Category: Hungry Memphis

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Hyatt Centric’s CIMAS Hires New Executive Chef

Chef Adam Arencibia (Credit: Hyatt Centric).

Something’s cooking over at the Hyatt Centric. The Beale Street hotel recently announced that a new executive chef will be taking the helm at its signature restaurant, CIMAS. Chef Adam Arencibia will assume leadership duties over the Hyatt Centric’s dining program and help lead the restaurant in a new direction.

CIMAS opened its doors alongside the hotel last year and boasted a large menu featuring a synthesis of Southern staples alongside South and Central American influences. And alongside its accompanying rooftop bar, Beck & Call, it has become a hotspot for hungry Memphians and tourists alike. But for now, the change in leadership won’t affect the current menu too much, which means favorites like the bluff mushroom quesadilla, breakfast tacos, and chilaquiles verdes are here to stay.

“The framework on the current menus was curated by chefs that do great work in their craft, so not much work needs to be done to improve it, if any,” says Arencibia. “We want to continue to focus on freshness of items, working with local growers, farmers and craftsmen to produce the highest quality we can offer to our current and future guests. Though, with the change of season comes some menu changes, and we’re excited to work on recipes that highlight spring and summer.”

Arencibia has been enthused by cooking since childhood, watching his mom dash around the kitchen and whip up new meals almost every day. But his early passion for the kitchen had to compete with his fascination for Top Gun. “I could recite it verbatim and wanted to become a pilot in some capacity,” he laughs, “but quickly figured out that neither school nor math were for me!” 

Instead, the rush of the kitchen and a fast-paced environment provided plenty of thrills. The Las Vegas native worked his way up to some of the biggest hotels in the city, working alongside top professionals like three-star Michelin chef Jöel Robuchon. “I learned a great deal about discipline and dedication for the ingredients we used and what the farmers or ranchers did to get them to us,” he says. “The attention to detail, processes and technique they taught me still run in my veins today. I also worked with Chef Michael Mina, where I learned a new vision of the same dedication to ingredients, but done in a new way of presentation and production.

“Mina’s culinary team is composed of incredibly talented people that are always raising the bar as to what’s next and what can be done better. I’ve always loved that way of cooking, even if something is working, I’m always thinking of how to make it better!”

For Arencibia, who moved to Memphis in 2021 as an executive chef partner at the Capital Grille, the decision to join Hyatt was an easy one. The move provided plenty of opportunity for growth, and he felt it was the best environment where he would have freedom to improve his craft. And a new direction at CIMAS means he’ll soon have the chance to do so. “Exciting things are coming,” he says. “My lips are sealed for now, but I know we’re eager to let Memphians know about the changes to come.”

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Food & Wine Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Beale Street Brewing’s New Beers Are Black History Month in a Can

Credit: Beale Street Brewing Co.

Celebrate Black History Month with some beers this year. 

Beale Street Brewing Co. has just released a new beer, Soul Stew, and reissued a 2020 collaboration, Black is Beautiful, with Soul and Spirits Brewing Co. 

First up is Soul Stew, a brown ale with vanilla, coffee, and cinnamon. That coffee is the Onyx blend from Memphis-local J. Brooks Coffee Roasters. The coffee is a mix of Sumatra Mandheling and Mexico Turquesa coffees. 

Soul Stew is brewed with Madagascar vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks to “round out this amazing, complex Vanilla Mocha Brown Ale.,” Beale Street said in a statement. In all, the beer brings a hint of “toffee and peanuts in a round and creamy body” that “leaves a nice, lingering caramel note in the finish.”

That’s what’s inside the can. Outside the can is art that will reside in garage beer-can collections for years to come. Watch for them on eBay in 2042 and say, “I remember that. Wished I would’ve kept those.”

The pint cans (tallboys, basically) feature “social influencers and unsung heroes that made a lasting impression on the Bluff City.”

Credit: Beale Street Brewing Co.

They feature former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton in a photo from his exhibition boxing match with former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier in 2006. Another can features Memphis Minnie with her guitar. Another has Robert Church, the South’s first Black millionaire. The final can has country singer Charley Pride, decked out in his baseball uniform during his stint as pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox. 

“Memphis, considered a melting pot of the Delta, saw many people migrate for the vibrant music scene, rich culture, and thriving cotton industry,” Beale Street Brewing said in a statement. 

Soul Stew brings 6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It’s available in a four-pack of 16-ounce cans. The company said it pairs well with “Memphis Soul Stew,” by King Curtis and “He’s In the Ring (Doin’ the Same Old Thing)” by Memphis Minnie.    

Credit: Weathered Souls Brewing Co.

San Antonio’s Weathered Souls Brewing Co. started the nationwide collaboration of its Black is Beautiful beer last year in the aftermath of the public killing of George Floyd. The effort was to raise awareness of the “to the injustices that many people of color face daily,” according to the beer’s website. Portions of the sales of the beer were to go to local organizations working for equality or those working for police reform.  

Several local breweries collaborated here to make their versions of Black is Beautiful from a stout base issued by Weathered Souls. Each collaboration tweaked the beer to make it their own. Beale Street Brewing paired up with Soul & Spirits, Memphis’ newest brewery, for a 2021 version of Black is Beautiful. 

“Our mission is to bridge the gap that’s been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color,” reads a statement from Beale Street Brewing and Soul & Spirits.

Their version of the beer is an imperial stout with cherry notes. Then, it’s loaded with Madagascar vanilla beans and toasted coconut to create a “Coconut Macaroon Imperial Stout.” 

This version of Black is Beautiful clocks in at 9 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It’s only available in Memphis in four-pack pint cans or small kegs. The breweries say the beer pairs well with “Respect Yourself” by The Staple Singers and “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

The Peanut Shoppe About to Open at New Location

The “Peanuts” sign on the old building is up for grabs with some compensation for the business, owner Rida AbuZaineh says. (Courtesy The Peanut Shoppe)

Wake up and smell the peanuts. 

The Peanut Shoppe is about to open in its new location at 121 South Main Street.

“If everything goes fine with the red tape and inspections and protocol, maybe — only God knows — in about three weeks,” says owner Rida AbuZaineh.

The original store, a downtown landmark at 24 South Main Street, closed December 31st. That store, which opened in 1949, was the second store opened by Planters in Memphis, AbuZaineh says. He heard it originally was on Madison before moving to Main Street in 1951, but he’s not sure. He says he wasn’t told until a few months before the sale that the building was going to be sold and would be turned into apartments and condos.

Generations of Memphians grew up buying peanuts and candy at the long, narrow shop near Court Square. As for the new shop, which is where the old Center for Southern Folklore was located, AbuZaineh says, “It is roomier. The same space in total like the old business, but a different shape. This is more rectangular, more spacious in the front. And I am putting everything back where it was before, but a different design. A different layout. Little by little adding other stuff.”

The new location of The Peanut Shoppe at 121 South Main Street. (Courtesy The Peanut Shoppe)

He wants to “make the space useful,” AbuZaineh says. He doesn’t want to waste any part of it.

“It looks amazing. At this moment we are stripping the whole floor. And we are putting in a new floor on top of the old terrazzo floor, which was hidden under glue and old paint.”

The new floor will be “the colors of peanuts,” AbuZaineh says.

“There’s a new paint job inside.” That will also be the colors of peanuts as well as “three colors from the wallpaper.”

That’s one of the surprises for customers, who remember the old wallpaper with the peanut design that was in the other shop, AbuZaineh says. The wallpaper for the new store is “the same quality, the same kind, but I did not rip it off the wall. We had a few rolls saved out of it. And I say it was made in either the late ’40s or early ’50s.”

Familiar peanut wallpaper will be part of the decor at the new location of The Peanut Shoppe. (Courtesy The Peanut Shoppe)

Also, AbuZaineh says, “We gave a new facelift to the glass cases. And we have added a number of new cabinets adjacent to the walls behind the serving counters. 

“The only thing I’m missing here is the front store shelves. I don’t have a window case.”

As for other fixtures, AbuZaineh says, “We were supposed to have an old Planters Peanuts neon sign inside, but, unfortunately, it broke. And there’s no way it can be fixed. Neon is more expensive these days. It’s gone. It’s bits and pieces.”

But there will be a replacement, he says. “We’re also keeping it a surprise.”

What about the mechanical Mr. Peanut that tapped on the glass in the front window at the old location? “He was not the original,” AbuZaineh says. The one that was at the old shop before it closed was a copy. And it was broken. AbuZaineh couldn’t find someone who could put a new motor in it. “The other one used to tap 12 times a minute. This one, before it broke, tapped only three times a minute. See how slow it is? It’s not powerful and makes noise like the other one.”

So far, nobody has taken the huge “Peanuts” sign on the front of the old building, AbuZaineh says. “Nobody is serious about it. I’m willing to give it for free if they just compensate a little. Just a donation for the history of the shop. Just to cover some of the expenses. Come and grab it if you want. I found out the sign came from the first Peanut Shoppe in New York. The first Peanut Shoppe that opened in New York.”

The “Peanuts” sign on the old building is up for grabs with some compensation for the business, owner Rida AbuZaineh says. (Courtesy The Peanut Shoppe)

Asked how he felt, AbuZaineh says, “I feel good, but I’m feeling very dry. I hope I don’t run out of money.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant to Open in February

Greg Diaz, owner of the TacoNganas food trucks, is opening his first Memphis restaurant, Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant, in late February at 1730 South Germantown Road in the Thornwood community.

The high end restaurant will have “very authentic Mexican food,” says Diaz. Instead of the chalupas and other fare people find in many local “Tex Mex” restaurants, Diaz says, “They’re going to be able to find stuff made from scratch. Like mole. I’d say there are about 30 items on the menu.”

Greg Diaz and his wife, Daisy. (Credit: Greg Diaz)

Diaz will not be selling the same food at Uncle Goyo’s that he sells in his food trucks. “We’ll have some some other tacos. We’ll have something very similar.”

And, he says, “We have both an executive chef, a sub chef, and other chefs from Mexico City to be the teaching staff.” Israel Loyo is Uncle Goyo’s executive chef.

Israel Loyo is Uncle Goyo’s executive chef (Credit: Greg Diaz)

His restaurant is “literally next door to Moondance (Grill). You can pass in front of my door to get there. We’re remodeling. The upholstery people are making the booths, fixing up the bar. We’re right in the middle.”

The color scheme will be “talavera” colors, which Diaz described as vibrant blues and other colors. It’s the colors artists use in Mexico when making plates and other creations. “Vibrant Mexican art is what I’d call it.”

A large mural depicts a lady making tortillas, Diaz says. “I had it shipped in from Mexico.”

A large mural at Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant

Asked where the name “Uncle Goyo” comes from, Diaz says,  “‘Goyo’ is an endearment for ‘Gregorio.’ Gregorio is my name, my grandfather was Gregorio, my uncle — my mother’s brother — was Gregorio. My mother, after having nine children, decided to name her last one Gregorio.”

Diaz, who has four locations and eight food trucks, was born in Mexico City. He said in a recent Memphis Flyer interview, “I was raised by a single mother of 10 children. And she still managed to open a restaurant and then turn it into a chain of eight restaurants.”

He says he’s been cooking since he was born, but his main job is pastor of Nueva Direccion church. And, he says, he’s probably best known for being the executive director of Las Americas, a youth development center. 

As to how he got into the food business, Diaz says in the interview, “There’s always food around. We feed kids all the time. So, I thought, ‘I’m going to open up a taco truck to make some money to offset the cost of a lot of the food we served kids and youth.’”

The TacoNganas food truck was so well received, Diaz expanded to what are now four locations and 58 employees.

Asked why he felt he has come so far with his business, Diaz told the Memphis Flyer, “I think the hand of God is on top of us.”

“Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant” will be open for lunch and dinner and, eventually, breakfast, Diaz says.

And if you’re looking for Diaz at his many food locations, he says, “I’m going to be everywhere.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Tonica to Open in Early February

Tonica, a new Midtown restaurant, will open in early February. (Credit: Sabine Bachmann)

Tonica will open in early February at the location of the old Marena’s restaurant at 1545 Overton Park, two doors down from Ecco on Overton Park.

Tonica is a new bar/restaurant from the people who brought you Ecco and Libro: Sabine Bachmann and her sons, chefs Armando and Mario Gagliano, and John-Paul Gagliano, who is general manager for all the restaurants.

“January 31st to February 3rd is kind of our target date,” John-Paul says. “We’re only going to be starting off Thursday through Sunday for service — 4:30 till right now.”

Describing Tonica, John-Paul says, “We’re trying to get as close to a Mediterranean Spanish style. Kind of a European style. Real flowers. Upscale. We’ve redone the whole building. Completely remodeled building. All hand-made cabinetry. We’re renovated our entire kitchen. We have a back dining room, another private room.”

At the rear of the restaurant is “a New Orleans alleyway. When the weather gets better, we can put tables back there for outdoor seating.”

Ecco diners will be able to take advantage of Tonica. “Summertime, springtime when we have additional seating outside, any overflow, you can grab a drink and we can bring you back to Ecco when your table is open. Or you can stay there and eat. I think they will compete with each other.”

Ditto for when people finish eating at Ecco. “After you finish at Ecco — last call is at 10 — you can go to the other restaurant and enjoy the same kind of atmosphere, same craft cocktails you can get at Ecco for a later service.”

As Armando said in an earlier Memphis Flyer interview, “It’s going to be a bar, but a bar that serves food.” It will be a “neighborhood bar,” where people can get small plates and more substantial dishes. But, he said, “I don’t want that to be considered a tapas bar or anything like that, but it will be more focused on the cocktails. We’re going to put more focus on the cocktails and the wine list.”

And, he says, “The food is not going to be an afterthought. It will be really good — a Spanish influence with a little bit of Italian-Mediterranean twist.”

John-Paul says: “We’re going to have a selection of paellas. We’ll have traditional Serrano ham croquettes. We will have different ceviches. Fried chicken wings made with Spanish chiles. Spanish spice chicharróns, among other things.”

Bachmann, who visited Spain last July to research the lifestyle, food and drinks, and atmosphere, came up with the name “Tonica” to pay tribute to the country. “The Spanish national drink, believe it or not, is gin tonics, which in Spain is ‘gin tonica,’” Bachmann told the Flyer.

“They are very known for their different types of gin tonics,” Armando said. “They do a lot of tonics with gin and different spirits and herbs and liqueurs.”

Customers will be able to order plenty of Spanish-inspired gin and tonics and house gins imported from Spain, as well as European and South American wines.

“We’re going to have an extensive gin list,” John-Paul says. “Mary Connor Jones is our beverage director. She’s creating the cocktail list.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Bain Barbecue & Bakery Coming to Cooper-Young

Bain Barbecue & Bakery to open in February in old Stone Soup location in Cooper-Young. (Credit: Heather Bain)

When Ryan Glosson heard the Bain BBQ food truck was going out of business last October, he stopped by and tried some of Bryant Bain’s barbecue.

Glosson thought, “This is too good to not exist. How can we make this work?”

So, Glosson and Bain joined forces. They plan to open Bain Barbecue & Bakery in late February in the old Stone Soup Cafe & Market building they recently purchased at 993 Cooper Street in Cooper-Young.

Bain posted on social media that he had to close his food truck, which specialized in Texas craft-style brisket. “We just ran out of money to keep it afloat,” he says. “And we were at a point where we weren’t profitable yet.”

Several people had talked to Bain about partnering with him on some sort of business, but when Glosson talked to him, they just clicked.

The bakery part of the business will open first. “There’s a place in my hometown, Hillje, Texas, [called] Prasek’s [Family Smokehouse],” Bain says. “They make homemade sausage and kolaches.”

A kolache, he says, is “this dough. And you punch a hole in the bottom to make a tiny little bread bowl; essentially, and you fill it with cream cheese and jam.”

Kolaches will be served at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Heather Bain)

Bain yearned for Prasek’s. “I wanted their food. I decided to do the next best thing and make it for myself.”

He thought, “I should do a bakery.”

Ironically, Glosson, who had lived in Austin and San Francisco, was already thinking about opening a similar business in Memphis. When Bain shared his ideas, Glosson said, “Holy shit. We have to do this. It’s fate.”

Bain also will make “klobasneks,” which are savory kolaches. “We’ll have sausage cheese, sausage, cheese and jalapeño; ham, cheese, and jalapeño,” he says.”And I just told Ryan about this, Heather, [Bain’s wife] also is working on a stuffed biscuit recipe that will have egg, cheese, and bacon; and sausage, cheese, and bacon inside of a biscuit and you can take it and run.”

That will be on the breakfast bakery side, Bain says. “Then all manner of cookies and cinnamon rolls. I’ve been working on a ton of different recipes — a bunch of stuffed cookies like salted caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies, brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies, Nutella stuffed sugar cookies.”

Brownie-stuffed cookies will be sold at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Heather Bain)

“And they are freaking fabulous,” Glosson says.

The bakery will start serving “in the early hours,” he says. They will deliver as well as take orders at a counter. “Your order comes out and there’ll be tables in an area where you can sit.”

The barbecue portion of the restaurant will come later because the new pit won’t be delivered until March. They need to build an external outdoor structure that will enclose the pit — a 1,000 gallon smoker. “We’re working with architects right now on the drawings themselves,” Glosson says. “Barbecue will come in the summer. Hopefully, late summer.”

They will have his famous brisket as well as Memphis-style barbecue including pulled pork, Bain says. “We’re switching to house-made sausage. I’ll be making all the sausage in house.”

Bryant Bain’s brisket will be sold at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Heather Bain)

In addition to seating customers in the two front dining rooms, Glosson says, “We want the building to be able to double as an event space for corporate events. We’ve got several friends in town who say there’s a need for an event space in Cooper-Young that can do events for between 50 and 100 people.”

They’ve already come up with the bathroom themes. “We’re going to have one pig-themed bathroom and one cow-themed bathroom,” Glosson says. “They’re going to be very, very cute.”

The interior will be done in “multiple colors,” Glosson says. “We’re going to have blue in the foyer, a cream color in the dining room, a red in the adjoining room in the front. We’re going to have the cream with some red in there and some exposed brick.”

They’re working with Jason Lowe on the interior design, Glosson says.

The two-story building is about 4,000 square feet, he says. They will be using only the first floor for now, but the restaurateurs hope to start using the upstairs space as more dining rooms once the barbecue gets going.

Then there’s “the line,” Glosson says. “One of the things that’s really cool about these barbecue restaurants in Texas is ‘the line.’ When the brisket comes up and they start to cut it, serve it, in Austin people start lining up at 7, 8 a.m. They’ll bring a cooler and lawn chairs. When it’s gone, it’s gone. They want to make sure they get some.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Notable Memphians Dish on Their Must-Have Holiday Meals, Drinks

(Credit: Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash)

Since this is the season to indulge, Memphis notables (and one former Memphian) were asked, “What is an essential something you must eat or drink at this time of year or it won’t feel like the holidays?”

Unapologetic founder James “IMAKEMADBEATS” Dukes: “Probably my dad’s peach cobbler. His peach cobbler is pretty famous. It’s the attention to detail in the crust. He’ll add pineapple to it [the filling]. He just has a very unique approach to peach cobbler. During the holidays, people will legit ask it to be sent to other cities. If people are swinging through town and happen to be there, they will request it.”

Paula & Raiford’s Disco owner Paula Raiford: 
“I have to have the homemade pound cake. My best friend’s [Tiffany Conrad] cousin (Angela Gaines makes it). It is dee-lish. One, it is homemade. She doesn’t bake as much as she used to. She always does it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You know you’re going to get it and it makes it taste better because you know you’re going to get it for Christmas. You don’t get it year round.”

Grammy-winning engineer/producer Matt Ross-Spang:
“I eat it all year round, but the first thing that comes to mind is gravy. I just love it so much. You put it on everything: the turkey, the dressing, the ham, the rolls, the green beans.”

Memphis Whistle executive chef Kyle Gairhan:
“Latkes and stuffing. I’m Jewish. Those are the two things I think of during the holidays. Stuffing starts around Thanksgiving. And latkes for Hanukkah. [Made from] sourdough, onions, celery, butter.”

Former city Mayor AC Wharton:
“Eggnog. [With] Southern Comfort. In my hometown, there was no alcohol, so my mother made boiled custard. But there was a bootlegger who lived next door to us. And the only time Daddy spiked his boiled custard was at Christmas. He slipped across the fence to the neighbor to get a little nip in his boiled custard, which made it eggnog. The difference between boiled custard is just that. No spices and certainly no alcohol. But you could get a dispensation on Christmas to put a half teaspoon of bootleg stuff in it. And that made it eggnog. But only my daddy could do that. Now that I’m grown, I can have eggnog. When I was a kid, it was boiled custard.”

Performer Al Kapone:
“My mom’s baked spaghetti. My mom’s baked spaghetti is just amazing. It’s always festive. Number one, she bakes it. Number two, she puts these cheddar cheese chunks in it. I don’t know what all the other ingredients she puts in, but the distinctive sharp cheddar cheese chunks, when you go in and get you a helping of spaghetti, you get those nice, melted sharp cheddar cheese chunks in every  bite. It lights you up like a Christmas tree. That’s how good it is. My mom’s spaghetti is a staple for any holiday. When she cooks that, I’m excited. I’m in a festive mood.”

Dave’s Bagels owner/founder Dave Scott:
“No-bake cookies. One hundred percent. My wife [makes them]. It started with my mother. My mother’s been making them for years, my whole life. You’ve probably had them before. They’re chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. Blend it all together in a little pot. Drop off little drops of that while it’s hot on the wax paper and it cools into a cookie. Whenever I see those around I know the holidays are close.”

Wrestler Jerry Lawler:
“It’s just been a long-time tradition of mine. When I tell people this, they say, ‘Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding me?’ It’s the old tried-and-true Claxton fruitcake. I have to have the Claxton. This year, back before Thanksgiving, they had them at Sam’s Club. Big packs of three of them. I’ve gone through one. I’ve got two brand-new ones to finish off before Christmas. I think the thing about the Claxton is there really is no ‘cake.’ It’s just all fruit. I don’t know what they’ve done to the fruit to make it almost like a solid piece of custard. Very little cake. Just all sugary fruit. People hate fruitcake. I don’t know what the deal is. Johnny Carson used to tell this joke on his show: There’s only one fruitcake in the world and it gets re-gifted every year to different people. It never gets eaten. It just gets regifted.”

Wrestler Jimmy Hart, professional wrestler/former Memphian now living in Tampa, Florida:
“I don’t drink, but just eggnog. I think it’s according to where you live. Hot chocolate if you’re up north. I think eggnog. You only see it during Christmas time, don’t you? If it’s Christmas time, it’s eggnog with or without liquor.”

Note: On New Year’s Eve, Hart and Lawler will reunite to sing — yes, sing, not wrestle — at King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille on Beale Street. “We’re going to do about an hour-long set,” Lawler says. “We’re going to sing in the New Year.”

Chef/owner of Alcenia’s restaurant, B. J. Chester-Tamayo: “Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter, you must have chicken and dressing. In the Chester household no ifs, ands, or buts. As long as I have lived, I’ve had chicken and dressing. Except maybe once when she was in the hospital, I had my mom’s. Out of 67 years of my life, if it wasn’t her chicken and dressing she made, it was her recipe.”

How was the chicken and dressing she bought?
“It was absolutely terrible.”

Grammy-winning record producer Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell: “I smoke a turkey every year and I have been for 10 years or probably longer. Turkey. It just has to happen.”

And what does Mitchell like on his turkey?
“Oh, bourbon. Four Roses bourbon, please.”

Rendezvous restaurant owner John Vergos:
“Except for this year since my mother isn’t doing it, we have to have spanakopita. Spinach pie. I think that she’s recognized among the Greeks in Memphis as making the best spanakopita. She doesn’t write it [the recipe] down. You have to watch her. She’s fine. We’re just doing it at my sister’s and we’re just not going to have it this year. We had it Thanksgiving and we’re not having it Christmas.”

So, how does Vergos feel about that?
“It’s just not Christmas.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

The BBQ All Stars Superstore Officially Open

Melissa Cookston (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Melissa Cookston, the winningest woman in barbecue, can add another accomplishment to her collection. Her BBQ All Stars Superstore officially opened in Southaven, Mississippi, on Tuesday, December 14th.

And if you’re planning to spend any time around a barbecue pit soon, the new store has you covered with grills, sauces, seasoning, kitchen tools, and plenty of other materials that might be needed.

“I know that there are lots of BBQ and grilling enthusiasts in the Mid-South, and I wanted to create an amazing store for them” Cookston says. “I also wanted to create a store where there will be something for everybody. We’ll carry a big selection of gifts, such as leather travel bags, cutlery, and more. We will have so much space we are going to be able to offer the largest selection of barbecue and outdoor products around and be able to have a large area for cooking classes.”

The superstore contains a wide selection of spices, seasonings, grills, and cookware. (Credit: Melissa Cookston)

The section of the store dedicated to cooking classes will have a large area to accommodate in-person classes, and also boasts audio visual broadcasting and recording capabilities. Classes may range from smoking a whole meal to making sushi.

“The building will also house the World Junior Barbecue League headquarters,” continues Cookston, “so young barbecue enthusiasts will have a place to discuss their barbecue adventures and plans, have BBQ Boot Camps, and get helpful tips from all of the barbecue pros that will be in the store.”

The store will carry many recognizable grill and cooking equipment brands, including Big Green Egg, Primo Grills, Alfa Forni pizza ovens, Traeger Timberline, Green Mountain Grills, Myron Mixon Smokers, Blaze Grills, American Outdoor Grills, Gateway Drum Smokers, Cotton Gin Smokers, and Pitbarrel Smokers.

The store, located in Southaven Commons at 875 Goodman Road, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Grills galore at The BBQ All Stars Superstore. (Credit: Melissa Cookston)
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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Whistle Slated to Open for To-Go Orders December 17th in Cooper-Young

Memphis Whistle with edible flowers bed in Cooper-Young (Credit: Jef Hicks)

Memphis Whistle is slated to open December 17th for to-go orders at its first brick-and-mortar location at 2299 Young Avenue. The space is slated to open as a restaurant/bar by the end of 2021.

What began as a drink delivery service during the pandemic blossomed into a space that owner Jef Hicks describes as a “quaint little house” with four rooms. He describes Memphis Whistle, which features a lounge space, dining space, and bar, as “lounge comfortable.”

“One of the rooms has a couch, a couple of chairs, and a little settee. That is super loungey. Another room has three tables, a little more of a standard look. Everything will be lower lighting from lamps,” Hicks adds.

As for the decor, Hicks says, “Most of the colors are very rich, royal, jewel tone, romantic colors — so you could look beautiful in there at all times, especially in the evening.”

Memphis Whistle dining area (Credit: Amanda Hicks)
Memphis Whistle lounge area (Credit: Jef Hicks)

The exterior of Memphis Whistle is a rich purple, accented with turquoise. “You won’t miss it,” says Hicks. “You would have to try really hard to miss it.”

Also working with Hicks at Memphis Whistle are his wife, Amanda Hicks, who handles the office duties, IT, and accounting; and Winifred Henry, who Jef says, is “in charge of it all.” Jef and David Parks began the original Memphis Whistle. Parks will be bartending at the soon-to-open McEwen’s Memphis. 

Describing the drinks, Jef says, “Mine are more the Prohibition-style cocktails.” These would be “the old typically heavier booze” drinks like the Boulevardier and the Vieux Carre.

And, Hicks says, “I will be continuing to feature the Memphis Whistle cocktail recipes that brought us notoriety.” 
He described the drinks as “seasonal fruit forward with herbal tastiness and plenty of booze.”

Kyle Gairhan is executive chef. “We are concentrating on smaller fare along with sandwiches and burgers,” Jef says. “And finger foods and tater tots. We are going to make our own chips to go with all the sandwiches. We make our own barbecue sauce. We cook our own  pork. We’re going to be making our own brisket. We’re trying to do as much as we can in  house.”

And, Jef says, “We will try to support local farms or small businesses as much as possible. That’s really important. To keep the dollars local.”

Even the art on the walls is local. Featured artist Celeste Rachele did the pieces, which are for sale. “I want to support local art, food, drinks, produce,” says Jef.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Cameo Slated to Open in Early 2022 at The Citizen

Paul Gilliam, McKenzie Nelson, and Mary Oglesby, owners of the upcoming Cameo bar. (Credit: Jamie Harmon)

It took three bartenders to come up with the idea of creating a place where food caters to the cocktails instead of the other way around.

Meet Cameo, a bar owned by veteran bartenders Paul Gilliam, 34, Mary Oglesby, 38, and McKenzie Nelson, 29, that’s slated to open in early 2022 in The Citizen apartments in Midtown.

“Chef driven/chef owned” is a popular business model, Oglesby says. “We want to turn that on its head as a bartender owned, cocktail-driven place, where food is excellent, but it’s there to highlight and support the cocktails as opposed to the inverse, where the cocktail is there to support chef-driven food.”

They take the food-is-king idea “and turn it around. You can come in this place where the focus is on cool cocktails, great wine, things like that. And also have exceptional food that is there to go with that.”

Their theme is “Fancy Drinks Party Time (FDPT),” Gilliam says. “We’re creating a space where you can enjoy the kinds of drinks you want.”

And, he adds, “What great time you think is great in this space.”

They want customers to have “well-plated, well-crafted drinks and snacks in an atmosphere that is not stuffy, that is fun and energetic. Just an all-around good time.”

You can get good drinks in a space “that is less fun.” But, Gilliam adds, “We don’t feel those two things are mutually exclusive. It is very easy to have both.”

Everyone has a favorite drink, Oglesby says. They want to make “the drink that’s going to make you the most happy ‘cause you’re the one designing it. We plan on having a vast menu of cocktails that we can make for people. From your very serious whisky drinker who wants to taste the nuances of their spirit to the person who wants a kitschy 12-ingredient tropical drink, to the person who wants to enjoy a cocktail with no alcohol in it. And everything in between.”

They currently are in the “research and development” stage in their search for a chef, Gilliam says.

“The same creative freedom we have, they will have as well,” Nelson says. “It will be more tapas, small-plate style, but I would say it’ll be pretty creative.”

All three owners have worked in various restaurants. “We all three bartended,” Oglesby says. “That’s how we all met and know each other.”

“We’ve all kind of met and grown through bartending,” Gilliam says. “We have all been creatively collaborating for years now. And it’s something we love and we’re really good at. And that we want to continue to do.”

“We’ve always talked about the bar that we would want to go to,” Nelson says. “That has all these type points as being someplace fun where I can get any kind of drink. And we kind of paused when Covid hit.”

But, she says, “We all have the same vision when it comes to the bar we want to hang out in.”

So, they got busy when things began to open back up. “We were going through all the things we need to make this possible. And it’s snowballed.”

Their broker found them their location at The Citizen, Gilliam says. “It’s a 1,400 square-foot shotgun space. It’s intimate. I would not say it’s small, but it’s just as we needed it to be. Nice, cozy, intimate. It’s a 50-seat space, 14 seats to the bar, 36 at a very long banquette.”

Explaining the name “Cameo,” Oglesby says, “We wanted to make use of this brick and mortar to highlight and collaborate with other people with the same passion in art, music, food.”

They want to showcase artists and people who cook with charity events or other functions. “Use our space to, hopefully, showcase and give a name to people who have the same passion as ours. And share that with the city.”

As for the interior colors, Gilliam says, “Opulent greens and dark moody crystal. A complete desecration of your grandma’s parlor. Taxidermy. Disco balls. Rustic glam.”

 “We are going to have something there for everyone,” Oglesby says. “This is going to be a very inclusive space where I think anybody will feel comfortable. As long as they’re there to have a good time.”

For more information go to cameomemphis.com. Instagram is @cameo_mem

Cameo is at 1835 Union Avenue, Suite Three, in The Citizen apartments.