Author: Susan Ellis

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

U of M Wins Approval for L’Ecole Campus in Cordova

CREDIT: Facebook

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Students learning to roast a chicken.

Today, the State Building Commission approved the acquisition of the old L’Ecole Culinary campus in Cordova.

The campus will serve as an expansion of the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality & Resort Management at the University of Memphis.

We asked Thomas Nenon, University of Memphis Executive Vice President and Provost and Professor of Philosophy, about the move.

Why is the university doing this? What’s the thinking behind it?
Programs in Hotel and Resort Management usually will also include culinary arts and management as an integral part of those programs, because of the scope and importance of the businesses and careers associated with that area. Our program at the University of Memphis already had an approved program that was limited primarily by our current facilities. This will provide an opportunity for us to expand the program significantly to meet student demand and community needs.

What is the plan? When will you open?
If we receive the approval as expected next Monday, we will begin our first regular college-level courses at the beginning of this fall semester, i.e. the last Monday in August. We may be offering some professional development and/or recreational classes before that, but we do not have those plan finalized yet.

Will the students who were already studying at L’Ecole be able to pick up where they left off? How will it work? Will they get university degrees?
Those who were taking college-level courses appropriate to our program will be able to transfer those credits. They can apply to us as transfer students just as like other students and the department will do an analysis of their transcripts to see which credits will indeed transfer. They can then continue towards completion of their Bachelor’s degrees.

Other students may not be seeking university degrees but professional development and might want to enroll in specific courses or course sequences relevant to their needs. Others might want to participate in some of the continuing education courses we will be offering in cooking and nutrition.

Why is a program like this important to this community?
Hospitality and restaurants are an important part of our business community and offer career opportunities that are attractive for many students. This will allow us to serve those industries better and the students who are interested in them.

Will the University re-open the Presentation Room?
We have not yet finalized those plans, but do anticipate that there will be dining opportunities in which our students work at that location, similar to the way the Holiday Inn on our campus serves both as a functioning business and as a training opportunity for students in our program who work there.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Craft Food and Wine Festival Coming Sunday

Christina McCarter loves a good charcuterie board, she says. She loves the variety, the grazing aspect.

McCarter, who runs City Tasting Tours, knows where all the good food is. One would be wise to follow her.

On Sunday, June 23rd, she’s hosting the Craft Food and Wine Festival at One Commerce Square. Tickets for the early session are sold out, but there are still tickets available for the second session, starting at 6:30 p.m.

At the festival, guests will receive a board (which they can keep) that has a slot for a wine glass. Then they can sample the fare from some 41 local and regional vendors.

There will be Andouille sausage and picklings from Rizzo’s; cured meats and cheeses from Grove Grill; pita chips, feta dip and olives from the Grecian Gourmet; bagels and pretzels from Dave’s Bagels; beers from Crosstown; ciders from Long Road; and much more.

The festival is a zero-waste event, with only compostable items. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Farmers Market Names New Director

The Memphis Farmers Market (MFM) has named a new executive director. Robert Marcy, a longtime MFM volunteer and board member, replaces Rebecca Dull.

Marcy has a long and varied career, which involves working in the neurosurgery department at Baptist and interior design.

Marcy began volunteering at the market, adjacent to the train station Downtown, about nine years ago, he says. His volunteering led him to be asked to serve on the board and then he was named as vendor chair.

Marcy says that in that role he’s been “boots on the ground.”

“You really need to be in every market interacting with the vendors,” he says. “And after six years [as chair], it’s just become my family.”

Marcy’s time on the board had just run out when Dull resigned. Since Marcy trained Dull, he felt equipped to take on the new job.

He scrolls and scrolls (and scrolls) through a list on his phone with all his ideas for the market.

They include:

• A pet check, which replaces the pet sitting service and has already been implemented. This involves a tether system that keeps dogs away from each other.

• a customer frequent shopper card

• a vendor mentoring program

• social media training for vendors

• meal kits

• off-site education

• community garden

• cookbook

• an expansion of the Heart of the Market program, which helps vendors in need.

Marcy says the job has energized him. He leaps out of bed in the morning ready to start work implementing his ideas.

“Local food is the reason why we’re here,” he says. “This is a community gathering place. We want to bring people down here and use it like that. You’re not going to get this experience at a national grocery chain.” 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Now Open: Ani Joe’s Karaoke Kafe

Joe first spotted Anita on the dance floor. It was salsa night, and Joe thought to himself that he must meet the Asian lady with the moves. Nine years later, Joe and Anita are now engaged, though many think they are already married.

Joe Torres and Anita Chu (Ani) also own Ani Joe’s Karaoke Kafe, which opened in February in the cute section of Bartlett. Both are pretty big karaoke-ers. Anita likes the classics. We’re talking Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” or something by Journey. While Joe likes rock, gospel, and hits from the ’50s.

They say they’ve been thinking about opening a place for several years now. They loved to do karaoke, but it wasn’t always easy to find the ideal spot. Most good places only offered it toward the end of the week. They envisioned a family-friendly, non-smokey space that offered karaoke seven days a week, with no tipping, so you wouldn’t be waiting until midnight to belt out “My Funny Valentine” after all the owner’s friends got a turn at the mike.

Through their karaoking, they had come to meet different groups of like-minded folks, who’ve since made their way to Ani Joe’s.

“It’s kind of funny because normally when you go to a restaurant, everybody’s sitting at their own table,” Torres says. “But when they do karaoke here, everybody’s all over the place. It’s like a family reunion.”

Anita is originally from Hong Kong. Her family moved here in the ’80s. Torres hails from New Jersey and moved here for work. Torres has a background in pharmaceuticals and start-ups.

“I thought it was going to be easier because of the start-ups I did, but this is a completely different monster,” he says.

The first order of business was to decide on the menu. They knew that Mexican, Chinese, and Italian are always popular. The spot they took over was once a Mexican place, so they decided to go with that.

They have nachos and fajitas and burritos — all the standards. They decided to cover all the bases by offering American dishes, such as burgers, and breakfast all day.

Ani Joe’s also has a full bar, with all the cocktails you could want such as margaritas, an apple martini, Sex on the Beach, and Cuba Libres. There are drink specials on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. With every bucket of beer, you get the seventh free and there are discounts on shots. 

Torres says that the difference you get at Ani’s is the human touch. “We talk to people,” he says. “We get to know them. They get to know us. We make them feel at home.”

5808 Stage Road in Bartlett

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News News Blog

Memphis Pets of the Week (June 20-26)

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

[slideshow-1]

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Curb Market Hires New Manager

Robert Humphreys began his new stint as the manager of Curb Market, the locally owned grocery store inside of the Crosstown Concourse, last week.

Humphreys has a background in markets. His last job was at Whole Foods.

He took some time to answer some questions.

Tell us about yourself.
I’ve been with Whole Foods for a really long time, but I’m proud to be working at a locally owned business now. I’m especially excited to be working Crosstown. My grandfather worked there. And it’s blocks from my house.

What is your role as manager?
I just started Monday [of last week], so, honestly I’m just listening right now — to what the employees and the customers would hope to have.

Do you have marching orders?
I have a few changes in the future, but nothing like marching orders. We may replace the butcher counter with a made-to-order deli or expand opening hours. Some things like that.

You worked at Whole Foods. Was there something that you studied to work in grocery stores?
I was a newspaper major.

I just sort of fell into it. My wife worked at Whole Foods, and she really enjoyed that sort of business, so I checked it out and enjoyed it. I have a really strong passion for the industry.

Is there a difference between working at a corporation and a small business?
Most definitely. It’s more of a community [at Curb]. You learn a lot working for a corporation. I had great mentors [at Whole Foods].

But, yeah, it’s more of a community, a smaller feel. It suits me better.

How important is it to have a store such as Curb in that community?
We’re just striving to be a healthy, convenient place for the people who work there. Being able to shop where you live or where you work, it can’t be anything but beneficial. So it’s really important to us to make it the very best that we can.

Are there any plans to expand your local brands?
We’re open to hear from any local vendors who might read this.

One criticism of Curb is that it’s a little pricey.
We’ll be looking at food suppliers and maybe we can make some adjustments. It’s always an issue for small businesses. You can’t buy stuff at the same cost as the really big people.

There’s really great discounts on the hot bar. It’s 25 percent off after 4 p.m. And we have the Curb-a-vore program, where members get 5 percent off the entire store, except alcohol. So there are ways to save money.

I can’t say we can compete with Kroger and their pricing, but what we can give you is a service, someone who’s going to listen to you, and try to get you the things that you need. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Rawk ‘n Grub Expanding into Growlers

Rawk ‘n Grub will operate out of the kitchen at Growlers starting July 1st, according to owner Chef Steph Cook.

Cook says Growlers owner Tony Westmoreland approached him with the idea. Cook hesitated, as a similar deal he had done wasn’t so great.

Rawk ‘n Grub originally launched as a food truck in 2015. Most recently, it has been operating out of a Citgo on Summer, where it introduced its brunch. The Citgo location will still be open.

According to Westmoreland, he had been having caterers and chefs co-oping the space, but was looking for something more permanent. Rawk ‘n Grub in his rock-and-roll club was a no brainer. “It just makes sense,” he says.

Cook agrees. He says he always wanted to operate out of live music venue.

“Growlers is one of the good, live-music venues here in town. We have quite a few, but Growlers definitely attracts some good names,” he says.

Cook says the place will be known as Growlers with Kitchen by Rawk ‘n Grub. He says there will be signage out front.

Initially, they will operate from 4 p.m. to midnight, though hours will eventually expand to include lunch and a weekend brunch.

Cook hopes to have lunch up and running between 30 and 90 days.

Customers can expect all their favorite dishes from Rawk’s extensive, imaginative menu — dishes such as the ZZ Tapas Tacos with blackened shrimp, Great Balls of Fire; which are grit balls with crawfish and shrimp; Philly-delphia Freedom with Rawk’s special stout beer cheese sauce; and the Livin’ La Vida Porka, which includes pork flavored with Dr. Pepper.

They also plan to serve their secret 422 menu, which includes Rawk’s BB Wings and its Little Pizza My Heart flatbread pizzas.

Cook says that he hopes to open a brick and mortar spot with the Citgo and Growlers locales serving as sort of secondary spots. “Just like Beale Street Music Fest,” he says. “You’ll have Rawk ‘n Grub’s main stage, and then you’ll have side stages. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Tuesday Is International Sushi Day!

Kyoto Majesty

Tuesday, June 18th, is International Sushi Day.

“It’s a day to celebrate sushi, and it’s day for beginners who don’t typically eat sushi to have the chance to try it,” says Joanna Lee, a rep with Hissho Sushi, which provides sushi to area Krogers.

Hissho Sushi was founded by Philip Maung, who started the company in 1998. According to Hissho, it’s the second largest sushi franchise in the country. Beyond Kroger, their sushi and other products are available at hospitals, airports, universities, and sports arenas.

Across Kroger’s Delta division, the Hissho sushi is in 63 stores. Across Tennessee, it’s in 26 stores.

For International Sushi Day, sushi will be 25 percent off at Kroger.

According to Lee, the shops set up in Kroger are actually franchises. Hissho hooked up with Kroger in 2006, and is now in approximately 1,500 stores.

Hissho recently introduce poke bowls, and the Kroger on Union offers a build-your-own bowl. 


Lee says they are trying to ease new customers into the idea of sushi.

“A lot of the items have names they are unfamiliar with or ingredients they may not be sure of, you tend to get a little apprehension,” she says. “So we look for opportunities, such as International Sushi Day, to provide samples. California roll is the entry point for most people. Once people become comfortable, we encourage them to branch out into other things.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Global Cafe Introduces New Chef

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks


Global Cafe, the international food hall in the Crosstown Concourse, will have a new chef, replacing Chef Indra, who served Nepalese food. Her chow mien was a favorite.

Chef Jose “Pancho” Leon is from Venezuela and will serve such fare as tequeños, empanadas, arepas, pabellón, and asado negro.

Leon’s first day will be this Wednesday, June 19th.

Press release below:

Global Café, an International food hall hosting three immigrant/refugee food entrepreneurs cooking and selling an eclectic mix of affordably priced dishes from their home countries, announces the hiring of new Chef, José “Pancho” Leon from Venezuela.

Chef Pancho brings over 20 years of culinary experience to Global Café, which is located in Memphis’ newly renovated Crosstown Concourse, a million-square-foot former Sears distribution center. He and his wife moved to Memphis, TN from Maracaibo, Venezuela less than two years ago due to the political situation in Venezuela. Chef Pancho owned a restaurant in his home country for many years.

“We are very excited to bring Chef Pancho aboard,” says Sabine Langer, owner of Global Café. “When Chef Indra, our Nepalese Chef, informed us that she was relocating out of state with her family, we immediately thought, ‘Who could benefit the most from some help?’ It didn’t take long to figure out that Venezuela was on top of the list with its current political situation. We reached out to a friend of ours, who is a leader in the Venezuelan community in Memphis, and he put us in touch with Pancho.”

“We are looking forward to incorporate Chef Pancho into the team and for him to share in our collective culinary experiences” says general manager, Juan Viramontes. “We look forward to reaping the benefits of having his expertise as a part of our team. Food speaks all the languages of the world and it knows no borders. It is truly a universal experience, and with it we will strive to continue to build the bridges that will provide the opportunity for every member of our community to come together and share our stories.”

“Since we moved to Memphis,” Chef Pancho says, “the whole community has been so welcoming. I can’t wait to share some of my favorites from Venezuela with everyone here.”

Chef Pancho will join Chef Fayha from Syria and Chef Ibti from Sudan rounding out an eclectic international offering. Options include such specialties as tequeños, empanadas, arepas, pabellón, asado negro, etc. Global Café is open Tuesday through Sunday and offers vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options as well as a full bar, specialty drinks and desserts. Takeaway and catering are available. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Soul Nutrition Opening June 15th

CREDIT: Soul Nutrition, Facebook

Soul Nutrition, a new smoothie bar in Germantown, opens tomorrow, Saturday, June 15th. It is located at 2200 Germantown Parkway in the old Gigi’s Cupcakes spot.

Owner Erica Downey, along with her partner in the business (and in love) Kevin Frazier, said she always knew that “soul” would be part of the name.

“When I think of Memphis, I think of blues music, fun, good vibes,” she says. “We came up with the name ‘soul’ because when you think positive energy, community embracing health, beauty, wellness, you think of what’s inside.

“When people think of health, they think of boredom, right? But we want to bring a soul vibe to Memphis that is offered up in a healthy way.”

Soul Nutrition, Facebook

Soul Nutrition offers smoothies and teas that are designed to boost metabolism. Among the offerings are the Hangover Cure, Mama’s Southern Lemonade, and the Cinnamon Fat Burner Donut Holes.

Downey vows that her products are protein-based, dairy-free, low calorie, and provide 24 nutrients and vitamins.

The shakes use a a protein-based, low-calorie meal replacement powder that is vanilla. Downey builds the flavors from there.

“I had a crazy idea to start combining some of the flavors we had,” she explains of her more unusual flavors. “Our favorites are almond crunch, banana nut bread, blueberry muffin, and glazed donut.”

Downey says she also turned to her grandmother for advice.

She says customers can replace up to two meals a day with her shakes and a tea.

Both Downey and Frazier are testaments to the smoothies. Downey worked a corporate job and was running after three kids. She was having health issues, so she started with the meal replacements on her doctor’s recommendation and lost 35 pounds. Frazier, who is an officer with the MPD, recently lost 20 pounds following her plan.

Downey says she’s got a pretty bad Goobers habit, while Frazier has a hard time turning down a barbecue sandwich, but they say everything is okay in moderation — an idea they are trying to impart to their fellow Memphians.

Frazier says it’s about providing resources and information. More options are a good thing. Plus, he says, “It tastes pretty good, and it’s something you can maintain.”

They offer fitness classes at Shelby Farms on Saturdays and Mondays and will offer some in the parking lot as well.

At Saturday’s opening, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., customers can vote on their favorite shakes to add to the menu. They plan to offer a waffle bar and protein pancakes soon as well.

Soul Nutrition’s hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.