Author: Julia Baker

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Farm to Table Conference at CBU Monday

CREDIT: Winnie Forbes

Since 2011, Mid-South Farm to Table Conference has striven to cultivate a healthier and thriving local food system through educating, providing resources, and by bringing together local and regional farmers, food justice advocates, educators, nonprofit leaders, and consumers.

This year, they’re zeroing in on conservation and regenerative agriculture, and they’ve invited keynote speakers David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé to speak on the topic. The couple has authored three books together on regenerative farming, and they have plenty of insight to share.

“Anne’s a biologist, and I’m a geologist,” Montgomery says. “And those are the two things: Life and minerals are what you need to make healthy, fertile soil.”

Winnie Forbes

David Montgomery (left) and Anne Biklé

Restoring soil and maintaining its health through regenerative farming is essential to producing good crops, as degradation of land occurs with conventional farming methods, wielding one-third less agriculture and doing damage on the rest of our ecosystem. Montgomery and Biklé say more productive and eco-friendly practices under the umbrella of regenerative agriculture include using no-till or reduced till practices, feeding plants and land with organic fertilizer, rotating crops to put a bigger variety of nutrients back into the soil, and using cover crops to address weeds.

“It makes farms way friendlier places for people and for other forms of life and is far less toxic [than conventional farming],” says Biklé.

Montgomery adds, “The big picture and challenge of regenerative agriculture is to try and rebuild the health and fertility of the land so that future generations will have as fertile a planet as we have.”

2020 Mid-South Farm to Table Conference, Christian Brothers University, Monday, March 2nd, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., $25, free for college students with I.D.

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Spencer McMillin, Jonathan Magallanes Join Forces for Caritas Chef Partnership Dinner

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Caritas Community Center & Cafe (formerly Caritas Village) has one simple mission: to provide quality food to the public, regardless of their ability to pay. To help carry out that mission, former head chef Spencer McMillin is bringing Jonathan Magallanes of Las Tortugas on as the featured chef in this month’s chef partnership dinner to share his Mexican delights.

“Spencer came into my restaurant and became a regular, and we became friends,” says Magallanes. “Spencer could ask me to do anything, and I would do it. He approached me and said he’d love to cook together. This was a no-brainer. I’ve known about Caritas for a while, so I think it’s just a perfect opportunity to cook some really good food.”

Michael Donahue

Jonathan Magallanes

Magallanes has spent much of his life living in both Memphis and Mexico City, and he takes culinary influences from both cities to create his own unique spins on classic Mexican dishes, like his tacos al pastor, which traditionally features a sweet and spicy combination of red chile pork and pineapple.

“I like to use juicy pomegranate in place of the pineapple and then use that with fried pork belly,” he says. “It’s marinated in sour orange, black pepper, and cinnamon. Then, instead of using cilantro, I might use chopped mint. That’s sort of a little nod to the pastor in my opinion.”

Magallanes is excited to concoct something equally delicious and unique for the dinner for Caritas.

“It’s an absolute honor and a privilege to be part of the dinner,” he says. “My main philosophy as a chef and a restaurateur is that feeding people is a privilege, period.”

Caritas Chef Partnership Dinner featuring Jonathan Magallanes, Caritas Community Center & Cafe, Thursday, February 27th, 6:30-9 p.m., $56/person (not including gratuity).

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Memphis Pets of the Week (2/25/20-3/2/20)

Each week, the Flyer will feature adoptable dogs and cats from Memphis Animal Services. All photos are credited to Memphis Pets Alive. More pictures and more information can be found on the Memphis Pets Alive Facebook page.

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Wine for Wishes this Weekend at Cadre

CREDIT: Addie Ray Photography

Make-A-Wish® Mid-South Associate Board hosts its 10th annual Wine for Wishes event at the Cadre Building this Friday to benefit local children with critical illnesses.

Make-A-Wish® Mid-South grants wishes to 300 children in the community per year, and members of the Associate Board hope to surpass last year’s $70,000 goal to help keep their mission going strong.

“We’ve got a lot of things that are in the works to help push us above what we did last year,” says Keith Montgomery, a member of the Associate Board. “So if we hit that $80,000 mark, we will definitely be on track to grant over 10 wishes for kids in the Mid-South.”

Addie Ray Photography

Make-A-Wish’s Wine for Wishes

Montgomery fondly recalls his latest opportunity to work hands-on to grant a wish to a young boy, whose only wish was to be able to pet a monkey.

“That was the wish that he wanted,” says Montgomery. “What we do is try to figure out how to take that to the next level, how to support that wish and make it really fun and bigger than that. We held his wish reveal at the Memphis Zoo, and we had a scavenger hunt where he found little monkeys, and when he found a stuffed monkey, we announced to him that we were sending him and his family to Florida to play with monkeys at a sanctuary.”

Montgomery says that it is important to provide opportunities like these to children.

“The idea is to take something really fun, really engaging, and to remind kids what life can look like, and hopefully will look like, for them and just give them a view outside of what they’re kind of locked into,” Montgomery says.

10th Annual Wine for Wishes, Cadre Building, Friday, February 21st, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $75.

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Memphis Pets of the Week (2/18/20-2/24/20)

Each week, the Flyer will feature adoptable dogs and cats from Memphis Animal Services. All photos are credited to Memphis Pets Alive. More pictures and more information can be found on the Memphis Pets Alive Facebook page.

[slideshow-1]

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Beers for Beasts to Benefit Australian Bushfire Recovery

CREDIT: Brandon Dill

Earlier this winter, bushfires devastated much of Australia’s mainland, killing one-third of New South Wales’ koalas and burning 14.6 million acres of land.

“We have a bushfire season pretty much every year,” says Damien Klingberg, an expat of South Australia who now lives in Memphis. “But this is the worst there’s ever been — on record, anyway. And there are fires affecting all areas in all six of the mainland states.”

Klingberg moved to the States in 1994 and has since made a life here in Memphis working as a beertender at Memphis Made Brewing Co. When he heard of the fires in Australia and the devastation that came along with them, including damage to his family’s entire cherry orchard, he and his fellow Australian mate Nick Van De Velde decided they needed to contribute to the relief efforts by organizing a benefit concert at Memphis Made.

Brandon Dill

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

“Nick pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do this,’ and I said, ‘You’re right, we do,'” says Klingberg. “And it kind of started from there. We approached the fantastic management and ownership of Memphis Made and said, ‘Hey, this is what we want to do. Can we do it?’ And they have been super supportive.”

For a suggested $5 donation toward relief funds, guests will enjoy the music of two of Klingberg’s bands, Piper Down and Solar Powered Love, as well as other local acts Jeff Hulett, The Switchblade Kid, and DJ Zach Ives. Memphis Made will also donate $1 from each beer sale to organizations picked out by Klingberg and Van De Velde: WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue, Wildlife Victoria, Wildlife Rescue Queensland, SA Bushfire Appeal, and Wildlife Recovery Fund.

Beers for Beasts, Memphis Made Brewing Co., 768 S. Cooper, Saturday, February 15th, suggested $5 donation.

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This Weekend’s Laurelwood 15K Raises Funds for Local Organizations

CREDIT: BBBSMS

Run the 901 Race Series hosts Laurelwood 15K, its third of four races this year, this Sunday to benefit local organizations Church Health, Wolf River Conservancy, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South (BBBSMS).

BBBSMS has served more than 16,000 young boys and girls, or “littles,” in the Memphis community since 1968, matching them up with “bigs,” or mentors, to serve as positive role models by spending quality time with them at least twice a month.

BBBSMS has nearly reached its $1,000 goal for race day, but Susan George, the program’s executive director, says she hopes they surpass the goal so they can better serve children who have not yet been matched with mentors.

BBBSMS

Youngest volunteer, Ian

“This funding allows us to recruit additional mentors for the kids who we have waiting,” she says. “We currently have 130 kids on our waitlist, and 92 percent of those kids are boys.”

George says it’s important for these children to have mentors to look up to, as most of them are struggling with parents’ incarceration, divorce, or death.

“A lot of the kids have challenges that they don’t know how to work through, and mentors, with the support of our program, are able to help them work through those things,” she says. “That way they can realize their potential and move on to bigger and better things for themselves.”

Anyone who is interested in becoming involved in the race or as a mentor, intern, or volunteer for the program may reach out by visiting msmentor.org or calling 323-5440.

Laurelwood 15K, Laurelwood Shopping Center, 422 S. Grove Park, Sunday, February 16th, 7 a.m., $20-$55.

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Memphis Pets of the Week (2/11/20-2/17/20)

Each week, the Flyer will feature adoptable dogs and cats from Memphis Animal Services. All photos are credited to Memphis Pets Alive. More pictures and more information can be found on the Memphis Pets Alive Facebook page.

[slideshow-1]

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“Notable Black Memphians” Exhibit at Woodruff-Fontaine House

In 2008, after 10 years of research, Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis published her book Notable Black Memphians, a biographical and historical study that documents the accomplishments of more than 200 African Americans born between 1795 and 1972 who were instrumental in paving the way for society and strengthening the Memphis community.

Now, 12 years later, her hard work is being displayed at Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum starting Friday, February 7, until March 15th.

DeCosta-Willis herself has made strides in the civil rights movements, having been the first African-American professor at Memphis State University, participating in the Montgomery Bus Boycotts with her mother, and more.

Miriam DeCosta-Willis

“I have been an activist all my life,” she says. “And I think [my ex-husband Russell Sugarmon and] I have passed the political bug down to two of my children.”

DeCosta-Willis is the mother of four children, two of whom are active in the local political scene: Erika Sugarmon (a candidate in last year’s City Council elections) and Tarik Sugarmon (a judge for Division 2 of the Memphis Municipal Court). One of her other daughters, Elena Williams, is helping her put this exhibit together.

“I raised them to be independent primarily and to seek their own area of community activism,” she says.

DeCosta-Willis credits her lineage for influencing her family’s involvement in the community. Her great-grandfather was born into slavery and was freed in 1865, after which, he was able to turn around and acquire property, put all 12 children through college, and give back to the community.

“I’m proud of my enslaved ancestors,” she says. “And I always talk about my descendents because I’m very proud of them, too.”

Notable Black Memphians, Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum, Friday, February 7th, 5-8 p.m., $20.

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The CLTV’s “The Audacity” Explores Black Representation

Orange Mound-based black arts organization The CLTV (Collective) opened a new exhibition last month called “The Audacity: Addressing Our Representation in Popular Culture,” featuring the works of 12 artists, all black illustrators, comic and manga artists, and toymakers, whose hopes are to represent themselves through characters set in fictional worlds and stories.

Guest curator Ed Williams sought to build upon the popular hashtag #RepresentationMatters, which is about providing narratives about people of color or of different orientations, genders, backgrounds, and abilities.

Darius Williams, DBW Photography

Ed Williams, guest curator and founder of Mayke Entertainment LLC

“Some of us dream of being superheroes,” he says. “Some of us just want to see ourselves. So the core of this show is definitely about representation. You know, black people, we just want to see ourselves as superheroes, flying, saving the day, in space. We just want to be visible outside of slavery movies and things like that.”

Williams’ comic book line, developed under his company Mayke Entertainment LLC, is featured at the exhibit to show the “characters, stories, and mythologies from the color palette that represents the world.”

“My motivation for working with comic book characters started when I was a kid,” he says. “I always loved superheroes. But I started noticing that none of the superheroes that I love actually looked like me. And it was a very hard thing to digest. Because when I went looking for black superheroes, I found sidekicks and I found villains. And I was just like, wow, is that what I’m limited to?”

His installation features character cutouts, posters, comics, and lookbook pages of four of Mayke’s characters: Tremor, John Henry, Braxton, and Bolt. Tremor, who was conceptualized in 2009, two years before Mayke was founded, was based on Williams himself.

“You’ll see me all throughout there in how he looks, his size and things like that,” he says. “That was inspired by the fact that there were no heavy-set superheroes that people could take seriously. They were always like the punch line, and I hated that.”

Adjacent to Ed Williams’ Mayke display is that of local artist Quinn McGowan’s comic book company, Legends Press Comics, showcasing comic books Elsewhere and Project: Wildfire, a map of Shelby City (inspired by Memphis), an action figure, and drawings of his characters mingling with characters from pop culture. In one piece, entitled Bad Cousin, the main hero, Wildfire, is seen attending a party with Erik Killmonger from Black Panther.

“Black Panther was sort of universal in its connectivity to black audiences,” says McGowan. “And Erik Killmonger being the primary African-American character, he resonates on a pretty high level, even if you don’t agree with him completely morally. So when a character or person from our community makes it, we all jokingly say he’s our cousin.”

McGowan says Wildfire is inspired by his grandfather.

“My grandfather and I used to watch wrestling when I was little on Saturdays, and then after that, Ultraman would come on, and he would fight monsters,” he says. “One of his favorite wrestlers was a wrestler from the Memphis circuit called Wildfire, Tommy Rich. So everything is a piecemeal letter to my grandpa, who’s pictured in the center of all of those images.”

McGowan and his friend Kennedy Moore are currently developing a 16-bit video game that mimics a television cartoon with gameplay during the “commercial breaks.”

“It would be a representation of if we were represented more in media,” says McGowan. “That could have been what I experienced when I got home from school at three o’clock in the afternoon.”

Other artists featured in “The Audacity” include Parker-Nia Gordon, Toonky Berry, Mia Saine, Kenneth Alexander, Dezmond Gipson, Sarai, David Yancy III, Amber Williams, Grant Butler, and Therrious Davis. The exhibition is on display through March 12th at The CLTV CMPLX (2234 Lamar).