Monday Meditations with Wine – Jess Davenport 5/9/22 Posted on May 5, 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. In honor of Mother’s Day, each Monday in May each guest will have one thing in common – Motherhood. Chuck will focus on how they are able to balance their jobs, families, and life in general. This week he will have Jessica Davenport owner of Sugar Ray’s Sweet Shop. Jess is a foodie, hospitality expert, customer service enthusiast, and mental health advocate. Growing up in Jackson, MS, she has spent her entire work career in the food, beverage, and hospitality industry. Jess is the proud owner and creator of Sugar Ray’s Sweet Shop, a candy and confection store that believes in creating sweet experiences. One of these experiences was to assist in revitalizing downtown Jackson by developing a nostalgia candy store in 2016. After failed partnerships and hard times, Jess decided to close down the store and focus on building her skills. She has received her Bachelor in Business Administration in Accounting from Jackson State University and her Masters of Science in Leadership from Belhaven University also in Jackson, MS. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Jackson and a new member of the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute. Participating on several boards in the city and community, Jess has made it her mission to create opportunities for everyone, regardless of race, status, or gender, to access good food. In March 2020, during quarantine, Jess decided to rebuild, refocus and restructure Sugar Ray’s into an e-commerce and pop-up brand. In doing so, Jess launched a cinnamon roll line that has been named the “best in town.” These rolls are hand-crafted deliciousness. All of the rolls and toppings are hand-made in-house with premium crafted extracts, spices, and toppings to bring the best cinnamon roll swirls to you wherever you are because Sugar Ray’s now ships throughout the U.S. When Jess is not in the kitchen, she is an Account Manager at The Tell Agency. Which is a full-service public relations firm specializing in social media management, content creation, copywriting & editing, feature writing, and event planning – among other things. There she assists with helping brand tell their stories. You can follow Jess Davenport and Sugar Ray’s Sweet Shop at @shop_sugarrays. « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 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 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »
Monday Meditations with Wine – 4/25/22 Ike Hartford & Rico Lewis Posted on April 22, 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. As Chuck wraps up his chef month on Monday Meditations with Wine, he will be interviewing two of BRAVO!’s very own Isaiah “Ike” Hartford and Ricardo “Rico” Lewis. Ricardo “Rico” Lewis and Isaiah “Ike” Hartford are two tenured chefs with the Mangia Bene Restaurant Group. With collective 27 years of experience with the esteemed hospitality group. Their roots run even deeper than cooking in the south. With family ties to tradition and history and techniques are tried and true. Guests of BRAVO! have likely been privy to enjoy the culinary stylings of these gentlemen over the years as their dishes are the most requested by our neighbors and friends. Be sure to check in on Monday to learn more about two of BRAVO!’s favorite chefs. 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 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 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 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 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 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »
