Author: Lesley Young

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

New locations for Havana’s Pilon and Frost.

Not very long after Marialys Gonzalez and her husband, Pedro Pena, opened Havana’s Pilón on Madison in downtown Memphis three years ago, the requests started pouring in for a more eastward representation.

They kept busy serving up Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, and tres leches desserts in their small downtown eatery, eventually expanding into the bay next door and acquiring a catering job for the Memphis Redbirds.

“There are a lot of Latinos on the teams, and they get tired of the same food when they’re traveling — hamburgers and that sort of thing,” Pena says.

Recently the couple took the plunge and opened a second location in Bartlett.

“There are a lot of Latinos in the community there,” Pena says in answer to why they chose Bartlett.

The new spot is smaller as far as table tops, but what they traded in for seating they gained in kitchen size.

“It’s almost twice the size [of our downtown location],” Pena says.

The menus are almost identical, offering Ropafongo, which is Mofongo with Ropa Vieja, or shredded beef over mashed fried green plantains with fried pork skin, garlic, and olive oil ($13); Bacalao Guisado, or codfish stew, with dried codfish mixed and tossed with onions, garlic, bell pepper, olive oil, and boiled potatoes ($10, including two sides); and the prettiest little empanadas this side of the Gulf ($2.75). I had the guava and cheese. I will never be the same.

In the coming weeks, they will offer daily specials just as they do downtown, which includes two sides and a drink for only $6.95, and they are in the process of hiring a delivery driver.

“We will have catering and delivery at the new location just like [downtown],” Pena says. “It’s doing excellent,” he says.

Pedro Pena and Marialys Gonzalez show off their delicious dishes.

The goal was always to expand for the Kloos family, the wizards behind the Gooey Butter cookies sold at their bakeries, Frost Bake Shop.

They opened first as a wholesaler to local restaurants, including Jim’s Place, Fleming’s, Dixie Cafe, and Soul Fish, in 2004 out of their Bartlett baking facility.

Their first retail shop opened in Laurelwood in 2013.

Recently they spread the sugary, buttery love to Collierville, opening their second retail location this week at 1016 W. Poplar, Suite 107.

The new shop is nearly double the size of the Laurelwood mainstay, with 3,400 square feet to play with.

The menu is pretty much the same — red velvet, banana, caramel, and chocolate cakes, cupcakes, pies, cheesecakes, and, of course, the habit-forming Gooey Butter cookies, but they plan to offer wedding consultations and classes at their most recent incarnation, something that before was offered only in Bartlett.

Collierville made perfect sense.

“We love the Collierville area,” owner/operator Kristi Kloos says. “I was a teacher at Bailey Station Elementary, and the city is very family oriented. They made me feel included and involved in the community.”

She hopes to return the favor.

“We want to do more things that involve kids and the family in the shop, and we look forward to ways to get involved in the community,” Kristi says.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Now open: Cupcake Cutie, Donut Factory.

There’s build-your-own pizza, and the build-your-own salad bowl craze, and there’s always been the build-your-own sub and the choose-your-own adventure fro-yo.

Now, in downtown Memphis, there’s a build-your-own cupcake bar.

Cupcake Cutie Sweets has been open just over two weeks in Court Square, and word is spreading.

“People love it,” proprietress and cupcake expert Emeka Clayton says.

You start with the cake base, choosing anything from chocolate to strawberry to red velvet and beyond.

“I use real strawberries — no artificial additives,” Clayton says. “The same with the icing.”

Then you choose which flavor icing, say chocolate cake with strawberry icing, as in my case.

You can opt to stuff the cake with filling, and then comes the icing on the icing on the cake — toppings.

Fruity Pebbles, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, Butterfinger crumbles — there are jars and jars to choose from.

“We can give customers whatever they want,” Clayton says.

A mother of three, Clayton got the idea when she decided to be a stay-at-home mom to care for her middle child, who is autistic.

Clayton was looking for something to do when she got a Woman’s Day magazine with cupcakes on the cover.

“They were so cute, I thought, ‘I want to do cupcakes,'” Clayton says. “This was 15 years ago, so they weren’t really popular like they are today.”

Her revelation led to a business based around custom cakes and opening a shop in Bartlett that included the cupcake bar with the custom cakes, but foot traffic was so poor, Clayton and her husband, Robert, who does all the baking, were forced to close.

They can’t say enough good things about their new digs.

“This is a perfect location. We’re across from the park and between all the hotels. There’s definitely a better flow of traffic,” Emeka says.

Next on the agenda are cupcakes for the canine persuasion.

“I’m thinking of adding all-natural doggie treats. It will be the same concept with toppings, and I will call them Four Feet Sweet Treats,” Emeka says.

Cupcake Cutie, 109 S. Court. Hours are M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sat., 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 901-249-6996.

Alele “Paul” Ayanru, owner of the Donut Factory, got into donuts strictly from a business standpoint.

“I can’t remember anyone at any time ever saying they didn’t like donuts,” Ayanru says.

That’s why when a space near the corner of Madison and Main practically fell into his lap, he went with the fried spherical dough confectioneries.

“I met the owner of the building a year and a half ago, and he asked if there was something I could do with the space,” Ayanru says.

He thought and researched and weighed the ups and downs of different business models and settled on food.

“Everyone has to eat,” Ayanru says. “I wanted to do something that was a necessity, and food is something everyone has to have every day.”

Donuts offered the lowest overhead.

“I knew I could make them, and the business was something I could handle by myself. Plus there was no donut shop downtown,” he says.

He even researched what type of donut was most popular, and cake donuts it was.

The Donut Factory, located at 8 S. Main, specializes in all types of cake donuts, including strawberry, chocolate, lemon, cinnamon, and so forth.

He also researched yeast donuts, and now offers a variety, including twists, long Johns, and cinnamon rolls, which he changes up daily.

Plans include adding savory items to his inventory, such as egg and sausage croissant sandwiches, and eventually lunch.

“I’m thinking sliders. I’m always looking at the data and trends,” he says.

One thing is certain — the donuts will remain.

“Everyone loves donuts,” Ayanru says.

The Donut Factory, 8 S. Main, #101 6 a.m. to midnight, daily. 901-308-0972.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Heart & Soul

Tamra Eddy grew up in the food business.

She helped her father wash dishes and iron linens for his restaurant. Her grandmother was a baker. Her other grandfather owned a barbecue restaurant.

When Eddy graduated high school, she went into the hairstyling business.

“I never wanted to cook, ever,” Eddy says.

That all changed in November 2010.

“I woke up one morning and said, ‘I don’t want to do hair anymore. I want to cook,'” Eddy says.

Eddy became a pastry chef, worked as a food stylist for a television show, and cooked for “countless” celebrities, all of which took place in the Houston, Texas, area.

In January 2015, she left it all behind to move to Memphis and help a friend with ministry work, but along the way enough people tasted her cooking that someone wanted to get her in touch with a local entrepreneur.

“They knew somebody who owned a restaurant space and wanted somebody whose food stood out,” Eddy says.

That person was Tommie Henderson, and the space was the former Yellow Rose in the Lincoln American Tower in Court Square.

On August 15th, the ground floor space will present itself to the world as Memphis Lighthouse.

“Through the fog of all the food choices in downtown Memphis, there is the Lighthouse,” Henderson says with a smile.

Eddy, known as Chef Tam, will be serving up her distinct Cajun soul food fusion, something Henderson describes as a little lighter than your regular hearty meal.

“This is a place where you can get something hearty but not heavy,” Henderson says.

Catfish tacos with crawfish, Memphis Dry Rub Salmon, Oxtailz, Brown Sugar Salmon, all entrees (or “Main Things”) range from $12 to $21.

Starters such as Muddy Waters Mac and Cheese and Chicken and Waffle Sliderz start at $8 and top out at $12.

The former pastry chef also offers sweets such as her grandmother’s Sweet Potato Pecan Pie with bourbon-soaked pecans — “They’re soaked for like a week and become this sort of candied crust,” Eddy says — Lemoncello Cheesecake, KeyLime Icebox Pie.

Eddy has published two cookbooks, including A Dance in the Kitchen with My Father, which includes recipes of the food she grew up eating at home, and Grandma’s Hands — all of her grandmother’s written recipes, and she is working on her third, The Baker, the Chef, and Me. All are published under the name T. Tamyra Eddy.

“My mom’s crazy. She named me Tamra Tamyra,” Eddy says.

She has her own spice line, which includes Fry Me Up Baby for all things fried, Reel Me In for all things seafood, and Black as Midnight, for blackening, all of which she uses in the restaurant.

Plans include setting up a bar this fall, a wifi station in the back with tall tables, a private space cordoned off with an aquarium, and enough space and tables to seat 170.

There’s not too much interior work needed. The space was prepped and ready to go from 2010 when a New York­-style deli renovated the space but never got off the ground.

“With the blue and white, it looks like a lighthouse,” Henderson says. “When we put the initial furniture in here, I had no idea how big this space was.”

They will also continue the tradition of serving up breakfast, lunch, and snacks to 226 charter school students in Memphis every day during the school year — Eddy has her own crew for that — but will add a new component to it.

“There will be a charter school moving in this building, and we want to offer them the opportunity to learn how to be an entrepreneur through the restaurant,” Henderson says.

The perfect union of money and talent — Henderson and Eddy — wasn’t an overnight thing.

Eddy worked for several months trying to get in touch with Henderson, even dropping by his office to leave him some food.

“He wasn’t there, so somebody ate it,” Eddy says.

A second try was all it took.

“He told me my flavor profiles were amazing, and the presentation was perfect,” she says. “He said he absolutely wanted to do a restaurant with me.”

Memphis Lighthouse opens Monday, August 15th, at 60 N. Main. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 310­-5711.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

La Michoancana and MEMPops expand

Rafael Gonzalez was raised on Popsicles.

His father, Alberto, was a Popsicle-smith, or paletero, in Mexico for more than 45 years, and he and his two brothers, Ari and Alberto, have carried on the tradition in Memphis for the past 10 through their paleterias (Mexican Popsicle shops) La Michoacana.

Memphis has welcomed the paleteros with open arms, albeit sticky ones, to the extent that the Gonzalez now own five La Michoacanas in the Mid-South.

In fact, Rafael and family recently seized the opportunity to move into a new space next door to one of their most popular locations on Summer that is four times the size, mostly because it was time and Memphis had spoken.

“Our customers determined the move,” Rafael says. “They kept telling us, ‘You need a bigger space.'”

High ceilings, a big open space with ample seating, and paletas and helados (ice cream) spanning two walls — the new-and-improved La Michoacana, now located at 4075 Summer, is a paleta and helados devotee’s dream.

Sweet cream pinks, mints, and baby blues keep it nectarous, and spiffy new signage is especially helpful for newcomers.

There’s outdoor seating, six additional employees, new equipment, and, wait for it, new flavors.

All Berry, Jerez (Mexican sherry), Mexican Peanut Butter, Tasty Peach (peaches and cream), Nuez Maple, Crunchy Chocolate, Strawberry Chocolate Chip, and the one Rafael is most excited about, Elvis Presley’s Memory — you guessed it, banana, peanut butter, and Mexican cookie crust.

Dang.

They also brought in some additional savory snacks including corn on the cob, spicy hand-cut potato chips, and Mexican street fruit with watermelon, cucumber, jicama, pineapple, and cantaloupe with lime and chili powder.

“The customers love the new place. They are so happy,” Rafael says.

Rafael returns the sentiment.

“I love Memphis,” he says. “This is just another way to experience Memphis.”

The new La Michoacana is located at 4075 Summer, with four other locations including 6635 Winchester, 2733 Getwell at I-240, 1038 Goodman W in DeSoto County, Mississippi, and one in Little Rock.

Memphis can’t get enough Popsicles. But who can, really?

MEMPopS, the locally sourced, all-natural version of homemade ice pops, has experienced its own maturation over the past year.

Last summer owner/operator/Popsicle-smith Chris Taylor set up a couple of carts around town peddling his concoctions of frozen pops such as mint lemonade and jalapeño pineapple that he came up with in his house.

Then he jumped on the food truck train with an old mail truck that he customized and painted a dreamy blue and set up shop at Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Before he knew it, he was working multiple events every weekend and realized it was time to get serious.

“By the end of the summer, I saw the potential and thought I should open a store,” Taylor says.

That vision was realized in March when Taylor opened his first ice lollies shop in the old Rock ‘N Dough location at 1243 Ridgeway at the corner of Park in East Memphis.

“I was driving out East, and I knew it had become available, so I thought I would at least pop in and see,” he says.

MEMPopS are made by hand.

“It was perfect. It was open with high ceilings and had a set-up where people could see us making everything and we could tell customers our story,” Taylor says.

Recently Taylor bought a new machine that can handle making 360 popsicles an hour, a big jump from the inaugural pace of 160 a day.

“We can make 1,500 a day at the store if we’re rolling,” he says.

Which has come in handy for Taylor on days like July 4th.

“I thought I was going to have a nice, chill Fourth, but then the Redbirds bought 3,000, and I thought, ‘There goes that weekend,'” Taylor says. “The FedEx St. Jude Classic bought 6,000. I guess we’ve done a good job of putting ourselves out there and telling our story.”

That story is one of using all natural ingredients and as many locally sourced makings as possible.

“What I say we are is what we do, and you can see that when you come in the shop. You can see us cutting strawberries or roasting the peaches before we make them into Popsicles,” he says.

What’s next?

Midtown, downtown, Collierville or Germantown.

Then the world.

“I have a partner, JC Youngblood, for future locations. We don’t have a specific spot picked out. Just if it feels right, we’ll go for it,” Taylor says. “We’re just trying to make awesome Popsicles with locally sourced ingredients and trying to have fun.”

MEMPopS is located at 1243 Ridgeway, and has a Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram for its food truck. For more information, visit mempops.com or call 421-5985.

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News News Feature

Faulkner and Yoknapatawhpa in Oxford

Modern, postmodern, cubist, hack, Count No ‘Count, genius, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner.

There’s a reason why scholars still get in a tizzy close to a century after he published his first book and why the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference is the longest continuously running conference in America dedicated to the work of a single author.

Alberto Moravia said, “You can find Faulkner’s fingerprint everywhere.”

For the past 42 years, scholars and William Faulkner enthusiasts from around the globe have gathered in his little postage stamp of native soil that is Oxford, Mississippi, and through annual themes, taken stabs at wrangling his indomitable voice that could very well be described as a singularity.

This year the conference takes place Sunday, July 17th through Thursday, July 21st and focuses on Faulkner and the Native South.

“His influence on native writers has become more and more interesting to scholars of Southern literature, and it is time to look at the native presence and elements in his work,” Dr. Jay Watson, the Howry Chair of Faulkner Studies at the University of Mississippi, says.

More than 30 scholars, experts, professors, and others will serve as either keynote speakers or panelists during the conference, including some of the leading Southern Native American writers and scholars of today.

“Well, I’m biased, so I think it’s all exciting, but one of the more exciting guests is LeAnne Howe, who is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a novelist, poet, and playwright, and she will talk on what Faulkner has meant to her as a writer,” Watson says.

Melanie Benson Taylor will present a talk on “Faulkner’s Dialectical Indian: Modernity, Nativity, and Violence in the New South” on Sunday afternoon and is considered the leading scholar on Southeastern Native American Southern literature.

“[Taylor] wrote Reconstructing the Native South: American Indian Literature and the Lost Cause, which is probably the most important book anyone has written on literature of Southeastern Indians,” Watson says of the Dartmouth chair of Native American studies.

The conference kicks off Sunday with a 1 p.m. reception at the University Museum on University Ave. and concludes Thursday with a closing party at the iconic Square Books on the Oxford Square.

Most panels and presentations take place in Nutt Auditorium across the street from the Ford Center on University, and full conference registration includes a cocktail party on Tuesday evening and a picnic on the grounds of Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak, Wednesday evening. A choice of three guided tours either through north Mississippi, of the architecture of Oxford and the surrounding Lafayette County, or of the Mississippi Delta is available for an additional fee.

Coupled with the sometimes obsessive behavior that Faulkner can inspire, the conference serves as a draw to the 100 to 200 people every summer because of the uniqueness of the environment.

“The lightning in the bottle is that at the conference we bring participants into Faulkner’s world, not only the world that he worked in and that shaped him, but also the world on which he based his fictional Yoknapatawpha County,” Watson says. “It is still possible to see the places and sites that inspired him and his imagination. There’s a lot of energy there. That is why people are willing to come to a small town during the hottest part of the year.”

Registration for the full conference is $175 for students and $300 for others, and walk-ups are accepted. The fee covers admission to all program events, a buffet supper on Sunday, a reception Tuesday, the Rowan Oak picnic, refreshments, and a closing reception. It does not cover lodging or other meals.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Now open in Germantown: Rock ’N Dough and Grimaldi’s

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

When Jeremy Denno ordered his first mobile wood-fired pizza oven from Italy, he didn’t anticipate that his venture into owning his own business would turn into a sort of pizza dynasty.

“It was definitely rolling,” Denno says of his first food truck, Rock ‘N Dough Pizza Co.

That was in 2012.

In early 2013 the former Trolley Stop Market pizza pro opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant at Park and Ridgeway, soon to be followed by another brick-and-mortar eatery in Jackson, Tennessee, but this time with the words “and Brew Co.” added to the name.

It didn’t take long for Denno and company, namely his wife, mother, and brother, all who work with him in some capacity, to outgrow the East Memphis location, and in 2015, they moved to 3445 Poplar at the corner of Highland.

“It had a bigger kitchen, so we could have a full menu,” Denno says.

Most recently, Denno added Germantown to his list of addresses.

In April, he opened his third brick-and mortar-establishment at 7850 Poplar in the old Maui Brick Oven space across from Whole Foods.

“They were looking for someone to take over their spot. They already had an oven, the mixers, and all the equipment, and we were looking for a presence outside the 240 loop,” Denno says.

Needless to say, business is good.

Folks are still lining up for the New York/traditional, hand-tossed USA! USA! — their version of the supreme — or the Spinning Goat, with spinach, mushroom, and goat cheese. And devotees are also now trying brunch on Sundays, which will eventually expand to Saturdays. Ditto for the wings, burgers, and appetizers, such as Garlic My App — housemade bread with garlic butter, tomato sauce, and goat cheese ($6).

Denno points to his dedication to being an in-house maker and using local ingredients for his success.

“One of the biggest things about what we’re doing is that everything is made in-house — the bread, the sauces. Our veggies are prepped fresh every day, and our meats are roasted and smoked here,” he says.

That, and the fact that he likes to keep it a family affair, even if it’s a joint-family venture.

“Last year we partnered with the Moody Group, a family out of Louisiana. That was always my goal — to get the attention of somebody to help me grow what I think this could be, but they’re still a small family,” he says.

“That’s always been my motto, that we are family-owned and operated,” he says.

As far as the food truck, it will be back and rolling in September.

“We take off during the summer because it’s just too hot, but we’ll be back to full catering in September. That’s the pulse of the business,” Denno says.

Rock ‘N Dough Pizza, 3445 Poplar, Suite 1, 512-6760; 7850 Poplar #6, 779-2008. rockndoughpizza.com

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria can now add Tennessee to its list of states where it serves up its award-winning and distinct coal-fired-, brick-oven-cooked pizza.

On June 21st, the famous pizza chain (which has boasted groupies such as Frank Sinatra and Rudy Giuliani, who were/are regulars at its original Brooklyn Bridge location) opened its doors to the Memphis demographic in Saddle Creek in Germantown.

“The demographic of the area is very good, and it fits our model,” Grimaldi’s president and COO Eric Greenwald says.

The cooking tradition is 100 years old and incorporates 25-ton, hand-built ovens that use 100 pounds of coal daily, heating up to 1,000 to 1,200 degrees and cooking the thin-crust pizzas in three minutes. They also pay attention to their water, using a system that recreates the mineral content of the water used in the original New York establishment.

“It’s a very unique flavor with the coal, and it’s cooked all the way through very fast. So with the New York-style thin crust, it doesn’t dry out,” Greenwald says.

Grimaldi’s serve their pizzas with housemade mozzarella and a secret sauce and several other proprietary ingredients. The restaurant chain specializes in pizzas, calzones, antipasto, salad, and desserts.

“That’s our ‘KIS.’ We keep it simple with five things,” Greenwald says.

They also serve local beers, an extensive draft selection, and a “user-friendly” wine list.

The original Grimaldi’s operated under the Brooklyn Bridge until the owner, Patsy Grimaldi, sold the restaurant to Joey Ciolli in 1995, who later called Greenwald to join in the fun.

“Joey and I had always talked about doing something together. He called me and said, ‘I know what we’re going to do the rest of our lives,'” Greenwald says.

The headquarters are now housed in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Germantown location marks the 47th Grimaldi’s.

Grimaldi’s is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

Grimaldi’s, 7605 W Farmington, 751-4106.

grimaldispizzeria.com

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Coming soon to Collierville: Brooks Pharm 2 Fork and 148 North.

Mac Edwards is an inside-the-freeways kind of guy, so the thought of an enterprise in Collierville never crossed his mind.

Until he got a phone call.

“The center-cut, filet-mignon spot on the square opened up and fell into my lap,” Edwards, who owns the Farmer on Highland, says.

Cafe Grill owner Andy Chow had retired, leaving the space at 120 Mulberry on the historic square in Collierville up for grabs, and common denominator/commercial real estate agent Steven Levy put the owner of the building, Watty Brooks Hall, and Edwards in touch.

“[Watty Brooks] is terrific, and the rent was right, so it was meant to be, I guess,” Edwards says.

By early July, Edwards will bring his special brand of farm-to-table dining to downtown Collierville in the form of Brooks Pharm2Fork.

The cuisine will be similar to the Farmer — elevated comfort food — but with a few twists to correspond to the bar Edwards will be adding.

“I mean, I’m going to dance with the one who brung me. The food I make is the food I make. I will have a lot of the same items, but having a bar changes the way I approach things, so burger-at-dinner kind of thing,” he says.

He plans on serving lunch seven days a week, dinner at least five nights a week, and he is toying with the idea of serving a take-away breakfast.

He’s almost more excited about the decor than the dishes.

“It’s going to be funky and eclectic. We left the old plaster and some exposed brick. We have this great old receiving desk for the hostess station. My partner [in the Jackson, TN, restaurant Chandelier], Jennifer Dickerson, is doing the interior. It’s going to have this great funky, repurposed feel,” Edwards says.

The name celebrates what else has been housed by those brick and plaster walls over the years, particularly the old pharmacy, Brooks Pharmacy, that the building’s owner grew up in.

“The people of Collierville have really welcomed us and are really excited. It’s exciting what’s going on in Collierville right now with other restaurants opening up on the square. It’s beyond serendipitous,” he says.

Brian Thurmond also never imagined himself enterpris-ing in Collierville.

He never imagined himself making a living doing something as fun as playing with food to begin with.

“I always paid attention to the Food Network and Alton Brown and would tell my mom, ‘Let’s go to the store and grab some stuff and try out some recipes,’ but I never realized the culinary field could be a career,” Thurmond says.

Until he stumbled through the doors of Restaurant Iris a month after it opened and began washing dishes under the tutelage of Kelly English.

“Kelly instilled in me the thought process and the love for food that I didn’t know I had,” Thurmond says.

Thurmond worked his way up through the brigade at Iris, first as garde manger and eventually to chef de cuisine, with some added duties at McEwen’s and Interim and a degree from L’Ecole Culinaire while he was at it.

There was always an agreement between English and Thurmond.

Thurmond would one day be pushed out of the nest to make it on his own as a restaurateur, he just had to let English know when he was ready.

That day came in January 2015, when a place in Collierville, where Thurmond lives with his wife and now-14-month-old daughter, “jumped into their laps.”

“It made perfect sense. I live in Collierville, and my wife was pregnant at the time, so I could get to work in three minutes and have my home life,” Thurmond says.

Edwards and Thurmond will be neighbors come July, when Thurmond will open his French-Southern restaurant, 148 North on the Collierville square.

“The address is 148 N. Main, and the building has a bunch of history. The post office of Collierville was there. The building and its history has so much value to the city, I wanted to continue to build on that,” Thurmond says.

Thurmond’s 148 North

His style of cuisine will build on his roots and his experience, using old family recipes from his grandmother and aunts while preparing them in a traditional French style.

“It’s grits and greens, but also duck confit and pork belly,” he says.

Having Edwards nearby and with talk of other restaurants opening this year, including a Scottish pub-style restaurant late summer/early fall, just creates more momentum for all.

“To be down the street from somebody like Mac, who has been successful for so long, that’s not a rival, that’s a mentor. There will be places I can go to and take a break for lunch. It’s great,” Thurmond says.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Jim’s Place news, a fresh menu at Tin Roof.

In the 1920s, Jim’s Place was the place to be. If you were famous and visiting Memphis or if you were just making the Friday-night trek from the tri-state area, you went to Jim’s Place, located first in the Wm. Len Hotel, then across from the Peabody downtown.

That tradition extended as the mainstay moved into the family home on Shelby Oaks Drive in the ’70s and now continues in its current iteration at the corner of Perkins Extd. and Poplar, a New York-style steakhouse that mixes Greek dishes with traditional American cuisine.

Ever on the search to stay current, co-owner Costa Taras and general manager Michael Catlin have decided it’s time to break with tradition and open the doors on Sundays, a first in more than 50 years for the institution.

Jim’s Place now offers brunch every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with all the brunch-y favorites and, of course, some of their own originals.

Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine (both $12) lay the foundation for something like Crab Benedict ($15), two poached eggs on crab cakes served on buttermilk biscuits and topped with their housemade Hollandaise sauce.

Known as a steakhouse favorite, they offer steak and eggs ($18) served with an eight-ounce New York strip, but then there’s the grilled chicken and rice ($13), slices of their rotisserie chicken served on a skewer with bell pepper, onion, and mushroom over a bed of rice and covered in a mushroom sauce using a “recipe that will never ever be disclosed,” Catlin says.

Steak & eggs

Catlin and Taras are hoping to draw a younger crowd and show them that Jim’s Place is everybody’s place.

“I think sometimes the white tablecloths can deter the younger crowd,” Catlin says. “Our white tablecloths don’t mean you have to be in business casual or a dress shirt. You can come in in a tank top and shorts, a dress, or a suit and tie. We want everybody to know you can come in as you are.”

They’ve also launched a summer steak special, which includes any steak and two sides for $25 Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. until close.

An affordable menu is what rounds out the slick atmosphere, good food, and welcoming attitude that has kept Jim’s Place a staple on everyone’s list, according to Catlin.

“This is a place where you can come and enjoy a nice brunch and not spend an arm and a leg. You don’t have to rush. You can come and be here for a while,” he says.

“Jim’s Place is not just our business, it’s our home. We want our customers to feel that way,” Catlin says.

Jim’s Place is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. until close, Saturday, 5 p.m. until close, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jim’s Place, 518 Perkins Extd., 766-2030

jimsplacememphis.com

A year ago in May, Nashville-based bar and music venue chain Tin Roof seized a one-shot opportunity when the Hard Rock Cafe moved a couple of blocks west on Beale Street, leaving a prime location up for grabs.

They gutted the space and set up shop with their own unique “live music joint” style, offering all varieties of music, including blues, country, and cover bands, and their own menu that Tin Roof followers have come to know and love.

Recently they changed things up a bit so that tourists to Memphis or Tin Roof aficionados alike can find what their preferences are on the menu.

As the old “when in Rome” saying goes, ribs are now something visitors can order when they stop in for a drink or a performance, and Tin Roof has its own in-house smoker for the dry rub spare ribs ($15 or $23). (For the blaspheming recreant, they do offer brisket, $16.)

They’ve taken the chicken-and-waffle craze, and made it an app, with amply portioned fried chicken chunks scattered over a waffle and smothered with bacon-infused maple syrup ($9).

They now offer a variety of tacos, from chipotle chicken to ground beef to chipotle barbecue to brisket (oh, the humanity), each ranging from $3 to $4, and general manager Michael O’Mell can’t say enough about the new Buffalo chicken quesadilla ($9.50), which is marinated, grilled, and pulled chicken served with Monterey jack cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese crumbles.

“Everybody was ordering wings and asking for them with jack cheese as a quesadilla. So that’s what we made,” O’Mell says.

O’Mell says they came up with the new menu by listening to the regulars.

“If there are 100 people working for the Grizzlies, 20 of them come in here every week. We’ve got hotel staff coming in here. We just asked them and tried to listen to what they told us,” he says.

Fans of the Sloppy Nachos ($8) — yes, there’s barbecue sauce on there — need not worry, nor those who travel the country eating the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich ($10.50) at the 12 other locations. The favorites have remained.

“We tried to keep what was popular, so that those who go to a place and look for a Tin Roof can get what they like, but still make this location unique to Memphis,” O’Mell says.

Tin Roof is is open 11 to 3 a.m daily.

Tin Roof, 315 Beale, 527-9911

tinroofmemphis.com.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The Pasta Kitchen in Collierville, plus the Agricenter’s Feast on the Farm

Kirk Caliendo comes from a big Italian family based out of New York, and communing over a home-cooked meal using old family recipes is part and parcel to his identity.

For many years he sought to share that experience with his community.

In mid-April that wish came true for Caliendo.

He and his wife Kristen opened The Pasta Kitchen in Collierville.

“Our motto is ‘Our family feeding yours,'” general manager David Nestler says.

Kirk Caliendo, owner of the Pasta Kitchen.

Caliendo and team used the build-your-own-bowl trend as the groundwork of the eatery, with several house-made sauces and different pastas, including at least one daily scratch-made noodle, to choose from, followed with fresh veggies and proteins to toss in the bowl.

“Our sauces and recipes are family recipes dating back generations,” Nestler says.

The build-your-own-bowl option starts at $8.95, which includes the pasta, sauce, and veggies. Each protein added costs $2.

Signature dishes such as homemade lasagna, stuffed shells, and chicken marsala start at $9.95 and top out at about $13.

“We are a scratch kitchen. All of our sauces are made daily from scratch, and our ingredients are as fresh as possible,” Nestler says.

That includes the tiramisu ($6).

They offer several gluten-free options and whole grain and veggie pastas.

In addition to striving to be as New York Italian as possible — “any products that are not made in-house are sourced from a purveyor in New York,” according to Nestler — the Pasta Kitchen strives to maintain “putting out a hot, fresh, quality dish in under 10 minutes.”

It seems to be working for them.

“Collierville has been very receptive and supportive to what we’re doing. Every day is better than the previous,” Nestler says.

Even New York loves it.

“We’ve had New Yorkers come in and say, ‘Wow, that’s really close to back home,'” Nestler says.

The Pasta Kitchen is is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 316-5119 or go to thepastakitchen.net.

The Pasta Kitchen, 875 W. Poplar,

Building your own bowl yields tasty results.

The Agricenter International was formed in 1983 with the intention of fostering agricultural research, education, and conservation.

On its 1,000 acres in Shelby Farms Park, it sees 1.3 million visitors a year, including 4,000 students who attend classes on water quality and forestry, shoppers at the longest-running Tennessee farmers market which operates six days a week, and attendees of the numerous expos or arena shows.

The Agricenter is owned by Shelby County and run by the nonprofit Agricenter International, and in its 30-plus years, it has never hosted a fund-raiser.

That is until last year.

More than 350 people hoofed around the dirt floor of the ShowPlace Arena, perusing auction items and taste-testing what some of Memphis’ finest chefs concocted using ingredients grown by the farmers market’s vendors.

“It was so well-attended, we decided to continue it this year,” Christine Donhardt, director of communications for the Agricenter, says.

On Friday, June 17th at 7 p.m. the Agricenter will host its second annual Feast on the Farm, held again in the ShowPlace Arena — boot party, folks — featuring 12 chefs plucked from the bounty of exceptional eateries Memphis has to offer.

“We’ll have Logan of MasterChef Junior, which we’re excited about, and this year a couple of them will be using sorghum grown on our farm at the Agricenter,” Donhardt says.

The silent auction features 90 items, and Terri Walker will lead the live auction, which will include a diamond ring priced at $1,700.

Live entertainment will be provided by Jamie Baker and the VIPs as well as Donna Wolf playing the fiddle.

“We’ll have a lot to keep people busy,” Donhardt says.

“We’re definitely on track for what we did last year. Maybe we’ll expand sometime in the future,” she says.

Tickets are $100 until June 13th when they will increase to $150.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Lead the Way

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Everybody has his or her passion.

For Cristina McCarter, it’s food.

“I’m always looking for different places to eat, or if there’s a new place, I have to go try it,” the sales assistant says.

McCarter, a Flyer employee, knows something a lot of folks don’t — how to put that passion to work.

Recently she relaunched City Tasting Tours, a tour business that takes foodies or those who aspire to be such on walking tours to various restaurants in Memphis neighborhoods.

“Everybody has been so nice, making suggestions,” McCarter says. “It’s a lot of fun.”

McCarter originally worked as a tour guide for the business back in 2011, but eventually it was put on hold until McCarter got a phone call in October.

“The owner called me and asked, ‘Do you want to take our business and make it your own thing?'” she says. “I thought why not make a hobby into something I’m making money off of.”

That hobby started with Yelp, when McCarter would take photos of the food she was eating and post it on the website of crowd-sourced reviews.

Her reviews turned to blogging by way of her friends’ pushing her to do so, and lovingmymemphis.com was born.

Justin Fox Burks

Cristina McCarter and “tourists”

“Then it became ‘Cristina knows where to go.'” My friends would call me and say they were coming into town. I have a list I copy and paste now. I let them know about food and drink events or if there’s a festival going on. I’m like a concierge,” she says.

She first became a tour guide for City Tasting Tours when she saw an ad for the job.

“I thought, why not get paid to eat?” she says.

McCarter held her first tour as the “one-woman-show” that is now City Tasting Tours on May 14th, focusing on South Main and Beale Street.

Included in the tour was Central BBQ, Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-B-Que, Cafe Pontotoc, Alfred’s on Beale, and Dyer’s Burgers.

Each tour visits five restaurants, and the restaurants are the same for the month.

June will include Central BBQ and Earnestine & Hazel’s and a few other stops along the way, ending at King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar and Grille, where those lucky enough to have booked a spot will sample the King’s deep-fried ribs, homemade pork rinds, and crawfish corn chowder.

“The restaurants love it. It’s a gain for them. They potentially have 12 new customers in their restaurant each week, and a lot of them become repeat customers,” McCarter says.

Many of the stops feature a showcase of the chef — in the case of Ray’z, a tour of the pit — and every tour is dotted with morsels of stories, fun facts, and insider info from McCarter herself.

“I talk about what I love about the city, what locals do, what the city has going on, where it’s improving, a little bit of history,” the Memphis native says. “I’m still learning. They seem to like it. [The first tour] they told me I should be on Shark Tank.”

Each tour is limited to 12 people and takes place every Saturday.

Dish sizes vary depending on the food. For appetizers like pork rinds, they’re served buffet style. Corn chowder, however, would be served in individual dishes.

Tours are $55 per person and 21 and up, with deals and discounts offered frequently.

Except for June 25th, tours are sold out until July. They run every Saturday until October, and all tours are rain or shine.

“I usually send out a list of tips two days before the tour, such as if there’s an event going on to park accordingly, wear comfortable shoes, bring shades. And I send the menu out ahead of time,” she says.

As of now, McCarter’s tours concentrate on the downtown area, but she plans on expanding to Midtown soon and eventually further east.

“I hope to continue to get a lot of locals. They can try something different and learn a little about Memphis that they might not know,” she says.