Oxford Magazine May/June 2022

OXFORD FOOD TRAIL | THE FOOD ISSUE

ROCKET 88 CARRIES ON THE SPIRIT OF OXFORD MUSIC

30 YEARS

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FEATURES

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46

OXFORD FOOD TRAIL 31

GRIT An Oasis in Taylor

58

HWY 6 LANDMARK Sizzler Steakhouse

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18

arts & culture

11 Art exhibit from Carlyle and Thad Lee 22 Rocket 88 carries on the spirit of Oxford music

school & sports 18 Born to Coach

food

& drink

38 BBQ, Southern Crowdpleaser 43 Opa! Taste of Mediterranean for the Square

OM

in every issue 4 Contributors

5 Letter to the Editor

8 What to do in Oxford 26 Book Picks

62 Out and About 65 Style Guide

68 Marketplace

67 Said and Done

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contributors EDITORIAL Maya Martin Jake Davis

CONTRIBUTORS

Lauren Jones Joey Brent Lyn Roberts Mary Kelley Zellesky Davis Coen Jim Dees Shelby Young

Shelby Young

Shelby is a senior IMC student at Ole Miss and has a passion for both journalism and food, which inspired her instagram blog “Shelby’s Snacks.”

Shelby has made a hobby out of trying different meals, snacks, and cocktails around Oxford and also enjoys experimenting with recipes in her own kitchen.

DESIGN

Allison Dale Kandi Thompson

MARKETING Amelia Miller

ADMINISTRATION

Rebecca Alexander, Publisher

Mary Kelley

“Originally from Houston, TX, Mary Kelley studied print journalism at Ole Miss. During her time in Oxford, she wrote for The Daily Mississippian and continued her love for writing at the Vail Daily while living in Vail, CO. She now gets to continue pursuing her passion by contributing stories about arts, food and travel.”

Lyn Roberts, Book Expert

Lyn Roberts has been general manager at Square Books for more than 20 years and can usually be found behind the counter at Off Square Books.

Davis Coen, Writer

Davis Coen is a freelance writer and newspaper reporter from Oxford by way of South Carolina. He’s had stories published in various local publications including Oxford Eagle, Oxford Citizen and Daily Journal. He also maintains a music career with over a dozen tours of Europe and regular airplay on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

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from the editor

W ON THE COVER

Welcome to the FOOD issue. We love eating in Oxford, but we also feed visitors well, so they want to come back again and again. This edition features some of our favorites as well as new restaurants on our must try list.

We salute John Currance and celebrate City Grocery’s 30th anniversary.

It would be hard to remember what Oxford’s restaurant scene was prior to City Grocery. Oxford’s place in Southern food culture was solidified with City Grocery that inspired others to open restaurants.

We have a retrospective on the recent art show at Southside Gallery, Murmerations by Carlyle and Thad Lee. Their artwork is inspired by the patterns and color in nature and is a spectacular showing for these talented local artists.

Davis Coen looks at the roots of well known local band, Rocket 88. A cabin at Sardis Lake with no TV provided the peace and quiet the songwriters were looking for to write their songs.

The Oxford Food Trail 2022 profiles some of the most iconic restaurants and eateries in Oxford. This is more than just Oxford Magazine feature but is also online year round on our website. Visitors will find these Oxford restaurants featured at www.oxfordfoodtrail.com as well as a map for finding their way to these top eateries.

You will find the things to do on the Guide and several past event photo galleries from the Oxford Film Fest and 3 Blind Wines Spring event.

Get out and eat!

Rebecca Alexander Publisher rebecca.alexander@oxfordeagle.com

John Currance

City Grocery Restaurant Group Photo submitted Design by Allison Dale

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WHAT TO DO IN OXFORD FIRST FRIDAY FREE SKETCH DAY University Museum - Free May 6 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

MAY 4TH-8TH

OLE MISS GRADUATION

The University of Mississippi 2022 Commencement exercises will be held May 4 – 8, 2022. Morning convocation will be held on Saturday, May 7 at 8:00 a.m. in the Grove. *In the case of inclement weather, Morning Convocation will be at 8:30 a.m. in the SJB Pavilion.

BBYMUTHA WITH KINDORA AND HARVEY_DUG Proud Larry’s May 4 | Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m.

GEORGE SHINGLETON Proud Larry’s May 21 | Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m.

DESTINATION OXFORD CAR SHOW Chancery Court lot, lot behind Something Southern and portions of North Lamar- FREE May 21 LIAM PURCELL & CANE MILL ROAD Proud Larry’s May 25 | 7 p.m.

LANDSCAPING CAMP Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber May 27 - May 28 | 8 a.m.

- 5 p.m. https://oxfordms.com/ retire-in-oxford/ landscaping-camp PONY BRADSHAW Proud Larry’s June 1 | 7 p.m.

GEORGE SHINGLETON Proud Larry’s June 2 | Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m.

REALITY SOMETHING AND WATSON Proud Larry’s June 10 | Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m.

MAY 19TH

BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, NATIONAL TOUR Gertrude Ford Center | 7:30 p.m.

Part of the Broadway Series, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Featuring a stunning array of beloved songs written by Gerry Goffin/Carole King and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, including “I Feel The Earth Move,” “One Fine Day,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got A Friend” and the title song, BEAUTIFUL has a book by and Tony® Award-nominee and Academy® Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni, choreography by Josh Prince, and took home two 2014 Tony® Awards and a 2015 Grammy® Award.

BEAUTIFUL – The Carole King Musical is recommended for ages 10 and up. There is no foul language, but there is talk about the use of drugs.

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MAY 21ST

VELVET DITCH GRAN FONDO Oxford Middle School | 7:00 a.m.

A compete- within- yourself cycling event with proceeds supporting the Oxford & North Mississippi NICA Mountain Bike Team. This team is made up of middle and high school mountain bikers from the Oxford and North Mississippi area. This is their second year competing in the Alabama Interscholastic Cycling League, with plans to join the Mississippi NICA League once founded. More information about the team can be found on their Facebook page, https:// www.facebook.com/ NorthMSGnarmadillos/. You can support the team by making a donation at https://raceroster.com/

events/2022/55036/velvet-ditch-granfondo/fundraising-organization/34097 Registration Online Registration is available at https://raceroster.com/ events/2022/55036/velvet-ditch-granfondo. Online Registration closes May 20 at 5:00 PM Central Time.

In-Person Registration will be available Saturday (5/21) morning from 5:30 6:30 at the Oxford Skatepark. We will

be collecting checks or manually taking your credit/debit card information.

Pre-Ride When: May 20th from 6-8 PM Where: Old Armory Pavilion (1801 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655) What: A small little party for riders, sponsors, and volunteers to meet up and take a breather before Saturday's ride.

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MAY 26-29

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OLD TIME PIANO PLAYING CONTEST & FESTIVAL

All Contests & Workshops are in Nutt Auditorium / All after-hours events take place outdoors at the Oxford Pavilion | After-hours events end at 10 pm. A bar and food trucks will be on site.

Every year over Memorial Day weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest is held to provide an opportunity for pianists to compete and learn in a stimulating atmosphere, and to educate people about old-time piano music written prior to 1940.

Through the years, the contest has provided more than $60,000 in prize money to more than 500 piano players from across the United States and from five foreign countries.

Players in 2022 will compete in three divisions—Regular, Junior & Senior—as they vie for over $6,000 plus trophies—as well as the New Rag Contest, where aspiring composers present their original tunes.

A variety of other activities include workshops, guest artist

performances, silent movies, an old-time sing-along, a doubledecker bus tour of historic Oxford, and after-hours events every night on the Oxford Square.

This is a weekend packed with Ragtime, Tin Pan Alley and Standard tunes played by amazing piano players. You don’t have to play piano to enjoy music that will have your toes tapping. You’ll have the time of your life at the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest.

JUNE 10TH

ROBERT EARL KEEN: I'M COMIN' HOME TOUR The Lyric | 8 p.m.

Robert Earl Keen returns to The Lyric Oxford stage on June 10th on his I’m Comin’ Home Tour! This will be his FINAL tour and LAST performance in Oxford, so you don't want to miss it!

18+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. A $5 underage fee will be charged to all persons under 21.

CASH ONLY NO REFUNDS. No COVID restrictions or proof of vaccination required.

Standing Room only!

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ARTS

& CULTURE

BY SCOTT M. MORRIS PHOTOS BY THAD LEE AND ASHLEIGH COLEMAN OxfordMag.com 11

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Southside Owner Wil Cook Engaged with Guests Before Zinnia Sculpture

Murmurations are mesmerizing. Anyone who has watched tens of thousands of little starlings—and sometimes even hundreds of thousands of them—seemingly flying as a single entity knows how breathtaking the sight is. The magical synchronicity the flocks achieve is frankly bewildering. To watch them swarming and swirling and expanding and contracting, you experience a dizzying gestalt moment—in one glance, you can glimpse the intricate maneuvers of individual birds, then suddenly you are swept along by the galvanizing motion of the entire flock as it moils and makes vivid, living, dynamic patterns across the sky.

All of which is an apt description of Carlyle and Thad Lee’s recent show at the Southside Gallery in Oxford, Mississippi. Appropriately titled Murmurations, both the process of

making the art for the show, as well as the impact the art had on the viewer, were redolent with the wonder of murmurations.

The signature of the couple’s work, like the flight of starlings, is that it is possible to observe a rapturous harmony between the details of each piece—and the elements within each piece—and the powerful force of the sum of these details submerged into the whole.

Because the paintings and photographs were inspired by being deeply immersed in nature in six different locations over the span of four seasons, the art itself provides a sense of a similar immersion for viewers. During that time period, Thad took photographs of trees, wildflowers and water surfaces, and Carlyle made drawings and paintings of them.

Seeing Carlyle’s work clarified what Thad wanted to capture and create with his

Because the paintings and photographs were inspired by being deeply immersed in nature in six different locations over the span of four seasons, the art itself provides a sense of a similar immersion for viewers. During that time period, Thad took photographs of trees, wildflowers and water surfaces, and Carlyle made drawings and paintings of them.

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photographs, so he returned to his efforts invigorated with that clarity. In turn, Carlyle found that she was feeding off Thad’s work and gaining greater artistic lucidity from it.

When guests walked into the gallery to the sound of a piano music played by Damein Wash, the first piece encountered was a diptych by Carlyle called Posy’s Wildflowers, paintings based on Thad’s photographs of the wildflower pasture in Holly Springs where Carlyle rides her horse, Posy, on Wednesdays.

Thad made four laps around the sea of zinnias and cosmos in the pasture, each time getting lower and deeper into the field, until he occupied the view of a crawling creature.

“The last photographs I took I was so close to the flowers the foreground became abstracted, creating sheer blobs of color that reminded me of the silhouetted shapes in Carlyle’s paintings,” Thad explains. “The beauty remained but the image’s familiarity was replaced with something mysterious and enchanting. Each photograph offered an element of surprise and something to discover. Carlyle used my photographs as a color profile for her paintings, from the colors of the grass, flowers and even the sky.”

Even a casual glance at Carlyle’s paintings and Thad’s photographs of wildflowers—and this applies to all of their other subjects—is to experience an initial disorientation. The paintings and the photographs are informed by one another and reflective of one another, intensely so. Each separately is densely but delicately textured, and when the eyes moves from one to the other, there is the sense that you being afforded a look at the true, gorgeous

Big Sheepcliff Mountain I by Carlyle Wolfe Lee

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Posy’s Wildflowers II by Carlyle Wolfe Lee

Moon Painting 52A by Thad Lee

reality of wildflowers as they exist in nature. For all the detail and complexity, once the viewer is acclimated to what is, after all, Carlyle and Thad’s attempt to document the teeming abundance of nature, the disorientation vanishes to be replaced by the enriching splendor of seeing things afresh and anew.

The give-and-take, reflective aspect of their finished work perfectly mirrors the act of making it. Thad and Carlyle, who had been married for two years when they started the project, realized the fact that they were performing a kind of dance with one another. The artists were in the midst of a collaboration the character of which resembled a courtship.

“It was our first collaboration as husband and wife,” Carlyle explains. “My paintings and Thad’s photographs examine intricacies and abstract patterns in the atmospheres they portray. In exploring which of Thad’s photographs naturally related to my paintings, I asked him to show me the murmurations he had captured, which reveal the graceful synchronicity of so many birds moving as one. The amazing thing about these photographs is that they appear as both precise representations and abstract patterns, a quality I noticed popping up in our work. Thad loved the word murmurations and suggested that it conceptually structure our collaboration. We tried to develop work about places we experienced together with similar sensitivity and responsiveness. Thad’s movements influenced my movements, and my movements influenced Thad’s. It was wonderfully unguarded and challenging.”

What they produced was vast while at the same time redolent with the level of detail more commonly seen in minimalist efforts. The entire gallery was transformed by their work. The walls erupted with Carlyle’s paintings—acrylic on panels and watercolors—her graphite drawings and an installation of laser-cut plywood painted with acrylic, along with Thad’s archival pigment print photographs. Lushly-woven explorations bloomed everywhere.

To coin a phrase, Carlyle and Thad’s work displayed effervescent entanglement.

“Our work is something like fraternal twins,” Thad says. “Conceived together but not identical.

We complement, inform, entice and inspire each other in reciprocal ways.”

The work was born of some of their favorite places. For example, Birdlands in Como, Mississippi, and the Woodland Gardens at the Dixon in Memphis, both of which the couple chose for their autumn work. In June, they travelled to

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lush Cashiers, North Carolina. “That was the first time I based a group of stencils on Thad’s photographs instead of my contour line drawings,” Carlyle reveals. “I trusted him uniquely and appreciated making something that was ours.”

During a lunch break in the middle of a six-hour canoe trip down the Ghost River section of the Wolf River—taking in five different ecosystems crossing from Tennessee into Mississippi—Thad stood in the shallows taking shot after shot and finally exclaiming: “Carlyle, look! I got it!”

What he’d painstakingly been working to depict was the way the foliage reflected in the ripples of water.

For Carlyle’s birthday, Thad took her to the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. “We went in January of 2020, three months after our wedding.” Thad smiles, thinking of Carlyle. “The museum focuses on American art.

Carlyle’s knowledge of the artists is deep, and I knew she’d love seeing their work. It was our first trip as a married couple. We stayed at the 21c Hotel in downtown Bentonville and every morning made the woodsy walk to the museum. We had timed the trip to overlap with the North Forest Lights, which is a dynamic and vast light exhibit in the woods surrounding the museum. A perfect

Memphis Murmurations

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ABOVE: Exterior of Gallery BELOW: Guests Standing Before the Cashiers Murmuration

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Thad & Carlyle Engaged With Guests place for me to play with my camera and capture Moon Paintings.”

Where ever they looked, the couple found another incarnation of murmurations.

“Finding ways to photograph the wildflowers opened a new understanding for Thad,” Carlyle explains. “New ways of seeing and using his camera. He described trusting his hands, embracing the surprise when he couldn’t see through the viewfinder, the physicality of immersing his camera in the foliage, and adjusting focus to balance veils of obscured color with something the viewer can grab.”

Then there were Thad’s “Moon Paintings,” a name Thad admits is misleading, as they are not paintings, and the subject is not the moon.

“They are photographs made by playing with light, color, shutter and hand movement taken over the course of ten years,” he explains. “The series gets its name from a screenplay I wrote about a glass hotel on the moon that I hoped to make into a film. I wanted the art in the hotel to be original, bright, and abstract.”

The series is certainly original, bright and abstract, thrilling the viewer with a sense of

discovery. The birth of the “Moon Paintings” series is fascinating. As it happens, the first photographs were taken during the summer of 2010, when Carlyle and Thad were dating.

At the time, Thad was filming a low-budget, horror-comedy feature titled Night of the Loup Garou. Just about every scene was filmed at his cabin in Taylor, Mississippi.

During filming, Carlyle let Thad borrow her Canon Rebel.

“It was the first time I had shot digital pictures,” Thad admits. “I am not sure which fascinated me more, being able to see the pictures instantly or seeing how the image distorted when I played with shutter and movement.”

Such was the start of the couple making art together. The triumphant show at Southside Gallery made it abundantly clear that it has been time well-spent.

“Being married to Carlyle has transformed my life,” Thad declares. “I love how much time we spend with each other. We wake up, have coffee and breakfast, then get busy with our projects, which includes exploring the places we love. I hope our work together creates a

state of enchantment for the viewer. I hope people come upon rich and colorful landscapes and discover little surprises that lead them to wonder.”

Turns out, murmurations abound throughout Thad and Carlyle’s lives. Even during tough times.

One month before their show in December, as Carlyle and Thad hunkered down making last minute preparations for the opening, Thad’s father passed away due to pancreatic cancer. The couple took time off to join Thad’s family. Thad’s father, John Lee, was an outsized figure, a man who took up a lot of space and gave out a lot of love. The grief experienced by Thad and his family is painful testimony to his indelible presence.

“I am so grateful that Carlyle got to know my father for two years as a father-in-law,” Thad says, sighing. “He prayed for and blessed our marriage every day. I miss him terribly, but I have nothing but gratitude. I will take him, and the love my mother gave me, into the deepest parts of my heart and let them echo through my dreams and work and into my future with Carlyle.”

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SCHOOL

& SPORTS

Born to coach Long finds his path on the diamond

BY JAKE DAVIS PHOTOS BY JOEY BRENT 18 September/October 2021

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T

Kyle Long was born to coach .The first year Oxford softball coach says coaching is a calling he answered early in his life.

He shares his passion for softball with his father, who coached at East Central High School and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

“My dad got into teaching later in his life and also got into softball,” said Long.

“He started the softball program at East Central and then he became the head coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College… he’s the winningest JUCO softball coach in Mississippi history.”

Long says his father is a major influence in his life, and is a major reason why he decided to become a softball coach in the first place.

“He got into softball and I kinda followed in his footsteps and have tried to make him proud and be as good a coach as I can be,” Long said.

He got his start at his father’s old stomping grounds of East Central, where he spent 12 successful seasons

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coaching the Hornets before deciding to make the jump to Oxford.

He said he was beginning to feel restless at East Central after six district championships and two South Half titles, and began looking for new opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Long found that challenge in Oxford, where he took the reigns of a program that has not made it past the second round of the playoffs in over a decade.

“I thought it was a good challenge,” Long said. “I had been at East Central for a long time and I just felt like when you’re somewhere a long time you get a little antsy and start thinking it’s time for a new challenge.”

He says he was drawn to Oxford because of his Ole Miss fandom and the district’s dedication to its athletic programs.

“I’ve always been a big Ole Miss fan, and everybody around the state knows how good the schools are [in Oxford], how good the athletic programs here are, so I just thought it would be a good chance to try a new challenge,” Long said.

The Mississippi native found immediate success in his first season at the helm, guiding the Chargers to an undefeated season in district play and the first district championship in program history.

He refuses to take credit for the quick turnaround he

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orchestrated however, citing his team’s dedication and tenacity this season as the reason for their immediate success.

“In the end, we really just fill out the lineup cards and they play,” said Long “We don’t swing a bat, we don’t throw a ball. They’re the ones that have to do the job of winning the games. So I’ve always thought that when they win it’s them that should get the credit. I’m just filling out the lineup card and making them laugh every once in a while.”

Long also credited his predecessor, former softball coach and current CoActivities coordinator Tabitha Beard, for laying the groundwork for success with a young team.

“She laid a great foundation,” Long said of Beard. “The core of our team are sophomores this year, and she kind of took some lumps with them when they were younger and built them up.”

Despite their unprecedented success in the regular season, Long says the team still has unfinished business left in the postseason.

The Chargers reached the second round of the playoffs last year, where they were swept by DeSoto Central.

Oxford will look to make history this year as they attempt to reach the North Half final for the first time in school history.

“Just because we had a great season, finished undefeated in district, won the district championship, that’s just a part of the season.

We have the postseason too, and we’re gonna work real hard to try and make some noise there.”

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ARTS

& CULTURE

BY DAVIS COEN PHOTOS SUBMITTED 22 September/October 2021

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These days not enough Oxford musicians are mindful of the City’s rich lineage of live performers, but certainly an exception is much-revered local band Rocket 88, which has been described to play “juke joint gospel.” Also, old time country, Americana, hill country blues, and straight ahead rock & roll.

Started by couple Jamie and Rosamond Posey, Rocket 88 spawned from musical outfit, Honey Blonde, which featured the vocal pairing of Rosamond (Rosie) and fellow Vicksburg, Mississippian Gin Gin Abraham (now Carlton).

Jamie recalled the first time he was invited to accompany Honey Blonde for a big show, opening for New Orleans roots rock band Dash Rip Rock, when their regular guitarist backed out of a gig on short notice.

“They asked me to play, and I thought I was a big shot,” Jamie said, heartily laughing. “I was butchering their beautiful harmonies, playing all over it, with no gaps! But they kept me, and we added drums, bass, and percussion. We would sometimes play four nights a week.”

The group played so many shows

locally, and toured the Southeast so ardently, during the late-90s/early2000s they were heralded as “The Hardest Working Band in Oxford.”

After about a year hiatus they regrouped, with local bassist Nathan Robbins, and a drummer that didn’t fit with the band and was eventually replaced by Bradley Gordon. “The first practice was rip roaring,” he said.

“Everybody was so happy and were like - ‘there it is!’ It sounded good from the start.”

Other Rocket 88 band personnel include drummer Ryan Rogers, and

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keyboardists Eric Carlton, and Robert Chaffe (also of the band, Kudzu Kings).

Regarding the rotation in the group’s lineup, depending on the circumstances of their live bookings, Jamie said: “We’re kind of fluid in that way.”

Rocket 88 has maintained an everyother-Sunday afternoon residency at Rafter’s in Oxford since October 2020 where they’ve used the opportunity to showcase their adoration of spiritual and gospel music, and legendary Oxford live music performers of the past.

Up Above My Head and Let the Church Roll On are among gospel standards currently in the repertoire.

Often musical tributes are to Memphis-born, Mississippi Deltaraised Jerry Lee “Duff” Dorrough, member of the very locally popular group The Tangents - who performed frequently at The Gin in Oxford (an adored venue that closed in 1999) and have been called the ‘greatest Delta rock band ever.’

Dorrough was also a prominent member of The

Yalobushwackers, the house band for Thacker Mountain Radio Hour.

“I take it as a responsibility, he is such a patriarch,” said Jamie, of Dorrough’s legacy. “I give it my all every time I play one of those songs that Duff covered or did, and I make it a point to play them in the town, so that the young listeners can be exposed to real Oxford sounds.”

ROOTS OF ROCKET 88 Jamie had been in a rock band called Wild Child during high school in Meridian, MS, and fondly remembers his first gig at a rec center in Collinsville, MS when he was 16. “We played it and packed it out,” he said of his band that played mostly classic hard rock. “That was my first experience, with lights and everything. Our buddies constructed a makeshift light show, with a board and everything, and it would shock the hell out of ‘em every time we would hook it all up! But they would endure it, and still run the light show with the band.”

He moved to Oxford in ‘94 and began

playing acoustic sets around town. His first local band was Fungus Amongus and played the fraternity circuit and all of the big bars at the time.

Rosey was trained in classical piano, and came to Ole Miss on a music scholarship for piano. Then she went to business school, and this was around the time Honey Blonde was playing at The Gin. “I got this guitar and used to teach myself,” said Rosey. “We liked the Indigo Girl songs because they were in G, C and D,” she said with a laugh, “and drank Tequila Sunrises every Tuesday night! That’s how we started.”

Like Jamie, Rosie points out the time Honey Blonde’s guitarist forgot to tell her that he couldn’t make the Dash Rip Rock show opener as the inception.

“And Gin said, ‘I know this guy who plays guitar, and it was Jamie! He played with us after that, and that’s when we started Rocket 88.”

The couple took a break from performing for a while when Rosey was

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in law school, and Jamie was working on his PhD, mostly to figure their next move, but continued writing on the side.

She recalled a time before their son was born, when they spent two nights out at a “creepy” cabin in Sardis for artistic inspiration.

“We wrote a ton of songs out there that we still do now,” said Rosey.

Among Rocket 88 songs written at the Sardis cabin, were Tombstone, which appears on their 2008 Full Circle album, and Home Cookin’, a Smokey and the Bandit/Jerry Reed-channeling trucker song, included on a live release recorded at The Lyric Theater during the 2012 Oxford Music Festival.

“It didn’t have TV or anything, we rented it just to write songs.”

READY TO ROCK Although the band lately has been mostly stripped down to a four-piece; including the Poseys,

Robbins and Carlton (and at times Gin Gin), for many of the Rafter’s engagements, due to it being a Sunday Gospel Brunch (along with the past two years being a restricting time altogether for live music performing), Rocket 88’s personnel has blown up as large as a ten-piece with a horn section, which happened at a Mardi Gras celebration at local venue Proud Larry's.

The group is slated for a return performance to the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic, taking place again this year in nearby Waterford, off MS-7, during the last weekend of June.

“We’ll be a full rock band there,” said Jamie. He also mentioned, there may be a possibility Rosie picks up an electric guitar for the special occasion, as she has been known to do in the past. “We’ll just have to see,” he said.

Visit rocket88music.com for more information.

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READ THIS BOOK

BOOKS FOR SUMMER Recommendations from

LYN ROBERTS General Manager, Square Books SPARRING PARTNERS

By John Grisham #1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham is the acknowledged master of the legal thriller. In his first collection of novellas, law is a common thread, but America’s favorite storyteller has several surprises in store. By turns suspenseful, hilarious, powerful, and moving, these are three of the greatest stories John Grisham has ever told.

CONFESSIONS OF A SOUTHERN BEAUTY QUEEN

By Julie Hines Mabus

DAFFODIL HILL:UPROOTING MY LIFE, BUYING A FARM, AND LEARNING TO BLOOM

By Jake Keiser

In the late 1960s, Patsy Channing, a stunningly beautiful young woman, was suspended from the venerable Mississippi State College for Women for breach of conduct. The resulting scandal reached all the way to the Columbus courthouse, and the press ate it up. Julie Mabus tells Patsy's story, marked with tragedy and triumph, mirrors that of a growing and evolving South, where change never comes easy.

Jake Keiser was living the life in , Florida, running a high-powered PR firm and juggling drink dates, shopping sprees, and charity galas. But at age thirty-eight, following a failed marriage, a series of miscarriages, and a still-blistering breakup, she began to suffer from extreme anxiety.

She decided to make the impulse purchase of a lifetime and bought a farm in the middle of nowhere, Mississippi.

SHIFTY'S BOYS

By Chris Offutt A dark, pacy crime novel about grief and revenge, and the surprises hidden below the surface, Shifty's Boys is a tour de force that confirms Chris Offutt's Mick Hardin as one of the most appealing new investigators in fiction.

THE WORLD OF MARTY STUART

By Marty Stuart In the late 1960s in Philadelphia, Mississippi, nine-year-old Marty Stuart started his first band and began playing country music and collecting treasures of the culture. More than a half century later, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History has partnered with the country musician and ambassador to share his story and collection with the public in an exhibition and tandem publication.

THE MOVEMENT MADE US

By David J. Dennis, Jr & David J. Dennis Sr. A dynamic family exchange that pivots between the voices of a father and son, The Movement Made Us is a unique work of oral history and memoir. David Dennis Sr, a core architect of the Civil Rights movement, speaks out for the first time, swapping recollections both harrowing and joyful with David Jr, a journalist working on the front lines of change today.

Taken together, their stories paint a critical portrait of America, casting one nation’s image through the lens of two individual Black men and their unique relationship.

LOVE DADDY: LETTERS FROM MY FATHER

By David Rae Morris Love, Daddy: Letters from My Father examines the complexities of father-andson relationships through letters and photographs. Willie Morris wrote scores of letters to his only son, David Rae Morris, from the mid-1970s until Willie's death in 1999. The letters cover topics ranging from writing, the weather, the Ole Miss football season, and local town gossip to the fleas on the dog to just life and how it's lived.

Likewise, the photographs are portraits, documentary images of daily life, dinners, outings, and private moments. Together they narrate and illuminate the complexities of one family relationship.

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FOOD

& DRINK

BY MARY KELLEY PHOTOS SUBMITTED OxfordMag.com 27

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W

Wine lovers in Oxford have a new reason to venture down Jackson Avenue.

High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse has created their own private label wine, The Bell. This past year, Aaron Herington, owner of High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse, set out to California to create a wine that they could call their own.

Similar to the barrel program that is currently offered of hand selected spirits, Herrington became interested in creating a private label wine to be able to offer a product that they helped not only hand select but also create. “As we continued to

grow our store and grow our brand, we wanted more personalized options offered to our consumers,” Herrington said. “In us selecting the wine, it is us vouching for the quality of the it. We are trying to put something out there that we think our target consumers would enjoy.”

The Bell Pinot Noir, a blend of 76% Pinot Noir and 24% Syrah, is an approachable wine for both new and experienced wine drinkers. The blend of the two grapes adds different aspects and qualities to the wine. It offers bright fruit notes upfront and transitions into a snappy and peppery

finish on the end. Depending on your pallet, you might even pick up notes of rose hips or orange rind. While the wine does include a larger amount of Pinot Noir, the Syrah blended in adds the lingering finish making it more of a twodimensional wine versatile for pairing.

“The Syrah really gives it a nice lingering finish on the pallet,” Herrington said.

“That way it doesn’t stop short after all the bright fruit notes. It kind of rounds it out.” Herrington recommends enjoying the Pinot Noir with dishes that include roasted chicken, filet, lamb and venison.

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Although it pairs nicely with meat, he adds that it is also great for casual drinking.

When Herrington set out to California to begin the process of creating his private label blend, he had the intention of returning with just one wine. After creating the Pinot Noir, he also fell in love with a Chardonnay and came back home with both varietals. The Chardonnay was so well received that it has since sold out. Because the Pinot Noir was the purpose of the trip to California, a much larger amount of it was blended and is still available to purchase. For the wine drinkers who still might prefer a chilled wine with the warmer temperatures approaching, Herrington will soon be launching a Rosé to their private label collection.

Although Rosé is already enjoyed year-round, Herrington wanted to launch this additional wine so that consumers would be able to enjoy it with spring and summer approaching when Rosé popularity skyrockets.

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Consumers can expect the flavors of The Bell Rosé to pair best with spicy dishes like Thai and Indian food as well as charcuterie, lamb, grilled chicken and soft cheeses.

“This was kind of the next step for us to focus on a personalized product,” said Herrington. “We wanted to create something from us for our consumers.”

When deciding who he wanted to work with in creating The Bell, Herrington chose Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, California.

High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse has carried a variety of their wine for years. After getting to know the owners and winemakers and developing a good relationship with Presqu’ile, Herrington decided to work with them to create his private label. “Because we love the quality of the wine at Presqu’ile and their wine that we sell has been so well received from our consumers in Oxford, we thought it would be a nice fit to work with them,”

Herrington adds. The name The Bell was inspired by the history of Presqu’ile Winery. Before venturing off to California, the family who owns the winery originally farmed land in both Louisiana and Arkansas for generations. Once they moved to California, they took a large metal bell to the winery with them from one of their farms. This bell is depicted on the label of The Bell wine bottles. While visiting Presqu’ile, anytime the bell is rung, everyone at the winery is supposed to drink. “So, the story behind the bell inspired the label,” said Herrington. “The idea is to drink and enjoy.” High Cotton Wine and Spirits Warehouse is the only retail shop where The Bell is available for purchase and Herrington has also partnered with several local restaurants in Oxford. Customers can enjoy sipping on The Bell at Snackbar, McEwen’s and Grit, where the private label wine is poured.

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FOOD

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BY DAVIS COEN PHOTOS SUBMITTED

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GRIT restaurant, located in the Plein Air neighborhood of Taylor, has become respected as a top purveyor and destination for traditional-meets-eclectic Southern food in North Mississippi.

Since husband-and-wife owners Nick Reppond and Angie Sicurezza opened in 2016, after years of working together for City Grocery Restaurant Group, and running their A&N Catering company, the menu has consistently evolved while maintaining tried and true items beloved by return customers.

These include Chicken & Waffles, Eggs Benedict, Shrimp & Grits and Huevos Rancheros for their popular Sunday brunch, and Grilled Ribeye, Gulf Shrimp & Peas, African Spiced Chicken, Pork Shoulder “Ribeye” for main dishes on the dinner menu.

There is also a full bar, which serves terrific classic and house cocktails, and offers a highquality wine selection.

Whether menus are created for holidays like Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day or Easter, or improvised for one of their occasional local art installations (or for a curbside/take out-only clientele, such as during the pandemic), the folks at GRIT have continued to push the envelope

and show innovative ways to incorporate the freshest seasonal food items around, while always keeping it interesting and mouthwatering.

According to Nick, the summer menu particularly is centered around the local vegetables, and since it’s the heart of tomato season, it tends to feature a lot of heirloom varieties.

“Local vegetables during the summertime give us a springboard for ideas,” he said. “That's kind of where we start when we write summer menus, just because they’re so abundant.”

Although heirloom tomato-based dishes are a feature, cucumbers, squash and what Nick calls “amazing fresh peas” are also mainstays during the warmer months.

A customer favorite is GRIT’s Fried Chicken Fridays, which has occurred throughout summer in past years. The seductive photos of this popular fried chicken alone might be enough to “make a preacher lay his bible down.”

Outdoor weather is also a big draw for diners to the Plein Air neighborhood for its laidback natural setting, and the two-acre green space directly outside GRIT and neighboring businesses, which is why its

sister catering company A&N becomes consumed with weddings throughout spring, having an exclusive contract with the event venue next door. “It just allows us a little breathing room to also do the restaurant,” Angie said.

The sizable lawn, ideal for picnics and live entertainment, also acted as a strong force during times of the pandemic when most restaurants were struggling to survive, and patrons were unable to enjoy the restaurant’s interior and decor.

“When everyone was kind of getting sick of cooking at home and cleaning up their dirty dishes, and as weather started warming up, people wanted to get outside,” said Angie.

“We were really busy during Covid with that, because they would come out as families, or come out on a date and sort of have a lovely picnic.”

Angie also said that during those days the restaurant captured an audience that they hadn’t seen prior. “We thought it was important that when we reopened, we didn't lose that audience, so we made some tweaks to the menu so that we were able to keep those folks coming.”

Although things remain tight for many

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restaurants, and staffing issues continue to loom heavy, GRIT has managed to power through.

According to Angie they were extremely busy when they reopened, but things have since leveled off.

Although times have been slim for almost everybody, good juju seems to have been on GRIT’s side. How they stumbled upon their unique, charming location alone would support that notion.

The culinary couple were only looking for a “brick and mortar” for A&N Catering when they were hired for a big event by the developer of Plein Air, Campbell McCool, and discussed with him the possibility of opening a business in the neighborhood. They kept in touch for a while before finally learning from McCool that the building they now inhabit, which previously housed an antique store they had frequented, was up for rent. “It was a no brainer for us,” said Angie.

Partnering with Heath Johnson, now Chef de Cuisine and always playing a big part in menu creation and what goes on in the restaurant, GRIT came about and took on a life of its own. Since the couple lived only several miles out, it all just made sense.

“Lately everyone has kind of had to crank it up a notch, but we're powering through,” said Angie.

Visit their website at grittaylor.com for updated food and drink menus, and hours of operation.

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FOOD

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BY MAYA MARTIN PHOTOS BY JOEY BRENT

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S

Sitting on the Courthouse Square in downtown Oxford is a two-story, exposed brick building that serves some of the finest Southern food in the region.

City Grocery celebrates 30 years of feeding Oxford and the greater community with memorable dishes and setting.

It has garnered constant recognition features from esteemed publications such as The New York Times, Southern Living, USA Today, Bon Appetit and more as a fine Mississippi establishment. The restaurant’s cooking team has also been repeatedly invited to cook at the James Beard House over the years since its inception.

Award-winning chef, restauranteur and City Grocery founder John Currence never could have imagined City Grocery to have the legacy it has created. He never planned to settle down in Oxford with his creation.

“I had helped open restaurants in the past, but I wanted to open one for myself to check that box,” he said. “I thought I’d be in Oxford for a few years, sell my interest and move on. Go back to New Orleans or New York or somewhere.

Fortunately, things turned out the way

that they did and I’m still in Oxford.”

Although it was a goal, Currence said he didn’t have “any business” opening a restaurant.

“I didn’t know about any one thing to create a restaurant that was in any way thematic or ethnic. I was just dangerous enough, armed with enough knowledge of a number of things to open a place where I could draw from my own experience.”

A Southern man through and through, Currence called on his experience with Creole-French and Cajun cuisine to inspire the familiar yet upscale menu at City Grocery. The menu features influences from Asian, Italian, French and Southwestern fare as well.

From the home-cooking he experienced growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana to his travels through Europe, the City Grocery menu takes Currence’s back catalog and condenses it into something that pleases the community.

“I just did things I knew would make people happy and created a menu with enough stuff on there that everybody that came in could at least find something they wanted to eat or something that sounded interesting,” he said.

What better place to show off your culinary experience than Oxford? Back in 1992, Oxford was not the gastronomic hub it would soon become, but that time created a situation ripe with opportunity and curious eaters.

“There was nothing going on in Oxford and there was enough of a young, professional clientele that was hungry for something,” Currence. “And once we got those doors open, there was no looking back.”

City Grocery changes the perception of what Southern food is. To Chef Currence, Southern food is infinitely more than its stereotype and does a disservice to the cultures that define it.

He lists Creole-Italian, Italian, French, German, Caribbean and West Africa as strong influences on what we know to be Southern food.

“Southern food has been completely misunderstood by people for years,” said Currence. “They want to cubbyhole it in the corner of ‘Southern food is fried, it’s unhealthy. They cook vegetables and meat by letting it stew all day long.’ Southern food is an incredible tapestry of different immigrant populations that moved to the OxfordMag.com 35

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United States and tried to create the dishes of their homeland with the ingredients that were available.”

Now take that same concept but elevate it. Familiar and recognize dishes receive an upgrade at City Grocery, “elevating [their dishes] above qualification as regional and ethnic cuisine,” the restaurant’s site reads.

Some would credit Currence and City Grocery for making Oxford the foodie town it is today. The chef recognized that recognition with some hesitance.

“People level that barrel at us and it would be wrong of me to say that we weren’t a part of it,” said Currence. “We certainly were. The establishment of the Southern Foodways Alliance certainly helped elevate that and I think our dedication to opening quality establishments which we did sort of hand over fist for a long time.”

Although the food is a standout aspect of why City Grocery has stood the test of time, to Currence, the service plays just as big of a part.

“Our dedication has always been as much to service as it is to food,” the chef said. “Sadly, there is this connotation that dining is all about food. ‘What did you think about the food of this place? What did you think about the food of that place?’ As far as I’m concerned, the service plays a much more important role in the experience of dining out than the food does.”

According to him, a spectacular server or manager can overcome the experience of a bad meal. Customers are willing to give the restaurant another shot than to one with good food and terrible service.

The experience is all about the customer.

“And I love that,” said the chef.

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Currence taps into the need to establish a connection with the people they feed.

Creating the ideal dining experience coupled with fantastic food and eager pool of customers is an assured way to keep the doors open for a long time.

When you walk into City Grocery, it should feel like visiting a friend’s home for a wellcooked dinner.

“We’ve always set up the restaurant so that people would feel welcome and included no matter their walk of life, their income, their race, religious preference or sexual preference,” said Currence. “We’re an enviroment about inclusion. We take care of people.”

And as much as City Grocery cares for the people, the people in Oxford are taking care of City Grocery. Square Books owners Lisa and Richard Howorth have been some of City Grocery’s biggest supporters, ones who fell in love with what City Grocery was doing and went all in, stated Currence.

“That became the place where they brought everybody when [Richard] came to town to do a reading or a signing,” he said. “Everybody

was brought to the bar for a welcome drink and an intro to Oxford.

“It was sitting on the balcony of Square Books sipping coffee and working on menus and recipes before we opened City Grocery that, quickly, I realized how significant that place would be and how significant it would be to our success. It’s important to grow these relationships because [the Howorths are] the real trailblazers for Oxford.”

That kind of support and appreciation has helped City Grocery keep running, strong and with no end in sight. Now it’s all up the restaurant’s team to keep that fire burning and to give the community what they are craving.

“The future for City Grocery are very much the guys running that kitchen,” Currence said. “Nick Schlager and Eric Tate are the brains behind the kitchen right now and Jennifer Nelson who is running the front end of the house have brought a new life into the Grocery. I think it is, right now and without, the best the restaurant has ever been.”

To learn more about City Grocery, visit the website at www.citygroceryonline.com/citygrocery.

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Nothing More Southern than BBQ Moe’s Original is a crowd pleaser

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A

Among some things that set Moe’s Famous BBQ in Oxford (located a few blocks off the Square) apart from a typical food franchise, is that each Moe’s can improvise the menu and get creative, and nothing is actually set in stone. This allows menus from location to location to vary, and for their full cast of generations-tried and true Southern food fare to be in constant rotation and renewal.

Besides the Southern staples, like fall-off-the bone ribs, smoked chicken and turkey, fried catfish, smoked chicken wings, toasted bun sandwiches, plus over 60 side dishes served throughout the year, what makes Moe’s in Oxford unique from other locations (now spanning over a dozen states) is their delicious pulled-pork Red Neck Nachos.

These include tortilla chips that are made inhouse.

According to Moe’s owner John Allgood, an Ole Miss graduate who began in the food industry as an undergrad working at the McAlister's Deli that was on University Avenue - followed by Old Venice Pizza Company on the Square for over a decade - there are other locations that use the kettle potato chip as a vehicle for the pulled pork and toppings, but he believes Oxford’s the only one that uses house tortilla chips.

“It’s just a good barbecue nacho,” said Allgood.

As far as the myriad of side accompaniment options Moe’s has in its arsenal, Allgood jokingly said that watermelon is liable to get bumped up at some point leading into summer, and that he’s been keeping his eye out for good opportunities to purchase quantities of the luscious vine fruit.

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sides available in coming months, and their standout squash casserole, when it’s back in season.

Allgood’s start with Moe’s happened in a sort of buddy-storybook fashion, when a friend called and told him he thought they should open a location in town, in the same manner you might dream of opening a business as a kid.

“I thought it was a great idea, so I got on board with that,” he said, “and here we are, almost six years later.”

Their catering packages are also a big part of the Moe’s operation, and they pride themselves on striving diligently to become an economical, yet friendly catering company “that serves up the tasty Southern BBQ experience,” they advertise.

The package offers pulled pork with the choice of two sides, served with buns or grilled cornbread, BBQ sauce, pickles, plates, and provides plastic ware, napkins and serving utensils if needed for an event. Sides include baked beans, slaw, potato salad, mac and cheese and banana pudding.

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Another aspect of Moe’s in Oxford which sets it apart from other locations, is the Penny Bar, directly downstairs, known as ‘one of the most laid-back bars on the Square,’ and which has hosted some of the best live music in town over the past five years.

The low ceiling/concrete floor atmosphere paired with its iconic long bartop, with every centimeter of its surface enshrouded in countless pennies, makes a terrific backdrop for live local and regional music.

Although Moe’s was one of the busier restaurants in town for curbside service through the past couple of years, Allgood is pleased to have watched things gradually improve.

“I’m glad we survived Covid. Oxford was kind to us. We got a lot of takeout,” he said. “And the catering has picked up a bit.”

And of course, with regard to the bloodstream of the City, he said: “It’s nice having fans come into town for the sporting events, we’ve missed that.”

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BY DAVIS COEN PHOTOS BY LUCKY ELEPHANT MARKETING 42 September/October 2021

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O

One of the most popular new casual dining spots on the Square in 2022 is Greek restaurant, OPA! For owners Chad Jennings and Hudson Chadwick it’s been a long, rocky road since plans and construction began, but they were finally able to open their doors last November, after completing an inviting outdoor patio, transforming what used to be the back area of bygone businesses, Soulshine Pizza Factory, and Gus’s Fried Chicken.

Doing so, they’ve been able to provide delicious meals and beverages to the community just in time for

folks to start getting out and dining more.

Chadwick, who also owns Rafter’s locations, always wanted to open a Greek restaurant. He grew up in Jackson, which is home to a number of authentic Greek restaurants - most notably Keifer’s - and he basically just loved food.

Jennings formerly managed Soulshine Pizza Factory, during which time he and Chadwick became friends, and had spent years with Performance Food Group (PFG) who has a main office in Batesville, MS. He recalled that while working for

PFG, and also as Chadwick’s food rep, that the South Lamar Boulevard space became available. After discussing it and finally looking at the property, the “kicker” for him and his business partner was learning from the landlord (who is also the landlord for Rafter’s) that they would be permitted to actually build a courtyard patio, of course pending on the City’s approval.

According to Jennings the approval was about a six month process, involving many setbacks before they were finally able to start building.

Chadwick and Jennings considered that although there was already

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another Greek restaurant in Oxford (Volta Taverna), that an additional one could still be beneficial to the culinary landscape of the town.

“We didn't push the culinary limits by any means,” said Jennings, humbly, “but we did come up with some fun appetizers.” These include the popular Gyrolls, which are filled with hand sliced gyro meat, sriracha

slaw, mozzarella and feta cheese, served with egg roll sauce, and also Feta Fritters, OPA’s homemade Greek cheese fritters served with sriracha honey mustard. Also, Falafel Balls, Stuffed Mushrooms, and of course Spanakopita Dip. “We didn’t try to reinvent the wheel,” said Jennings. “We rolled out a menu that we felt like we could

execute out of the gate.”

Classic wraps include the gyro, and a New York strip steak melt, shaved in-house. And entree features include steak kabobs, chicken souvlaki kabobs and shrimp kabobs.

“Basically, we wanted to have a menu that felt casual and comfortable,” said Jennings, of what spans from lunch-type lighter items, like salads

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and soups, to more substantial dinner-type items, like the kabobs, garlic and herb lamb chops, fresh fish, and an occasional pita pizza chalkboards special - which would work for both lunch and dinner and Jennings hopes to do “more of in the future.”

Cocktails include the OPA! Famous Lemonada, the Santorini Smash, the Pamarita, the Mississippi Red (featuring Old Soul Bourbon), and the OPA! Bloody Mary.

Although the menu’s still developing, Jennings said they’re looking at doing some seasonal salads, and possibly a pasta dish, and an ouzo salad, but that the “staples are pretty much in place and have all been really well received.”

As goes for most restaurant businesses these days, labor and food costs have been the biggest challenge for OPA. “We’re figuring it out,” said Jennings. He added: “Being in Oxford, you kind of live and die by the success of the Rebels.

Good baseball, basketball, and football seasons tend to influence those things heavily. We’re navigating through, as best as anyone I think.”

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I

t is no secret that Oxford is on the map for the richness of its food scene that includes award winning restaurants, celebrated chefs and a diversity of food that spans the globe and back.

This is the second year of the Oxford Food Trail. The idea for The Oxford Food Trail started as a way to help restaurants dealing with the pandemic. The Oxford Food Trail is a celebration of the food that is at our doorstep and a banner to welcome visitors and residents to explore the food that is distinctly Oxford.

‘Stops on The Oxford Food Trail include classic southern dishes, farm to table cuisine, some of the south’s best barbeque, gourmet delights, vibrant venues for dining and creative cocktails that befit a town whose cheer is Hotty Toddy.

It’s one of the most vibrant food cities in the Southeast, and we want the word to spread wider as people begin to travel and explore.

In addition to the restaurants featured in this Food edition of Oxford Magazine, the soon to be launched website www. oxfordfoodtrail.com will be a sign post to the world to come to Oxford for the food with an interactive map to help guide their way.

For residents, many of the spots on the trail are much loved and often visited. Other restaurants are new or places you have missed in the past. Like any trail, it is about the journey as you work your way through the full array of food offerings and develop your palate and appreciation for what we have in our backyard. See you on the Trail!

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MOE’S From their prime location on the Oxford Square, four local friends share one simple focus: to serve the best barbecue in town. John Allgood, a Mississippi native and Ole Miss graduate, owns and operates the location, serving up pulled pork sandwiches, smoked chicken, ribs, and more than 60 classic Southern sides that are rotated daily. All of this delectable food can be enjoyed with an ice cold beer either in the main dining room or in the downstairs Penny Bar, home of a local happy hour hotspot.

“I fell in love with the Oxford community really early on,” said Allgood. “It’s such a diverse city, but with a small-town vibe, and a community that loves to support local establishments. It’s a great place to own a business.”

311 S Lamar Blvd Oxford, MS (662) 236-6637 www.moesoriginalbbq. com/lo/oxford

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LOST PIZZA Voted Best Pizza in Mississippi 6 years in a row, Lost Pizza has something for all walks of life. Whether you’re a family, student, visiting ball team, or grabbing a drink after work, Lost Pizza provides the coolest atmosphere to enjoy fellowship, food and libations. Not to mention, their large screen TVs and giant outdoor patios – upstairs and down - offer Ole Miss fans and the like a nice place to watch the game. From artisan pizza like “The Lucille” (grilled chicken, bacon, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes and a ranch drizzle) to homemade delta tamales to salads and gluten-free options, Lost Pizza’s funky versatility is a mainstay for Oxford locals and a “must” for anyone visiting the area.

7102 College Hill Rd Oxford, MS (662) 371-1576 lostpizza.com

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EL CHARRO As one makes their way up Sisk Avenue, there is a unique structure that catches one’s eye. With its towering white dome and high-fashion interior (featuring huge chandeliers, mirrors, and marble accents), the building that houses El Charro immediately invokes the feel of a classic Mexican restaurant.

The original El Charro, which opened in 1995, served the community for close to ten years before merging with Casa Mexicana in 2007. Now, the restaurant has expanded to a nicer, brighter location that will connect them with a new customer base.

“Everything is completely different,” explained owner Ramiro Muñoz. “The Oxford Community has its fair share of international cuisine. It has a bit of everything, and we are wanting to give them something new as far as Mexican food.

It is very traditional with a really cool twist. Our staple dishes are still in high demand, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how the community has embraced our new Tex-Mex cuisine as well.”

The menu itself is filled with traditional dishes and drinks inspired by Muñoz’s family’s cooking; many of the recipes are lifted directly from his mother’s cookbook.

“My family is 100% Hispanic,” said Muñoz. “My parents were

SMALLCAKES For some of the best cupcakes and specialty cakes in town, check out SmallCakes, a locally owned and operated bakery on Merchant Drive! With a stellar roster of homemade cupcakes including flavors like Caramel Turtle, Coconut Cream, Chocoholic and Birthday Cake, this bright, family-friendly bakery has something to satisfy every sweet tooth! If you’re not a cake person, check out their variety of homemade ice creams, with flavors inspired by their cupcakes! Make sure to

born and raised in Mexico, and we believe that our experience with food is something that Oxford needs to try. People in this community are willing to experiment and try things out and we feel like they would really appreciate what we have been working so hard on. This building is really a thank you to the community.”

699 Sisk Ave Oxford, MS

try 24 Karrot, a cream cheese ice cream with chunks of carrot cake cupcakes, and the popular Blue Munster Cookie, a blue vanilla ice cream layered with chocolate cookie crumbles and chocolate chip cookies. Specialty cakes, cupcakes and mini-cupcakes can be special ordered for your next event.

1301 Merchants Dr Oxford, MS (662) 638-3700 smallcakesoxfordms.com

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SNACKBAR

CITY GROCERY

In 2009, we became Oxford’s neighborhood restaurant and living room. The brain child of Award-Winning Chef, John Currence, Snackbar is a Southern Brasserie that prides itself on using local Mississippi ingredients whenever possible. We are your place for the freshest raw oysters from around the country, artfully crafted cocktails, and fine internationally-inspired food cultivated by 2019 James Beard ‘Best Chef: South’, Vishwesh Bhatt. Come let Team Snackbar show you a truly memorable experience. Our door is open to all.

Early on the scene of the Oxford town square revival, City Grocery has become a landmark in the Oxford dining scene.

Exposed brick walls & heart pine plank floor augment the candle light and white linen staging some the most inventive and interesting food in the South. “Their (dishes’) deft presentation is imaginative, skillful and disciplined, elevating them above qualification as regional and ethnic cuisine.” City Grocery makes every meal feel like a special occasion.

721 N Lamar Blvd Oxford, MS (662) 236-6363 Citygroceryonline.com/ snackbar

152 Courthouse Square Oxford, MS (662) 232-8080 citygroceryonline.com

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MCALISTER’S DELI For delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, and southern hospitality, make sure to check out McAlister’s. The restaurant, which has locations across the country, was founded here, and holds a special place in the community as an Oxford institution. Their new location on Jackson avenue is a fresh new take on the popular spot, and has a modern feel with the same inviting atmosphere. If you’re visiting for the first time, try the half and half deal, which lets you get the most out of your McAlister’s experience. We recommend trying the half club and half spud max.

Make sure you don’t miss out on their famous sweet tea—people buy it by the jug.

2605 Jackson Ave W Oxford, MS (662) 234-1363 mcalistersdeli.com

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PIZZASHOP

MY MICHELLE’S

Pizzashop is one of the newest and most acclaimed additions to Oxford’s food scene. Josiah Urban first started this artisanal New York style “quality first” pizza place in Belmar, New Jersey right on the Jersey shore. His self-proclaimed “labor of love for the art of pizza making” comes honestly - his wife, Toni, grew up in a pizza family (Brooklyn Pizzeria in Gulfport) and together they have a combined 30 years in the NYC pizza business. Toni learned the ins and outs from her father who taught her original recipes circa 1960s Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Pizzashop not only makes everything from scratch – the sauce, the dough, the focaccia bread for sandwiches – they dare you to find another pizza establishment with as many topping offerings as you can find on their menu.

Committed to a high standard of authentic NY style pizza with a gourmet twist, they put their employees through rigorous training in both pizza making and customer service. Stop by Sunday – Thursday 11 am to 11 pm OR Friday – Saturday 11 am – 1 am and grab an authentic NYC slice or whole pie. Shoobies beware, “this ain’t your Grandma’s tomato pie”.

Classic Southern Casseroles, Grab-and-Go Meals, Her Baby Girl’s Chicken Salad and that special small-town touch are all what characterize My Michelle’s Catering. Founded in 2010 by long-time Oxonian and Ole Miss graduate Michelle Rounsaville, My Michelle’s boasts an ever-changing menu filled with delicious hors d’oeuvres, soups, salads, casseroles, and more — including one of Rounsaville’s favorites, the beef and spinach lasagna. “We started substituting zucchini noodles for regular chicken pesto spaghetti noodles,” she said. “It is really delicious.”

Other healthy custom meals include Chicken Egg Roll Bowl, Ranch Burger Bowl, Beef Bolognese over Spaghetti Squash OR Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps, each of which is perfectly seasoned with the option of complimentary delivery to your doorstep Monday through Friday. My Michelle’s online menu changes every week, depending on what fresh ingredients arrive in their kitchen — each week offers something new, flavorful, and healthy to try! Rounsaville, who is supported by her community of fellow caterers and customers alike, says she has been “very blessed.”

“Oxford is such a small treasure in the northern part of Mississippi,” she said. “We are a very supportive community, which I just love.”

81 Ed Perry Blvd Oxford, MS 662-510-7050 pizzashopoxford.com

3000 Old Taylor Rd C Oxford, MS 38655 (662) 236-1512 mymichellesoxford.com OxfordMag.com 53

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BOURÉ Housed in the old Leslie’s Drug Store and Downtown Grill building, the newly renovated space is home to the “Up-scale Down-home” fare of Bouré. Decidedly Creole in its overall scope, the restaurant isn’t easily labeled. A bustling casual dining room, attentive service and an outstanding menu elevate Bouré to something greater than just another college joint. Bouré is for everyone from a college date night to a special dinner with the family. Once you arrive, head upstairs to sample Bouré’s inventive cocktail offerings – and one of the best balcony views on the Oxford Square.

110 Courthouse Square Oxford, MS (662) 234-1968 citygroceryonline.com/boure

SAINT. LEO A 2017 James Beard Foundation “Best New Restaurant” semifinalist, Saint Leo is one of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in town. The space is stunning, with a warm, comfortable atmosphere that is perfect for a variety of occasions, from girls’ nights to family dinners to happy hour.

Make sure to check out their cocktails--the prosecco pop, which features a house-made popsicle floating in prosecco, and espresso martini are house favorites. The spot is known for its wood-fired pizza, made from scratch with fresh, local ingredients that change with the seasons. Make sure not to skip the small plates, too; we recommend the wood-fired clams, which pair perfectly with the house-made bread.

If you’re looking for a fantastic brunch, stop by on Saturday or Sunday morning. If you like something sweet, the dutch baby, served with seasonal fruit and créme fraîche is a crowd-pleaser. For something saltier, try the lion tamer, which features two eggs baked in tomato sauce with Parmigiano, parsley, and their house-made garlic bread—it won’t disappoint.

922 E Jackson Ave Oxford, MS (662) 380-5141 eatsaintleo.com 54 September/October 2021

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TAYLOR GROCERY

TALLAHATCHIE GOURMET

In the 1980s, Mary Katherine Hudson made Taylor, Mississippi a name for catfish with the opening of Taylor Grocery. Years later, after the Lynn Hewlett Family reopened in 1999, the unique charm of Taylor and the quality of food remain the same. The building, which was once a dry goods store in the late 1800s, is now home to the “South’s Best Catfish Joint,” on the authority of Southern Living Magazine.

The rest of Taylor Grocery’s menu is just as enticing: from deepfried oysters, to shrimp, salads, and gumbo, there is something for everyone’s taste buds. Enjoy all the restaurant’s classic dishes while relaxing on its iconic front porch, which many regard as the “best front porch in the country.” Taylor Grocery, which can be visited via a quick, scenic, 10-mile trip, is open to the public Thursday through Sunday nights.

Just beneath Neilson’s department store is Oxford’s “go-to” lunch spot, Tallahatchie Gourmet. Angele Mueller’s restaurant/catering company has been Oxford’s preeminent source for authentic New Orleans cuisine for many years – long before the restaurant, founded in New Albany, even opened its doors in Oxford. It’s hard to find a local or visitor who hasn’t partaken of TG’s creole creations in the Grove, at a party or in the restaurant. Due to the straightforward cuisine and service, you will not find a more dedicated customer base in the area. If you go once, you’ll go a thousand times… or you’ll take a crawfish etouffee or shrimp jambalaya casserole home to throw in the freezer and enjoy with family or friends later.

4 First St Taylor, MS (662) 236-1716 taylorgrocery.com

1221 Van Buren Ave Oxford, MS (662) 380-5122

JULY/AUGUST

Featuring the Best of Oxford 2022 OxfordMag.com 55

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WALK-ON’S

SPORTS BISTREAUX Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux is the perfect place to cure your Cajun cravings.

Originating from Louisiana, the sports bistro offers mouth-watering gumbo, wraps, signature burgers, po’boys, and many seafood plates. Grab any Cajun dish at Walk On’s and sit alongside TV’s for any game update you need.

Located on University Ave., Walk On’s is the ideal place for the entire family to enjoy. Co-owned by Brandon Landry and retired football quarterback Drew Brees, Walk On’s is a staple in Cajun cuisine and is a must-try for Oxford food-lovers.

1737 B University Avenue Oxford, MS. (662) 636-6200

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KING’S STEAK HOUSE At King’s Steakhouse, our food reflects both the rich history of traditional southern comfort food paired with the vibrance of the region featuring the freshest seafood, locally sourced produce, and dry aged beef. Juiciness, tenderness, and flavor – those are the hallmarks for which a cut of beef is renowned. Our steaks are hand-selected to ensure a savory combination of exacting quality, perfected custom dry aging and rich seasoning. There is a reason King’s has been ranked in the top 2-3 steakhouses in the state of Mississippi for the past several years.

Simply put, we do it right! Monday – Saturday 4pm – 10pm 1007 College Hill Rd 662-638-3933 https://kingssteakhouse. com

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CAMPUS WINES AND SPIRITS Choose from over ___ s of wine and spirits including vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey and liquors. “We’re hoping people can come to the store not only for what they’re looking for, but what they’re not looking for… and to be able to taste it before they buy it,” Luke McKey said.

Tasting events are held each week so customers can try a wine or liquor before they buy it. Campus Wine and Spirits offers a huge selection of wine tequila, 1501 Jackson Ave. W., Suite 105 Oxford MS. 662-550-9494. campuswines.co

BIG BAD BREAKFAST The brainchild of James Beard award-winning chef John Currence, Big Bad Breakfast gives the proper respect to “the most important meal of the day.” Enjoy Big Bad Breakfast staples such as custom-created meats, fresh biscuits and preserves, locally roasted coffee and some of the best cocktails you’ll find anywhere. Whether it’s the house-cured Tabasco/Brown Sugar Bacon or the Anson Mills Steel Cut Oatmeal, you’ll be talking about coming back before you’ve left the table.

They wear their “Big Bad” name as a badge of honor and take special pride in serving all your Southern favorites with the creativity and technique that only a skilled, world-renowned chef can bring to the table.

719 N Lamar Blvd Oxford, MS (662) 236-2666 bigbadbreakfast.com

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SOLA

By: Shelby Young @shelbys_snacks BRUNCH: SOLA

Sunday brunch is all the rage in Oxford.

Whether you are dining with family after church or celebrating with friends, there are plenty of spots in town to find the vibe, and most importantly, the menu you are looking for!

SoLa, a quaint spot on the corner of Tyler Avenue and South Lamar, has a Sunday Brunch menu to please everyone.

Sip on a mimosa and share an order of Bananas Foster Beignets before choosing from one of their many delicious entrees of chef Erika Lipe – with my personal favorite being the Chicken and Waffles drizzled with syrup!

For info, daily specials and updates, follow SoLa on social media @solaoxfordms.

LUNCH: UNO MAS

Lunchtime in Oxford is a special atmosphere with a friendly mix of work crowds, “ladies who lunch,” and college students celebrating their class being canceled.

If you’re in the mood for delicious Mexican bites and a lively atmosphere, head to Uno Mas on the Square where their philosophy is simple: “keep it fun and make it fresh.”

Uno Mas offers a diverse selection of authentic street tacos, nachos, and even soup and sandwiches. This hot spot also handcrafts five authentic salsas, along with every tortilla and chip in-house, daily – and if you’re not heading back to the office or class afterward, 10 out of 10 would suggest ordering a margarita!

Uno Mas also offers a special late-night menu from 10pm - 1am for the night owls.

Visit unomastacos.com for more infor-

mation and follow them @ unomasoxford for updates and specials.

DINNER: RAVINE

Picking a place for dinner in Oxford is no easy decision with the dozens of options the RAVINE town has to offer.

If you’re looking for a memorable dining experience, the Ravine should be at the top of your list. Located just 3 miles south of the Square, tucked within the pine and oak trees you’ll find the logged cabin surrounded by gardens and a soothing aroma.

Renowned chef and owner of the restaurant and inn, Joel Miller is passionate about not only serving fresh food and ingredients but supporting the community while doing so and purchasing through local providers. You’ll also find Chef Miller using fruits and vegetables grown from the restaurant’s own garden.

Ravine is open Thursday- Sunday and offers a seasonal menu that changes frequently. If you have not experienced Ravine’s fine, southern cuisine, I highly recommend reserving a table for the popular “Sunday Supper” which offers a three-course meal for $35.

For more information and menus, visit them online at oxfordravine.com.

DAY DRINKS:

In Oxford, it is not unusual to see people sipping a cocktail on a sunny, mid-week afternoon. Our local restaurants and wa-

UNO MAS

tering holes will welcome you in for a cocktail any time of day.

A popular go-to, especially during spring and summer is Funky’s Daiquiri Bar. Known for their New Orleans-style daiquiris and delicious New York-style pizza, Funky’s is a favorite for all ages. Whether you’re shopping with friends and want to cool off with a frozen beverage, or you’re watching the Rebs with beer and pizza, Funky's is the perfect spot!

Most weekends you can catch “Oldies Night” where you’ll find the fun, friendly parents of bar owner Lee Harris, playing all the hits from the 70’s and 80’s – it’s a dance party you don’t want to miss!

Keep up with Funky’s drink specials and more by following them on social media @funkys or visit their website at www. funkys.com.

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HWY 6 LANDMARK THE SIZZLER STEAKHOUSE It’s no secret that Oxford has a five-star reputation for its food. We are proud to claim several award-winning chefs and bartenders, plus divine dishes that had Garden & Gun and other prominent publications writing about them. From award-winning Italian to the best Catfish Poboy in the state, we know our stuff when it comes to fine dining and good eating.

Among the good eats our town is blessed to claim is a hole-in-the-wall Oxford staple, Sizzler Steakhouse. A beloved go-to spot for many Oxford locals, Sizzler Steakhouse has had 50 years of serving up southern food that has been known to make you “slap your mama.”

On Sundays you’ll find a buffet of delicious buttered veggies, fried and baked chicken, seafood, steak, BBQ ribs, and other fine southern delicacies – and make sure to save room for strawberry cobbler or banana pudding.

The Sizzler is open Thursday - Saturday 4pm to 9pm and on Sundays from 11am to 2pm and 4pm to 8pm. Follow them on Facebook at The Sizzler Steakhouse of Oxford.

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OUT AND ABOUT

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3 BLIND WINES

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PHOTOS BY Joey Brant

The Powerhouse 4-12-22 1.

Wine Glasses

2.

Keith and Regina Black

3.

Susan Kurland and Ben Banahan

4.

Crystal Bell and Jo Ellen Stearns

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Kim Patterson and Beth Blaha Brazile

6.

Cheryl and Alli Hayward

7.

Danny Gates and Cabe Kirkpatrick

8.

Ruchell Phillips and Debbie Willis

9.

Carly and Michelle Huguley

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OUT AND ABOUT

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10. Steven and Gay Case 11. Carol and Randy Rawlings

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12. Sharon and Andy Grace 13. Wayne Andrews, Mindy Waldrop and Caroline Parker 14. Lindsey Mitchell and Ellen Chism 15. Patrick and Susan Bradley 16. Matt, Bekah and Rosemary Wymer 17. Ellen Chism, Lindsey Mitchell, Crystal Elliott and Jennifer Harwell 18. Michael Cohen, Christian Woodson, Rebekah Kolka and Nicole Gilligan 19. Daniel Hansen and Chris Byrd 20. Carol Roark and Rhonda Amis 21. Glenda Landrum and Jennifer McClure 22. Kelli Hutchins and Meredith Pyle 23. Ebony Cancer and Alexandria White 24. Regina and Keith Black with Kim Patterson

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OUT AND ABOUT

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Get connected.

Stay local.

Construction is complete and all our zones are open to bring you the fastest, most reliable fiber internet option available.

Plans starting at $54.95/month

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INTERNET POWERED BY NORTH EAST FIBER

662.238.3159 | www.NESPARC.com OxfordMag.com 63

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OUT AND ABOUT

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OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL

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PHOTOS BY Joey Brant

Various Locations Oxford, MS March 23-27, 2022 1.

Johnny and Susan McPhail

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Racheal Weaver and Mindy Van Kuren

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Matt Wymer and Lucas Singh

4.

Gay and Steven Case

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Steven Case and Jim Brunzell III

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Lisa Hurwitz “The Automate”

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Belinda Buddrus and Robyn Hopkins

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Andrew George and Antonio Tarrell

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Lucas Singh, Victoria Negri, Rocio Harrelson, Jim Brunzell III and Dr. Donald Cole

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OUT AND ABOUT

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10. Shayden Smith, Whitley O’Neal and Mindy Van Kuren

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11. Musicians from Stax Music Academy 12. Mary Margaret Andrews, Susan McPhail and Virginia Brick 13. Izzy Shill and Felipe Dieppa 14. Caleb Hall, Jake Hall, Brian Whisenant and John Afamasaga 15. Mye Hoang and Dev Shapiro 16. Kevin, Autumn, Katelyn and Anne Payne

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OUT AND ABOUT

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17. Wally Chung, Christina Huff and Connor King 18. Christina Huff and Connor King 19. Nature Humphries and Newt Rayburn 20. Brian Whisenant and Lucy Schutlze 21. Jeremey and Abby Berendt Lavoi 22. Movie time at the Malco 23. Ward Emling, Robbie Fisher and Damon Burks

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Pops of Color

STYLE

to Spring you into Summer

BY LAUREN JONES

Rhode Resort “Casey” dress with rope belt $435 JANE @jane_oxfordms

Wyeth floppy fedora $92 Hemline @hemlineoxfordms

Beck mini leather crossbody in teal $325 Hinton & Hinton HER @hintonandhintonher

Farm Rio Mini Dress $185 Hemline @hemlineoxfordms OxfordMag.com 67

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STYLE

Cecelia, Hibiscus lace-up sandal with leather, shapeable flower $229 Neilson’s @neilsonsdepartmentstore

Woven raffia platform sandal $49 My Favorite Shoes @myfavshoesoxford

Rainbow Dreams beach bag $49 Daisy Gift Company @daisygiftcompany

Margarita Earrings $80 Katherine Beck Gifts @katherinebeckgifts

Norma Kamali Halter One-Piece Swimsuit $160 Zoe by La Rousse @zoeofoxford

Mary Square Run Wild pajamas $65 Olive Juice Gifts @OliveJuiceGifts 68 September/October 2021

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SAID AND DONE

SING ONE FOR SON

T COUNTRIBUTING EDITOR JIM DEES is a writer and longtime host of Thacker Mountain Radio. He is the author of The Statue and the Fury - A Year of Art, Race, Music and Cocktails.

This time of year is blues season with music festivals and outdoor concerts popping up like wild onions.

The blues are a good teacher and that includes the late James “Son” Thomas of Leland.

In the 1980s, Son would often be booked in Oxford to play the Gin, or a frat party, or at the much-lamented Hoka Theater (now Harrison’s 1810 Green). On these occasions I would be dispatched to make the two-hour ride to Leland to fetch him. On these drives I discovered who Son was as a person and musician, as well as how the world saw him.

One incident was particularly telling. Son and I were northbound on Highway 49, speeding along in my 1976 Gran Torino. I had my shirt off and my (long-gone) shoulder-length hair blowing in the wind. Son was hunched over his portable cassette player, listening to Elmore James, smoking a Camel down to the nub when suddenly there was a siren and blue lights.

A Mississippi Highway Patrolman pulled us over in sight of the front gate of Parchman Penitentiary, Mississippi’s notorious state prison.

The trooper exited his vehicle and, in a surprise move, walked around to the passenger side of the car where Son was seated. He then cast a glance into the back seat where he spotted Son’s guitar case.

The trooper spat his words: “What are you? Some kind of jazz band?”

Son looked at the trooper with his unique countenance of innocence.

“Naw suh,” Son replied. “The blues.”

The trooper finally came around to my side of the car and began the process of running my license (miraculously clean) and writing a speeding ticket. As he was about to send us on our way, he reached across me and grabbed my discarded shirt

on the front seat. I suppose this was a quick check for drugs. (Clean again).

After the encounter, Son and I drove for a minute in complete silence. The front gate of Parchman rolled by and Son checked his watch.

“Well,” Son mused, “if he’d a taken us in, we’d a been there just in time for lunch.”

Son passed way in 1993 but not before receiving national recognition, including an invitation to perform at the White House. The words “quiet dignity” come to mind.

In more recent years, local blues music, like any worthy art form, has expanded with new, younger practitioners taking the music into the digital age. This dynamic is on full display every June at the North Mississippi Hill County Picnic just across the county line (and the Betty Davis store) into Marshall County.

Over two days, two dozen acts take the stage for an appreciative, if occasionally rain-drenched crowd, that come from across the southeast.

Cedric Burnside, Eric Deaton and Kenny Brown have all received Grammy recognition, and all can be heard at the picnic, up close and sweaty.

This fascinating music has survived decades of trials to persevere, a life lesson for all of us. Likewise, the musicians are the most down-toearth, genuine people who just happen to have dedicated their lives to making joy out of pain. Can there be a higher calling?

James “Son” Thomas had dignity you could dance to; a humility born through hard times and hatred, but his smile and humor shone through.

See you at the picnic and sing one for Son. This year’s picnic is June 24-25 at Waterford, MS. Info: https:// nmshillcountrypicnic.com/ OxfordMag.com 69

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plots. Southern Land Co. TN LLC BILL GATES 901-488-0368 www.southern landco.com TRAILER WORLD Goosenecks, Equipment, Stock & Enclosed Trailers. Mid-South’s Largest Selection.

SOUTHLAND CO. Batesville, MS 662-563-9428 Tommy’s Renishing & Repair LLC Professional antique restoration since 1974.

188 CR 215, Oxford.

662-816-7135 Estate purchasing/ appraisal services.

Yalobusha General Hospital 630 South Main St. , Water Valley, MS 38655.

Seeking full-time night shift LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) and full-time night shift RN(Registered Nurse).

We offer free medical insurance, PTO, retirement matching and more. $1000 hiring bonus! Apply through our website http:// yalobushageneral.com/ Indeed or in person.

Ofce Manager/ Assistant Oxford consulting rm.

Microsoft Ofce required (Word/ Excel/Powerpoint).

Access+Quickbooks a plus. Health/vision/ dental/401k provided. Salary commensurate with education and experience. Email Resume: mslaughter@ saplanners.com

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