ATL Life Magazine by ATLLifeMag

ATL Life Magazine Fall 2020 • Issue 1 • Volume 1 The WNBA in 2020 | Things to do in ATL | Finding a New Normal

ATLLifeMag.com

Publisher’s Note

Staff: Publisher- Teia Hill President- Halo Davenport VP of Sales & Operations- Elijah “EJ” Summerour Graphic Design- Anthony Stelo

A Whirlwind is first word that comes to mind as I reflect on the time that has passed from the first issue to this second one. We’ve quickly had to find a way to “adjust” and start to etch out our New Normal. As a print publication first, I took some time to strategize about how we move forward with the publication. Printing takes a lot of moving parts with a lot of face to face interaction. This would no longer be possible. After getting feedback from readers, advertisers and business associates, I made the decision to go digital only for the foreseeable future. The way that I see it, with so many of us either being in our homes for long periods of time, working from home, we are looking for ways to have an outlet, to do and see things differently in our world. I’m excited about this issue. I’m excited that our world is changing. We’re committed to highlighting positive stories, interesting interviews and perspectives and meeting new people, businesses,

small business owners and entrepreneurs in our communities. I hope you enjoy it!

Teia Hill Publisher ATL | LA | Miami Life Magazines

CONTENTS [ What's Inside ] www.ATLLifeMag.com Pg 2 Publisher's Note Pg 4 WNBA 2020 Season Pg 9 Dr. Patrice HarrisAmerican Medical Association Pg 12 Woodruff Arts CenterChange in Leadership Pg 14 The Busy Bee Cafe A restaurant operating successfully through a pandemic

Pg 16 A Culinary Guide to The City of Augusta

For Advertising Inquiries, Content, Subscription or Story Submission Publisher@ATLLifeMag.com | 770-940-0606

Pg 23 The Atlanta Dream : New Uniforms and Social Injustice Pg 26 Atlanta's College Football Hall of Fame-A Conversation with the CEO Pg 28 Learn to Wine Down with Vinovore Pg 30 The Artist Future Leads the way

WNBA TIPS OFF 2020 SEASON Teams will play 22 regular season games Players to receive full pay and benefits in modified season WNBA 2020 season will feature bold commitment to social justice

Photo Credit- WNBA

NEW YORK– After significant discussions with the league’s key stakeholders, including the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the WNBA announced their to return to the court for the 2020 WNBA season. The league is partnering with IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA season. The schedule is set for 22 regular-season games followed by a traditional playoff format. “We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan. And, despite the disruption caused by the global pandemic to our 2020 season, the WNBA and its Board of Governors believe strongly in supporting and valuing the elite women athletes who play in the WNBA and therefore, players will receive their full pay and benefits during the 2020 season.” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

IMG Academy will be the home for each of the league’s 12 teams and serve as a single site for training camp, games and housing. The top priority continues to be the health and safety of all players and staff. The league is working with medical specialists, public health experts, and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place. Due to the fluid situation resulting from the pandemic, the league and players will continue to review the appropriate health and safety protocols and make necessary changes to the plan prior to the start of training camp and throughout the regular season. “As home to some of the world’s leading athletes, coaches and performance experts, IMG Academy is thrilled to partner with the top basketball players in the world and the entire WNBA family,” said Tim Pernetti, Executive Vice President, IMG Events & Media. “We are truly looking forward to becoming the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA Season and working closely with the league in providing our best-in-class training and competition environment.”

Throughout this unique season format where all players will be at the same place, at the same time, a first in the league’s history, the WNBA will build on its commitment to social justice and will support players in launching a bold social justice platform as a call to action to drive impactful, measurable and meaningful change. The WNBA 2020 season will include a devoted platform led by the players that will aim to support and strengthen both the league and teams’ reach and impact on social justice matters. As recently announced, this began with the WNBA making donations from sales of its “Bigger Than Ball” women’s empowerment merchandise to the Equal Justice Initiative. “The WNBA opposes racism in all its forms, and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are the latest names in a list of countless others who have been subject to police brutality that stems from the systemic oppression of Black Lives in America, and it is our collective responsibility to use our platforms to enact change,” said Engelbert. “In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it's taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike. “We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on. This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

“As in recent CBA negotiations, the WNBPA Executive Committee worked tirelessly to represent the interests of all players as the league planned to launch a 2020 season,” said WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. “Our society has learned or perhaps has been reminded of an important lesson: women are integral to the economic stability of their families and their communities. The league and the teams’ commitment makes a statement.”

Although the WNBA 2020 season will be played without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league will continue to build on the current momentum around the WNBA and the players, while offering fans a front row seat at home thanks to broadcast partners ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV and their ongoing commitment to women’s sports.

About the WNBA The WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s new partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers. Inaugural WNBA Changemakers include AT&T, Deloitte and Nike.

For more information, visit WNBA.com.

Jeni Britton Bauer is an American ice cream maker and entrepreneur. As a pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement, she introduced a modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making that has been widely emulated across the world but never duplicated. Jeni opened her first ice cream shop, Scream, in 1996, then founded Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in 2002.

The Ice Creams Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is devoted to making the finest ice creams the world has ever known. Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 2002 by James Beard Awardwinning cookbook author Jeni Britton Bauer, Jeni's has emerged over the past 18 years as the new standard by which all other ice creams (and ice cream companies) are judged. Jeni's continues to make one-of-a-kind flavors with Direct and Fair Trade ingredients and milk from family dairy farms. Today, Jeni's is a Certified B Corporation for its environmental, communal and sustainable business leadership with 44 scoop shops (as of May 2020), an online shop at jenis.com, and distribution in top grocery stores across the country. Jeni's pioneered the Fellowship Model, based on the belief that it takes a community of people to build ice cream from the ground up: growers, makers, producers, suppliers, customers. And the people and companies who make Jeni's ice cream possible aren't anonymous accounts; they're partners â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the company couldn't run without them.

About the Flavors Some of Jeni's top sellers include Brambleberry Crisp, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Darkest Chocolate, Gooey Butter Cake and Salty Caramel. In June and July, we'll see the return of some great seasonal flavors, including FrosĂŠ sorbet, Atlantic Beach Pie, Sweet Cream Biscuits & Peach Jam, Orange Blossom Chiffon, and Sun-Popped Corn.

Tell me about your background, growing up in West Virginia and how you ultimately became the first African American woman to be elected President of The American Medical Association in 2019..

It’s been quite a journey, I grew up in a small town in West Virginia. My dad worked on the railroads and my mother was a school

teacher. My parents and grandparents wanted to make sure that

Dr. Patrice Harris, MD, MA American Medical Association Immediate Past President

we all got a good education so I had a lot of support and

encouragement for the pursuit of education in my family. I learned

early on that being a physician could give me a platform to impact

the community outside of the patient / exam room. That was my

inspiration especially because I had no friends or family members

that were physicians, nor did I know of any personally. I had no idea

how to get there but I just knew I wanted to get there. I delayed my

career at the beginning because I had no outside support other

than my family on how to get there. I didn’t have much help or

guidance. I was told once that I should just go to nursing school

and be a nurse. I ultimately ended up going to medical school in

West Virginia, where I was the only African American in all four

classes at the time. I then decided that I wanted to move to Atlanta

to pursue my residency training, and was accepted into The Emory

program both residency and training. I had relatives here in Atlanta,

the weather is warmer and I’ve been here ever since. I got really

engaged in the policy and advocacy bug of organized medicine

and worked my way up through the state and national level. And

ultimately elected in 2018 as President of American Medical

Association and served my term in 2019.

In your own words, tell me how you feel COVID-19 has impacted America as a whole? As a country.

No question that our country is dealing with many issues around

Health Inequities and Health Delivery systems and the lack of

affordable health insurance for some in our country. What I think

Covid-19 has done is amplified for some and exposed for some. I do

believe there are some people that are learning for the first time

about these inequities, but for many of us, many people knew

already.

How has COVID-19 affected and negatively impacted The African American community?

The impact on black and brown people, The African American community, The Latin community and Indigenous community, it has been disproportionate. Add to that police violence that has been exposed. A thread of structural discrimination and racism- again, it’s not new.. But to some it is. Covid-19 has even exposed inequities in broadband access, because children had to be educated from home. Suddenly it was clear again, it’s not new but not everyone in a family had either a computer or more than one computer, and not everyone had access to data plans, and not everyone had access to broadband Wifi.

What steps and measures is The American Medical Association taking to help better educate The African American and communities all over America on COVID-19?

Covid-19 has exposed these issues, but I would say it is a positive thing because you can not solve a problem or think about solutions until you begin to identify problems. There is a critical mass of folks who realize there are issues and they are looking to do something about them. The “do something” part of it is crucial. These issues are not new to The American Medical Association, but we have certainly stepped up our efforts. Pre-Covid, At The AMA, we were already looking towards the next steps, to take it to the next level. We’d hired a Chief Health Equity Officer. She’s been on board for a couple of years. Her goal is to imbed Health Equity into The DNA of all of our work at The American Medical Association. We’re doing work with our Diabetes Team, High Blood Pressure Team, Opioids Team and Task Force. We want to partner and lead the conversation on workforce diversity and education.

What can we do in your opinion to help spread more awareness about the seriousness of this virus to the public?

I would say that what you are doing is important. I would tell the public to get accurate information. There’s a lot of conspiracy theories out there- especially on social media. I would ask people to appreciate that this is a new virus and we’re learning as we’re going. The American Medical Association is committed to being a credible source of information for the public. COVID-19 is real. It can be deadly and the risk is real. But none of us live in a bubble. There are people who are more at risk than others. But we are all at risk. They should wear masks, not be in large gatherings, and maintain good hand hygiene.

What is your goal in your current role as Immediate Past President?

There are issues that I’ve been passionate about for years and I will continue to be passionate about. I want to do three things:

Integration of

Mental Health into overall Health; Diversity of The Physician Workforce and Health Equity; and the Third is Childhood Trauma

ama-assn.org

Photo Credit: Philippe Lardy, Illustration for A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson (Houghton Mifflin). Collection of the artist 2005 Copyright Philppe Lardy

Photo Credit: Bryan Collier (American, Born 1967), Illustration for All Because You Matter by Tami Charles (Scholastic, 2020). Collection of th artisit. Copyright Bryan Collier

Picture the Dream: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement through Children's Books at The High Museum of Art Atlanta The High is welcoming visitors back to the Museum and we're pleased to share an exciting schedule of exhibitions."Picture the Dream" is the first exhibition of its kind to delve into the events, people and themes of the civil rights movement, both celebrated and forgotten, through one of the most compelling forms of visual expression, the children's picture book. The more than 80 artworks on view, ranging from paintings and prints to collages and drawings, will evoke the power and continuing relevance of the era that shaped American history and continues to reverberate today. The year 2020 marks the anniversary of several key events from the civil rights movement. Sixty-five years ago, in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Five years later, Ruby Bridges integrated her New Orleans elementary school, and four Black students catalyzed the sit-in movement at the segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. These actions and more are explored in the exhibition with titles by beloved children's book authors and artists as well as talented newcomers. "Picture the Dream" emphasizes children's roles as activists and tells important stories about the movement's icons, including Parks, Bridges, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the guiding aspects of our mission is a commitment to family audiences. "Through our children's book exhibitions, we aim to help adult visitors open meaningful dialogues with the children in their lives and create memories that will last a lifetime," said Rand Suffolk, Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director of the High. "This exhibition will spark important conversations across generations about a crucial period in our nation's history that connects directly to our city, a birthplace of the civil rights movement ."Great picture books prompt great conversations," said Alexandra Kennedy, executive director at The Eric Carle Museum. "What better way for parents and teachers to introduce the difficult history of civil rights than through stories about the people who fought for equality? We believe the powerful illustrations in 'Picture the Dream' will inspire visitors of all ages to ask hard questions and look anew at issues of equality and justice."

The Atlanta-based Woodruff Arts Center, the third largest arts center in the United States, announced that current President and CEO Doug Shipman has decided to leave his role after three years of service. Hala Moddelmog will assume the role of CEO.

The High Museum of Art's Stent Family Wing. Photo Courtesy High Museum of Art The Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre, the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the High Museum of Art, the leading art museum in the Southeast. During his tenure, Shipman oversaw the successful rebuild and reopening of the Alliance Theatre Coca-Cola Stage, the re-installation of the High Museum of Art's permanent collection, and the diversification and expansion of the patron base across the Arts Center. "We are sorry to see Doug leave the Woodruff Arts Center after three very successful years, but we respect his decision and wish him the best in the next phase of his career," said Woodruff Arts Center Board Chairman Doug Hertz. "We are incredibly fortunate to have a respected executive like Hala stepping into the CEO role. The entire community has witnessed Hala's exceptional leadership leading the Atlanta Metro Chamber over the last six years. We look forward to Hala bringing those skills to the Arts Center as we continue to navigate the current realities of COVID-19. Moddelmog, former President and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, has agreed to step into the role of interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Woodruff Arts Center until a national search for a permanent replacement is conducted. She is exceptionally qualified to step into this role with more than 25 years of career experience as a president and CEO. Her prior involvement with the Arts Center includes service as a Woodruff trustee, governing board member and co-chair of the Alliance Theatre board. "I am truly honored to step into the CEO role at such a treasured Atlanta institution," said Moddelmog. "I've been involved with the Woodruff Arts Center for over a decade, and I look forwarding to helping guide the organization as we serve our community virtually and reopen our facilities for our patrons." About the Woodruff Arts CenterThe Woodruff Arts Center is the third largest arts center in the United States and is home to the Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre, the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the High Museum of Art, the leading art museum in the Southeast. Over 800,000 patrons visit Woodruff annually to enjoy outstanding theatre, music and exhibitions. Woodruff Arts Center is also the largest arts educator in the state of Georgia serving more than 200,000 students each year. To learn more,

Walk With Sally provides hope through their individualized mentoring and community support services to empower children experiencing trauma through a parent, guardian or siblinling’s cancer journey. Nick Arquette is The Founder and CEO of Walk With Sally. Pre-pandemic I sat down with Nick face to face in LA. A charming founder of a wonderful Non-Profit Charity organization. I followed up via telephone with him to get an update on how the organization has had to adjust during the health crisis with COVID-19. Here’s what he had to say: How has COVID-19 affected the Walk With Sally Organization? Well first it’s brought our community together like never before. We already had a good level of technology put in place over the last couple years, so we were able to complete our fundraiser White Light White Night online and we managed to hit our target goals. The hard part has been figuring out our big annual event. A large component of our event revolves around a large group gathering together for a special day and cause, so you can see how that would affect things. We’ve had to give a big effort to getting much more creative in our approach with everything. *Editor's Note- "The Walk With Sally team was innovative in their pivot once COVID hit, and the live streamed virtual event for White Light White Night Safe@Home was a success for the organization considering all of the challenges of the times." How have you had to become more creative in your approach? A few of our staff members were previously working from home already before Coronavirus, which has helped a bit for this transition into the “New Normal”. I told everyone that we were going to become the experts at this. I love how everyone has managed to handle the challenge.. Before you would visit with the child(ren) once a month, but now you can connect your child virtually, even if you are out of town. We started thinking about if we would go ahead and implement this strategy down the road. It has definitely been a silver lining in all of this. Have your short or long term goals for Walk With Sally changed? I think right now you have to have a plan utilizing technology. I’m definitely thinking about our annual budget even more and how we can be more resourceful as an organization. We’re definitely looking at this as a way to get more reach in many areas across the country- Atlanta, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Albuquerque, New Mexico

To learn more, to get involved: visit walkwithsally.org

I spoke briefly with Tracy, Owner of The Busy Bee Café, on a busy weekday as the restaurant prepared for it’s dinner “to-go” and “delivery” hour. Here’s what Tracy had to say:

Tell me about the history of Busy Bee Cafe Busy Bee started in the late 1940’s by Ruthie Gatson from Carrollton, Georgia. She bought a block building to the left of us. She sold it to two Atlanta business men from The Auburn Atlanta Business District. The original location moved to our current location in 1955. At the time, African American’s were only allowed to own businesses on two streets in Atlanta- MLK and Auburn Avenue. Busy Bee has been in existence since 1955. The two Atlanta Business men sold The Busy Bee to my father in 1980. My father came in and took the menu back to the original form, he brought in some of the best cooks in Atlanta. I came on in the 1980’s and expanded the menu more and worked on branding for the restaurant. I brought in more Southern Cooking and our award winning fried chicken. I was able to create more recipes and learn about Southern food even more. We’ve been on tons of shows and won many awards. I ended up taking over for my dad in 1987.

How has The Busy Bee Cafe remained a relevant staple in Atlanta? A lot of it has to do with me being a “hands on” owner. I’m here at the restaurant a lot and in the community a lot. I’m always researching products and looking for new concepts for our dishes and menu. I try to keep it consistent. We focus on delivering a great product and staying in our lane. We don’t venture out too far, we just try to perfect what we do. People look to us as a “labor of love” when we cook our food, they really look forward to it. We focus on keeping our food consistently good.

How has The Busy Bee Cafe been able to maintain during Covid-19? We’ve always had a thriving and busy “take out” segment of our business. We never closed! When they limited the number of people allowed in the dining room, we went down to one server. When we had to shut the dining room completely down, we had to lay off a lot of staff unfortunately. We were extremely slow...but our take out continued to take off. I ended up turning our dining room into an assembly line of sorts! We had become a full fledged take out restaurant with to-go orders, pickup orders and delivery orders. I’m very proud to say as of now our numbers are back to where they were pre-Covid19. It’s actually working out great for us in this new normal. It has me reconsidering reopening our dining room again. It’s less headaches, less overhead and it moves efficiently and effectively. The only issues that we have are the traffic jams in the parking lots. With most people still at home and working from home, it seems everyone eats dinner around the same time! It’s a welcomed problem that we’ve never had! We’re used to being jammed packed in our dining room for lunch- not so much for dinner. Sunday is still the busiest day for our restaurant, sometimes we can't get the food out fast enough!

As a Black Owned Restaurant how has Busy Bee Cafe been affected by Black Lives Matter Movement? We’re sitting in this position and have been blessed because of The Civil Rights Movement. We actually exist because of our forefathers. We’re able to do what we do and operate the way that we do in the neighborhood and community in Atlanta because of our past. We’ve been afforded this wonderful opportunity and we definitely want to do more. We want to help fight for the cause, we want more partnerships with other businesses and corporations in and around Atlanta. We as an organization are working together to try to come up with solutions. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a bit different than The Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement had an agenda and a focus. The Black Lives Matter Movement didn’t come out of nowhere, but it came about because as black people we were content with our lives, we knew that this was just the way it was going to be. But then George Flyod got killed and it was an awakening. We definitely want to do more.

The Culinary Guide to The Garden City: The Top Augusta Chef's Restaurant Owners Gone are the days where the world only turned their attention to Augusta, Georgia in April to watch the greats tee off at Augusta National Golf Course. These days the thriving Southern City of Augusta, Ga has made a name for itself outside of just being home to the World Famous Masters Golf Tournament. The city is now touted as a "foodie's paradise" and is bursting at the seams with mouthwatering local fare (available for curbside and takeout), craft cocktails and beers you'd be remised not to experience for yourself. Photo Courtsey of Augusta CVB

Photo Credits: Augusta CVB

Chef Sean Wight |Owner and Chef | Craft & Vine, Farmhaus Burger, Frog Hollow Tavern, and The Frog & the Hen

Craft & Vine, located on the walkable Broad Street in downtown Augusta, features hand-crafted cocktails and an impressive wine selection. Craft & Vine features an array of gourmet small plates including their famous Woodfired Salted Pretzel Bites with a Pimento Cheese fondue, seasonally updated charcuterie, Parmesan Crusted Oysters and a number of wood fired pizzas.

CraftandVine.com

Frog Hollow Tavern pairs affordable cuisine, stylish dining, an eclectic bar with carefully curated craft cocktails, and an extensive wine list to create one of Augusta’s most popular restaurants. Frog Hollow credits its fresh and flavorful food to the regionally grown quality ingredients that are used throughout the menu. Share some small plates or enjoy a sampling of the menu with dishes like, Fried Manchester Farms’ Quail, or order a dish all for yourself to indulge in. Insiders tip: a local favorite is the melt in your mouth Braised Berkshire Pork Shoulder, which is served with Port Wine & Vinegar Braised Collards and Smoked Gouda Mac ‘n Cheese.

Froghollowtavern.com

Opened 15+ years ago by Husband and Wife duo Eric & Kristi Kinlaw. The Bee’s Knees is an incredibly eclectic tapas bar and lounge known by Augusta locals for its locally-sourced light bites. The sustainably sourced eatery is also known for its Indie feel, unique and diverse dishes, inviting atmosphere and carefully curated cocktails. This environmentally friendly spot remains mindful of the local community, even recycling various materials to support local farmers. Whether stopping in for a quick bite or a laid-back dinner with friends, visitors can expect to find delectable, organic vegetarian menu items guaranteed to suit any taste palette.

beeskneestapas.com

e h e T h T e v e i v i H H

Located in the historic heart of downtown Augusta – The Hive is a 78-tap taproom & full-service restaurant with growlers to go. This hip and trendy eatery offers a variety of wines, house craft cocktails, sake, homemade sodas, Kombucha, and a nitro cold press coffee. They have 61 brews (including two beer engines) all available on tap. The restaurant provides a live menu with realtime updates that can be viewed on your phone, or on provided iPad, to see what’s on tap, and how much is left. This way, you don’t miss out on the chance to get a glass of your favorite brew while on draft

hiveaugusta.com

Est. 2013

FINCH & FIFTH FINCHANDFIFTH.COM

This classy and creative concept created and owned by local Augusta resident, Brett Gorrell opened in December 2013 and has been a local go-to restaurant ever since. Finch & Fifth is an American bistro complete with creative dishes and topped off with good company. The eatery boasts a large menu of Southern classics and modern fare. A favorite amongst locals, the Augusta Lemonade, is a local libation that pays tribute to the iconic Arnold Palmer with four parts Fruitland Peach Tea Vodka, and six parts lemonade, garnished with a peach slice. For a refreshing citrus libation, the Peach Hound combines Fruitland Augusta peach vodka, ruby red grapefruit juice, and grapefruit 19 ribboneading

s ' n a Fat M tality i p s o H p u o r G

The Usry’s (Father-Son Duo, Brad, and Havird) – Owner's of Southern Salad, Fat Man’s and Sno-Cap Drive-In: Both delicious in their own right, the restaurants conceptualized and brought to life by the Usry family, Southern Salad and Fat Man’s are two locally loved eateries worth adding to your bucket list. As Augusta’s newest quick service restaurant, Southern Salad offers gourmet, customer bowls and smoothies from seasonal, farm-fresh, local ingredients, making it easy to keep your wellness goals year-round. Since opening in 2019, this staple salad (and more) shop has remained devoted to creating and promoting a lifestyle focused around sustainable, delicious food, hospitality, and community stewardship.

FatMans.Com

On the other end of the spectrum, the hearty, Southern soul-inspired restaurant, Fat Man’s, also owned and operated by the Usry family and is everyone’s go-to in for a true down south meal. Between mouthwatering menu items including “The Pit” Bar-be-que on a bun, the Pimento Grilled Cheese and Cyndi’s Homemade Cakes and Pies, you simply cannot go wrong here. To top it off, did we mention, Havird Usry has competed with the best of them on National cooking show, Food Network Star? Trust us, Fat Man’s is a must add to your Augusta food bucket list.

1800 Tequila, the world's most awarded tequila line, introduces new ultra-premium expression 1800 Cristalino, a clear and complex sipping tequila that merges both the visual and the sensory. As the latest, and fastest growing, category definition within tequila, Cristalino is a smooth, deep tasting and crystal clear sipping spirit for tequila-lovers who appreciate complex aĂąejos. Starting with 1800 AĂąejo's 200-year-old recipe, 1800 Cristalinois first aged for 16 months in both new American and French oak barrels. The liquid is then married together and uniquely finished in port wine casks for an additional six months, something that no other tequila brand has done. The liquid transforms through a careful filtering process to leave a smoother, colorless and more complex tequila. The final crystalline expression is then packaged in an elegant and eye-catching, 22 luxe glass bottle. Photo Courtesy 1800 Tequilla

The Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream has made a lot of historic moves this past offseason and into the season. They’ve teamed up and partnered with Inspire Brands who will become the first-ever official jersey badge partner of the "An Atlanta-based company, Inspire's

WNBA team

iconic brands are fan favorites across the country and they also share our vision of advancing women, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion.'' said Chris Sienko, President & General Manager of the Atlanta Dream. "For more than a decade, the Atlanta Dream has championed diversity and inclusion both on and off the basketball court. This partnership represents Inspire's shared commitment to furthering those ideals in the Atlanta community and beyond," said Paul Brown, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inspire.

In addition to that major partnership, The Atlanta Dream has become the First Team in The WNBA to designate ‘Juneteeth’ as an official Company Paid Holiday. “This universal acknowledgement of ‘Juneteenth’ is long overdue, especially here in Atlanta,” Dream President & General Manager Chris Sienko said. “As a first mover in the WNBA, it is our obligation to recognize the sanctity and significance of this day for our diverse community.”

The Atlanta Dream Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Throughout the 2020 WNBA season, Atlanta will join all 12 teams amplifying a platform, led by players, aimed to support and strengthen both the league and teams’ reach and impact on social justice matters.

The Dream, which was named after Dr. Martin Luther King’s preeminent message on freedom and equality, is a franchise built on diversity & inclusion and helping end social injustices.

Dream.Wnba.com

Photo Crediit | Atlanta Dream

I spoke briefly with CFHOF CEO Kelly Beaudin about how Covid has impacted the daily operations of the business. Here's what she had to say:

How has COVID-19 impacted The College Football Hall of Fame? Our concerns started growing in March 2020, when we officially closed to the public on March. leading up to that, we’d already begun to lose events, field trips and groups began cancelling. A group of us business leaders in the Downtown area met and decided that it didn’t make sense to stay open so we all closed at the same time. We were closed for 3

½ months. It’s been really tough. We lost a lot of events,

we've lost a lot of revenue. Now we’re trying to figure out- as a NonProfit, how we make up that revenue and how we survive going forward. We re-opened on July 1, 2020 and it has been slow. We did felt like it was important for the community and for The Downtown area and for Atlanta to get back open.

Was it an easy decision to open back up? Was it an easy conversation? It definitely was not an “impulsive” decision, it was well thought out. We looked at many different scenarios, and we also have great partners Downtown, we all worked together. We knew that some of the outdoor venues opened in May- The Atlanta Zoo, The Botanical Gardens, The Fernbank opened on June 1st, and The Georgia Aquarium opened on June 15th, so we talked with all of them and learned from them as far as how things went with re-opening. We came to the conclusion that opening on July 1st, a couple of days before the 4th of July holiday would be good for us and that was ultimately why we made that decision.

For more information on partnering with the Hall of Fame, please visit www.cfbhall.com

What new exhibits or changes has The College Football Hall of Fame had recently? We started at the end of 2019- with an enhanced Kia Performance Challenge where you can do “combine-like” skills and run a 40 virtually and do vertical jumps- people love it. We also did a

“Goodyear Blimps” exhibit. It’s really cool. We have the aerial footage from a lot of the stadiums across the country and people can really dig in and experience what it’s like to be inside of a Blimp and experience what it’s like to be up above and capturing that aerial footage. We also have “Airforce Air Raid”. It’s a virtual reality Simulation. It’s very real and amazing. You put on a headset and are

immersed into a stadium. You can pick High School, College or Pro and you have a Defensive line and a few other players on the field.. It’s pretty intense. People absolutely love it. We also have our Exhibit honoring HBCUS- where we highlight players and coaches who broke barriers and made an Historic impact on the game. We look at The Celebration Bowl, The Earliest games between HBCUs and The marching bands! This exhibit provides an opportunity to show gratitude and appreciation for the influence that HBCUs have had on not only football programs across the country, but in life beyond the game.

About the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame is a 94,256-square-foot attraction located in the heart of Atlanta's sports, entertainment and tourism district. Adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park, the Hall provides visitors with a highly immersive,

interactive and engaging experience using a blend of historic college football artifacts and stateof-the-art, interactive multimedia exhibits. The National Football Foundation (NFF) launched the

Hall in 1951 to stand as one of the nation's premier sports shrines, immortalizing the game's greates

players and coaches as positive role models for future generations. Atlanta Hall Management, Inc. partnered with the NFF to construct and operate the Hall of Fame attraction, which provides a platform for community outreach, education, and character development initiatives, as well as serves as one of Atlanta's premier special event spaces. For more information on the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which was named by Unique Events as a Top Pick for Large

Gathering Venues in the US and Canada as well as TripAdvisor ® Certificate of Excellence recipient

Tou Ta Lou [ Goodbye Hangover!! ] www.TouTaLou.com

I spoke briefly with David- The Owner of Tou Ta Lou. He told me how excited he was to finally come up with a great formula for a long desired product to help cure the common hang over. David explained "There was a lot of trial and error if you will, to come up with a supplement that was not only healthy and organic but to also make you just feel good overall." David spoke about the many parties and social events that he and his team attended in quest to test their product. The ingredients are simple- natural roots, berries and juices to create a "Pre-party" wellness shot to take before the party, during the party or after. David was eager to send me a sample to try for myself. I wasn't skeptical going into it because I knew that he had something special. The first thing I told him in our conversation was that there's definitely a market for a wellness shot like this. He shipped me a sample, I tried it and loved it. The taste was pleasant, but the overall feeling and assurance of knowing there wouldn't be any side affects from my glasses of wine beforehand was the best. Cheers!

Vinovore

I met Coly at her store in LA ealier this year. Not only she is an awesome woman but she has an amazing knowledge and vision for Wine. You should get to know her. Here's what we talked about... Tell me how you became the owner of Vineovore Wine....

I was really young when I started my career in the restaurant industry. I worked as a server and a bartender in a lot of places here in LA. There was an Italian restaurant that I worked at and the manager became my mentor. He mentioned to me one day that they were offering sommelier courses at the restaurant for the first time, he encouraged me to take the course and I did. I was really into bartending but was ready for the cocktail revolution that was going on around 2005- 2006. I actually had zero interest in wine. I took the course which was in a classroom setting, I sat there and listened and my mind was blown. I quickly realized that wine really is for everyone. Wine is approachable, it's farmers, it's tradition. It's not just for people collecting it in their sellers and smoking cigars. I immediately fell in love as I was taking the course and before I knew it, I wanted to open a wine bar. I felt like I needed to open a wine bar that spreads this message that wine is not pretentious and exclusive, rather itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inclusive. I got a business partner and we opened the first wine bar in 2008 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Where are the current trends in Wine right now?

Natural wine has been having a moment for a minute but still very much trending and reaching new customer bases every day. The main philosophy behind natural wine is minimal intervention. A lot of people don't realize there's over 70 additives and chemicals that can go into your average bottle of wine. Natural wine is basically fermented grapes, the original way of making wine. It's also what made me fall in love with wine. From the farmers' perspective- the way they care about their vines is giving back to the earth instead of depleting it. Most people find they also feel better drinking Natural wine as opposed to conventional or grocery store wines. Even people who think they were allergic in the past find they have zero issues when making the switch. I could go on but bottom line it's a trend worth spreading.

What is your favorite wine?

I love orange wine. One way to describe it is, rosĂŠ is red grapes made like white wine (only a few hours of skin contact). Orange wine is white grapes made like red wine (days to weeks of skin contact). All the color in wine comes from the grapes' skin pigmentation. Orange wines are fantastic for food pairing; they tend to have a little more richness and structure than a white but are more versatile than a red.

What is the overall goal for Vinovore?

Women made wine world domination! My ideas on the way to get there have definitely changed during these past months though. We were focused on more locations pre-COVID which is still partly the case but what that might look like is different. We were going to focus more on wine tasting bars and retail, and now I'm loving my wine window and would love to open as many as possible everywhere I can! I love doing collaborations and partnerships with other like minded groups and brands. I think the Vinovan will be a great new way to achieve that. I'm also still focusing on our own Vinovore wine label based on our animal tasting chart to bring the fun, unique, and interactive system to other wine shops and restaurants around the country.

Can you tell me more about Vinovore and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offerings?

Pre-Covid customers were able to come in and kind of make the store their own. Beyond wine we also carry curated books and goods for you to shop for yourself or put together an awesome gift. We would also have events such as book signings and readings with women authors paired with our wines. All our wines are made by female winemakers only. Things are a lot different now. We no long allow people into the store for everyone's safety so we had to get creative in order to offer as much of our unique Vinovore experience as possible. We moved our entire inventory online and included pictures of our hand written tasting notes to help better describe the wines. Our animal tasting chart is also incorporated into our website so you can shop by your wine spirit animal so to speak. Local delivery and contactless curbside pickup were also new additions to the shop. The most recent change we made was converting our storefront to a wine window shopping situation. We have displayed most of our wines, with hang tags of our tasting notes for customers to shop safely from the sidewalk.

Once they have chosen what wines they want, they simply ring our doorbell and we pop out of the window to give some of our legendary customer service! Next up is our Vinovan, a custom delivery van that is also outfitted for distancing events and mobile wine shopping.

Is there anything additional that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to add or let my readers know?

I found it really interesting that young women are the number one consumers of wine in restaurants and retail but yet they're not catered to in any way. So I wanted to create a place that kind of felt like a little special wine haven for women. Once I had that idea, I googled it and it didn't exist, which I thought was really exciting. However, it's really hard to do anything at first, but I jumped at it. I talked to a lot of my peers about it and they all were like yeah go for it, do it, it's a different perspective that hasn't been done. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m also looking to have my wines and store on a national level.

Future Leads The Way

The Atlanta Legend inspired seven artists to tell their stories to the world while honing their unique sounds and styles. The result is 1800 Seconds Vol. 2. A powerful collaboration of rising artists hungry to make every second counts.

Our team spoke with a few of the artists and was able to go behind the scenes of rehersals and the final concert and showcase of the artists.

30 Photos Courtsey 1800 Tequilla