IN THIS ISSUE
28 Home Place Pastures
A fifth-generation farmer practices regenerative agriculture and provides quality beef and pork to restaurants and the community.
34 The Tradition of Tamales
The Acala family produces many things at Lola’s Homestead, but none is more special than their authentic Mexican tamales.
40 Cheers
Beloved by students and families alike, Circle and Square microbrewery is at home in Oxford.
This month’s cover stories center on food and family. On page 34, meet the Acala family and learn about their long tradition of making tamales, and read all about how Home Place Pastures serves the community on page 28.
LETTER from the PUBLISHER
It’s the season of delicious smells and full tummies as we celebrate food this month. Over the last several years, I have developed a love of cooking. I especially love experimenting with interesting recipes. Baked pear salads with berries and honey. A balsamic and brown sugar basted pork tenderloin with rosemary. And there’s nothing better than sharing the food I make with family and friends.
Our annual food issue features stories on several north Mississippi people, the food they love, and how they serve it up to the community in all different ways.
The Acala family shares their homemade tamales by selling them (along with other homemade and homegrown goods) at farmers markets in the area. Read about them and the tradition of Mexican tamales on page 34.
A family farm since the 1800s, Home Place Pastures provides grassfed beef and pastured pork to the region. Read about the farm on page 28. For the full experience, go to a Steak Night dinner there on a Friday night, or taste their food at one of several local restaurants that features their meat on its menu.
Last, this issue peeks inside a special place in Oxford (page 40). Named for its location between two iconic Oxford spots, Circle and Square Brewing not only brings locally brewed beers to the community, but it is also a family friendly destination with food from several local vendors.
We hope you enjoy this issue!
PUBLISHER
Rachel West
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Emily Welly
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Leslie Criss
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Eugene Stockstill
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FOOD EDITOR
Sarah Godwin
COPY EDITOR
Ashley Arthur
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Jennie Lee
OFFICE
BUSINESS MANAGER
Hollie Hilliard
DISTRIBUTION
Allen Baker
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MAIN OFFICE
662-234-4008
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Holly Vollor
SENIOR EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Joe Worthem
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
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ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS
Alise M. Emerson
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PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 2024
OXFORD
Mediterranea Exhibit
ONGOING
An American Art exhibit of 72 paintings depicting scenes from the Mediterranean is on display through Dec. 7. The artwork is on loan from the William D. Williford Collection. Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., University of Mississippi Museum. museum.olemiss.edu
HOLIDAYS
ELECTION DAY
November 5
VETERAN'S DAY
November 11
THANKSGIVING DAY
November 28
Thacker Mountain Radio
NOVEMBER 7
Thacker Mountain Radio features author Jared Sullivan and his new book, “Valley So Low,” a legal thriller about a disastrous coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee. 6 p.m., the Powerhouse. thackermountain.com
Ole Miss Football vs. Georgia
NOVEMBER 9
Football powerhouses meet at the Vaught. Wear red. Time TBD. olemisssports.com
Throwback Game
NOVEMBER 12
Ole Miss men’s basketball heads back to the Tad Pad for a throwback game against the South Alabama Jaguars. 7 p.m. olemisssports.com
“Funny Girl”
NOVEMBER 14-16
Oxford High School presents “Funny Girl,” the musical comedy. 7:30 p.m., OHS. oxfordhs.booktix.com
Christmas Open House
NOVEMBER 16
Sugar Magnolia Antique Mall welcomes the holiday season with a Christmas open house. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. instagram.com/thesugarms
The Jazz Ambassadors
NOVEMBER 18
The official touring big band of the U.S. Army performs a free concert at Ole Miss. 7:30 p.m., the Ford Center. fordcenter.org
Holly Jolly Holidays
NOVEMBER 23-JANUARY 5
Holly Jolly Holidays moves to a new location at mTrade Park. This year’s extravaganza includes ice-skating and a Walk of Lights. hollyjollyoxford.holiday
Egg Bowl
NOVEMBER 29
Ole Miss takes on Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl. Wear navy blue. 2:30 p.m., Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. olemisssports.com
Corinth Christmas Open House
NOVEMBER 1-3
Three days of holiday shopping with local merchants in historic downtown Corinth. facebook.com/mainstcorinth
“Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical”
NOVEMBER 1-10
Corinth Theatre-Arts presents “Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical.” ThursdaySaturday 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. Tickets, $15-$20, available online. onthestage.tickets/corinth-theatre-arts
Corinth Comic Con
NOVEMBER 2
The fifth annual Corinth Comic Con includes gaming, wrestling, cosplay, many special guests and more. Admission, $9. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Crossroads Arena, Corinth. corinthcomiccon.com
Holly Jolly Open House
NOVEMBER 2
Holiday tastings, songs of the season, door prizes, free gift wrapping and more. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., downtown Booneville. visitbooneville.com
Monthly Music Mix
NOVEMBER 2
A piano concert with Dr. Nathan Cheung featuring Dakota Hill. Tickets $17 in advance; $20 at the door. 7:30 p.m., Link Centre, Tupelo. link-centre.org
Downtown Tupelo Holiday Open House
NOVEMBER 2-3
Visit downtown Tupelo retailers for a weekendlong holiday open house. Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 1-4 p.m. tupelomainstreet.com
An Evening with Mac MacAnally
NOVEMBER 7
Musician and singer-songwriter Mac MacAnally performs a sold-out show hosted by Tupelo Community Theatre. 7 p.m., the Lyric, Tupelo. tctlyric.com
The Arc Job Extravaganza
NOVEMBER 7
The Arc, an organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, hosts a job fair for an inclusive workforce. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Tupelo Furniture Market. arcnems.org
Gumtree Exhibit
NOVEMBER 8
Mississippi painter Bob Tompkins exhibits his work at Gumtree Museum of Art throughout November and December. Opening reception, 5-7 p.m., Gumtree Museum of Art. gumtreemuseum.com
Red & Green Market
NOVEMBER 9
Find local artisans, food trucks and music at this holiday-themed market that features handcrafted items exclusively. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Crossroads Museum, Corinth. corinthgreenmarket.net
Veterans Day Ceremony
NOVEMBER 11
Gather to honor all who served. 9-10 a.m., Veterans Memorial Park. tupelo.net
“Misery”
NOVEMBER 14-16
Tupelo Community Theatre presents “Misery,” a play based on Stephen King’s famed novel. Tickets, $25. 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, TCT Off Broadway, Tupelo. tctlyric.com
“Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars”
NOVEMBER 14-17
Disney comes to life at Cadence Bank Arena. Tickets from $20. Find showtimes and purchase tickets online. cb-arena.com
Black Friday Flea Market
NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 1
Tupelo Flea Market hosts a Black Friday shopping event. 5-9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Buildings 1 and 3, Tupelo Flea Market. tupelofleamarket.net
SHOUTOUTS
Children and their caregivers were invited to gather at Camp Hopewell Oct. 4-5 for the second annual Camp Good Hope. The free one-night camp experience is for
Finding Joy at Camp Good Hope
children ages 6 to 17 who have experienced the death of a loved one.
Mariamne Young founded Camp Good Hope last year. Young’s adult daughter died in 2019, and her journey with grief led to the idea for the camp.
“I was looking for joy,” she said. “I got to go to camp as a child, and I had great memories, so I thought let’s do a camp.”
The camp is not intended as counseling; rather, it offers a supportive, nurturing environment to help children embrace grief and begin a journey toward healing.
Campers, who must be accompanied by an adult family member or guardian, participate in crafts, story time, a ropes course, zip lining, kayaking, music, bonfires and more. Activities are led by volunteers.
Lodging, meals and activities are all free of charge. Camp Good Hope received
a grant earlier this year from LOFT and is supported by private donations.
The goal is for children who have experienced loss and grief to be surrounded by others who have experienced the same. Young says the loss doesn’t have to be recent, and it does not have to be the loss of an immediate family member. “Whoever you loved is who you grieve,” she said.
And although the camp is designed for children, the adults that accompany them certainly benefit from the experience as well.
“The whole premise is for children and adults to get together, have fun at a camp and realize they’re not alone. If you’ve ever experienced grief, you know there’s loneliness that goes along with it.”
For information on next year’s camp, visit facebook.com/campgoodhope or email campgoodhope@gmail.com.
The Depot: A New Space for Tupelo’s Farmers Market and More
Excitement about the City of Tupelo’s new farmers market space has grown in recent months as construction progress has become visible behind the safety fencing.
The new location, which had long been a parking lot on North Front Street not far from Tupelo Hardware, will be home to the farmers market and also provide a space for other community activities, such as cooking demonstrations, reunions, live music and more. Though Food Truck Fridays will continue outside City Hall, the venue will also provide spaces for food trucks to park for special events.
“The Depot will be a spectacular structure,” said Lucia Randle, executive director of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association. “It’s going to look very nice, a nod to Tupelo’s train history. There also has been a lot of attention given to green space around it.”
The facility, when completed, will be known as The Depot as a reminder of the train depot that once graced the property. The design of the building, by Tek1 Studio principal architect Chris Root, has some similarities to the original depot which was demolished in the late 1970s for an overpass
that was never funded. It was also in a state of disrepair.
When complete, the building should be a reminder of how important the railroad was to the development of Tupelo.
The target date for completion is spring 2025, if the weather cooperates. There will be a grand opening once the work is finished.
“The City of Tupelo recognized the need for a venue which would not only house our vibrant farmers market, but also offer a gathering place for live music and various events in downtown Tupelo,” Randle said. “The Depot will allow us to accommodate these multipurpose needs, in addition to serving as a beautiful anchor in our downtown district. This project was thoughtfully planned, and we are thrilled to watch the progress as it becomes a reality.”
SHOUTOUTS
Living Waters for the World
Since the installation of its first community water treatment system in Mexico in 1996, Living Waters for the World has trained more than 2,300 volunteers and formed more than 1,000 water partnerships around the world.
LWW, founded by the Rev. Wil Howie, is a faith-based nonprofit that trains and supports volunteer mission teams to form international partnerships and install and sustain water purification systems.
A mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA), LWW offers support for sustainable water systems that produce clean water.
One part of LWW is Clean Water U, the organization’s training school. One Clean Water U is located at Hopewell Camp and Conference Center in Oxford. Another is in Johnsonburg, New Jersey.
The simulation experience at Clean Water U educates mission team leaders in partnering with communities that need clean water, in helping local leaders in providing health education and more.
The training experience includes three workshops during a five-day session. It is open to participants from all denominations and civic organizations.
The 2025 Clean Water U at Hopewell will be in September. For more information, visit livingwatersfortheworld.org or call (615) 261-4008.
RESTAURANT NEWS
Bim Bam Burgers
NOW SERVING BREAKFAST
2204 JACKSON AVE., OXFORD
Bim Bam Burgers adds breakfast to its menu. Find omelettes, biscuits, grits and more. Open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. SundayThursday; 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. bimbamburgers.com/breakfast
The Handpie Guy
NOW OPEN
5339 CLIFF GOOKIN BLVD., TUPELO
Located inside Change skateboard shop, owners Ryan and Carla Tate are serving up sweet and savory handpies. The selection changes monthly. changetupelo.com
The Gin
NOW OPEN
4187 WEST MAIN ST., TUPELO
Under new ownership, the former Steele’s Dive location reopens with a modern look and Delta-inspired menu. Plans call for The Gin to serve lunch and dinner. facebook.com/thegintupeloms
Waldo’s Chicken and Beer
NOW OPEN
3282 N. GLOSTER, TUPELO
Famous for fried chicken and cold beer. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. All-day 2 for 1 draft beers Tuesday and Sunday. waldoschicken.com/tupelo
Take It or Leave It
NOW OPEN
112 FRANKLIN STREET, CORINTH
Dine in or take home take-and-bake casseroles, hot lunches, catering spreads and more. Open 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday. takeitorleaveit112.com
Blue Room
NOW OPEN
512 CRUISE STREET, CORINTH
Located next to Vicari and under the same ownership, Blue Room serves elevated Southern food 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. facebook.com/downtowncorinth
The Standard
NOW SERVING BRUNCH
700 TATE STREET, CORINTH
From the owners of Vicari, now serving Sunday brunch buffet from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Also available for private events. standardcorinth.com
Generals’ Quarters
NEW CHEF
924 N. FILLMORE STREET, CORINTH
Chef Robert Bristow joins the staff at the restaurant located inside this boutique hotel. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. generalsquarterscorinth.com
WARM SPICE Layer Cake
WITH FALL FLAVORS AND CANDIED PECANS, THIS TALL CAKE IS SURE TO BE A CROWD PLEASER.
RECIPES BY SARAH GODWIN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
This three-layer cake has all the ingredients for a quintessential seasonal dessert. Dark brown sugar and cinnamon create a warm spice flavor profile. Buttermilk incorporated into the batter makes for light and fluffy cake that’s complemented by rich and tangy cream cheese frosting. And candied pecans — which can be purchased in stores or made at home — hint at the approaching holidays. This cake is an impressive after-supper treat for a family Thanksgiving gathering. It also makes a beautiful addition to a brunch spread and pairs perfectly with a cup of hot coffee or tea.
Brown Sugar-Cinnamon CREAM CHEESE LAYER CAKE
CAKE
3 cups cake flour
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature, divided 4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FROSTING
½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 block cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup candied pecans, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. With the paddle attachment, use the lowest speed setting to combine. Once combined, add butter and 1 cup buttermilk. Beat to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in 3 to 4 parts, beating the mixture on low speed after each addition just until blended. (Do not overmix.)
Butter and flour three round 9-inch cake pans, and pour the batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow cake layers to cool slightly in pans, then remove to cool completely (see tips below).
In a clean bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla and salt until blended.
Spread each cooled cake layer with frosting and top with chopped pecans, and carefully stack layers. Frost sides of assembled cake, and garnish with pecans.
TIPS & TRICKS
- An hour prior to baking, set out butter, eggs, cream cheese and buttermilk to bring ingredients to room temperature.
- To prepare cake pans, spread with a thin layer of butter, then add about a tablespoon of flour, shake until coated and remove any excess.
- After baking, remove cakes from pans and cool on parchment paper spread on countertop (baking racks can cause marks on cakes).
- When cakes are completely cool, use a long serrated bread knife to trim the rounded tops off cakes to allow for easier stacking of layers.
- Once cakes are stacked, fill a cake decorating bag with icing and use to fill any cracks or the gaps between layers after cakes are stacked.
- Use the flat side of a butter knife to spread the icing on in one big smooth motion (rather than back and forth) to avoid crumbs.
Home Place Pastures
A FIFTH-GENERATION FARMER PRACTICES REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE AND PROVIDES QUALITY BEEF AND PORK TO RESTAURANTS AND THE COMMUNITY.
WRITTEN BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
For a decade, Marshall Bartlett has tended a portion of 1,800 acres that have been in his family for more than 150 years. The land, first owned by his great-great-grandfather in 1871, is situated in Panola County — Mississippi hill country that borders the Delta.
From the age of 13, Bartlett was schooled in the ways of farm chores like harvesting cotton, using farm equipment and more.
He later studied anthropology and environmental science at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. While in college, Bartlett finished an internship in St. Croix with the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute.
It was in St. Croix that Bartlett began to feel a hankering for home — and the farm. He became a voracious researcher of regenerative farming. But before he returned to the family farm, Bartlett spent time in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, working with AmeriCorps in the Ninth Ward.
Then he found a job selling meat to New Orleans restaurants, and through his interaction with chefs, Bartlett learned local meat had a high demand.
Combining his research and experiences, Bartlett began planning for his return to his family farm.
Today, he manages 300 acres in Como known as Home Place Pastures, and it’s still
a family farm. Though Marshall Bartlett is majority owner, his brother Jemison of North Carolina and sister May Leinhart of upstate New York are part of the farm. There’s also Bartlett’s wife and their 18-month-old daughter.
“I’m the only one here on the ground,” Bartlett said. “But my brother and sister have put in a lot of time, energy and money.”
Their dad Mike Bartlett, 82, just retired from running the cotton gin.
“He’s officially retired,” his son said. “But he is very active and doesn’t mind helping me out.”
Unlike the generations that preceded him, Bartlett is not a farmer of row crops. The 35-year-old has transitioned from row crops to a regenerative grazing operation.
Rather than growing cotton and other crops, Bartlett and his 25 employees produce grass-fed beef and pastured pork.
But Bartlett does much more than raise pigs, cows and laying hens from which they get pastured eggs.
“We harvest and process all our pork and beef products in our own USDA facility on the farm,” Bartlett said. “We do our own shipping and distribution, as well.”
Home Place Pastures also boasts its own butcher shop and a restaurant.
“We opened the restaurant in 2020 — just before COVID,” he said. “I know —
a great time to open a restaurant. But we lost our wholesale business overnight — selling our product to restaurants. We did a quick pivot to provide meat to folks in our community instead of to restaurants during the pandemic.”
Bartlett rehabbed an old house on the farm, using salvaged material from four other old houses on the property. The result houses The Home Place Farm Store.
The restaurant is open for lunch Wednesdays through Sundays, and for Steak Night dinner on Fridays.
“I’ve learned a lot with the restaurant,” Bartlett said, laughing. “Good and bad. I might not have done it if I knew what it entailed.”
In addition to the restaurant on the property, other restaurants in Mississippi, New Orleans and Memphis now also source meats from Home Place Pastures.
In yet another of Home Place Pastures’ missions to be involved in the community, Bartlett throws an annual party on the farm — and everyone is invited.
A boucherie, as it’s called, has its roots in Louisiana culture. Defined as a social event at which people gather to butcher and make food from an animal, especially a pig.
For eight years, missing a couple thanks to COVID, Bartlett has hosted the Boucherie
at Home Place Pastures, inviting about 20 chefs who prepare something from a specific cut of pork.
“Somewhere in my crazy chicken brain, I decided this would be a fun thing to do,” Bartlett said. “We harvest an animal, serving food in the picnic tradition and after the meal, we move to another section of the farm for live music.
“The Boucherie is always the weekend after Labor Day, but the planning starts well before. My dread starts to build every January. It’s a big undertaking, but lots of fun for folks.”
The dinner is a ticketed event — tickets must be purchased in advance. A ticket for dinner includes the music. Those who just want to listen to the live music pay $10 at venue gate.
Bartlett is excited about one of the farm’s most recent additions: a website for shopping online. Offerings include holiday bundles, corporate gifts, animal shares and a la carte shopping. See what’s offered and learn more at homeplacepastures.com.
After 10 years of hard work and continued growth of Home Place Pastures, Bartlett chuckles when asked if he still enjoys what he does.
“It’s complicated,” he said. “It has been way more challenging than I could have imagined. But I very much believe in our mission. I’m invested in what we’re doing, and I look forward to the next decade.”
A Tradition of Tamales
{UNA Tradición de Tamales}
THE ACALA FAMILY PRODUCES MANY THINGS AT LOLA’S HOMESTEAD, BUT NONE IS MORE SPECIAL THAN THEIR AUTHENTIC MEXICAN TAMALES.
WRITTEN BY LESLIE
CRISS
PHOTOGRAPHED
BY
JOE WORTHEM
When members of the Acala family first began showing up at various farmers markets, their goods were welcomed. Included were homemade flour tortillas, Mexican bread (pan dulce), empanadas, salsa, honey, fresh eggs and handcrafted wood pieces. Seasonally, the family also sells homegrown produce.
All the deliciousness is grown, harvested or cooked at Lola’s Homestead, the threeacre farm in Guntown that is a dream-cometrue for 60-year-old Renato Acala. The cooking is done by Renato’s wife, Elizabeth, 58, with help from the youngest of their five daughters, Ashley Acala, 23.
At the Tupelo Farmers’ Depot a year ago, a customer named Tom asked Elizabeth if she was Mexican, and if so, why did she not make and sell tamales. Elizabeth took her customer’s suggestion and started selling
tamales at the markets.
They aren’t just any tamales, the ones Elizabeth makes twice every week, along with other homemade delicacies from her native Mexico.
“The recipe for the tamales comes from my mom’s family,” Ashley said. “It’s a wellkept secret. If Mom is sick or something, we cancel making tamales until she’s better. They can’t be made without her.”
The family recipe for tamales is not written anywhere. It is well kept in the mind of Elizabeth, who learned from her mother.
“My mother was separated when she was young, left with four children and three nephews to raise,” Elizabeth said, with some assistance from her American-born daughter. “She would stay up all night on weekends to make 40 dozen tamales to sell
Continued on page 36
ACALA family SALSA
One key ingredient in Elizabeth Acala’s sought-after tamales is the Chile de Arbol salsa they’re made with. She shares her recipe here. This salsa can be frozen for up to six months.
1 pound tomatillos, chopped 1 large garlic clove, minced
In a large skillet, saute tomatillos with garlic until the tomatillos turn yellow or are soft. Set aside on a plate. In same skillet, saute peppers in same skillet (using caution as pepper aroma has tendency to make you cough) until tender.
5 Chiles de Arbol (Tree Peppers), sliced ½ teaspoon salt
Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to cool. Once cool, place the mixture into a blender, and add ½ teaspoon salt. Blend well until salsa is very smooth. Drizzle on tacos, chorizo and eggs, or add to chicken tortilla or black bean soup.
Continued from page 34
to help provide for our family.”
Her mother used a machine that helped prepare the masa dough, which is too thick for a conventional mixer. That machine has journeyed from Mexico to Chicago to Guntown, where it is still used today.
Renato and Elizabeth’s journey to Guntown took years. They met at a dance in Zacateca, Mexico, and married in 1989. Soon after, they made their way to the United States, first to Chicago, where they lived with an aunt of Elizabeth’s while they did factory work. Renato also worked doing landscaping.
After 23 years in Chicago, Renato was offered and accepted a position as pastor of a church in Hobart, Indiana. Then, in 2021, the family moved to Guntown, where Renato had two cousins. It’s where he found the land where he now farms and raises animals that bring him joy — 25 goats, a couple of cows, “just 90” chickens, some ducks, nine dogs and a cat. It’s where he tends bees, and with the help of his wife, he extracts and harvests honey.
The farm’s name, Lola’s Homestead, came from Renato.
“Lola was a dog, a Chihuahua, my dad had and loved,” Ashley said. “He would always say to that dog, ‘Once I have a farm, I promise I will name it after you.’ And years after he made that promise, he named it after Lola.”
While Renato tends to the outside tasks, Elizabeth is the queen of her kitchen, where she enjoys experimenting. But for making tamales, she uses the same tried-and-true method twice each week.
“Making tamales is very labor intensive,” Ashley said.
Her mother quickly added, “We want everything to be fresh for customers.”
There are different types of tamales. Those made in the Acala kitchen are pork tamales, chicken tamales and vegetable tamales. The meat and/or vegetable filling is encased in masa, a dough made from ground corn. When the tamales are in their elongated rectangular shape, they are wrapped in corn husks.
on page
CHRISTMAS Tamales
For many Mexican and Mexican-American families, the making and eating of tamales is a longstanding tradition at Christmas. The tradition for most has been passed down for generations.
There are even parties or tamaladas, hosted specifically for family and friends to get together to make tamales during the Christmas season.
The tamale tradition begins before Christmas, on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorating the Virgin Mary’s appearance before Juan Diego, a peasant, in the 16th century. The feasting ends on Jan. 6, Epiphany, the day the three kings visited Jesus after his birth.
Historically, tamales were eaten by the Aztecs, Mayans and Olmecs, and since they were considered a portable food, tamales were eaten by men away for battle or on hunting trips. Additionally, because of the corn flour ingredient, tamales were considered to be sacred food for the gods and were eaten on special occasions.
Today, in addition to Christmas, tamales are also popular at celebrations of birthdays, baptisms, wedding anniversaries, New Year’s Day, the Day of the Dead and other significant occasions. The Mexican comfort food has long been strongly associated with unity, celebration, family, kinship and community.
Continued from page 36
Elizabeth, in her native tongue, tells her daughter the steps to translate to English. To make 15 dozen tamales, their day in the kitchen begins about 8 or 9 in the morning. Making the salsa may be the quickest step — about a half hour or an hour; two hours to cook the meat; close to an hour to mix the masa; two hours to put all ingredients together.
“Then about 2 a.m., my mom puts the tamales, wrapped in the corn husks, into a big pot where they steam for two hours,” Ashley said.
Making and serving tamales during the Christmas season is a longstanding tradition among Mexican people. And it had been a tradition long recognized in the Acala family — until now.
“When you make dozens of tamales every week to take to the farmers markets and to fill orders for others, you don’t really have the energy to make during the holidays,” Ashley said, with her mother nodding in agreement.
Elizabeth does make bunuelos, a sweet treat of fried dough tossed in cinnamon and sugar, for her family at Christmas.
Still, it’s her tamales people crave. And Elizabeth has no intention of not giving her customers what they want.
“They are made with love,” she said. “I am so happy when people say how good the tamales are. It is like a hug in your heart.”
Cheers
BELOVED BY STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ALIKE, CIRCLE AND SQUARE MICROBREWERY IS AT HOME IN OXFORD.
WRITTEN BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
The beer is flowing at Ole Miss and across Oxford, and some of the busiest taps are at Circle and Square Brewing. The first microbrewery in Oxford and one of only three in north Mississippi, Circle and Square opened last August, days before the first football game of the season.
“There’s always room to grow,” managing partner Taylor Webb said, but on an average day, hundreds cross the brewery’s threshold. “Most of the people that come in are repeat customers.”
The groovy-looking place, located at 100 Depot Street, opens at 7 a.m. every day except for Sunday (when it opens at 9 a.m.) and closes at 7 p.m. Sunday, at 9 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and at 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
Inside, there’s plenty of fresh red and blue paint, along with a weathered appearance that gives the premises a livedin look.
Webb and fellow Ole Miss grad Sumner Abraham (two friends who happen to be married to sisters) hatched the whole idea before the COVID-19 pandemic. Webb and his family would visit the Abrahams in Charlottesville, Virginia, a city that’s chockablock with local breweries, and the friends started noticing the large number of young families that frequented them.
“It’s easy to fit a bunch of people with strollers” into a brewery, Webb said, and the friends started wondering about the obvious:
“Why does Oxford not have a brewery?”
(Note: the reason has something to do with the long and complicated history of alcohol laws in the state, county and city; see page 46 for a brief history on that.)
Fast-forward beyond Webb and Abraham’s simple query. The two teamed up with another Oxford graduate (John Adrian) and a professor at the university’s Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence (Rick Hollander), then made contact with Joel Weyenberg, a brewer at one of the biggest breweries in the country, Summit Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After Weyenberg’s visits to the Deep South and the purchase of some property near the city’s walking trail (part of which Ole Miss used to own), the team began overseeing construction in February 2023 and opened the new brewery’s doors six months later. Along the way, they coldcalled yet another Ole Miss alum (Micah Whitson), a graphic designer who has created everything from the company’s website to the design of the beer cans.
Once things started to fall into place, Webb said, “it all moved lightning fast.”
The building that houses Circle and Square used to be the home of Better Brands, a beer distributor. It went up for auction once, did not sell, then went up for sale again, and the creative minds behind the idea of a local brewery snatched it up. The university later sold to the business a small piece of land connected to it.
The team points to Oxford itself for answering another important question: Why would a brewer at one of the nation’s largest breweries relocate to Lafayette County? The answer, Webb said, may have something to do with the fact that the first time Weyenberg visited Oxford, Texas A&M was in town for a football game.
“The atmosphere that day was unbelievable,” Webb said. “The city does a really good job selling itself to people.”
Weyenberg was also likely attracted by the prospect of being something of a pioneer in craft brewing in a place that was just beginning to catch up with a trend that started decades ago in much of the country. A microbrewery is legally defined as an
establishment that brews up to 3,000 barrels of beer on-site and sells up to 80% of the stuff in the shop. Mississippi doesn’t have many microbreweries. In north Mississippi, there’s also 1817 Brewery in Okolona and Mississippi Ale Hale in Olive Branch.
So, it seems the founders of Circle and Square have reason to be proud.
Beer connoisseurs who have yet to visit Circle and Square can expect “your simple, classic beer styles, traditional German stuff,” according to Webb. He said they weren’t looking to create brews with swanky flavors and spices, rather the focus was on this: “How do we make something that satisfies us but is also palatable for 65,000 fans?”
Currently, there are at least seven different varieties of home brew to choose from (including Hill Country Cream Ale and Heated Debate Bock Beer). And yet, beer is not the only thing patrons are flocking to Circle and Square to try.
Also on tap are: full breakfast and lunch/ dinner menus developed by Corban Evans of Oxford Canteen fame; craft cocktails provided by Bar Muse at The Lyric Oxford; and coffee ground in Laurel at Manuscript Coffee Roasters (a friend of Webb’s wife started the business). Coffee and breakfast are hits among students throughout the week, Webb said.
In fact, the biggest shock since opening? “It was a surprise how much of our business is food sales,” Webb said.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ALCOHOL IN MISSISSIPPI
WRITTEN BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
There’s no better place to begin a brief history of alcohol in Mississippi than with an extended quote from that astonishing piece of oratory, “The Whiskey Speech,” given in April 1952 by a young state legislator named Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat Jr.
“If when you say ‘whiskey’ you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children ... then certainly I am against it. But if when you say ‘whiskey’ you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips ... if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars. ... then certainly I am for it.”
In previous generations, that sort of thinking was considered abnormal in the Magnolia State. But research Mississippi’s history of alcohol and you’ll also find a curious mishmash of bootlegging, socially accepted refreshment, teetotalism, imprisonment and effigy-burning. (Consider the irony that in Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” everybody swills during an era when alcohol was 100% illegal in Mississippi.)
This state’s official hatred of all things related to alcohol dates to at least the early 1800s, when temperance movements first surfaced. One 19th-century preacher referred to alcohol as the “public and dreaded evil.” Mississippi passed dozens of temperance laws in the 1800s and in 1908 became the first state to pass some form of prohibition, a decade before the 18th Amendment became the law of the land.
Here is a quick timeline of some of the things that had to happen in order for Circle and Square Brewing, Oxford’s first and only microbrewery, to open last year.
1966: A big change takes place, as Mississippi becomes the last state in the country to repeal Prohibition.
1973: Oxford passes a referendum permitting the sale of light wine and beer (no more than 4% alcohol by weight) in the city, as recorded in the City of Oxford’s Minute Book No. 27.
2007: The University of Mississippi lifts its official no-alcohol policy, though with restrictions related to substance abuse.
2012:
Beer with more than 5% alcohol by weight (that’s 6.335% by volume) becomes legal in the state. The beer made at Circle and Square is 8% alcohol by weight (10.136% by volume).
2021:
A state law goes into effect that allows alcohol possession throughout Mississippi. The law, however, does not legalize sales across the state. That decision must be made by voters from county to county. That same year, another state law passes that includes microbreweries as a separate manufacturing category.
In Mississippi, the Department of Revenue tends to beer, light wine and light spirits, while the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control oversees all other liquor. If you consult the Department of Revenue’s website, you will find a map that identifies wet and dry counties and municipalities. Hard liquor is legal in Lafayette County, according to the map, but beer is illegal, while all alcohol is legal in Oxford.
Also of note, Mississippi does not allow selfdistribution of alcohol. Clark Beverage Group Inc. in New Albany is Circle and Square Brewing’s distributor.
The Oxford Fire Department hosted a 9/11 Day of Service Sept. 14 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in honor of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
1. Hunter Slay, Eric Printy, Brandon Walls, Duncan McAloon and Colin Cesulka
2. Kelly and Robert Wyatt
3. Jeff McCutchen, Atziri Ortiz, Kayla Martin and Zach Anderson
4. Parker Todd, Ellie Springer, Andrew Douglass, Henri Wache, Andrew Norwood and Jeremy Macey
5. Asher and Andrew Newby
6. Walker Tackitt, Allen Elder, Jonathan Perry, Channing Lackey and Caleb Burns
PARTY ON THE GREEN
The 2nd Chance Party on the Green took place Sept. 26 at Isom Place. The annual event is a fundraiser for adult education and work skills training in Mississippi.
BY REBEKAH CLAYTON
1. Lee and Lisa Paris
2. Channing Adair Williams, Alden Lee, Ella Wellinghoff, Ruth Beyene and Bella Yant
3. Sarah Rose Lomenick, Zach Scruggs and Cassidy Grace Porter
4. Ashton Hopp and Anne Morgan Carney 5. Jenn Vinluan and Caroline Heath
6. Ryan Rolison and Lauren Hoselton 7. Bryson Collier, Mason Ayers, Andres Cepeda and Charles Jackson
Bennett Van Cleve and Tate Martin
Margaret Baker, Ann Elize Allen and Neal Ann Chamblee
Daggin Wallace and Ethan Smith
TAILGATE FOR PALMER
The ninth annual Tailgate for Palmer watch party took place inside the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center on Sept. 14. The annual event raises funds to benefit Palmer Home for Children.
1. David and Rita Hankins
2. Margaret and Brooks Krouse
3. Drake Bassett, president and CEO of Palmer Home for Children
4. Molly Coleman and Mary-Margaret Wamble
5. Nicole and Jonathan Moorman
6. Tailgate for Palmer committee members with Drake Bassett
OLE MISS WOMEN’S COUNCIL
The Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy hosted its first Scholar and Alumni Reunion on Sept. 20 at Memory House.
1. Karen Moore with Caleb and Mikayla Pracht
2. Bradley Brantley, Mary Susan Clinton and Mary Lathan Pittman
3. Lisa Mallory, Molly Meisenheimer and Ellen Rolfes
4. Addison and Kiffney Smith
5. Mary Ann Fruge with Tom and Bonnie Brown
6. Elise Jackson and Gloria Kellum with Corrine and Kent Jackson
7. Logan Thornton, Suzanne Helveston and Madison Thornton
8. Josh Hartz, Michele Hartz and Vicki Sneed with Sara and Colin Doyle
9. OMWC Alumni Scholars
10. Trevor and Allison Yant with Portia and Will Fountain
WOMEN’S COUNCIL
FCA LADIES’ LUNCHEON
Ole Miss Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted its fifth annual Ladies’ Luncheon Sept. 27 at the Oxford Conference Center.
1. Jill Sandroni Seabrook, Gail England, Elizabeth Ely and Peggy Gillion-Granderson
2. Logan Curtis, Lauren Allen and Meredith Hitchcock
3. Tricia Ross Cantrell, Gail Duke Rimer and Sherrie Woodcock
4. Laura Webb and Jonathan Fulcher
5. Joan, Bethany and Whitney Enochs with Tricia Ross Cantrell, Gail Duke Rimer, Sherrie Woodcock and Heather Lea Hopson
MTRADE/ROTARY TOURNAMENT
The Oxford Rotary Club hosted the mTrade golf tournament Sept. 30 at the Country Club. The event supports the Oxford Medical Ministries Clinic and raised more than $30,000. The golfers donated more than $4,200 on the day of the tournament.
OUT & ABOUT
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
1. Baptist Cancer Center employees
2. Cade Dewitt, John Scott Kendricks, Sam Kendricks, Samara McConnell, Drew O’Connor and Robert Kompus
3. Ryan, Jansen, Lauren and Aspen Fortenberry
4. McKenzie Cox and Meredith Whited
5. Crowing of Miss University Mckenzie Cox
6. Connie’s Chicken
7. Baird Private Wealth Management
8. Belk Ford
9. Bim Bam Burgers
Silver Medal Celebration
CONNIE’S CHICKEN
UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP, THE BELOVED TUPELO EATERY HAS PRESERVED WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL, ADDED SOME NEW ITEMS, AND NOW HAS LOCATIONS IN OXFORD AND BEYOND.
WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM
In 1978, a father and son opened a fried chicken eatery on South Gloster Street in Tupelo. In the early years, the restaurant was run by Constantine “Connie” Asters and his oldest son Mike. The two were later joined by Mike’s brother Jay.
The family trio turned Connie’s Chicken into a culinary icon in Tupelo. If you have a hankering for breakfast on your way to work or on a weekend morning, you make extra time to stop by for one of Connie’s famous chicken or tenderloin biscuits with gravy or their blueberry doughnuts. The drive-through line often circles around the building, and most say it’s worth the wait.
The two brothers continued to run Connie’s after the death of their father. And Jay managed the restaurant for a time after the 2020 death of his brother Mike.
When Jay decided it was time to turn the restaurant over to someone else, Nickle
“FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME I TASTED CONNIE’S, I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL. NOW, WITH OUR GROWTH INTO OXFORD, WEST POINT AND OTHER PLACES IN THE FUTURE, OTHERS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THAT, TOO.”
— Tres Brasell
Smith, who loved Connie’s doughnuts during his Tupelo childhood, was interested. It didn’t take long for Smith and his business partner, Tres Brasell, to become the new owners. The two invited Jay to continue to be a presence at Connie’s.
“He was with us when we opened under new ownership,” Brasell said. “Nobody knows Connie’s as good as Jay does. He has helped us tremendously.”
Batesville native Brasell was no stranger to Connie’s. When he was in Tupelo for the birth of his first son six years ago, a friend
visited the hospital announcing he was bringing the best chicken biscuits and doughnuts ever for the new parents.
“He acted like this was going to be something real special,” Brasell said. “But I’d had chicken biscuits before, and doughnuts. But not from this place in Tupelo called Connie’s. When we started eating what he brought, we looked at each other like we had discovered something great.”
In the past year, Connie’s expanded beyond Tupelo. Last December, Connie’s opened a small eatery in West Point, and in July, Connie’s Chicken opened in Oxford. A Starkville location is expected in the future. Smith and Brasell have kept Connie’s as it’s always been, with a few additions. They’ve added a spicy chicken, as well as a signature comeback sauce called Connie’s Sauce to the menu. In Oxford, they are experimenting with adding ice cream, milkshakes and iced coffee.