Tag: The Ravine

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Paint Memphis at The Ravine

Kirsten Sandlin’s proposed mural for this year’s Paint Memphis. (Courtesy Paint Memphis)

A hundred artists from Memphis and beyond will be painting away in the Edge District this weekend, thanks to the work of the nonprofit, Paint Memphis. On Saturday, all will be invited to Paint Memphis’ annual festival to support the artists as they paint murals in the neighborhood. 

Co-directors David Yancy III and Kirsten Sandlin say the Saturday event will be packed with things to do. Curtis Glover will offer a free mural workshop at noon, and Eli Gold will do some live metal sculpting. To celebrate World Hoop Day, Grind City Flow Arts will stun audiences with hula hooping and fire dancing performances, and they will offer a beginner hoop class for all ages at 3:30 p.m. and an intermediate hoop tricks workshop for ages 16 and up at 5 p.m. Festival-goers can also expect music, an immersive kids area, food trucks, vendors market, artist gallery, and, of course, live mural painting.

For the 100 artists selected, Yancy says it was important to include the community in the decision-making process. “We have business owners involved. We have people in the community involved, and then our board members,” he says. “And we’re just able to narrow it down to 100 this year. And, man, we got a lot of amazing artists and a lot of great local artists that will be involved with Paint Memphis. It’s all about making sure that the community is happy, and we just want to promote a colorful, bright, positive Memphis. That’s the beauty of Paint Memphis — that we transform an area from looking abandoned to bringing it back to life, giving it that pop of color, giving it that creativity to make people want to actually come there and [experience] all the things that murals provide. So it’s gonna be really cool because that whole area will be full of amazing art.”

As artists in their own rights, Yancy and Sandlin will each be contributing murals of their own. Sandlin says of her mural, “I typically paint children interacting with the buildings or the area because I believe that everybody can relate to being a kid.” 

“I’m painting my goddaughter,” Yancy says. “The doctors told her when she was first born that she wouldn’t be able to walk or just be a normal human. Now she’s almost 5 years old, man, living a great life. She’s walking; she’s talking; she’s beat the odds. So I’m doing a piece for her to just show how amazing it is if you just don’t give up — life is full of all possibilities and opportunities.”

All the artists are volunteers, most of them traveling from all over the country to make Memphis beautiful. “Keep in mind the artists will be there all day, every day from Thursday until Monday,” she says. “So the artists will be needing support for the whole week.”

With that in mind, and to show a bit of Southern hospitality, Paint Memphis, in partnership with local businesses, has opened a number of events to the public, including an artist meet-up at Craft Axe Throwing on Thursday at 8 p.m., an art show opening at the Ravine on Friday at 5 p.m., a drink-and-draw event also on Friday at 8 p.m. at Brinson’s, an after-party on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Inkwell, and a “women in murals” panel discussion on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Keep up with all that’s happening at Paint Memphis’ socials.  

Paint Memphis 2023, The Ravine/Edge District, Saturday, October 7, noon-6 p.m., free.

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We Saw You: Loving “Loving Local”

Myra Cochrane, Grace Hill, Grace Siler, Kristen Lloyd at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)

I asked Beth Wilson what she was eating at that moment at Loving Local.

“Goodness,” she replied.

She had just visited Good Fortune Company’s food station, where chefs Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton were serving “Big City Halal Cart” — chicken or tofu over rice.

So, I had to try it a.s.a.p. “Goodness” — and may I add “gracious” — it was so over-the-top good.

Arturo Leighton and Sarah Cai at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Janet Boscarino, Kathleen Quinlen, and Beth Wilson at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Good Fortune was just one of the food stations at the Project Green Fork event held June 15th at The Ravine. 

Also on hand were Monique Williams of Biscuits & Jams, Kevin Sullivan from Tsunami, Terrance Whitley of Inspire Community Cafe, and Caleb and Brandon Ellenburg from Central BBQ.

Caleb Ellenburg and Brandon Ellenburg at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Kayla Pritchett, Chef Mo (Monique Williams), and Maegan Jade at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Stacy and Kevin Williams at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Terrance Whitley, Jacqueline Thomas, and Jayden Whitley at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Gabrielle Shirley at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Project Green Fork is part of Clean Memphis, whose mission is to make Memphis a cleaner and greener city. The certified Clean Memphis restaurants at Loving Local take six steps to reduce their environmental impacts. That includes recycling, composting, and not using styrofoam.

The restaurants at Loving Local were among the 40 Project Green Fork certified restaurants, says Clean Memphis project manager Lisa Brown.

Lisa Brown at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)

“We’re spearheading zero waste events in Memphis,” Brown says. “Zero waste doesn’t literally mean no waste. It means sending the least amount of material to the landfill with our preferred waste streams being recycling and composting.

“We work with chefs and attendees to make sure everybody understands that we’re trying to keep as much material out of the landfill as possible. So, for our events, we typically send as low as three percent of the event waste to the landfill. And the other waste is either recycled or composted. We’re talking zero waste to the landfill because that stuff is going to sit there for 30 years. That stuff will likely outlive you and me.”

About 200 or so people attended Loving Local, which Brown describes as “an event that is fun for the entire family. You want to make sure the kids all the way up to grandparents are able to come to this event and eat good food and have fun.”

And, she says, “The guests are also able to mingle and talk with the chefs about their dish, about their restaurant, about their personal mission for environmental sustainability.”

Jake Tribble and Becky Campbell at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Rob and Lauren Williams at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Rob Jaffe and Sara Boscarino at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Hayes Nobert and Margaret Cowens at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Jake Allen, Janice Allen, Shelia Allen-Barron, Tammy Herron at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Sierra and Jack Lowry at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)

If you missed Loving Local, make plans to attend Project Green Fork’s Reharvest Memphis November 16th Downtown. The annual event is “to bring the awareness to the overall issue of food waste and how we are encouraged to think about food waste.”

They work with four or five chefs, who take surplus food “nearing the end of its life,” and “create new purposes for it.” Brown says.

For instance, a chef might take surplus Mid-South Food Bank cans of black eyed peas nearing their expiration date and, instead of sending them to a landfill, they create a dish with them. “We encourage attendees to be more creative with our food instead of looking at food as a resource and not necessarily as a commodity.”

In August, they will begin a new project, Brown says. “We’re planning a restaurant challenge. We will ask local restaurants to basically adopt two to three new practices that are going to help them reduce the majority amount of food waste that they’re producing. We’re going to start this in the Crosstown Evergreen area.”

Drew and Melodie Barton at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Jared Bulluck, George Abbott, Shaleen Ragha at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Dawn and Mike Weaver at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Ivan and Amanda Janga at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Scot Cowan, Michelle Cowan, Steve Boscarino, Georgia Edwards, Rob Jaffe, Sara Boscarino at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
DJ Alpha Whiskey at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
David Moore, Phoebe Moore, Tommy Schlather, Emma Simmons at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Kristen Rambo, Silas Armstrong, Elizabeth Blondis at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Duncan Galbraith and Day Galbraith at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Tim Hartline, Brandon Moss, Brenda Moss, Monica Townsend, Ben Townsend at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Emma Page, Becky Campbell, Heather Page at Loving Local (Credit: Michael Donahue)
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We Saw You: Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis Party

Memphis hair! Michael Donahue and Joe Birch at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Connor Ryan)

As I’ve said before, there’s nothing like a Memphis Flyer party.

Even when I worked for another newspaper and attended the Flyer’s Best of Memphis parties, I was blown away. So many people. So much fun. Cool bands. Cool people. Cool everything.

And the venues each year were, well, cool. My favorite Best of Memphis or “BOM” party was held on the roof of the parking garage of what is now Crosstown Concourse. I also loved the one in the old Imperial Lanes bowling alley on Summer Avenue. And the one at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms next to where Coastal Fish Company is now located was the BOMb.

I gathered new memories at this year’s Best of Memphis party, which was held September 28th at The Ravine. 

Best of Memphis 2022 at The Ravine (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Noah Stewart and Carl Bledsoe at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Briana Silvo, Wallis Ashley, Erica Manshack, Anna Fortner, Tyler Holley, Jacqueline and Jake Holley at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Ken Neill and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Connor Ryan at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Jarvis Greer at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)

For those who don’t know about The Ravine, I wrote about it after covering Loving Local, a Project Green Fork event, last June. That was the first event held at The Ravine, which is behind Memphis Made Brewing Company.

Ethan Knight, vice-president of development for Development Services Group, the lead master developer for a number of efforts in The Edge District, including The Ravine, filled me in for that story.

Knight described it as “a community gathering point, a public plaza, a park, and, ultimately, it creates a natural gathering point for The Edge District.”

Henry Turley, Anthony D. Lee, and Pinkney Herbert at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Erika and Terrence Cain at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Eric Bourgeois and Hannah Herring at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Geoff Calkins and Myra and Vincent Housley at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Nick Lumpkin at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Alex Turley at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Anna Campbell and Zach Sloyan at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Dawson Colby, Michael Donahue, and Kaylee Buscher at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)

He told me The Ravine was an old railway, which used to be the end of the old Norfolk Southern Railway. “There was a railroad station north of Madison back before Danny Thomas (Boulevard),” Knight said in the interview. “Tracks ran along The Ravine and underneath Monroe and Madison. In the ‘60s and ‘70s the train station went away and they put in Danny Thomas.”

The Best of Memphis’ Ravine party was held 20 feet below Madison Avenue. “You’re down in this bowl,” Knight says. “Down in this ravine. It’s a good bit cooler down there than up on Madison and Monroe.”

Well, the night of the BOM party, it was cool. Very cool. As in hip.

Robert and Kelsie Clayton of Cupcake Cutie, Etc. at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Megan Biggs, Jennifer Biggs, and Geoff Calkins at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Nick Patterson of Smoke and Ice at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Amy LaVere and Will Sexton at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Elliott Ives and Monica Patrick at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Kaylei and Kendall Robertson and Sandy Robertson at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Joe Mauck, Marcus Grandberry, Paula Raiford, Rebecca and David Graham, Lisa Street, and Brandi Rish at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
David and Regina Kam at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Food trucks, live music, and tons of people, including Memphis celebs, were on hand to party from late afternoon until it got dark. People would have stayed much longer, but the party was over at 8 p.m. on the dot. That’s when food trucks closed down. And, if you were lucky like I was, you got one of the last cupcakes from Cupcake Cutie, Etc.

About 1,000 guests attended. Entertainment was provided by Mighty Souls Brass Band, Blvck Hippie, and DJ Zetta. Alongside Cupcake Cutie Etc., food was provided by El Mero Taco, The Genre, Da Guilty Vegan, and Smoke and Ice. 

Chris Farrar, DJ Coates, and Gina Kay at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Bridget and Demetrius Gentry at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Daphne Maysonet, Justin Howerton, and Delaney Mealer at Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Lisa Duren and Lamar and Helen Todd at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Patrick and Darya Koplin at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
April and Schuyler O’Brien at the Best of Memphis party (Credit: Michael Donahue)
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We Saw You: Loving Local and The Ravine

Laura Gentry, Michael Donahue, and Dory sous chef Brandon Burke with a citrus-braised pork tostada at Loving Local. (Credit: Nannie Harris)

Memphis never fails to amaze me. And I’m a native Memphian.

I received an invitation to Loving Local, a Project Green Fork tasting event with cuisine from area restaurants, which was held June 16th at The Ravine at 435 Madison Avenue.

I’d never been to The Ravine. And, I discovered, this was the first event at the venue, which hasn’t officially opened yet.

Wow. Was I surprised when I saw the space. In addition to the beautiful about-to-open Memphis Made Brewing Co., the outdoor area in the rear was mind blowing. Looking down from a balcony, I saw tables, food vendors, DJ Crystal Mercedes, and plenty of room.

Let me reiterate. Wow.

I called Ethan Knight to fill me in on The Ravine. Knight is vice-president of development for Development Services Group, the lead master developer for a number of efforts in The Edge District, which includes The Ravine, Rise apartments, and Orion Federal Credit Union.

 “The Ravine is difficult to describe because it’s really unusual,” Knight says. “It’s a community gathering point, a public plaza, a park, and, ultimately, it creates a natural gathering point for The Edge District.

Loving Local at The Ravine. (Credit: Michael Donahue

“We’ve taken a piece of land that was basically a throw away. Was totally forgotten. We saw this unique opportunity to make it a very unique public space. That idea has evolved over time. Me and our team have been working on this for seven plus years. Trying to figure out how this whole Edge District comes together.”

The Ravine was an old railway, which used to be the end of the old Norfolk Southern Railway, Knight says. “There was a railroad station north of Madison back before Danny Thomas [Boulevard]. Tracks ran along The Ravine and underneath Monroe and Madison. In the ‘60s and ‘70s the train station went away and they put in Danny Thomas. I’m a civil engineer by trade, so all that stuff is fascinating to me.”

That view from the balcony where I was standing is “20 feet below Madison,” Knight says. Noting the trees above, he says, “We have tons of shade — morning shade, evening shade. You’re down in this bowl. Down in this ravine. It’s a good bit cooler down there than up on Madison and Monroe.”

And that’s a fact. I told someone at the party, “It’s not so bad tonight.” I thought temperatures had cooled down, but I think it was because of where I was standing at The Ravine.

The Ravine is “a long term vision,” Knight says. “What you saw last night is just the beginning in a sense. We have a whole second phase of plans for The Ravine after we see how people use it. It will continue to grow and evolve over time as The Edge District grows.”

Memphis Made Brewing Co. co-owner/president Drew Barton says, “I’m hoping we’re up and running pretty soon. Waiting on a few final things. Code inspections.”

This will be the second location of Memphis Made Brewing Co., which is at 768 South Cooper. It put out its first beer October 11, 2013, Barton says. “We’re keeping our current location. We’re just adding a second location, (which is) probably 17,000 square feet. So, it’s roughly three times the size of our current location.”

Janet Boscarino and Drew Barton at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)

They thought The Ravine would be open in time for the event, says Janet Boscarino, executive director of Clean Memphis, the umbrella group that includes Project Green Fork. “We pushed on,” she says. The event “allowed people to see the space and see what it’s going to look like.”

Clean Memphis’s mission is “to work on Memphis, making a cleaner and greener city.”

Project Green Fork is “our restaurant sustainability certification, where our restaurants take six steps to reduce their environmental impacts.”

That includes “recycling, composting, and not using styrofoam. And so all the chefs that were there are all from Project Green Fork certified restaurants.”

Participating Project Green Fork restaurants represented at Loving Local were Good Fortune Co., Hen House, Salt/Soy, Tsunami, Da Guilty Vegan, and Dory. Mempops also was on hand. The Tipsy Tumbler provided the bartending service.

Loving Local at The Ravine. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
JeraVonte Twillie from Hen House at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Manus McMeen at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton from Good Fortune Co. at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)

“We do zero-waste events,” Boscarino says. “We control the atmosphere so that anything that comes in material wise can be recycled and composted, including forks, cups, everything. Food scraps, plates, everything that can be composted, and beer and wine bottles recycled. It’s a way for us to socialize the idea of zero waste.”

More than 200 attended, Boscarino says. “We loved it. Every time we do Loving Local — we’ve been on a two-year hiatus from the pandemic — we try to do it in a new location. The first one we did was when Loflin Yard was just opening. We were the first event in the Old Dominick space. We always try to find a new and interesting place that’s about to open.”

The Ravine has “that perfect indoor/outdoor atmosphere. The fact you’re in a ravine, which was something overlooked as a dead space, is now infused with energy and innovation. We love those kinds of spaces and bringing people together in them.”

Lajoyce Cole, Becky and Mike Todd, Devin Marzette, and Kevin Marzette at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Ari Zelig and Danielle Blake at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
DJ Crystal Mercedes at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Henry Turley and Wanda Shea at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Rob Jaffe, Sara Boscarino, Conner Forrester, Stewart Hart, Leesa Gavin, Georgia Edwards, and Jake Ratliff at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Bill Ganus, Ali Manning, George Abbott, and Shaleen Ragha at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Faith Butler and Nannie Harris at Loving Local. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Made to Open Second Location in the Ravine

CREDIT: Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made’s new location will be located in The Ravine, a $5 million public greenspace concept to be built between Union and Madison in the Edge District.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will open a second location in the Edge District’s Ravine area, a move that will allow the brewery to increase its capacity and offer more beers.

The company established its first location — now a production brewery and taproom — in Cooper-Young in 2013. Memphis Made now has beers in more than 300 bars, restaurants, and retailers throughout Shelby County.

“If you’d asked me about a second location six years ago, I would have looked at you like you had six arms,” said Drew Barton, co-founder of Memphis Made. “Now, opening day can’t come soon enough. This location will allow us to grow and provide more fans with a larger selection.”
[pullquote-1] The brewery recently signed a lease with PGK Properties, the firm developing the Wonder Bread Factory project, a series of office space, apartments, and retail in the area.

“They will prove to be a pivotal player in the creation of a walkable, thriving, mixed-use neighborhood,” said Ethan Knight, vice president of development with Development Services Group, the developer for PGK. We have been focused on cultivating an authentic Live-Work-Play community within the Edge, and Memphis Made is a top tier asset to welcome to the mix.”

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

That lease will give Memphis Made an almost 17,000-square-foot space at 435 Madison Ave. It will give the company space for production, offices, and a taproom spread across multiple levels. The new production space will feature a 30-barrel brewhouse in 7,500 square feet with an entrance on Lauderdale Street.

“This move will increase our production ceiling,” said Andy Ashby, co-founder of Memphis Made. “Drew and our brewers have been pushing our current space to its limits. This gives us more than just the chance to brew more beer.

“It also will let our brewers experiment more and try different styles and techniques.”
[pullquote-2] A 7,750-square-foot taproom will be below the production space. It will have an entrance off Lauderdale and a patio deck overlooking the Ravine, a $5 million public greenspace concept being developed by DSG and the Downtown Memphis Commission. The Ravine will run between Union and Madison Avenues.

Memphis Made began with production out of a 5,000-square-foot space at 768 S. Cooper, adding a taproom in November 2014. The company now has 10 full time employees and several part time employees.

Memphis Made’s original location will remain open. Once the new space opens, the Cooper-Young location will focus on new and experimental beers. That taproom, currently open Thursday through Sunday, will have expanded hours.

“We worked hard to make our first location part of the neighborhood,” Ashby said. “We can’t wait to get to know our new neighbors and be a real part of the Edge District in the same way.”