was drawn to looking into his family’s history and what they photographed in the course of making his own history. He and his wife, Kristen Hoover, came back to settle in Memphis, where he took a marketing job with the Metal Museum and she went to work at Youth Villages as a mental health therapist.

The Metal Museum job let him use his skills and gave him the opportunity to be around other artists.

He moved on to a position with the Daily News before

below: Shoveling ice from the sidewalk in Memphis for The New York Times. opposite: Weeds grow around a car wash brush behind a Goodwill store on Scott Street.

it morphed into the Daily Memphian. He’d do business portraits and photos relating to finance and real estate, which challenged his creativity.

“I loved the fact that people could make something out of nothing and make it look really interesting,” he says. When the Daily Memphian came into being in 2018, he was doing more than business-related photography.

“But I found that my own time was being eaten up with shooting Tiger sports. It was great, but it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing.”

Cofield decided to go out on his own and had lined up enough work to make it happen. “It’s treated me pretty well,” he says. “The pandemic was really rough and really hard on work, but luckily I have a supportive wife. And last year, work started to pick up a lot more, so things feel like they’re getting back to normal in terms of work.”

“I was so drawn to making pictures that I started taking art courses and fell in love with the process of shooting on film and creating pictures in the darkroom. I was thinking more about photography as an art form instead of purely documentary.”

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“You’re always going into a location that you have no clue what you’re stepping into. You don’t get to scout the room.

And we’re trying for something different so you manage the relationship with the person, make them feel comfortable, because I think they are responding out of a place of discomfort or anxiety around getting their picture made.”

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S CHALLENGE

W

ith his experience in photojournalism and art photography, Cofield has found ways to shoot images that work for his clients and himself. “In a mid-size city or in the South, you don’t have the luxury of being able to photograph a person like Jeff Bezos or some iconic figure or some really crazy beautiful sexy assignments. Much of it is trying to make something out of nothing. It depends on the person, too — some people just don’t want to be photographed. I feel like over the years I’ve gotten to a place where I can kind of push back on that a little bit.”

He’ll remind the subject that it’s his job and that for the most part, they’d agreed to do it. But he is diplomatic, knowing that he needs to make people feel comfortable.

“I think I’ve gotten better over the years,” he says. “I try to be more conscious of that during the shoot instead of falling into my routine. I need to take a step back for a minute and really think what are the things I’m missing here?

How do I this differently instead of just doing what I normally do? I try and continue evolving and not just stay in the same kind of rut.”

And for the creative photographer’s mind, that’s an energizing experience. “There are so many moving parts,” he says.

“Expectations have to be set aside because you don’t know the environment you’re going into, and there’s no sense in trying to preconceive a picture. You’re always going into a location that you have no clue what you’re stepping into. You don’t get to scout the room. And we’re trying for something different so you manage the relationship with the person, make them feel comfortable, because I think they are responding out of a place of discomfort or anxiety around getting their picture made. And then there’s the technical side, like how I’ll light the photo? Or how can I make an interesting photo in a place that barely has anything that I can pull into the frame? That’s what I love about it though.”

above: A photo for MUSE of hip-hop artist Ash León.

opposite, clockwise from top left: Rapperproducer Matt Lucas for MUSE; veterinarian Dr. Karen Emerson for The New York Times;

sculptor/artist Bill Beckwith in his studio in Taylor, Mississippi; and the musician The Goddessie for MUSE.

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“I want to keep making pictures. I hate to put stages of grief in the book, but I do think grief turns and twists a little bit and you come back to certain emotions at some point.”

above right: Birds over a marsh in Mississippi. opposite: An empty room of a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.

GRIEVING

I

n June 2019, just around the time he started freelancing, Cofield was dealt an unimaginable blow. His father, Glenn Cofield, a well-known financial services executive and civic volunteer, was shot and killed. He was leaving a charity event with his wife, Natalie, and getting into his car when he was accosted in a possible robbery attempt. No arrests have been made.

“It shook my world,” Cofield says. “That sent me into this phase of grief and loss, so I’ve been really trying to make work about that and indirectly talk about grief and loss. I’m really interested in this sort of universal emotion, especially now in the pandemic. I’ve been making documentary pictures at first, like photographing my mom and photographing the flowers we got and my brothers and my wife. And then it took a turn where I was less interested in the documentary side of things.

“I’m glad to have those pictures, but I think I wasn’t trying to talk about the event itself as much as I was the emotion behind the event. I feel like I’m getting close to what I’m looking for, but it’s been a few years of responding to things in the world that feel like they

connect with that grief and the pain and sadness — but without being super overt.”

For Cofield, his journey has been coming together as a book. “But it’s so hard to know when things are finished,” he says. “If you’d asked me six months ago if I was ready to publish a book, I’d say yeah, I think I could publish something.”

He went to the Chico Hot Springs Portfolio Review in Montana to show his work to publishers, artists, and photographers. Cofield says he got a good response and was told he could publish tomorrow, or he could see where this goes in five years. “There’s a lot that could be done,” he says. “I don’t want to do anything too quickly that I would regret. I’d rather publish something that’s a little more dense than something quick and let it kind of unravel.”

So he’s allowed this exploration of grieving to go in other directions. “Lately I’ve opened it up to pictures I’ve made over the last few years. I’ve got these diptychs of the moon. And I’m thinking a lot about time and the passage of time, and grief. And then I’ve got pictures of rotten fruit.” That happened just after his father’s death

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when people were bringing food and flowers to the house. A basket of fruit had been shoved under a guest bed and forgotten and was smelling bad. “I was like, ‘This feels like what I’m feeling right now.’ So, I took it to the studio and shot pictures of that. There are things like that in there responding to things that feel hard and painful. I took some portraits of my mom crying, and they weren’t staged or anything, but it just felt too direct. I’m trying to be less direct about it.”

Over the past year, most of his assignments have been tough. Last August, a flash flood hit the town of Waverly, Tennessee, killing some 20 people, including 7-month-old twin boys. “I covered that funeral,” he says, “and that’s probably the toughest assignment I’ve ever had — trying to navigate how to cover this and also be extremely cautious and have an open line of communication with the family and let them decide what they wanted me to do or not do.

“I didn’t want to be invasive at all,” he continues.

“Having just been through what I had been through, I was still in that grieving stage. I think that helped. The mother of the twins said I could photograph whatever I wanted. They had an open casket, the twins side by side. She wanted people to see how young these kids were. The husband was very upset — not about the pictures, but the infants were swept out of his arms, so he was in the worst place.”

Cofield was shooting that assignment for The New York Times, but was careful about what he sent in. “I didn’t feel like these needed to be published. I ended up using a picture of the casket that was more subtle.”

It all figures into his thinking about what should go in his book. “I want to keep making pictures,” he says. “I hate to put stages of grief in the book, but I do think grief turns and twists a little bit and you come back to certain emotions at some point. My wife and I have a baby coming along and maybe that’s a part of the book. I’ve been shooting pictures of her pregnant and pictures of our ultrasounds and things like that.

Maybe it goes in there and maybe it doesn’t, but I’m being open to whatever emotions come up and see if that evolves more.

“I just don’t feel like it’s at a closing point yet, but I’m also interested in going back to archival pictures of me and my dad and our relationship and maybe putting some of that in there too. I’d like to include him in it more as opposed to just my own process of grief.”

The circumstance of his father’s death is a complicating factor. “I don’t know if I’ve quite worked it through myself,” he says. “It’s like a separate thing. There’ve been moments where we meet with police officers and they try and give some hope. They do a good job of managing that. It’s like they try and give you something, but not get you too excited about things. There have been moments where it feels like maybe this could be closed. At the end of the day, we know enough about the person that killed my dad to make our own assumptions about how he got to their place and how this even happened.

I haven’t worked through that entirely.”

THERAPY

C

ofield’s photography has become an avenue of therapy in dealing with his trauma.

“We’re living in a violent city and living in Midtown where we can hear gunshots from our house,” he says.

“I think about that on a daily basis now. And now that we’re raising a son, I feel terrified a little bit. I’m responsible for my kid and this happened to our family and my dad, my own dad, right down the street. There’s a lot of weeds to work through there, you know?”

As art, as therapy, as inspiration, it is making him see things in different ways. “As sad as it is and traumatic, I think there’s been a lot of growth in the way that I think about art,” he says. “I just have opened up and loosened up a little bit and I’m trying to have less and less control over the pictures. My loose goal for 2022 is to just shoot — be shooting on more film and letting things be more vulnerable.”

“As sad as it is and traumatic, I think there’s been a lot of growth in the way that I think about art.”

opposite: Shattered glass in the window of a store in West Memphis, Arkansas. below: Rotten fruit that was forgotten and left in a gift basket.

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H A B I TAT S

I N G C R E A T

A

S A N C T U A R Y

Tate a t i u lds r Laq o w the s e g d bri and n o i t uca of ed ign. s e d or OY interi CC M S RI CH

HS AP LE R G CK O I P OT HN PH JO BY

BY

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Dr. Laquita Tate juggles her responsibilities as director of teaching and learning at New Alcy Elementary School and owner of Laquita Tate Interior Stylings.

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I like to be overly busy,” says

Laquita Tate. By any measure, the Memphis native has lived a full life.

She and her husband, Nathaniel, married young, and have two sons, Trey and Kaleb. “I’ve always loved children,” she says. “And I’ve always loved learning. As a child, I used to play school.”

While raising her two sons, she attended the University of Memphis, earning a degree in education, then continued to pursue advanced degrees even while she was heading her own classrooms.

“The whole time I was teaching, I was also in school,” she says.

She earned her Ph.D. in 2016 and soon after became the principal at Ford Road Elementary

School in South Memphis. “My kids are grown,” she says. “So it’s not like I’m having to tend to them or their school or anything. I ended up having time on my hands, because I’m no longer in school. So I’m like, ‘What else is there?’”

The Tates moved into a new, two-story home in Bartlett in 2005. They watched the neighborhood grow up around them as they raised their children, while Nate built his trucking company.

“I used to scour Pinterest,” says Tate. “I used to get home magazines and just look. I don’t even know if back then I knew interior design was a thing. I just liked how homes looked when people put the right pieces together. I used to tear certain pictures out of magazines, because I was so drawn to what was taking place in those spaces, but I never considered it, outside of it being nice. Because I was so busy with school and trying to raise my family and my career, all of that, I didn’t really focus much on my home. But then once I got out of it, and I saw all these bare walls — I mean, this entire house was beige — I decided to start making changes.”

She started small, with things like repainting a table to bring a little color into an otherwise drab room, and shopping for new art to spruce up a bare wall. She found inspiration on Instagram (@quitaate), and started her own account, posting pictures of her projects and connecting with like-minded people. Her projects grew more elaborate, and she started receiving positive feedback. Then, a friend reached out to ask if she would help revamp her college-age daughter’s bedroom. “I did it for free,” she says, “because I wanted to get the feel and see if it was something I actually liked.”

When that project turned out just as she had envisioned it, Tate decided it was time to get serious.

She reached out to local designer Carmeon Hamilton, creator of the Reno My Rental home design show on Discovery+, who was featured in the October 2021 issue of this magazine. “I met with Carmeon, and I told her what was going on with me, what I was thinking, what I was feeling, and some of the things I had experienced when I was doing people’s homes.”

Tate asked Hamilton if she should try to open an interior design business. “She was like, ‘What are you waiting on? Go on, do it. You got it. Start now.’ I asked, ‘Would you be my mentor?’ I was not taking ‘no’ for an answer. I need my mentor. Because we were friends, she said ‘Absolutely.’

So I started my business [Laquita Tate Styling and Designs] in October 2019.”

top: The black walls of the living room emphasize the colors in the art by Danny Broadway and George Hunt. center: The queen bed is one of the few pieces that remain from the furnishings the Tates bought when they moved into their Bartlett home 17 years ago.

The painting over the bed is by painter and artisan Quellyrue. bottom: Tate’s design sensibility favors simple lines and complex textures.

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H A B I TAT S

above: Tate says this round breakfast nook sold her on the Bartlett house. The green ceiling circle reflects the colors of the plants in the sunny space.

Color and Texture

The Tates’ home reflects its owner’s boundless energy. Like most designers, she uses her space as a place to try out new ideas. “I love art. I love plants. I love natural wood tones,” she says. “And I love textures. Looking at a tile, there’s a pattern there. There’s something you can rub across, and you can feel it — that’s texture. I typically bring that into all of my designs.”

Tate says there was one feature that instantly drew her to her home: A round breakfast nook surrounded by six windows, which allows light to flood into the kitchen and hearth room. “We went to several houses around here, and nobody else had this roundabout,” she recalls. “I saw it and I said, ‘This is my house. This is what I want.’”

Tate kept the colors of the breakfast nook light, except for the ceiling circle, which she painted

a forest green. The area’s shape is echoed in the round glass breakfast table and the radially patterned rug, which defines the dining space. “I like things to stand out,” she says. “I like it to feel like a curated space.”

Above the table is an asymmetrical, Modernist chandelier Tate acquired from her friend, Alvin Wayne, a New York designer and visual curator. “I’ve built this community of interior designers where we talk, we encourage each other, we support each other,” she says.

Tate says she is drawn to mid-century modern-inspired furniture. But where those pieces are usually deployed in a minimalist environment, in Tate’s home, they often serve a more maximalist goal.

In the nearby hearth room, where the Tates like to relax, a pair of red chairs provide pops of color. The leather seats are some of the few pieces that remain from Tate’s original furnishings, and she is very

attached to their lived-in texture. “I like the aging,” she says. “It doesn’t bother me at all, because I don’t like things to look brand-new.”

More texture is provided by the coffee table, which began life as a bench made of woven rope.

“I believe things don’t have to be used in the way they were intended to be used.”

The table rests on a gray rug, similar to the one in the breakfast nook.

“I wanted to ground the space,” she says. “I already had red chairs, so I did not want to overpower that area with a colorful rug.”

While the spaces in the rear of the house use mostly light hues with splashes of dramatic color, the high-ceilinged living room is painted with Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black.

“I love the color black, because everything pops against it,” says Tate.

Texture is paramount in the living room, where the furniture lines are simple — mostly circles and squares — but the patterns are not. The

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round coffee table rests on bronze feet and sports thin, black-andwhite stripes, a pattern echoed in the carpet’s more subtle gray chevrons. “I like a moody space, too,” says Tate.

The ample wall space means lots of room for art. Two large, colorful canvases on opposite sides of the room are from Memphis artist Danny Broadway, while a George Hunt print with a similar palette hangs nearby. A number of small, black-and-white abstracts

by Monica Lewis surround the larger artworks.

Amid all the Tricorn black and vibrant art are natural wood-grain textures, like the dark flooring and lighter wooden chairs. Once again, the lines are simple, but the textures complex. High-set windows flood the room with natural light. top: The hearth room provides the family with a sunny space to relax. The coffee table began life as a bench. “I believe things don’t have to be used in the way they were intended to be used,” says Tate. left: The guest bedroom breaks up the blue with goldhighlighted wallpaper. The art on the wall is by hyperrealist painter Gee Horton.

“Even with the dark wood floors, and black walls, it doesn’t feel dark in here,” says Tate.

The buffet table that greets visitors by the front door is another example of great wood textures. Bold, geometric carvings on the cabinet doors lend a touch of modernism.

“I absolutely fell in love with it when I first saw it, and I had to have it, and now here it is,” Tate says. “I keep things grounded by having a similar, neutral palette; the blacks, the creams, the tans, the browns are all kind of in the same family.”

Turn a corner from the living room and you’ll find a former dining

room Tate has commandeered for a home office. “When we ended up shutting down in March [2020], this is where I lived, right here in this space,” Tate says. “I’m here a lot now in the afternoons and the weekends for my business.”

The room reflects her interests, and material she has gathered for new design projects she has on tap. Michelle Obama’s autobiography shares shelf space with tomes on superstar graffiti artist Banksy.

“I love coffee-table books, so I had to have these picture ledges for space to display books and things I may be working on for my

clients,” Tate says.

When she’s not educating young minds, you can usually find Tate here. “I get up at 4 a.m. every morning and start my design business,” she says. “I take care of things I need to do, whether it’s responding to emails, creating design boards, or making to-do lists of stuff that I might need my assistant to do, or I need to do … I have a very supportive husband who has no problem with me sitting in my office working. You have to have a team that really supports you in the work because there’s no way that you can do it all by yourself.”

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H A B I TAT S

New School

Tate honed her delegation skills

right: The neon sign in the home gym is patterned after a t-shirt Laquita had made when she and Nathaniel started dating. below: Wallpaper maker Milton and King sponsored Tate when she remade this bathroom for a one-room challenge event. The blackon-white accent painting was done by Tate’s design mentor, Carmeon Hamilton.

while in the demanding job of elementary school principal. In 2019, she got a unique opportunity to shape a brand-new learning environment when she was asked to join the leadership team at New Alcy Elementary School. “I was literally there shoveling dirt with the school district for the groundbreaking,” says Tate. “I was there from the beginning to the end.

Even as I was still the principal of Ford Road, we were planning for New Alcy.”

The new school was being built during the first wave of the pandemic, so it had to wait to welcome students. “It’s the second stateof-the-art school in the state of Tennessee,” says Tate. “It’s beautiful. It’s like a college campus. It’s in South Memphis, so it’s a beacon of hope for those kids … I designed the interior, so I managed to marry both of my passions!”

Tate, who has worked on both residential and commercial spaces, was eager to tackle a rare opportunity to create a space conducive to learning. “I knew this was a twenty-first-century school, so I knew it needed nothing but the top of the line. Plus, those kids deserve to enter into a clean building, brand-new, and be able to manipulate the furniture. Kids need to rock, so I got things where they were able to move.

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“If they didn’t want to sit in a seat, “ she continues, “we got these little circle pads with cushions. We have stools that you could rock back and forth on, because people don’t like to just sit still without some kind of movement, especially not kids, and especially not our black and brown kids.

That’s the population I serve in the most needy, highest-poverty areas.

That’s what my passions have always been. I come from that same neighborhood. Some of these kids’ parents were my students.”

Designing Your Future

I thought I’d never go back to

school after I got my Ph.D.,” says Tate. But since she decided to get serious about her interior design business, the educator decided she needed formal training. She is currently working toward her interior design certification at the New York Institute of Art and Design.

“I want to know that I’m an expert.

I know books don’t necessarily make you an expert, but I did want that knowledge of the history of interior design.”

She admits to experiencing imposter syndrome at first, but now she feels that her design work

empowers her — and she hopes that she can help others find the same inner strength by taking control of their own spaces.

“I will say, do what you feel like you need to do for your home,” she says. “Don’t hold back. Thinking about this black room, most people would say, what about resale value?

Blah, blah, blah. This is my home.

I’m living in it now. If somebody else comes in and wants to change it, that’s fine. I’m paying this mortgage, you know? If you’re going to be living in a space for even a limited amount of time, make it yours, because you want to be happy coming home. It’s your sanctuary. I love my house. It is not a place that I’m trying to run away from, it’s a place I’m running to.”

above: During the pandemic, this former dining room was transformed into Tate’s home office, where she coordinated remote learning as principal of Ford Road Elementary. Nowadays, she can be found here most mornings working on clients’ design needs before leaving for New Alcy Elementary School.

For more examples of her work, visit laquitatate.com.

Instagram: @quitatate

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CONSTRUCTION & INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS HAULING, RECYCLING & DISPOSAL

EBOX >>> Seated left to right: Jonalyn Medling, Herb Honeycutt, Amy Carroll, and Norman Brown III, President Standing left to right: Amanda Sanders, Jennie Tummins, Jennie Berrie, Elizabeth Hepler, Glyn Moore, Gina Brown, Loretta Sommer, and Tabitha Nance EBOX is a family-owned business with a mission to provide our customers with the highest quality products and services at competitive prices. EBOX serves the construction, commercial and industrial industries in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and Eastern Arkansas by providing an environmentally

safe solution for construction, demolition and industrial waste created on job sites and at businesses. In addition to our hauling services, EBOX also delivers mulch, soil mix, topsoil, sand and gravel. Our goal is to pursue recycling, LEED projects, and related sustainable enterprises with superior on-time service.

10636 Shelton Road, Collierville, TN 38017 | 901.850.9996 | eboxeplex.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CRIMINAL LAW

THE LAW OFFICE OF MASSEY, MCCLUSKY, MCCLUSKY & FUCHS >>> Seated left to right: Seth Segraves, Jason Ballenger, and Joseph McClusky Standing left to right: Lauren Massey Fuchs, William Massey, Lorna McClusky, and Chris Blodgett We are proud of the strength our defense team brings to the table. When people come to us, not only is someone's freedom being threatened, but their good name as well.

No one wants to be a victim of the criminal justice system. Our firm practices only criminal defense law. We protect and guide people when the government is investigating. We 3074 East Road, Memphis, TN 38128 |

defend people when the government is prosecuting. We work as a team and present a team defense. It’s just stronger that way.

If you are in need of protection and a strong defense, call us. We bring the experience, knowledge and skilled advocacy you will need.

We also bring the heart for the fight. Our clients expect that from us, and so do we.

901.384.4004 | MasseyMcClusky.com

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2/13/22 2:37 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

CYBERSECURITY

PROTECH SERVICES GROUP >>> ProTech Services Group strives to help organizations leverage technology to achieve profitability, growth, and security. Since its inception in 1992, ProTech has created a unique and innovative

combination of services and solutions designed to help clients meet their technology goals and initiatives. With a focus on customer satisfaction, ProTech makes a priority of being a true technology partner to its clients.

3350 Players Club Parkway #120, Memphis, TN 38125 | 901.767.7550 | Psgi.net SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DENTAL IMPLANTS & TMJ TREATMENTS PRADEEP ADATROW, DDS, MSD>>>

Building better and brighter smiles, one mouth at a time.

Dr. Adatrow was a full-time professor and director at the University of Tennessee for 14 years prior to establishing his practice in Southaven, MS. He is the only BoardCertified Dual Specialist (Periodontist and Prosthodontist) in the Southeast.

At his office, you’ll find a dedicated team that provides the ultimate positive dental experience. His patients are more informed and confident in their treatment options due to his vast experience in placing more than 10,000 Dental Implants and helping hundreds of patients suffering with TMJ Disorders and gum diseases.

In addition, the friendly, familial style of his team and office environment welcomes patients back to every appointment with a smile.

ADVANCED DENTAL IMPLANT AND TMJ CENTER 7135 Getwell Road Southaven, MS 38672 advanceddentaltmj.com

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DERMATOLOGY

MEMPHIS DERMATOLOGY CLINIC, P.A. >>> Memphis Dermatology Clinic is celebrating 50 years of serving the Mid-South. We provide complete dermatologic care ranging from diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer, to Mohs Micrographic surgery, to cosmetic procedures. MDC offers two convenient locations for our patients. In addition to our Midtown clinics on Union Avenue, we have a location in East Memphis at 795

Ridge Lake Blvd.

Healthy skin improves your overall health and mindset. Over the last 50 years, our legacy and our goal has been to provide exceptional care to all patients.

For state-of-the-art skincare, cosmetic, and skin cancer treatments, please call 901.726.6655 for an appointment, or visit MemphisDermatology.com for more information.

MIDTOWN: 1451 & 1455 Union Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 EAST MEMPHIS: 795 Ridge Lake Blvd., Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38120 901.726.6655 | MemphisDermatology.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

EBIZ SOLUTIONS >>> Sridhar & Poornima Sunkara

eBiz Solutions was founded in 2005 to guide companies and entrepreneurs to unlock their digital potential through consulting, automation, innovation, technology implementation, and crafting digital experiences. To achieve these goals, eBiz developed DECIDE, a strategic framework that helps companies automate processes in order to build efficiencies

and create joy at the workplace. eBiz specializes in Microsoft's suite of products — Office 365/Teams/SharePoint — Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Salesforce, Mobile Apps, and Low Code No Code platforms. eBiz’s global team has 75 plus employees: strategists, engineers, analysts, and account managers delighting more than 250 customers.

3350 Players Club Parkway, Suite 120, Memphis TN 38125 | 888.732.6778 | thinkebiz.net SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DIVORCE LAW THE RICES >>>

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Going through divorce is difficult.

Rice makes it better.

Larry and Nick Rice lead Rice Law. Larry and Nick are certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as Family Law Trial Advocates, with certification earned by actual trial experience, judicial recommendation, the endorsement of other lawyers, and a rigorous examination. There are 135 certified Family Law Trial Advocates in the United States, and the Rices are the only certified Family Law Trial Advocates representing clients in Memphis.

As authors of The Complete Guide to Divorce Practice, published by the American Bar Association, the Rices are the authority on divorce that other lawyers turn to.

When divorce or a family law crisis happens, the Rices put experience and expertise in your corner.

For information about divorce, visit AboutDivorce.com. To talk to a lawyer about divorce, call 901.526.6701.

2/13/22 2:41 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

DOGGY HOTEL, DAYCARE & SPA BROWNDOG LODGE >>>

Since 2007, BrownDog Lodge has been the premier destination for the pampered pup, offering luxury boarding, grooming, and daycare in an environment designed for fun and safety. Each facility is staffed with trained employees who love your pets as if they were their own. The two pet centers are conveniently located in East Memphis and Germantown, and we also have a veterinary office in Arlington. BrownDog Veterinary is a full-service hospital with the BrownDog name, and with service you know and trust. Visit the vet team at our Arlington location, or let our shuttle service provide a true door-to-door experience for luxury care and comprehensive wellness! Our friendly team of pet-care professionals is waiting to offer your furry family member the very best!

EAST MEMPHIS: 4953 Black Rd. (near Poplar and Mendenhall) l 901.767.1187 GERMANTOWN: 426 S. Germantown Pkwy. (next to Lowe’s) l 901.266.9100 ARLINGTON: 9765 US-64 l 901.382.0330 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

ELDER LAW

THE BAILEY LAW FIRM >>> Olen M. "Mac" Bailey, Jr. We are all getting older. Father Time marches past birthdays, reunions, anniversaries and holidays, setting or re-setting the clock each time. As we age, our concerns and needs change. As an Elder Law Attorney, Mac assists clients with legal issues affecting older Americans in such areas as estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, long-term care planning, Medicaid eligibility, Veterans Benefits and probate.

A member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys since 1996, Mac has been recognized as a Super Lawyer, a Five Star Professional, and one of the Mid-South’s "Top 40 Under 40." Proving that education is not reserved only for the young, Mac earned his Master of Laws in Elder Law in 2015.

Learn more about Mac and Elder Law at TheBaileyLawFirm.com.

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

EMPLOYMENT LAW

THE CRONE LAW FIRM >>> Attorney Alan Crone, Founder

The Crone Law Firm provides tireless, compassionate, and effective counsel for clients facing employment law disputes — any legal situation that impacts our clients' ability to make money, including: • Workplace Harassment and Discrimination • Executive and Employment Contracts • Buy/Sell, Buyout, Nondisclosure and NonCompete Agreements • Compensation Disputes

• Commercial and Business Disputes • Business Partner and Shareholder Disputes • Accident and Injury Cases “We focus on creating solutions that work, so that our clients can work. We aim to restore control and predictability in the lives of employees, executives and entrepreneurs while providing proactive counsel to help avoid costly lawsuits and disputes.”

— Alan G. Crone, Firm Founder

88 Union Avenue, 14th Floor, Memphis, TN 38103 | 901.737.7740 | CroneLawFirmPLC.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:42 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

FINE JEWELRY

BOB RICHARDS JEWELERS >>> Bob, Polly, and Anthony Richards, owners

Turning special moments into special Our sales staff is constantly training on the memories. products we sell, staying educated in this The vision of Rob Richards began in ever-changing market and giving great customer service.

1927 and has now evolved into a thirdgeneration business providing a large We pride ourselves in servicing and selection of fine jewelry and watches. Our selling fine watch brands such as Rolex, 4 in-house watchmakers and 2 jewelers Omega, Tag Heuer, Seiko, and Swiss Army. are here to repair and service your most Our fine jewelry designers include JB Star, precious items.

Simon G, Spark Creations, Vahan, Fope, Our 4 graduate gemologists can help House of Baguettes, Hulchi Belluni, Gabriel, with almost any of your appraisal needs. and even more.

1696 S. Germantown Road, Germantown TN 38138 | 901.751.8052 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

FLORISTRY & FLORAL DESIGN PREMIER FLOWERS >>> Colby Midgett, Owner

Premier Flowers is a contemporary florist which offers sensational floral arrangements and exceptional service matched with quality that matters.

At Premier you get the most from your flower buying experience. Specializing in one-of-a-kind designs catered to your personal style we offer same-day delivery for anniversaries, special occasions, sympathy services, birthdays, and more. Conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Memphis. Delivering locally and to the surrounding areas, including West Memphis! Experience floral design at its best!

10 N. Second Street #105 Memphis, TN 38103 901.618.2661 PremierFlowersTN.com

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2/13/22 2:43 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

FURS

HOLLOWAY FURS >>> Left to right: Linda Reilly, office manager; Jimmie Morris, finisher; Jim Holloway, owner and furrier; Casey Holloway, now on apprenticeship; and Mary (KK) Holloway, monogrammer in East Memphis. Holloway Furs has a Holloway Furs, located at 404 Perkins large inventory with the best prices in Extd., was established in 1992 by master furrier Jim Holloway, after the Memphis area. We accept tradeeight years of apprenticeship with four ins and offer a 12-month layaway different master furriers. Outside of program. All work is done in-house

by Jim Holloway and his staff. Jim sales, we specialize in custom-made also specializes in the manufacturing garments, fur coat enlargements, reductions, and remodeling; all types of beaver and mink blankets/throws. of repairs, monograms, and appraisals; Open six days a week. Come meet Jim, and cold storage and cleaning/glazing. and the friendly staff at Holloway Furs.

We have a newly remodeled cold We appreciate your business. Come see storage and cleaning facility located us at Holloway Furs!

404 Perkins Extended, Memphis, TN 38117 | 901.685.3877 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

GASTROENTEROLOGY

BAPTIST MEDICAL GROUP GI SPECIALISTS FOUNDATION >>> Top row, left to right: James Whatley, MD, Randelon Smith, MD, Gaurav Kistangari, MD, MPH Bottom row, left to right: Edward Friedman, MD, Paul Bierman, MD, and Kenneth Fields, MD COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE: THE ART OF TREATMENT AND CARE Suffering from unpleasant stomach and bowel conditions can be challenging enough, without having to worry about finding a top-quality doctor!

The highly skilled medical professionals at GI Specialists are experts in helping prevent, diagnose and treat everything from heartburn, food allergies and hemorrhoids, to colon and pancreatic cancers.

HIGH QUALITY AND CONVENIENT CARE The physicians and staff focus on each patient’s comfort in the onsite Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation GI Lab. For added convenience, choose from five satellite locations: Brighton, Collierville, Covington, Millington, Marion, and Desoto. Whether you need screening or treatment, our group is passionate about providing excellent care for every patient.

Main Office and GI Lab: 80 Humphreys Center, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38120 901.578.2538 | GISpecialistsMemphis.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

GAMING

SOUTHLAND CASINO RACING >>> David Wolf, President and General Manager David Wolf is the face of gaming at Southland Casino Racing, the area’s fastest growing gaming destination.

As president and general manager, Wolf leads the property that has been a major racing venue for more than 50 years and features live table games, sportsbook betting, the largest slot floor in the market and several restaurants.

Wolf is also overseeing the $250 million expansion of the property which will grow Southland’s gaming offerings to 2,400 slots and as many as 60 live table games. The new 113,000-square-foot casino complex opening this spring will feature 10 new dining options, but the signature component of the expansion is a 21-story, 300-room hotel tower opening this fall. "The views and amenities are going to be beautiful,” Wolf says. On-site parking will be expanded via a new covered parking garage with 1,500 spaces.

Wolf is excited about the future of Southland: “We’ve developed a loyal customer base and can’t wait to see more people discover Southland in the coming years and make it an overnight and weekend tourism destination.”

Must be 21+. Play responsibly; for help quitting call 800.522.4700.

1550 North Ingram Blvd.

West Memphis, AR, 72301 870.735.3670 southlandcasino.com

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

EXCELLENCE IN GIRLS EDUCATION HUTCHISON SCHOOL >>>

Hutchison empowers every girl to find her individual talents. Our focus on each her unique place in the world. From Little girl translates into confident learners who Hive in preschool to 12th grade, a girl are not afraid to take risks. A Hutchison learns that her voice matters, and her girl experiments with new ideas, asks ideas are valued. In a nurturing learning insightful questions, and doesn’t back environment, faculty inspire a girl to down from a challenge. If she can imagine challenge herself academically, to practice it, she can do it. That’s the strength of a compassionate leadership, and to cultivate Hutchison education.

1740 Ridgeway Road, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.762.6672 | HutchisonSchool.org SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:46 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

HAIR COLOR

SAGE+HONEY HAIR CO. >>> Wallis Ashley, owner Wallis Ashley, a Mid-South native and once recognized as the Memphis Flyer's best hairstylist of Memphis, has been in the beauty industry for a total of 14 years.

After working at different salons and barber shops in the city, she discovered her niche and took her passion one step further. Knowing what she wanted out of her business, she assembled a team of talented women who shared the same vision and drive to create a salon that offers a range of color services for clients of any age.

Sage+Honey Hair Co. specializes in extensions and lived-in hair color.

From everyday grey coverage to major color transformations and color corrections, Wallis and her team are the “go-to” girls for ontrend hair color in Memphis.

650 S. Perkins Rd. Memphis, TN 38117 901.907.0822 SageHoneyHairCo.com

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

EXTENSIONS

HOUSE OF AGLAIA SALON >>> House of Aglaia Salon is celebrating nine years of setting the standard high for quality hair services.

Specializing in Hand Tied Extensions, Hair Color, Blonding any color hair or texture; Anti-Aging Treatments, and Special Event Hair.

We love our community, and support other businesses along the way. Ask us about our pop-up braid bars.

Let the AGLAIA GLAM SQUAD make all your hair dreams come true. Call us today.

7503 Queens Ct., Germantown, TN 38138 901.443.5533 | HouseOfAglaiaSalon.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/14/22 4:54 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

HORSESHOE LAKE REAL ESTATE

OUTDOOR PROPERTIES, LLC >>> Joey Burch and Pat Burch, agents

For almost 26 years, Joey & his wife Pat have been selling vacation homes and waterfront lots on Horseshoe Lake.You can count on Joey and Pat to handle your Real Estate transaction in a skillful, confidential and professional manner. Both have a proven track record, having brokered the purchase and sale of hundreds of lakefront properties.

Horseshoe Lake is the secondlargest natural lake in Arkansas and is a short 30-minute drive from Downtown Memphis. The lake offers beautiful sunsets and views, boating, water skiing and a chance to make lasting memories with family and friends. Live life slowly at Horseshoe!

If you're thinking of selling or buying a property at Horseshoe, Joey and Pat can assist you.

FARMLAND — LAKEFRONT HOMES — HUNTING PROPERTIES — COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES JOEY BURCH 501.454.1782 PAT BURCH 901.490.4841 OutdoorProperties.com

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2/14/22 4:55 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

GANT SYSTEMS >>> Left to right: Nick Gant, Christine Gant, Tasha Livingston, and Justin Weatherly Helping you succeed by simplifying your IT. MEMPHIS: 901.881.5087 | NASHVILLE: 615.647.9145 | GantSystems.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 2:47 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

INSURANCE & SURETY

CLAY & LAND INSURANCE, INC. >>> Left to right: Mike Henry, Jan Bounds, and Todd Dyson Clay and Land is one of the largest locally-owned insurance agencies in the Mid-South. The agency represents more than 200 insurance carriers specializing in commercial, personal, surety bonds, and employee benefits. With more than 866 Ridgeway Loop Road, Memphis, TN

75 employees, Clay and Land brings a diverse and dedicated group of individuals that work together to bring expertise and unsurpassed customer service to the marketplace. Located in East Memphis (Ridgeway Center), licensed in 48 states.

38120 | 901.767.3600 | ClayandLand.com

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

KITCHEN & BATH MINIMAX KITCHEN & BATH >>>

Beginning to End. Floor to Ceiling. Our DESIGN+BUILD process ensures a smooth transition from your kitchen or bath of today to your plans for the future. MINIMAX Kitchen and Bath has been a leading kitchen & bath dealer, fabricator and manufacturer in the Memphis area for 33 years.

New or remodel, residential or commercial, MINIMAX Kitchen & Bath offers everything you need from design through installation.

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FACES OF THE

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FACES OF THE

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2/13/22 2:50 PM

INSIDE BLACK LODGE How Memphis’ last video store became a cultural landmark

BY CHRIS MCCOY

N

ear the fictional town of Twin Peaks is a spot where the veil between worlds grows thin.

Native Americans called this place the Black Lodge, and marked it with the symbol of an owl as a warning to unwary travelers.

In 1997, roommates Matt Martin and Bryan Hogue were watching David Lynch’s groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks, which had just been released on videocassette. Their Columbia, Missouri, apartment was stuffed with VHS tapes.

“We literally needed an extra bedroom wherever we lived just to hold movies,” Martin says.

This was the era of the video store, when every town had places to rent VHS tapes of the latest Hollywood releases. Easy access to thousands of titles from all eras of film history revolutionized cinema culture. “I was watching 15, 20 movies a week,” he says.

Columbia had only two video stores, he continues. “One was called Ninth Street Video. It specialized in art house and world cinema. Famous directors’ films were grouped together. It really opened me up to a universe of cinema that I didn’t know existed. A few blocks away was another place called Big Lizard Video that specialized in cult movies, drive-in trash cinema, exploitation movies, and weird subgenres.”

Martin had recently graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and psychology. “You know, this is a college town. Now that I’m done with that, where should we go?” he recalls asking Hogue. “And he was like, ‘We definitely should go somewhere with good video stores.’”

They hatched the idea to return to Memphis, where they had grown up, and

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become the change they wanted to see. “We knew an average Blockbuster Video had about 2,500 to 3,000 individual movies. I thought we could get close to that number.”

The friends brainstormed names for a new establishment that would combine the artsy aesthetics and cult film sensibilities of their two favorite video stores into a single, curated collection. “We went through a lot of iterations,” says Martin. “I think there was Dark Corner Video, but Bryan thought that sounded too much like a porn shop.”

Hogue suggested Black Lodge Video. “We fell in love with the idea of this alternate dimension infecting a town with weirdness,” says Martin. “That’s what we’re trying to do with the video store — bring this dark little weird thing into Memphis.”

TOP PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BLACK LODGE, BOTTOM PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS MCCOY

2/11/22 11:02 AM

B

COM I NG ATTRACTI O N S

efore Craig Brewer became the acclaimed director of Hustle & Flow and Coming 2 America, he worked at Barnes & Noble bookstore.

“There was a Suncoast Video at Hickory Ridge Mall, and Matt and Bryan worked there,” says Brewer. “That’s where I ordered cooler movies than you could find at Blockbuster. That’s when I got to know those two guys.

They always talked about how they wanted to open up their own video store called Black Lodge. And I said I always wanted to make an indie movie. I remember when Black Lodge finally went up in Midtown — it was right around the time I finished The Poor & Hungry.

That was the only place in town where you could rent my movie, and it probably still is.”

After years of scrimping and saving, Martin and Hogue found a house on Cooper whose landlord would work with them. Black Lodge Video opened in October 2000. “We were thinking, let’s just plug it in,” says Martin, “and see if we can go six months.”

El Dorado Del Ray was home between tours with his band the Porch Ghouls when he saw “a little bitty ad

opposite page, top: A fire eater performs at the original store on South Cooper. bottom: When Black Lodge opened in 2000, there were 900 VHS tapes available. Today, the store offers 32,000 DVDs and Blu-rays.

on the back page of the [Memphis] Flyer that said something to the effect of ‘cult, horror, and sci-fi movies.’”

He was Black Lodge’s first customer. When he came in, “he looked around and said, ‘So it’s like a video store?’ says Martin. “And I said, ‘Yeah, it’s just more obscure stuff.’ He was like, ‘Oh, I can tell we’re going to be friends.’ To this day, he is still renting from us.”

“They were building shelves,” says Del Ray. “I remember Bryan was sitting on the floor … We talked a little bit about movies and stuff. I asked if they were going to have DVDs, and they said, ‘Not really.’ They had been building a VHS collection since the ’80s.”

“I think the original number was 900 tapes and 100 DVDs,” says Martin. “A hundred DVDs was a big deal back then! One of the reasons we met some early suc-

above: Matt Martin at the front desk of the original Black Lodge, circa 2013.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LAURA JEAN HOCKING

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cess was just timing. There’s this moment where videotape was giving way to DVD. It was that late surge, where people were renting both, that gave us enough money to build up the collection. I’ll never forget the panic I felt, because by the time DVD came along, we had so much invested in VHS. I had a similar panic when Blu-ray showed up years later.”

Another factor that helped attract customers in the early days was a lack of late fees. “It just seemed like a big hassle that we were trying to step away from,” says Martin. “Companies like Blockbuster were making more money on late fees than they were on movie rentals.”

As stores like Midtown Video closed, Martin and Hogue bought their catalogs. Today, with more than 32,000 titles, Black Lodge has one of the largest film collections in the United States.

W

ACT O N E

e tended to draw the weirdos out of the woodwork, we being weirdos ourselves,” says Martin.

“I started renting a couple of months after they opened. I think I was one of the first hundred,” says Barrett Rowan Argo. “[Matt] was a fascinating person.

I loved talking to him about film.”

The Indie Memphis Film Festival and the nearby “I said I always wanted to Digital Media Co-Op were make an indie movie. I rememcreating a new generation of cinephiles. “It was ber when Black Lodge finally thrilling for us, because all went up in Midtown — it was these filmmakers started to right around the time I finished descend on the place,” says The Poor & Hungry. That was Martin. the only place in town where “Over my career, it became a process,” says Craig you could rent my movie, and it Brewer. “I would go over to probably still is.”

Lodge, sit at the desk, and — Craig Brewer DIRECTOR tell them about the movie I was working on. Then I was put on a diet. Matt would walk around the store and say, you need to watch this movie, you need to watch that movie. It wasn’t always apples to apples. When I said, ‘I think I’m going to do a remake of Footloose, but I’d like to actually deal with the loss of Ariel’s brother,’ they gave me Ordinary People. You don’t usually associate that one with teens dancing.”

With movies from the collection constantly playing on a salvaged TV, customers were always hanging out on the store’s threadbare couches. “It kind of opened me up, I think, living amongst a bunch of artistic people who were driven to either write or make music,” says Argo.

“It was definitely a hangout place, and I loved it,” says Del Ray. Musicians started asking to play upstairs, a former recording studio that was small but acoustically perfect. “I remember asking Hogue, ‘Are we qualified to throw shows?’” says Martin. “He said, ‘I don’t care, I just want some music up in here.’”

Soon, touring acts were joining the locals in the Black M A R C H 2 0 2 2 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • 89

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Lodge Microdome. “I remember Mastodon played, then four years later, I was at Bonnaroo, and they were on this mega stage in front of 10,000 people.

I thought, ‘You guys were in my attic!’”

Being a Midtown hangout spot has its disadvantages. “Every Sunday night, people would still be hanging,” says Martin. To drive off the stragglers, he would play the worst films in the collection. “If you’re going to hang all the way to close, this is what you get.”

The plan backfired. “About 10 o’clock Sunday night,” he says, “you’d start to see people bleeding in. They’re in pajamas. They’ve got a six pack of beer and a pizza.

They plop down with some blankets. By closing time, the floor was full of people, corner to corner, who had come just for that.”

B

believed we were a hub for sex workers. That was not true either. They thought we were Satanists, and — this was my favorite — we had killed people over late movies. How is that even possible?”

On the weekends, fire breathers and acrobats stalked the lawn, as the festivities spread beyond the walls of the tiny house. “There would be these out-of-control parties, and the cops would show up, and they would just drink a beer with everybody,” says Del Ray. “Maybe they realized we weren’t doing any harm. We were just having a good time,” says Argo. “And they liked renting from us, too.”

Among those who gravitated to the Lodge orbit were tech-savvy hackers who introduced Martin to social media. “I was asking, ‘How long until people can push a button on their computer and a movie starts?’ We call it streaming now, but we had no word for it then.

‘Because when that happens, video stores everywhere will meet their end.’ They said, ‘You’ve got four or five years.’ And we did.”

ACT TWO

y the time we hit 2008, [Black Lodge] had taken on a new life,” says Martin. “It developed a mystique. We used to have, above the door, an old Masonic phrase: ‘Not a secret society, but a society with secrets.’”

B

The owl symbol from Twin Peaks was adopted as a logo, and after Martin and Hogue got tattoos, many others followed suit. “I can say every body part humans have has been tattooed with a Black Lodge owl.”

The little video store had become the hub for a found family. “I think my first party was the masquerade ball that they used to do in July,” recalls Ash ‘Hardware’ Tierney. “I felt like the belle of the ball, because everybody had mohawks, and we were all complimenting each other’s tattoos. For the first time in my life, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m home. I found my island of misfit toys.”

As word spread, so did the stories. “We would hear rumors that we were a cult, with dogma and weird rituals,” says Martin. “We read that it was a front for a porn operation. That did not happen. A lot of people 90 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • M A R C H 2 0 2 2

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top: Craig Brewer and Matt Martin at the 2015 Black Lodge Heaven and Hell Halloween Ball. above: Black Lodge reopened in 2019 at 409 S. Cleveland. It is one of a handful of video stores remaining in the U.S.

I NTERM I SSI O N

y year 10, the place looked like a haunted house,” says Martin. “There were cobwebs in every corner, and every shelf was graffitied. It had become this weird museum, like a curio shop that also had movies.”

Netflix and Redbox had taken over home video, and even as the events got bigger, the core busiWith movies from the collecness was drying up. “I tion constantly playing on a went to Bryan and said, salvaged TV, customers were ‘We should find a new always hanging out on the home that has a stage, store’s threadbare couches. one where we can actually screen stuff.’ We didn’t feel like old dogs, but we certainly were smart enough to know we’re going to have to change.”

After 14 years, Hogue was done. “He had just burned out,” says Martin, “especially when we talked about how the new Lodge wouldn’t be as much about renting movies. We were about to become even more of a social business.”

In 2014, Black Lodge scheduled six months of live music, DJs, parties, and club nights to say goodbye to the old store. Del Ray, who appeared a few weeks before the end, says it was “one of my top-ten favorite shows that I ever played, just because of the atmosphere of it.”

After a final blowout in December, Martin started the long process of packing up the store. “I was lucky enough to have already met Ash, who would become my partner. She asked, ‘How long do you think it will take before we get a place?’ Oh, six months, tops. Turns out, I was startlingly naive about the Memphis commercial real estate market.”

Instead, it was four years of missteps, shakeups, and false starts before Black Lodge returned. Martin recruited a new team of owners who shared his vision.

“The whole point was to have more to do,” he says.

“I don’t drink alcohol, so going to bars is not much fun for me, because there’s nothing to do.”

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS MCCOY

2/11/22 11:02 AM

A membership in the new Black Lodge would not only come with unlimited access to 32,000 films, but also an impressive collection of computer and board games. Argo and her company, Klaymental, provided the state-of-the-art sound, light, and video projection system.

As the exile dragged on, the whole project teetered on the edge of oblivion. Martin held it together by sheer force of will. He kept the brand alive with the Time Warp Drive-In, a monthly film series Black Lodge produces with filmmaker Mike McCarthy and Malco Theaters, and blowout Halloween parties, co-hosted by Craig Brewer. “Matt once said he’s a carnival barker,” says Argo. “He’s good at getting people interested and keeping them excited.”

Finally, Brewer introduced Martin to Crosstown Arts founder Chris Miner, who wanted to talk about locating Black Lodge in one of the properties his foundation owned near Crosstown Concourse. “I sat down with him the first time and he said, ‘Everyone knows what Black Lodge means to Memphis.’”

T

TH E SEQU EL

he 10,000-square-foot space at 405 N. Cleveland was in sad shape. “The roof was literally caving in,” Martin says. “We ran into every problem you can humanly imagine.”

After spending a year renovating, Black Lodge officially reopened in September 2019. “There was a huge New Year’s Eve with Lord T. and Eloise with about 800 people. We had gotten to that point where shows were booking, people were loving it. There’s no stopping us now! And then, there was stopping us now.”

By March 2020, the partners had saved enough money to build a new kitchen. “It was Ash’s birthday, and we planned a party. The next night was going to be a goth night called Dystopia. I’ll never forget, it was no different than when old Lodge was open during 9/11. People just started showing up, saying, ‘Have you seen the news? Something’s breaking out, PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BLACK LODGE

088_MM03_2022_BlackLodge_v04.indd 91

above: Black Lodge has hosted all kinds of music, film premieres, drag shows, and even wrestling matches.

Here, a band performs in the front room at the original location.

some sort of viral contagion.”

All shows were canceled, and the store closed indefinitely. “We started getting calls, texts, and messages on social media: ‘Please tell me y’all are going to at least open the video store in some way.’ We reached out to our members and said, ‘We are renting movies in the parking lot. No one can enter the building. If you want to freeze your membership now and not pay the monthly fee, you can.’ No one — not one person — canceled their membership.”

Black Lodge’s movie library provided a lifeline of entertainment during the On the weekend of March 19pandemic. Crosstown Arts 21, 2021, 18 bands, along with sold the building to a new investment group, who re- stand-up comics, variety show negotiated the rental agree- segments, and a selection of ment. “By January 2021, made-in-Memphis short films, vaccine rollout had begun, streamed from the Black Lodge but was slow,” says Martin. website. The telethon raised “It had reached the point more than $25,000. where we weren’t sure we could afford to stay around, even with reduced rent.”

Money intended for the kitchen instead went to keeping the lights on. “That’s when, for the second time, the generosity of our city came forward,” he says. “I was approached by an incredible artist and producer named Sarah Mosley, who had worked with Goner Records for their Goner TV streaming shows. She said, ‘What do you think about a telethon to raise money, to save Lodge?’ I wouldn’t even begin to know how to do that. She said, ‘Well, here’s the thing. I’ve already designed it.’”

On the weekend of March 19-21, 2021, 18 bands, along with stand-up comics, variety show segments, and a selection of made-in-Memphis short films, streamed from the Black Lodge website. The telethon raised more than $25,000.

“It was one of the most amazing moments in my life,” says Martin. “I had to sit down with Ash and just cry for a little while.”

Black Lodge’s troubles weren’t over. Later that year, co-founder Bryan Hogue died after experiencing years of health problems. After fully reopening for the summer of 2021, Delta and Omicron waves forced more cancellations, closures, and anxiety. But the Lodge abides, as it always has. The new year brought with it a new kitchen at last.

Now, what started out as two film nerds’ dream has become a Memphis institution. Black Lodge has played host to everything from drag shows to wrestling matches. People still gather to make fun of the worst movies in the collection, and to experience classics on the big screens. Instead of a cramped attic, musicians now have a state-of-the-art sound system and one of the biggest stages in Memphis. Martin says the years in exile, and the support they received during the pandemic, have been both humbling and inspiring.

“It just proved to me, once again, this is a town full of good people who love art,” he says, “who are willing to sacrifice a lot to keep it thriving so it can be there for that next wave of young people.”

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R OA D

T R I P

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY EXPLORE ST. LOUIS

2/3/22 9:59 AM

A weekend in St. Louis will have you falling in love with another great river town.

BY FR A NK MURTAUG H

T

his tr av elo gue r equir es a disclosure of sorts. I’m a third-generation fan

of the St. Louis Cardinals, with a fourth generation (my daughter, Elena) currently a sophomore at Saint Louis University. The fabled Gateway to the West has been a “sister city” of mine since long before I moved to Memphis from New England in 1991. But the connection between “The Lou” and the Bluff City — our mighty Mississippi River — is substantial and, by some measures, eternal. Can St. Louis be captured in a single weekend? Of course not. But it can be embraced enough to form an imprint.

What follows is a weekend on the other side of the river, in the shadow of that magnificent Arch. Use it as a beginner’s guide, or a reminder of what drew you to St. Louis the first time.

A statue of rock-and-roll legend Chuck Berry struts proudly in the Delmar Loop entertainment district.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES KIRKIKIS / DREAMSTIME

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T R I P

above: The St. Louis Cardinals have won two World Series (2006 and 2011) since moving into their current home, Busch Stadium, 16 years ago. right: A statue of Cardinals legend Stan “The Man” Musial greets fans on the west side of Busch Stadium.

A

s far as 280-mile drives go, the stretch of I-55 from Memphis to St. Louis couldn’t be easier. And you’ll find a jewel along the way — at precisely the midpoint of the trip — in Sikeston, Missouri. Lambert’s Café is renowned for its generous portions of country cooking and sweet tea served in half-gallon mugs. But the restaurant has become a destination in itself for “throwed rolls.” Yes, servers — skilled in both pitching dough and making the requisite eye contact with a customer seated 20 or 30 feet away — sling hot bread. If caught gingerly, the muffin-shaped treasure can then be buttered or layered with sorghum for what amounts to a preliminary meal. Lambert’s makes for a distinctive “halftime” to your drive north (and you’ll eat lightly for dinner). Pro tip: Be prepared for a line, as Lambert’s

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doesn’t accept reservations.

I generally start a St. Louis weekend downtown at Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals, the current ballpark having opened in 2006 (just in time for

the franchise’s 10th championship season). An entire city block north of the stadium has grown into Ballpark Village, a collection of bars, restaurants, and retail shops that make attending a ballgame far more than peanuts and Cracker Jack. A must-see is the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, located on the second floor (above Cardinals Nation Restaurant and Bar). You’ll need a ticket to stroll through the galleries — each of the Cardinals’ 11 World Series champions has a floor-toceiling display case — but you can gaze at the plaques of former players inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame at no cost.

Should the Cardinals be out of town, or if you visit during the off-season, the statuary just outside the Busch Stadium team store is made for photo-ops.

Nine Cardinal Hall of Famers have received the bronze treat-

TOP PHOTOGRAPH BY FFOOTER / DREAMSTIME; INSET BY FRANK MURTAUGH

2/3/22 9:59 AM

ment — Stan Musial has two monuments — and you’ll also see a statue of Cool Papa Bell, the Negro Leagues legend who called St. Louis home. (For fall and winter visits, the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues play in Enterprise Center, merely a half-mile west of Busch Stadium. The franchise won its first Stanley Cup in 2019.)

So the Cardinals win (of course). How to celebrate into the witching hours? Greater St. Louis has three casinos where the tables and slots never sleep: River City Casino and Lumiere Place downtown, and Hollywood in Maryland Heights, a half-hour west of downtown on I-70.

The Gateway Arch is a fun way to begin a Saturday in St. Louis. Among the most recognized city landmarks in the world, the Arch rises 630 feet above downtown St. Louis, on the banks of the Mississippi River. If you have the stomach for it, you can ride a tram to the top … and admire not only the view for miles, but the engineering marvel that is the Arch. Below “the big wicket” is a museum devoted to American exploration and the profound influence of Native Americans on the Midwest and beyond.

Anheuser-Busch has been brewing and bottling “the King of Beers” for 170 years, and a tour of the plant (just south of downtown St. Louis) is a singular experience, with the free samples to PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY EXPLORE ST. LOUIS

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end your tour merely a tasty bonus. Those not yet 21 will still enjoy the sight of a beechwood-aging tank. Chilled and packing more than 3,500 barrels of beer, each tank helps produce “a taste, a smoothness, and a drinkability you will find in no other beer.” Or so they tell me. Best of all, you get to visit actual Clydesdales on the tour. They’re treated like royalty, of course, so look but don’t pet.

Even if you put in two hours

on the brewery tour, you should have enough Saturday left to visit the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park (seven miles west of the river). Overlooking the gorgeous Grand Basin (a manmade body of water with fountains) the museum is home to an astounding 34,000 objects and covers more than 5,000 years of history. Whether it’s sculpture from the Italian Renaissance or African-American paintings

above left: Anheuser-Busch has been brewing “the King of Beers” in St. Louis for 170 years. below: The St. Louis Art Museum, in gorgeous Forest Park, is home to 34,000 objects representing several eras of world history.

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from the twentieth century, the museum gently takes your breath away in expansive galleries. Around one corner, Mary Cassatt.

Down another hallway, Vincent van Gogh.

It’s high-culture candy.

F

DO GOOD. BETTER.

or dinner in St. Louis, visitors can choose from a menu of eclectic eating districts. I like Saturday night on The Hill, the Italian neighborhood a couple of miles south of Forest Park.

Again, expect some wait time — Italian food, you see, is popular worldwide — but a stroll around the homes and dining establishments is the right kind of time-killer. You can f ind Yogi Berra’s childhood home at 5447 Elizabeth Av-

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Every

HERO needs a

mentor, every mentor needs a GUIDE. memphisparent.com

Grant’s Farm is a family-friendly destination and home to the famous Budweiser Clydesdales. enue. The legendary New York Yankee surely uttered his f irst nonsensical quip on these streets. (“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”) The home’s current occupants seem receptive to cars slowing down, and pedestrians stopping for a smile and wave.

Choices are abundant on The Hill, but I’ve developed an attachment to Mama’s (2132 Edwards). You’ll dine in a small house that feels like a café in rural Italy, with a wine list so deep the menu helps you select a pairing for your meal. My most recent indulgence: the baked lasagna … “countless layers of noodles, ‘Hill’ Italian sausage, four varieties of cheese, and Mama’s marinara sauce.” Oh, and it pairs well with Ruffino Ducale.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY EXPLORE ST. LOUIS

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et Sunday be for the kids (or the kid in you). The Cardinals typically play a matinee to end the weekend, so if you didn’t attend the game Friday night (as I always do), head to Busch Stadium and watch baseball the way it was meant to be played, with natural shadows.

There’s a jewel of a neighborhood — Lafayette Square — southwest of downtown, centered by Lafayette Park (said to be the oldest park west of the Mississippi River). It’s the perfect place for a Sunday morning stroll among Victorian townhouses, a stroll that could (no, should) lead you to Polite Society (1923 Park Avenue) for brunch. Hockey royalty — Wayne Gretzky — has been spotted there, perhaps in search of the shrimp and grits. Honestly, you can’t go wrong in this charming gathering place, and that goes for lunch and dinner, too.

If not baseball, the challenge of your Sunday afternoon in St. Louis will be deciding what can wait until the next visit. For kids under the age of 10, the Magic House (516 S. Kirkwood) is as colorful and fun as it sounds. Classified as a children’s museum, it’s really a multi-f loor playhouse, packed with interactive exhibits to spark a child’s curiosity and creativity. Why, exactly, can we see ourselves in a mirror? That’s right … it’s a kind of magic.

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SELLING FINE MEMPHIS HOMES FOR 25 YEARS! The City Museum is a multi-story downtown adventure, one built and designed entirely with repurposed material.

The City Museum (750 N. 16th Street) takes the adventuring up a notch. Housed in a century-old warehouse and built with repurposed steel, wood, and concrete, you can climb, tunnel, slide, and leap to your heart’s content. This place has a school bus on its roof. Not unlike that trip up and into the Arch, one marvels at the engineers behind PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY EXPLORE ST. LOUIS

092_MM03_2022_Travel_StLouis_v06.indd 97

CALL SALLY NOW FOR A COMPLIMENTARY MARKET ANALYSIS OF YOUR HOME!

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HELP Empower Deaf Children to Listen, Learn, and Talk.

HELP Empower Deaf Children to Listen, Learn, and Talk.

such an elaborate-yet-safe discovery zone.

If the weather’s nice, you could f lip a coin between a visit to Grant’s Farm and the St. Louis Zoo. The former was originally occupied by Ulysses S. Grant but has long been the property of the Busch family. Home to buffalo, peacocks, and hungry little goats, the farm offers a variety of tours (on foot or via bus). It’s also home to the Budweiser Clydesdales, at least those not currently on duty at the brewery on the other side of town. The zoo offers a larger variety of animals (500 species) and, in case your weekend budget tightens, charges no admission fee.

You’ll find the St. Louis Aquarium and a massive Ferris wheel at Union Station. But please leave time before you hit the highway south for a stop at Ted Drewes Frozen

HELP

Empower Deaf Children to Listen, Learn, and Talk.

HELP

GIVE A CHILD THE GIFT OF SOUND Empower Deaf Children to Listen, Learn, and Talk.

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AGENTS OF EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTER

901.682.1868 98 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • M A R C H 2 0 2 2

The Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum shares treasures and tales from the franchise’s rich history, including its ties to Memphis.

Custard (open seasonally). The specialty is a “concrete,” a shake mixed so thickly that it’s served upside down. And get this: They have a f lavor called Cardinal Sin (tart cherries and hot fudge). You’ll be well south of the city before your travel companions finish these treats.

Upon your return to Memphis, you’re bound to feel an inversion of homesickness.

Let’s call it “birdsickness.” Not to worry.

The Cardinals’ top minor-league affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, have played in Downtown’s AutoZone Park for more than two decades. So get back to the ballpark.

The game’s just as lovely on this side of the Mighty Miss.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK MURTAUGH

GIVE A CHILD THE GIFT OF SOUND

www.mosdkids.org

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festival sponsored by

THE CITY MAGAZINE

u • F ood • A R T R T• A M

ART

R A c• i s

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April 29 - May 1

On Ridgeway Loop Road

Fr 1p-6p • Sa 10a-6p • Su 11a-4p

www.artintheloop.org presented by ArtWorks Foundation www.ArtWorks.Foundation

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

MEN'S GROOMING

1776 MEN'S GROOMING PARLOR >>> Left to right: Caitlin Williams — managing partner; Chris Farrar & Gina Kay — co-owners

Where old meets new. Modern cuts and straight razor shaves with an old-school vibe.

1016 S. Yates Road, Memphis, TN 38119 | 563 West Poplar, Collierville, TN 38017 126 W. Pleasant Ave., Covington, TN 38019 | 1776MensGroomingParlor.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

MOBILE BARS

THE PEAR MARTINI — MOBILE BAR (TENDING) >>> Michael and Charese Feliciano, owners The Pear Martini launched its adaptable bar service(s) company in 2020, just before the pandemic hit. An experienced bartender and certified mixologist, owner Charese Feliciano wanted to bring an on-location, immersive, and professional bar experience to clients. Voted The Knot’s “Best of Weddings 2022,” their company is quickly becoming one to watch. From classics like the Old Fashioned to custom creations, they have you covered. Book The Pear Martini for your next corporate gathering, holiday party, wedding, or private event.

901.289.4441 ThePearMartini.com

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FACES OF THE

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MONUMENT

HONEST MONUMENT COMPANY >>> Left to right: Brandi Hillman-McKinney, Earnest Hillman Jr., and Earnest Hillman III Honest Monument Company has been serving the Memphis Metropolitan area and its surrounding counties for more than 30 years. Focusing on quality craftsmanship and customer satisfaction, we strive to serve with integrity, quality, and sensitivity. Our trained staff can help you with planning, designing, and memorializing the life of your loved one.

Although cemetery memorials are our 2040 Hernando Road, Memphis, TN 38106

primary focus, our product offerings also include cornerstones, commemorative plaques, brick fundraisers, commercial signage, civic monuments, cremation urns, cemetery inscriptions, and monument cleanings.

Thank You Memphis and its surrounding counties for your support, and I hope it continues for generations forthcoming.

Build A Monument To Life….. | 901.774.7400 | HonestMonumentCo.com

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

MORTGAGE LENDING

LUDY CALLAWAY — THE MORTGAGE LADY >>> “Low Inventory. Rising Costs. Higher Interest Rates. I’ve been here before! I can lead you through this volatile housing market and get you prepared to act quickly when you find the home you want. If you’re not prepared — you’ll lose that home to someone who is!”

As Branch Manager of Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group, Ludy can get you ready to act. A mortgage pre-qualification is often as easy as a 10-minute phone call. And that can make the difference in winning and losing the contract.

Make the call as soon as you start thinking about buying a home. Make that difference happen!

901.494.4400 Ludy@GoldStarFinancial.com NMLS #267872

NMLS #3446 SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

NAILS

NAIL BAR & CO. >>> Kristina Connell

Creating beautiful, unique nails has could catch up, or even make new always been my passion. Nail Bar & friends over a glass of wine.

Co. is my family-owned and operated Voted "Best of Memphis" in the salon established in 2000. My vision Memphis Flyer for 13 years running, we pride ourselves in staying up to was to create a relaxing atmosphere where customers could come to date with the latest nail trends and escape their busy lives, and just for a styles. We look forward to meeting moment, it's all about them. you at one of our three locations to We created a full self-care social enjoy the experience that is Nail Bar experience: a place where old friends & Co. SADDLE CREEK: 7615 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 31, Germantown, TN 38138 HARBOR TOWN: 117 Harbor Town Square, Memphis, TN 38103 OXFORD: 107 N. 13th Street, Oxford, MS 38655 NailBarAnd.co | @NailBarAndCo SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

NEPHROLOGY MINESH PATHAK, MD >>>

Kidney disease is an often unrecognized, silent disease caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes. The diagnosis and treatment of kidney-related diseases requires an in-depth evaluation of various risk factors. Obesity, vascular abnormalities, autoimmune diseases, and kidney stones have been linked to renal failure. Dr. Pathak is a board-certified Nephrologist and member of The American Society of Nephrology and The National Kidney Foundation. He provides compassionate care with the highest-quality treatment of kidney disease. His goal is to provide early, preventive education along with diagnosis and relevant treatments of specific conditions to lessen the risk of progression to kidney failure and to improve a patient's quality of life.

Dr. Pathak takes great interest in understanding the needs of his patients and providing them with quality care with the least invasive treatment.

6025 Walnut Grove Road, Ste. 400 Memphis, TN 38120 901.382.5256

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

OB-GYN

MIDSOUTH OB-GYN >>> Front row: Faith Price MD, Candace D. Hinote MD, Judi L. Carney MD, Robin M. Taylor MD, and Dominique Butawan-Ali MD Back row: Paul D. Neblett MD, Mary Katherine Johnson MD, and Thomas D. Greenwell MD MidSouth OB/GYN provides comprehensive complimentary 3D/4D ultrasound. gynecological and obstetrical care for women The physicians of MidSouth OB/GYN of all ages. Some of our services include have received award recognition from yearly wellness exams, fertility management, Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women for their leadership roles. They have also been weight loss solutions, contraceptive counseling, management of uterine fibroids, recognized for excellence in clinical teaching office procedures and a myriad of options from the University of Tennessee and are for managing the symptoms of menopause. certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Our physicians also perform minimally At MidSouth we do not believe in a one invasive procedures including laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and robotic surgery. We deliver size fits all approach to women’s health; we treat each patient with personalized plans, our obstetrical patients at Baptist Women’s Hospital and Methodist Germantown courtesy and compassion. We look forward Hospital. All expectant mothers receive a to helping you maximize your health.

6215 Humphreys Blvd., Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38120 | 901.747.1200 | MidSouthOBGYN.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

ORIENTAL RUGS TAGHAVI ORIENTAL RUGS >>>

At Taghavi's Oriental Rugs, we take great pride in our 60+ years in business and the type of services we offer, including sales, hand cleaning, reweaving, color-run restoration, moth-damage repair, stain and odor removal, disinfecting all viruses, and much more! With every customer, we are guided by our core values: integrity, experience, excellence, and professionalism. We have not only the largest stock in new and antique rugs, but also the best cleaning and restoration method in the country. We have built our reputation for more than 60 years, not on false promises, but integrity and excellence.

3554 Park Avenue Memphis, TN 38111 901.327.5033 TaghaviRugs.com

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

ORTHODONTICS

MEMPHIS ORTHODONTIC SPECIALISTS >>> Dr. Scott Werner and Dr. Stanley Werner

Celebrating more than 75 years of patient’s life, improving health and selfcombined orthodontic experience, Dr. esteem with traditional appliances or Scott Werner and Dr. Stanley Werner Invisalign. Dr. Scott and Dr. Stanley have have offices in Memphis, Munford, and been included in the annual Memphis Collierville. They have cared for numerous Top Dentists awards every year since its generations of families, specializing in inception, achieved status as Diplomats of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics the American Board of Orthodontics, and for children and adults. Both understand are members of the American Association how a beautiful smile can change a of Orthodontists.

6425 Quail Hollow Road, Suite 201, Memphis, TN 38120 | 901.767.5415 843 South Tipton Road, Suite A, Munford, TN 38058 | 901.837.7708 2002 Houston Levee Road, Collierville, TN 38017 | 901.854.6493 WernerOrthodontics.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

PAIN MANAGEMENT

MAYS & SCHNAPP NEUROSPINE AND PAIN >>> Left to right: Matthew D. Kangas, MD, Moacir Schnapp, MD, and Cody Scarbrough, MD There simply is no other place like Mays & Established for over 25 years, it has long been known that Mays & Schnapp Neurospine and Pain Schnapp within 500 miles, where at its CARFhas been the trusted practice for chronic pain in accredited facility, patient treatments are unique to the individual and may include interventional the Mid-South. In fact, Dr. Moacir Schnapp was a pioneer in the field, and the medical practice treatments such as nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, and joint injections, as well as restorative continues to be a leader in pain management. In 2020, Mays & Schnapp further cemented its place therapies like physical therapy and behavioral at the top of this class by being chosen as one of therapies. two independent practices in the country to offer You can be sure, when the problem is pain, the first FDA-approved temporary peripheral Mays & Schnapp is the place that can help. nerve stimulator to help ease chronic pain.

Mays & Schnapp treats a wide variety of painPatients choose Mays & Schnapp because related conditions including back and neck pain, arm and leg pain, arthritis, sciatica, shingles, they are treated by physicians with decades of peripheral neuropathy from diabetes, multiple experience, including board certifications in pain management. Our specialized team treats each sclerosis, complex regional pain syndrome, and individual patient and his or her pain as unique. post-stroke pain.

MEMPHIS: 55 Humphreys Center Drive, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38120 SOUTHAVEN: 7900 Airways Blvd., Ste. A6, Southaven, MS 38671 901.747.0040 | maysandschnapp.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

PHILANTHROPY

UNITED WAY OF THE MID-SOUTH >>> Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D., President & CEO families. Driving the Dream creates economic The United Way of the Mid-South is unwavering advancement and opportunity for all, including in our mission to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable neighbors, as well as those Mid-Southerners by mobilizing and aligning community resources to address priority needing help, perhaps for the first time.

Our Free Tax Prep program provides issues. We are adapting to changing times and continuing to create lasting change in the lives professional tax preparation at no cost to lowand moderate-income families. We continue to of individuals and families throughout the Midprioritize health and safety by offering Drive-thru South.

Drop-off locations that allow for minimal contact.

We convene and coordinate funders and Finally, our Relief Call Center, powered by fighters who join us in our pursuit to break the cycle of multi-generational poverty in two ways.

Driving the Dream, has connected thousands of individuals and their children to critical assistance.

Firstly, United Way of the Mid-South funds exceptional partner agencies through aligned United Way of the Mid-South continues to be the innovative leader in grant-making and grant-making. Our Community Impact Fund program development to address the most supports the organizations which are leading the way in addressing community needs with the critical needs in our community. Please visit uwmidsouth.org to donate and learn more about greatest impact. Secondly, United Way of the Mid-South innovated a collaborative system of how you can help thousands “move from where they are, to where they dream to be!” services to transform the lives of individuals and United Way Plaza | 1005 Tillman St., Memphis, TN 38112 | 901.433.4300 | UWMidSouth.org SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

PIZZA

BROADWAY PIZZA >>> Legendary Broadway Pizza, one of Memphis’ favorite family-ownedand operated restaurants, was opened by Lana Jeanette Cox in 1977 at 2581 Broad. Thirdgeneration family members now offer Broadway East at 629 S. Mendenhall. Elder family members raised in extreme poverty find it

important that faithful friends get their money’s worth and don't leave hungry. Not just a pizzeria, Broadway offers salads, whole wings, fish, spaghetti, chicken parmesan, burgers, and homestyle plate-lunch specials. Cakes made in-house daily. We deliver large orders and call-in orders welcomed.

2581 Broad Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112 | 901.454.7930 629 S. Mendenhall, Memphis, TN 38117 | 901.207.1546 BroadwayPizzaMemphis.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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PROFESSIONAL TREE SERVICE ROBINSON TREE SERVICE >>>

Under their helm, Robinson Tree Robinson Tree Service has been family owned since 1948. Jason Sengel and has grown to be one of the most his wife, Cynthia, acquired the business highly recommended tree services from Pop Robinson’s grandson in 2001. in Memphis. Their response on why, Jason was well prepared to take the “We think it is mainly to do with our great crews; we receive compliments helm, with a degree in Urban Forestry from Texas A&M and as a certified on our guys all the time. We couldn’t arborist. Cynthia is a lifelong resident of do it without their professionalism and Memphis, with a marketing degree from expertise.” Give them a call for a free estimate and they promise, “We know the University of Memphis and many years of customer service experience.

Memphis trees.”

2807 Farrisview Road, Memphis, TN 38118 | 901.363.3539 | RobinsonTree.net SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

FERTILITY ASSOCIATES OF MEMPHIS >>> Left to right: William H. Kutteh, MD, PhD, Amelia P. Bailey, MD, Paul R. Brezina, MD, MBA, and Raymond W. Ke, MD Fertility Associates of Memphis is the only state-of-the-art practice providing comprehensive reproductive health care to couples of the Mid-South and beyond, treating patients struggling with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and reproductive disorders. Our highly specialized team utilizes cutting-edge techniques, including in vitro fertilization with laser blastocyst biopsy, preimplantation genetic testing, and fertility preservation, and has been designated a Center of Excellence. Our compassionate physicians, board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, have been bringing dreams to life for over 28 years.

80 Humphreys Center, Suite 307, Memphis, TN 38120 | 901.747.2229 | FertilityMemphis.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

THOMAS MURPHREE & JERRY LUCIUS, MARX-BENSDORF, REALTORS® >>>

Thomas and Jerry are two familiar faces are proud to call the prestigious Marxin the world of residential real estate Bensdorf their real estate home – and are with a combined 50+ years of local thrilled to be working in concert to form market experience. The real estate duo the new, innovative "Face of Residential work together, leveraging connections, Real Estate". Call on Thomas and Jerry for data and expertise to the benefit of all your real estate needs in Memphis and ® their valued clients. Both REALTORS the Mid-South.

THOMAS MURPHREE: TMurphree@M-BRealtors.com | 901.682.1868 (o) | 901.359.3847 (c) JERRY LUCIUS: JLucius@M-BRealtors.com | 901.682.1868 (o) | 901.355.3076 (c) SPECIAL PROMOTION

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RETIREMENT LIVING THE VILLAGE AT GERMANTOWN >>> John Adamson

After living in their East Memphis home for reminded us of our previous home,” says Mr. 37 years, John and Ann Adamson decided Adamson. As their needs have changed, that it was time to start looking into retirement decision 11 years ago has proven to be the communities that provided healthcare for best decision they could have made. potential future needs. After looking at all The Village is Germantown’s only CCRC/ options, they decided a villa at The Village at LifeCare Retirement Community, offering Germantown was the place for them. “The independent living, assisted living, memory Village had the facilities we were looking for care, and skilled nursing with rehabilitation and the open spacious surroundings that services.

7820 Walking Horse Circle, Germantown, TN 38138 l 901.737.4242 l Village-Germantown.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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RUNNING FLEET FEET >>>

A passion for running, fitness, and a running to the youth of the city. healthy lifestyle has continually inspired We continue to not only fit runners and Fleet Feet to be a local fixture for active walkers, but also the health care heroes Memphians. spending long days on their feet in the Although we are still without weekly midst of a pandemic. events like hosted group runs and yoga What began 29 years ago as a journey classes, we are back to serving the running to become the best place for running gear community at local races and through has evolved into a shop that strives to be Memphis Youth Athletics as they bring so much more.

4530 Poplar in Laurelwood | 901.761.0078 | FleetFeetMemphis.com Facebook.com/FleetFeetMemphis | Instagram.com/FleetFeetMemphs SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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STRENGTH

STARTING STRENGTH MEMPHIS >>>

Strength is the most useful physical works for everyone who trains with the trait. It’s imperative to our quality of program, every time, without exception. life. Plus, strength looks good. Starting Starting Strength Memphis provides Strength Memphis offers the safest, this certainty of success: Measurable most efficient way to train for strength. results or your money back. So, train for The Starting Strength program isn’t new life…train for strength…with Starting and it isn’t complex — It’s effective. It Strength Memphis.

GERMANTOWN COLLECTION: 7850 Poplar Ave., Suite 28, Germantown, TN 38138 901.209.9662 | Memphis.StartingStrengthGyms.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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THE FACE OF

THE MULTI-SPECIALTY GROUP

CONSOLIDATED MEDICAL PRACTICES OF MEMPHIS, PLLC >>> CMPM, a “group practice without walls,” was established in 2008 to provide compassionate, convenient, and efficient care for those in the Mid-South. Since its formation CMPM has grown to 39 physicians in multiple specialties located across the area, from Midtown to Oakland. The physicians enjoy practice autonomy while benefiting from the economies of scale and scope provided by a larger group. With its network of nationally recognized physicians, nurse practitioners and health care providers, CMPM strives to provide compassionate, outstanding and personalized care to those living in Shelby County and the surrounding areas.

1555 Lynnfield Road, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.261.0700 | MedicalOfMemphis.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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VASCULAR SURGERY

VASCULAR AND VEIN INSTITUTE OF THE SOUTH >>> Left to right: Dr. Prateek K. Gupta, Dr. Anton Dias Perera, Dr. Daniel M. Alterman, and Dr. Daniel Tucker The largest multi-speciality group of board-certified vascular surgeons and podiatrists in the Mid-South. The group has the lowest amputation rate in the region and serves as the premier center for restoring blood flow to the legs and limb preservation. They provide the best clinical outcomes for patients with peripheral arterial disease, varicose veins, carotid disease, aortic aneurysms, and dialysis access.

Providing convenient locations in: Germantown, TN | Memphis, TN | Millington, TN | Southaven, MS | Senatobia, MS | Oxford, MS | West Memphis, AR 901.390.2930 | VascularAndVeinInstitute.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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THE FACE OF

WEDDING REGISTRY BABCOCK GIFTS >>>

A Memphis tradition for over 47 years, Babcock Gifts leads the way in wedding registry and gift giving.

Babcock Gifts offers customers personalized service and an outstanding collection of gifts and tabletop choices for your everyday table or a special occasion. Online or in person, Lee, our wedding manager, is here to assist you with your registry or an update of your table.

Laurelwood Shopping Center 4538 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38117 901.763.0700 BabcockGifts.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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FACES OF THE

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2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

WEIGHT LOSS & WELLNESS

DE LA BELLE WELLNESS & SPA >>>

Renee Pinlac, MSN, FNP, is the owner of De La Belle Wellness & Spa in the Shops of Chickasaw Oaks Village. Renee received her Masters of Science in Nursing and is certified in Family Practice. She specializes in Comprehensive Weight Loss Management and Education, Endocrinology, and Facial Aesthetic Rejuvenation.

Renee holds certification as a Master Cosmetic Botox and Dermal Filler Injector, as well as certifications in Laser Facial Aesthetics and Noninvasive Laser Lipo treatments. Renee believes in providing only modern and state-ofthe-art cosmetic services, such as PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections for facial rejuvenation, hair restoration, PDO threads for non-surgical face, brow, and body lifting, bioidentical pellet hormone therapy for men and women, and IV mineral and vitamin hydration. Her 17+ years of experience at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has allowed her to bring a higher level of professionalism and compassion to medical aesthetic and weight loss treatments. Renee cares about her clients' wellbeing, both inside and out at De La Belle Wellness & Spa. With her extensive clinical background, she's holding the aesthetic industry of Memphis to a higher standard than ever before!

3086 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38111 901.433.9024 | DeLaBelle.net SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/15/22 10:46 AM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

WINE & LIQUOR KIRBY WINES & LIQUORS >>> Left to right: Brian Herrera, Philip Forman, Zach Scott, Stephen Newport, and Jeremy Vasser Thirty-seven years ago, the owners and staff at Kirby Wines & Liquors started out with the mission of providing the best selection, pricing, and service to the Mid-South. Fast-forward to today, and our goal is the same. Our experience and dedication to our customers animates this endeavor, providing a broad international selection of wine and liquor, as well as ever-changing and seasonal beer offerings. It is also our great pleasure to assist in planning parties from 2 to 2,000 guests, including party supplies, gifts, and delivery. We are truly your one-stop shop.

2865 Kirby Road, Memphis, TN 38119 | 901.756.1993 | KirbyWines.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 3:05 PM

2022

FACES OF THE

MID-SOUTH

THE FACE OF

WOMEN'S FASHION

SHELBY JEWEL >>> Shelby Jewel Tucker, Owner the University of Memphis, earning a BBA with Shelby Jewel started in 2017 with one young woman who had a simple love of classic style a major in accounting while also completing a minor in marketing. She brought her two loves and a passion for business. Growing from an at-home women's online boutique to a together and saw a place in the market for the modern-French themed brick-and-mortar shop, vision she had. Her philosophy at Shelby Jewel encapsulates it all: "We want to provide the Shelby Jewel became the epitome of elevated and timeless pieces. The owner, Shelby Jewel best experience for every gal to find classic pieces for their wardrobe to make them feel Tucker, wanted to bring a place where the shopping experience was the main priority. The their best in. We believe that looking your shop has many different features: staple pieces best and feeling your best coincide. Let Shelby Jewel provide you with great pieces and the ready to purchase, styling appointments, private parties, and a monthly subscription confidence to love yourself in them!" Now she box: The Jewel Box. Shelby was born and plans on growing it from one shop in the heart raised in Memphis, TN, where she became a of Memphis to a brand that expands beyond her beloved hometown. fashion blogger in 2013. She graduated from 715 S. Mendenhall Road, Memphis, TN 38117 | ShelbyJewel.com SPECIAL PROMOTION

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2/13/22 3:05 PM

“Full of humor, spirit, and sass …”

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2/14/22 5:02 PM

A M ER ICA N GHOSTS Memorial Day in Memphis, Michigan.

BY ALEX GREENE

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest in an occasional series of articles by Alex Greene exploring other towns across the United States that share the same name as our hometown.

In addition to Memphis, Michigan, Greene has traveled to Memphis, Nebraska (June 2019); Memphis, Missouri (September 2019); Memphis, New York (November 2019); and the area around nowvanished Memphis, Mississippi (June/July 2020).

T

he Memphis Library book return kiosk is rather ornate as such things go, adorned with a florid landscape painting you could almost dive into. A steamboat from days

gone by wends its way past blossom-laden boughs, up a lazy river, invoking a Dixieland dream with which Memphians are all too familiar. It’s a drop box that seems to cry, as Keats himself once did, “O for a beakerful of the warm South.” Except: wait. This isn’t the warm South.

michigan

This particular “Memphis” is 800 miles north of Beale

The clock in the Memphis Millennial Memorial Park overlooks Main Street in Memphis, Michigan, population 1,183.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEX GREENE

Street, in the shadow of the Motor City.

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far left: The Memphis Library drop box evokes the Old South. left: A Michigan Historic Site plaque marks where “The Thing” was created.

And yet in Memphis, Michigan, steam-powered boats are not quite the anachronism that you might imagine. Such vessels played a key role in the occupation of this area in the nineteenth century, back when Michigan was considered the Wild West. By 1825, settlers from the east could make their way down the newly completed Erie Canal (perhaps stopping in Memphis, New York, along the way — see our November 2019 issue), then book a packet steamer across Lake Erie from Buffalo to Detroit, and thence north, south, and west into the occupied lands of the Sauk, Fox, and Kickapoo nations.

And so it was that white settlers staked their claims between Detroit and Port Huron. In the 1830s, “a small settlement grew up, a dam was built across Belle River, and a saw mill and grist mill erected,” as St. Clair County historian William Lee Jenks wrote in 1912. “In 1848 it was felt that a post office was needed and it was necessary to select a name. Considerable discussion arose ... Finally the name of Memphis, from the Egyptian city, was suggested and adopted.”

A generation later, only a stone’s throw from the Belle River, an Englishman and his family set up shop. And what he accomplished there, apparently out of sheer love of tinkering, marked Memphis, Michigan forever as a harbinger of the automobile age. While his invention was never photographed, it was documented in Arthur Pound’s 1934 history, The Turning Wheel: The Story of General Motors Through Twenty-Five Years, 1908-1933. Pound, setting the stage for the first breakthroughs in self-propelled vehicle design, notes that “the American vehicles which took the road were chief ly propelled by steam, and down to the late ’eighties they showed little if any advance over English ‘steamers’ of a much earlier day.” Then he describes what lurched to life one fateful winter beside the Belle River, to this day known only as “The Thing”:

A direct result of English influence would seem to be the four-wheeled steam car produced by John Clegg, an excellent mechanic, English born and trained, and his son, Thomas J., in the village machine shop at Memphis, Michigan, which the younger Clegg still operates. Thomas Clegg describes this vehicle as driven by a single cylinder, steam being produced in a tubular boiler carried in the rear of the car. It had seating capacity for four persons, including driver and stoker. Cannel coal was the fuel.

Leather belts were used to transmit power, and spring adjustments on them provided enough play to let the car negotiate corners.

As Pound notes, “This machine is significant as the first self-propelled vehicle on record [to be] built in Michigan.” By some estimations, it may have been the first car made in North America. And yet this monumental achievement ended not with a bang, but a whimper. Again, quoting from Pound’s history: The Clegg ‘steamer’ nevertheless created hardly a ripple of excitement beyond a twenty-mile circle of rural countryside which it disturbed with its journeys through its short life of six months. Built in the winter of 1884-85, it ran perhaps five hundred miles in some thirty tests during the succeeding summer, its longest trip being to Emmet and return, a distance of fourteen miles.

The Cleggs’ prototype engine was soon dismantled and sold. But lest we dismiss Memphis’ contribution to transportation history too quickly, it should be noted that only two years later, in nearby Lansing, one R.E. Olds created a similar and more viable steam-powered car that ultimately evolved into the Oldsmobile. The Cleggs were clearly onto something.

Now, only a small historical marker on the edge of town keeps memories of The Thing alive. Beyond that, M A R C H 2 0 2 2 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • 127

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A

s fate would have it, I was pondering the pros and cons of motorized travel when I drove into Memphis, Michigan, on Memorial Day, 2021. While traveling from Tennessee to a family wedding in Ann Arbor the previous day, my car had sputtered to a halt in a cloud of steam — and not the propulsive kind. With a new radiator being installed and time to kill, I rented another Thing and drove north of Detroit. And as I entered the city limits of Michigan’s Memphis, who should greet me but Elvis Presley?

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Like a Dixieland steamboat, the once and future King chugs inexorably through the entirety of the American mythic landscape.

On this Memorial Day, I eased down a Main Street where century-old buildings mingled with gas stations and cinder-block convenience stores, and passed a sign in a park that read: “AMERICAN LEGION: Jun 5 Elvis Tribute.” Without a doubt, I had arrived in Memphis, U.S.A. But the local Merrick-Potter American Legion Post #566 had other business to attend to before any Elvis sightings might occur. It was a day of remembrance, after all. A sizable crowd had assembled at the Memphis Cemetery, under blue skies, where the post commander spoke and the chaplain led a prayer. The high school band, more accustomed to rallying fans of the Memphis Yellow Jackets, blared out “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The riflemen fired a 21-gun salute, and the crowd fell silent as a lone bugler from the band played “Taps.”

Later, those plaintive notes still seemed to echo through the empty streets as I strolled past the shuttered stores. The Memphis House B&B was closed, though the flowers in the adjacent Memphis Millennium Memorial Park were budding. The Donut Girls were also closed for the holiday, even as painted bald eagles were frozen on their wall, forever soaring. The childlike mural on the community center was mute,

above: Darrin Hagel’s tribute to Elvis regularly sells out fundraisers at the Merrick-Potter American Legion Post.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST COURTESY KAREN WILTON; ALL OTHERS BY ALEX GREENE

Memphis seems to have maintained a pleasant if unremarkable existence. But history walks its streets in other ways, as do echoes of its cousin city in the South.

the library locked, but the big Memphis clock on Main Street kept ticking. Still shell-shocked from a year of pandemic living, America was enjoying a day off. That spring, folks were gingerly stepping back into normalcy.

And in just a few days, Elvis would arrive.

The one person I found working on Memorial Day was a veteran. I was ogling a well-preserved brick building likely dating back to the time of The Thing, with a plaque on its cornerstone that read “Memphis Lodge No. 142.” Once upon a time, the Masons had been here. Now, a wooden sign above the door advertised the latest occupant: Sage Creek Winery. And suddenly Jeff Dausey, one of its co-owners, stepped out with a friendly query and invited me onto the patio for a chat.

Having seen my share of American small towns on the skids, the freshly renovated spaces of this clearly thriving business were refreshing. Memphis was doing something right, and here was Exhibit A. Dausey, for his part, was clearly proud of the latest improvement: a spacious deck, complete with antique truck and well-tended flowers, that spread into the back of an adjoining business, the Doghouse Tavern.

“We’re always up here cleaning or doing projects,” he explained. “This is all brand-new from last year. We cooperated with Tammy across the alley to make a kind of social district. So people from the Doghouse Tavern can sit out here with their food and drink their beers, and people from here can have their wine.”

As I imagined cool evenings of wine, beer, and vittles, a wet nose bumped my arm with a tail wagging behind — Dausey’s canine companion. “He’s a working dog,” Dausey chuckled. “I also work for a company called Vapor Wake. We do bomb detection for the Detroit Tigers, Pistons, and the Redwings. It’s fun.

This guy searches crowds for explosives.” He reached down and tousled the pup’s fur.

Okay, I thought. Just another day in the U.S.A. In a way, it was in keeping with the melody of “Taps,” still hanging in the air, or the general mood of 2020 and its long aftermath. In the face of these shadows stood the proud proclamation at the bottom of the winery’s sign: “Veteran Owned.” That, it turned out, was also a part of Dausey’s story.

“My brother Mike and I are originally from the U.P.” (For those unfamiliar with Michigan jargon, that’s Upper Peninsula.) “Our third partner, Vince, is from Wisconsin. He and my brother served together over 20 years ago in the military. I guess they wanted a project.

They didn’t want to have to buy a restaurant, but wanted something like that. They saw this was for sale, checked it out, saw the traffic coming through on the M-19 [a state highway], and were like, ‘We can make this into something!’ And when I retired from the military in August 2019, I came on board with these guys. So I do this and I do the canine job. It’s fun!”

At that point, Mike himself showed up, having just returned from vacationing with his wife. “I just came from Memphis ... Tennessee!,” he said. “I went to Graceland. Then we went to Dollywood, of course,

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down three or four times in 150 years. It used to be a jail, and there’s still a jail cell in the basement. I want to take my dog there, because a dog knows if it’s haunted or not. A dog can sense that. When I was in the military, I took my dogs to old buildings, and sometimes they’d piss on themselves and cry. Like, ‘Nope! Something’s in here! Let’s go!’ So I want to take him over there and see if there was anything like that.”

His dog looked up and wagged his tail. “The new owners are pretty cool. One of them said when they were doing renovations, a table full of tools got thrown towards her. She’s had drywall thrown at her, too.”

D

because I needed to keep my wife happy.” For Mike, the Bluff City was the real draw. “It’s unique. I love the feel. Of course, I love Beale Street. But the best places we went were next to Graceland, in those little shady bars and restaurants.”

The brothers were clearly savoring the good life, and their winery, though closed that day, exuded conviviality. “I always wanted to be a chef,” Jeff told me. “I went to culinary school for a year. Then, when I went back overseas, I had to postpone it. So, making wine is the closest I can get to that without being a chef. It’s a craft.”

Importing their grapes from around the world, the Dausey brothers and Vince have created unique blends that now attract wine enthusiasts from Detroit and beyond. Inside, wine bottles were nestled in the building’s original, polished woodwork. Two days after our chat, Michigan would be allowing bars and restaurants to open to full capacity again. Life was looking up. And even better, as far as Jeff could tell, the former Mason Lodge wasn’t plagued with ghosts.

The Memphis Pub across the street was another story, he explained. “It’s haunted. That building’s burned

above: Jeff Dausey and friend on the new deck of the Sage Creek Winery.

ausey gave me a bottle of his favorite Sage Creek blend, “Three Italian Stallions,” and I left him to his labors. With the shadows growing long, I turned my rental car away from The Thing and the poltergeists of the pub and headed back to my own Memphis. We’re afflicted with our own ghosts here in Tennessee, old and new — too many to run from. They too might start throwing our hammers and walls back at us at any moment, as befits any place named for an ancient city of the dead. Best to confront them head on. Seeing how sister cities face their ghosts can have a salutary effect.

A few days after returning home to Tennessee, I called the American Legion post back in Michigan, where Karen Wilton picked up the phone. “What about Elvis?” I asked hopefully. “Did he ever show up?”

“Oh yes!” she said. “He is definitely a crowd pleaser.

His voice is uncanny! His name is Darrin Hagel, and he can also sing like Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and a few others ...”

“No, no, no,” I stopped her. “Just tell me about the King.”

“Well, those other singers don’t bring nearly as much enthusiasm in the crowds as Elvis,” she confided. “Darrin did a two-hour set with a costume change in between. He is definitely a sight to see. The American Legion holds one or two shows a year as fundraisers, and Darrin just serenades the night away! We sell out almost every time he performs.”

“Great!” I said. “That’s good to hear.” I uncorked my Sage Creek wine and had a drink.

After my journey’s headaches and trepidations, I could rest easier. Some things can be relied on, I thought.

Elvis will keep coming back. My family will thrive. The wine will flow, the shops will open. Our soldiers will come home, the flags will wave. Good dogs will find the bombs. The Thing in my driveway will run as it should.

And I’ll be free to drive from Memphis to Memphis, my ghosts riding shotgun, as we remember together.

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Investing in Relationships

From his Whitehaven roots to his career as a commercial real-estate executive, Darrell Cobbins strives to create a more equitable Memphis.

BY SAMUEL X. CICCI

A

sk Darrell Cobbins how his family has been involved in Memphis’ artistic and economic growth, and he’ll point you in a multitude of directions: Acting. Singing. Art. Museums. Real Estate. You name it, and one of his relatives was part of it. Growing up, the Whitehaven native spent much of his time immersed in significant Memphis institutions, building relationships, and learning what makes Memphis tick. Now celebrating his 15th year as a business owner, the president and principal broker of Universal Commercial Real Estate is looking to his next step, while using his platform to tackle many of the challenges facing Memphis.

After almost two decades in the commercial real estate business, Cobbins can reflect on the first act of a successful career and be satisfied with what he’s built in the city where he grew up. But his line of work, and the relationships he has crafted over the years, have given him the ability to enact change in the community. And Cobbins is well-positioned to make those changes, with a journey that’s taken him through Memphis’ business, artistic, and philanthropic sectors.

TRAILBLAZING AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

A

s a kid, Cobbins spent a lot of his days in and around the real estate business thanks to his grandfather, Samuel.

“I was raised by a single mom; my parents divorced when I was two,” he says. “So my grandfather was a big figure in my upbringing and maturation. But he was a real estate man, and he ran a company called Peace Realty that was more residential-focused. The rest of my family were in the arts — singers, actors, directors. So there were a lot of big personalities around growing up.”

Cobbins and his late older brother, Donnell, ended up attending Memphis University School and were among the first Black students to graduate. (Donnell Cobbins Jr. died of Covid-19 in December 2020, at age 49.) It was during his time at the school that Cobbins began to formulate his strategy for navigating the business world. “I’m just speaking from my experience, but going to MUS really opened up my eyes to the world,” he explains. “It was my first time going to school with students of all nationalities and backgrounds. I found it very important to be able to find commonalities and develop friendships with people who don’t think or look like you.”

But it wasn’t just personal relationships that he focused on. As a high school student, Cob-

bins noticed that many of his classmates were able to secure internships at banks and other institutions. After asking around, he realized the father of one of his classmates was president of National Bank of Commerce, which became SunTrust (now Truist). He looked up his number in the school’s directory, called him up, and asked if he could be considered for an internship. The bank had no openings that year, but the conversation led to opportunities during the next three summers.

“Once again, that was really surprising for me coming from Whitehaven,” says Cobbins.

“Relationships really did mean a lot, and being in an environment where you have proximity to these relationships makes a huge difference.

These are the kinds of things that I began to learn at MUS. Just being in that environment, among all these other ambitious students, gave me the confidence that I could also succeed in whatever I pursued after graduating.”

After a wide college search, Cobbins decided to remain in Memphis and attend Rhodes College, where he double-majored in anthropology and sociology and played on the football team. While he initially assumed he would study business, a chat with one of his football teammates steered him in the direction of social science instead.

“I remember that in my first class, my professor explained what it was to be human,” he recalls. “We delved into understanding how people make sense of the world that they live in. We studied social constructs within society, like race, class, gender, and how they all intersect, and that was all really informative to me.

“Looking back, and thinking about the issues facing Memphis, I think these are really important topics for when people are looking to become involved in community organizations. The work that I’ve done, even in real estate, working with community organizations

and grassroots organizations, helping them accomplish things at the neighborhood level: All of that draws on that training and that way of thinking.”

PATH TO COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

A

fter graduating from Rhodes in 1997, Cobbins took the time to gain experience at companies like Guardsmark, and worked on his own professional development by enrolling in Leadership Memphis at 23.

“That program was really empowering,” says Cobbins. “It really felt like I could go out there and impact the city.” His next step was to take a job at the Greater Memphis Chamber.

The value of relationships became even more pronounced for Cobbins after he became an economic development officer for the Chamber. “With all the great initiatives they have, you’d be sitting in on board meetings with a lot of big executives and leaders, and end up on a first-name basis with a lot of them,” he says. “Being able to relate to and build relationships with outside partners was important, too. You had to be flexible, depending on whether you were working with a large company or a small mom-and-pop business.”

Cobbins is proud of the work he did for the Chamber, but after a couple of years, he could no longer resist the draw of real estate. Considering his family’s background, “I always assumed I’d end up in that business,” he laughs, “but it just took a little longer.” His job, focused on economic development and job growth, was intrinsically tied to the commercial real estate industry, so he immediately took the eight-week class to get his real estate license and started preparing for interviews.

A mentor referred him to the late Memphis broker Wyatt Aiken, who gave Cobbins a list of ten important real estate brokers and an assignment: Call each person on the list and ask for a short meeting to learn more about the industry. “He gave me a great piece of advice. He said, ‘Darrell, I want you to be politely persistent. You’re nice, you’re cordial, but you need to leave all of them with the impression that you will not be going away.’”

Cobbins came away with a much clearer picture of the industry after speaking with nine individuals from the list. But one issue continued to nag at him after all the interviews. “I kept asking them, ‘Why aren’t there more Black people in commercial real estate?’” he says. “I got a lot of answers, but never one that really made sense. And part of me thought, you know what, I need to get into the industry to change that. To be an example that a minority, a Black person, can succeed in this industry and change the whole paradigm.

That was what really got me fired up to see this through.”

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The interviews paid off. Eventually, in 2001, been involved in for a long time, so I decided I an offer came from Commercial Advisors wanted to start mentoring more folks like my(now Cushman & Wakefield), and he started self who want to get into the industry. Many work as a broker. Cobbins spent years honing won’t come from backgrounds where they’re his craft, with clients like FedEx, Baptist, and able to cultivate good relationships. So menvarious community organizations. toring for me involves bringing more young After four years, he realized he needed to people on board and teaching them how the return to school to bolster his knowledge of industry works.” finance and accounting, so he enrolled in the Cobbins now does for others what Aiken executive MBA program at the University did for him: He gives prospects a list of names of Memphis. “I felt I had a good background and helps arrange meetings with prominent with sociology and anthropology, but wanted to cover all my bases with the financial side of things,” says Cobbins.

“To be able to get in the head of a client I’m serving, a CEO or CFO, and be able to analyze things from their perspective.”

He graduated from the program in 2007 and continued working for Cushman & Wakefield. Cobbins knew that he wanted to eventually start his own business — but he’d figured that was a ways off. A call from an old classmate, Andy Cates, moved up the schedule significantly.

“We’d stayed in touch, so we got lunch when he moved back to Memphis and talked about our future plans and what I wanted to do,” recalls Cobbins. “Then he said there might be an opportunity to speed things up.” Cates’ brother, Staley, and his partners were just about to acquire the Sears Crosstown building, “Civic work and community engagement have but needed someone to work on acalways been important to me, something I’ve been quiring real estate around the property.

They said, ‘Why don’t we be your first involved in for a long time, so I decided I wanted client?’ So I went home, talked to my wife to start mentoring more folks like myself who about it, and we knew it was a great opwant to get into the industry. Mentoring for me portunity.”

GROWING UNIVERSAL COMMERCIAL

C

obbins founded Universal Commercial Real Estate later that year, with the name a nod to Universal Life Insurance Company, the Black-owned insurance company founded by Dr. Joseph E. Walker, and only the second Black-owned business in the United States to attain million-dollar-capital status. After focusing on Crosstown and weathering the 2008 financial crisis, Cobbins spent much of the past 15 years expanding his client roster and becoming a major player in Memphis’ real estate game.

“It’s been 20 years in the industry, and 15 running my own company now,” muses Cobbins. “That got me thinking about what I want my next steps to look like in the industry. You can see how important relationships have been in my economic growth and edification, and that’s helped me achieve my early goals.

Civic work and community engagement have always been important to me, something I’ve

involves bringing more young people on board and teaching them how the industry works.”

— Darrell Cobbins

players in real estate. It’s his hope that getting a foot in the door will help create more opportunities for minority candidates to become brokers.

When he started work at Cushman & Wakefield in 2001, Cobbins says he was the only ethnic minority working in the industry in Memphis. “Now, 20 years later, the number is still in the single digits,” he says. “That just has to change. So I’m hoping increased mentorship can make a difference, because everybody deserves a chance to see if this is the career for them, like I had.”

But Cobbins’ civic contributions don’t just extend to mentorship. He is actively involved in many organizations around town, serving on the boards of the National Civil Rights Museum, MLGW, and the Brooks Museum,

among others. Cobbins has also served on the Tennessee State Board of Education for years since being appointed by then-governor Bill Haslam. “It’s been a lot, but at this stage, I think it’s really important that I invest my time and energy into these efforts. It’s all in the service of creating a better Memphis.”

Cobbins recently became involved in the Orange Mound Tower project, spearheaded

by Victoria Jones and James Dukes (this magazine’s dual Memphians of the Year for 2021).

Creating a hub where Black businesses can thrive is something that he believes can be a game-changer for Memphis.

“You see hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in neighborhoods like Downtown, and then there are neighborhoods that haven’t seen any for several decades,” he says. “That sends a message, if day after day you see blight, while you look elsewhere and everything’s shiny and new.”

A trip to Chicago several years ago helped convinced Cobbins to join forces in the Tower effort. He and a friend were looking for somewhere to explore, and were referred to the South Side, a majority-Black area. After stepping out of their Uber, Cobbins was stunned. “I saw a Starbucks, a restaurant with people hanging out on the patio, fitness places, and new shiny apartments. I’m like, this is a Black neighborhood and all this stuff is new and it’s vibrant. People were hanging out and looking happy and thriving.

“And I wanted to cry, because in Memphis, I’ve never seen that. Not outside of Downtown, Midtown, or East Memphis have I seen that kind of commercial vibrancy. So that’s why I became involved with the Orange Mound Tower. It’s a long road ahead, but I feel great about the project.”

As Cobbins celebrates his 20th year in the industry and is ramping up civic contributions that he hopes can better Memphis, his business is also positioned for significant growth. Universal Commercial Real Estate recently signed on as the Tennessee affiliate for a newly formed national commercial real estate firm called Greenwood CRE. The firm is minority-run and boasts huge clients such as Microsoft, Verizon, and Comcast. While it’s a great boost for Universal, it aligns with Cobbins’ goal to create more diversity in the workplace.

“There’s nothing that quite exists like this yet in the commercial real estate space,” he says. “So this is a big deal. For me personally, it will allow me to do more in Memphis and also widen our footprint nationally. We’ll really be able to use that platform to mentor more folks and create real change in the industry.”

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AS K

VA N C E

WeOna Grocery Stores

Our history expert solves local mysteries: who, what, when, where, why, and why not. Well, sometimes.

DEAR VANCE: What’s the story behind the old WeOna Grocery Stores that seemed to be on every corner of our city?

Was that a family name?

— H.R., GERMANTOWN.

below: A neat and wellstocked WeOna store.

These days, it seems Memphians have their choice of two kinds of grocers: Kroger, and all the rest.

And “all the rest” includes the big-box retailers that also sell groceries. With some 20 stores in the Memphis area, Kroger is the biggest name in town. It may surprise readers to know that company has been around more than a century, when a fellow named Bernard Kroger — yes, that’s the origin of the name — opened a small store in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1883.

Go back a generation or two in Memphis, though, and even though Kroger was one option for families, they could also shop at Seessel’s, Montesi’s, Pic-Pac, MegaMarket, Big Star, and of course Piggly Wiggly.

I’m not going to repeat the story — told in this column at least 300 times, it seems — about Memphian Clarence Saunders’ invention of the modern-day supermarket with his Piggly Wiggly self-service stores, which first opened here in 1916. But even though those DEAR H.R.:

were a tremendous success, a look through old newspapers from the early 1900s reveals Arrow, Silver Saver, Leadway, Liberty Cash, and many other grocers ran full-page ads that seemingly listed every single product shoppers could find on their shelves.

So that (finally) brings us to WeOna — always spelled with a capital “O.” Those national chains were stiff competition for the little mom-and-pop grocers who opened tiny stores in neighborhoods all over Memphis. These were family-owned businesses, and often those families lived above, or in back of, their compact buildings. Keep in mind that in the early 1900s, few people in Memphis owned cars, so it was much easier to stroll down the block and shop at the corner grocery, than catch a ride or take the bus or trolley to the larger markets. Besides, the kind of place where “everybody knows your name” often operated as the heartbeat of the community, a gathering spot where you’d meet your friends and neighbors.

But it was a daily challenge for individual store owners to compete with the “big boys.” So, in 1930, a dozen Italian-owned grocers decided to band together to form their own small chain. This would allow them to get better prices from their suppliers, since they could purchase in bulk, and they could certainly save money on newspaper advertising. Instead of each store buying its own small ad, the owners could run a single large ad, with the names and addresses of each participating store running across the bottom.

Even so, such an undertaking still needed an identity, and I don’t know who came up with this idea, but the grocers decided to hold a local competition to name their new venture. On March 14, 1930, The Commercial Appeal announced that among the “thousands upon thousands of submissions — good, ordinary, and distinguished”) the winner was “WeOna,” submitted by Mrs. S.A. Brown of Shaw, Mississippi. She received a $100 check for her effort.

It’s a catchy name, all right, and the newspaper explained, “WeOna was given preference not because of its brilliance, but because of its utter simplicity and homeliness. It expresses a basic idea with astonishing directness: We Own A Food Store. Back of that statement lies the history of each grocer — hard work, struggle, and triumphant survival.”

So, to answer the reader’s question: No, “WeOna” was not a family name.

I’m sure the fact that it sounded vaguely Italian also played a role in its selection. But by some accounts “Weona” was actually a Native-American name. A town in Arkansas had been called that since the late 1800s, and such businesses as the Weona Lumber Company and Weona Land Company (probably connected in some way) were major employers in this area around the same time. In Memphis in the 1920s,

PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS: LEFT: MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARY. RIGHT: SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSIT Y OF MEMPHIS LIBRARIES.

BY VANCE L AUDERDALE

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a Weona Women’s Club met for cards every weekend, dy, and dairy products — including and men formed a Weona Lodge here. the WeOna Farms brand of butter.

Now, I’m not trying to take anything away from Mrs. Although you can’t tell from the old Brown. I’m just saying she took an existing name and black-and-white photo shown here, saw how it could sound “Italian” and convey the individthe modern yellow-brick building at ual ownership of the stores. That was an important part 670 South Cooper carried a sign above of the WeOna Chain, you see. Even in the newspaper the entrance spelling out “WeOna” in ads, they made sure to remind people of the family inbright-orange neon.

The network of stores continued to volvement. The Commercial Appeal proclaimed, “You share in the profits. Every WeOna store is individually owned thrive until the mid 1960s or so, but fiand operated. That means you get personal service, nally they — along with so many other courteous attention, and quality foods “mom-and-pop”busiselected for you by the store owner.” The grocers held a local nesses around town Families shopped at Lenow’s WeOna competition to name their — came to the sad re#75 on Peabody, Bittman’s WeOna #12 new venture. On March 14, alization that despite on Lamar, or Bruno’s WeOna #58 on 1930, The Commercial Appeal their best efforts, they simply couldn’t compete with the larger chains. These East McLemore (just to name a few I’ve announced that among the were small stores after all, and despite written about before), whereas the larg“thousands upon thousands of the personal service, shoppers preer chains just became numbers: Arrow Store #21, or Leadway #12, for example. submissions — good, ordinary, ferred the larger selection offered at After a while, though, WeOna and distinguished”) the winner Pic-Pac and Big Star. did the same as the other chains, as was “WeOna,” submitted I can’t tell you when all the “official” their number of stores grew. What by Mrs. S.A. Brown of Shaw, WeOna stores closed in Memphis. began with only a dozen stores in Many of the old buildings have surMississippi. She received a 1930 had expanded to 70 by 1940. The vived, now housing other businesses last WeOna store was #178, located $100 check for her effort. (that last store on Chelsea still opat 2948 Chelsea. erates as a neighborhood market, but the WeOna About this time, the WeOna grocers realized ansign is gone). If the WeOna warehouse on Cooper other benefit of pooling their resources. It gave them looks familiar, that’s because it’s still standing, litthe financial means to construct a massive, centraltle changed since it first opened. For half a centuly located warehouse for all the stores here. Inside ry it housed Toof Printing, and now it’s home to were crates of canned goods, bread, meat, fruit, canLehman-Roberts, an asphalt contracting firm.

above: Bittman’s WeOna #12 used this deck of playing cards as a store promotion. below: The former WeOna warehouse is still standing on South Cooper.

Got a question for Vance?

EMAIL: askvance@memphismagazine.com MAIL: Vance Lauderdale, Memphis magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 ONLINE: memphismagazine.com/ ask-vance

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The Farmer at Railgarten

Chef Mac Edwards returns with Memphis’ farm-fresh favorites.

BY SAMUEL X. CICCI

T

hey say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s been nearly five years since Mac Edwards closed the last iteration of his popular restaurant The Farmer, which operated on Highland.

One peek inside his new digs at Railgarten shows that Memphians couldn’t wait to dive back into their sloppy joes and bhan mi sandwiches.

Edwards has been running restaurants for 40-plus years and is a fixture of the Memphis dining scene, having founded McEwens on Monroe and spent time in the kitchens of plenty more well loved restaurants.

Edwards had been out of the

limelight for a bit, with his latest gig coming as culinary director of Crosstown Arts, where he provided food for the Art Bar, the Green Room, and for artists in and around the Concourse.

Covid hit not too long after he took up that role in 2020.

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Mac Edwards

“They were very gracious dined at the old restaurant. Think there,” he says, “and paid us for protein sourced from Marmilu six extra months, scrounging up Farms, catfish from Mississippi, every penny they could to keep and everything else that Edus on and take good care of us.” wards calls simple and straightIt couldn’t last forever, and Edforward comfort food. wards took on restaurant con“We’re always going to do beef, sulting work. we’re always going to do pork, But then Railgarten owner and we’re always going to do Jack Phillips called with an opchicken,” he says. “We’ve got our portunity. The bar / recreation catfish. And we have some staspot had been without a consisples that people go for, like the tent dining option catfish with the smoked since the diner on The overall joviality tomato broth and mac its grounds closed inside created a and cheese, the pork in March 2020. As with cornbread pudvery comfortable a big fan of The ding, or the pork chop Farmer, he thought atmosphere, match- with the sweet potato Edwards would be ing the “comfort hash and onion mara great fit for the food” Edwards malade. But we change the sauces and our side space. It didn’t take loves to serve. dishes seasonally to remuch convincing. flect what’s available.”

“I was ready,” says Edwards.

“I needed to do something. You Leading the charge is, of can only sit around the house so course, the sloppy joe that landed long. So we had a few meetings Edwards a spot on Diners, Driveand hashed it out.”

Ins, and Dives. The sandwich utiThe quick transition was lizes ground beef from Marmilu Farms; Edwards mixes the meat helped along by chef de cuisine Armando Sandoval, who had alwith root vegetables in a sweet ready been working as a chef at and spicy tomato sauce. “We call Railgarten for five years. “He’s it a chunky sweet and savory sloppy joe,” explains Edwards. smart, he’s a natural leader, and he leads the kitchen on a day-to“We toss in celery, onions, and day basis,” says Edwards. “He’s a carrots, but we don’t chop them; really big part of what we’ve been we dice them into half-inch piecable to pull off here.” es, and you can see them in the Eleven years after first openmix. It’s got a little nutmeg, clove, ing (under its original name, The and hot sauce in it, WorcesterElegant Farmer), Edwards reinshire, and tomato paste to give troduced his concept and opened it that kick. And it’s a generous the doors on December 15, 2021. portion. We do five or six ounces Abby Phillips of Arrow Creative of beef. It’s what I call a ‘grownup’ sloppy joe.” redesigned the interior, moving the entrance over to the site of Another popular dish is Edthe former ice cream shop and wards’ take on Vietnamese: his creating a sleek and much more Banh You, Banh Mi sandwich. “I spacious floor plan that can acsuppose it’s a very American take commodate many of the old regon this dish,” laughs Edwards, ulars who were eager to return. “but people would have a cow if But diners can also sit at the bar, I took it off.” Order the savory which loops around past an open sandwich stuffed with chicken, kitchen plan. beef, pork, or mushrooms; each The menu at the “new” Farmer makes for an excellent lunch.

Edwards balances the protein will be very familiar to those who PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAY ADKINS COURTESY OF FARMHOUSE

2/14/22 1:10 PM

with a sesame aioli and then brushes on a mix of soy sauce, fish sauce, and water to add umami. The sandwich is then layered with pickled vegetables in a mix inspired by his mother’s vinegar slaw recipe.

“It’s carrot, red onion, daikon, jalapeños,” he says. “We take a 90-10 aioli and rice wine vinegar mix, a little honey, and we let that simmer before pouring it over the vegetables while warm and let it wilt a little bit. Then we let it sit and put in a pile of cilantro.”

While the sloppy joe and banh mi sandwich are two of the most popular items, every dish comes with its own comforting charms.

At lunch, the brisket pot roast hardly needs a knife, with the gravy-topped beef cooked to tender perfection and tossed with winter vegetables and an assortment of colorful potatoes.

I went with the pan-fried salmon patties, whose crispy edges give way to a mellow interior. Any fishiness is mellowed by a sweet and smooth dollop of braised greens, along with Edwards’ house-made mac and cheese with penne pasta. Come dinner time, heartier options make their way onto the menu, such as the country-fried or chargrilled club strip steaks, or gulf shrimp and Delta Grind grits with tasso ham, sweet peppers, onions, and braised greens.

The menu is rounded out with a selection of cocktails curated

by Railgarten general manager Jeremy Malone, ranging from a traditional old fashioned to a Memphis in Manhattan made with Huling Station Bourbon from Old Dominick Distillery.

Don’t pass on dessert either; the Gibson Donut Bread Pudding is

above left: Chicken tostada with black bean relish, avocado, queso fresco, and chili lime sour cream. above Right: The Banh You, Banh Mi sandwich with a side of potato salad. left: The “grown-up” sweet and spicy sloppy joe is packed with six ounces of Marmilu Farms beef.

an Edwards special, but there’s also key lime pie and chocolate or caramel cake for the traditionalists.

Diners happy to see The Farmer’s return shouldn’t be concerned about it going away again any time soon. Edwards and Phillips had initially envisioned a three-month pop-up plan from December 2021 to February 2022 to test the concept, but both parties are looking to make it a longterm arrangement.

“So far, so good,” says Edwards.

“I don’t see why we can’t continue here. We’re doing regular business now. A lot of regulars from the old Farmer have come back and haven’t missed a beat. The response has been great, and it’s been really flattering, gratifying,

and humbling that people loved this food — thank goodness!”

I popped in during Wednesday lunch service, and the restaurant was packed: every table occupied, several parties eagerly waiting in the lobby for their turn, and several individuals at the bar.

It was all types, too: large families, a couple of dates, and even a student studying at the bar on her laptop. The overall joviality inside created a very comfortable atmosphere, matching the “comfort food” Edwards loves to serve. And despite working hard in the kitchen, he takes time to thank each customer and group that strolls in to try his food.

For now, meals at The Farmer are available for dine-in and carry-out. But Edwards says they’re

working on a few options that people who are drinking out back and inside the Railgarten bar can order. “Before the new season starts in earnest, with the warmer weather, we’ll come up with some held items that people can order and will be available at Railgarten,” he says. “So we’ll have some overlap there fairly soon. Really, the overall partnership has been great here.”

While regulars know what to expect, newcomers may find it difficult to choose among the enticing options. Edwards says not to worry about that. “I think people will come in here, hopefully enjoy the food, and I’m confident they’ll come back.” He’s got that right. I, for one, will be back at The Farmer soon.

The Farmer at Railgarten is located at 2158 Central Avenue, 901-3130087. thefarmer901.com.

Hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch, and 5-9 p.m. for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

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The Memphis Dining Guide

FLIGHT RESTAURANT & WINE BAR—Serves steaks and seafood, along with such specialties as bison ribeye and Muscovy duck, all matched with appropriate wines.

39 S. Main. 521-8005. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ FLYING FISH—Serves up fried and grilled versions of shrimp, crab, oysters, fish tacos, and catfish; also chicken and burgers. 105 emphis magazine offers this curated restaurant listing as a service S. Second. 522-8228. L, D, X, $-$$ to our readers. Broken down alphabetically by neighborhoods, this directory does GOOD FORTUNE CO.—Authentic handcrafted noodles, not list every restaurant in town. It does, however, include the magazine’s “Top 50” choices ramen, and dumplings. 361 S. Main. 561-306-4711. of must-try restaurants in Memphis, a group that is updated every August. Establishments L, D, $-$$ THE GENRE—Burgers, tenders, catfish, and plenty of open less than a year are not eligible for “Top 50” but are noted as “New.” This guide also vegan options made to order at this music-themed includes a representative sampling of other Bluff City eating establishments. No fast-food restaurant/lounge. 200 Poplar, Suite 105. 410-8169. B, L, D, facilities or cafeterias are listed. Restaurants are included regardless of whether they advertise $-$$ in Memphis magazine; those that operate in multiple locations are listed under the neighborhood THE GRAY CANARY—The sixth restaurant from chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, offering small plates of their original location. This guide is updated regularly, but we recommend that you call and entrees cooked on an open flame. Oysters, octopus, ahead to check on hours, prices, or other details. Suggestions from readers are welcome; please and hearty steaks are among the menu options at this eatery in Old contact Samuel X. Cicci at scicci@contemporary-media.com.

Dominick Distillery. Closed Mon. 301 S. Front. 466-6324. D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ and several Northern Italian specialties.

149 Union, The Peabody.

GRECIAN GOURMET TAVERNA—Serves traditional favorites DOWNTOWN 529-4199. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$$ like spanakopita, pastitso, moussaka, and hand-rolled dolmathes, 117 PRIME—Restaurateurs Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp team CAROLINA WATERSHED—This indoor/outdoor eatery, set around as well as lamb sliders and pita nachos. Closed Mon. 412 S. Main. up with Chef Ryan Trimm to recreate the traditional American silos, features reimagined down-home classics, including fried green 249-6626. L, D, X, $ steakhouse. Serving oysters on the half shell and a variety of surf tomatoes with smoked catfish, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, GUS’S WORLD FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN—Serves and turf options. 117 Union. 433-9851. L, D, WB, X, $-$$$ burgers, and more. Closed Mon.-Thurs. 141 E. Carolina. 321-5553. L, chicken with signature spicy batter, along with homeALDO’S PIZZA PIES—Serving gourmet pizzas — D, WB, $-$$ made beans, slaw, and pies. 310 S. Front. 527-4877; 3100 including Mr. T Rex — salads, and more. Also 30 beers, CATHERINE & MARY’S—A variety of pastas, grilled Forest Hill Irene (Germantown). 853-6005; 2965 N. Germantown bottled or on tap. 100 S. Main. 577-7743; 752 S. Cooper. quail, pâté, razor clams, and monkfish are among the Pkwy. (Cordova). 373-9111; 730 S. Mendenhall. 767-2323; 505 725-7437. L, D, X, $-$$ dishes served at this Italian restaurant in the Chisca. 272 S. Highway 70 W., Mason, TN. 901-294-2028. L, D, X, MRA, $ THE ARCADE—Possibly Memphis’ oldest cafe.

Main. 254-8600. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ HAPPY MEXICAN—Serves quesadillas, burritos, chimichangas, Specialties include sweet potato pancakes, a fried peaCHEF TAM’S UNDERGROUND vegetable and seafood dishes, and more.

DINING SYMBOLS nut butter and banana sandwich, and breakfast served CAFE—Serves Southern staples with a 385 S. Second. 529-9991; 6080 Primacy all day. 540 S. Main. 526-5757. B, L, D (Thurs.-Sat.), X, MRA, $ Cajun twist. Menu items include totchoes, Pkwy. 683-0000; 7935 Winchester.

B — breakfast AUTOMATIC SLIM’S—Longtime Downtown favorite specializes jerk wings, fried chicken, and “muddy” 751-5353. L, D, X, $ in contemporary American cuisine emphasizing local ingredients; L — lunch mac and cheese. Closed Sun. and Mon. 668 HU. ROOF—Rooftop cocktail bar with also extensive martini list. 83 S. Second. 525-7948. L, D, WB, X, D — dinner Union Ave. 207-6182. L, D, $ superb city views serves toasts with a MRA, $-$$$ CHEZ PHILIPPE—Classical/ SB — Sunday brunch variety of toppings including beef tartare BACKLOT SANDWICH SHOP—Big sandwiches, contemporary French cuisine WB — weekend brunch with cured egg, cognac, and capers breakfast bowls, and build-your-own-biscuits for presented in a luxurious atmoor riced cauliflower with yellow curry, X— wheelchair accessible breakfast, lunch, and an early supper. 265 S. Front St. sphere with a seasonal menu focused on currants, and almonds. Also salads, fish MRA — member, Memphis 509-8612. B, L, D, $ local/regional cuisine. The crown jewel of tacos, and boiled peanut hummus. 79 Restaurant Association BARDOG TAVERN—Classic American grill with Italian The Peabody for 35 years. Afternoon tea Madison. 333-1229. D, $ influence, Bardog offers pasta specialties such as Grandma’s NJ $ — under $15 per person without served Wed.-Sat., 1-3:30 p.m. (reservations HUSTLE & DOUGH BAKERY Meatballs, as well as salads, sliders, sandwiches, and daily spedrinks or desserts required). Closed Sun.-Tues. The Peabody, & CAFE—Flaky, baked breakfast cials. 73 Monroe. 275-8752. B (Mon.-Fri.), L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$ 149 Union. 529-4188. D, X, MRA, $$$$ $$ — under $25 goodness every day with fresh pastries, BEDROCK EATS & SWEETS—Memphis’ only Paleo-centric CIMAS—It’s breakfast tacos, $$$ — $26-$50 sandwiches, and more at Arrive Hotel. restaurant, offering such dishes as pot roast, waffles, enchiladas, shrimp and grits, chilaquiles 477 S. Main St., 701-7577. B, L, X, $ $$$$ — over $50 chicken salad, omelets, and more. Closed for dinner Sun. 327 S. verdes, and plenty of other ITTA BENA—Southern and CajunMain. 409-6433. B, L, D, X, $-$$ Southern and Latin-American twists at the American cuisine served here, conveniently located above B.B. BELLE TAVERN—Serving elevated bar food, including a Hyatt Centric. 33 Beale St. 444-3232. B, L, D, $-$$$ King’s Blues Club on Beale St.; specialties are duck and waffles and butcher board with a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as THE CLOVER CLUB—Southern fusion and internation- shrimp and grits, along with steaks, chops, seafood, and pasta. 145 daily specials. 117 Barboro Alley. 249-6580. L (Sun.), D, MRA, $ ally-inspired small plates at Hotel Indigo.

Beale St. 578-3031. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$ BEN YAY’S GUMBO SHOP—Spiritual successor to DejaVu, 22 N. B.B. King.

KING & UNION BAR GROCERY—Classic Southern favorites offering fresh and authentic Creole staples. 51 S. Main St., 779COZY CORNER—Serving up ribs, pork sandwiches, including catfish plate, pimento cheese, po-boys, chicken & waf4125. L, D, X, $-$$ chicken, spaghetti, and more; also homemade banana fles. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with cocktails served BISHOP—Ticer and Hudman’s newest venture at the Central pudding. Closed Mon. 745 N. Parkway and Manassas. with flair and favorite Memphis beers. Locally made confections Station Hotel features upscale dishes in a French brasserie style.

527-9158. L, D, $ available in the grocery. 185 Union Ave. 523-8500. B, L, D, $-$$ 545 S. Main St., 524-5247. L, D, X, $$-$$$ CURFEW—An elevated sports bar/American tavern concept KOOKY CANUCK—Offers prime rib, catfish, and burgers, BLEU—This eclectic restaurant features American food with

by Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani at the Canopy Memphis including the 4-lb. “Kookamonga”; also late-night menu. 87 S. global influences and local ingredients. Among the specialties are Downtown hotel. 164 Union Ave. B, L, D, X, $-$$ Second. 578-9800; 1250 N. Germantown Pkwy. 1-800-2453 L, D, a 14-oz. bone-in rib-eye and several seafood dishes. 221 S. Third, EVELYN & OLIVE—Jamaican/Southern fusion cuisine includes X, MRA, $-$$$ in the Westin Memphis Beale St. Hotel. 334-5950. B, L, D, WB, X, such dishes as Kingston stew fish, Rasta Pasta, and jerk rib-eye.

LITTLE BETTIE—New Haven-style pizzas and snacks MRA, $$-$$$ Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun.-Mon. 630 Madison. from the Andrew-Michael team at Wiseacre’s Downtown BLUEFIN RESTAURANT & SUSHI LOUNGE—Serves 748-5422. L, D, X, $ location. 398 S. B.B. King Blvd. 334-9411. L, D, $-$$ Japanese fusion cuisine featuring seafood and steak, with FAM—Casual Asian restaurant serves sushi rice bowls, noodle bowls, THE LITTLE TEA SHOP—Downtown institution serves seasonally changing menu; also a sushi bar. 135 S. Main. 528-1010. sushi rolls, and spring rolls. Closed Sun. 149 Madison; 521 S. Highland. up Southern comfort cooking, including meatloaf and L, D, X, $-$$ 701-6666. L, D, X, $ such veggies as turnip greens, yams, okra, and tomatoes.

BRASS DOOR IRISH PUB—Irish and New-American cuisine FELICIA SUZANNE’S—Southern cuisine with low-counClosed Sat.-Sun. 69 Monroe. 525-6000, L, X, $ includes such entrees as fish and chips, burgers, shepherd’s pie, try, Creole, and Delta influences, using regional fresh seaLOCAL—Entrees with a focus on locally sourced products include all-day Irish breakfast, and more. 152 Madison. 572-1813. L, D, food, local beef, and locally grown foods. Entrees include lobster mac-and-cheese and rib-eye patty melt; menu differs by SB, $-$$ shrimp and grits. Closed Sun. and Mon. A Downtown staple at location. 95 S. Main. 473-9573; 2126 Madison. 725-1845. L, D, WB,

BY THE BREWERY—Breakfast and lunch café, with a focus Brinkley Plaza, 80 Monroe, Suite L1. 523-0877. L (Fri. only), D, X, MRA, X, $-$$ on Southern-style biscuits, salads, and soups. 496 Tennessee St. $$-$$$ LOFLIN YARD—Beer garden and restaurant serves vegetarian 310-4341. B, L, $ FERRARO’S PIZZERIA & PUB—Rigatoni and tortellini are fare and smoked-meat dishes, including beef brisket and pork CAFE KEOUGH—European-style cafe serving quiche, paninis, among the pasta entrees here, along with pizzas (whole or by the tenderloin, cooked on a custom-made grill. Closed Mon.-Tues. 7 W. salads, and more. 12 S. Main. 509-2469. B, L, D, X, $ slice) with a variety of toppings. 111 Jackson. 522-2033. L, D, X, $ Carolina. 249-3046. L (Sat. and Sun.), D, MRA, $-$$ CAPRICCIO GRILL ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE—Offers prime FISHBOWL AT THE PYRAMID—Burgers, fish dishes, sandsteaks, fresh seafood (lobster tails, grouper, mahi mahi), pasta, wiches, and more served in a unique “underwater” setting. Bass Pro, 1 Bass Pro Drive, 291-8000. B, L, D, X, $-$$

A Curated Guide to Eating Out

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LONGSHOT—Chef David Todd has something for everyone with a wide variety of international fusion dishes, and a side of shuffleboard. 477 S. Main. D, $-$$ THE LOOKOUT AT THE PYRAMID—Serves seafood and Southern fare, including cornmeal-fried oysters, sweet tea brined chicken, and elk chops. 1 Bass Pro Dr. 620-4600/291-8200. L, D, X, $-$$$ LUCY’S—Hu. Hotel’s downstairs diner serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Start your day with a Hu. breakfast burrito, or Lucy’s Burger for a late night bite 3 S. Main. 333-1200. B, L, D, X, $-$$ LUNA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE—Serving a limited menu of breakfast and lunch items. Dinner entrees include citrus glaze salmon and Cajun stuffed chicken. 179 Madison (Hotel Napoleon).

526-0002. B, D (Mon.-Sat.), X, $-$$$ MACIEL’S—Entrees include tortas, fried taco plates, quesadillas, chorizo and pastor soft tacos, salads, and more. Downtown closed Sun. 45 S. Main.

526-0037, X, MRA, $ THE MAJESTIC GRILLE—Features aged steaks, fresh seafood, and such specialties as roasted chicken and grilled pork tenderloin; offers a pre-theater menu and classic cocktails. Well-stocked bar. 145 S. Main. 522-8555. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ McEWEN’S—Southern/American cuisine with international flavors; specialties include steak and seafood, sweet potato-crusted catfish with macaroni and cheese, and more. Closed Sun., Monroe location. 120 Monroe. Temporarily closed for renovations. 527-7085; 1110 Van Buren (Oxford). 662-2347003. L, D, SB (Oxford only), X, MRA, $$-$$$ MESQUITE CHOP HOUSE—The focus here is on steaks, including prime fillet, rib-eyes, and prime-aged New York strip; also, some seafood options. 5960 Getwell (Southaven). 662-890-2467; 88 Union. 527-5337; 3165 Forest Hill-Irene (Germantown). 249-5661.

D, SB (Germantown), X, $$-$$$ MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE—Specializes in tapas (small plates) featuring global cuisine. Closed Sun.-Tues. 679 Adams Ave. 524-1886. D, X, MRA, $ MOMMA’S ROADHOUSE—This diner and dive at Highway 55 serves up hot and crispy fried chicken wings, among other solid bar food options. Temporarily closed. 855 Kentucky. 207-5111. L, D, MRA, $ THE NINE THAI & SUSHI—Serving authentic Thai dishes, including curries, as well as a variety of sushi rolls. Closed for lunch Sat. and Sun. 121 Union. 208-8347. L, D, X, $-$$ THE PARAMOUNT—Fried green tomato and crab beignet small plates to grilled lamb loin, cowboy ribeye, and an extensive cocktail list. Closed Sun/Mon. 265 S. Front.

410-8169. D, $-$$$$ PAULETTE’S—Presents fine dining with a Continental flair, including such entrees as filet Paulette with butter cream sauce and crabmeat and spinach crepes; also changing daily specials and great views. River Inn. 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3300. B, L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ PEARL’S OYSTER HOUSE—Downtown eatery serving seafood, including oysters, crawfish, and stuffed butterfly shrimp, as well as beef, chicken, and pasta dishes. 299 S. Main. 522-9070; 8106 Cordova Center Dr. (Cordova). 425-4797. L, D, SB, X, $-$$$ PONTOTOC LOUNGE—Upscale restaurant and jazz bar serves such starters as alligator filet fritters; entrees include Mississippi pot roast with jalapeño cornbread and tagliatelle with braised beef.

314 S. Main. 207-7576. D, X, $-$$ RAW GIRLS—Raw and hot plant-based food alongside cold-pressed juices made from seasonal, locally grown sources. Closed Sun. 150 Peabody Pl., Suite 118. 207-5463.

B, L, D, $-$$ REGINA’S—New Orleans-inspired eatery offering po’boys, Cajun nachos topped with crawfish tails, catfish platters, oysters, and more. Closed Mon. 60 N. Main. 730-0384. B, L, D, SB, X, $-$$ RENDEZVOUS, CHARLES VERGOS’—Menu items include barbecued ribs, cheese plates, skillet shrimp, red beans and rice, and Greek salads. Closed Sun.-Mon. 52 S. Second. 523-2746. L (Fri.-Sat.), D, X, $-$$ RIZZO’S DINER—Chorizo meatloaf, lobster pronto puff, and lamb belly tacos are menu items at this upscale diner.

Michael Patrick is among the city’s best chefs. 492 S. Main.

304-6985. L (Fri.-Sat.), D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$ SABOR CARIBE—Serving up “Caribbean flavors” with dishes from Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Closed Sunday.

662 Madison. 949-8100. L, D, X, $ SAGE—Restaurant and lounge features daily lunch specials and tapas with such dishes as braised short ribs, teriyaki pulled pork, M A R C H 2 0 2 2 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • 137

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The Memphis Dining Guide and the Sage burger made with Angus beef, avocado mash, fried egg, and flash-fried sage. 94 S. Main. 672-7902. L, D, WB, X, $-$$ SILLY GOOSE LOUNGE—Gourmet, wood-fired pizzas and hand-crafted cocktails at this Downtown restaurant and lounge.

150 Peabody Place, Suite 111. 435-6915. L, D, X, $ SLEEP OUT LOUIE’S—Oyster bar with such specialties as chargrilled Roquefort oysters and gulf oysters on the half shell with Prosecco mignonette; also serves flatbread pizzas and a variety of sandwiches. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 111. 707-7180. L, D, X, $ SOUTH MAIN SUSHI & GRILL—Serving sushi, nigiri, and more. 520 S. Main. 249-2194. L, D, X, $ SOB—Elevated gastropub that serves favorites like general Tso’s cauliflower or duck fried rice. 345 S. Main. 526-0388. L, D, WB, X, $-$$ SUGAR GRITS— Who said breakfast has to be in the morning? The Westmorelands offer grits and other breakfast goodness all day long, in addition to other Southernstyle lunch and dinner options. 150 Peabody Pl., Suite 111.

249-5206. B, L, D, $-$$ SUNRISE MEMPHIS—From the owners of Sweet Grass and Central BBQ. Serves breakfast all day, including house-made biscuits, frittatas, kielbasa or boudin plates, and breakfast platters.

670 Jefferson. 552-3144. B, L, X, MRA, $ TERRACE—Creative American and Continental cuisine includes such dishes as filet mignon, beef or lamb sliders, chicken satay, and mushroom pizzetta. Rooftop, River Inn of Harbor Town, 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3366. D, X, MRA, $$ TEXAS DE BRAZIL—Serves beef, pork, lamb, and chicken dishes, and Brazilian sausage; also a salad bar with extensive toppings. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 103. 526-7600. L (Wed.-Fri.), D, SB, X, $$-$$$ TUG’S—Famous for New Orleans gumbo, fabulous burgers, fried thin catfish, and specialty pancakes. Now serving Grisanti Crafted Pizza. 51 Harbor Town Square. 260-3344. B, L, D, WB, X, $$-$$$ THE VAULT—Oysters, shrimp beignets, flatbreads, stuffed cornish hen, and Smash Burger featured on “Late Nite Eats” are among the dishes offered at this Creole/Italian fusion eatery. 124 G.E. Patterson. 591-8000. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$ WAHLBURGERS WILD—Wahlburgers brings its classic menu, but with a few gamey twists at the Bass Pro Pyramid. 1 Bass Pro Drive. B, L, D, $-$$ WESTY’S—Extensive menu includes a variety of wild rice dishes, sandwiches, plate lunches, and hot fudge pie. 346 N. Main.

543-3278.L, D, X, $

MIDTOWN (INCLUDES THE MEDICAL CENTER)

ABNER'S FAMOUS CHICKEN—Fried chicken tenders and dipping sauces galore at this Mid-South staple. 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 137. 425-2597; (East Memphis) 1591 Poplar Ave. 509-3351; (Cordova) 1100 N. Germantown Pkwy. 7545355. L, D, $-$$ ABYSSINIA RESTAURANT—Ethiopian/Mediterranean menu includes beef, chicken, lamb, fish entrees, and vegetarian dishes; also a lunch buffet. 2600 Poplar. 321-0082. L, D, X, $-$$ ALCHEMY—Southern fusion, locally grown cuisine features small and large plates; among the offerings are pan-seared hanger steak, quail, and lamb chops; also handcrafted cocktails and local craft beers. 940 S. Cooper. 726-4444. D, SB, X, $-$$ ART BAR—Inventive cocktails feature locally foraged ingredients; snacks include house-cured salt & vinegar potato chips and herb-roasted olives. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue #280.

507-8030. D, X, $ BABALU TACOS & TAPAS—This eatery dishes up Spanish-style tapas with Southern flair; also taco and enchilada of the day; specials change daily. 2115 Madison. 274-0100; 6450 Poplar, 4108909. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$ BACK DO / MI YARD—A revamped patio space behind The Beauty Shop features rotisserie meats and fishes via Brazilian-style outdoor grill. Dinner Wednesday-Saturday, weather permitting.

966 S. Cooper, 272-7111. D, X, $$ BAR DKDC—Features an ever-changing menu of international “street food,” from Thai to Mexican, Israeli to Indian, along with specialty cocktails. 964 S. Cooper. 272-0830. D, X, MRA, $ BAR KEOUGH—It’s old-school eats and cocktails at the new Cooper-Young neighborhood corner bar by Kevin Keough. 247 Cooper St. D, X, $ BAR-B-Q SHOP—Dishes up barbecued ribs, spaghetti, bologna; also pulled pork shoulder, Texas toast barbecue sandwich, chicken sandwich, and salads. Closed Sun. 1782 Madison. 272-1277. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

BARI RISTORANTE ENOTECA—Authentic Southeastern Italian cuisine (Puglia) emphasizes lighter entrees. Serves fresh fish and beef dishes and a homemade soup of the day. 524 Cooper.

722-2244. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ BARKSDALE RESTAURANT—Old-school diner serving breakfast and Southern plate lunches. 237 S. Cooper. 722-2193. B, L, D, X, $ BAYOU BAR & GRILL—New Orleans fare at this Overton Square eatery includes jambalaya, gumbo, catfish Acadian, shrimp dishes, red beans and rice, and muffalettas. 2094 Madison. 278-8626. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$ BEAUTY SHOP—Modern American cuisine with international flair served in a former beauty shop. Serves steaks, salads, pasta, and seafood, including pecancrusted golden sea bass. Perennial “Best Brunch” winner. Closed for dinner Sunday. 966 S. Cooper. 272-7111. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ BELLY ACRES—At this festive Overton Square eatery, milkshakes, floats, and burgers rule. Burgers are updated with contemporary toppings like grilled leeks, braised tomatoes, and sourdough or brioche buns. 2102 Trimble Pl. 529-7017. L, D, X, $ BOSCOS—Tennessee’s first craft brewery serves a variety of freshly brewed beers as well as wood-fired oven pizzas, pasta, seafood, steaks, and sandwiches. 2120 Madison. 432-2222. L, D, SB (with live jazz), X, MRA, $-$$ BOUNTY ON BROAD—Offering family-style dining, Bounty serves small plates and family-sized platters, with such specialties as chicken-fried quail and braised pork shank. 2519 Broad. 410-8131. L (Sat. and Sun.), D (Mon.-Sat.), SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ BROADWAY PIZZA—Serving a variety of pizzas, including the Broadway Special, as well as sandwiches, salads, wings, and soul-food specials. 2581 Broad. 454-7930; 627 S. Mendenhall.

207-1546. L, D, X, $-$$ CAFE 1912—French/American bistro owned by culinary pioneer Glenn Hays serving such seafood entrees as seared sea scallops with charred cauliflower purée and chorizo cumin sauce; also crepes, salads, and onion soup gratinée.

243 S. Cooper. 722-2700. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ CAFE BROOKS BY CITY & STATE—Serving grab-and-go pastries, as well as lunch items. Menu includes soups, salads, and sandwiches, such as the Modern Reuben and Grown-Up Grilled Cheese. 1934 Poplar (Memphis Brooks Museum of Art). 544-6200.

B, L, X, $ CAFE ECLECTIC—Omelets and chicken and waffles are among menu items, along with quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Menu varies by location. 603 N. McLean. 725-1718; 111 Harbor Town Square. 590-4645. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $ CAFE OLÉ—This eatery specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine; one specialty is the build-your-own quesadilla. 959 S. Cooper.

343-0103. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$ CAFE PALLADIO—Serves gourmet salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts in a tea room inside the antiques shop. Closed Sun. 2169 Central. 278-0129. L, X, $ CAFE SOCIETY—With Belgian and classic French influences, serves Wagyu beef, chicken, and seafood dishes, including bacon-wrapped shrimp, along with daily specials and vegetarian entrees. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 212 N. Evergreen. 722-2177. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ CELTIC CROSSING—Specializes in Irish and American pub fare.

Entrees include shepherd’s pie, shrimp and sausage coddle, and fish and chips. 903 S. Cooper. 274-5151. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$ CENTRAL BBQ—Serves ribs, smoked hot wings, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, turkey, nachos, and portobello sandwiches. Offers both pork and beef barbecue. 2249 Central Ave. 272-9377; 4375 Summer Ave. 767-4672; 147 E. Butler. 672-7760 ; 6201 Poplar. 417-7962. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ COMPLICATED PILGRIM—Quick serve coffee shop, bar, and restaurant all in one at The Memphian hotel. 21 S. Cooper St. 601-909-5820. B, L, D, $-$$ THE COVE—Nautical-themed restaurant and bar serving oysters, pizzas, and more. The Stoner Pie, with tamales and fritos, is a popular dish. 2559 Broad. 730-0719. L, D, $ THE CRAZY NOODLE—Korean noodle dishes range from bibam beef noodle with cabbage, carrots, and other vegetables, to curry chicken noodle; also rice cakes served in a flavorful sauce. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 2015 Madison.

272-0928. L, D, X, $ ECCO—Mediterranean-inspired specialties range from rib-eye steak to seared scallops to housemade pastas and a grilled vegetable plate; also a Saturday brunch. Closed Sun.-Mon. 1585 Overton Park. 410-8200. B, L, D, X, $-$$

FABIOLA’S KITCHEN—Longtime caterer Fabiola Francis serves up burgers, tacos, fish, and much more. 1353 Jackson Ave. B, L, $ FARM BURGER—Serves grass-fed, freshly ground, locally sourced burgers; also available with chicken, pork, or veggie quinoa patties, with such toppings as aged white cheddar, kale coleslaw, and roasted beets. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 175.

800-1851. L, D, X, $ THE FARMER AT RAILGARTEN—Mac Edwards comes out of retirement with classics including pan-seared catfish, gulf shrimp and grits, or a Gibson donut bread pudding. Closed Mon./Tue. 2166 Central. 313-0087. D, $-$$ FINO’S ITALIAN DELI & CATERING—The newly revived Fino’s offers the old favorites such as the Acquisto as well as a new breakfast menu. 1853 Madison. 272-FINO. B, L, D, X, $ FLAME RAMEN—Traditional Japanese ramen restaurant serving up bowls of noodles in Midtown. 1838 Union Ave. 779-8666. D, $-$$ FRIDA’S—Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex standards, including chimichangas, enchiladas, and fajitas; seafood includes shrimp and tilapia. 1718 Madison. 244-6196. L, D, X, $-$$ GLOBAL CAFÉ—This international food hall hosts three immigrant/refugee food entrepreneurs serving Venezuelan, Sudanese, and Syrian cuisines. Samosas, shawarma, and kabobs are among the menu items. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 157. L, D, X, MRA, $ GOLDEN INDIA—Northern Indian specialties include tandoori chicken as well as lamb, beef, shrimp, and vegetarian dishes. 2097 Madison. 728-5111. L, D, X, $-$$ GROWLERS—Sports bar and eatery serves standard bar fare in addition to pasta, tacos, chicken and waffles, and light options.

1911 Poplar. 244-7904. L, D, X, $-$$ HATTIE B’S—Fried chicken spot features “hot chicken” with a variety of heat levels; from no heat to “shut the cluck up” sauce.

Sides include greens, pimento mac-and-cheese, and black-eyed pea salad. 596 S. Cooper. 424-5900. L, D, X, $ HUEY’S—This family-friendly restaurant offers 13 different burgers, a variety of sandwiches, and delicious soups and salads. 1927 Madison. 726-4372; 1771 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 754-3885; 77 S. Second (Downtown). 527-2700; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-4455; 7090 Malco Blvd.

(Southaven). 662-349-7097; 7825 Winchester. 624-8911; 4872 Poplar. 682-7729; 7677 Farmington Blvd. (Germantown). 318-3030; 8570 Highway 51 N. (Millington). 873-5025. L, D, X, MRA, $ IMAGINE VEGAN CAFE—Dishes at this fully vegan restaurant range from salads and sandwiches to full dinners, including eggplant parmesan and “beef” tips and rice; breakfast all day Sat. and Sun. 2158 Young. 654-3455. L, D, WB, X, $ INDIA PALACE—Tandoori chicken, lamb shish kabobs, and chicken tikka masala are among the entrees; also, vegetarian options and a daily all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. 1720 Poplar.

278-1199. L, D, X, $-$$ INSPIRE COMMUNITY CAFE—Serving breakfast all day, in addition to quesadillas, rice bowls, and more for lunch and dinner.

510 Tillman, Suite 110. 509-8640. B, L, D, X, $ LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM—Serves such Southern cuisine as po’boys, shrimp and grits, and wood-fired pizzas. 2119 Madison.

207-5097. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$ LBOE—Gourmet burger joint serves locally sourced ground beef burgers, with options like the Mac-N-Cheese Burger and Caprese.

Black bean and turkey patties available. 2021 Madison. 725-0770.

L, D, X, $ THE LIQUOR STORE—Renovated liquor store turned diner serves all-day breakfast, sandwiches, and entrees such as Salisbury steak and smothered pork chops. Closed for dinner Sun.-Mon. 2655 Broad. 405-5477. B, L, D, X, $-$$ LITTLE ITALY—Serving New York-style pizza as well as subs and pasta dishes. 1495 Union. 725-0280; L, D, X, $-$$ MAXIMO’S ON BROAD—Serving a tapas menu that features creative fusion cuisine; entrees include veggie paella and fish of the day. Closed Mon. 2617 Broad Ave. 452-1111. D, SB, X, $-$$ MEMPHIS PIZZA CAFE—Homemade pizzas are specialties; also serves sandwiches, calzones, and salads. 2087 Madison. 726-5343; 5061 Park Ave. 684-1306; 7604 W. Farmington (Germantown).

753-2218; 797 W. Poplar (Collierville). 861-7800; 5627 Getwell (Southaven). 662-536-1364. L, D, X, $-$$ MIDPOINTE FROM EDGE ALLEY—Edge Alley’s sister cafe at the Ballet Memphis headquarters focuses on freshness for its breakfast, lunch, and happy hour tapas. Closed Sunday-Monday.

2144 Madison Ave. 425-2605. B, L, X, $

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MOLLY’S LA CASITA—Homemade tamales, fish tacos, a vegetarian combo, and bacon-wrapped shrimp are a few of the specialties. 2006 Madison. 726-1873. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ PANTÀ—Small, Catalan-inspired plates by Kelly English in the former Restaurant Iris space. 2146 Monroe Ave. Closed Mon.-Wed. 590-2828. L, D, $-$$.

PARISH GROCERY—Shrimp? Roast beef? Oysters?

Whatever type of po’boy you want, the New Orleansthemed eatery has got it. Closed Monday. 916 Cooper St. 207-4347. L, D, X, $-$$ PAYNE’S BAR-B-QUE—Opened in 1972, this family-owned barbecue joint serves ribs, smoked sausage, and chopped pork sandwiches with a standout mustard slaw and homemade sauce. About as down-to-earth as it gets.

1762 Lamar. 272-1523. L, D, $-$$ PIZZERIA TRASIMENO—Small pizzas baked in wood-fired clay ovens along with a selection of small salads. Menu is soon to include desserts, local beer on tap, and Umbrian wine. 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 181. 308-1113. L, D. $ PHO BINH—Vietnamese, vegetarian, and Cantonese specialties include lemon tofu and spring rolls. Closed Sunday. 1615 Madison.

276-0006. L, D, $ RED FISH ASIAN BISTRO—In the former Nineteenth Century Club building, serves sushi, teriyaki, and hibachi. Specialties include yuzu filet mignon and Chilean sea bass. 1433 Union. 4543926; 9915 Highway 64 (Lakeland). 729-7581; 6518 Goodman (Olive Branch). 662-874-5254. L, D, X, $-$$$ ROBATA RAMEN & YAKITORI BAR—Serves ramen noodle bowls and Yakitori skewers as well as rice and noodle dishes. 2116 Madison. 410-8290. L, D, X, $ SABROSURA—Serves Mexican and Cuban fare, including arroz tapada de pollo and steak Mexican. Closed Sun. 782 Washington.

421-8180. L, D, X, $-$$ SALT|SOY—Nick Scott and Brac McCarley team up to provide Southern and Asian-inspired dishes at this Japanese Izakaya. Closed Sunday, Monday. 2583 Broad Ave. 726-4444. D, $$

SALTWATER CRAB—Offers an array of seafood dishes including boils with blue crab, crab legs, lobster tails, and more, and specialty sushi like the Dynamite or Royal King rolls, in addition to signature sangrias and cocktails. 2059 Madison Ave. 922-5202. L, D, X, $$ THE SECOND LINE—Kelly English brings “relaxed Creole cuisine” to his newest eatery; serves a variety of po’boys and such specialties as barbecue shrimp, andouille shrimp, and pimento cheese fries. 2144 Monroe. 590-2829. L, D, WB, X, $-$$ SEKISUI—Japanese fusion cuisine, fresh sushi bar, grilled meats and seafood, California rolls, and vegetarian entrees. Poplar/Perkins location’s emphasis is on Pacific Rim cuisine. Menu and hours vary at each location. 25 Belvedere. 725-0005; 1884 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova).

309-8800; 4724 Poplar. 767-7770; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville).

854-0622; 2990 Kirby-Whitten (Bartlett). 377-2727; 6696 Poplar.

747-0001. L, D, X, $-$$$ STICKEM—Brick and mortar location for the popular food truck, which offers grilled meat on a stick. 1788 Madison. Closed Sunday. 474-7214. L, D, X, $ SOUL FISH CAFE—Serving Southern-style soul food, tacos, and po’boys, including catfish, crawfish, oyster, shrimp, chicken, and smoked pork tenderloin. 862 S. Cooper. 725-0722; 3160 Village Shops Dr. (Germantown). 755-6988; 4720 Poplar. 590-0323. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ SWEET GRASS—Chef Ryan Trimm takes Southern cuisine to a new level. Low-country coastal cuisine includes such specialties as shrimp and grits. Closed Mon. Restaurant’s “sister,” Sweet Grass Next Door, open nightly, serves lunch Sat.-Sun. 937 S. Cooper. 278-0278. D, SB, X, $-$$$ TAMBOLI’S PASTA & PIZZA—Pasta-maker Miles Tamboli whips up Italian soul food with seasonal menus featuring dishes like crispy fried chicken or creamy bucatini with pecorino cheese.

Serves dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Pizza only menu after 9pm. 1761 Madison. 410-8866. D, X, $-$$ TAKASHI BISTRO—Fusion restaurant with an open kitchen that lets customers watch chefs prepare a variety of Japanese and Thai cuisine. 1680 Union Ave. Suite 109. 800-2936. L, D, $-$$.

TONICA—Paella and other Spanish-inspired dishes with an Italian touch, alongside an extensive list of gin and tonics. 1545 Overton Park. Closed Mon.-Wed. D, $-$$

The Memphis Dining Guide TSUNAMI—Features Pacific Rim cuisine (Asia, Australia, South Pacific, etc.); also a changing “small plate” menu.

Chef Ben Smith is a Cooper-Young pioneer. Specialties include Asian nachos and roasted sea bass. Closed Sunday. 928 S. Cooper. 274-2556. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$ ZINNIE’S—Dive bar classic reopens with a makeover and signature Zinnaloni sandwich. 1688 Madison. 726-5004. L, D, X, $

SOUTH MEMPHIS (INCLUDES PARKWAY VILLAGE, FOX

MEADOWS, SOUTH MEMPHIS, WINCHESTER, AND WHITEHAVEN) BALA'S BISTRO—Authentic West African cuisine available to order or by the pound, alongside traditional American dishes and an extensive vegan menu. 4571 Elvis Presley Blvd. 509-3024. L, D, $-$$ COLETTA’S—Longtime eatery serves such specialties as homemade ravioli, lasagna, and pizza with barbecue or traditional toppings. 1063 S. Parkway E. 948-7652; 2850 Appling Rd. (Bartlett).

383-1122. L, D, X, $-$$ CURRY BOWL—Specializes in Southern Indian cuisine, serving Tandoori chicken, biryani, tikka masala, and more. Weekend buffet. 4141 Hacks Cross Rd. 207-6051. L, D, $ DELTA’S KITCHEN—The premier restaurant at The Guest House at Graceland serves Elvis-inspired dishes — like Nutella and Peanut Butter Crepes for breakfast — and upscale Southern cuisine — including lamb chops and shrimp and grits — for dinner. 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd. 443-3000. B, D, X, $-$$$ DWJ KOREAN BARBECUE—This authentic Korean eatery serves kimbap, barbecued beef short ribs, rice and noodles dishes, and hot pots and stews. 3750 Hacks Cross Rd., Suite 101. 746-8057; 2156 Young. 207-6204. L, D, $-$$ FABULOUS FLAVORS & FRIENDS—”The Candy Lady” Precious Thompson Jones comes up with a little bit of everything: omelettes, quesadillas, t-bones and waffles, and plenty of soul food. 2063 E. Brooks Rd. 314-0735. L, D, $ THE FOUR WAY—Legendary soul-food establishment dishing up such entrees as fried and baked catfish, chicken, and turkey and dressing, along with a host of vegetables and desserts. Around the corner from the legendary Stax Studio. Closed Monday. 998 Mississippi Blvd. 507-1519. L, D, $ HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY–No one cares how late it gets; not at Hernando’s Hideaway. Live music, killer happy hour, and plenty of bar fare at this South Memphis hang. 3210 Old Hernando Rd. 917-982-1829.

L, D, $ INTERSTATE BAR-B-Q—Specialties include chopped pork-shoulder sandwiches, ribs, hot wings, spaghetti, chicken, and turkey. 2265 S. Third. 775-2304; 150 W. Stateline Rd. (Southaven). 662-393-5699. L, D, X, $-$$ JIM & SAMELLA’S—It’s a revolving menu of soul food delight from Chef Talbert Fleming, with anything from southern ribs to fried tamales. 841 Bullington Ave. 265-8761. L, D, X, $ LEONARD’S—Serves wet and dry ribs, barbecue sandwiches, spaghetti, catfish, homemade onion rings, and lemon icebox pie; also a lunch buffet. 5465 Fox Plaza. 360-1963. L, X, $-$$ MARLOWE’S—In addition to its signature barbecue and ribs, Marlowe’s serves Southern-style steaks, chops, lasagna, and more. 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd. 332-4159. D, X, MRA, $-$$ UNCLE LOU’S FRIED CHICKEN—Featured on Diners, DriveIns and Dives for good reason: fried chicken (mild, hot, or homestyle); jumbo burgers four patties high; strawberry shortcake, and assorted fruit pies. 3633 Millbranch. 332-2367. L, D, X, MRA, $

SUMMER/BERCLAIR/ RALEIGH/BARTLETT

ASIAN PALACE—Chinese eatery serves seafood, vegetarian items, dim sum, and more. 5266 Summer Ave. 766-0831. L, D, X, $-$$ BISCUITS & JAMS—Biscuits, waffles, French toast, and plenty of sharables at this Bartlett breakfast spot.

Closed Mon/Tue. 5806 Stage Rd. 672-7905. B, L, $ ELWOOD’S SHACK—Casual comfort food includes tacos, pizza, and sandwiches. Specialties include meats smoked in-house (chicken, turkey, brisket, pork), barbecue pizza, and steelhead trout tacos. 4523 Summer. 761-9898.

B, L, D, X, $ EXLINES’ BEST PIZZA—Serves pizza, Italian dinners, sandwiches, and salads. 6250 Stage Rd. 382-3433; 2935 Austin Peay. 388-4711; 2801 Kirby Parkway. 754-0202; 7730 Wolf River Blvd. (Germantown). 753-4545; 531 W. Stateline Rd. 662-342-4544 (check online for additional locations). L, D, X, MRA, $

LA TAQUERIA GUADALUPANA—Fajitas and quesadillas are just a few of the authentic Mexican entrees offered here. A bona-fide Memphis institution. 4818 Summer. 685-6857; 5848 Winchester. 365-4992. L, D, $ LOTUS—Authentic Vietnamese-Asian fare, including lemon-grass chicken and shrimp, egg rolls, Pho soup, and spicy Vietnamese vermicelli. 4970 Summer.

682-1151. D, X, $ MORTIMER’S—Contemporary American entrees include trout almondine, chicken dishes, and hand-cut steaks; also sandwiches, salads, and daily/nightly specials. A Memphis landmark since the Knickerbocker closed. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 590 N. Perkins. 761-9321. L, D, X, $-$$ NAGASAKI INN—Chicken, steak, and lobster are among the main courses; meal is cooked at your table. 3951 Summer. 4540320. D, X, $$ NAM KING—General Tso’s chicken, hot and sour soup, and homemade chicken wings are back at the longtime Raleigh Chinese eatery. 3624 Austin Peay Highway, #3. 373-4411. L, D, $-$$ PANDA GARDEN—Sesame chicken and broccoli beef are among the Mandarin and Cantonese entrees; also seafood specials and fried rice. Closed for lunch Saturday. 3735 Summer. 323-4819. L, D, X, $-$$ QUEEN OF SHEBA—Featuring Middle Eastern favorites and Yemeni dishes such as lamb haneeth and saltah. 4792 Summer.

207-4174. L, D, $ SIDE PORCH STEAK HOUSE—In addition to steak, the menu includes chicken, pork chops, and fish entrees; homemade rolls are a specialty. Temporarily closed. Closed Sun.-Mon. 5689 Stage Rd. 377-2484. D, X, $-$$ TORTILLERIA LA UNICA—Individual helping of Mexican street food, including hefty tamales, burritos, tortas, and sopes. 5015 Summer Ave. 685-0097. B, L, D, X, $

UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT (INCLUDES CHICKASAW

GARDENS AND HIGHLAND STRIP) A-TAN—Serves Chinese and Japanese hibachi cuisine, complete with sushi bar. A specialty is Four Treasures with garlic sauce. 3445 Poplar, Suite 17, University Center. 452-4477. L, D, X, $-$$$ THE BLUFF—New Orleans-inspired menu includes alligator bites, nachos topped with crawfish and andouille, gumbo, po’boys, and fried seafood platters. 535 S. Highland. 454-7771. L, D, X, $-$$ BROTHER JUNIPER’S—This little cottage is a breakfast mecca, offering specialty omelets, including the open-faced San Diegan omelet; also daily specials, and homemade breads and pastries. Closed Mon. 3519 Walker. 3240144. B, X, $ CHAR RESTAURANT—Specializing in modern Southern cuisine, this eatery offers homestyle sides, charbroiled steaks, and fresh seafood. 431 S. Highland, Suite 120. 249-3533. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ DERAE RESTAURANT—Ethiopian and Mediterranean fare includes fuul, or fava beans in spices and yogurt, goat meat and rice, and garlic chicken over basmati rice with cilantro chutney; also salmon and tilapia. Closed Monday. 923 S. Highland. 552-3992. B, L, D, $-$$ EL PORTON—Fajitas, quesadillas, and steak ranchero are just a few of the menu items. 2095 Merchants Row (Germantown).

754-4268; 8361 Highway 64. 380-7877; 3448 Poplar (Poplar Plaza).

452-7330; 1805 N. Germantown Parkway (Cordova). 624-9358; 1016 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-5770. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ MEDALLION—Offers steaks, seafood, chicken, and pasta entrees.

Closed for dinner Sunday. 3700 Central, Holiday Inn (Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality). 678-1030. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ OPEN FLAME—This authentic Persian and Mediterranean eatery specializes in shish kebabs as well as kosher and halal fare. 3445 Poplar. 207-4995. L, D, X, $ PLANT BASED HEAT—All of your favorite Southernstyle recipes, but deliciously transformed into a vegan format. Specialties include the spicy fye junt burger, or the chopped ‘n’ smoked bbq jackfruit sandwich. Closed Sun. 669 S. Highland St. L, D, $ SAM’S DELI—Everything from sandwiches to bibimbap bowls at this local favorite. Closed Mon/Tue. 643 S. Highland St. 454-5582.

L, D, $

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The Memphis Dining Guide EAST MEMPHIS (INCLUDES POPLAR/ I-240)

ACRE—Features seasonal modern American cuisine in an avante-garde setting using locally sourced products; also small plates and enclosed garden patio. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 690 S. Perkins. 818-2273. L, D, X, $$-$$$ ANDALUSIA— Authentic Moroccan cuisine, including tagines, brochettes, and briouates. 5101 Sanderlin Ave., Suite 103. 236-7784.

L, D, $-$$ AGAVOS COCINA & TEQUILA—Camaron de Tequila, tamales, kabobs, and burgers made with a blend of beef and chorizo are among the offerings at this tequila-centric restaurant and bar.

2924 Walnut Grove. 433-9345. L, D, X, $-$$ AMERIGO—Traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine includes pasta, wood-fired pizza, steaks, and cedarwood-roasted fish. 1239 Ridgeway, Park Place Mall. 761-4000. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ ANDREW MICHAEL ITALIAN KITCHEN— Traditional Italian cuisine with a menu from two of the city’s top chefs that changes seasonally with such entrees as Maw Maw’s ravioli. Closed Sun.-Mon. 712 W. Brookhaven Circle.

347-3569. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$ ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFE—Offering several varieties of eggs Benedict, waffles, omelets, pancakes, beignets, and other breakfast fare; also burgers, sandwiches, and salads. 6063 Park Ave. 729-7020; 65 S. Highland. 623-7122. B, L, WB, X, $ BANGKOK ALLEY—Thai fusion cuisine includes noodle and curry dishes, chef-specialty sushi rolls, coconut soup, and duck and seafood entrees. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. at Brookhaven location; call for hours. 715 W. Brookhaven Circle.

590-2585; 2150 W. Poplar at Houston Levee (Collierville). 854-8748.

L, D, X, $-$$ BENIHANA—This Japanese steakhouse serves beef, chicken, and seafood grilled at the table; some menu items change monthly; sushi bar also featured. 912 Ridge Lake Blvd. 767-8980. L, D, X, $$-$$$ BIG BAD BREAKFAST—Fresh biscuits, house-made cured meats, jams, jellies, and more for the most important meal of the day. 6450 Poplar. More details coming soon.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE ITALIAN RESTAURANT—Specializing in such homemade entrees as spinach lasagna and lobster ravioli; a seafood specialty is horseradish-crusted salmon. Closed Sun. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 755-7413. D, X, $-$$$ BRYANT’S BREAKFAST—Three-egg omelets, pancakes, and The Sampler Platter are among the popular entrees here. Possibly the best biscuits in town. Closed Mon. and Tues. 3965 Summer.

324-7494. B, L, X, $ BUCKLEY’S FINE FILET GRILL—Specializes in steaks, seafood, and pasta. (Lunchbox serves entree salads, burgers, and more.) 5355 Poplar. 683-4538; 919 S. Yates (Buckley’s Lunchbox), 682-0570. L (Yates only, M-F), D, X, $-$$ CAPITAL GRILLE—Known for its dry-aged, hand-carved steaks; among the specialties are bone-in sirloin, and porcini-rubbed Delmonico; also seafood entrees and seasonal lunch plates. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. Crescent Center, 6065 Poplar. 683-9291. L, D, X, $$$-$$$$ CASABLANCA—Lamb shawarma is one of the fresh, homemade specialties served at this Mediterranean/Moroccan restaurant; fish entrees and vegetarian options also available. 5030 Poplar. 7258557 ; 7609 Poplar Pike (Germantown). 425-5908; 1707 Madison.

421-6949. L, D, X, $-$$ CIAO BELLA—Among the Italian and Greek specialties are lasagna, seafood pasta, gourmet pizzas, and vegetarian options.

Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 565 Erin Dr., Erin Way Shopping Center.

205-2500. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$$ CITY SILO TABLE + PANTRY—With a focus on clean eating, this establishment offers fresh juices, as well as comfort foods re-imagined with wholesome ingredients. 5101 Sanderlin. 7297687. Germantown: 7605 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 2. 236-7223.

B, L, D, X, $ COASTAL FISH COMPANY—Upscale offerings of international fish varieties utilizing styles ranging from Carribbean, East Coast, West Coast, Chinese, to Filipino, and more. 415 Great View Dr. E., Suite 101. 266-9000. D, X, $$-$$$ CORKY’S—Popular barbecue emporium offers both wet and dry ribs, plus a full menu of other barbecue entrees. Wed. lunch buffets, Cordova and Collierville. 5259 Poplar. 685-9744; 1740 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 737-1911; 743 W. Poplar (Collierville).

405-4999; 6434 Goodman Rd., Olive Branch. 662-893-3663. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

DAN MCGUINNESS PUB—Serves fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, burgers, and other Irish and American fare; also lunch and dinner specials. 4694 Spottswood. 761-3711; 3964 Goodman Rd. 662-890-7611. L, D, X, $ DORY—Chef David Krog whips up Southern specialties with classic French techniques and locally sourced ingredients. Current specialties include pork tenderloin, beef bourguignon, or cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles, with new weekly additions. 716 W. Brookhaven Circle. 310-4290.

L, D, X, $$-$$$ ERLING JENSEN—For decades, has presented “globally inspired” cuisine to die for. Specialties are rack of lamb, big game entrees, and fresh fish dishes. 1044 S. Yates. 763-3700. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$ ERLING JENSEN SMALL BITES—Enjoy Erling Jensen’s specialty dishes in a sharable, small plate format alongside TopGolf Swing suites. 5069 Sanderlin Ave. 587-9464. L, D, X, $-$$$ FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE—Serves wet-aged and dry-aged steaks, prime beef, chops, and seafood, including salmon, Australian lobster tails, and a catch of the day. 6245 Poplar. 761-6200. D, X, MRA, $$$-$$$$ FOLK’S FOLLY ORIGINAL PRIME STEAK HOUSE—Specializes in prime steaks, as well as lobster, grilled Scottish salmon, Alaskan king crab legs, rack of lamb, and weekly specials. 551 S. Mendenhall. 762-8200. D, X, MRA, $$$-$$$$ FORMOSA—Offers Mandarin cuisine, including broccoli beef, hot-and-sour soup, and spring rolls. Closed Monday. 6685 Quince.

753-9898. L, D, X, $-$$ FOX RIDGE PIZZA & GRILL—Pizzas, calzones, sub sandwiches, burgers, and meat-and-two plate lunches are among the dishes served at this eatery, which opened in 1979. 711 W. Brookhaven Circle 758-6500. L, D, X, $ FRATELLI’S—Serves hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts, all with an Italian/Mediterranean flair. Closed Sunday. 750 Cherry Rd., Memphis Botanic Garden. 766-9900. L, X, $ FRANK GRISANTI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT—Northern Italian favorites include pasta with jumbo shrimp and mushrooms; also seafood, filet mignon, and daily lunch specials. Closed for lunch Sunday. Embassy Suites Hotel, 1022 S. Shady Grove. 761-9462.

L, D, X, $-$$$ HALF SHELL—Specializes in seafood, such as king crab legs; also serves steaks, chicken, pastas, salads, sandwiches, a ”voodoo menu”; oyster bar at Winchester location. 688 S. Mendenhall.

682-3966; 7825 Winchester. 737-6755. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ HEN HOUSE—Hybrid wine/cocktail bar and tasting room with plenty of cosmopolitan eats. Closed Sun. 679 S. Mendenhall. 499-5436. D, $-$$$ HIGH POINT PIZZA—Serves a variety of pizzas, subs, salads, and sides. Closed Monday. A neighborhood fixture. 477 High Point Terrace. 452-3339. L, D, X, $-$$ HOG & HOMINY—The casual sister to Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen serves brick-oven-baked pizzas, including the Red-Eye with pork belly, and small plates with everything from meatballs to beef and cheddar hot dogs; and local veggies. And with a few surprises this time around. Closed for lunch Mon. 707 W. Brookhaven Cir. 207-7396. L, D, SB, X, MRA. $-$$$ HOUSTON’S—Serves steaks, seafood, pork chops, chicken dishes, sandwiches, salads, and Chicago-style spinach dip. Famous for first-class service. 5000 Poplar. 683-0915. L, D, X $-$$$ LA BAGUETTE—An almond croissant and chicken salad are among specialties at this French-style bistro. Closed for dinner Sun. 3088 Poplar. 458-0900. B, L, D (closes at 7), X, MRA, $ LAS DELICIAS—Popular for its guacamole, house-made tortilla chips, and margaritas, this restaurant draws diners with its chicken enchiladas, meat-stuffed flautas, and Cuban torta with spicy pork.

Closed Sunday. 4002 Park Ave. 458-9264; 5689 Quince. 800-2873.

L, D, X, $ LIBRO AT LAURELWOOD—Bookstore eatery features a variety of sandwiches, salads, and homemade pasta dishes, with Italianinspired options such as carbonara and potato gnocchi. Closed for dinner Sun. 387 Perkins Ext. (Novel). 800-2656. B, L, D, SB, X, $-$$ LOST PIZZA—Offering pizzas (with dough made from scratch), pasta, salads, sandwiches, tamales, and more. 2855 Poplar. 5721803; 5960 Getwell (Southaven). 662-892-8684. L, D, X, $-$$ LYNCHBURG LEGENDS—This restaurant with a Jack Daniels’ theme and Southern cuisine serves such entrees as Bourbon Street salmon, buttermilk-fried chicken, and grilled steak and wild mushroom salad. DoubleTree Hotel, 5069 Sanderlin. 969-7777. B, L, D, X, $-$$$

MAGNOLIA & MAY—The family behind Grove Grill cooks up Southern-inspired casual dining at this country brasserie, with popular menu items like peach gazpacho, low country shrimp n’ grits, and plenty of weekend brunch options. Closed Mon. 718 Mt. Moriah Rd. 676-8100. D, SB, MRA. $$-$$$.

MAHOGANY MEMPHIS—Upscale Southern restaurant offers such dishes as coffee-rubbed lamb chops and baked Cajun Cornish hen. Closed for dinner Sun. and all day Mon.-Tues. 3092 Poplar, Suite 11. 623-7977. L, D, SB, X, $-$$$ MARCIANO MEDITERRANEAN AND ITALIAN CUISINE— Veal Saltimbocca with angel-hair pasta and white wine sauce is among the entrees; also steaks, seafood, and gourmet pizza. 780 Brookhaven Circle. 682-1660. D, X, $-$$ MAYURI INDIAN CUISINE—Serves tandoori chicken, masala dosa, tikka masala, as well as lamb and shrimp entrees; also a daily lunch buffet, and dinner buffet on Fri.-Sat. 6524 Quince Rd. 753-8755. L, D, X, $-$$ MELLOW MUSHROOM—Large menu includes assortment of pizzas, salads, calzones, hoagies, vegetarian options, and 50 beers on tap. 5138 Park Ave. 562-1211; 9155 Poplar, Shops of Forest Hill (Germantown). 907-0243. L, D, X, $-$$ MOSA ASIAN BISTRO—Specialties include sesame chicken, Thai calamari, rainbow panang curry with grouper fish, and other Pan Asian/fusion entrees. Closed Mon. 850 S. White Station Rd. 683-8889. L, D, X, MRA, $ NAM KING—Offers luncheon and dinner buffets, dim sum, and such specialties as fried dumplings, pepper steak, and orange chicken. 4594 Yale. 373-4411. L, D, X, $ NAPA CAFE—Among the specialties are miso-marinated salmon over black rice with garlic spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Closed Sun. 5101 Sanderlin, Suite 122. 683-0441. L, D, X, MRA, $$-$$$ NEW HUNAN—Chinese eatery with more than 80 entrees; also lunch/dinner buffets. 5052 Park. 766-1622. L, D, X, $ ONE & ONLY BBQ—On the menu are pork barbecue sandwiches, platters, wet and dry ribs, smoked chicken and turkey platters, a smoked meat salad, barbecue quesadillas, Brunswick Stew, and Millie’s homemade desserts. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 751-3615; 567 Perkins Extd. 249-4227. L, D, X, $ ONO POKÉ—This eatery specializes in poké — a Hawaiian dish of fresh fish salad served over rice. Menu includes a variety of poké bowls, like the Kimchi Tuna bowl, or customers can build their own by choosing a base, protein, veggies, and toppings. 3145 Poplar. 618-2955. L, D, X, $ OWEN BRENNAN’S—New Orleans-style menu of beef, chicken, pasta, and seafood; jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and crawfish etouffee are specialties. Closed for dinner Sunday. The Regalia, 6150 Poplar. 761-0990. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ PARK + CHERRY—The Dixon offers casual dining within the museum. Seasonal menu features sandwiches, like rustic chicken salad on croissant, as well as salads, snacks, and sweets. Closed for breakfast Sun. and all day Mon. 4339 Park (Dixon Gallery and Gardens). 761-5250. L, X, $ PATRICK’S—Serves barbecue nachos, burgers, and entrees such as fish and chips; also plate lunches and daily specials. 4972 Park.

682-2852. L, D, X, MRA, $ PETE & SAM’S—Serving Memphis for 60-plus years; offers steaks, seafood, and traditional Italian dishes, including homemade ravioli, lasagna, and chicken marsala. 3886 Park. 458-0694.

D, X, $-$$$ PF CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO—Specialties are orange peel shrimp, Mongolian beef, and chicken in lettuce wraps; also vegetarian dishes, including spicy eggplant. 1181 Ridgeway Rd., Park Place Centre. 818-3889. L, D, X, $-$$ PHO SAIGON—Vietnamese fare includes beef teriyaki, roasted quail, curry ginger chicken, vegetarian options, and a variety of soups. 2946 Poplar. 458-1644. L, D, $ PIMENTO’S KITCHEN + MARKET—Fresh sandwiches, soups, salads, and plenty of pimento cheese at this family-owned restaurant. 6540 Poplar Ave. 602-5488 (Collierville: 3751 S. Houston Levee. 453-6283). L, D, X, $ PYRO’S FIRE-FRESH PIZZA—Serving gourmet pizzas cooked in an open-fire oven, wide choice of toppings, and large local and craft beer selection. 1199 Ridgeway. 379-8294; 2035 Union Ave. 208-8857; 2286 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 207-1198; 3592 S. Houston Levee (Collierville). 221-8109. L, D, X, MRA, $ RED HOOK CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Cajun-style array of seafood including shrimp, mussels, clams, crawfish, and oysters.

3295 Poplar. 207-1960. L, D, X, $-$$

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MARCH 25 6-9PM

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2/15/22 11:00 AM

The Memphis Dining Guide

RED KOI—Classic Japanese cuisine offered at this family-run restaurant; hibachi steaks, sushi, seafood, chicken, and vegetables. 5847 Poplar. 767-3456. L, D, X $-$$ RED PIER CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Owners of Red Hook bring more cajun-style seafood dishes. 5901 Poplar Ave. 512-5923. L, D, $-$$$ RESTAURANT IRIS—French Creole-inspired classics, such as Gulf shrimp and rice grits congee served with lap chong sausage and boiled peanuts, are served at this newly remodeled restaurant owned by Chef Kelly English, a Food and Wine “Top Ten.” Opening soon at 4550 Poplar. 590-2828. D, X, $$-$$$ RIVER OAKS—Chef Jose Gutierrez’s French-style bistro serves seafood and steaks, with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 5871 Poplar Ave. 683-9305. L, D, X, $$$ RONNIE GRISANTI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT— This Memphis institution serves some family classics such as Elfo’s Special and handmade ravioli, along with house-made pizza and fresh oysters. Closed Sun. 6150 Poplar, Suite 122. 850-0191. D, X, $-$$$ RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE—Offers prime steaks cut and aged in-house, as well as lamb, chicken, and fresh seafood, including lobster. 6120 Poplar. 761-0055. D, X, $$$-$$$$ SALSA—Mexican-Southern California specialties include carnitas, enchiladas verde, and fajitas; also Southwestern seafood dishes such as snapper verde. Closed Sun. Regalia Shopping Center, 6150 Poplar, Suite 129. 683-6325. L, D, X, $-$$ SAUCY CHICKEN—Specializes in antibiotic-free chicken dishes with locally sourced ingredients, with such items as hot wings and the Crosstown Chicken Sandwich, and a variety of house-made dipping sauces; also, seafood, salads, and daily specials. Closed Sun. 4715 Poplar. 907-0741. L, D, $ SEASONS 52—This elegant fresh grill and wine bar offers a seasonally changing menu using fresh ingredients, wood-fire grilling, and brick-oven cooking; also a large international wine list and nightly piano bar. Crescent Center, 6085 Poplar. 682-9952. L, D, X, $$-$$$ SOBEAST—Eastern branch of the popular South of Beale, featuring the restaurant’s traditional staples, as well as rotating special menu items. 5040 Sanderlin.

818-0821. L, D, SB, X, $-$$.

SOUTHALL CAFE—Locally sourced ingredients bolster a chef-driven menu offering breakfast and lunch classics. 669 S. Mendenhall. 646-5698. B, L, WB, X, $ STAKS—Offering pancakes, including birthday cake and lemon ricotta. Menu includes other breakfast items such as beignets and French toast, as well as soups and sandwiches for lunch. 4615 Poplar. 509-2367; 7704 Poplar (Germantown). 800-1951. B, L, WB, X, $ SWANKY’S TACO SHOP—Taco-centric eatery offers tortas, flatbreads, quesadillas, chimichangas, burgers, and more. 4770 Poplar. 730-0763; 6641 Poplar (Germantown). 737-2088; 272 S. Main. 779-3499. L, D, X, $ THREE LITTLE PIGS—Pork-shoulder-style barbecue with tangy mild or hot sauce, freshly made coleslaw, and baked beans.

5145 Quince Rd. 685-7094. B, L, D, X, $ TOPS BAR-B-Q—Specializes in pork barbecue sandwiches and sandwich plates with beans and slaw; also serves ribs, beef brisket, and burgers. 1286 Union. 725-7527; 4183 Summer. 324-4325; 5391 Winchester. 794-7936; 3970 Rhodes. 323-9865; 6130 Macon.

371-0580. For more locations, go online. L, D, X, $ TORCHY’S TACOS—Plenty of Tex-Mex variety, with creative monthly special tacos. 719 S. Mendenhall. 3438880. B, L, D, $ VENICE KITCHEN—Specializes in “eclectic Italian” and Southern Creole, from pastas, including the “Godfather,” to hand-tossed pizzas, including the “John Wayne”; choose from 50 toppings. 368 Perkins Ext. 767-6872. L, D, SB, X, $-$$ WANG’S MANDARIN HOUSE—Offers Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan, and spicy Hunan entrees, including the golden-sesame chicken; next door is East Tapas, serving small plates with an Asian twist. 6065 Park Ave., Park Place Mall. 763-0676. L, D, X, $-$$ WASABI—Serving traditional Japanese offerings, hibachi, sashimi, and sushi. The Sweet Heart roll, wrapped — in the shape of a heart — with tuna and filled with spicy salmon, yellowtail, and avocado, is a specialty. 5101 Sanderlin Rd., Suite 105. 4216399. L, D, X, $-$$

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE TEA ROOM—Chicken-salad plate, beef tenderloin, soups-and-sandwiches, and vegetable plates are specialties; meal includes drink and dessert. Closed Sat.-Sun. 88 Racine. 327-5681. L, X, $ ZAYDE’S AT THE J—Kosher options at the Memphis Jewish Community Center cafe include traditional New York-style dishes and Israeli fusion. 6560 Poplar Ave. 208-3495. L, D, $-$$

CORDOVA BOMBAY HOUSE—Indian fare includes lamb korma and chicken tikka; also, a daily luncheon buffet. 1727 N. Germantown Pkwy.

755-4114. L, D, X, $-$$ THE BUTCHER SHOP—Serves steaks ranging from 8-oz. filets to a 20-oz. porterhouse; also chicken, pork chops, fresh seafood.

107 S. Germantown Rd. 757-4244. L (Fri. and Sun.), D, X, $$-$$$ GREEN BAMBOO—Pineapple tilapia, pork vermicelli, and the soft egg noodle combo are Vietnamese specialties here. 990 N. Germantown Parkway, Suite 104. 753-5488. L, D, $-$$ JIM ’N NICK’S BAR-B-Q—Serves barbecued pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, and fish, along with other homemade Southern specialties. 2359 N. Germantown Pkwy. 388-0998. L, D, X, $-$$ EL MERO TACO—This food truck turned restaurant serves up Mexican and Southern-style fusion dishes, including fried chicken tacos, chorizo con papas tacos, and brisket quesadillas. 8100 Macon Station, Suite 102. 308-1661.

Closed Sun.-Mon. L, D, WB, X, $ POKÉ WORLD—Serves up Hawaiian poké bowls filled with rice and diced, raw fish. Also offers Taiwanese bubble tea and rolled ice cream for dessert. 1605 N. Germantown Pkwy., Suite 111.

623-7986. East Memphis: 575 Erin Dr. 779-4971. L, D, $ SHOGUN JAPANESE RESTAURANT—Entrees include tempura, teriyaki, and sushi, as well as grilled fish and chicken entrees. 2324 N. Germantown Pkwy. 384-4122. L, D, X, $-$$ TANNOOR GRILL—Brazilian-style steakhouse with skewers served tableside, along with Middle Eastern specialties; vegetarian options also available. 830 N. Germantown Pkwy. 443-5222. L, D, X, $-$$$

GERMANTOWN

BLUE HONEY BISTRO—Entrees at this upscale eatery include brown butter scallops served with Mississippi blue rice and herb-crusted beef tenderloin with vegetables and truffle butter. Closed Sun. 9155 Poplar, Suite 17. 552-3041.

D, X, $-$$$ FOREST HILL GRILL—A variety of standard pub fare and a selection of mac-and-cheese dishes are featured on the menu.

Specialties include Chicken Newport and a barbecue salmon BLT. 9102 Poplar Pike. 624-6001. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$ GERMANTOWN COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches; Mon.-night all-you-can-eat ribs. 2290 S. Germantown Rd. S. 754-5540. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ LAS TORTUGAS DELI MEXICANA—Authentic Mexican food prepared from local food sources; specializes in tortugas — grilled bread scooped out to hold such powerfully popular fillings as brisket, pork, and shrimp; also tingas, tostados. Closed Sunday. 1215 S. Germantown Rd. 751-1200; 6300 Poplar. 623-3882. L, D, X, $-$$ MOONDANCE GRILL—From the owners of Itta Bena and Lafayette’s. Serves steak cooked sous vide and seafood dishes including Abita-barbecued shrimp and pan-seared sand dab, in addition to an extensive wine and cocktail list. 1730 S. Germantown Road, Suite 117. 755-1471. L, D, X, $$-$$$ NOODLES ASIAN BISTRO—Serves a variety of traditional Asian cuisine, with emphasis on noodle dishes, such as Singapore Street Noodles and Hong Kong Chow Fun. 7850 Poplar, Suite 12. 755-1117.

L, D, X, $ PETRA CAFÉ—Serves Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern sandwiches, gyros, and entrees. Hours vary; call. 6641 Poplar.

754-4440; 547 S. Highland. 323-3050. L, D, X, $-$$ ROCK’N DOUGH PIZZA CO.—Specialty and custom pizzas made from fresh ingredients; wide variety of toppings. 7850 Poplar, Suite 6. 779-2008. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $$ ROYAL PANDA—Hunan fish, Peking duck, Royal Panda chicken and shrimp, and a seafood combo are among the specialties. 3120 Village Shops Dr. 756-9697. L, D, X, $-$$ SAKURA—Sushi, tempura, and teriyaki are Japanese specialties here. 2060 West St. 758-8181; 4840 Poplar. 572-1002. L, D, X, $-$$

SOUTHERN SOCIAL—Shrimp and grits, stuffed quail, and Aunt Thelma’s Fried Chicken are among the dishes served at this upscale Southern establishment. 2285 S. Germantown Rd. 754-5555. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$ TAZIKI’S—Mediterranean-inspired dishes all made from scratch. 7850 Poplar Ave., Suite 26. 612-2713. East Memphis: 540 S. Mendenhall Rd. 290-1091. Bartlett: 7974 US-64. 203-0083. L, D, $ WEST STREET DINER—This home-style eatery offers breakfast, burgers, po’boys, and more. 2076 West St. 757-2191. B, L, D (Mon.Fri.), X, $ ZEN JAPANESE FINE CUISINE—A full sushi bar and plenty of authentic Japanese dishes, like Hibachi or Wagyu beef. 1730 S. Germantown Rd. 779-2796. L, D, X, X, $-$$$

COLLIERVILLE

CAFE EUROPE—From Italian chef Michele D’oto, the French, Spanish, and Italian fusion cuisine includes a variety of dishes like Rosette al Forno, fish ceviche, and sole meuniere. Closed Sun. 4610 Merchants Park Circle, Suite 571. 286-4199. L, D, X, $$-$$$$ CAFE PIAZZA BY PAT LUCCHESI—Specializes in gourmet pizzas (including create-your-own), panini sandwiches, and pasta.

Closed Sun. 139 S. Rowlett St. 861-1999. L, D, X, $-$$ CIAO BABY—Specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza made in a wood-fired oven. Also serves house-made mozzarella, pasta, appetizers, and salads. 890 W. Poplar, Suite 1. 457-7457. L, D, X, $ COLLIERVILLE COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches. 3573 S. Houston Levee Rd. 979-5540. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ DAVID GRISANTI’S—Serving Northern Italian cuisine and traditional family recipes, like the Elfo Special, shrimp sauteed in garlic and butter, tossed with white button mushrooms and white pepper, and served over vermicelli with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Closed Sun. 684 W. Poplar (Sheffield Antiques Mall). 861-1777. L, D (Thurs.-Sat.), X, $-$$$ EL MEZCAL—Serves burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, and other Mexican cuisine, as well as shrimp dinners and steak. 9947 Wolf River, 853-7922; 402 Perkins Extd. 761-7710; 694 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 755-1447; 1492 Union. 274-4264; 11615 Airline Rd. (Arlington). 867-1883; 9045 Highway 64 (Lakeland). 383-4219; 7164 Hacks Cross Rd. (Olive Branch). 662-890-3337; 8834 Hwy. 51 N. (Millington). 872-3220; 7424 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 417-6026. L, D, X, $ EMERALD THAI RESTAURANT—Spicy shrimp, pad khing, lemongrass chicken, and several noodle, rice, and vegetarian dishes are offered at this family restaurant. Closed Sunday. 8950 Highway 64 (Lakeland, TN). 384-0540. L, D, X, $-$$ FIREBIRDS—Specialties are hand-cut steaks, slow-roasted prime rib, and wood-grilled salmon and other seafood, as well as seasonal entrees. 4600 Merchants Circle, Carriage Crossing. 850-1637; 8470 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 379-1300. L, D, X, $-$$$ JIM’S PLACE GRILLE—Features American, Greek, and Continental cuisine. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 3660 Houston Levee. 861-5000. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$$ MULAN ASIAN BISTRO—Hunan Chicken, tofu dishes, and orange beef served here; sushi and Thai food, too. 2059 Houston Levee. 850-5288; 2149 Young. 347-3965; 4698 Spottswood. 6098680. L, D, X, $-$$ OSAKA JAPANESE CUISINE—Featuring an extensive sushi menu as well as traditional Japanese and hibachi dining. Hours vary for lunch; call. 3670 Houston Levee. 861-4309; 3402 Poplar.

249-4690; 7164 Hacks Cross (Olive Branch). 662-890-9312; 2200 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 425-4901. L, D, X, $-$$$ RAVEN & LILY—Eatery offers innovative Southerninspired cuisine with such dishes as crispy shrimp and cauliflower salad, spiced lamb sausage and parmesan risotto, and bananas foster pain perdu. Closed Monday. 120 E. Mulberry. 286-4575. L, D, SB, X, $-$$ STIX—Hibachi steakhouse with Asian cuisine features steak, chicken, and a fillet and lobster combination, also sushi. A specialty is Dynamite Chicken with fried rice. 4680 Merchants Park Circle, Avenue Carriage Crossing. 854-3399. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 115 (Downtown). 207-7638 L, D, X, $-$$ WOLF RIVER BRISKET CO.—From the owners of Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza, highlights include house-smoked meats: prime beef brisket, chicken, and salmon. Closed Sun. 9947 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 101. 316-5590; 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 165.

791-4389 L, D, X, $-$$ ZOPITA’S ON THE SQUARE—Cafe offers sandwiches, including smoked salmon and pork tenderloin, as well as salads and desserts.

Closed Sun. 114 N. Main. 457-7526. L, D, X, $

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OUT-OF-TOWN BOZO’S HOT PIT BAR-B-Q—Barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, and subs. 342 Hwy. 70 (Mason, TN). 901-294-3400. L, D, $-$$ CATFISH BLUES—Serving Delta-raised catfish and Cajun- and Southern-inspired dishes, including gumbo and fried green tomatoes. 210 E. Commerce (Hernando, MS). 662-298-3814. L, D, $ CITY GROCERY—Southern eclectic cuisine; shrimp and grits is a specialty. Closed for dinner Sunday. 152 Courthouse Square (Oxford, MS). 662-232-8080. L, D, SB, X, $$-$$$ COMO STEAKHOUSE—Steaks cooked on a hickory charcoal grill are a specialty here. Upstairs is an oyster bar. Closed Sun. 203 Main St. (Como, MS). 662-526-9529. D, X, $-$$$ ELFO GRISANTI’S NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE— Grisanti family classics like lasagna, homemade ravioli, garlic bread, and Northern Italian pizza. Closed Sun. 5627 Getwell Rd. (Southaven, MS). 662-470-4497. L, D, X, $-$$ LONG ROAD CIDER CO.—Specializes in hard apple ciders made with traditional methods. Cafe-style entrees include black-eyed peas with cornbread and greens, chicken Gorgonzola pockets, cider-steamed sausage, and housemade ice creams. Closed Sun.Wed. 9053 Barret Road. (Barretville, TN). 352-0962. D, X, $ CASINO TABLES BOURBON STREET STEAKHOUSE & GRILL AT SOUTHLAND CASINO RACING—1550 Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR, 1-800-467-6182 CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE AT THE GOLDSTRIKE—1010 Casino Center Dr., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-24KSTAY /662-357-1225 FAIRBANKS AT THE HOLLYWOOD—1150 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-871-0711 JACK BINION’S STEAK HOUSE AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE LUCKY 8 ASIAN BISTRO AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE THE STEAKHOUSE AT THE FITZ—711 Lucky Ln., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-766-LUCK, ext 8213 TWAIN’S STEAKHOUSE AT SAM’S TOWN TUNICA—1477 Casino Strip Resorts Boulevard, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-456-0711 MANILA FILIPINO RESTAURANT—Entrees include pork belly cutlet with lechon sauce, and shrimp and vegetables in tamarind broth; also daily combos, rice dishes, and chef specials. Closed Sun.-Mon. 7849 Rockford (Millington, TN). 209-8525. L, D, X, $ MARSHALL STEAKHOUSE—Rustic steakhouse serves premium Angus beef steaks, seafood dishes, rack of lamb, and more. 2379 Highway 178 (Holly Springs, MS). 628-3556. B, L, D, X, $-$$$ MEMPHIS BARBECUE COMPANY—Offers spare ribs, baby backs, and pulled pork and brisket. 709 Desoto Cove (Horn Lake, MS). 662-536-3762. L, D, X, $-$$ NAGOYA—Offers traditional Japanese cuisine and sushi bar; specialties are teriyaki and tempura dishes. 7075 Malco Blvd., Suite 101 (Southaven, MS). 662-349-8788. L, D, X, $-$$$ PIG-N-WHISTLE—Offers pork shoulder sandwiches, wet and dry ribs, catfish, nachos, and stuffed barbecue potatoes. 6084 Kerr-Rosemark Rd. (Millington, TN). 872-2455. L, D, X, $ RAVINE—Serves contemporary Southern cuisine with an emphasis on fresh, locally grown foods and a menu that changes weekly. Closed Mon.-Tues. 53 Pea Ridge/County Rd. 321 (Oxford, MS). 662-234-4555. D, SB, X, $$-$$$ SAINT LEO’S—Offering sophisticated pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. A James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant in 2017. 1101 Jackson (Oxford, MS). 662-234-4555. D, L, WB, $-$$ SNACKBAR—Billed as an intriguing mix of “French Bistro with North Mississippi Cafe.” Serving a confit duck Croque Monsieur, watermelon-cucumber chaat, pan-fried quail, plus a daily plate special and a raw bar. 721 N. Lamar (Oxford, MS). 662-236-6363.

D, $-$$$ WILSON CAFE—Serving elevated home-cooking, with such dishes as deviled eggs with cilantro and jalapeño, scampi and grits, and doughnut bread pudding. 2 N. Jefferson (Wilson, AR).

870-655-0222. L, D (Wed. through Sat. only), X, $-$$$

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L AS T

S TA N D

Finding Home at the International Farmer’s Market

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up less than 3 percent of our city’s population.

BY ASHLEY INSONG

I

n Memphis, people always look at me twice,” says Mina Hong, a Korean-CanadianAmerican and teacher currently residing here.

The Cordova International Farmers Market is one of the few places in Memphis where I feel people won’t look at me twice. As I enter the market for the first time, I wonder if these familiar strangers feel what I feel. I wonder if they also feel like they exist in the “in-between.”

I see eyes that are smallin Memphis. Unlike San Franer and slanted, and others cisco, New York City, Honolulu, that are rounder and more alLas Vegas, Houston, and Seattle, mond-shaped. Skin tones range where AAPIs blend evenly into from pale, to caramel, to brown. the mix, with their Chinatowns I walk past aisles of dragon fruit, and authentic and easily-accesmilkfish, coconut juice, bok choy, sible Asian food restaurants and shrimp shumai, jackfruit. The markets everywhere, Memphis is smell of fresh fish in the air is still working towards breaking reminiscent of childhood trips out of its homogeneity. on the city bus with According to a my grandmother to Each visit to the 2021 article in The Honolulu’s China- market is a nostalgic New York Times titled “Inside the Ditown. I see mangoes. journey through my verse and Growing I mean real mangoes Asian heritage. One — the sweeter, more Asian Population in authentic kind you that I am willing to the U.S.,” the United actually want to eat. I experience over and States Census Data find shelves full of in- over again. Where I shows that the Asian gredients that derive truly feel a sense of population in Shelby from cultures such home and belonging.

County was around as Korean, Chinese, 3 percent. (This includes Indians, Chinese, VietIndian, Pakistani, Filipino, and Japanese. And I see — people namese, Filipino, Korean, Camlike me. bodian, Japanese, and Pakistani.)

Each visit to the market is a By comparison, data also nostalgic journey through my show that within the past three Asian heritage. One that I am decades, the Asian population willing to experience over and in the United States has almost over again. Where I truly feel a tripled, and “Asians are now the sense of home and belonging. fastest-growing of the nation’s I come from Hawaii, islands four largest racial and ethnic groups.” In spite of that, the where Asians and Pacific Islanders make up more than half of Asian population in Tennessee the population and diversity is remains well below 5 percent — and the Pacific Islander populaseen on every corner, in almost every face. I wasn’t prepared for tion in Memphis is even lower the shock and the isolation that I than that. began to feel as an Asian AmerThough some would argue ican Pacific Islander (AAPI) in that AAPI diversity has grown the South, better yet, an AAPI within Memphis through, for ex-

ample, the growing numbers of Asian restaurants, markets, and more, access to authentic AAPI culture is within reach only if you stretch a little.

“Whenever my mom cooks a Vietnamese meal and we go grocery shopping together, we have to go to three or four different Asian or ‘exotic’ markets just to get all the ingredients,” says Melissa Dinh, a local Memphian and proud Vietnamese American.

Dinh is currently a writing teacher whose mother immigrated to Memphis from Vietnam when she was just 15. As a child, she slowly began to disconnect from her culture after being enrolled in American schools, where she was mocked by other kids for the foreign sound of her native tongue. It started with teasing of her language, and then her food, and continued with the stereotype of putting all Asian subgroups into one large group.

“Other kids used to call me Chinese or asked me if I brought cat or dog for lunch,” says Dinh.

With the lack of AAPI representation in Memphis comes a widespread lack of knowledge.

Sometimes that lack of knowledge and awareness can lead to ignorance and a shortage of understanding. It’s always difficult to be different and nobody likes feeling like the “odd-one-out,” but moments of misunderstanding are opportunities for educating others and embracing one’s individuality.

“As I got older, and now as an adult, I’ve learned that it’s okay to be different,” explains Dinh. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

For Dinh, it was the lack of knowledge that others had for her culture. For Hong, it was

walking into a room full of people and noticeably being the only Asian there. For me, it was all of that plus the melancholic glory of finding places in Memphis where I could truly access my culture. One thing that we three have in common is that as proud Asian-American teachers, we are more than willing to educate others about who we are and where we come from.

The Cordova International Farmers Market is only a stepping-stone to the growth of Asian representation and international representation in Memphis, but we are still looking towards the day that the Bluff City becomes more culturally accessible. It can start with simply educating children in Memphis schools about Asian culture and opening more Asian or international markets that provide a wider range of foods and ingredients that aren’t just in a grocer’s “oriental” or “international” section. Asians deserve more than just an aisle in an American grocery store or one or two bubble tea cafés with no apparent Asian staff members.

Though the Asian-American population in Memphis may have more to do with the city itself and its progress as a whole, one day, we want to be able to walk around Memphis without being looked at twice.

Ashley Insong is a starving artist who is working toward being published in The New York Times while teaching full-time and freelance writing part-time. She enjoys singing and writing poetry and short stories about love, self-discovery, and her Filipina heritage.

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