DIY

NEW YEAR, NEW YEAR,

NEW PLANS NEW PLANS by LINDSAY PACE

It’s true - there’s nothing special about January first. There is something special, though, about dreaming for the year ahead. That’s why we designed an entire A5-sized printable planner for you, complete with monthly, weekly and daily spreads (and a few fun goal-tracking sheets).

We recommend printing on cardstock, trimming with a paper cutter and punching with an A5sized hole punch to store in a binder of choice, like the one here.

Visit www.mudandmagnolias.com/A5planner for the template. M

MIDDAY, NOON, TWELVE O'CLOCK: the story of noon cafe

by ALLIE ALLSUP photos by LINDSAY PACE

erial Entrepreneur. Force of Nature. Unwaveringly committed.

These are just a few expressions used to describe Bev Crossen. Constantly developing a new business is another one. No matter what she’s doing, Crossen is always thinking about Tupel.

Advocating for her city is what she does best. She loves the creative process in traveling and experiencing different cities and cultures before bringing certain aspects of them back to her own community.

Her most recent endeavor? An Asian fusion-based fresh food restaurant called Noon.

It started like any other day at work. A full workload, a tight schedule and no lunch breaks.

With a busy work schedule, Crossen can find it difficult to break for lunch. If she does, she finds herself wanting options that are fast, fresh and available to grab and go.

“That’s really where it started, and it was coming from a place of being hungry at lunchtime downtown,” Crossen said. “And not

Swanting to wait in line.” Thus, their slogan, “Fresh Food Fast!,” was formed. And that’s exactly what you’ll find at Noon located in the Farmhouse in Downtown Tupelo. Finding herself traveling frequently, Crossen makes it a point to write down her favorite meals, and find unique and healthy foods to try wherever she goes. Pretty much every item on Noon’s menu is adapted from a meal Crossen loved during her travels. With deliciously healthy options, guests can build their own bowl or check out the chef’s menu for a new style of eating. With an Asian fusion-style cuisine, Noon has an eclectic flavor profile. No matter what you choose, though, everything is fresh. The restaurant is run by a small, passionate team— mostly friends and family — that loves branching out from the norm. “There’s nothing here that’s quite like it,” Bev’s son, Greg Crossen, said. “The entire menu is made up of healthy foods, not just a small portion on a small corner of a menu.”

Opening page: Noon Cafe's menu design is reflective of the fresh, vibrant produce used in dishes. This spread, clockwise from top left: All serving utensils and to-go bags are made of compostable plant sugars; Noon offers several unique drink options to guests, from cane sugar root beer to canned Kombucha; The Hanoi bowl, which includes lemongrass meatballs, lo mein, carrots, quick pickles, Hanoi sauce and sriracha aioli.

After living in Oregon for six years, Greg Crossen decided it was time to move back home to Tupelo and help with his mom’s newest venture. Passionate about food since a young age, Crossen is acutely aware of flavor profiles. So, when the restaurant was opened, he made sure to have his hand in every dish. These days, he’s the eatery’s main chef. “I’ve always loved cooking,” Crossen said. “Like when I quit watching cartoons as a kid, I started watching the Food Network.” Able to scratch on his creative edge, Crossen blends his mother’s discoveries with his own style of cooking to create new, yet familiar menu items.

“I’m just creating stuff and figuring out what works and what doesn’t,” Crossen said. “And it’s just a really good feeling to have something that you personally created, shared and enjoyed by a number of people.” Being relatively new, it’s all about getting people to branch out and try something different.

“The hardest thing will probably be getting people to try new things,” Crossen said It’s hard to get people to move away from what’s comfortable, Crossen said. “I’ve noticed I have to make it familiar to people,” Crossen said.. “Normally, people will try something simple at first, something they know they’ll like, so they’ll build a bowl or something similar. But almost all of them convert after that. They try it and love it and then start to feel more adventurous with the menu.” As for the restaurant's name, it was the third member of the family, the family patriarch, Karl Crossen, who put in his two cents. “My dad actually came up with the name,” Crossen said. “He was just like, ‘ Oh, it’s a lunch place, so why don’t we just call itNoon?’’ And we were all like, ‘Whoa’ why is that so profound?” So, the name stuck, and Noon was born. M

“NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS, NEW YOU!”

McNeil

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