Memphis October 2024 by Contemporary Media

A SISTER STOY

he work of two Whitehaven authors can be ound on a bookshelf ear you.

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Adriane Johnson-Williams and Kelis Rowe.

FEATURES

23 “You’re Going to Be a Star!”

Remembering the life and impact of Collage Dance Collective’s Tiffany Glenn. ~ by alex greene

28 A Sister Story

Adriane Johnson-Williams and Kelis Rowe, siblings from Whitehaven, have both published recent books. ~ by david waters

38 What Deborah Clubb Has Achieved

For decades, the head of the Memphis Area Women’s Council and Women of Achievement has brought attention to this city’s needs. ~ by jon w. sparks

48 A Love Letter to Memphis

The current show at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrates Andrea Morales’ decade of photojournalism.~ by abigail morici

69 SIPS Fun Times and Friendship

Bridget Coletta is helping reinvent a new bar in an old space. ~ by bruce vanwyngarden

70 DINING OUT

The Gem of Evergreen Ecco offers a world of ﬁne ﬂavors, all by way of Italy. ~ by alex greene

72 CITY DINING

The city’s most extensive dining listings

80 FLASHBACK

Lamar Rickey / Lara Parker

~ by vance lauderdale

SPECIAL SECTION

55 MEN WEAR PINK

Memphis Magazine (ISSN 1622-820x) is published monthly for $18 per year by Contemporary Media, Inc., P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101 © 2024. Telephone: 901-521-9000. For subscription info, call 901-575-9470. Subscription customer service mailing address is Memphis Magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. All rights reserved. • Periodicals Postage Paid at Memphis, TN. Postmasters: send address changes to Memphis Magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101.

Spread love, not germs by having your rugs disinfected.

Here at Taghavi’s, we would like to do our part to help stop the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus. Recent studies have shown that the virus can be brought into your home, by your shoes and can live on surfaces like your rugs and ﬂoors anywhere from two to nine days. In order to help curb the spread, we at Taghavi’s, recommend that you stop wearing your outdoor shoes into your homes and to have your rugs cleaned and disinfected. Quality rug cleaning can only be accomplished by in-store professional rug cleaners. Call us for disinfecting and cleaning of your rugs.

CEO AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF anna traverse

EXECUTIVE EDITOR michael finger

MANAGING EDITOR frank murtaugh

SENIOR EDITORS jon w. sparks, abigail morici, bruce vanwyngarden

STAFF WRITERS alex greene, chris mccoy

EDITORIAL INTERN samantha cooke

CONTRIBUTORS jesse davis, michael donahue, karen pulfer focht, shalisha "petey" franklin, vance lauderdale, david waters

CREATIVE DIRECTOR brian groppe

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR christopher myers

GRAPHIC DESIGNER neil williams

PHOTOGRAPHERS red bardes, steve davis, michael donahue, karen pulfer focht, hanna rose goodbar, matt gossett, alex greene, adarryl jackson, kathy mclallen, andrea morales, bruce vanwyngarden, andrea zucker

ILLUSTRATOR carolyn pollan

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE shaune mcghee

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES kelli dewitt, chip googe, patrick pacheco

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PUBLISHER EMERITUS kenneth neill

october 2024

Bookstore Magic

BY ANNA TRAVERSE

The rain had been coming down for three days with no signs of stopping. e basement sump pump was making obscene, house-juddering noises, and the oak tree in the backyard was catapulting wet chunks of itself onto the deck. I needed a change of scenery, but it was too late on a Sunday for a museum trip, too wet for a park walk, and I was too caﬀeinated to justify a coﬀee-shop outing.

What I needed was a well-lit and cozy place where I might see fellow humans without being obligated to any of them, and where I could engage my curiosity without feeling like I was at work. What I needed was a bookstore. Luckily for me, Novel is a 12-minute drive from home, and that afternoon, browsing their shelves for 40 minutes or so turned a dreary, soggy Sunday into a peaceful and pleasant one.

You know Novel, surely? It’s the independent bookstore in the space in Laurelwood longtime locals likely still think of as Davis-Kidd. Walking in, you’ll ﬁnd tables of books by local and regional authors, many of whom have done book-signings there. You’ll ﬁnd thoughtful little gift items — candles, pottery, locally made treats and teas, booknerd socks and T-shirts (surely someone in your life needs a pair of socks emblazoned with Edgar Allen Poe’s face in a repeated, polka-dot pattern: Poe-ka dots).

You’ll find new releases and old favorites, and throughout the store, you’ll find handwritten tags offering brief notes about particular books. Some of the notes are written by the booksellers on staff, others by guests, and all offer a personal touch, like a friend beckoning you over to tell you about a title they read recently and think you might love. e experience of browsing here is very, very human

In Memphis, we are fortunate to have multiple independent bookstores still providing the opportunity to shop free of algorithmic support. Venture into Cooper-Young, and Burke’s will welcome you for an hour or two of quiet

thumbing through new and used books. With personal recommendations galore and quirky and clever bookart window displays courtesy of Cheryl Mesler, who co-owns the shop with her husband, prolific author Corey Mesler, Burke’s feels like a neighborhood bookshop from a different era, in the best way. And, literally, Burke’s is from a different era, having been in business since 1875 (!) . Even John Grisham is a longtime fan.

Novel and Burke’s are two of the biggest draws for book lovers locally, but they aren’t our only options. For a city of Memphis’ size and economy, we are rich in independent, local bookstores. DeMoir Books & ings, a millennial- and Black-owned shop that opened downtown earlier this year, offers an impressive selection of titles by minority and LGBTQ+ authors, as well as comic books. I never walk away empty-handed when venturing into Book Juggler, also downtown. If you love the library but struggle to return books on time, consider a visit to Second Editions, the used bookshop nestled within the main library’s first floor.

If you’re reading this, I’d bet you’re someone who already understands the value of a great local bookstore. But in our busyness and distraction, most of us still ﬁnd ourselves ordering books online from time to time, or simply scrolling on our phones and not cracking the spine of a book at all. I know I feel more content when my nightstand is well stocked: my current read, the book I’m kinda-sorta also reading, plus the two or three I intend to open next.

And I feel even better when those books are ones I selected by hand, after skimming the ﬁrst few pages; even better if I wasn’t aware of them before walking into the bookstore. Sure, I can always ﬁnd a suggestion online that’s perfectly tailored to my past reads, my likes and dislikes, but that’s a joyless process. e various algorithms woven into our lives do a good job at providing more of what we already know, but a terrible job of waking us up, startling us, moving us. For that, we need books, and the bookstores that lead us into new worlds. (Plus, bookstores almost always smell good.)

On that recent, rainy Sunday, I came home with one book I had been meaning to read, and another I’d never heard of.

That’s the beauty of browsing, not scrolling: We get to be surprised by what we find. Next time you’re at loose ends, I suggest doing the same. I’ve regretted many an hour spent staring at my phone. I can’t imagine ever regretting an hour spent in a bookstore.

OCTOBER 2024

JOE GATTO A comedian best known from the hit TV shows Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index, Joe Gatto currently tours with his stand-up solo show Joe Gatto’s Night of Comedy ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 3, 7 P.M.

ZOO BOO Celebrate Halloween at the Memphis Zoo’s monthlong dinosaurthemed extravaganza. MEMPHIS ZOO, OCTOBER 3–31

DINNER ON STAGE Explore the backstage area and enjoy a Memphisinspired menu on the Orpheum’s stage. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 4, 7 P.M.

BARTLETT FESTIVAL Expect music, arts and crafts, a car show, children’s activities, a barbecue contest, a 5K, and more. W.J. FREEMAN PARK, OCTOBER 4–5

MEMPHO MUSIC FESTIVAL Headliners

Jack White, Trey Anastasio & Classic Tab, Cody Jinks, plus many more, will take the stage for this festival. RADIANS AMPHITHEATER, MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, OCTOBER 4–6

BLACK ARTS & WINE

FESTIVAL Experience visual art by Black creatives and sample wines and liquors from Black brands. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY, OCTOBER 5, 2–6 P.M.

V&E GREENLINE ARTWALK The event is full of artist booths, music and entertainment, children’s activities, art demonstrations, and more. V&E GREENLINE, OCTOBER 5, 11 A.M.–5 P.M.

WINE ON THE RIVER MEMPHIS Sample wine from national and international vineyards. TOM LEE PARK, OCTOBER 5, 5–9 P.M.

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY The Tony Award-winning musical reimagines Bob Dylan’s songs into a story about a group of wayward travelers. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 8–13

TAMBOURINE BASH Music Export Memphis presents a night of Memphis music collaborations you won’t soon forget. OVERTON PARK SHELL, OCTOBER 10, 7 P.M.

SOUL OF THE CITY Crowdfavorite characters regale you with residents’ tales of passion, devotion, longing, and a dash of heartbreak and scandal. ELMWOOD CEMETERY, OCTOBER 11–12

EDGE MOTORFEST You’ll be on the edge of your seat as more than 150 classic cars compete for 25 different awards. EDGE MOTOR MUSEUM, OCTOBER 12, 9 A.M.–2 P.M.

PAINT MEMPHIS 2024 A hundred or so artists will be painting murals all day long, and it’s a spectacle to behold. WILLETT AND LAMAR, OCTOBER 12, NOON–7 P.M.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL Asleep at the Wheel brings their country-swing to BPACC. BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS & CONFERENCE CENTER, OCTOBER 12, 7:30 P.M. THE MERSEY BEATLES FOUR LADS FROM LIVERPOOL PRESENT: A HARD DAY’S NIGHT This Liverpool-born Beatles tribute band will perform A Hard Day’s Night in its entirety before taking you on a trip to “Pepperland” and a walk down Abbey Road. HALLORAN CENTRE, OCTOBER 16, 7 P.M.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM’S 33RD FREEDOM AWARD The Freedom Award, the Museum’s signature event, pays tribute to individuals who have shown unwavering commitment to promoting justice and equality. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 17, 7 P.M.

COME AS THOU ART At the inaugural Come as Thou Art Costume Ball, guests will don their most imaginative attire, either inspired by the night’s theme — the enchanting world of Tim Burton — or the spirit of an artist or designer. The evening will be capped off with a fashion show by Sonin Lee. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, OCTOBER 18, 8 P.M. ART ON FIRE The night will be burning up with live music, tastings from local restaurants, drinks, an art sale, and, oh, a roaring bonﬁre. THE DIXON GALLERY AND GARDENS, OCTOBER 19

COOPER-YOUNG BEERFEST This festival brings all your favorite regional breweries to town. MIDTOWN AUTOWERKS, OCTOBER 19

RIVERARTSFEST RiverArtsFest boasts itself as the largest juried artist market and urban festival in the Mid-South. DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, OCTOBER 19-20

A TRIBUTE TO JAZZ SINGER NANCY WILSON MUSIC, ART & VENDORS

GALA Enjoy this interactive bestof-Memphis experience featuring the esthetics of a 20-piece jazz orchestra, dynamic inﬂuential art by David Lynch, and 13 hand-crafted visual art booths. HALLORAN CENTRE, OCTOBER 20, 1–7 P.M.

SOUL OF THE CITY

EDGE MOTOR FEST

BARTLETT FESTIVAL

MEMPHO

TEQUILA FEST 2024

V&E GREENLINE ART WALK RIVERARTS FEST

COMPILED BY ABIGAIL MORICI

MEMPHIS TEQUILA FESTIVAL More than 50 types of tequila and mezcal will be available for tasting. THE KENT, OCTOBER 25

BALLET MEMPHIS’ DRACULA Ballet Memphis’ original production of Dracula, choreographed by Steven McMahon and inspired by Bram Stoker’s masterpiece novel, returns to the stage. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 25–27

CHÊNE FILM FESTIVAL This festival celebrates storytelling, music, artistry, and conservation. It kicks off with a country music concert featuring Jordan Davis, followed by the premiere of ﬁve immersive short ﬁlms showcasing stories within the waterfowl community. LIVE AT THE GARDEN, OCTOBER 26

A MAGICAL NIGHT AT OVERTON PARK Join the Overton Park Conservancy for a garden gala with cocktails, great food, music, and a festive park atmosphere. OVERTON PARK FORMAL GARDENS, OCTOBER 26, 6 P.M.

PILOBOLUS RE:CREATION Dance company Pilobolus redeﬁnes the boundaries of gravity and creativity in this touring performance. GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, OCTOBER 26, 8 P.M.

To suggest an event for future editions of Out and About, email abigail@memphismagazine.com.

PAINT MEMPHIS

Woman’s Exchange Tea Room

This popular lunchtime spot offers an “oasis of wonderfulness.”

BY MICHAEL DONAHUE

Diners at most restaurants usually pass a reception desk or a bar on the way to their table. At the Woman’s Exchange Tea Room, they walk by quilts, children’s clothing, coﬀee mugs, books, along with Humpty Dumpty, Raggedy Ann, Andy, and other dolls before sitting down.

And after they eat, some return to the front to buy one or two of those colorful, handcrafted items displayed from ﬂoor to ceiling.

“It’s an oasis of wonderfulness in a cold, cruel world,” says Barbara McKinnon, president of the Woman’s Exchange of Memphis, where “everything is delicious. Everyone is nice.”

Established here in 1885, the national women’s organization once boasted 72 branches, of which only 15 remain. “We’re one of the survivors,” she says.

e Tea Room, where lunch is served between 11:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, has been part of the wonderfulness of the Woman’s Exchange of Memphis since 1935.

e organization began as a way for women to earn a living by making and selling their wares, McKinnon says. “Back in

those days they all knew how to embroider and sew, but it was not proper for women to work outside of the home.”

e Memphis branch had many locations over the years, including the Peabody Hotel lobby, before moving into a former residence at 88 Racine Street in 1962.

e mission is the same as when it began: “To sell handmade things for people who need to make an income from selling their handmade things.”

Some 250 active members of the Exchange go to women’s homes and pick up various arts and crafts items — artwork, quilts, toys, clothing, kitchenware, and more — and bring them to the shop to sell. at gives women more time to create work in their homes or studios, McKinnon says, and selling at the shop is better than “sitting in a hot tent”

Woman’s Exchange 22 years ago, after learning his kitchen skills at home. “My mother taught us to cook,” he says. “ e basic rice, fried chicken, greens.”

His professional kitchen career began as a dishwasher at the University Club of Memphis, where he later became a cook, mastering chateaubriand, lobster tail, and more. Not to mention the lamb chops, New York strip steak, and

The Tea Room, where lunch is served between 11:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, has been part of the wonderfulness of the Woman’s Exchange of Memphis since 1935.

po-boy sandwiches “with shrimp and oyster and seafood sauce.”

at a crafts fair or ﬂea market.

“We are a woman-owned, woman-created business and always have been,” she says. “We work with other women’s businesses that make the inventory. It’s just a great thing.”

e Tea Room, where Woman’s Exchange volunteers are the servers, features “home-cooked, honest food,” McKinnon says. “ e turnip greens are really turnip greens, hand-picked. Everything is made fresh. It’s just good cooking from a talented chef and a talented staﬀ.”

And, she adds, “People love it and come back.”

e menu includes soup (vegetable soup every day except ursday, which is corn soup), sandwiches (chicken salad, egg salad, and a club sandwich), and a vegetable plate. Desserts also are available daily. “Every day has its own specials,” she says.

One of the most popular days is ursday, when head chef Emanuel “Rev” Bailey serves his famous beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes, a garden salad, and home-cooked rolls.

Bailey started working at the

Beef tenderloin became his specialty after he got the job at the Woman’s Exchange, Bailey says. ey already were serving that, but he told them to start using the “IVP grain-fed cow. ey were the best. ey were the most tender.” Bailey was told to do whatever he wished “to build up this place and make the lunch better.” And he succeeded. “Usually we didn’t have but about 40 to 45 people here on ursday. But once I got here, we went all the way up to 100 and more on ursday.”

In addition to the diﬀerent kind of beef, what makes his tenderloin special? “I come up with my own seasonings,” he says. “I’ll tell you one: Lawry’s seasoning salt. But the other one, I don’t tell.” Asked how he got the name “Rev,” Bailey explains that he’s a pastor in West Memphis.

Another important member of the Woman’s Exchange culinary team is pastry chef Louise Bailey, who makes the chess pie and other pies, as well as rolls, biscuits, cornbread, muﬃns, and cakes.

She learned to cook while growing up in the country, she says. Louise also worked at the University Club before moving to the Woman’s Exchange.

Asked how many rolls she’s made in her 33 years at the Women’s Exchange, Louise says, “Oh, Lord. ousands and thousands and thousands.”

The Woman’s Exchange Tea Room is located at 88 Racine Street.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL DONAHUE; MD COURTESY OF KATHY M C LALLEN

above: Woman’s Exchange president Barbara McKinnon and Emanuel “Rev” Bailey. top right: Louise Bailey. right: The author.

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now is the perfect time to schedule your mammogram. Don’t delay. Early detection makes a di erence.

If you have recently received a vaccination or booster, please schedule your mammogram appointment for six weeks after your last dose.

ASK VANCE

Abraham’s Deli

Our history expert solves local mysteries: who, what, when, where, why, and why not. Well, sometimes.

BY VANCE LAUDERDALE

DEAR VANCE: What happened to Abraham’s Deli? It was one of my favorite places to eat downtown, but on a recent trip to Memphis, all I found was a parking lot. — P.M., LITTLE ROCK.

DEAR P.M.: Early on the morning of February 19, 1991, the south wall of the three-story brick building at Main and Jackson collapsed into the empty lot next door. Within days, demolition crews pulled down the rest of Abraham’s Deli, located in a distinctive building at 338 North

meat-packing business on Warford. In the early 1940s, he met Rosa Lee, and they married on January 23, 1943. The Schneider and Abraham families must have been financially well-off; the wedding was held in the Claridge Hotel’s Balinese Ballroom, one of the swankiest spots in town. Normally a supper club, an altar was set up, “banked with sprays of white gladioli massed in tall floral baskets before a rich green background of palms and smilax, with cathedral tapers burning in tiered candelabra.” That’s according to The Commercial Appeal, which also reported, “The bride will wear a wedding gown of gardenia white satin, fashioned on princess lines with seed pearls edging a sweetheart necklace. Her veil of misty illusion will fall from a heartshaped halo of seed pearls, and she will carry a bridal bouquet of white Imperial orchids encircled with gardenias.”

I only bring this up because years later, people probably noticed Rosa Lee and Jacob hard at work behind the counter of a tiny deli, handing out pastrami sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, and never dreamed their wedding was such a high-society event. But wait — I’m getting ahead of my long-winded story,

and Mattie Taylor’s), and even the Union Mission.

At first, the Abrahams sold dry goods — bags of sugar and flour, tools, patent medicines, and other basic merchandise. Then — perhaps remembering the Schneider family’s early success — they opened a confectionary store, then a soda fountain, then a tavern. None of these apparently suited them, so in 1959 they transformed the tiny business into a café and deli.

In a later newspaper story, the Abrahams remembered the location as “charming but noisy. This was a transfer point for streetcars,” said Rosa Lee, “and people would buy fruit while they waited. It was a real thriving neighborhood.”

The business name changed on a whim. “It’s funny,” Rosa Lee told a reporter. “A big Pabst Blue Ribbon sign out front called the place a café. Somebody broke the sign, and when the beer men came to replace it, they asked what I wanted it to say.” She told them to change “café” to “deli.”

Well, that little detail changed everything. They were doing okay — just okay — as a café, but she said, “A deli was what people seemed to be looking for, and business picked up.”

Main that had housed several businesses for almost 80 years.

As best as I can tell, the building with the crowned roofline was constructed around 1915. The Abe Schneider family opened the Columbia Ice Cream Parlor on the ground floor and later operated the Main & Jackson Restaurant there, serving customers for decades while maintaining a spacious residence above their business. Several children, including daughter Rosa Lee, were born there.

Meanwhile, Jacob Abraham’s family owned a successful

Several years after the marriage, Jacob decided to leave the family business, opening a small sundry store in South Memphis, but then the Abrahams moved into the building on North Main owned by his wife’s family. That made sense; after her parents’ death, Rosa Lee and two brothers inherited the property, and this was a prime location. Other businesses along that block included Silverstein Watch Repair, Ash Radio Repair, Tresan’s Delicatessan, and Williams Upholstery, along with private homes and small apartment houses.

Directly across the street, nobody saw (or could have envisioned) a stainless-steel pyramid. In those days, the west side of North Main was home to Jay’s Valet Service Cleaners, Hanover Shoe Repair, Kosher Sanitary Meat Market, two beauty shops (Anne Moody’s

The Abrahams brought in a big deli counter and made room for tables and chairs. They added unusual items to their selections, and their Hungarian meatballs, corned beef, and pastrami sandwiches quickly brought in customers. It didn’t hurt that Abraham’s Deli also offered some 25 brands of beer, including imported brands, which was unusual for the time.

But it was never fancy, inside or out, and not meant to be. “Just looking at this place, you’d never know to come in,” Jacob told a reporter in 1976. “It’s definitely not for tourists.”

Even so, The Commercial Appeal noted it was always busy at lunchtime, drawing their clientele from nearby businesses. “Customers choose their lunches from the fare displayed on frosty trays behind a plastic screen. There are stuffed eggs, Polish sausages, jalapeño peppers, corned beef, boneless chicken,

kosher franks, Hungarian meatballs, assorted coldcuts, and pickles out of Chicago.”

Business boomed when work began on the new Cook Convention Center down the street, and construction crews became their biggest customers. By 1984, newspapers referred to the deli as “a downtown institution” and it wasn’t unusual to find a line stretching out the door at lunchtime.

In a 1990 review, Commercial Appeal dining critic Fredric Koeppel wasn’t fond of the deli’s popular Hungarian meatballs (“bland, bland, bland”) but praised the other selections: “I loved both the Polish sausage and the bratwurst sandwiches. The Reuben was good, too. All these are hot, spicy, dense concoctions designed to deliver the maximum amount of terrific-tasting but bad-for-you food in a minimum of time and space.”

sad news with readers: “The deli had been gussied up a bit since the Great American Pyramid started going up, but the new awning and signs could not conceal its basic character: informal, somewhat rickety, and comfortable like a favorite chair.”

“Customers choose their lunches from the fare displayed on frosty trays behind a plastic screen. There are stuffed eggs, Polish sausages, jalapeño peppers, corned beef, boneless chicken, kosher franks, Hungarian meatballs, assorted coldcuts, and pickles out of Chicago.”

—The Commercial Appeal

Noting that customers jammed the deli during its last days to pay their respects, “they did between bites of favorite items like deviled eggs, kosher pickles, and cakes baked by 19-year employee Martha Graham, standing in line on a tile floor that slopes gamely towards a badly bowed wall. They ordered off a menu that hangs alongside work gloves, hairnets, and ballpoint pens — throwbacks to the building’s many years as a neighborhood sundry store serving the Pinch district on the north end of downtown.”

When work began across the street on the “Great American Pyramid,” as it was first known, one would think that would create a booming business for the little deli. Instead, it foreshadowed its downfall. Construction often blocked North Main, causing frustration for customers. But the death blow came when the building walls began to crack and crumble.

The Abrahams insisted that digging the foundation and driving the support beams for the Pyramid were damaging their ancient home. They also blamed vibrations from the new expressway ramps nearby. City officials and contractors disagreed. Even when the south wall began to bow outward and had to be braced by steel beams, customers jammed the place.

Jacob and Rosa Lee considered their options — moving or rebuilding — but in January 1991, announced they were closing, “for the safety of our customers.” Commercial Appeal reporter Wayne Risher shared the

Longtime customers were dismayed. Sam Alexy, who worked for the Shelby County government, lamented, “I don’t know where in town I’m going to find Hungarian meatball sandwiches.” Barry Bean, program director for WEVL radio, told a reporter, “We rate delis by how they compare to Abraham’s: ‘Almost as good as Abraham’s’ or ‘Nowhere near as good as Abraham’s.’”

Will Taylor, the golf professional at Olive Branch Country Club, told reporters he often drove all the way downtown to eat lunch at Abraham’s because “it’s like a monument. Plus, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham are like a fathermother combination.”

Meanwhile, those two owners of the deli seemed to take the closing better than their customers. “Oh, sure, I’ll miss it,” Jacob told The Commercial Appeal “I spend more time here than at home.” Rosa Lee said they would close “without fanfare” on their last day. “I don’t know what else to do but lock the door, just like any other day.”

Just three weeks later, the

empty building crashed to the ground. Jacob passed away in 1999, at age 79. Rosa Lee moved to Florida, where she died in 2018, age 94.

In his 1990 review, Koeppel shared the general opinion that customers weren’t drawn to Abraham’s for its atmosphere: “Abe’s is as unpretentious as a restaurant could be, displaying an amalgamation of decades of different uses. It’s homey, ramshackle environment matches the repose of its old neighborhood — a repose that will probably alter drastically when the Pyramid is complete.”

The building altered drastically, all right. But not in the way the owners — or Abraham Deli’s many customers — hoped.

opposite page: In 1924, Rosa Lee Schneider was born in this building at Main and Jackson, shown here in 1979. Years later, she and her husband, Jacob Abraham, would operate Abraham’s Deli on the ground floor. above: For more than three decades, customers would find Jacob behind the counter, always always wearing a white cap, and greeting many of them by name.

Got a question for Vance?

EMAIL: askvance@memphismagazine.com

MAIL: Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101

ONLINE: memphismagazine.com/ask-vance Or visit him on Facebook.

Grit and Glitz in Prohibition-era Chicago

Avery Cunningham’s The Mayor of Maxwell Street examines the highs and lows of 1920s society.

BY JESSE DAVIS

Acontinue writing. Her next book hasn’t been oﬃcially announced yet, but it’s already in the works.

Before the reader turns their attention toward Cunningham’s bright future, though, e Mayor of Maxwell Street deserves some attention. e novel takes place in Prohibition-era Chicago, in 1921, and follows wealthy young debutante Nelly Sawyer, whose familial connections make her the star of Chicago’s Black society. Courageous and ambitious, Nelly has also been working undercover as an investigative journalist, and her editor assigns her the unenviable challenge of unmasking Chicago’s vice lord, the so-called “Mayor of Maxwell Street.”

Jay Shorey (or Jimmy, as he is then known) is confronted with a moment of racial violence that forever changes the trajectory of his life.

e novel’s prologue hits the reader like a splash of cold water. Cunningham says she wanted to make sure the reader was awake, and she succeeded. “I didn’t want his beginning to be shrouded in this wonderful mystery. I wanted the readers to know where he comes from and why,” the author says.

very Cunningham has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember. Longer, actually; she has to take her mother’s word that she has been telling stories since she could string together a few words.

Cunningham’s mother tells the story of how her daughter “used to stand on this kitchen stool and just orate to invisible people, and tell these very long Greek tragedy-esque stories to no one in particular,” says Cunningham, Memphis-based author of the new novel e Mayor of Maxwell Street (Hyperion Avenue).

“ at was the ﬁrst time I really understood that these stories, these ideas, these worlds I was building could exist outside of myself,” she says. “Pretty much from that moment I decided

that this was something I wanted to do, someone I wanted to be. at’s guided my personal, professional, career trajectory ever since.”

So she’s reached this point, with a debut novel on bookstore shelves and on Book-ofthe-Month lists. Among the whirlwind of writing, editing, publishing, marketing, social media, media interviews, and more, the author admits that the reality of being a published author almost didn’t feel real at ﬁrst. Cunningham also wanted to keep up her momentum and

Nelly’s path eventually crosses with that of Jay Shorey, a young man whose story has taken him from the South to Chicago’s swankiest speakeasy. Cunningham deftly balances the interplay between subgenres in the novel, crafting a narrative that at times subverts expectations, even as it sometimes rewards them. e Mayor of Maxwell Street is a work of historical ﬁction, but it is just as much a love story, even as it is also a mystery and an examination of the nation’s history. For a debut author, for any author, it’s the literary equivalent of riding a unicycle across a highwire while juggling chainsaws. Somehow, Cunningham pulls oﬀ this trapeze act, and the reader is all the luckier for it.

With its smattering of subgenres and its trips from the peaks of glitz and glamor to the lowest valleys of grit, e Mayor of Maxwell Street is a prime example of the warning not to judge a book by its cover. at was by design, Cunningham says. e book’s cover jacket promises the decadence of the 1920s, but the book’s prologue opens on mold, termites, and decay in White Pine, Alabama. ere, young

e Alabama scene, though it is far away from Chicago society, makes a perfect opening for e Mayor of Maxwell Street. In Jay’s ﬂight from Alabama to Illinois, the Great Migration is evoked. And the way Jay’s moment of liberation is intertwined with a history of violence reminds the reader that the good and bad of a situation cannot always be easily untangled.

“ is was a reality of the 1920s. is level of antagonization and oppression and the shadow of Jim Crow hung over America,” Cunningham says. “I wanted to shock the reader out of thinking this was going to be a fun romp through Prohibition-era Chicago.”

at being said, there is much of what the reader would expect to ﬁnd from a fun romp through 1920s Chicago, but Cunningham didn’t want to pay a dishonest homage to the romance of the time, which meant she had to make sure to acknowledge the reality. To deny the truth of racial violence would be to write a fantasy instead of writing authentically.

Cunningham’s writing, both the story and her powerful prose, is authentic. She succeeds in crafting an entertaining piece of ﬁction, and in examining a pivotal moment in American history. “When you feel like you’re on the edge of something greater than yourself,” Cunningham says, “these moments where everything changes for almost everyone very instantly, moments of history that feel like they’re on the cusp of something — those are the ones I’m drawn to.”

Carolyn Michael-Banks

Riding along with Queen on her Tour of Possibilities.

BY KAREN PULFER FOCHT

D riving around Memphis, bragging on all things great that derive from the Bluff City, Carolyn Michael-Banks, founder of A Tour of Possibilities, gives Black history-focused tours. With blues playing on her radio, Michael-Banks, also known as Queen, takes visitors to sites of historical and cultural signiﬁcance to African Americans. She highlights the best things about our city. But Queen does not sugarcoat the history.

Driving along Riverside Drive, touting the majestic Mississippi River, the colorful bridges, the remarkable story of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Pyramid, our amazing musical history and Beale Street, she reminds her guests, “If this body of water could speak, I can only imagine the stories it would tell.”

Looking over the river,

Carolyn Michael-Banks greets Chicago visitors Maryann and Reginald Marsh outside The Peabody.

A larger-than-life statue of B.B. King greets visitors inside the Tennessee Welcome Center downtown.

Michael-Banks offers a view of the city from a different vantage point. “On this body of water, two commodities were transported that changed the economy of this area,” she says. As her voice tone changes, she continues, “Cotton and enslaved people. On this same river, many used to escape slavery as well.”

For two-and-one-half hours, she highlights Black-owned businesses and the contributions that African Americans have made to make Memphis a great and signiﬁcant city. She boasts about our soul food, blues music and B.B. King, COGIC, Stax, Robert Church, and Barack Obama’s visit.

But the guided historical tour also does not hide the darker side of the city’s history including injustice, segregation, and racism. Queen reminds

The “Equality Trailblazers” monument, located at the University of Memphis law school, celebrates leaders in the suffrage movement.

Chicagoans Maryann and Reginald Marsh, touring on this day, that in front of them is the location where Nathan Bedford Forrest once offered “Fresh Negro’s For Sale.” Woven through the ride that includes various wonderful landmarks, magical stories of inspiring people, and popular Memphis attractions, she also tells of people who lived in fear of lynchings, of city riots, a civil rights struggle, and the Martin Luther King assassination. There’s no doubt about her love for the city. What she loves to share most is a sense of hope, optimism, and deep respect for the people that came before her, the people like Tom Lee, Rosa Parks, Danny Thomas, and Ida B. Wells, “the people who saw things that appeared to be impossible, but made them possible, in spite of.”

That is why she has named her venture A Tour of Possibilities.

The “I Am A Man” Plaza across from Clayborn Temple.

“YOU’E

OING TO BE A STA!”

Reembering he ife and impact o Colage Dance Colective’s Tiffany Glen.

BY SHALISHAH "PETEY" FRANKLIN

Tiffany Glenn and Collage Dance’s founding executive director, Marcellus Harper, met in 1994 and became lifelong best friends. “I had never met someone so radiant, positive, and driven,” said Harper in 2021, during the grand opening for the Binghampton-based Andrea Louise Jenkins Center for Dance. “I would later learn that so much of what made Tiﬀany special was honed in her countless hours in the dance studio.”

right: Tiffany Glenn

Gwen Beard, MD

above: Addison Nichols in Collage Dance Center. below: Tiffany Painting by

At age 27, Glenn was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and finally reconstructive surgery. After five months and while continuing her radiation treatments, she returned to the stage to dance as a company member with Ballet San Jose (now called New Ballet). In 2010 Tiffany’s cancer returned and on June 18, 2012, she passed away.

We opened our 2012 fall season with a video of Tiffany’s final performance with words by poet Cindy Reed.

Robin Friedman Musicante, MD

Gwen Beard, MD

Amy Amonette Huber, MD

Robin Friedman Musicante, MD

Courtney S. Woodmansee, MD

Amy Amonette Huber, MD

Courtney S. Woodmansee, MD

Frances K. Lawhead, MD

Emily T. Overholser, MD

Alex Chantara, MD

Mary E. Stephens, FNP-BC

Buckley J. Parker, PA-C

Lydia A. Wilbanks PA-C

Rachel C. Doerr, FNP-C, DCNP

1451 & 1455 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38104

795 Ridge Lake Blvd, Suite 200 Memphis, TN 38120

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Until this day, and long beyond it, Tiffany’s impact and legacy are ingrained in the culture of our school and are a driving force behind our organization’s work.

Sartoris Literary Group, the debut novel by Frank Murtaugh

Thomas Evans.

Tiffany Glenn

In 2012, Collage Dance established the Tiffany Glenn Memorial Scholarship to recognize students who display Tiffany’s lifelong passion, dedication, persistence, and discipline. To date, 13 students have been awarded full tuition and a stipend for dancewear and footwear needed for a year of training in the Collage Dance Conservatory.

As a founding company dancer and conservatory faculty member Tiffany was the very first professional ballerina of color many of our earliest students had ever seen. She was their dance dreams personified.

“I was only 5 years old when Ms. Tiffany said to me, “You’re going to be a star! ” shared Amor Williams. “From that moment on I knew that I could someday be just like her.” Williams, a 2022 Tiffany Glenn Memorial Scholarship recipient, is now a professional trainee with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

Addison Nichols, now in her eighth year training in the Conservatory, received this coveted scholarship in 2019. One of the many shining stars in Tiffany’s constellation, Addison is now in our pre-professional division. She will perform alongside our professional touring company, Collage Dance Collective, in Kevin Thomas’ Firebird, October 26–27 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

A SISTER STOY

Adriane Johnso-Williams and elis Rowe, siblings rom Whitehaven, have both published recent boos.

BY DAVID WATERS

Two sisters from Memphis, both published authors, recently visited their childhood sanctuary in Whitehaven. e home where they grew up was walking distance from the place where they grew wings: the Levi Public Library.

“ e last time we were here? Forever ago,” says Dr. Adriane Johnson-Williams, the older sister, as she scans the cozy space where she once read spy thrillers and fantasy novels. e books transported her to distant times and places, and encouraged her to explore and question. “Librarians are demigods; my sister and I both agree on that.”

“It’s so much smaller than I remember,” says Kelis Rowe, four years younger, as she surveys the corner where she once read young-adult novels and literary classics. e books guided her to places deep inside and encouraged her to dream and feel. “Our mom would let us walk here in summer and stay all day. is library was our refuge.”

Kelis Rowe (left) and her sister Adriane Johnson-Williams grew up in Whitehaven, walking distance from the Levi Public Library. When they weren't in school or at church, they were in the library reading and dreaming. Recently, they both became published authors. "Librarians are demigods, my sister and I both agree on that," Adriane says.

Adriane, the explorer, now 50, followed her questions into the academic and business worlds and started her own management consulting ﬁrm. Her book, Not Your Father’s Capitalism: What Race Equity Asks of U.S. Business Leaders, was published in 2022. She calls it “a textbook, a guidebook, and a map” to help businesses move toward racial equity.

Kelis, the dreamer, 46, followed her feelings into psychology (her major) and marketing (her ﬁrst profession), then into her life as a wife, stay-at-home mom, homeschooler, and writer. Her book, Finding Jupiter, a young-adult romance novel about two Black teenagers growing up in Memphis, was also published in 2022.

e two books represent entirely diﬀerent genres written for entirely diﬀerent audiences, but both

are products of Black women trying to make sense of the world they were born into, questioned and challenged, longed for and, in various ways, found. Neither book could be found at Levi until their mother, Carolyn Williams, called the branch and requested copies in early May. “When they weren’t in school or in church, they were here,” Williams says. “You’d think their library would have a little display of their work.”

e Memphis library system’s single copy of Finding Jupiter, transferred from the Orange Mound branch, was waiting for Kelis when she arrived. She shelved the book herself between young-adult novels by Veronica Roth and J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series. “Now my book is next to those. It’s surreal,” says Kelis.

RIGHT: The two books they wrote represent different genres, but both are products of Black women trying to make sense of the world they were born into, questioned and challenged. Adriane's book (left) is a self-help book for corporate executives who want to understand the benefits of diversity and racial equity. Kelis’s book is a young adult novel about two Black teenagers growing up in Memphis and their budding romance.

The library system didn’t have a copy of Adriane’s book, but she wasn’t surprised. “My book is a business book, a product of my consulting business,” says Adriane, who lives in Memphis with her wife, Trinette. “Kel’s book is a much bigger deal. She does fiction. That’s art, right? That’s a totally different level of writing.”

Kelis, whose given name is Raquel (Kelis Rowe is her pen name), wasn’t surprised by Adriane’s response. “My sister is my biggest cheerleader and I’m her biggest fan,” says Kelis, who lives in Texas with her husband, Billy, and two children, Zack, 16, and Zāli, 3. “I probably worship her too much. My husband jokes about how much validation I need from my sister.”

what is this place?” Adriane says. “So I asked the librarians about it. To me they were the guardians of all wisdom and knowledge. They gave me a book about boarding schools. I was born with my luggage packed.”



“My sister is my biggest cheerleader and I’m her biggest fan,” — Kelis Rowe

Both sisters are grateful for the validation they needed and received from their mother. “There’s a running joke in our family,” Kelis says. “Our brother Rodney says Mom brainwashed all of us into believing we could do anything. I guess it worked.”

Adriane was the first believer. As a young teenager, she devoured the spy thrillers written by Robert Ludlum, creator of Jason Bourne. “My second career aspiration was political assassin,” she says with a laugh. “It was an escape, right? If your world is not entirely a safe place, the books become like your little Wonderland. They take you away.”

When she was 14, Adriane took herself away to Foxcroft School, a boarding school in Virginia. She got the idea while watching The Facts of Life, a 1980s sitcom set in a girls’ boarding school. “It was like, wait a minute,

Adriane’s parents took out a second mortgage to pay for the school. “My family just could not afford that kind of thing, but my mom knew how badly I wanted it,” Adriane says. “My mom took me up there on a bus. She stayed there for a week interviewing everybody. She told me years later that if she hadn’t felt good about the place, she was taking me back home.”

At Foxcroft, Adriane was immersed for the first time in a predominantly white, privileged, and academically rigorous environment. The experience challenged her beliefs, assumptions, and abilities. “It was glorious and I never looked back,” Adriane says.

The experience also made her more aware than ever of race- and class-based disparities and inequities in education. “I basically went to a resort school,” she says. “The more I saw what I was experiencing and what my brother and sister in public schools in Memphis were not experiencing, the angrier I got, and the more I kept thinking, ‘What is this? Why is this?’”

The economic disparities between her family and the families of her fellow students at Foxcroft were even harsher. “I started to really think about poverty and wage gaps and all that,” she says. “How is it that you can have two parents working full-time and still be under the poverty line for a family of five?”

Adriane kept following her questions. She earned a

bachelor’s degree in economics at Wellesley College, a master’s in education at George Washington University, and a doctorate in educational policy at the University of Wisconsin. She took a job as an education professor at West Virginia University, where she spent four diﬃcult though illuminating years. “Worse than the racism or the sexism I found there was the anti-intellectualism,” she says. “I should have left sooner, but I loved teaching and I loved working with students.”



people than I have living among my Black low- and middle-income family,” Adriane writes in her book. “Bridging the gap between whiteness and everything else has given me a distinct perspective on diversity, inclusion, and equity.”

“Bridging the gap between whiteness and everything else has given me a distinct perspective on diversity, inclusion, and equity.”

— Adriane

Adriane returned to Memphis in 2013, intrigued by the merger of city and county schools and other changes in the district she was hearing about from her cousin, Alisha Kiner, who was principal of Booker T. Washington High School when President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address there in 2011. “Adriane has always been my thought partner, even when I was 15 and she was 10,” says Kiner. “She’s so smart. She always has something insightful to say.”

Johnso-Williams

Adriane’s goal is to help corporate leaders understand the beneﬁts of diversity and commit to racial equity. “I don’t use the term DEI because diversity and inclusion are not necessarily associated with equity,” she writes. “You cannot simply hire your way to race equity. You must dismantle all aspects of the systems within your organization that reinforce the inequities within the larger society.”

While Adriane, the pragmatist, left home, Kelis, the empath, stayed in Memphis.

In Memphis, Adriane worked for several local organizations, including Seeding Success, Pyramid Peak Foundation, and LeMoyne-Owen College. In 2019, she started her own management consulting ﬁrm, Standpoint Consulting. e name comes from a social theory that examines how an individual’s understanding of the world is shaped by social, political, and economic experiences.

“I have spent more of my life among wealthy white

“I always had my head in the clouds,” she says, “but my heart was in Memphis.” So was her twin brother, Rodney. “I was introverted and shy, but I was never alone. With Rodney, I always had a best friend.”

And a book. In high school, Kelis was drawn to the free verse of Walt Whitman and the confessional poetry of Sylvia Plath. “I was a brooding teen,” she says. She also was drawn to literary classics about love, race, and class such as Zora Neale Hurston’s eir Eyes Were Watching God and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s e Great Gatsby

below: Both sisters dedicated their books to their mother, Carolyn Williams, a founding member and Sunday School superintendent at Soul Winners Church in South Memphis. Her faith in them helped them believe in themselves.

“Our brother Rodney says mom brainwashed all of us into believing we could do anything,” Kelis says. “I guess it worked.”

“I felt such strong emotions when I read those books — anger, frustration, sorrow,” she says. “I thought, that was fun. Let me find that again. Those books made me a reader for pleasure. I read to feel. They woke me up to empathy.”

Kelis, like her mother, wanted to be a flight attendant. But, like her mother, she was too tall. After graduating from Central High School in 1995, the 6-foot-2 Kelis earned a degree at Christian Brothers University. There she met and fell in love with an engineering student named Billy from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They were married and moved to Texas where she worked in market research. Her life changed forever when their first child, Zack, was born with a tethered spinal cord. Surgery was successful, but before Zack started school, he was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder (SPD). “The regular classroom didn’t work for him, so I decided to homeschool him,” Kelis says. “I put my personal career on hold and kind of disappeared to myself.”

When Zack was 10, Kelis and her husband decided he was ready to go back to school. Kelis was ready to reappear to herself. She made a vision board with a friend; her dreams included staying married, having another child, traveling, and writing a book. “I always was a writer, but I didn’t always want to be a writer,” she says. She began blogging about her experiences as a stay-at-home mom and homeschooler. “I thought I’d be the Black David Sedaris, writing creative nonfiction,” she says.

Instead, she rediscovered young-adult fiction. One book in particular captured her imagination: Calling My Name by Texas author Liara Tamani. The novel is a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old African-American girl in Houston who finds her voice and purpose. “I looked at the cover, read the first page, and thought to myself, ‘That’s me. I’m her,’” Kelis says. “I was 40 and it was the first time in my life that I actually saw myself in a book.”

Kelis decided to write the book she would have wanted to read as a teenager. She wrote the first draft in the peace and quiet of a nearby library and drew on her own experiences. Finding Jupiter is about a summer romance between two high school students who meet at a roller rink in Memphis. Ray, a tall, confident girl, is a poet and artist home from boarding school. Orion, a charming but shy boy, is a swimmer who lives with schizoid personality disorder. The teens fall in love as they bond over shared grief.

The subject and tone of her book was informed by her son’s summer reading list. “Every book on the list about Black people was about some sort of race-based trauma or pain,” Kelis says. “I didn’t want to write another book about Black kids clashing with the police or

FOOD TRUCKS • BEER & SPIRITS

HALEY REINHART

surviving violence or reckoning with racism. I wanted to write something bright.”

Kelis planned to self-publish the book. en she entered and won a “Pitch Wars” contest online. J. Elle, a bestselling author of young adult fantasy ﬁction, became her mentor. With J. Elle’s guidance, Kelis revised her ﬁrst draft and signed with an agent.

Kelis’ book mixes prose with original “found poetry,” composed with random words found on pages of e Great Gatsby and eir Eyes Were Watching God. It was published by Ember, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

“Kel has a literary style to her voice and it just melts me,” J. Elle told Pitch Wars.

The sisters honed their intellects and imaginations at the Levi library. “This library was our refuge,” Kelis says.

Both sisters dedicated their books to their mother.

“Mamma, you always made me believe I could be anything. I believed that you believed it. Which made me want to be something amazing,” wrote Kelis, who also dedicated her book to Zack.

Adriane added dedications to her grandmother, her great-grandmother, “and all Black women and daughters of Black women whose wisdom is as valuable as it was hard-earned,” she wrote.

eir mother could not be prouder. “ ey both were word studiers,” says Carolyn Williams. “My husband [Sylvester, a retired engineering technician], their father, bought them a giant dictionary when they were young. at was their pastime, all three of my kids, reading and studying words.”

When Adriane and Kelis weren’t studying words in school or in the library, they were in church studying e Word. eir mother was a founding member and Sunday School superintendent at Soul Winners Church in South Memphis.

“My wife says I have a Ph.D. in Sunday

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School,” Adriane says. “But really, I got kicked out of Sunday School class all the time because I kept interrupting with my questions and comments.”

Today, Adriane describes herself as an agnostic, Kelis as unchurched. “They may not be in church but it’s in them,” says their mother. “They know the scriptures. The Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way they should go.’”

The Williams sisters were raised to find their own ways. “Our generation was mothered,” says Kiner, whose grandmother was Carolyn Williams’ sister. “The women in our family kept us all close, but they didn’t keep us at home. We all were raised to think and do for ourselves.”

“They may not be in church but it’s in them. They know the scriptures. The Bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way they should go.’”

— Carolyn Williams

The Bible is a collection of books and stories. Adriane was intrigued by the stories but perplexed by the contradictions she found in them and in how they were applied. “For example, you got the Book of Acts, which is right after Christ dies, and the church is beginning, and women were among the first church leaders and equals,” Adriane says. “So I ask my mom, ‘You know this stuff better than anyone. Why aren’t you a preacher?’ And she says, ‘You know women can’t be preachers.’ I’m like, what? That doesn’t make sense.”

Kelis loved the “the big questions” she found in Bible stories, questions that made her wonder and doubt. “I grew up reading the Bible, being exposed to those big stories, but what about people who grow up in places where the Bible is not their holy book, or not the only holy book?”

In Finding Jupiter, Ray shares her deepest thoughts with her new love, Orion. “I have a theory,” Ray says at one point. “It’s more like a question ... What if we are the stars? ... What if one day, good wins, and there’s no more need for black holes because everything on earth is starlight? Maybe that will be the heaven on earth that the holy books across religions write about. Maybe The One that everyone is waiting for is actually a metaphor for goodness inhabiting the earth, through the stars, through us?”

And through their books.

David Waters, a longtime Memphis journalist, is associate director of the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis.

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WHAT DEBORAH CLUBB HAS CHIEVED

For decaes, the head o the Memphis rea Women’s Council and Women o chievement has brought attention to this city’s eeds.

BY JON W. SPARKS

Memphis has no shortage of heroes. The proof is in a long list of women who have, over the past 40 years, earned the distinction of being named Women of Achievement. It’s a distinction that, so far, has gone to 278 individuals and organizations who have shaped and deﬁned the region.

Even as the Women of Achievement awards have honored the women who inspire our lives, it has also inspired eﬀorts to remedy the situations where women have been marginalized. One such organization is the Memphis Area Women’s Council, which turns 20 this year.

Both groups are not only celebrating signiﬁcant anniversaries but share leadership — Deborah Clubb has been with both since their beginnings.

On Saturday, October 19th, a cocktail party on the rooftop at Playhouse on the Square will celebrate the anniversaries of Women of Achievement and the Memphis Area Women’s Council. e event will recognize the organizations that continue to work for inclusion, advocacy, and recognition of notable local women. It will also honor the ongoing collaborations that helped launch the organizations and that have nurtured them through the decades.

left: Deborah Clubb in her ofﬁce celebrating the past and looking to the future. “My hope for the next 20 years is that women and girls continue to speak up and speak out ... and strive for lasting change that lets everyone do and be all that she chooses.”

above: The honorees and presenters at the 2024 Women of Achievement ceremony were (front row): co-founder Deborah Clubb; Sara Lynn Johnson Fultz and Amy Moses, Vision; Ellen Rolfes, Initiative; Joy Brown Wiener, Steadfastness; Jennifer Murry-Rodley and Vanessa Rodley, Courage; Phillis Lewis, Determination; and co-founder Judy Card. Back row presenters were Marquita Richardson, Dr. Allison Stiles, Ruby Bright, Sylvia Martinez, Dr. Judith Haas, Elaine Lee-Turner, and Pat Worley Mitchell.

The idea for Women of Achievement came to Clubb when she was a reporter for e Commercial Appeal. She noted that awards events she covered were plentiful — and mostly honored men. Women were making their mark in government and civic organizations, but weren’t getting the kind of public recognition for their eﬀorts that men routinely received.

Clubb met with community organizer Jeanne Dreifus to share ideas, and theyconnected with Judy Card at the Memphis Public Library to work on the details. What they came up with is how it’s still done today — honoring notable women in the categories of Initiative, Heroism, Determination, Courage, Vision, and Steadfastness, as well as Heritage, a classiﬁcation for women from the past.

executive director of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis. Other key individuals who would make up the founding board of MAWC included Phyllis Betts, Mary Durham, Naomi Dyson, Nancy Hardt, Happy Jones, and Malrie Shelton.

“Instead of trying to just immediately go after one thing or another,” Clubb says, “they decided that what was missing in Memphis was a place where the voice of women — and our presence in the policy discussions and at the table and the city council — would be fostered and would be regularly tended to.”

“We ... work with other groups to help us speak up about things.

Collaborating is really the key to the Women’s Council because we want to be a voice for all kinds of women here.”

Twenty years after Women of Achievement came into being, Clubb was approached for another project. She cites a 2000 report based on census data that was crucial to starting what would become the Memphis Area Women’s Council. “We were supposed to be in the new century,” she says, “but everything in that report was terrible. e healthcare access was awful. Women’s health was terrible, their education levels were critical. ey weren’t voting. We’d passed all the laws and marched in the Seventies — so what was up?”

Several individuals were meeting to ﬁnd ways to take action. Barbara Ellen Smith was director of the Women’s Studies Program as well as director of the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis. And Ruby Bright was then the new

It was a time when some of the most eﬀective women’s voices were leaving elected positions, such as Carolyn Gates, Pat Vander Schaaf, and Maxine Smith. “ ose warriors who came up out of the Seventies and had done things had gradually dropped oﬀ and they hadn’t been replaced by other women,” says Clubb.

“So, our voice as female citizens was not being heard in those legislative chambers. We weren’t being appointed to the boards that the mayors have access to.”

What the city needed was an organization that would serve as that voice, advocating for strategic action. e idea that developed in late 2003 was for the U of M’s Center for Research on Women to identify problems and work with MAWC to develop strategies to solve those issues.

In 2004, Clubb had left e Commercial Appeal. She’d been contemplating stepping away from the ﬁeld of journalism: “I thought about doing something fullout for women,” she says. “I was ready to stop trying

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to be objective all the time, balanced, and neutral.” It is said that timing is everything, and it turned out that she was the right person for the job. She was soon hired as executive director and continues that role to this day along with shepherding Women of Achievement.

From the beginning, MAWC has kept its focus on particular issues. An initial summit came up with targeting health, education, and economic equity. Particular areas included ending corporal punishment, improving pay for educators, and facing domestic violence.

Another area was particularly challenging: evaluating the qualifications of judges. The Commercial Appeal had reported on the Memphis Bar Association’s judicial qualifications survey of local attorneys. (The nonprofit Just City currently has its Court Watch initiative that has volunteers who observe and report on what goes on in local criminal courtrooms.)

Looming large in the aims of MAWC was establishing a court to handle domestic violence issues. “That’s one of the things that we achieved,” Clubb says. “We helped get General Sessions Court Division 10 and it was created to be just for DV charges.”

The work that went into that reflects how MAWC has approached so many of its initiatives. “We have strategies and committees and work with other groups to help us speak up about things,” Clubb says. “Collaborating is really the key to the Women’s Council because we want to be a voice for all kinds of women here.”

The Women’s Council has spoken out on issues such as a living wage, workplace harassment, and the rape kit backlog. The latter has meant a lot to MAWC because it has been so collaborative. The task force was involved with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Memphis Police Department, and the Shelby County District Attorney’s office as well as the city mayor’s staff and crime victim center from the county. “It’s all of us at the same time trying to change the experience of rape victims here,” Clubb says.

The group has recurring programs and events as well. What is probably best known is the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes men’s march to reduce rape, sexual assault, and gender violence. It also has the Memphis Says NO MORE campaign to bring awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault, DV Victims in the Workplace that offers training to employers, and the monthly WomenTalk forums.

While the past years of work have done much to elevate the awareness of women’s issues and establish a level of community

MEMPHIS

Bomb, MD, FACC, RPVI

involvement, Clubb says that there is never a time when it’s okay to sit back and declare that all is well.

“In the next 20 years I hope and pray we will see women of every age and stage get engaged in that recovery,” Clubb says. “We have lost critical rights to our own health decisions. In personal settings and in some communities, that, unfortunately, could really change how women are treated in other ways because there’s a diminishing of our personhood. If I can’t even say what I’m going to do with me, then how can I have a voice for we ?

“A few years ago, I might’ve had a different answer because we were in a little bit more of a progressive time,” she continues. “But the Dobbs decision — the sense that we are in danger all the time, that at any moment even a local jurisdiction could come up with something that freely takes away our freedoms — it’s just hanging out there. It’s taking away the willingness to be active, but thankfully it’s also aggravating, annoying, and firing up some other people. I hope to see women my age and younger come together to provide for ourselves and our daughters and granddaughters what we need in terms of opportunity, in terms of safety, in terms of self.”

So what tangible things can be done to help bring this about?

“Memphis is a conservative community, despite our civil rights history,” Clubb says. “This is not a town that likes protests and rallies and loud speakouts. We have to figure out how to work within what people are willing to do and how they’re willing to engage.”

“The celebrations of Women of Achievement, where we look at what we have individually and collectively accomplished over the history of the whole community, help people realize that it is possible — even as one woman, even as an older person or Black person or an immigrant — to stand up and make things different and better. I hope that the Memphis Area Women’s Council or something like it can get together and think and holler and create and energize each other toward that better future.”

Clubb observes that some people say children are our future, but it’s crucial to remember that “children are present, they’re here right now watching and listening and learning, and now they’re learning to be afraid of even their own future because of the climate and national and international politics. They’re not immune to all that. I’m concerned that we keep all that going. Stay at it.”

For Clubb, the civics and politics of the future hold the key to progress in women’s issues. There is an ebb and flow of women

Weinviteyoutojoinforceswith theAmericanCancerSociety–thenation’snonprofitleaderin thebreastcancerfight.Jointhe MakingStridesmovementtohelp endbreastcancerasweknowit, foreveryone. Signupordonate MakingStridesWalk.org/memphistn MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancerofMemphis 10.19.24|9:30A.M.|ShelbyFarmsPark

officeholders, which shows the need for organizations that work to recruit candidates and provide practical assistance in how to run for office and how to make it work financially.

And if the election of 2016 was a shock and disappointment to many, it also steeled the resolve of women interested in participating in the political process. Clubb acknowledges that before the election that year of Donald Trump, she took too much for granted.

“I had believed we were working in an environment where the nation understood the value of all of us engaging in building and furthering our communities, our society, our culture, our systems,” she says. “So I never did check to see if anybody was enforcing all of that really well.” She realized that just because there’s a law doesn’t mean it will be well or properly applied.

For Clubb it’s always been about digging deeper to ﬁnd solutions as well as connecting with the resources and people to manifest change.

“When I got to Memphis in 1978, I was lucky to ﬁnd the then-new organization called Network,” she says. “It was a safe, supportive space for all of us in male-dominated professions and workplaces, and all of us were trying to make the world more equitable. e objective was sisterhood, to share our challenges and to cheer for one another.

“ at’s where I found Happy Jones, Helen Denton, Karen Shea, Mary Robinson, Jocie Wurzburg, Donna Sue Shannon, Carol

above: In 2008, past presidents of Women of Achievement gathered. From left: Naomi Dyson, Jeanne Dreifus, Pam Routh, Judy Card, Deborah Clubb, Tammie Ritchey, and Dottie Jones.

A Love Letter to Memphis The current show at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art celebrates Andrea Morales’ decade of photojournalism.

BY ABIGAIL MORICI

Andrea Morales

Andrea Morales has been making photographs since she was a child, and yes, “making photographs” is the right phrase here. Not taking photographs, capturing, or shooting. For Morales, these words are too aggressive to describe a process that is about building trust and intimacy between the photographer and the photographed individuals, or, as Morales calls them, her collaborators. She’s been working in Memphis as a photojournalist for a decade now, making photographs of the community. Readers probably recognize her name from her work as the visuals director at MLK50: Justice Through Journalism , but she’s also been featured in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and TIME Magazine, among many others. She’s photographed the cover of Memphis Magazine and in March 2021 was profiled in this publication’s “Mind’s Eye” series of noteworthy local photographers. Now, to add to her impressive resume, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has opened an exhibit of 65 of her photographs, titled “Roll Down Like Water.”

Taking its name from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop Speech,” his final speech in Memphis, in which he said, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,” the exhibit, according to its curator Rosamund Garrett, is “a portrait of America through Memphis.”

“There are some tremendously famous photographers from this area,” Garrett says, “but I really feel that Andrea looks at things through a very fresh lens, and she looks at this region very directly, very earnestly, in a way that still allows the magic of this place to come through.”

LEFT: The North Memphis Cowboys (since renamed Steelers) youth football team raised funds for the season by organizing a car wash.

North Memphis Steelers Car Wash

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2016, Archival inkjet print 16 x 24 in.

Collection of the artist LI.2024.53

The photographs in the exhibit illustrate life in Memphis and the surrounding region through intimate moments shared between Morales and her collaborators. There are moments of joy — majorettes dancing down Park Avenue during the Southern Heritage Classic Parade. Moments of surrender — a man receiving notice to vacate his property. Moments of unbridled joy — a young girl adorned in garland before a Christmas celebration at Carpenter Art Garden.

Often centered in the frame, the photographed individuals take on an air of sacredness, not unlike the Christian iconography of the photographer’s Catholic childhood, or the works by Renaissance painters, which rely on a visual language of “instantly recognizable images,” or as Morales calls them “the magnitude of small gestures.” As the wall text of the exhibit reads, “When Morales composes her photograph, she waits in close observation for a detail to reveal itself that holds the weight of human connection in that moment.”

It’s about having the viewer take a moment to pause, see when someone wants to feel seen, and realize that the moment shown is just part of the comprehensive

story. In her typical process, her photographs would be for a written story, to add more human connection behind the written word. But now viewers have the opportunity to engage with her work in the context of her first museum exhibition.

In this exhibit — not in a publication with someone else’s byline, a headline she didn’t choose, or quotes she didn’t pull — the photos can stand alone. “That means that there’s a vernacular within the images versus them being in conjunction or supporting someone else’s words that I had no say in,” Morales says. “It does feel like something’s being restored, I guess. It’s like back to that feeling of the moment [of making the photo] because you have that moment and then you kind of have to tuck it away because this photo has to exist in this one context [of an article]. But this is all existing in the context of me and Memphis right now. That’s been crazy. It feels very special to be honored this way, to be able to hold this much space.”

“Andrea is one of the great artists of our time,” Garrett says (to which Morales humbly objects). “We wouldn’t have done a major museum exhibition and a catalog, which are huge undertakings, otherwise.”

ABOVE: LeAnthony Douglas, a dancer who specializes in ballet and Memphis jookin’, stands for a portrait in his neighborhood of Orange Mound, Memphis.

LeAnthony Douglas

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2017, Archival inkjet print 16 x 24 in.

Collection of the artist LI.2024.101

above: South Memphis resident Betty Isom holds an annual “Stop the Violence Block Party” outside her home on Tate Street, complete with food and musical performances, to unite the community and decry violence.

Tate Street Block Party

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2017, Archival inkjet print 24 x 36 inches

Collection of the artist LI.2024.3

left: The annual march on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day travels past the demolition of a long-vacant warehouse next to the National Civil Rights Museum.

King Parade

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2019, Archival inkjet print 16 x 24 in.

Collection of the artist LI.2024.60

For this show, gallery walls have been painted a dusky blue, a shade that the curator says picks up the colors of the Memphis sky as seen in Morales’ photos. An entire exhibit of white walls wouldn’t do. Everything is intentional, especially in the placement of the pieces, which are often arranged to complement each other.

On one wall, for instance, a photo of wisteria blooming on a neglected fence is centered between a photo of LaAnthony Douglas, a dancer with his feet in fifth position, and another of a majorette in motion. Douglas’ and the majorette’s arms both open towards the wisteria, which is framed in gold, a nod to the Catholic church’s

fondness for the material. A sacred triptych is formed, these moments of dance and movements juxtaposed with the quietness of the wisteria, reflecting, Morales says, “the beating heart of Memphis … that build[s] from that quiet into the crescendo that is this place.”

Such attention to detail only points to the exhibit’s role, as Garrett says, as “a love letter to Memphis.” Accompanying each photo is a simple caption identifying the who, what, when, and where, instead of a label with the curator’s interpretation. “We want people to come in and see something that’s astonishingly beautiful,” Garrett says. This is about the community and for the community to interact with in the way they decide is appropriate.”

RIGHT: The Leopards recreational basketball team practices at the Dave Wells Community Center in the Smokey City neighborhood of Memphis.

Sideline

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2017, Archival inkjet print Collection of the artist

lefT: Professional heavyweight boxer

Deontay Wilder rests in the ring following practice at Skyy Boxing Gym in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the gym where

first started boxing.

Deontay Wilder

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2015, Archival inkjet print 16 x 24 in. Collection of the artist LI.2024.95

After all, Morales engages in what’s called movement journalism, an approach that emphasizes community over objectivity, lending itself to stories of injustice against marginalized people. “It’s not an easy place for people who are of marginalized identities,” says Morales. “In journalism, it tends to both be designed for and favor white people, white men in particular. And that means that your voice can be deemed by someone in that authoritative space as insufficient.

“I’m kind of wired for the idea of serving Memphis,” she continues,” and there’s lots of ways that you could do that throughout photography. I’m just doing it through journalism.” To Morales, that means depicting “a dignified community,” which comes through in this exhibit and in all of her photos.

Significantly, Morales’ use of movement journalism makes the Brooks the first museum to showcase

movement journalism, and the first to publish a catalog on it. Because of this, Garrett says, “This is a deeply Memphis show, but it’s certainly of national and international relevance. Trust in journalism is at a difficult point in our society, but journalism is so important for democracy and society. Andrea’s process shows a new way forward, in documentary photography and photojournalism, and so in that sense we wanted to honor Andrea, but also wanted to show that she has something special to offer the world that can have an enormous impact on making this world a better place. It’s a lasting legacy for Memphis.”

Andrea Morales’ “Roll Down Like Water” will be on display at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art through January 2025. For more information, including coinciding programming, visit brooksmuseum.org/exhibitions/andreamorales-roll-down-like-water

ABOVE: Cheerleaders celebrate the Memphis Cowboys (since renamed Steelers) victory in the youth football Super Bowl.

North Memphis Steelers Cheerleaders

Andrea Morales, b. 1984 2016, Archival inkjet print 16 x 24 in. Collection of the artist LI.2024.41

Breast cancer patient grateful for her Baptist Cancer Center village

When Rachel Rapp walked into the emergency department in March 2024, she could barely breathe. First diagnosed with pneumonia, Rapp soon received another shocking diagnosis — Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.

Only 37 years old with two young children, she was stunned.

“I sat on the edge of my hospital bed with my husband and prayed. We gave it all to God,” said Rapp.

Rapp and her oncologist, Dr. Aleksandar Jankov with Baptist Cancer Center, opted for an aggressive treatment plan. She immediately began her first round of chemotherapy, and she has since completed six full rounds of two types of chemotherapy — in just four months.

“I told Dr. Jankov I didn’t care what I had to go through; I want to be here to see my kids grow up,” said Rapp.

The grueling chemo took its toll, and she suffered from nausea and extreme fatigue. She developed sores in her mouth, and her hair fell out within five days.

“It was harder than I expected. You don’t think about all the things that make you feel feminine,” she said. “My hair is starting to grow back, but I don’t have eyelashes, and I barely have eyebrows.”

Baptist offers a quarterly program called Blossom Within to help women dealing with these struggles.

“I learned to use makeup to create eyebrows, which might not sound like a big deal to some, but it gave me more confidence,” said Rapp. “A special makeup artist, Delsin DePuy, travels from Los Angeles to teach this class because it gives him joy to help others. Just knowing he does that for complete strangers — it’s overwhelming.”

Rapp isn’t just a Baptist patient; she’s also an employee. She’s worked as an administrative secretary at Baptist’s Women’s Hospital for two and a half years, and her work family rallied around her.

I work with the best people. God surrounded me with selfless and caring coworkers who have dedicated their lives to helping women, and Dr. Jankov is amazing! I told him in the very beginning that I knew God would use him to heal me, said Rapp.

Baptist Cancer Center uses a multidisciplinary approach to treating breast cancer patients. A team of professionals meets weekly to discuss cases, working together to find the best options for each patient.

“It’s so much more than just having an oncologist. It’s a galaxy of providers,” said Dr. Jankov. “That includes nurses, genetic counselors, surgeons, radiologists and social workers. It really takes a village.”

Rapp is grateful for her Baptist village, and she believes she is meant to use her diagnosis to spread awareness to others. Her children will have important information about their cancer risks, which will lead to early screenings, and she recognizes that knowledge is a valuable gift. She also is thankful for the opportunity to show her young children how faith can carry them through difficult times.

“I want them to know you’re going to go through storms, but it’s not about what you go through. It’s how you get through it. My faith has never wavered, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to see God’s goodness as He heals me,” said Rapp.

Baptist Cancer Center physician Dr. Aleksandar Jankov

meets with 37-year-old breast cancer patient Rachel Rapp

For more information about Baptist Cancer Center, go to baptistcancercenter.com.

(right)

(left).

senior development manager for the american cancer society

THE POWER OF

PINK

WE’RE SEEING IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER, BUT MUCH WORK REMAINS TO BE DONE.

BY MARISSA DAIL LIMA

”You have breast cancer.” Four words no one wants to hear. Unfortunately, more than 310,000 women and 3,000 men in the U.S. are expected to hear those words for the ﬁrst time this year. Despite a 42 percent decrease in the breast cancer death rate between 1989 and 2021, there is still a tremendous amount to be done in the work to end breast cancer as we know it, for everyone.

To raise funds to support that work, the American Cancer Society will hold its 24th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Memphis walk at Shelby Farms Park on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Thousands of participants will gather for family fun beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the 2.3-mile walk around Hyde Lake starting at 11 a.m. The event will feature music, food trucks, live entertainment, and plenty of fun for kids and adults as the community

comes together to celebrate our local breast cancer survivors and the fundraising success of hundreds of teams. Free registration for the event is available at www.makingstrideswalk.org/memphistn.

The Mid-South also boasts another ACS breast cancer fundraising and awareness campaign known as Men Wear Pink of Memphis. Since it began in 2016, hundreds of male business and community leaders from around the Greater Memphis Area have come together to raise over $1 million for breast cancer research, patient support, and advocacy. Last year, 27 Memphis leaders donned their pink ties, jackets, hats, or socks, engaged their networks, and raised nearly $100,000 to support these efforts.

In 2024, the class has 32 Ambassadors who are working to raise over $165,000

Marissa Lima

Dane Williams, insurance advisor for Shoemaker Insurance Solutions and co-chair for the 2024 MWP Ambassador class, says, “I look forward to this every year. I’m now in my ﬁfth year because my mother is a breast cancer survivor and has thankfully been cancer-free for 22 years. Raising funds to help eliminate breast cancer is a privilege. Each year, I speak with individuals who have a loved one battling the disease or are ﬁghting it themselves. These interactions inspire me to work even harder so that fewer people endure this terrible illness.”

Clark Ortkiese, co-owner of Crosstown Brewing Company, committed to being an Ambassador in the Memphis MWP campaign just as he was beginning his personal battle with colon cancer. “Shortly after I signed up to be a Men Wear Pink ambassador,

I received my own cancer diagnosis. My family and I are channeling our feelings and energy into raising money for cancer research, education, guidance, and support,” he says, hoping others will join him in these efforts.

World-champion poker player, Chris Moneymaker of Moneymaker Games, knows a thing or two about winning in the solitary sport of poker but teamwork was one facet that drew him to Men Wear Pink of Memphis. “It’s a great honor for me to serve as an Ambassador for the Men Wear Pink campaign. I think almost everyone knows someone who has fought the battle with breast cancer or succumbed to it. I want to raise funds to help eliminate this horrible disease. I ﬁnd it a privilege to be on this team and will work hard to reach our goal,” Moneymaker says.

Rep. John Gillespie of the Tennessee House of Representatives agreed to be an Ambassador because he believes “the Men Wear Pink campaign is doing essential work to enhance early detection and prevention of breast cancer through advanced research and awareness. I have been inspired by the outpouring of support for this campaign and I’m proud to serve as an Ambassador to encourage Memphians to do what they can in the ﬁght against this horrible disease.”

Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, agreed to serve as a MWP Ambassador for the ﬁrst time in 2023. Now in his second year, he says, “Creating awareness and calls to action is something I do every day in my role at the Greater Memphis Chamber. I’ve decided to dedicate that

discipline to being an Ambassador for Men Wear Pink because it deserves the same energy and passion. To ﬁght breast cancer, it takes nothing less to raise the necessary funds for innovative research that will create more therapeutic solutions.”

Eric Gould, Senior VP Supply Chain at AutoZone, was the 2023 top fundraiser and serves as the 2024 MWP Ambassador class co-chair alongside Dane Williams. Gould raised more than $38,000 in 2023 by tapping into his professional and personal networks to rally support for the mission.

“This cause is close to my heart,” Gould says. “My family has been personally impacted by this dreaded disease. One in eight women are impacted. We need to keep ﬁghting for a cure.”

To learn more about Men Wear Pink of Memphis, or to donate to

Brian Marﬂak

Jeremiah Burton

Daniel Higginbotham

Jon Paul Davis

Dane Williams

Jeremy Pierre

Dave Moore

Joshua Langston

your favorite Ambassador’s campaign, visit www.menwearpink. org/memphistn

As for me, I have a love/hate relationship with my job. I am honored to represent the American Cancer Society as staff partner for our breast cancer campaigns in Memphis — so in that regard, I absolutely love my job. But I hate the monster that makes my job necessary, so I also hate my job. Every day I work to put myself out of a job.

Every day someone is diagnosed with breast cancer. Every day someone is suffering from breast cancer. So, every day I am in our community searching for partners who also want to live in a world where no one has to hear those four dreaded words ever again. This year, it’s even more personal for me as one of my dearest friends is battling breast cancer. Kim is the newest “why” in my crusade to destroy this beast, and I’m a very stubborn woman.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

Every dollar raised helps the American Cancer Society save lives from breast cancer through early detection and prevention, innovative breast cancer research, and patient support. ACS is currently funding more than $78 million in breast cancer research grants nationwide. The organization launches innovative, high-impact research to ﬁnd more — and better — treatments, uncover factors that may cause breast cancer, and improve the quality of life for people facing breast cancer. In the last 30 years alone, ACS has invested more than $600 million in breast cancer research and over $5 billion in research for all cancer types since 1946.

DID YOU KNOW?

T he American Cancer Society has 31 Hope Lodge facilities across the nation that offer free lodging to individuals and their caregivers who need to travel for cancer treatment. We have our very own Hope Lodge on Union Avenue beside Sun Studios. If you’d like to learn more about how to support our local Hope Lodge by serving a meal, hosting a game night for guests, or one of many other volunteer opportunities, contact Kristi Flake at Kristi.ﬂake@cancer.org or 901-524-5500.

ACS LAUNCHES A NEW COHORT STUDY

A mong Black women, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and has surpassed lung cancer as the leading cause of death among Black women. ACS is proud to announce the recent launch of the VOICES of Black Women® study, the largest behavioral and environmental focused population study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women in the United States. Designed to better understand the multi-level drivers of cancer incidence, mortality, and resilience within this demographic, the long-term study will gather valuable data from Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 from diverse backgrounds and income levels who have not been diagnosed with cancer.

ACS aims to enroll over 100,000 Black women across 20 states and D.C. where, according to the U.S. Census, more than 90 percent of Black women in the U.S. reside. To learn more about the study, or to determine if you are eligible to participate, please visit https://voices.cancer.org.

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Matt Rich

Clark Ortkiese

Michael Scruggs

William Jones

Matthew Best Paxton Dickson Phil Glass

MEN WEAR PINK 2024 AMBASSADOR CLASS

MATTHEW BEST

executive director

New Ballet Ensemble and School

JEREMIAH BURTON

contract manager

American Red Cross

BILLY COCKRELL

poker supervisor

Horseshoe Casino & Hotel

FRANK COLVETT, JR

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John Quinn ReMax

JON PAUL DAVIS managing partner

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PHILLIP DEWAYNE

chef Park + Cherry

PAXTON DICKSON, MD

Surgical oncologist

Methodist Healthcare

ERNIE FREEMAN

news anchor FOX13

MICHAEL FULTON

director govt. affairs, and business diversity development

Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority

REP. JOHN GILLESPIE

house representative

Tennessee State Government

PHIL GLASS general manager

ABM Industries

ERIC GOULD

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ANDY HARBIN

vp, supply chai n AutoZone

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sportsbook manager

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ROBBIE JOHNSON

vp chief development

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WILLIAM JONES supervisor, program management

American Red Cross

JOSHUA LANGSTON supervisor/dealer/ sound engineer/talent

Horseshoe Tunica / 901 Wrestling

BRIAN MARFLAK

vp, engineering, research & technology

FedEx Express

BRETT MARTIN

avp, market development Bradford Health

OWEN MARTIN

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[ CONTINUED ON PAGE 63 ]

A lifetime of good health A lifetime of good health

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Whether you’re seeking personalized women’s wellness care, support for pregnancy and childbirth, or minimally-invasive surgery that gets you back to your normal activities quickly, our academic physicians can help with services at two convenient locations.

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AMBASSADORS 2024

[ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60 ]

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news anchor FOX13

CHRIS MONEYMAKER owner

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DAVE MOORE owner

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CLARK ORTKIESE co-owner

Crosstown Brewery

JEREMY PIERRE

news anchor FOX13

ALEX RASMUSSEN

ceo & co-founder

Neon Canvas

THOMAS RATLIFF, MD oncoloogist & hematologist

West Cancer Center & Research Institute

MATT RICH

marketing director

RBR Enterprises

WILL SASSER

poker shift supervisor

Horseshoe Casino & Hotel

MICHAEL SCRUGGS

site coordinator

Agape Family Services

BRANDON TOLBERT vp, properties & facilities

FedEx Express

TED TOWNSEND president / ceo

Greater Memphis Chamber

DANE WILLIAMS

insurance advisor

Shoemaker Business Solutions

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Marketing Consultant

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Her expertise and collaborative approach help clients build brands, increase visibility, and drive sales growth. Recognized as a “Super Woman in Business” by the Memphis Business Journal, Susan is committed to delivering results.

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Tara Engelberg is owner and creative director at Tara Felice Interiors. The Memphis-based interior-design firm specializes in creating spaces that exude sophistication and comfort and believes that a well-designed home is one that not only looks beautiful but also feels comfortable and inviting. Tara takes pride in creating spaces that reflect her clients’ personal styles, address functionality, maintain a timeless elegance, and are simply spaces that clients are proud to call their own.

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Kathryn Clark is the Principal Builder for K. Clark Homes and has been part of the building community in Memphis, for over 13 years. She has been a longstanding member with the West Tennessee Home Builders Association, National Association of Home Builders, Urban Land Institute, Professional Women in Building and the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. She holds the Certified Graduate Builder and Certified Aging in Place Designations from the National Association of Home Builders as well as an OSHA certification and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Memphis.

K. Clark Homes specializes in custom and market homes with a focus currently in Fayette County.

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Founder / CEO

Antwanette, with over 15 years in corporate finance, has boldly pivoted to empower individuals and small businesses. As the founder of Jasper Float Spa & Wellness, she’s created a haven for self-care. Leveraging her Six Sigma expertise, she’s fostered a highperformance culture. As a New Memphis Fellow and Junior League Member, Antwanette’s passion for empowering others is evident in her leadership within the Memphis community.

Alicia creates valuable brands for individuals and companies. With over 20 years of leadership experience, she supports small businesses, non-profits, schools, and community initiatives. An adjunct professor, Chairman of Developing Noblemen Academy (D.N.A.), and VP of Membership for the National Black MBA Association, Memphis Chapter, Alicia is dedicated to community and leadership development, making a significant impact on those she serves.

TARA FELICE INTERIORS

tarafeliceinteriors.com

THE BROOM CLOSET 552 S. Main St. Memphis, TN 38103 thebroomclosetmemphis.com patheos.com/blogs/lightyourpath/ memphisflyer.com/category/metaphysical-connection

A CAREER GIRL BRAND MANAGEMENT, LLC (ACG) 901.402.1002 alicia@acareergirl.com acareergirl.com

JASPER FLOAT SPA & WELLNESS CENTER, LLC

60 S. Main Street, Ste. 102 Memphis, TN 38103

901.213.7775 jasperfloatspa.com

Dr. Amari Kimble DC, MS, CCSP is an accomplished and skilled Chiropractor from Memphis, TN. Her desire to be a chiropractor developed during her undergraduate internship with the chiropractor for the Mississippi State football team.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Mississippi State University, and went on to complete her Doctorate of Chiropractic and Masters of Sports Science and Rehabilitation at Logan University in St. Louis, MO. From there she worked with the Chiropractor for the New York Giants, Dr. DeStefano and obtained her Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) certification. In her free time she enjoys running, playing tennis and salsa dancing.

TAYLOR CHIROPRACTIC AND WELLNESS CENTER taylorchirowellness.com

ALICIA HILL CEO

DR. AMARI KIMBLE DC, MS, CCSP

K. CLARK HOMES LLC kclarkhomes.com

KATHRYN CLARK Principal Builder

TARA ENGELBERG

LEAH LLOYD HILLIS

Attorney

Leah, a life-long Memphian, is a partner with Mullins, Whitfield, White & Hillis, PLLC, a boutique law firm in East Memphis that offers a wide variety of services to clients as they navigate difficult situations. Mrs. Hillis has almost twenty years of experience practicing in all areas of family law, including divorce, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, child custody, and adoption. She has also completed the training necessary to participate in Collaborative Law matters and is listed by Tennessee’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission as a Rule 31 General Civil Mediator.

MULLINS, WHITFIELD, WHITE & HILLIS, PLLC

668 Colonial Road, Suite 4 Memphis, TN 38117

901.527.2000 lhillis@mwwhlaw.com

Kimbrough Mullins has practiced law in Shelby County for 40 years. A family law practitioner and partner at Mullins Whitfield White & Hillis PLLC, Kimbrough has a strong commitment to helping clients navigate changing times. In addition to her law practice, Kimbrough is a seasoned divorce and custody mediator for more than 25 years. She has held leadership positions in the Memphis Bar Association and Memphis Bar Foundation and is a former member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

MULLINS, WHITFIELD, WHITE & HILLIS, PLLC

668 Colonial Road, Suite 1 Memphis, TN 38117

901.527.2000 (o) • 901.527.2100 (f) kimbrough@mullinsthomas.com

LAUREN MASSEY FUCHS

Partner / Attorney

Lauren Massey Fuchs is a partner at the Law Office of Massey McClusky Fuchs & Ballenger in Memphis, Tennessee. She has been practicing criminal defense since she graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2009. She has served multiple terms on the TACDL Board of Directors. She has been a member of the faculty for both the TACDL Tennessee Criminal Defense College and the TACDL Advanced Cross Seminar. She is an experienced trial attorney with a proven track record of results. A warrior in the courtroom, she brings the heart for the fight in the representation of all of her clients.

LAW OFFICE OF MASSEY MCCLUSKY FUCHS & BALLENGER 3074 East Road, Memphis, TN 38128 901.450.4419 masseymcclusky.com

Taylor is a proud alumna of The University of Memphis. Taylor majored in English with a concentration in professional and persuasive writing. Due to her found joy in research and writing, she pursued a legal career. Taylor has been practicing law for seven years, at both the trial and appellate level, and focuses her practice on family law cases. Taylor takes a very hands-on approach with her clients during each step of their case.

WOMEN to WATCH

ASHLEY MCDURMON

Incoming President and CEO

Barbara Leone May, owner of Travel Leaders Memphis and Collierville, has led her agency with passion for nearly 40 years, creating unforgettable travel experiences. Celebrating her 38th year in the industry, she has visited over 50 countries around the world.

Barbara was the first woman President of the Collierville Rotary Club and recently named 2024 “Person of the Year” by the Collierville Chamber of Commerce.

Barbara also received “Agency of Excellence” by Travel Leaders Network. Her agency specializes in all types of travel. Barbara is part of the Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club, and is a Diamond Elite agency with Delta Vacations. She also writes the travel articles for At Home Magazine of Memphis & Mid-South

TRAVEL LEADERS & CRUISES

901.377.6600 / 901.853.6200

Native Memphian Robbie Ann has built and enjoyed a successful career for 35 years as a Realtor ®. Devoted to her clients, she has helped so many find their next dream home, emphasizing communication and research that lead to informed decisions. Years of repeat business speaks for itself ... now helping another generation of clients! Working with buyers and sellers, her creative problem solving has led to her Life Membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Club.

Ashley McDurmon takes the reigns as Orion President and CEO on Jan. 1, 2025. McDurmon has 20+ years in the industry and has served as Orion’s Executive VP and CFO since 2019. McDurmon is a visionary leader who always challenges the “status quo” to cultivate innovation and an unrivaled customer experience in one of the oldest and most fundamental sectors in the economy — banking. She’s passionate about serving Orion’s membership and the Memphis community.

ORION OrionFCU.com

MULLINS, WHITFIELD, WHITE & HILLIS, PLLC

668 Colonial Road, Suite 4 Memphis, TN 38117

901.527.2000

toyaas@mwwhlaw.com

556 Colonial Road, Memphis, TN 38117

901.450.4011 (o) • 901.461.4448 (c) warejones.com

Pinlac is a Family Nurse Practitioner and the owner of De La Belle Wellness & Spa. Renee received her Master’s of Science in Nursing from Arkansas State University and is certified in Family Practice. She specializes in weight-loss management, endocrinology, and advanced aesthetics, such as platelet-rich plasma injections. Renee also holds certifications in Botox, dermal fillers, laser hair reduction and resurfacing, as well as cellulite reduction and fat destruction. Renee’s 17-plus years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have allowed her to bring a higher level of professionalism and compassion when working with her patients.

• delabelle.net

BARBARA MAY Owner

WARE JONES REALTORS

ROBBIE ANN PAHLOW Affiliate Broker

KIMBROUGH B. MULLINS Attorney

TAYLOR OYAAS Attorney

Renee

RENEE

PINLAC, MSN, FNP Family Nurse Practitioner & Owner

WOMEN to WATCH

MARTHA ROBERTSON

Affiliate Broker

A native Memphian, Martha’s real estate career began when she fused two of her passions — our great city and meeting new people. With nearly 15 years of experience, Martha knows the Memphis area market, and what it takes to create a seamless and successful transaction for buyers and sellers alike. Martha is fully dedicated to her clients; accessible, open, and honest, she makes it a priority to listen to her client’s needs. Her greatest joy is a happy customer, and for that, she’ll go to great lengths!

WARE JONES REALTORS

556 Colonial Road, Memphis, TN 38117 901.450.4011 (o) • 901.486.4612 (c) warejones.com

LEIGH-TAYLOR

WHITE Attorney

Leigh-Taylor White, a partner with Mullins, Whitfield, White & Hillis, PLLC, is a seasoned and principled trial attorney who specializes in a wide variety of family law matters, including divorce, child custody, and asset protection. Leigh-Taylor’s advocacy is vigorous and professional. She listens carefully to clients and uses creative strategies and a strong work ethic to resolve challenging issues on their behalf. Leigh-Taylor represents clients in the trial and appellate courts of Mississippi and Tennessee.

MULLINS, WHITFIELD, WHITE & HILLIS, PLLC

668 Colonial Road, Suite 4 Memphis, TN 38117 901.527.2000 ltwhite@mwwhlaw.com

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MARY-MORGAN WHITFIELD Attorney

Mary-Morgan Whitfield practices family law, including divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, and pre-nuptial agreements. Based in Memphis, MaryMorgan has practiced family law for almost 20 years throughout Mississippi and Tennessee. Mary-Morgan is a board member of the Memphis Bar Foundation, and she is a past president of the Association for Women Attorneys. MaryMorgan obtained her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, her law degree from the University of Mississippi, and is a native of Tupelo, Mississippi.

MULLINS, WHITFIELD, WHITE & HILLIS, PLLC

668 Colonial Road, Suite 4 Memphis, TN 38117 901.527.2000 mmwhitfield@mwwhlaw.com

TO ADVERTISE IN WOMEN to WATCH please contact Margie Neal at: 901.521.9000 or margie@ memphismagazine.com

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Fun Times and Friendship

Bridget Coletta is helping reinvent a new bar in an old space.

BY BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Say the words “ Printer’s Alley” to a seasoned Midtowner and you’re liable to get a big grin and a knowing, if slightly sheepish, look. Printer’s Alley was infamous in its heyday as a late-night/ early-morning destination, and I’ve heard more than one person talk about how they left the place as the sun was rising.

After the sun ﬁnally set on Printer’s Alley in 2021, the space remained dark for three years. e lights ﬂipped back on in the little dive bar on South Cleveland in February. e new joint in the old digs is called Louis Connelly’s Bar for Fun Times and Friendship. e name may be long, but the place has quickly landed on the short list of must-dos for a whole new legion of fans.

“It’s the hottest bar in town,” says bartender Bridget Coletta. “And one of the best things about it is seeing the reaction of people who walk in, and the last time they were here it was Printer’s Alley. ey look around and you can see them thinking, ‘What is going on here?’”

What is going on is a sprucedup (but still funky) joint with excellent and varied bar food, great cocktails, and friendly service, the latter exempliﬁed by Coletta, whose hearty laugh and big smile are unmistakably genuine.

“I’ve only been bartending for two years,” she says, “but I should have been doing this all my life. It’s the perfect job for me. I’m a ﬁrm believer in enjoying what you do for a living.”

Coletta graduated from Bolton High School, then left Memphis for 15 years, working in North Carolina and in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she owned a cell phone kiosk in a mall for eight years. She came back to town a little over two years ago to be closer to her family and hasn’t regretted it.

“I worked at Central Station hotel for a year and a half, and

at Canvas — my brother’s bar — where I still work one night a week,” Coletta says, “but this place has been so much fun. Louis is awesome — a great guy, super funny, lively. is is

“One of our house specialties is called ‘Fuzzy Connection.’ We use Waymar Gin, which is made locally. We add Lo-Fi Aperitif, lemon fizz, and simple syrup. It’s very popular.” — Bridget Coletta

a side project for him but it’s really caught on. It’ll be packed by 10 p.m., then it thins out, and then another crowd will be shoulder-to-shoulder in here around 1 a.m. We’ve built a great clientele in a short time.”

ere’s little doubt in my mind that Coletta has been a big part of that. Her energy is contagious and charming. “My specialty is connecting drinks with names,” she says. “If you order a drink from me, the next time you come in, I’ll have it waiting on the bar for you before you even have to order it, which reminds me to ask you: What kind of drink do you like?”

“I’m pretty ﬂexible,” I say. “I do like gin, if that helps.”

“One of our house specialties is called ‘Fuzzy Connection.’ We use Waymar Gin, which is made locally. I think you’ll really like it.”

“Sounds great. What else is in it?”

“We add Lo-Fi Aperitif, lemon ﬁzz, and simple syrup. It’s very popular.”

After taking a sip, I can see

a “Fuzzy Connection.”

why. It’s a cocktail with no rough edges — not too sweet, not too tart, and very tasty.

As I savor the drink, Coletta busies herself with prep work for the evening’s crowd. It’s Trivia Tuesday and she expects a big house. As I stand to leave and we shake hands, I see a tattooed line of script on her forearm. I’d noticed it earlier and didn’t ask about it, but I’m curious.

“What does the tattoo

on your arm say?” I ask.

“To live without risk is to risk not living,” she says.

Perfect. To which I would add: Take a (very) slight risk and go visit Coletta at Louis Connelly’s Bar for Fun Times and Friendship. You won’t have to stay all night, I promise.

Louis Connelly’s Bar for Fun Times and Friendship is located at 322 S. Cleveland St.

Bridget Coletta with

The Gem of Evergreen

Ecco offers a world of fine flavors, all by way of Italy.

BY ALEX GREENE

Arestaurant’s neighborhood is often part of its ﬂavor proﬁle. Ecco on Overton Park happens to be part of my neighborhood, and I walked there recently for dinner. Strolling up to the door may be the best way to experience Ecco, which feels like part of the tree-lined ambiance outside. I recommend it, whether exploring the adjacent streets beforehand, walking from the park or zoo, or simply sitting on the front patio facing Overton Park Avenue.

Ecco has embraced wholeheartedly its locale in the center of the Evergreen Historic District, the restaurant’s website noting that “surrounding residents have become regulars of the eatery and turned the restaurant into a place of familiar faces and neighborly love.” Indeed, it’s a beautiful perch, situated under the classic stone-chiseled façade of a former Masonic lodge built in the early 1920s. Inside, diners can choose among many nooks and corners for a cozy evening, not to mention an old-school bar. is time, I opted for the covered Garden

Room in the back, full of tables in tranquil, candlelit spaces. e woodwork also makes for good acoustics when Roy Brewer plays classical and ﬂamenco guitar there on weekends. Once you peruse the menu, Ecco’s focus becomes clear. With appetizers like pinzimonio and fritto misto, or pastas like tre formaggi ravioli, troﬁe al pesto, and bucatini all’ amatriciana, the Italian provenance of the cuisine is clear, just in case you hadn’t deduced that from the restaurant’s name itself. (“ e name comes from an Italian phrase that loosely translates to ‘the place to be,’”

Inside, diners can choose among many nooks and corners for a cozy evening, not to mention an oldschool bar. This time, I opted for the covered Garden Room in the back, full of tables in tranquil, candlelit spaces. The woodwork also makes for good acoustics when Roy Brewer plays classical and flamenco guitar there on weekends.

according to Ecco management.) e fact that Ecco describes itself as both “Mediterranean-inspired” and “house-made Italian” should be a clue to the menu’s disparate inﬂuences. at’s been the restaurant’s aesthetic from the beginning, says chef Armando Gagliano. While his mother, Sabine Bachmann, owns the place (along with Libro and Tonica), Gagliano runs it with his two brothers, and says Ecco has always been eclectic.

“She and I were here day one,” he says of Ecco’s beginnings a decade ago. “We wanted to do kind of a lunch deal, with soup, salads, and sandwiches. And we did lunch for a while, but we pivoted at the last moment and went with the dinner route. I prepared this menu, and we had some higher-end items on there, like scallops, steaks, things like that. Yet she was a little apprehensive about the neighborhood

wanting to spend that kind of money, instead of staying with the same lunch style that the previous business had been.”

Once Gagliano’s dinner items caught on, though, there was no turning back. Focusing on the evening service “turned out really well,” he says. “We’ve been selling pasta the entire time, homemade pastas, homemade ravioli, things of that nature, and once we incorporated more expensive items, like some nicely prepared chicken or salmon dishes, over time the neighborhood grew accustomed to the higher-priced items.”

Indeed, as I looked over the menu, the prices seemed quite reasonable for a fine-dining experience, doubly so because I’d arrived during happy hour. And perhaps it was that perfectly mixed gin and tonic that inspired me to splurge on something you don’t see every day: fresh New Bedford sea scallops. e century-old building, the calm professionalism of the staff, the candlelight — all seemed to cry out for the best gastronomical experience that Ecco could offer. I could have chosen from several humbler dishes, from a variety of cooking traditions. “Ecco is centered around Italian cuisine, like all of our pastas,” says Gagliano, “except for the stroganoff, which we’ve had on

Smoked pork loin with jerk seasoning, dirty rice, mango and Jalapeño salsa, and candied oranges.

Sous vide duck breast with mushrooms, wild rice, and a port wine reduction.

the menu for a long time; that’s Russian. I’ve never wanted to have a restaurant that is solely based on one cuisine, because then you pigeonhole yourself into only cooking within the realm of that cuisine’s ingredients and style of cooking. So, outside of the pastas, when we get into the entrées and salads, I like to come up with food that tastes good, that’s maybe a little weird, a little interesting.” at explains some of the tantalizing outliers on the menu, such as the braised bok choy, the Lyonnaise salad, the Ecco burger, or the birria marinated pork ribeye (complete with Mexican cotija cheese and roasted corn).

saltiness, it would prove to be the perfect complement to both the scallops and the ravioli.

Underscoring that it’s worth dining somewhere that does pasta right, the ravioli was perfectly executed. “We use a brown butter that’s infused with sage, and then just garnish it with a bit of fresh parsley,” says Gagliano. e almost-crisp, chewy al dente outer shells reminded me why house-made pastas are so superior, even as, from the sprinkled toppings to the sheer creaminess of the threecheese ﬁlling, the dish oﬀered a range of contrasting textures. It stands to reason that Ecco would do pasta right. In 2017,

Indeed, many of the choices don’t represent any speciﬁc ethnic cuisine, only good, solid sustenance, like the pan-roasted chicken breast, the Atlantic salmon, and the ribeye steak. Something told me not to sleep on the pasta. For starters, I ordered the small serving of the tre formaggi ravioli, stuﬀed with mascarpone, fresh mozzarella, and goat cheese, sprinkled with rosemary salt, crushed pine nuts, parmesan, and fresh parsley. To accompany that, I requested that evening’s house white wine, a Spanish Albariño. With its dry notes of citrus and a hint of

“We get our seafood from Off the Dock Seafood and Inland Seafood. They have a wide variety of any kind of seafood you can think of, that either comes from the Gulf or the East Coast, and they ship the fish really quickly to one of their hubs, and then out to Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, or wherever. They’ve got a pretty good system to get fresh fish from the water to as far inland as Oklahoma.”

— Chef Armando Gagliano

three years after Ecco opened, Gagliano studied at the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he says. “Our classroom/kitchen was right on the banks of the Mediterranean. You could see exactly where a lot of the ingredients came from, just swimming around right outside of the window.”

Speaking of which, once I had cleaned my ravioli plate, the main course appeared — perhaps the most colorful scallop dish I’ve ever seen. A generous portion of seafood was surrounded by roasted carrots, zucchini, and sweet,

bursting cherry tomatoes in vinaigrette. e green of sprinkled watercress set oﬀ those hues, with a smattering of kalamata olives, the entire dish grounded by the earthiness of a Mediterranean garden in the summer.

Amid that tableau, the seared scallops were nestled like the scattered doubloons of a sunken treasure. “We get our seafood from Off the Dock Seafood and Inland Seafood,” says Gagliano. “ ey have a wide variety of any kind of seafood you can think of, that either comes from the Gulf or the East Coast, and they ship the fish really quickly to one of their hubs, and then out to Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, or wherever. ey’ve got a pretty good system to get fresh fish from the water to

as far inland as Oklahoma.” e freshness of these scallops was undeniable, and it didn’t hurt that they were done to perfection, the slightly crisp, seared exterior giving way to an almost creamy, tender center. Added to this was the most piquant element of the dish, the subtle (and very non-Italian) curried cream sauce drizzled over the scallops. Finally, all of it was surrounded by a cauliflower puree, its hummus-like consistency echoing the earthy, roasted flavor of the other vegetables. e balance of aromas, tastes, and textures was a delight, and quite unlike any “pure” cuisine one would find at a restaurant committed to only one flavor tradition. And in the end, that’s what makes Ecco unique: eir dedication to authentic Italian cuisine never eclipses a more questing, curious approach to food. Gagliano sums it up best when he says, “I never want to come up with an idea for a dish, think, ‘Man, this is really good,’ and then be like, ‘I can’t put it on the menu because it’s not Italian.’ ”

Ecco is located at 1585 Overton Park Ave.

Burrata salad with roasted peaches, crispy prosciutto, and white balsamic & honey vinaigrette.

New Bedford sea scallops with summer vegetables, marinated tomatoes, kalamata olives, cauliflower puree, and curried scallop cream sauce.

Memphis Dining Guide

A Curated Guide to Eating Out

Memphis Magazine offers this curated restaurant listing as a service to our readers. Broken down alphabetically by neighborhoods, this directory does not list every restaurant in town. It does, however, include the magazine’s “Top 50” choices of must-try restaurants in Memphis, a group that is updated every August. Establishments open less than a year are not eligible for “Top 50” but are noted as “New.” is guide also includes a representative sampling of other Bluﬀ City eating establishments. No fast-food facilities or cafeterias are listed. Restaurants are included regardless of whether they advertise in Memphis Magazine; those that operate in multiple locations are listed under the neighborhood of their original location. is guide is updated regularly, but we recommend that you call ahead to check on hours, prices, or other details. Suggestions from readers are welcome: dining@memphismagazine.com.

DOWNTOWN

117 PRIME—Restaurateurs Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp team up with Chef Ryan Trimm to recreate the traditional American steakhouse. Serving oysters on the half shell and a variety of surf and turf options. 117 Union. 433-9851. L, D, WB, X, $-$$$

ALDO’S PIZZA PIES—Serving gourmet pizzas — including Mr. T Rex — salads, and more. Also 30 beers, bottled or on tap. 100 S. Main. 577-7743; 752 S. Cooper. 725-7437. L, D, X, $-$$

AMELIA GENE’S—Globally inspired ﬁne-dining cuisine at the One Beale project, including Rohan duck, Wagyu ﬁlet, and an extensive cheese cart. 255 S. Front. 686-5051. D, X, $$-$$$

THE ARCADE—Possibly Memphis’ oldest cafe. Specialties include sweet potato pancakes, a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, and breakfast served all day. 540 S. Main. 526-5757. B, L, D (Thurs.-Sat.), X, MRA, $

ARNOLD’S SMOKEHOUSE—A classic smokehouse with vegan and nonvegan options seasoned to perfection. Closed Mon. 2019 E. Person Ave. 922-5950. L, D, SB, X, $-$$$ AUTOMATIC SLIM’S—Longtime Downtown favorite specializes in contemporary American cuisine emphasizing local ingredients; also extensive martini list. 83 S. Second. 525-7948. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$

BARDOG TAVERN—Classic American grill with Italian inﬂuence, Bardog offers pasta specialties such as Grandma’s NJ Meatballs, as well as salads, sliders, sandwiches, and daily specials. 73 Monroe. 275-8752. B (Mon.-Fri.), L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$ BEDROCK EATS & SWEETS—Memphis’ only Paleo-centric restaurant, offering such dishes as pot roast, wafﬂes, enchiladas, chicken salad, omelets, and more. Closed for dinner Sun. 327 S. Main. 409-6433. B, L, D, X, $-$$

CAROLINA WATERSHED—This indoor/outdoor eatery, set around silos, features reimagined down-home classics, including fried green tomatoes with smoked catﬁsh, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, burgers, and more. Closed Mon.-Thurs. 141 E. Carolina. 321-5553. L, D, WB, $-$$

CATHERINE & MARY’S—A variety of pastas, grilled quail, pâté, razor clams, and monkﬁsh are among the dishes served at this Italian restaurant in the Chisca. 272 S. Main. 254-8600. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

CHEF TAM’S UNDERGROUND CAFE—Serves Southern staples with a Cajun twist. Menu items include totchoes, jerk wings, fried chicken, and “muddy” mac and cheese. Closed Sun. and Mon. 668 Union Ave. 207-6182. L, D, X, $-$$

DINING SYMBOLS

B — breakfast

L — lunch

D — dinner

SB — Sunday brunch

WB — weekend brunch

CHEZ PHILIPPE—Classical/contemporary French cuisine with Asian and Nordic inﬂuences, presented in a luxurious atmosphere with seasonal tasting menus from chef Keith Clinton. Afternoon tea served Thu-Sun., noon-3:30 p.m. (reservations required). Closed Sun.-Tues. The Peabody, 149 Union. 529-4188. D, X, MRA, $$$$ CIMAS—It’s breakfast tacos, shrimp and grits, chilaquiles verdes, and plenty of other Southern and Latin-American twists at the Hyatt Centric. 33 Beale St. 444-3232. B, L, D, X, $-$$$

X— wheelchair accessible

MRA — member, Memphis Restaurant Association

$ — under $15 per person without drinks or desserts

$$ — under $25

$$$ — $26-$50

$$$$ — over $50

BELLE TAVERN—Serving elevated bar food, including a butcher board with a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as daily specials. 117 Barboro Alley. 249-6580. L (Sun.), D, MRA, $

BEN YAY’S GUMBO SHOP—Spiritual successor to DejaVu, offering fresh and authentic Creole staples. 51 S. Main St., 779-4125. L, D, X, $-$$

BISHOP—Ticer and Hudman’s newest venture at the Central Station Hotel features upscale dishes in a French brasserie style. 545 S. Main St., 524-5247. L, D, X, $$-$$$

BRASS DOOR IRISH PUB—Irish and New-American cuisine includes such entrees as ﬁsh and chips, burgers, shepherd’s pie, all-day Irish breakfast, and more. 152 Madison. 572-1813. L, D, SB, $-$$ BY THE BREWERY—Breakfast and lunch café, with a focus on Southern-style biscuits, salads, and soups. 496 Tennessee St. 310-4341. B, L, $

CAFE KEOUGH—European-style cafe serving quiche, paninis, salads, and more. 12 S. Main. 509-2469. B, L, D, X, $

CAPRICCIO GRILL ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE—Offers prime steaks, fresh seafood (lobster tails, grouper, mahi mahi), pasta, and several Northern Italian specialties. 149 Union, The Peabody. 529-4199. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$$

COCOZZA AMERICAN ITALIAN—”The red sauce joint of your dreams” serves up classic Italian-American fare from the owners of Majestic Grille. Closed Sun. 110 Harbor Town Sq. 609-1111. D, X, $-$$

COZY CORNER—Serving up ribs, pork sandwiches, chicken, spaghetti, and more; also homemade banana pudding. Closed Mon. 735 N. Parkway. 527-9158. L, D, $

CURFEW—An elevated sports bar/American tavern concept by Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani at the Canopy Memphis Downtown hotel. 164 Union Ave. B, L, D, X, $-$$ DOS HERMANOS KITCHEN—Breakfast and lunch concept by Eli Townsend in the Cossitt Library. 33 S. Front. 286-2399. B, L, $ ESCO RESTAURANT AND TAPAS—Shareable dishes, turkey ribs, and seafood mac’n’cheese at this 2 Chainz franchise. 156 Lt. George W. Lee Ave. 808-3726. L, D, $$-$$$

FEAST & GRAZE—Whipped goat toast, open-faced grilled cheese, and other local pantry snacks and charcuterie boards. Closed Sun./Mon. 55 S. Main. 654-5926. L, X, $

FERRARO’S CHEESY CORNER & PIZZERIA—Plenty of pizzas, along with a whole new cheese-inspired menu (fancy grilled cheeses and build-your-own mac and cheese bowls). 111 Jackson. 522-2033. L, D, X, $ FISHBOWL AT THE PYRAMID—Burgers, ﬁsh dishes, sandwiches, and more served in a unique “underwater” setting. Bass Pro, 1 Bass Pro Drive, 291-8000. B, L, D, X, $-$$

FLIGHT RESTAURANT & WINE BAR—Serves steaks and seafood, along with such specialties as bison ribeye and Muscovy duck, all matched with appropriate wines. 39 S. Main. 521-8005. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

FLYING FISH—Serves up fried and grilled versions of shrimp, crab, oysters, ﬁsh tacos, and catﬁsh; also chicken and burgers. 105 S. Second. 522-8228. L, D, X, $-$$

GARDEN BRUNCH CAFÉ—Fish and grits, steak and eggs, and other upscale takes on Southern brunch classics. 492 S. Main St. 249-7450. B, L, $$

GOOD FORTUNE CO.—Authentic handcrafted noodles, ramen, and dumplings. 361 S. Main. 561-306-4711. L, D, X, $-$$

THE GENRE—Burgers, tenders, catﬁsh, and plenty of vegan options made to order at this music-themed restaurant/lounge. 200 Poplar, Suite 105. 410-8169. B, L, D, X, $-$$

GUS’S WORLD FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN—Serves chicken with signature spicy batter, along with homemade beans, slaw, and pies. 310 S. Front. 527-4877; 3100 Forest Hill Irene (Germantown). 853-6005; 2965 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 373-9111; 730 S. Mendenhall. 767-2323; 505 Highway 70 W., Mason, TN. 901-294-2028. L, D, X, MRA, $

HAPPY MEXICAN—Serves quesadillas, burritos, chimichangas, vegetable and seafood dishes, and more. 385 S. Second. 529-9991; 6080 Primacy Pkwy. 683-0000; 7935 Winchester. 751-5353. L, D, X, $ HIVE BAGEL & DELI Bagels, bagels, and more bagels at this new Downtown deli offering baked goods, sandwiches, and salads. Closed Mon./Tue. 276 S. Front St. 509-2946. B, L, $

HU. ROOF—Rooftop cocktail bar with superb city views serves toasts with a variety of toppings including beef tartare with cured egg, cognac, and capers or riced cauliﬂower with yellow curry, currants, and almonds. Also salads, ﬁsh tacos, and boiled peanut hummus. 79 Madison. 3331229. D, X, $

HUSTLE & DOUGH BAKERY & CAFE—Flaky, baked breakfast goodness every day with fresh pastries, sandwiches, and more at Arrive Hotel. 477 S. Main St., 701-7577. B, L, X, $

IBIS—Upscale cocktail bar serving sharable small plates, including lobster rolls, crab cakes, and lamb meatballs, alongside select larger entrees. Closed Mon.-Wed. 314 S. Main. 748-5187. D, X, $-$$

INKWELL—Unique craft concoctions, charcuterie plates, ﬂatbreads, and sandwiches at this dope cocktail bar. Closed Mon.-Tue. 631 Madison Ave. 334-9411. D, X, $-$$

ITTA BENA—Southern and Cajun-American cuisine served here, conveniently located above B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale St.; specialties are duck and wafﬂes and shrimp and grits, along with steaks, chops, seafood, and pasta. 145 Beale St. 578-3031. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$

KINFOLK—Breakfast with a side of nostalgia in Harbor Town. Specialties include biscuit sandwiches, steak and omelet plate, and brown butter mushrooms with jammy egg over grits. 111 Harbor Town Square. 457.5463. B, L, SB, WB, $-$$

KING & UNION BAR GROCERY—Classic Southern favorites including catfish plate, pimento cheese, po-boys, chicken & waffles. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with cocktails served with flair and favorite Memphis beers. Locally made confections available in the grocery. 185 Union Ave. 523-8500. B, L, D, $-$$

KOOKY CANUCK—Offers prime rib, catﬁsh, and burgers, including the 4-lb. “Kookamonga”; also late-night menu. 87 S. Second. 578-9800; 1250 N. Germantown Pkwy. 1-800-2453 L, D, X, MRA, $-$$$

LITTLE BETTIE—New Haven-style pizzas and snacks from the AndrewMichael team at Wiseacre’s Downtown location. 398 S. B.B. King Blvd. 334-9411. L, D, $-$$

THE LOBBYIST AT THE CHISCA—Chef Jimmy Gentry brings his farm-to-table ideas Downtown, with seasonal, and sometimes weekly, new menus, and an emphasis on creative vegetable dishes. Closed Sun. 272 S. Main St., Suite 101. 249-2170. D, $$-$$$$

LOCAL—Entrees with a focus on locally sourced products include lobster mac-and-cheese and rib-eye patty melt; menu differs by location. 95 S. Main. 473-9573. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

LOFLIN YARD—Beer garden and restaurant serves vegetarian fare and smoked-meat dishes, including beef brisket and pork tenderloin, cooked on a custom-made grill. Closed Mon.-Tues. 7 W. Carolina. 249-3046. L (Sat. and Sun.), D, MRA, X, $-$$

LONGSHOT—A wide variety of international fusion dishes and craft cocktails with a side of shufﬂeboard. 477 S. Main. D, $-$$

THE LOOKOUT AT THE PYRAMID—Serves seafood and Southern fare, including cornmeal-fried oysters, sweet tea brined chicken, and elk chops. 1 Bass Pro Dr. 620-4600/291-8200. L, D, X, $-$$$

LUNA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE—Serving a limited menu of breakfast and lunch items. Dinner entrees include citrus glaze salmon and Cajun stuffed chicken. 179 Madison (Hotel Napoleon). 526-0002. B, D (Mon.-Sat.), X, $-$$$

MACIEL’S—Entrees include tortas, fried taco plates, quesadillas, chorizo and pastor soft tacos, salads, and more. Closed Sun. 45 S. Main. 526-0037, X, MRA, $

THE MAJESTIC GRILLE—Features aged steaks, fresh seafood, and such specialties as roasted chicken and grilled pork tenderloin; offers a pre-theater menu and classic cocktails. Well-stocked bar. 145 S. Main. 522-8555. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$

McEWEN’S—Southern/American cuisine with international ﬂavors; specialties include steak and seafood, sweet potato-crusted catﬁsh with macaroni and cheese, and more. Closed Sun., Monroe location. 120 Monroe. 527-7085; 1110 Van Buren (Oxford). 662-234-7003. L, D, SB (Oxford only), X, MRA, $$-$$$

MESQUITE CHOP HOUSE—The focus here is on steaks, including prime ﬁllet, rib-eyes, and prime-aged New York strip; also, some seafood options. 5960 Getwell (Southaven). 662-890-2467; 88 Union. 5275337. 249-5661. D, SB, X, $$-$$$

MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE—Specializes in tapas (small plates) featuring global cuisine. Closed Sun.-Tues. 679 Adams Ave. 524-1886. D, X, MRA, $

MOMMA’S ROADHOUSE—This diner and dive at Highway 55 serves up smoked wings, burgers, and beer, among other solid bar-food options 855 Kentucky. 207-5111. L, D, MRA, $

NEW WING ORDER The award-winning food truck cooks up its signature hot wings at its ﬁrst physical location, at Ghost River on Beale. Closed Mon./Tue. 341 Beale. L, D, $-$$

THE NINE THAI & SUSHI—Serving authentic Thai dishes, including curries, as well as a variety of sushi rolls. Closed for lunch Sat. and Sun. 121 Union. 208-8347. L, D, X, $-$$

PAPER PLATE PAVILION—Popular food truck serves up brisket mac and cheese and more favorites at Tom Lee Park. Riverside Dr. L, X, $-$$

PAULETTE’S—Presents fine dining with a Continental flair, including such entrees as filet Paulette with butter cream sauce and crabmeat and spinach crepes; also changing daily specials and great views. River Inn. 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3300. B, L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$

PENNY’S NITTY GRITTY—Coach Penny Hardaway brings plenty of Southern ﬂavors and lots of customizable grits. 220 S. B.B. King Blvd. 334-5950. B, L, D, $$-$$$

PRETTY TACO Fast casual tacos with a Memphis twist, like the Soul Burger tacos. Closed Sun./Mon. 265 S. Front St. 509-8120. L, D, $-$$

PROMISE South Main soul food restaurant (think turkey necks, meatloaf, fried catﬁsh) using old family recipes. Closed Sun./Mon. 412 S. Main. L, D, $-$$

RAW GIRLS—Raw and hot plant-based food alongside cold-pressed juices made from seasonal, locally grown sources. Closed Sun. 150 Peabody Pl., Suite 118. 207-5463. B, L, D, $-$$

RENDEZVOUS, CHARLES VERGOS’—Menu items include barbecued ribs, cheese plates, skillet shrimp, red beans and rice, and Greek salads. Closed Sun.-Mon. 52 S. Second. 523-2746. L (Fri.Sat.), D, X, $-$$

SABOR CARIBE—Serving up “Caribbean ﬂavors” with dishes from Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Closed Sunday. 662 Madison. 949-8100. L, D, X, $

SAGE—Restaurant and lounge features daily lunch specials and tapas with such dishes as braised short ribs, teriyaki pulled pork, and the Sage burger made with Angus beef, avocado mash, fried egg, and ﬂash-fried sage. 94 S. Main. 672-7902. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

SILLY GOOSE LOUNGE—Gourmet, wood-ﬁred pizzas and handcrafted cocktails at this Downtown restaurant and lounge. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 111. 435-6915. L, D, X, $

SMURFEY’S SMOKEHOUSE—The beloved food truck has found a permanent home for their famous loaded nachos and fries with plans of adding breakfast soon. Closed Sun. and Mon. 149 Madison Ave. 337-7966. L, D, X, $-$$

SOUTH MAIN SUSHI & GRILL—Serving sushi, nigiri, and more. 520 S. Main. 249-2194. L, D, X, $

SOB—Elevated gastropub that serves favorites like general Tso’s cauliﬂower or duck fried rice. 345 S. Main. 526-0388; 5040 Sanderlin (East Memphis). 818-0821; 1329 W. Poplar Ave. 286-1360. L, D, WB, X , $-$$

SOUTH POINT GROCERY—Fresh and delicious sandwiches made to order at Downtown’s new grocery market. 136 Webster Ave. B, L, D, X, $

SUGAR GRITS—Who said breakfast has to be in the morning? The Westmorelands offer grits and other breakfast goodness all day long, in addition to other Southern-style lunch and dinner options. 150 Peabody Pl., Suite 111. 249-5206. B, L, D, X, $-$$

SUNRISE MEMPHIS—Serves breakfast all day, including house-made biscuits, frittatas, kielbasa or boudin plates, and breakfast platters. 670 Jefferson. 552-3144; 5469 Poplar Ave. (East Memphis). 844-6117. B, L, X, MRA, $

SUPPER CLUB ON 2ND—Fine dining and urban bistro styles collide at this snazzy, chic restaurant, featuring gold-encrusted tomahawk steaks, a deep sea lobster dawg, fancy cocktails, and plenty of other elevated goodies. 85 S. 2nd St. 453-6334. D, WB, X, $$-$$$

TALK SHOP—Southern-style cuisine, a breakfast bar, and plenty of other cool dishes and drinks at the Caption by Hyatt. 245 S. Front St. B, L, D, X, $-$$

TERRACE—Creative American and Continental cuisine includes such dishes as filet mignon, beef or lamb sliders, chicken satay, and mushroom pizzetta. Rooftop, River Inn of Harbor Town, 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3366. D, X, MRA, $$

TEXAS DE BRAZIL—Serves beef, pork, lamb, and chicken dishes, and Brazilian sausage; also a salad bar with extensive toppings. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 103. 526-7600. L (Wed.-Fri.), D, WB, X, $$-$$$ THE GARDEN BRUNCH CAFÉ—Leaving their Nashville roots, a unique and healthy brunch spot in the heart of Downtown. Closed Mon.—Thurs. 492 S. Main St. 249-7450. B, SB, WB, X, $-$$$

TUG’S—Famous for New Orleans gumbo, fabulous burgers, fried thin catfish, and specialty pancakes. Now serving Grisanti Crafted Pizza. 51 Harbor Town Square. 260-3344. B, L, D, WB, X, $$-$$$

WAHLBURGERS WILD—Wahlburgers brings its classic menu, but with a few gamey twists at the Bass Pro Pyramid. 1 Bass Pro Drive. B, L, D, X, $-$$

WESTY’S—Extensive menu includes a variety of wild rice dishes, sandwiches, plate lunches, and hot fudge pie. 346 N. Main. 543-3278. L, D, X, $

WINGMAN—Downtown lounge and hookah bar offering wings galore with ten signature sauces, and plenty of other goodies. 143 Madison Ave. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

MIDTOWN (INCLUDES THE MEDICAL CENTER)

ABNER’S FAMOUS CHICKEN—Fried chicken tenders and dipping sauces galore at this Mid-South staple. 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 137. 425-2597; (East Memphis) 1591 Poplar Ave. 509-3351; (Cordova) 1100 N. Germantown Pkwy. 754-5355. L, D, $-$$

ABYSSINIA RESTAURANT—Ethiopian/Mediterranean menu includes beef, chicken, lamb, fish entrees, and vegetarian dishes; also a lunch buffet. 2600 Poplar. 321-0082. L, D, X, $-$$

ALCHEMY/ SALT|SOY—Handcrafted cocktails and local craft beers with the Asian fusion dining concept from Salt|Soy. 940 S. Cooper. 726-4444. D, SB, X, $-$$

ART BAR—Inventive cocktails feature locally foraged ingredients; snacks include house-cured salt & vinegar potato chips and herb-roasted olives. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue #280. 507-8030. D, X, $ ASHTAR GARDEN—Southern twists on classic brunch dishes, and plenty of cocktails. Closed Mon.-Wed. 898 Cooper St. 4431514. L, D, $-$$

BABALU TACOS & TAPAS—This eatery dishes up Spanish-style tapas with Southern flair; also taco and enchilada of the day; specials change daily. 2115 Madison. 274-0100; 6450 Poplar, 410-8909. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$

BACK DO / MI YARD—A revamped patio space behind The Beauty Shop features rotisserie meats and fishes via Brazilian-style outdoor grill. Dinner Wed.-Sat., weather permitting. 966 S. Cooper, 272-7111. D, X, $$

BAIN BARBECUE & BAKERY—Brian Bain’s popular Texas-style barbecue is back, alongside an assortment of baked goods. 993 S. Cooper. 310-4141. B, L, X, $-$$

BAR DKDC—Features an ever-changing menu of international “street food,” from Thai to Mexican, Israeli to Indian, along with specialty cocktails. 964 S. Cooper. 272-0830. D, X , MRA, $

BAR KEOUGH—It’s old-school eats and cocktails at the new CooperYoung neighborhood corner bar by Kevin Keough. 247 Cooper St. D, X , $ BAR-B-Q SHOP—Dishes up barbecued ribs, spaghetti, bologna, other classics. Closed Sun. 1782 Madison. 272-1277. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

BARI RISTORANTE ENOTECA—Authentic Southeastern Italian cuisine (Puglia) emphasizes lighter entrees. Serves fresh fish and beef dishes and a homemade soup of the day. 524 S. Cooper. 722-2244. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

BARKSDALE RESTAURANT—Old-school diner serving breakfast and Southern plate lunches. 237 S. Cooper. 722-2193. B, L, D, X, $

BAYOU BAR & GRILL—New Orleans fare at this Overton Square eatery includes jambalaya, gumbo, catfish Acadian, shrimp dishes, red

beans and rice, and muffalettas. 2094 Madison. 278-8626. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$

BEAUTY SHOP—Modern American cuisine with international flair served in a former beauty shop. Serves steaks, salads, pasta, and seafood, including pecan-crusted golden sea bass. Perennial “Best Brunch” winner. Closed for dinner Sunday. 966 S. Cooper. 272-7111. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

BOSCOS—Tennessee’s first craft brewery serves a variety of freshly brewed beers as well as wood-fired oven pizzas, pasta, seafood, steaks, and sandwiches. 2120 Madison. 432-2222. L, D, SB (with live jazz), X, MRA, $-$$

BOUNTY ON BROAD—Offering family-style dining, Bounty serves small plates and family-sized platters, with such specialties as chicken-fried quail and braised pork shank. 2519 Broad. 410-8131. L (Sat. and Sun.), D (Mon.-Sat.), SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

BROADWAY PIZZA—Serving a variety of pizzas, including the Broadway Special, as well as sandwiches, salads, wings, and soul-food specials. 2581 Broad. 454-7930; 627 S. Mendenhall. 207-1546. L, D, X, $-$$

CAFE 1912—French/American bistro owned by culinary pioneer Glenn Hays serving such seafood entrees as seared sea scallops with charred cauliflower purée and chorizo cumin sauce; also crepes, salads, and onion soup gratinée. 243 S. Cooper. 722-2700. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

CAFE ECLECTIC—Omelets and chicken and waffles are among menu items, along with quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Menu varies by location. 603 N. McLean. 725-1718; 111 Harbor Town Square. 590-4645. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $

CAFE OLÉ—This eatery specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine; one specialty is the build-your-own quesadilla. 959 S. Cooper. 343-0103. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$

CAFE PALLADIO—Serves gourmet salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts in a tea room inside the antiques shop. Closed Sun. 2169 Central. 278-0129. L, X, $

CAMEO—Three longtime Memphis bartenders join forces for creative cocktails, cheese boards, snacks, and Sunday brunch. 1835 Union Ave., Suite 3. 305-6511. D, SB, $-$$

CELTIC CROSSING—Specializes in Irish and American pub fare. Entrees include shepherd’s pie, shrimp and sausage coddle, and fish and chips. 903 S. Cooper. 274-5151. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$

CENTRAL BBQ—Serves ribs, smoked hot wings, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, turkey, nachos, and portobello sandwiches. Offers both pork and beef barbecue. 2249 Central Ave. 272-9377; 4375 Summer Ave. 767-4672; 147 E. Butler. 672-7760 ; 6201 Poplar. 4177962. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

COMPLICATED PILGRIM—Quick-serve coffee shop, bar, and restaurant all in one at The Memphian hotel. 21 S. Cooper St. 538-7309. B, L, D, $-$$

THE COVE—Nautical-themed restaurant and bar serving oysters, pizzas, and more. The Stoner Pie, with tamales and fritos, is a popular dish. 2559 Broad. 730-0719. L, D, $

THE CRAZY NOODLE—Korean noodle dishes range from bibam beef noodle with cabbage, carrots, and other vegetables, to curry chicken noodle; also rice cakes served in a flavorful sauce. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 2015 Madison. 272-0928. L, D, X, $

EAT AT BLACK LODGE—High-end breakfasts, like waffle grilled cheese sandwiches, nacho and tater-tot “tot-chos,” and other entrees like sweet spicy thai pork at the longtime video store. Now with Masquerade cocktail bar. Closed Mon./Tue. 405 N. Cleveland. 672-7905. L, D, X, $-$$

ECCO—Mediterranean-inspired specialties range from rib-eye steak to seared scallops to housemade pastas and a grilled vegetable plate; also a Saturday brunch. Closed Sun.-Mon. 1585 Overton Park. 410-8200. B, L, D, X, $-$$

EVELYN & OLIVE—Jamaican/Southern fusion cuisine includes such dishes as Kingston stew fish, Rasta Pasta, and jerk rib-eye. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun.-Mon. 150 N. Avalon St. 748-5422. L, D, X , $

FABIOLA’S KITCHEN—Longtime caterer Fabiola Francis serves up burgers, tacos, fish, and much more. 1353 Jackson Ave. B, L, $ FARM BURGER—Serves grass-fed, freshly ground, locally sourced burgers; also available with chicken, pork, or veggie quinoa patties, with such toppings as aged white cheddar, kale coleslaw, and roasted beets. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 175. 800-1851. L, D, X, $ THE FARMER AT RAILGARTEN—Farmer classics include panseared catfish, gulf shrimp and grits, or a Gibson donut bread pudding. Closed Mon./Tue. 2166 Central. 313-0087. D, X, $-$$

FINO’S FROM THE HILL—Italian deli offers old favorites such as the Acquisto as well as a new breakfast menu Germantown location paired

with Happy Glaze Donuts. 1853 Madison. 272-FINO; 7781 Farmington Blvd. (Germantown). B, L, D, X, $

FLAME RAMEN—Traditional Japanese ramen restaurant serving up bowls of noodles in Midtown. 1838 Union Ave. 779-8666; 61 S. Second St., Suite 160 (Downtown). D, $-$$

FLIP SIDE—Pinball meets pub in the Crosstown neighborhood, with plenty of games alongside a Caribbean- and Latin-inspired menu. Closed Mon. 1349 Autumn Ave. 207-6193. L, D, X, $-$$

FRIDA’S—Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex standards, including chimichangas, enchiladas, and fajitas; seafood includes shrimp and tilapia. 1718 Madison. 244-6196. L, D, X, $-$$

GLOBAL CAFÉ—This international food hall hosts three immigrant/ refugee food entrepreneurs serving Venezuelan, Sudanese, and Syrian cuisines. Samosas, shawarma, and kabobs are among the menu items. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 157. L, D, X, MRA, $

GOLDEN INDIA—Northern Indian specialties include tandoori chicken as well as lamb, beef, shrimp, and vegetarian dishes. 2097 Madison. 728-5111. L, D, X, $-$$

GROWLERS—Sports bar and eatery serves standard bar fare in addition to pasta, tacos, chicken and waffles, and light options. 1911 Poplar. 244-7904. L, D, X, $-$$

GUAC FRESH MEX—Authentic Mexican cuisine and four types of guacamole. Closed Sun. 782 Washington Ave. 587-4100. L, D, X, $

HATTIE B’S—Fried chicken spot features “hot chicken” with a variety of heat levels; from no heat to “shut the cluck up” sauce. Sides include greens, pimento mac-and-cheese, and black-eyed pea salad. 596 S. Cooper. 424-5900. L, D, X, $

HUEY’S—This family-friendly restaurant offers 13 different burgers, a variety of sandwiches, and delicious soups and salads. 1927 Madison. 726-4372; 1771 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 7543885; 77 S. Second (Downtown). 527-2700; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-4455; 7090 Malco Blvd. (Southaven). 662-349-7097; 7825 Winchester. 624-8911; 4872 Poplar. 682-7729; 7677 Farmington Blvd. (Germantown). 318-3030; 8570 Highway 51 N. (Millington). 873-5025. L, D, X, MRA, $ IMAGINE VEGAN CAFE—Dishes at this fully vegan restaurant range from salads and sandwiches to full dinners, including eggplant parmesan and “beef” tips and rice; breakfast all day Sat. and Sun. 2158 Young. 654-3455. L, D, WB, X, $

INDIA PALACE—Tandoori chicken, lamb shish kabobs, and chicken tikka masala are among the entrees; also, vegetarian options and a daily all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. 1720 Poplar. 278-1199. L, D, X, $-$$

INSPIRE COMMUNITY CAFE—Serving breakfast all day, in addition to quesadillas, rice bowls, and more for lunch and dinner. 510 Tillman, Suite 110. 509-8640. B, L, D, X, $

JACK’S BROWN BEER AND BURGER JOINT—Another spot to satisfy your burger craving this time with 100% American Wagyu beef. 2197 Central Ave. 512-6957. L, D, X, $-$$$

KNIFEBIRD—Neighborhood wine bar boasts plenty of flights, cocktails, and mocktails alongside bruschetta and charcuterie boards. Closed Sun. 2155 Central Ave. 748-5425. D, $-$$$

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM—Serves such Southern cuisine as po’boys, shrimp and grits, and wood-fired pizzas. 2119 Madison. 2075097. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$

LOS COMALES—Authentic Mexican cuisine, daily specials, and strong margaritas. 1322 Madison. 440-8393; 345 Madison Ave (Downtown). 590-4524; 2860 S. Perkins (East Memphis). 369-0528. L, D, X, $-$$

THE LIQUOR STORE—Renovated liquor store turned diner serves all-day breakfast, sandwiches, and entrees such as Salisbury steak and smothered pork chops. 2655 Broad. 405-5477; 669 S. Mendenhall Rd. (East Memphis). B, L, D, X, $-$$

LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR FOR FUN TIMES & FRIENDSHIP—An upgraded dive bar with a neighborhood feel and a rockin’ SMASH burger. Closed Sun. and Mon. 322 S. Cleveland St. 433-9582. L, D, X, $-$$

MAXIMO’S ON BROAD—Serving a tapas menu that features creative fusion cuisine; entrees include veggie paella and fish of the day. Closed Mon. 2617 Broad Ave. 452-1111. D, SB, X, $-$$

MEMPHIS PIZZA CAFE—Homemade pizzas are specialties; also serves sandwiches, calzones, and salads. 2087 Madison. 726-5343; 5061 Park Ave. 684-1306; 7604 W. Farmington (Germantown). 7532218; 797 W. Poplar (Collierville). 861-7800; 5627 Getwell (Southaven). 662-536-1364. L, D, X, $-$$

MEMPHIS WHISTLE—Cocktails, cocktails, and even more delicious cocktails alongside burgers, sandwiches, and other tasty snacks. 2299 Young Ave. Closed Mon.-Tue. 236-7136. D, X, $-$$

MOLLY’S LA CASITA—Homemade tamales, fish tacos, a vegetarian combo, and bacon-wrapped shrimp are a few of the specialties. 2006 Madison. 726-1873. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

PAYNE’S BAR-B-QUE—Opened in 1972, this family-owned barbecue joint serves ribs, smoked sausage, and chopped pork sandwiches with a standout mustard slaw and homemade sauce. About as down-to-earth as it gets. 1762 Lamar. 272-1523. L, D, $-$$

THE PUBLIC BISTRO—Knifebird owners’ full-service American bistro with a menu by chef Gannon Hamilton. 937 S. Cooper St. Closed Sun. 509-2113. D, $-$$

ROBATA RAMEN & YAKITORI BAR—Serves ramen noodle bowls and Yakitori skewers as well as rice and noodle dishes. 2116 Madison. 410-8290. L, D, X, $

SALTWATER CRAB—Offers an array of seafood dishes including boils with blue crab, crab legs, lobster tails, and more, and specialty sushi like the Dynamite or Royal King rolls, in addition to signature sangrias and cocktails. 2059 Madison Ave. 922-5202. L, D, X, $$

THE SECOND LINE—Kelly English brings “relaxed Creole cuisine” to his newest eatery; serves a variety of po’boys and such specialties as barbecue shrimp, andouille shrimp, and pimento cheese fries. 2144 Monroe. 590-2829. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

SEKISUI—Japanese fusion cuisine, fresh sushi bar, grilled meats and seafood, California rolls, and vegetarian entrees. Poplar/ Perkins location’s emphasis is on Pacific Rim cuisine. Menu and hours vary at each location. 25 Belvedere. 725-0005; 1884 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 309-8800; 4724 Poplar. 767-7770; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-0622; 2990 Kirby-Whitten (Bartlett). 377-2727; 6696 Poplar. 747-0001. L, D, X, $-$$$

SHROOMLICIOUS MEALS—Vegan eatery with a heavy blend of (as the name implies) mushrooms. Closed Mon. and Tues. 394 N. Watkins St. 205-8413. L, D, X, $ SLICE MIDTOWN—Serving New York-style pizza as well as subs and pasta dishes (formerly known as Little Italy). 1495 Union. 725-0280; L, D, X, $-$$

SOUL FISH CAFE—Serving Southern-style soul food, tacos, and po’boys, including catfish, crawfish, oyster, shrimp, chicken, and smoked pork tenderloin. 862 S. Cooper. 725-0722; 3160 Village Shops Dr. (Germantown). 755-6988; 4720 Poplar. 590-0323. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ STICKEM—Brick-and-mortar location for the popular food truck, which offers grilled meat on a stick. 1788 Madison. Closed Sunday. 474-7214. L, D, X, $

TAMBOLI’S PASTA & PIZZA—Pasta-maker Miles Tamboli whips up Italian soul food with seasonal menus featuring dishes like crispy fried chicken or creamy bucatini with pecorino cheese. Serves dinner Tues.-Sat. 1761 Madison. 410-8866. D, X, $-$$

TAKASHI BISTRO—Fusion restaurant with an open kitchen that lets customers watch chefs prepare a variety of Japanese and Thai cuisine. 1680 Union Ave., Suite 109. 800-2936. L, D, $-$$.

TJ MULLIGAN’S—Cold drinks, comfort food, and plenty of live entertainment. 2021 Madison. 725-0770; 1817 Kirby Pkwy (East Memphis). 755-2481; 8070 Trinity Rd. #1 (Cordova). 756-4480; 2821 N. Houston Levee Rd (Lakeland). 377-9997. L, D, X, $-$$

TONICA—Paella and other Spanish-inspired dishes with an Italian touch, alongside an extensive list of gin and tonics. 1545 Overton Park. Closed Mon.-Wed. D, X, $-$$

TSUNAMI—Features Pacific Rim cuisine (Asia, Australia, South Pacific, etc.); also a changing “small plate” menu. Chef Ben Smith is a Cooper-Young pioneer. Specialties include Asian nachos and roasted sea bass. Closed Sunday. 928 S. Cooper. 274-2556. D, X,, MRA, $$-$$$

TUYEN’S ASIAN BISTRO—A variety of Asian dishes from the minds and chefs behind Saigon Le. Closed Sun. 288 N. Cleveland. L, D, X, $-$$

VIBE FOODS—By way of Colorado, superfood bar serves up clean and delicious meals and juices. Closed Sun. 1350 Concourse Ave. 572-1127; 3139 Poplar Ave. (East Memphis). 207-2535. B, L, X, $-$$

ZINNIE’S—Dive bar classic reopens with a makeover and signature Zinnaloni sandwich. 1688 Madison. 726-5004. L, D, X, $

SOUTH MEMPHIS (INCLUDES PARKWAY VILLAGE, FOX MEADOWS, SOUTH MEMPHIS, WINCHESTER, AND WHITEHAVEN)

BALA’S BISTRO—Authentic West African cuisine available to order or by the pound, alongside traditional American dishes and an extensive vegan menu. 4571 Elvis Presley Blvd. 509-3024. L, D, $-$$

CACHE 42 KITCHEN & COCKTAILS—Elevated fine dining (think golden rack of lamb or lobster queso) and cocktail lounge at MoneyBagg

Yo’s restaurant; menu by chef Daris Leatherwood. Brunch and lunch options coming soon. 4202 Hacks Cross Rd., Suite 121. 494-5458. D, $-$$

COLETTA’S—Longtime eatery serves such specialties as homemade ravioli, lasagna, and pizza with barbecue or traditional toppings. 1063 S. Parkway E. 948-7652; 2850 Appling Rd. (Bartlett). 383-1122. L, D, X, $-$$

CURRY BOWL—Specializes in Southern Indian cuisine, serving Tandoori chicken, biryani, tikka masala, and more. Weekend buffet. 4141 Hacks Cross Rd. 207-6051. L, D, $

DELTA’S KITCHEN—The premier restaurant at The Guest House at Graceland serves Elvis-inspired dishes — like Nutella and Peanut Butter Crepes for breakfast — and upscale Southern cuisine — including lamb chops and shrimp and grits — for dinner. 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd. 443-3000. B, D, X, $-$$$

DWJ KOREAN BARBECUE—This authentic Korean eatery serves kimbap, barbecued beef short ribs, rice and noodles dishes, and hot pots and stews. 3750 Hacks Cross Rd., Suite 101. 746-8057; 2156 Young. 207-6204. L, D, $-$$

FABULOUS FLAVORS & FRIENDS ”The Candy Lady” Precious Thompson Jones comes up with a little bit of everything: omelettes, quesadillas, t-bones and waffles, and plenty of soul food. 2063 E. Brooks Rd. 314-0735. L, D, $

THE FOUR WAY—Legendary soul-food establishment dishing up such entrees as fried and baked catfish, chicken, and turkey and dressing, along with a host of vegetables and desserts. Around the corner from the legendary Stax Studio. Closed Mon. 998 Mississippi Blvd. 507-1519. L, D, $

HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY No one cares how late it gets; not at Hernando’s Hideaway. Live music, killer happy hour, and plenty of bar fare at this South Memphis hang. 3210 Old Hernando Rd. 917-982-1829. L, D, $

INTERSTATE BAR-B-Q—Specialties include chopped pork-shoulder sandwiches, ribs, hot wings, spaghetti, chicken, and turkey. 2265 S. Third. 775-2304; 150 W. Stateline Rd. (Southaven). 662-393-5699. L, D, X, $-$$

JIM & SAMELLA’S—It’s a revolving menu of soul food delight from Chef Talbert Fleming, with anything from Southern ribs to fried tamales. 841 Bullington Ave. 265-8761. L, D, X, $

LEONARD’S—Serves wet and dry ribs, barbecue sandwiches, spaghetti, catfish, homemade onion rings, and lemon icebox pie; also a lunch buffet. 5465 Fox Plaza. 360-1963. L, X, $-$$

MARLOWE’S—In addition to its signature barbecue and ribs, Marlowe’s serves Southern-style steaks, chops, lasagna, and more. 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd. 332-4159. D, X, MRA, $-$$

UNCLE LOU’S FRIED CHICKEN—Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for good reason: fried chicken (mild, hot, or home-style); jumbo burgers four patties high; strawberry shortcake, and assorted fruit pies. 3633 Millbranch. 332-2367. L, D, X, MRA, $ SUMMER/BERCLAIR/ RALEIGH/BARTLETT

901 HOT POT & KOREAN BBQ—All-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean BBQ, from short ribs to garlic shrimp. 2965 N. Germantown Pkwy. 512-4963. L, D, X, $$-$$$

BISCUITS & JAMS—Biscuits, waffles, French toast, and plenty of sharables at this Bartlett breakfast spot. Closed Mon./Tue. 5806 Stage Rd. 672-7905. B, L, X, $

BRYANT’S BREAKFAST—Slingin’ famous biscuits, plate lunches, chicken fried steak, and other breakfast classics since 1968. 3965 Summer Ave. 324-7494. B, L, $

CEVICHERIA AND GRILL CHILEMON—Ceviche, of course, but also plenty of other postres, aperitivos, and mixed grilled meat and seafood feasts. Closed Sun. 4509 Summer Ave. 672-7905. L, D, $ CHEF FLAVAS AND BARTLETT BREAKFAST FACTORY ”Flavaful” sandwiches, soups, pastas, and more from the makers of the popular local spinach artichoke dip. Traditional breakfast options served by Bartlett Breakfast Factory. Closed Sun./Mon. 6301 Stage Rd. 779-2200. B, L, D, X, $-$$

DIM SUM KING—All the best from a selection of authentic Chinese dishes: roasted duck, sizzling hot plate, Cantonese BBQ, and plenty more. 5266 Summer Ave. #65. 766-0831. L, D, X, $-$$

ELWOOD’S SHACK—Casual comfort food includes tacos, pizza, and sandwiches. Specialties include meats smoked in-house (chicken, turkey, brisket, pork), barbecue pizza, and steelhead trout tacos. 4523 Summer. 761-9898; 4040 Park Ave. 754-2520. B, L, D, X, $ EXLINES’ BEST PIZZA—Serves pizza, Italian dinners, sandwiches, and salads. 6250 Stage Rd. 382-3433; 2935 Austin Peay. 388-4711; 2801 Kirby Parkway. 754-0202; 7730 Wolf River Blvd.

(Germantown). 753-4545; 531 W. Stateline Rd. 662-342-4544. L, D, X , MRA, $

FANATIC SPORTS BAR AND WING FANATIC—Sports bar and hot wing joint folded into one, with plenty of screens to watch the big game. 2857 Appling Way. 695-3243. L, D, $-$$

LA TAQUERIA GUADALUPANA—Fajitas and quesadillas are just a few of the authentic Mexican entrees offered here. A bonafide Memphis institution. 4818 Summer. 685-6857; 5848 Winchester. 365-4992. L, D, X, $

LOTUS—Authentic Vietnamese-Asian fare, including lemon-grass chicken and shrimp, egg rolls, Pho soup, and spicy Vietnamese vermicelli. 4970 Summer. 682-1151. D, X, $

MORTIMER’S—Contemporary American entrees include trout almondine, chicken dishes, and hand-cut steaks; also sandwiches, salads, and daily/nightly specials. A Memphis landmark since the Knickerbocker closed. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 590 N. Perkins. 7619321. L, D, X, $-$$

NAGASAKI INN—Chicken, steak, and lobster are among the main courses; meal is cooked at your table. 3951 Summer. 454-0320. D, X, $$

NAM KING—General Tso’s chicken, hot and sour soup, and homemade chicken wings are back at the longtime Raleigh Chinese eatery. 3624 Austin Peay Highway, #3. 373-4411. L, D, $-$$

ÓRALE TACOS & BAKERY—Tacos, enchiladas, and other traditional Southern Mexican dishes alongside baked pan dulces. 2204 Whitten Rd. 571-1786. B, L, D, $-$$

PANDA GARDEN—Sesame chicken and broccoli beef are among the Mandarin and Cantonese entrees; also seafood specials and fried rice. Closed for lunch Saturday. 3735 Summer. 323-4819. L, D, X, $-$$

QUEEN OF SHEBA—Featuring Middle Eastern favorites and Yemeni dishes such as lamb haneeth and saltah. 4792 Summer. 207-4174. L, D, $

SIDE PORCH STEAK HOUSE—In addition to steak, the menu includes chicken, pork chops, and fish entrees; homemade rolls are a specialty. Closed Sun./Mon. 5689 Stage Rd. 377-2484. D, X, $-$$

TORTILLERIA LA UNICA—Individual helping of Mexican street food, including hefty tamales, burritos, tortas, and sopes. 5015 Summer Ave. 685-0097. B, L, D, X, $

UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT (INCLUDES CHICKASAW GARDENS AND HIGHLAND STRIP)

A-TAN—Serves Chinese and Japanese hibachi cuisine, complete with sushi bar. A specialty is Four Treasures with garlic sauce. 3445 Poplar, Suite 17, University Center. 452-4477. L, D, X, $-$$$

THE BLUFF—New Orleans-inspired menu includes alligator bites, nachos topped with crawfish and andouille, gumbo, po’boys, and fried seafood platters. 535 S. Highland. 454-7771. L, D, X, $-$$

BROTHER JUNIPER’S—This little cottage is a breakfast mecca, offering specialty omelets, including the open-faced San Diegan omelet; also daily specials, and homemade breads and pastries. Closed Mon. 3519 Walker. 324-0144. B, X, $

CELEBRITY’S SOUL FOOD—Classic soul food dishes coupled with a Hollywood-esque VIP experience. 431 S. Highland St., Suite 105. L, D, X, $$

CHAR RESTAURANT—Specializing in modern Southern cuisine, this eatery offers homestyle sides, charbroiled steaks, and fresh seafood. 431 S. Highland, Suite 120. 249-3533. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$ EL PORTON—Fajitas, quesadillas, and steak ranchero are just a few of the menu items. 2095 Merchants Row (Germantown). 754-4268; 8361 Highway 64. 380-7877; 3448 Poplar (Poplar Plaza). 452-7330; 1805 N. Germantown Parkway (Cordova). 624-9358; 1016 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-5770. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

MEDALLION—Offers steaks, seafood, chicken, and pasta entrees. Closed for dinner Sunday. 3700 Central, Holiday Inn (Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality). 678-1030. B, L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

PLANT BASED HEAT All of your favorite Southern-style recipes, but deliciously transformed into a vegan format. Specialties include the spicy fye junt burger, or the chopped ‘n’ smoked bbq jackfruit sandwich. Closed Sun. 669 S. Highland St.; 363 S. Front St. (Downtown). L, D, $

SAM’S DELI—Everything from sandwiches to bibimbap bowls at this local favorite. Closed Mon./Tue. 643 S. Highland St. 454-5582. L, D, $

EAST MEMPHIS (INCLUDES POPLAR/I-240)

ACRE—Features seasonal modern American cuisine in an avantegarde setting using locally sourced products; also small plates and enclosed garden patio. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 690 S. Perkins. 818-2273. L, D, X, $$-$$$

AGAVOS COCINA & TEQUILA—Camaron de Tequila, tamales, kabobs, and burgers made with a blend of beef and chorizo are among the offerings at this tequila-centric restaurant and bar. 2924 Walnut Grove. 433-9345. L, D, X, $-$$

AMERIGO—Traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine includes pasta, wood-fired pizza, steaks, and cedarwood-roasted fish. 1239 Ridgeway, Park Place Mall. 761-4000. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

ANDALUSIA— Authentic Moroccan cuisine, including tagines, brochettes, and briouates. 5101 Sanderlin Ave., Suite 103. 236-7784. L, D, $-$$

ANDREW MICHAEL ITALIAN KITCHEN—Traditional Italian cuisine with a menu from two of the city’s top chefs that changes seasonally with such entrees as Maw Maw’s ravioli. Closed Sun.-Mon. 712 W. Brookhaven Circle. 347-3569. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$

ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFE—Offering several varieties of eggs Benedict, waffles, omelets, pancakes, beignets, and other breakfast fare; also burgers, sandwiches, and salads. 6063 Park Ave. 729-7020; 65 S. Highland. 623-7122. B, L, WB, X, $

ANTIGUA MEXICAN BAR & GRILL—Tortas, tacos, and other authentic Mexican cuisine alongside freshly-made salsa, guacamole, and white queso dip. 717 N. White Station Rd. 761-1374. L, D, $-$$

BANGKOK ALLEY—Thai fusion cuisine includes noodle and curry dishes, chef-specialty sushi rolls, coconut soup, and duck and seafood entrees. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. at Brookhaven location; call for hours. 715 W. Brookhaven Circle. 590-2585; 2150 W. Poplar at Houston Levee (Collierville). 854-8748. L, D, X, $-$$

BELLE MEADE SOCIAL—Upscale Americana cuisine including lamb lollipops, spicy tuna stack, and steak & noodle salad. 518 Perkins Extd. 480-7054. L, D, $-$$$

BELMONT GRILL—Burgers, steak sandwiches, and other classic American fare at one of Memphis’ longstanding bars. 4970 Poplar. 767-0305. L, D, X, $-$$

BENIHANA—This Japanese steakhouse serves beef, chicken, and seafood grilled at the table; some menu items change monthly; sushi bar also featured. 912 Ridge Lake Blvd. 767-8980. L, D, X, $$-$$$

BIG BAD BREAKFAST—Fresh biscuits, house-made cured meats, jams, jellies, and more for the most important meal of the day. 6450 Poplar. 881-3346. B, L, X, $-$$

BOG & BARLEY—An all-Irish fine dining experience by the owners of Celtic Crossing, and a full bar with plenty of beer and 25-year-old Macallan. 6150 Poplar, Suite 124. 805-2262. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

BROOKLYN BRIDGE ITALIAN RESTAURANT—Specializing in such homemade entrees as spinach lasagna and lobster ravioli; a seafood specialty is horseradish-crusted salmon. Closed Sun. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 755-7413. D, X, $-$$$

BRYANT’S BREAKFAST—Three-egg omelets, pancakes, and The Sampler Platter are among the popular entrees here. Possibly the best biscuits in town. Closed Mon. and Tues. 3965 Summer. 324-7494. B, L, X, $

BUCKLEY’S FINE FILET GRILL—Specializes in steaks, seafood, and pasta. (Lunchbox serves entree salads, burgers, and more.) 5355 Poplar. 683-4538; 919 S. Yates (Buckley’s Lunchbox), 682-0570. L (Yates only, M-F), D, X, $-$$

CAPITAL GRILLE—Known for its dry-aged, hand-carved steaks; among the specialties are bone-in sirloin, and porcini-rubbed Delmonico; also seafood entrees and seasonal lunch plates. Closed for lunch Sat.Sun. Crescent Center, 6065 Poplar. 683-9291. L, D, X, $$$-$$$$

CASABLANCA—Lamb shawarma is one of the fresh, homemade specialties served at this Mediterranean/Moroccan restaurant; fish entrees and vegetarian options also available. 5030 Poplar. 725-8557; 1707 Madison. 421-6949. L, D, X, $-$$

CHUKIS TACOS 2—Traditional homestyle Mexican recipes. 3445 Poplar Ave., Suite 1. 888-4139. B, L, D, $-$$

CIAO BELLA—Among the Italian and Greek specialties are lasagna, seafood pasta, gourmet pizzas, and vegetarian options. 5101 Sanderlin Ave. 205-2500. D, X, MRA, $-$$$ CITY SILO TABLE + PANTRY—With a focus on clean eating, this establishment offers fresh juices, as well as comfort foods re-imagined with wholesome ingredients. 5101 Sanderlin. 729-7687. Germantown: 7605 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 2. 236-7223. B, L, D, X, $

COASTAL

FISH COMPANY—Upscale offerings of international fish varieties utilizing styles ranging from Carribbean, East Coast, West Coast, Chinese, to Filipino, and more. 415 Great View Dr. E., Suite 101. 266-9000. D, X, $$-$$$

CORKY’S—Popular barbecue emporium offers both wet and dry ribs, plus a full menu of other barbecue entrees. Wed. lunch buffets, Cordova and Collierville. 5259 Poplar. 685-9744; 1740 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 737-1911; 743 W. Poplar (Collierville). 405-4999; 6434 Goodman Rd., Olive Branch. 662-893-3663. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

DAN MCGUINNESS PUB—Serves fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, burgers, and other Irish and American fare; also lunch and dinner specials. 4694 Spottswood. 761-3711; 3964 Goodman Rd. 662-8907611. L, D, X, $

DORY—Chef David Krog whips up Southern specialties with classic French techniques and locally sourced ingredients. Current specialties include pork tenderloin, beef bourguignon, or cocoa-dusted chocolate truffles, with new weekly additions. 716 W. Brookhaven Circle. 310-4290. L, D, X, $$-$$$

ERLING JENSEN—For decades, has presented “globally inspired” cuisine to die for. Specialties are rack of lamb, big-game entrees, and fresh fish dishes. 1044 S. Yates. 763-3700. D, X, MRA, $$-$$$

ERLING JENSEN SMALL BITES—Enjoy Erling Jensen’s specialty dishes in a sharable, small-plate format alongside TopGolf Swing suites. 5069 Sanderlin Ave. 587-9464. L, D, X, $-$$$

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE—Serves wet-aged and dry-aged steaks, prime beef, chops, and seafood, including salmon, Australian lobster tails, and a catch of the day. 6245 Poplar. 761-6200. D, X, MRA, $$$-$$$$

FOLK’S FOLLY ORIGINAL PRIME STEAK HOUSE

Specializes in prime steaks, as well as lobster, grilled Scottish salmon, Alaskan king crab legs, rack of lamb, and weekly specials. 551 S. Mendenhall. 762-8200. D, X, MRA, $$$-$$$$

FORMOSA—Offers Mandarin cuisine, including broccoli beef, hot-andsour soup, and spring rolls. Closed Mon. 6685 Quince. 753-9898. L, D, X, $-$$

FOX RIDGE PIZZA & GRILL—Pizzas, calzones, sub sandwiches, burgers, and meat-and-two plate lunches are among the dishes served at this eatery, which opened in 1979. 711 W. Brookhaven Circle. 758-6500. L, D, X, $

FRATELLI’S—Serves hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts, all with an Italian/Mediterranean flair. Closed Sun. 750 Cherry Rd., Memphis Botanic Garden. 766-9900. L, X, $

FRANK GRISANTI ITALIAN RESTAURANT—Northern Italian favorites include pasta with jumbo shrimp and mushrooms; also seafood, filet mignon, and daily lunch specials. Closed for lunch Sun. Embassy Suites Hotel, 1022 S. Shady Grove. 761-9462. L, D, X, $-$$$

HALF SHELL—Specializes in seafood, such as king crab legs; also serves steaks, chicken, pastas, salads, sandwiches, a ”voodoo menu”; oyster bar at Winchester location. 688 S. Mendenhall. 682-3966; 7825 Winchester. 737-6755. L, D, WB, X, MRA, $-$$$

HEN HOUSE—Hybrid wine/cocktail bar and tasting room with plenty of cosmopolitan eats. Closed Sun. 679 S. Mendenhall. 499-5436. D, $-$$$ HIGH POINT PIZZA—Serves a variety of pizzas, subs, salads, and sides. Closed Mon. A neighborhood fixture. 477 High Point Terrace. 452-3339. L, D, X, $-$$

HOG & HOMINY—The casual sister to Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen serves brick-oven-baked pizzas, including the Red-Eye with pork belly, and small plates with everything from meatballs to beef and cheddar hot dogs; and local veggies. And with a few surprises this time around. Closed for lunch Mon. 707 W. Brookhaven Cir. 207-7396. L, D, SB, X, MRA. $-$$$

HOUSTON’S—Serves steaks, seafood, pork chops, chicken dishes, sandwiches, salads, and Chicago-style spinach dip. Famous for first-class service. 5000 Poplar. 683-0915. L, D, X $-$$$

LA BAGUETTE—An almond croissant and chicken salad are among specialties at this French-style bistro. Closed for dinner Sun. 3088 Poplar. 458-0900. B, L, D (closes at 7), X, MRA, $

LAS DELICIAS—Popular for its guacamole, house-made tortilla chips, and margaritas, this restaurant draws diners with its chicken enchiladas, meat-stuffed flautas, and Cuban torta with spicy pork. Closed Sun. 4002 Park Ave. 458-9264; 5689 Quince. 800-2873. L, D, X, $ LIBRO AT LAURELWOOD—Bookstore eatery features a variety of sandwiches, salads, and homemade pasta dishes, with Italian-inspired options such as carbonara and potato gnocchi. Closed for dinner Sun. 387 Perkins Ext. (Novel). 800-2656. B, L, D, SB, X, $-$$

LITTLE ITALY EAST—New York-style pizzas galore and homemade pasta. Closed Sun. 6300 Poplar Ave., Ste. 113. 729-7432. L, $-$$

LOST PIZZA—Offering pizzas (with dough made from scratch), pasta, salads, sandwiches, tamales, and more. 2855 Poplar. 572-1803; 5960 Getwell (Southaven). 662-892-8684. L, D, X, $-$$

MAGNOLIA & MAY—Southern-inspired, family-owned, casual dining restaurant serving up a variety of sandwiches, chef-inspired dishes, and craft cocktails. Popular items include shrimp and grits and the double cheeseburger. Closed Mon. 718 Mt. Moriah Rd. 676-8100. L, D, WB, X, MRA. $$-$$$.

MAHOGANY MEMPHIS—Upscale Southern restaurant offers such dishes as coffee-rubbed lamb chops and baked Cajun Cornish hen. Closed for dinner Sun. and all day Mon.-Tues. 3092 Poplar, Suite 11. 623-7977. L, D, SB, X, $-$$$

MARCIANO MEDITERRANEAN AND ITALIAN CUISINE—Veal Saltimbocca with angel-hair pasta and white wine sauce is among the entrees; also steaks, seafood, and gourmet pizza. 780 E. Brookhaven Cir. 682-1660. D, X, $-$$

MAYURI INDIAN CUISINE—Serves tandoori chicken, masala dosa, tikka masala, as well as lamb and shrimp entrees; also a daily lunch buffet, and dinner buffet on Fri.-Sat. 6524 Quince Rd. 753-8755. L, D, X, $-$$

MELLOW MUSHROOM—Large menu includes assortment of pizzas, salads, calzones, hoagies, vegetarian options, and 50 beers on tap. 5138 Park Ave. 562-1211; 9155 Poplar, Shops of Forest Hill (Germantown). 907-0243. L, D, X, $-$$

MOSA ASIAN BISTRO—Specialties include sesame chicken, Thai calamari, rainbow panang curry with grouper fish, and other Pan Asian/fusion entrees. Closed Mon. 850 S. White Station Rd. 683-8889. L, D, X, MRA, $

NAM KING—Offers luncheon and dinner buffets, dim sum, and such specialties as fried dumplings, pepper steak, and orange chicken. 4594 Yale. 373-4411. L, D, X, $

NAPA CAFE—Among the specialties are miso-marinated salmon over black rice with garlic spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Closed Sun. 5101 Sanderlin, Suite 122. 683-0441. L, D, X, MRA, $$-$$$

ONE & ONLY BBQ—On the menu are pork barbecue sandwiches, platters, wet and dry ribs, smoked chicken and turkey platters, a smoked meat salad, barbecue quesadillas, Brunswick Stew, and Millie’s homemade desserts. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 751-3615; 567 Perkins Extd. 249-4227. L, D, X, $

ONO POKÉ—This eatery specializes in poké — a Hawaiian dish of fresh fish salad served over rice. Menu includes a variety of poké bowls, like the Kimchi Tuna bowl, or customers can build their own by choosing a base, protein, veggies, and toppings. 3145 Poplar. 618-2955. L, D, X , $

OWEN BRENNAN’S—New Orleans-style menu of beef, chicken, pasta, and seafood; jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and crawfish etouffee are specialties. Closed for dinner Sun. The Regalia, 6150 Poplar. 761-0990. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

PARK + CHERRY—The Dixon offers casual dining within the museum. Seasonal menu features sandwiches, like rustic chicken salad on croissant, as well as salads, snacks, and sweets. Closed for breakfast Sun. and all day Mon. 4339 Park (Dixon Gallery and Gardens). 761-5250. L, X, $ PATRICK’S—Serves barbecue nachos, burgers, and entrees such as fish and chips; also plate lunches and daily specials. 4972 Park. 682-2852. L, D, X, MRA, $

PETE & SAM’S—Serving Memphis for 60-plus years; offers steaks, seafood, and traditional Italian dishes, including homemade ravioli, lasagna, and chicken marsala. 3886 Park. 458-0694. D, X, $-$$$

PF CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO—Specialties are orange peel shrimp, Mongolian beef, and chicken in lettuce wraps; also vegetarian dishes, including spicy eggplant. 1181 Ridgeway Rd., Park Place Centre. 818-3889. L, D, X, $-$$

PHO SAIGON—Vietnamese fare includes beef teriyaki, roasted quail, curry ginger chicken, vegetarian options, and a variety of soups. 2946 Poplar. 458-1644. L, D, $

PYRO’S FIRE-FRESH PIZZA—Serving gourmet pizzas cooked in an open-fire oven, wide choice of toppings, and large local and craft beer selection. 1199 Ridgeway. 379-8294; 2035 Union Ave. 208-8857; 2286 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 207-1198; 3592 S. Houston Levee (Collierville). 221-8109. L, D, X, MRA, $

THE READY ROOM—Duck wontons, bananas “Oscar,” and plenty of other bar snacks and entrees at Hook Point Brewing Co.’s taproom. Closed Mon./ Tues. 715 W. Brookhaven Cir. 487-6931. L, D, WB, X, $-$$

RED HOOK CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Cajun-style array of seafood including shrimp, mussels, clams, crawfish, and oysters. 3295 Poplar. 207-1960. L, D, X, $-$$

RED KOI—Classic Japanese cuisine offered at this family-run restaurant; hibachi steaks, sushi, seafood, chicken, and vegetables. 5847 Poplar. 767-3456. L, D, X $-$$

RED PIER CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Owners of Red Hook bring more cajun-style seafood dishes. 5901 Poplar Ave. 512-5923. L, D, X, $-$$$

RESTAURANT IRIS—French Creole-inspired classics, such as Gulf shrimp and rice grits congee served with lap chong sausage and boiled peanuts, are served at this newly remodeled restaurant owned by Chef Kelly English, a Food and Wine “Top Ten.” 4550 Poplar. 5902828. L, D, X, $$-$$$

RIVER OAKS—Chef Jose Gutierrez’s French-style bistro serves seafood and steaks, with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 5871 Poplar Ave. 683-9305. L, D, X, $$$

RONNIE GRISANTI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT— This Memphis institution serves some family classics such as Elfo’s Special and handmade ravioli, along with house-made pizza and fresh oysters. Closed Sun. 6150 Poplar, Suite 122. 850-0191. D, X, $-$$$

ROTOLO’S CRAFT & CRUST—Louisiana-based pizza company’s ﬁrst Memphis location, whipping up pizza pies with homemade sauces and fresh ingredients, pasta, wings, and other shareables. 681 S. White Station. 454-3352. L, D, X, $-$$

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE—Offers prime steaks cut and aged in-house, as well as lamb, chicken, and fresh seafood, including lobster. 6120 Poplar. 761-0055. D, X, $$$-$$$$

SALSA—Mexican-Southern California specialties include carnitas, enchiladas verde, and fajitas; also Southwestern seafood dishes such as snapper verde. Closed Sun. Regalia Shopping Center, 6150 Poplar, Suite 129. 683-6325. L, D, X, $-$$

SEASONS 52—This elegant fresh grill and wine bar offers a seasonally changing menu using fresh ingredients, wood-ﬁre grilling, and brick-oven cooking; also a large international wine list and nightly piano bar. Crescent Center, 6085 Poplar. 682-9952. L, D, X, $$-$$$

STAKS—Offering pancakes, including birthday cake and lemon ricotta. Menu includes other breakfast items such as beignets and French toast, as well as soups and sandwiches for lunch. 4615 Poplar. 509-2367; 3660 S. Houston Levee Road, Suite 104 (Collierville). 286-4335; 7704 Poplar (Germantown). 800-1951; 2902 May Blvd. (Southaven). B, L, WB, X, $ SWANKY’S TACO SHOP—Taco-centric eatery offers tortas, ﬂatbreads, quesadillas, chimichangas, burgers, and more. 4770 Poplar. 730-0763; 6641 Poplar (Germantown). 737-2088; 272 S. Main. 779-3499. L, D, X, $ THREE LITTLE PIGS—Pork-shoulder-style barbecue with tangy mild or hot sauce, freshly made coleslaw, and baked beans. 5145 Quince Rd. 685-7094. B, L, D, X, $

TOPS BAR-B-Q—Specializes in pork barbecue sandwiches and sandwich plates with beans and slaw; also serves ribs, beef brisket, and burgers. 1286 Union. 725-7527; 4183 Summer. 324-4325; 5391 Winchester. 794-7936; 3970 Rhodes. 323-9865; 6130 Macon. 3710580. For more locations, go online. L, D, X, $ TORCHY’S TACOS—Plenty of Tex-Mex variety, with creative monthly special tacos. 719 S. Mendenhall. 343-8880. B, L, D, VENICE KITCHEN—Specializes in “eclectic Italian” and Southern Creole, from pastas, including the “Godfather,” to hand-tossed pizzas, including the “John Wayne”; choose from 50 toppings. 368 Perkins Ext. 767-6872. L, D, SB, X, $-$$

WANG’S MANDARIN HOUSE—Offers Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan, and spicy Hunan entrees, including the golden-sesame chicken; next door is East Tapas, serving small plates with an Asian twist. 6065 Park Ave., Park Place Mall. 763-0676. L, D,

WASABI—Serving traditional Japanese offerings, hibachi, sashimi, and sushi. The Sweet Heart roll, wrapped — in the shape of a heart — with tuna and ﬁlled with spicy salmon, yellowtail, and avocado, is a specialty. 5101 Sanderlin Rd., Suite 105. 421-6399. L, D, THE WING GURU—A staple of the Memphis wing scene, featuring everything from classic buffalo to exquisite lemon pepper. 5699 Mt. Moriah Rd. 509-2405; 875 W. Poplar Ave., Ste. 6 (Collierville). 2217488; 8253 Highway 51, North Suite #103 (Millington). 872-0849; 4130 Elvis Presley Blvd (Whitehaven) 791-4726; 5224 Airline Rd., Ste. 107 (Arlington). 209-0349. L, D, X, $-$$

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE TEA ROOM—Chicken-salad plate, beef tenderloin, soups-and-sandwiches, vegetable plates, and homemade desserts are specialties. Closed Sat.-Sun. 88 Racine. 327-5681. L, X, $ CORDOVA

THE BLUE ROOM RESTAURANT—An elevated take on traditional Southern recipes, located in the U of M Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute. Closed Mon. 1245 N. Germantown Pkwy., Suite 101. 249-7512. D, SB, $$-$$$

BOMBAY HOUSE—Indian fare includes lamb korma and chicken tikka; also, a daily luncheon buffet. 1727 N. Germantown Pkwy. 755-4114. L, D, X, $-$$

THE BUTCHER SHOP—Serves steaks ranging from 8-oz. filets to a 20-oz. porterhouse; also chicken, pork chops, fresh seafood. 107 S. Germantown Rd. 757-4244. L (Fri. and Sun.), D, X, $$-$$$

GREEN BAMBOO—Pineapple tilapia, pork vermicelli, and the soft egg noodle combo are Vietnamese specialties here. 990 N. Germantown Parkway, Suite 104. 753-5488. L, D, $-$$

JIM ’N NICK’S BAR-B-Q—Serves barbecued pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, and fish, along with other homemade Southern specialties. 2359 N. Germantown Pkwy. 388-0998. L, D, X, $-$$

EL MERO TACO—This food truck turned restaurant serves up Mexican and Southern-style fusion dishes, including fried chicken tacos, chorizo con papas tacos, and brisket quesadillas. 8100 Macon Station, Suite 102. 308-1661. Closed Sun.-Mon. L, D, WB, X, $

OPTIONS Burgers, wings, philly cheesesteaks, and more comfort food options. Closed Mon.-Thu. 7940 Fischer Steel Rd. 245-6048. D, SB, $-$$

POKÉ WORLD—Serves up Hawaiian poké bowls filled with rice and diced, raw fish. Also offers Taiwanese bubble tea and rolled ice cream for dessert. 1605 N. Germantown Pkwy., Suite 111. 623-7986. East Memphis: 575 Erin Dr. 779-4971. L, D, $

SHOGUN JAPANESE RESTAURANT—Entrees include tempura, teriyaki, and sushi, as well as grilled fish and chicken entrees. 2324 N. Germantown Pkwy. 384-4122. L, D, X, $-$$

TANNOOR GRILL—Brazilian-style steakhouse with skewers served tableside, along with Middle Eastern specialties; vegetarian options also available. 830 N. Germantown Pkwy. 443-5222. L, D, X, $-$$$

GERMANTOWN

BLUE HONEY BISTRO—Entrees at this upscale eatery include brown butter scallops served with Mississippi blue rice and herbcrusted beef tenderloin with vegetables and truffle butter. Closed Sun. 9155 Poplar, Suite 17. 552-3041. D, X, $-$$$

THE CRAZY COOP—Plenty of hot wings and sauces, plus sandwiches and other dinner plates. 1315 Ridgeway Rd. 748-5325; 7199 Stage Rd. (Bartlett). 433-9212. L, D, $-$$

DIMSUM MEM—Traditional Chinese food truck takes over the New Asia space. 2075 Exeter Rd., Suite 90. L, D, X, $-$$

GERMANTOWN COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches; Mon.-night all-you-can-eat ribs. 2290 S. Germantown Rd. S. 754-5540. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$

LAS TORTUGAS DELI MEXICANA—Authentic Mexican food prepared from local food sources; specializes in tortugas — grilled bread scooped out to hold such powerfully popular fillings as brisket, pork, and shrimp; also tingas, tostados. Closed Sun. 1215 S. Germantown Rd. 751-1200; 6300 Poplar. 623-3882. L, D, X, $-$$

LIMELIGHT—Wolf River Hospitality Group brings Wagyu beef, duck gnocchi, and other fine dining dishes on a rotating seasonal menu. Closed Mon./Tue. 7724 Poplar Pike. 791-2328. D, X, $-$$$

LOCAL LIME—Tacos and margaritas in a casual environment, plus other goodies like the Mexican caramel apple crisp skillet. Closed Mon. 7605 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 1. 224-2204. L, D, X, $-$$$

MOONDANCE GRILL—From the owners of Itta Bena and Lafayette’s. Serves steak cooked sous vide and seafood dishes including Abita-barbecued shrimp and pan-seared sand dab, in addition to an extensive wine and cocktail list. 1730 S. Germantown Road, Suite 117. 755-1471. L, D, X, $$-$$$

NOODLES ASIAN BISTRO—Serves a variety of traditional Asian cuisine, with emphasis on noodle dishes, such as Singapore Street Noodles and Hong Kong Chow Fun. 7850 Poplar, Suite 12. 755-1117. L, D, X, $

PETALS OF A PEONY—Authentic Sichuan cuisine, from crispy duck to peony fried chicken. Be prepared for spice! 1250 N. Germantown Pkwy. 787-8886. L, D, X, $-$$

PETRA CAFÉ—Serves Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern sandwiches, gyros, and entrees. Hours vary; call. 6641 Poplar. 754-4440; 547 S. Highland. 323-3050. L, D, X, $-$$

ROCK’N DOUGH PIZZA CO.—Specialty and custom pizzas made from fresh ingredients; wide variety of toppings. 7850 Poplar, Suite 6. 779-2008. L, D, SB, X, MRA, $$

ROYAL PANDA—Hunan fish, Peking duck, Royal Panda chicken and shrimp, and a seafood combo are among the specialties. 3120 Village Shops Dr. 756-9697. L, D, X, $-$$

SAKURA—Sushi, tempura, and teriyaki are Japanese specialties here. 2060 West St. 758-8181; 4840 Poplar. 572-1002; 255 New Byhalia Rd. 316-5638. L, D, X, $-$$

SOUTHERN SOCIAL—Shrimp and grits, stuffed quail, and Aunt Thelma’s Fried Chicken are among the dishes served at this upscale Southern establishment. 2285 S. Germantown Rd. 754-5555. D, SB, X, MRA, $-$$$

STONEY RIVER STEAKHOUSE AND GRILL—Specializes in hand-cut steaks, a fresh seafood selection, and plenty of house specials. 7515 Poplar Ave., Suite 101. 207-1100. L, D, X, $$-$$$$

SUFI’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL & BAR—Offers authentic Mediterranean and Persian cuisine, from hummus shawarma to traditional moussaka. Closed Mon. 7609 Poplar Pike. 779-2200. L, D, X, $-$$$

TAZIKI’S—Mediterranean-inspired dishes all made from scratch. 7850 Poplar Ave., Suite 26. 612-2713. East Memphis: 540 S. Mendenhall Rd. 290-1091. Bartlett: 7974 US-64. 203-0083. L, D, $

THE TOASTED YOLK CAFE—Churro donuts, signature Eggs Benedict, and plenty other boozy brunch options at this franchise’s first Tennessee location. 9087 Poplar Ave., Ste. 11. B, L, X, $-$$

UNCLE GOYO’S—More than 30 dishes with a focus on authentic Mexican cuisine, from the brains behind TacoNganas. 1730 S. Germantown Rd. L, D, X, $-$$

WEST STREET DINER—This home-style eatery offers breakfast, burgers, po’boys, and more. 2076 West St. 757-2191. B, L, D (Mon.-Fri.), X, $

ZEN JAPANESE FINE CUISINE—A full sushi bar and plenty of authentic Japanese dishes, like Hibachi or Wagyu beef. 1730 S. Germantown Rd. 779-2796. L, D, X, X, $-$$$

COLLIERVILLE

CAFE PIAZZA BY PAT LUCCHESI—Specializes in gourmet pizzas (including create-your-own), panini sandwiches, and pasta. Closed Sun. 139 S. Rowlett St. 861-1999. L, D, X, $-$$

CIAO BABY—Specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza made in a woodfired oven. Also serves house-made mozzarella, pasta, appetizers, and salads. 890 W. Poplar, Suite 1. 457-7457. L, D, X, $

COLLIERVILLE COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches. 3573 S. Houston Levee Rd. 979-5540. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$ DAVID GRISANTI’S ON MAIN—Serving Northern Italian cuisine and traditional Grisanti family recipes. Closed Sun./Mon. 148 N Main. 861-1777. L, D, X, $-$$$

DYER’S CAFE—Juicy hamburgers, split dogs, and milkshakes at the historic Collierville restaurant. 101 N. Center St. 850-7750. L, D, X, $-$$ EL MEZCAL—Serves burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, and other Mexican cuisine, as well as shrimp dinners and steak. 9947 Wolf River, 853-7922; 402 Perkins Extd. 761-7710; 694 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 755-1447; 1492 Union. 274-4264; 11615 Airline Rd. (Arlington). 8671883; 9045 Highway 64 (Lakeland). 383-4219; 7164 Hacks Cross Rd. (Olive Branch). 662-890-3337; 8834 Hwy. 51 N. (Millington). 872-3220; 7424 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 417-6026. L, D, X, $

EMERALD THAI RESTAURANT—Spicy shrimp, pad khing, lemongrass chicken, and several noodle, rice, and vegetarian dishes are offered at this family restaurant. Closed Sunday. 8950 Highway 64 (Lakeland, TN). 384-0540. L, D, X, $-$$

FIREBIRDS—Specialties are hand-cut steaks, slow-roasted prime rib, and wood-grilled salmon and other seafood, as well as seasonal entrees. 4600 Merchants Circle, Carriage Crossing. 850-1637; 8470 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 379-1300. L, D, X, $-$$$

JIM’S PLACE GRILLE—Features American, Greek, and Continental cuisine. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 3660 Houston Levee. 861-5000. L, D, X, MRA, $-$$$

MULAN ASIAN BISTRO—Hunan Chicken, tofu dishes, and orange beef served here; sushi and Thai food, too. 2059 Houston Levee. 850-5288; 2149 Young. 347-3965; 4698 Spottswood. 609-8680. L, D, X, $-$$

OSAKA JAPANESE CUISINE—Featuring an extensive sushi menu as well as traditional Japanese and hibachi dining. Hours vary for lunch; call. 3670 Houston Levee. 861-4309; 3402 Poplar. 249-4690; 7164 Hacks Cross (Olive Branch). 662-890-9312; 2200 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 425-4901. L, D, X, $-$$$

RAVEN & LILY—Eatery offers innovative Southern-inspired cuisine with such dishes as crispy shrimp and cauliflower salad, spiced lamb sausage and parmesan risotto, and bananas foster pain perdu. Closed Mon. 120 E. Mulberry. 286-4575. L, D, SB, X, $-$$

STIX—Hibachi steakhouse with Asian cuisine features steak, chicken, and a fillet and lobster combination, also sushi. A specialty is Dynamite Chicken with fried rice. 4680 Merchants Park Circle, Avenue Carriage Crossing. 854-3399. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 115 (Downtown). 2077638 L, D, X, $-$$

WOLF RIVER BRISKET CO.—From the owners of Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza, highlights include house-smoked meats: prime beef brisket, chicken, and salmon. Closed Sun. 9947 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 101. 316-5590; 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 165. 791-4389 L, D, X, $-$$

ZOPITA’S ON THE SQUARE—Cafe offers sandwiches, including smoked salmon and pork tenderloin, as well as salads and desserts. Closed Sun. 114 N. Main. 457-7526. L, D, X, $

OUT-OF-TOWN

BOZO’S HOT PIT BAR-B-Q—Barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, and subs. 342 Highway 70 (Mason, TN). 901-294-3400. L, D, X, $-$$

CITY GROCERY—Southern eclectic cuisine; shrimp and grits is a specialty. Closed for dinner Sun. 152 Courthouse Square (Oxford, MS). 662-232-8080. L, D, SB, X, $$-$$$

COMO STEAKHOUSE—Steaks cooked on a hickory charcoal grill are a specialty here. Upstairs is an oyster bar. Closed Sun. 203 Main St. (Como, MS). 662-526-9529. D, X, $-$$$

ELFO GRISANTI’S NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE—Grisanti family classics like lasagna, homemade ravioli, garlic bread, and Northern Italian pizza. Closed Sun. 5627 Getwell Rd. (Southaven, MS). 662-4704497. L, D, X, $-$$

CASINO TABLES

CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE AT THE GOLDSTRIKE—1010 Casino Center Dr., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-24KSTAY /662-357-1225

FAIRBANKS AT THE HOLLYWOOD—1150 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-871-0711

IGNITE STEAKHOUSE AT SOUTHLAND CASINO RACING—1550 N. Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR, 1-800-467-6182

JACK BINION’S STEAK HOUSE AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE

LUCKY 8 ASIAN BISTRO AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE

SOUTHLAND CASINO HOTEL'S THE KITCHENS—1550 N. Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR, 1-800-467-6182

THE STEAKHOUSE AT THE FITZ—711 Lucky Ln., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-766-LUCK, ext 8213

TWAIN’S STEAKHOUSE AT SAM’S TOWN TUNICA—1477 Casino Strip Resorts Boulevard, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-456-0711

MANILA FILIPINO RESTAURANT—Entrees include pork belly cutlet with lechon sauce, and shrimp and vegetables in tamarind broth; also daily combos, rice dishes, and chef specials. Closed Sun.-Mon. 7849 Rockford (Millington, TN). 209-8525. L, D, X, $

MARSHALL STEAKHOUSE—Rustic steakhouse serves premium Angus beef steaks, seafood dishes, rack of lamb, and more. 2379 Highway 178 (Holly Springs, MS). 628-3556. B, L, D, X, $-$$$

MEMPHIS BARBECUE COMPANY—Offers spare ribs, baby backs, and pulled pork and brisket. 709 Desoto Cove (Horn Lake, MS). 662-536-3762. L, D, X, $-$$

PIG-N-WHISTLE—Offers pork shoulder sandwiches, wet and dry ribs, catfish, nachos, and stuffed barbecue potatoes. 6084 Kerr-Rosemark Rd. (Millington, TN). 872-2455. L, D, X, $

SAINT LEO’S—Offering sophisticated pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. A James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant in 2017. 1101 Jackson (Oxford, MS). 662-234-4555. D, L, WB, X, $-$$

SIMON’S—A unique dining experience situated in a charming small town. Closed Sun./Mon. 201 N. Main St. (Bolivar, TN). 731403-3474. L, D, $$-$$$$

SNACKBAR—An intriguing mix of “French Bistro with North Mississippi Cafe.” Serving a confit duck Croque Monsieur, watermelon-cucumber chaat, pan-fried quail, plus a daily plate special and a raw bar. 721 N. Lamar (Oxford, MS). 662-236-6363. D, X, $-$$$

TEKILA MODERN MEXICAN—Modern interpretations of classic dishes from all over Mexico. 6343 Getwell Rd. (Southaven, MS). 662-510-5734. B, L, D, X, $-$$

WILSON CAFE—An impressive culinary destination in the heart of the Arkansas Delta. Serving jambalaya, Waygu flatiron, butternut ravioli, swordfish & shrimp kabobs, burgers. 2 N. Jefferson (Wilson, AR). 870655-0222. L, D, WB, $-$$$

Top lefT: Barbara and Pitt Hyde were featured in the December 2023 issue of Memphis Magazine. boTTom lefT: Clyde Goodbar’s book Whatever Happened to Mr. Goodbar? How a painting revealed a family mystery.

Top righT: Clyde Goodbar

A Cloar Connection

Dear Editor,

Anna Traverse’s December 2023 cover story, “An Afternoon with Barbara and Pitt Hyde” mentioned a painting in the Hyde Foundation collection, titled Joe Goodbody’s Terrible Ordeal. That painting has never been displayed in a public gallery and cannot be found on the internet. I was especially interested because “Joe Goodbody” was actually my grandfather, Joe Goodbar.

I’m originally from West Memphis and met Carroll a number of times. My father worked on the farm of Charlie Cloar (Carroll’s father) and went to school with Carroll until the 1920s. I had seen the Joe Goodbody painting in Cloar’s 1977 book Hostile Butterflies, and when The Crossroads of Memory: Carroll Cloar and the American South was published in 2012, in his own words Carroll verified that “Joe Goodbody” was indeed my grandfather.

I had never known what happened to my grandfather after he left this area in the 1920s, or what his “terrible ordeal” was, and it took me 70 years to solve the mystery.

An item on my “bucket list” was to have my picture taken with that painting, which finally happened on July 22, 2024, when Mrs. Hyde’s executive secretary arranged the photograph shown here. I also hoped to use that painting on the cover of my own book about my family, Whatever Happened to Mr. Goodbar ?, which I published in 2022.

I wasn’t able to use Carroll’s painting, so instead I used one of my own, showing Gibson Bayou Church outside Earle, Arkansas. The little church is about a mile south of the Cloar plantation where my grand-

father and father sharecropped for Charlie Cloar. My father is, in fact, depicted in one of Carroll’s well-known paintings, Faculty and Honor Students, Lewis School, sitting alongside a younger version of Carroll himself. He was three years younger than my father.

I also have an original roster card listing all the students for that year with my father, Carroll, and a couple of other relatives. About 50 of my relatives are buried at the Gibson Bayou Church Cemetery, where Carroll’s ashes were scattered after his death in 1993. If I die in the area, I’ll be buried there also.

By the way, last year the committee that maintains the old church sold several of my books in a silent auction to raise funds for the building’s upkeep.

My link with Carroll Cloar doesn’t end there. Your readers may find it interesting that at least three of his other paintings feature my relatives. One is on display at the Hirshhorn Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. My daughter is building a database on all of the Cloar works, especially those since 1977.

I know your magazine has published a number of articles about Carroll Cloar and his legacy [among them “The Art and Life of Carroll Cloar” by Marilyn Sadler, June 2011], and his followers might be interested in the facts behind Joe Goodbody’s Terrible Ordeal as well as other paintings that involve my family.

Clyde Goodbar

el paso, texas

Write to us at: letters@memphismagazine.com

Lamar Rickey / Lara Parker

BY VANCE LAUDERDALE

Born in Knoxville in 1938, Mary Lamar Rickey moved to Memphis at a young age with her family. Her father was a prominent attorney in Memphis, and her mother played a role in many civic groups here. In other words, she was well-connected.

Lamar — she preferred that name to Mary — graduated from Central High School, took classes at the Memphis Academy of Arts, and then won a scholarship to Vassar College, where she studied philosophy. After two years, she came back to Memphis and began appearing in plays at the old Front Street eatre. In 1958,

Lara Parker. During a trip to Europe, she met an artist named Tom Parker, who came back to Iowa with her. ey married, and with two children, settled on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin, so Tom could teach nearby. “By the time the children were 6 and 7 years old,” she told e Commercial Appeal, “I knew I couldn’t sit there and look at those ﬁelds for the rest of my life.”

When her husband landed a teaching job in New York, she joined a professional touring company there and “I did seven leads in seven plays.” She was only in New York three weeks when “I just walked in and got the part in Dark Shadows,” she told reporters. “ ey were casting a witch and they’d seen a lot of dark-haired, sexy girls. I came in looking blonde and angelic and younger than my age. I think I just happened to hit them right, and everything fell into place.”

melodramatic performances, atmospheric interiors, memorable storylines, numerous dramatic plot twists, adventurous music score, broad cosmos of characters, and heroic adventures.”

Parker played the time-traveling witch and vampire Angelique Bouchard. Over the six years the program aired, Angelique lived (and died!) over a three-century period and practiced “conjuration, elemental control, mediumship, necromancy, spell casting, telekinesis, and voodoo.” Needless to say, it was a role with considerable range, and Parker recalled, “I came to enjoy playing an evil, conniving woman.”

Despite its huge cult following, ABC canceled Dark Shadows in 1971, replacing it with the game show Password. Afterwards, Parker remained one of the hottest actresses of her day, appearing in Broadway productions and guest-starring on such wellknown shows as Hawaii-Five-0, Kung Fu , Remington Steele, e Incredible Hulk, and many others.

Somehow she found time to write books and short stories based on the characters from Dark Shadows, and in 2012 she made a cameo role in the Tim Burton-directed remake starring Johnny Depp. Her fourth and ﬁ nal novel, Heiress of Collinwood, came out in 2014. She also taught college in L.A. and conducted workshops in horror writing in New York City.

at age 19, she became host Wink Martindale’s assistant on his hit TV show, Dance Party

But Rickey wanted more. After earning a degree from Southwestern (now Rhodes College), she left home to attend graduate school in creative writing at the University of Iowa. About this time, Lamar Rickey evolved into

Dark Shadows, a “gothic/horror soap opera,” was one of ABCTV’s biggest shows from 1966 to 1971. e series focused on witches, warlocks, vampires, and other unsavory characters who inhabited the sleepy village of Collinsport, Maine. Viewers were slow to embrace such a show, at a time when its main competition was the family-friendly Let’s Make a Deal, but they warmed to it. One critic wrote that Dark Shadows was “distinguished by its vividly

She wrote scripts and screenplays, formed Old Canyon Press to publish an illustrated collection of verse, Bugs and Critters I Have Known ; appeared in the crime drama Doctor Mabuse; and starred in the TV mini-series, eatre Fantastique. For years, she maintained a website, where she oﬀered DVDs of Dark Shadows and her movies, along with autographed books and photos.

Rickey/Parker passed away on October 12, 2023, at age 84. Not a bad life and career for the Memphis teenager who got her start spinning records on Dance Party

Lamar Rickey in 1958 (left) and Lara Parker as the vampire Angelique in Dark Shadows (right).

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A Cloar Connection

Lamar Rickey / Lara Parker

CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVE.