Elfo Grisanti’s new dining room (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Elfo Grisanti’s, which opened two years ago in Southaven, Mississippi, is finally looking the way owners Alex and Kim Grisanti originally envisioned it.
A private dining room and the ladies bathroom still need to be completed, but, other than that, all the remodeling is done, Alex says.
The restaurant at 5627 Getwell Road has the same vibe as his dad’s legendary restaurant, Ronnie Grisanti & Sons, which was on Poplar Avenue near the viaduct. Elfo’s bar, which resembles a “big horseshoe,” is now completed. It has 18 chairs. “We built it like a U-shape. Like the old Ronnie’s.”
They knocked out the wall where the pizza oven was located so they could make the bar bigger, Alex says. “And we took the bay next to it, too.”
Teresa Brown and Krista Vind, who did the interior work at Elfo’s, also did interior work for Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants. Vind did the concrete work on the bar tops. “It’s actual concrete. And it’s crazy ’cause my bar shines like marble.”
Like his former restaurant in Germantown, the color scheme at the restaurant is black and gold. The walls were made to resemble “18th-century walls,” Alex says. “They did all these mosaic walls. It’s beautiful. It’s a whole different place. All the walls are concrete. They look like they’re stained. They’ve got that gray, black, and white like you see on the old buildings in Italy.”
The kitchen also got an overhaul. “I bought a new conveyor oven. Our kitchen has been totally redesigned to cook our food. I put in a new pasta boiler. I got new pasta machines to make my fried ravioli and pizza dough.”
Alex also re-hired former employees. “I got all my guys that have been with me and my dad for 20 years. They’re back with me in the kitchen.”
Elfo’s menu features beloved dishes made from Grisanti family recipes, some of which date to the first Grisanti’s restaurant, “Grisanti’s on Main,” Alex says. “In two or three months we’re going to start back all our specials. Every day a fish special, a pasta special, a beef special, and a soup of the day.”
Alex and Kim are seeing a lot of familiar faces at Elfo’s. “All our old customers are eating with me. They are realizing they live in Germantown, and it takes them no longer to drive to Mississippi than it would Downtown.”
And locals are discovering what a Grisanti’s restaurant is like. “These people have never experienced anything like it. Now they’re loading up down here. Oh, my gosh. They call it ‘Cheers’ now.”
Alex and Kim also relocated to Southaven. But Alex remembers what it was like when he opened the restaurant. “It was like the unknown. I didn’t know anything about Southaven. I didn’t know anything about the area where we were.” But, he says, “It’s just been a blessing. We are in the hot spot where everything is getting built.”
Silo Square, the 288-acre, $200-million mixed-use project along Getwell Road, currently is in the works. “And a friend of ours is building another 120-acre development.”
Alex and Kim still have future plans for Elfo’s. “We’ve been slowly talking about the front. Doing a little outside patio. Piazza. But it’ll probably be next year before we get around to it. We’ve redone so much work inside bringing it up to our standards.
“We wanted our customers to have the true Grisanti’s experience — white tablecloths, good service, big glasses of wine. It just took a while to get that dialed in.”
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)
Memphis Americans co-founder Andrew Haines stands with head coach Corey Adamson.
At a press conference at the Hyatt Centric on Beale this morning, the Memphis Americans indoor soccer team announced Corey Adamson as its player-coach. Adamson will take charge of both the men and women’s teams for the upcoming season, and will play as part of the men’s roster.
“There were some great options when I was evaluating our coaching staff,” said National Indoor Soccer League co-founder and Memphis Americans co-owner Andrew Haines. “But this market is special, and I wanted to make sure we got that special person that can do the things I know is needed. This guy [Adamson] is the best I’ve ever seen in the community. That’s hands down. I’ve owned teams for 20 years, not a single player or coach has been better in the community than our new head coach.”
Adamson is an indoor soccer veteran, having played nine seasons of arena soccer in the Unitd States. He started his career with the Las Vegas Legends in 2012 before joining the St. Louis Ambush the following year. Adamson also played for the Milwaukee Wave, Cedar Rapids Rampage, and acted in a hybrid player/assistant coach role for the Orlando SeaWolves. Overall, he scored 53 goals and 17 assists in 114 career games.
“Indoor soccer, from the first time I played, I was never going back to anywhere else,” said Adamson. “Andrew saw me back in 2013 [in St. Louis], and I remember the first game like it was five hours ago.
I’m very excited to start to build not only the brand of indoor soccer here, but continue the legacy of the tremendous talent that’s come before me,” he continued. “Part of my role here is building the brand of women’s professional soccer. I’m very excited that the ownership group has worked hard to give me the same budget, the same equipment, the same facilities for both the men and women’s teams. It’s true equality across the board and we’re looking forward to partnering with more sponsors, more local talents, and bringing in some high-level names.
“One of the biggest keys I think that Andrew can attest to, and my former teammates and coaches — I’m a huge collaborator. I feel like I can learn from everybody, everybody can give you a better perspective in life, a better perspective on every part of your relationships, whether they be personal or business.”
Joining Adamson as assistant coach is Bo Melson, member of the 1983-84 Memphis Americans, and the first African-American to play professional indoor soccer.
Former Memphis Americans player Bo Melson joins the technical staff as assistant coach.
“I started in Atlanta, but I moved to Memphis so I could have more opportunities to play as a youth, and professionally,” said Melson. “But soccer wasn’t even here when I arrived!” After finding a youth team, Melson honed his skills and eventually played for Memphis State University and trained with the U.S. Olympic soccer team before joining up with the Americans.
“I was chasing a dream then, and I’m chasing the dream now,” he continued. “We’re going to build the same legend as we had back then, and I just appreciate the opportunity. We’re going to have a good time. The Memphis Americans are back.”
Two soccer teams in town, that is. At a press conference at the Landers Center in Southaven, MS, executives unveiled both the newly-formed National Indoor Soccer League (NISL), and one of the first teams to join the burgeoning venture: the Memphis Americans.
Even better, it’s a two for one deal when it comes to this league. The NISL – formed by executives with extensive experience at every level of the indoor game – will support professional squads for both men and women. That means each matchday will see both male and female professional sides take to the turf come game time.
“This will be the first professional indoor soccer league in the country to have both a men and women’s division,” said Joshua Blair, a member of the NISL’s executive board of directors. “It will be the only league in the United States that will have women’s indoor professional soccer. By building both men and women’s teams, we will be able to reach a broader range of fans.”
Each NISL matchday will feature doubleheaders, with the men and women’s teams playing back to back. One ticket will gain spectators access to both matches. The Americans will play 24 matches, and host 12 of those at home in the Landers Center. The season will start “right after Christmas this December, and then run through April,” according to Blair. Capacity at the venue will be around 8,500 people.
For now, the NISL is committed to fielding teams in a minimum of four cities for the upcoming season. But the league is already in talks with several other ownership groups across the country. “Our plan is to start here in the southeastern United States,” he continues, “and build outward from there with the goal of being nationwide in three years.” Meanwhile, the league received a huge boost after signing a five-year strategic partnership with Nike, which will the NISL’s official uniform, apparel, and accessory brand through the 2025-26 season.
L to R: NISL executive board members Jason Gibson, Joshua Blair, and Andrew Haines; Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite; Landers Center executive director Todd Mastry
On a local note, the “Americans” moniker chosen for the team has history in the Mid-South. In 1981, the group Athletes in Action purchased the Major Indoor Soccer League team known as the Hartford Hellions and relocated it to Memphis. The team was rebranded as the Memphis Americans and played at the Mid-South Coliseum through 1984, before new ownership moved the organization to Las Vegas, Nevada. The current name builds on the legacy of that bit of Memphis history, all while taking the name forward.
With the team officially announced, feelers are being put out to gauge interest from coaches around the country. According to fellow NISL board member Andrew Haines, many candidates have already made contact with the team. “We’ve already had discussions on potential candidates, “he says. “We’ve been blowing up over the last 48 hours since word started leaking out. So we’re going to really go through that process slowly and want to make sure we get that right fit.”
When it comes to building a playing squad, the Americans are looking to build a large chunk of the roster out of local athletes. “If you look at the Greater Memphis Area and a three-hour radius around here, the college soccer programs on both men and women’s sides, you’ve got some of the best programs in the country, especially on the women’s side. The talent in this region is unmatched.
“So that’s our first focus. Obviously we want to bring in the best possible talent, so there might be players from other countries. We’ll be working on that, and we’re working with Todd [Mastry, Landers Center executive director] and his staff to do some tryouts in the arena once the turf arrives.”
The tryouts are one product of Haines’ commitment to the value of community. And the Memphis Americans offers the NISL an opportunity to put down roots and bolster the game in the region. “Community is really what I believe in. Every organization I’ve been a part of, we really do get out there. … We have a youth club partner program, and we’ve already started reaching out to youth clubs to work with in the area. We will be club neutral. We have no interest in starting our own youth academy and competing with other clubs; we want to partner with them.”
Beyond academy partnerships, the NISL will host other communal events. Think 3v3 tournaments, youth clinics, or the league’s Play Like the Pros program, where kids can play on the field prior to a game. Many of the professional players will also be available to work with kids through training sessions or other community appearances.
Andrew Haines
After the presser, the Flyer spoke with Haines about some of the NISL’s goals in the community, and why the Memphis market was so appealing.
Memphis Flyer: You’re launching a brand new league; what made this an attractive market for one of your first teams?
Haines: My history coming to the market [from St. Louis], and knowing about the arena over the past 15-20 years, and working with Todd and his staff. … When they make you feel like a part of the family, part of the team, it’s important. We need that partnership with the facility, because if you don’t have that partnership, you’re just renting the building. With their involvement and interest, that will help us be successful. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been this excited in a while. We’re adding the women’s component, and I just think this market will be very successful.
You’d mentioned that your focus for building a roster would be very local. Have you already reached out to specific programs or universities?
We’ve reached out to every university and soccer program within an hour-and-a-half from here to start. Obviously I’m not going to be the coach, so I want them to build those relationships, but I at least wanted to make initial contact. So far, we’ve gotten a really positive response. They’ve got players who are graduating or who have already graduated they want us to look at. University of Memphis, we’ve got some great feedback there from both the men and women’s programs. We have to tap into these local resources. There’s so much talent within the region, and we just have to find it.
You’ll be the second soccer team joining this market. Do you have any interest in having a partnership or crossover with 901 FC?
We’re open to anything. In the past, for organizations I’ve run, we’ve always partnered with the other sports teams in the market, whether that be an NBA team, MLB, soccer. For us, we’re all about collaboration. We understand we might be competing for sponsor dollars every now and again, but the more successful we all are as teams, the better it is for everyone. We’ve started building relationships already. The Grizzlies invited us out to the game last night, we’ve talked with 901 FC, the Hustle was here today. From our standpoint, that’s what it’s all about.
For the coaching search, I know it takes a certain amount of time to find the right fit. Do you have a timeframe for when you’ll make that decision?
No, we want to make sure we have the right coach. We have such a cool opportunity here. We want to make sure we hit it out of the park, and get someone who’s the right fit for who we need. So we’re going to be careful about that. We’d love to have it sooner than later, of course, but we’re going to take the time we need.
Two Memphians have been charged on federal kidnapping charges after they later abandoned a two-year-old boy in a Southaven Goodwill store. Shelby County Sheriff’s Office
Fitzgerald
Jeremy Fitzgerald, 34, and Turliscea Turner, 29, were formally charged Thursday, December 17th, by U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant. The two each face a possible sentence of 20 years and up to life in federal prison, up to life of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal system. (No photo for Turner was available in the Shelby County inmate directory.)
Other charges and stiffer penalties could come for the Fitzgerald and Turner. The case will be presented later to a federal grand jury to consider an indictment against them, and more federal charges may be added.
Here’s is how Dunavant’s office described the crime how the two were caught:
“According to information presented in the complaint, Fitzgerald offered to have Turner, posing as Fitzgerald’s sister, babysit the child while Fitzgerald and the child’s mother went to Nashville, Tennessee, overnight on December 13th, 2020.
“Turner agreed to watch and keep the child with her overnight. While Fitzgerald and the child’s mother were in Nashville, Fitzgerald demanded that the child’s mother work for him as a prostitute. When she refused, Fitzgerald left her in Nashville. He did not answer her repeated telephone calls.
“Fitzgerald did, however, speak to the child’s aunt. In that conversation, Fitzgerald demanded money for the return of the child. Turner was aware that Fitzgerald had demanded money in exchange for the child’s return.
“The next morning, Fitzgerald, Turner, and an unknown subject drove and transported the child across a state boundary from Memphis to Southaven, Mississippi. When they stopped at a gas station, Fitzgerald took the child out of the car to a nearby Goodwill store and abandoned him there. Turner went into the gas station; she knew that the child had been left at the Goodwill store.
“Southaven Task Force Officers recovered surveillance video that showed the maroon vehicle that Fitzgerald and Turner had driven to Southaven with the child. The suspect vehicle was observed on Germantown Parkway in Shelby County on the afternoon of December 14th, 2020.
“When law enforcement responded to the area, Fitzgerald crashed the vehicle, and was later transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Deputies found Turner inside a nearby Kroger, wearing the same clothing as in the surveillance video. Both subjects were taken into custody without further incident.”
For the most part, 2020 has been canceled. Without our regularly scheduled fairs and festivals, this has sadly meant a severe lack of fair foods. We’re talking Pronto Pups, chicken on a stick, turkey legs, roasted corn, and funnel cakes. Wouldn’t those things make this COVID-stricken year a tad bit better?
Enter the 901 Fair Food Fest (formerly named the 901 Fair Foods Drive-Thru), organized by Brian Ellsworth of Southwood Entertainment Group. The event, which was originally scheduled to begin October 15th at the Agricenter, has been moved to the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, and will be held October 21st to 28th.
“This has been a devastating year financially in the entertainment world, and especially for food vendors,” says Ellsworth. “This gives them a shot to bring in some money and also give them a sense of some normalcy, getting out there and doing what they love to do.
“For the public, the restrictions have been loosened a little bit, we’ve gotten out there, but this gives us some sense of normalcy as well. It also gives us something to do with the family outside of the house that is still safe, socially distanced.”
The revised event in Southaven will not be a drive-thru setup, but will allow visitors to walk up to vendors and order food.
“We’ll be encouraging masks, and there will be social distancing at each vendors’ location,” Ellsworth says. “You’ll be led where to park, and we’ll have the food vendors spread out. We will have some seating areas arranged there, but most people will take it back to their cars, take it home, or eat in their car.”
The 901 Fair Food Fest is free to attend, with opening day on Wednesday, October 21st, from 4 to 9 p.m. The event will also be open Thursday, October 22nd, through Wednesday, October 28th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. More than 100 fair food items will be available for purchase.
The Mid-South Fair, originally scheduled for September 24-October 4, today announced the event will be postponed until late October.
In a press release, Todd Mastry, executive director of the Mid-South Fair, stated:
“It is and always will be our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees and guests of the Mid-South Fair, which is why we felt this postponement was necessary. We’re communicating regularly with government officials and our midway provider to stay abreast of developments that will shape the safety precautions we’ll have in place at the Fair.”
The 161st Mid-South Fair is now scheduled for October 23-November 1 at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.
COVID-19: Cases, Bars, and RiverArtsFest Shelby County added 1,116 new cases of COVID-19 from Monday morning to Friday morning last week, for an average of about 280 cases each day.
Bars were ordered to close last week and restaurants were ordered to close at 10 p.m. on restrictions issued from public health officials to curb the rising cases of COVID-19 in Shelby County.
Memphis Restaurant Association
Shelby County Health Department director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said the decision came as bars and restaurants are known to have higher levels of virus transmission because wearing a mask is difficult when drinking at a bar. Ernie Mellor, president of the Memphis Restaurant Association (MRA), said the order will have a “huge impact” on the restaurant industry.
The directive also asked restaurants to collect names and phone numbers of its patrons, but Mellor said this “will be challenging for our members.” Haushalter said the information would help contact people if they’ve been exposed to the virus in a restaurant setting.
The 2020 RiverArtsFest, which was scheduled for October 24-25 in Downtown Memphis, has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The board already is planning the 15th Anniversary RiverArtsFest, scheduled for October 23-24, 2021.
Google Goes to Southaven
Google announced last week it would build a new 60,000-square-foot call center in Southaven, Mississippi. The facility will provide human customer and operations support for Google customers and users around the world. The customer service will include answering calls, troubleshooting, and helping set up ad campaigns.
Removing the Forrest Bust
The decision to remove the bust of slave trader, Ku Klux Klan member, and disgraced Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol building is now in the hands of the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The Capitol Commission voted 9-2 last week to move the bust and two others from alcoves in the halls between the House and Senate chambers. The earliest the Historical Commission can take up the issue is 60 days after the Capitol Commission submits a formal request for a waiver.
Harris on National COVID Task Force
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris was chosen last week for a national task force focused on rebuilding the economy after COVID-19. Harris was one of only five elected officials chosen for the Renewing America Task Force.
Residency Requirements
The Memphis City Council advanced a move that could require public safety officers here to live close to the city. Ahead of that vote, a coalition of Black clergy members gathered virtually to debate the issue. Many of those agreed that the city does not need more police officers and that the solution to the city’s crime problem is better worked toward by decreasing poverty.
WYXR Goes Live Soon WYXR, a new non-commercial radio station will hit the air (and digital devices) here this fall in a partnership between Crosstown Concourse, The Daily Memphian, and the University of Memphis. The station’s radio home is at 91.7 FM and its call letters stand for “Your Crosstown Radio.” That’s where the station’s staff will produce and air its daily broadcasts. The station partners came together to reimagine the U of M’s WUMR station back in November.
For fuller versions of these stories and even more local news, visit The News Blog at memphisflyer.com.
The family of the Memphis man who died in Southaven police custody in July has filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
The suit seeks damages in the death of Troy Goode from the city of Southaven, the Southaven Police Department, and the emergency workers on the scene at the time of his death.
Goode had taken LSD in the parking lot outside a Widespread Panic show in Southaven on July 18th. According to reports, he began acting erratically before the show, and his wife decided to drive him home. On the way there, she pulled into a parking lot on Goodman Road, and Goode got out of the car. A witness who observed his behavior called police.
When police arrived, Goode reportedly ran around the parking lot and even released a police dog from a van. Southaven police attempted to restrain Goode by hog-tying him, and Goode passed away at Baptist DeSoto Memorial Hospital, where he was transported by police.
The Mississippi state autopsy report blamed LSD for Goode’s death, but his attorney Tim Edwards has disputed that report. An independent autopsy ordered by Edwards found that the hog-tying position led Goode to struggle with breathing and eventually sent his heart into cardiac arrhythmia, leading to his death.
If Goode did actually die from taking LSD, he would be one of very few people to die from direct complications with the hallucinogen. Experts in the fields of hallucinogens and forensic toxicology have long disputed the possibility of an LSD overdose. LSD deaths are more commonly related to trauma experienced from hallucinations, such as when a person on LSD commits suicide or wrecks a vehicle.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office 
901 Fair Food Festival/Facebook 
Mid-South Fair/Facebook 
Memphis Restaurant Association 
Memphis Restaurant Association 
