Okra Issue 3 2017 Preview

T

ISSUE NO. 3T

2017

THE

hidden south THE LOST TOWN

THE BLIND PIG

MATERIAL GIRLS

THE BACK SWAMP

Ashleigh Coleman shares her fascination for Rodney, MS

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Display Until 11/24/2017

Putting it all together with the quilters of Gee’s Bend, AL

Celebrating everything pig at a supper club in Asheville, NC Life in the ever-changing Atchafalaya Basin, LA

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52: THE LOST TOWN

Discovering the beauty of a lost town through the eyes of Ashleigh Coleman

62: THE LITTLEST BIG RIVER Changing swamp life in the Atchafalya Basin

74: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER A visit with the world famous material girls of Gee’s Bend

STORIES 84: SHIFTING SMOKE

Smoke signals an important rise in East Texas Bar-B-Que

90: KEEP THE FAITH

Signs promoting religious faith call for customers to shop here

CHAPTERS EDITORIAL

TO DINE SOUTHERN

PG 8: EDITOR’S LETTER

Our fascination in searching for parts unknown

PG 14: MAKING A DIFFERENCE Celebrating storytellers for the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration

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PG 36: THE SOUTHERN TABLE Feeling homesick for what Mama made

PG 41: COME FOR SUPPER

The Blind Pig Supper Club serves up Pork Soda

PG 46: ON OUR PL ATE

PG 132: MAGEE’S SOUTHERN ACCENT

Chef Todd Richards’ journey through his roots

PG 48: IN OUR GL ASS

The vanishing point, or “No way Jose!”

Creating a new classic with a little twist

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14 SOUTHERN COMFORTS

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED

PG 18: DARK MAGIC

PG 120: WANDERING

The allure of hand crafted chocolates

PG 23: BY SOUTHERN HANDS You’ll want these finds made by locals

PG 28: PAGES

Author “Jenks” Farmer delivers Deep Rooted Wisdom from the past

Andalusia, Alabama continues to be a city in bloom.

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PG 30: LISTEN UP

Rebirth of a country darling - Jo Smith finds her way home

PG 32: LOOK FOR

Longhair Mississippi glam rock with The Weeks

SOUTHERN SNAPSHOTS PG 98: ALONG THE ROAD

PG 127: SOMETHING ELSE

Built with a concrete purpose in mind in Memphis, Tennessee

PG 130: SOUTH AND ABOUT What’s happening around the South

PG 134: WHERE WE WENT The Chapel of Rest in Happy Valley, North Carolina

Snowbird Mountain Lodge will have you returning time and time again

PG 104: SOUTHERN C HARACTER Robert “Shotgun” Giddens puts people first

PG 108: L AY OF THE L AND Readers share photos of their South

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STAFF Scott Speakes Publisher Genie Gaither Jones Editor-in-Chief Ellen Rogers Howle Managing Editor Rebecca Cashwell Design Director Lynae Bryant Visual Communication Artist Allen Ransom Digital Imaging Specialist Tom Ramsey Matthew Magee Contributing Editors Ellen Rogers Howle Julia L. Haynes Elizabeth Tate Copy Writers Richard L. Jones Copy Editor Gordon Lynch Scott Speakes Lena Seaborn Photography Katie Kunsman katie@okramagazine.com Advertising Sales Specialist Lane Varner Cross lane@okramagazine.com Advertising Sales Specialist Randall Grussing randy@okramagazine.com Advertising Sales Specialist Panaprint, Inc. Printing Sappi Papers, Inc. Special Thanks

Published by Southbound Publishing, Inc. P O Box 4107 Cleveland, MS 38732

okramagazine.com

EDITOR’S LETTER

“ Let’s go! Everybody in the car.”

Oh, the excitement we

felt as Mama tried to keep some semblance of order while Daddy rushed us to the car in search of parts unknown.

Where were we going? What would we see? Where would we eat? Would we get to stop for an ice cream at some magical store along the way? The questions were endless. As the miles passed and we traveled down the back roads, our anticipation only grew to see which mystery we would uncover today.

Looking back, those excursions seemed to be reserved for Saturday afternoons or Sundays after church and, more often than not, the great mystery would be no mystery at all, as we usually wound up at a place we hadn’t been to lately. But every once in a while, there would be something special to find. Maybe it was stopping at that same overlook where we stopped countless times, only this time we hiked down the hill to discover a deserted cabin someone told us about. Or maybe it was actually taking a boat ride into parts of a lake where we had never been before. Whatever it was, it was exciting and we lived for the days we heard those two glorious words proclaiming an adventure was about to commence.

Exploring comes naturally to us as Southerners; it’s in our blood. From the time our ancestors first stepped foot in America, they’ve been looking for a new destination. Of course, many of them didn’t stay put in the South for very long – just a while before traveling on, yet again. What were they looking for? Was it just the search for land that was less crowded? Or perhaps it was just wanderlust.

So here we are, the descendents of these explorers, or wanderers if you will, still in search of something unknown. Our journeys may not take us to uncharted lands, and more than likely, not too far from home, but the thrill of discovering something we have never seen before is still yes, soul-satisfying.

Scott Speakes // Publisher

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ISSUE NO. 3

Genie Gaither Jones // Editor-in-Chief

Ellen Rogers Howle // Managing Editor

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CONTRIBUTORS

<

RORY DOYLE works as a university photojournalist and freelance photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi. Doyle’s client and publication list includes: The Wall Street Journal, Getty Images, U.S. News, The Atlantic, CNN, Forbes, Reebok, Men’s Journal, The Marshall Project, Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, Teach for America, Spartan Race and more. With a passion for travel, he has also had assignments in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Poland, Russia and more.

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GINGER ANN BROOK is a seventh -generation Alabamian who lives in Birmingham and New Orleans with her husband and two sons. She chronicles at deepfriedkudzu.com, is a magazine creative director and freelance graphic designer. When not at the keyboard, she’s with her family exploring Southern culture, art, cuisine, having backroads adventures and recording grave shelters and visionary art environments. Her photographs have been in numerous magazines, album covers, booksand documentaries.

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BOYCE UPHOLT is a writer based in the Mississippi Delta. Originally from Connecticut, he’s lived in Mississippi for eight years. His work, which has appeared in The Atlantic and The New Republic, often examines how we shape places and how places shape us. He’s currently researching a book on the Mississippi River. See more at www.boyceupholt.com.

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ISSUE NO. 3

ASHLEIGH COLEMAN was born in the mountains of Virginia. She received her BA in Art History and English from the University of South Carolina.

Since 2010, Ashleigh has lived in rural Mississippi where she photographs life as seen through the lens of an inherited Hasselblad. Her work recently has shown at SlowExposures 2016, Southeastern Center for Photography, ArtSpace 86, and the Fischer Galleries. Online her work has appeared in Eyes on the South by Oxford American, Photo of the Day by Don’t Take Pictures, Salt Magazine, and 51 Instagram Photographers to Follow in the U.S.

by Time LightBox. Recent publications include Oxford American Magazine, Let’s Explore Magazine, and Southern Glossary.

<

JENNIFER STEWART KORNEGAY is a freelance writer and editor based in Montgomery, AL. Her work has appeared in Garden & Gun, Southern Living, The Bitter Southerner, The Local Palate, thekitchn.com, Bake From Scratch, Paste, Travel&Leisure. com, Nashville Lifestyles, Good Grit, Birmingham magazine, Alabama magazine, Georgia Magazine, Alabama Living magazine and more. She’s interested in everything, will write about almost anything but most often reports on Southern culture, food and travel. www.jenniferkornegay.com

< CODY NEATHERY is Veteran of the US Army with an appetite for bourbon and smoked meats. Starting a barbecue blog that was frequently featured on the Texas Monthly Barbecue website, this turned into a position as a barbecue writer/editor for Dallas Morning News affiliate, Pegasus News. Having grown up across the South, he continues to travel and learn about the cuisines, traditions, and cultures from each state and region. He previously wrote for Dallas Observer for over two years with published articles in regional magazines. He currently has several culinary projects in the works.

SE C O N D

HEL PIN G

okramagazine.com

”

THANKS FOR YOUR KIND WORDS.

You’ve made us feel loved.

”

“Bravo. You did it. You hooked me in just two issues.

What’s more, you set something to smolder in my imagination with the feature, Finding Home. As a kid in the 90s I couldn’t get away from Mississippi fast enough and thought I’d never be back beyond the obligatory once a year visit with family over a holiday. Now as a man who is the other side of forty and who has left Washington DC after twenty years, I’m rediscovering my relationship to Mississippi. I’m not the prodigal son come home (I made it as far South as Atlanta), but it isn’t out of the question, one day, possibly. So, thank you for your efforts in reframing the Mississippi narrative. She has a long storied past, but if places like Laurel are any indication, the stories being written today give me great hope for her future. Thanks y’all.” Chase M.

My husband and I had a long drive back to Florida from my hometown in North Carolina the other day, so I paid a visit to the local bookstore in search of fiction that I could devour in order to combat the monotony of I-95. At the checkout counter, there stood okra. magazine: Cue huge gasp(!), angels singing...I think I even jumped up and down a little bit as I dropped the books I was planning to purchase.

What you have to understand is that okra is my favorite food on the planet. So you can understand how thrilled I am that you have created a magazine called okra... finally, someone celebrating the god of all pods...and it really is the perfect word to embody all things Southern! I’m also incredibly pleased to discover the rich photography and editorial content within, words and images that conjure the South so well that I can literally smell freshly baked buttermilk biscuits as I read.

I also love that each issue is themed. Very well done people!

“The new issue of @okramag is on stands today and we are so grateful for the incredible feature on our store and our sweet town... But also, this picture makes me want to kiss Ben Napier square on the lips and squeal! Thank you for a beautiful editorial.”

Erin Napier

Thank you for all your hard work. I ordered my subscription this morning and look forward to the next issue! Cheers from Jacksonville, FL” Leigh-Ann S..

T

U RE ISS PREMIE 2017

“I found okra. in Brandon, FL. It’s been a fun read. I liked the article on Homegrown Cotton enough to order my first polo from them. It’s been shipped. Really fun magazine.” Brian D. “I’ve read both issues cover-to-cover (I will begin all over again this afternoon), but astonishingly, my husband did as well! He is NOT a magazine reader.” Camilla P.

ET

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ISSUE NO. 2T

2017

LOOK FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF OKRA. MAGAZINE ON NEWSSTANDS SOON.

SHOW US YOUR SOUTH In every issue of okra. we feature images from ACROSS THE SOUTH, submitted by OUR READERS of what the South means to them.

Our editors select the photographs we feel best showcase our DIVERSE SOUTHERN CULTURE. So go to our website and submit your images.

Just tell us WHO YOU ARE and WHERE IT IS so we can GIVE YOU CREDIT.

ISSUE

submissions@okramagazine.com

OD

HERN FO

G SOUT FENDIN

DE

s Gillespie’ Chef Kevin ern Fare r With South Love Affai

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ER TABL

THE SUPP

A Celebrating ge Cajun Herita

’S CLUB THE LIAR mmunity inia Co

t A Virg ing to an Ar Elevates Ly

Y JOURNE RANDOM ing Visit e-Open

FindingHome TOWN : MADE : GROWN

, Georgia An Ey Washington to Charming

PRIDE OF PLACE

Ben & Erin Napier show off their hometown of Laurel, MS

ANKIDA RIDGE VINEYARD

Keeping it all in the family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

THE REAL DEAL

A hidden blues lover’s dream in a neighborhood of Bessemer, AL COURIR DE MARDIS GRAS

Making a run for Fat Tuesday in Louisiana’s Cajun Country

BE A PART OF OKRA. HAVE A STORY YOU WANT TO SHARE? What about a curious little musuem or place we might enjoy? Or that person you heard about with a really interesting story? How about a story from your childhood or hometown?”

Write and submit your own story and it could be published on our website.

submissions@okramagazine.com

So many of you have asked about the availability of our Premiere Issue.

We do have some back issues available, in limited quantity.

If you would like to receive one, email us @ contact@okramgazine.com

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ISSUE NO. 3

facebook.com/okramagazine instagram: @okramag twitter: @okramag email: contact@okramagazine.com

ONE MISSISSIPPI. TWO MUSEUMS.

MANY STORIES.

The new Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, opening December 2017 in Jackson, invite visitors inside the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich and complex 200-year history. Come learn the true stories responsible for shaping a state and influencing the world.

MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM - JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

www.visitmississippi.org

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Storytellers CELEBRATING THE VOICES Written by Julia L. Haynes / Photography courtesy of Blue Magnolia Films

As a native Mississippian, Chandler Griffin, like so many others, left home Natalie Irby of Corner To Corner Productions believes, “So much of the story vowing never to return. “I didn’t understand Mississippi. Everything seemed so we hear about Mississippi is told from the outside, but this project aims to black and white.” Griffin spent several years in Lybia and other parts of Africa, communicate the value of the state for those who live here.”

The couple never knows what the stories will be in a town until they get there. helping people in war-ravaged countries tell their stories. It’s there he met his Their inspiration comes from the revitalization projects of each place. With technology wife, Allison Fast, and through helping other societies share their stories, they decided to return to Mississippi. easily accessible to most anyone, they train communities to Applying the same concept of community-based intertell their own stories through the use of smartphones while action to the small towns of Mississippi, Griffin and Fast collectively renewing their sense of what it means to be from have given them a chance to tell their own personal narMississippi through the lens of one another’s experiences.

Printing oversized posters and placing them around the comratives. Hosting workshops in Clarksdale, the couple has been creating Mississippi-based documentaries through munity in empty store windows, they print QR codes on the Alison Fast their production company, Blue Magnolia Films. “Coming images to link to a three and a half minute video with photos and sound to share each story. Each QR code is in the shape back and using Storyteller, we fell in love with Mississippi – both the good and the bad.” Griffin explains, “There’s of the state of Mississippi. a deep, dark history here. So much time is spent looking Griffin further explains, “Stories are a powerful catalyst to at the problems, yet we haven’t spent time working at the uplift communities and spark renewal. We are storytelling with small towns across the state, to reclaim those aspects solutions.” upon which future generations can build.”

December 10, 2017, will mark the 200th anniversary of Mississippi’s official entry as the 20th state in the With no roots or history tying her to Mississippi, Fast has USA. The state will celebrate its statehood with reflecthe unique perspective of an outsider, but she too has also tions on its history and culture throughout 2017. Regions fallen in love with the state and its people. “In retrieving of Mississippi will honor their people and places, music the truth of what’s happened in its past, and sometimes still and food, and achievements in many areas and so much happening, there is an openness to reclaim sights important Photographed by Austin Britt more. Blue Magnolia Films will be participating in this to history,” she says. “I find these stories of humanity, courcelebration. age, strength, and vigor incredibly powerful in visiting and “Celebrating Storytellers” is a collection of short films claiming its own narrative.” and photo documentaries, produced by Blue Magnolia But for all of those across the South, not just in Mississippi, Fast shares the lingering thought. “What stories are we passing on to our children? We Films & Corner to Corner Productions, commemorating 100 community voices for the Mississippi Bicentennial. Ten “hub” cities will host community workare in danger of losing the richness of our stories.” shops, as part of a statewide storytelling initiative, the first of its kind, sparking a Fast is a firm believer that “if we don’t move forward together, we don’t move forrolling conversation about what is means to be a Mississippian at this juncture in ward.” She explains, “The only way to grow is to realize we each have our own truth. We history. The goal is to illustrate how small towns can model the way forward and all have our own story to tell as a country and as Mississippi. We need to come to an cast a positive vision for the future. All stories and storytellers are nominated by understanding, claiming the full depth of humanity, and try to understand each other.” the communities. Resulting images are circulated around the state, integrated The collection of stories will be on view in Jackson, MS during the month of Deceminto community revitalization projects, community screenings, and events honber. Check their Facebook page for updates on specific times and places. oring the multiplicity of voices around the state. www.bluemagnoliafilms.com

Our voices are more “powerful than we realize ”

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“CityScape”

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CASHWELL FINE ART

W W W. C A S H W E L L F I N E A RT. C O M

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CHAPTER 1

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

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SOUTHERN COMFORTS

T A S T E S

DARK MAGIC Written by Liesel Schmidt / Photography by Lyndsey Keegan

While most people don’t land on a successful business idea after watching a romantic

the smell of truly fine, hand-crafted chocolate, all of those lofty precepts translate onto

movie, there are a lot of things about Carl and Mary Matice that don’t exactly fol-

the tongue. Much like wine and artisan craft beers, pure chocolates possess flavor

low convention. And while the lead character in Chocolat might have seemed quite

notes that seem to tell a story, each batch of beans conveying a message of terroir—

charming—dare we say enchanting—as she lovingly ground cocoa beans by hand to

the growing conditions of their regions and everything they weathered while they were

create seductively smooth chocolate confections that spellbound a small town with her

nurtured to maturity before harvest. Carl and Mary pay respect to that in everything

creations, that cinematic spell also worked its magic on Carl and Mary as they watched.

they offer, creating products that build on their wonderful beans and using fruits, nuts,

The thought of a unique hobby they could share as a couple piqued their interest,

and spices from only the finest organic sources.

and they Googled their way to finding raw cacao

Officially launching in 2012, two years after

beans and a Mexican molcajete so they could try

Carl and Mary ground out their first batch of

their skills at grinding and creating fine choco-

beans, Altus Chocolates began production a va-

lates from scratch for themselves.

riety of artisan bars and truffles that they sold

After spending 20 long hours passing the mor-

directly to their customers before branching out

tar and pestle back and forth as they transformed

a year later to open a Chocolat-inspired Choco-

the beans into powder, Carl and Mary had the

late Lounge in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia. It

key ingredient for their very first bar of inky in-

was a gutsy move, really, as the couple had only

dulgence. Tasting its refined, robust flavor, they

been in the area for a year after moving there to

realized that chocolate, in its essence, is an art

be at a halfway point between their respective

form, an edible treasure to be savored and ap-

home states of New York and Georgia. But luck

preciated for its complexity. Having once melted

won out in their favor; and, much like the movie

under the charm of milk chocolate, their delve

heroine whose bites of bliss charmed a provincial

into darkness made them true converts. With

town in France, Carl and Mary’s little chocolate

each batch they produced—first, for their own

cafe charmed the local community with their

satisfaction then for friends and family—the de-

wonderful menu of bean-to-bar chocolates, truf-

mand for their dark delights turned a mere hobby

fles, gelatos, pastries, drinking chocolates, teas,

into a full-blown business.

and coffees.

It took only a couple of years for them to make

Everything, save for the “top-notch, organic

the leap from a “romantic” hobby to a side busi-

and all-natural” gelatos they source from Pala-

ness at a local farmer’s market, to a facility where

zzolo’s Artisan Gelata & Sorbetto in Michigan,

they could produce larger batches of chocolate to supply their growing demand. They

are made in-house, adhering to the culture they’ve created for their brand. “Every time

made and sold bars and truffles, sourcing their organic cacao beans from fair trade

someone comes into the Lounge, they’re getting the highest quality, and that’s what our

growers in Central and South America. They conducted mountains of research to find

name really personifies,” says Carl, his passion evident in every word he speaks. It’s not

only the finest ingredients to use, making their new business Altus Chocolates the

merely talking the talk for Carl and Mary—nor is it mere verbiage for the three full-time

embodiment of all that its name implies: a higher standard of excellence, a deep regard

employees who help them manufacture their chocolates in their production facility. The

for quality, a profound passion for purity.

friendly faces greeting the guests who come into the Lounge are just as avid in their pursuit

Hard to imagine all that could be expressed in a bar of chocolate? Perhaps, but once you’ve heard the distinctive snap, savored the full-bodied flavors, breathed in

of perfection, serving handcrafted coffees made from locally roasted single-origin beans and brewing teas made of ethically grown leaves.

19

SOUTHERN COMFORTS

Each cup of their European style sipping chocolate is created with care, meant to be lingered over. It’s a particular favorite of Carl’s and one that easily tops their customers’ love lists. So, too, do their White Chocolate Raspberry Tarts and Bourbon Salted Caramel Tart. “Many of the fruits that we use come from local growers, depending on seasonality; and a majority of our nuts come from right here in Virginia,” says Carl, reasoning that there are far too many resources local to Lynchburg not to take those gifts and make them shine.

It’s that respect of the land and celebration of the unique that makes Altus tie in seamlessly as a stop along the Jefferson Heritage Trail, a network of wineries, distilleries, restaurants, breweries, museums, antique markets, cultural centers, bed and breakfasts, nature trails, and endless other local attractions that trace the length of the Blue Ridge Mountains along Route 29. Each of these Virginia-grown outposts is a veneration of the local culture and the remarkable ways that Virginia is a place unlike any other—and Altus has become a proud part of that, often holding pairing classes and tastings featuring local wines from Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Lazy Days Winery, Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, and Afton Mountain Vineyards. “We have such beautiful wines here, and they pair amazingly well with chocolate—foods and beverages that have varieties with different flavor profiles are often really complimentary to the various notes in chocolates,” Carl explains. “Cheeses, coffees, breads, and wines—they all have complexities that play off the complexities in the flavors of chocolate.”

It’s absolutely apparent in listening to Carl that he and Mary know their stuff. The level of expertise is evident in everything, and that expertise has only made their appreciation for their craft go deeper—and with good reason. “When you’ve had that hands-on experience of making your own chocolate and the quality you can achieve in doing that, it completely changes your perspective,” he says. And as one might well expect, he and Mary now much prefer dark chocolate to its milky counterpart.

Fortunately for the chocoholics of the world, dark chocolate is now considered a super-food, as it contains flavonoids and antioxidants that make this tempting treat a little less… shall we say indulgent? And playing up the health-factor is their Chocolate Nature Truffle, Mary’s personal favorite and a product inspired by a diabetic friend. “We wanted to offer something that was diabetic-friendly, so we did some research and found out that we could use dates instead of sweeteners.

We made a truffle with dates and 100 percent chocolate, unsweetened coconut, nuts, and chia seeds. It’s a very healthy, kind of super-food truffle—no sugar, no dairy, and incredibly delicious.”

Not that anything bearing the Altus name isn’t incredible—or delicious. It’s a credit to the company and the very reason behind their growing popularity. So great has their growth been, in fact, that a second Lounge opened in early 2017, treating the good people of Roanoke to all that Altus has to offer. “It’s been amazing to see how successful we’ve been there already,” Carl says.

Amazing, perhaps, but no mystery, as Carl and Mary have found the secret to casting a spell of their own—and there’s magic in every last bite.

Altus Chocolate and Lounge is located at 908 Main Street, Lynchburg, Virginia 24504.

Open Mon. - Tues. 10 am - 8 pm; Fri.- Sat. 10 am - 10 pm; Sun. 12:30 pm - 8 pm. For more information, call (434) 847-2970. In Roanoke, go to 123 Campbell Avenue SE, Roanoke, Virginia 24011. Open daily from 10:00 am - 10:00 pm Call (540) 206-2754 or visit www.altuschocolate.com.

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ISSUE NO. 3