Monday Meditations with Wine – Isaiah Zay Jones Posted on June 23, 2022 by brandis Monday Meditations with Wine is a weekly live interview series on BRAVO!’s Facebook page highlighting beverage and hospitality professionals and their individual efforts to grow and evolve Southern Hospitality Industry. We are all about community and getting to know our neighbors, so grab a glass of wine and join us every Monday at 6 PM on BRAVO!’s Facebook Page! For the month of June, each guest will have one very important thing in common, they are Fathers. Chuck will focus on how they are able to balance their jobs, families, passions, and life while navigating fatherhood. On this Monday’s episode, Chuck will be interviewing Isaiah “Zay” Jones. Isaiah “Zay” Jones is a sommelier in OKC. He is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and earned his MBA at Oklahoma Christian University. As the buyer and floor Somm at Mahogany Prime in Downtown OKC, Zay shows enthusiasm and passion for educating his staff and enhancing the wine culture in OKC. In addition to being one of Oklahoma’s brightest emerging beverage professionals, he is a father of two. He balances his career aspirations and family all while maintaining his “skinny-buff” physique by playing basketball and intense workouts. Not without a sense of humor though if you need a dose of joy while scrolling find him on Instagram @zaysensei for humor in wine and maybe catch him spending some quality time with the family! 1 2 Next »
Monday Meditations with Wine – Ebony Jones Posted on April 27, 2022 by brandis Monday Meditations with Wine is a weekly live interview session on BRAVO!’s Facebook page highlighting hospitality, culinary, and beverage industry professionals from the American South. This weekly series is meant to shine a light on the enthusiastic, passionate, professionals in the south blazing trails in their respective fields. We are telling the stories of the south’s brightest in the hospitality industry. On the next episode of Monday Meditations with Wine Chuck will have special guest Ebony Jones – the owner of Nola D. Platters, Pants, and Peculiar Goods located in Flowood, MS, wife, and mother of daughters Harper, and Fionna. Ebony Jones is a Puckett Mississippi native and graduate of Forest Hill High School. Ebony started her foodservice career very early at the age of 14, working in her uncle’s Harvey’s Fish Hut in Pearl, MS. Ebony has taught technique classes at William Sonoma, she has also worked with Chef Alex Eaton at table 100, and as catering director at The Manship for six years. In February of 2021, she opened her own business Nola d Platters, Plants and Peculiar Goods, a catering business specializing in charcuterie, cheese, and fruit platters. But that is not all, Ebony has a keen interest in plants. It is a practice started after the death of her 4-month-old daughter Nola Demaris in 2016 from SIDS, whom she named her catering business after. To honor her, she donates a portion of each month’s proceeds to the March of Dimes foundation. So, grab your favorite glass of wine and experience southern hospitality from your living room, office, dorm room, or where ever you please every Monday at 6 PM CST. Watch Live on BRAVO!’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BRAVOBuzz Check out these links for more info on Ebony Jones https://www.visitjackson.com/blog/ebonyjones/ https://www.noladplattersms.com/our-story https://www.facebook.com/noladplatters/ Instagram: Personal – @ebby0710 Business – @nola_d_platters 1 2 Next »
Monday Meditations with Wine – 4/18/22 Zacchaeus Golden Posted on April 14, 2022April 15, 2022 by brandis RESCHEDULED FROM APRIL 4, 2022. On this week’s episode of Monday Meditations with Wine, Chuck will have special guest restaurant owner and executive chef Zacchaeus Golden. Golden, who is originally from the Mississippi Delta moved back to Mississippi after working his way through some of the top restaurants in New Orleans and San Francisco, such as The French Laundry, Coi, The Inn at Little Washington, Shaya, and many more! Golden has also received his associate’s degree in culinary arts from Bishop State Community College. Golden has an unrelenting passion for culinary arts. His style of cuisine is very southern-inspired focusing heavily on the origins of the ingredients and the techniques in which they are prepared. He also likes to utilize modern cooking techniques and plating styles. When the COVID pandemic hit Golden was laid off from his job, allowing Golden to begin hosting pop-up dinners at his duplex in Jackson. The positive response to his popup dinners showed him that a tasting-menu-only restaurant could work in Jackson, and in August of 2020, he was able to make his dream of owning his own restaurant come to life – Southern Soingé. Golden describes Southern Soingém as a guestaurant, just another name for a micro restaurant, which is a small, intimate setting where the chef delivers a more personalized experience with things like insight on how a dish is prepared or ingredient origins. Think of it like a dinner party thrown by a chef that has trained in some of the country’s top restaurants. Southern Soigné operates in a residential duplex on a quiet, tree-lined street in the historic Belhaven neighborhood of Jackson, Mississippi. Here, chef Zacchaeus Golden serves elaborate multi-course meals to an intimate crowd. Watch Live on BRAVO’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRAVOBuzz You can find out more about Zacchaeus Golden below: Links: https://www.clarionledger.com/picture-gallery/news/2022/03/11/chef-zacchaeus-golden-elevated-southern-cuisine-intimate-dining-southern-soigne-jackson/9447028002/ https://southernsoigness.com/ https://www.visitjackson.com/directory/southern-soigne/ https://meetachef.com/care/i-would-love-nothing-more-than-to-lead-a-high-level-culinary-team-whos-main-focus-is-produce-great-southern-style-cuisine-chef-mobile-al https://www.southernkitchen.com/story/travel/2022/03/11/these-5-southern-restaurants-switched-tasting-menus-heres-why/9375132002/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zacchaeus.golden.5 Instagram: @zacchaeusgolden 1 2 Next »
Monday Meditations with Wine – 4/11/22 Hunter Evans Posted on April 8, 2022April 12, 2022 by brandis In the month of April Chuck is featuring chefs from the south. Bringing attention to movers and shakers in the culinary and hospitality world. Monday Meditations with Wine provides a behind-the-curtains look at the rich and diverse culinary, beverage, and hospitality professionals and culture in the South. On the next episode of Monday Meditations with Wine, Chuck will be interviewing the executive chef/owner of all-day café Elvie’s located in the Belhaven Town Center. Hunter is a Jackson hometown boy who went to culinary school and cut his teeth in kitchens around New York City before returning home in 2015. Like many others of his generation, it took leaving to bring out his appreciation for where he grew up. “Getting rooted in Southern food and moving away made me miss it,” but when Hunter came back to Mississippi to cook, he wanted to showcase the South differently. After Hunter graduated from Jackson Academy in 2008, he went on to the University of Mississippi, where he received a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management in 2012. He then moved to New York and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, completing his associate degree in culinary arts in 2014. While working towards his associate degree, he staged at restaurants like Le Bernardin, Café Boulud, and other notable New York restaurants. While working for Danny Meyer at North End Grill, New York Times food critic Pete Wells wrote a glowing review for the restaurant. In May 2015 Hunter moved back to Jackson, Mississippi with the intent to marry his now-wife, Mary Kathryn. He began working at Lou’s Full Serv in the Belhaven Neighborhood of Jackson in June of 2015. Within a year, he was promoted to Sous chef and eventually took to the role of Chef de Cuisine. In July 2019 Hunter took part and was crowned the King of Mississippi Seafood at the 16th Annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off in Louisiana, which is sponsored by Louisiana Seafood and the James Beard Foundation. In January 2020 Hunter opened his first restaurant, Elvie’s. Elvie’s offers a modern take on classic French cuisine through the lenses of southern ingredients and traditions providing an intimate and unique experience for the guests. Hunter has enjoyed forging a network of relationships with the Mississippi farmers where he showcases the beautiful ingredients at Elvie’s. Elvie’s which is named for his late grandmother Elvie Good is indeed a divergent from the general restaurant scene in Jackson, which leans toward classic, comforting, heavier Southern food. It’s no surprise he faced some skepticism before opening Elvie’s doors in January 2020, weeks before the pandemic began. Hunter went so far as to say he was creating a restaurant that would make people feel like they weren’t in Jackson, introducing concepts such as a natural wine list, seven-course tasting menu, and even escargot (yep, snails). But the irony of this big-city-in-a-small-town philosophy is that at its essence, Elive’s provides the ultimate sense of place through the plate. So, tune in this Monday and catch Hunter Evans on Monday Meditations with Wine on Facebook Live at 6 PM. Watch Live on BRAVO!’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BRAVOBuzz Watch the replay: You can read more about Hunter Evans at the following Links: https://www.elviesrestaurant.com/ https://www.northsidesun.com/front-page-slideshow-news-features/hunter-evans-chef-de-cuisine#sthash.ZRoMmamh.dpbs Travel by Tastebuds: Elvie’s in Jackson Hunter Evans https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/oct/01/hunter-evans/ How One Mississippi Chef Makes Farmers the Star of the Show at Upscale Elvie’s Restaurant 1 2 Next »
Monday Meditation with Wine – Valentine’s Edition – Guest Michelle Nix Posted on February 11, 2022February 15, 2022 by brandis Monday Meditations with Wine is a weekly live interview session on BRAVO!’s Facebook page highlighting hospitality, culinary, and beverage industry professionals from the American South. This weekly series is meant to shine a light on the enthusiastic, passionate, professionals in the south blazing trails in their respective fields. We are telling the stories of the south’s brightest in the hospitality industry. So, grab your favorite glass of wine and experience southern hospitality from your living room, office, dorm room, or where ever you please every Monday at 6 PM CST. In this week’s episode of Monday Meditations with Wine, Chuck will have his lovely wife on as his special guest. As wine enthusiasts, we keep a watchful eye on the life of a Somm, but there is something to be said about the Wife of a Somm. Michelle Nix is not just the brains behind the beard but so much more in our community. Michelle is the founder and creator of her natural skincare products brand, Xinco Skin. The all-natural product line includes fragrance-free hair and beard oils perfect for bearded hubby Chuck Nix. As a youth/young adult counselor and Deaconess she is making a significant impact on future generations of Christians. Add in the most challenging full-time + overtime job of raising her toddler and mothering two teenagers, busy is an understatement. She embodies what Maya Angelou would call a “Phenomenal Woman”. Michelle is the progeny of servicemen and Clergy two generations of Army veterans and Pastors are in her paternal lineage. Consistent with her “Army Brat” status, Michelle was born in Upstate New York, lived in Hawaii, and Texas before settling in Mississippi. She is certainly the community contributor necessary to make this world a better place. Watch the Replay: 1 2 Next »
