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Issue No.
July 15 - August 4 VOLUME 5
12
Mead in Boston: What's the Buzz? If you haven’t been to the Magginnis family’s Buzzery restaurant in Boston yet, then make the trip. It’s an incredibly unique concept. Yeah, you can get a pizza almost anywhere, but nothing like this. They have honey-infused dough from mead. MEAD, you ask? Indeed. It’s all about the bees. Owners Jerry and Bev Magginnis’s daughter Cana married into a family of Boston beekeepers and the honey is what started it all. “They served mead [at the wedding] from a family friend and it was pretty astounding,” said Jerry. “I asked if it was possible to get his recipe. He was gracious enough to share it and I immediately started playing with it.” The Buzzery was to be more than just a glass of mead, or honey wine, as it tastes. People might have come to try it, but what would make them stay a while? More importantly, they asked, would it allow them to move permanently to Boston from Columbus, Ohio, for family’s sake? “I thought, how do you distribute mead?” Jerry went on. “I have a marketing background. What if I start a business where the primary draw factor was the mead and then pair it up with something classy? Their son Andy had been in the restaurant business for 10 years and their other son David was the creative, Bev added. Apparently they had what they needed right there. “I learned enough to put together a business plan.” Jerry said. “I wanted to be near the primary source and bought a large farm next to the kids,” Jerry said. The trick with the mead is in the honey, but likewise the fruit. These bees are given to blossoms of fruit plants of all different kinds, by mead variety. And in a crucial stage of the mead fermentation process, local, fresh fruit goes in to finish, giving flavor and color. It’s very important to the family that the fruit is local, too.
On the day to day, Bev handles the prep and pizza dough and sauce recipes; Jerry, of course, is the mead aficionado; Andy handles the food and restaurant management {and he’s perfect for it with all of his experience}; Dave is the artist {you’ll notice his designs inside the restaurant and on the labels}; and Cana and the in-laws bring the honey: it’s in the mead, dough, and sauce {and it’s for sale in the restaurant by the jar}. The operation consists of the family and four employees—including wait staff to whom they pay more than server minimum wage so everyone makes a decent living. For a pizza place serving up Viking brew {it’s what comes to mind right?} in small town South Georgia, the Magginnis family is doing exceedingly well. They opened in August 2015 and have doubled their sales goals. The banker is happy—Jerry said, cautiously, but happily. But one thing Jerry cannot hide his excitement over is their new license to expand the mead operation in the back of the restaurant. They will be able to bottle and distribute the mead soon. Customers especially love the blueberry mead {this one included], and they also offer red raspberry, black raspberry, peach, cherry, blackberry and strawberry flavors. The pizza? Out of this world. The Buzzery: FB: @thebuzzery -OR thebuzzery.weebly.com.
M-F 11:30a-2p and 5-9p; Sat. 11:30a-9:30p and Sun. 11:30a-2p.
- Denise P., with reporting by Jennifer W.
Townies Chill at New Froyo Bar The South is notorious for its summer heat, just step outside at two in the afternoon and see for yourself. Luckily, Thomasville just got a sweet, new dessert shop to combat the sun’s unforgiving rays. Over in the Creative District of Downtown ( Jackson Street), Fuzzy Goat has a new neighbor: The Mix. With over 90+ toppings, 10 flavors that vary weekly and a fantastical range of frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and 8 flavors of Dippin’ Dots, The Mix is Downtown’s new hotspot for all ages.
those glorious spheres of ice cream, for a mere $3.99 a pack. Scott says The Mix is the only place you can find them because of their freezer, which is capable of keeping the -25 degree temperature for prime Dippin’ Dots. This, along with their one-of-a-kind toppings bar, gives The Mix its competitive edge.
“We were excited about the growth we saw in Downtown Thomasville and wanted to be a part of the community,” says owners Summer and Scott Clark.
The Mix also has its own truck. An ingenious, mobile frozen yogurt machine that delivers sweet goodness to all manner of places: schools, theme parks, and corporate events. There are special discounts for schools and a fixed price on each cup when the truck serves at events. But if you go to the store, it’s only 53 cents per ounce (which means a whole lotta frozen yogurt for only a few bucks).
The Mix isn’t unique to Thomasville. The Clarks have owned and operated the original store near Valdosta State University for five years, catering to local college students and residents alike. After some time, they felt like it was time to open up a second location. “Our Valdosta store has a different vibe to it. It has a lot of the same elements you’ll see and the set-up is the same. It’s colorful. You’ll see the exact same toppings bar,” mentions Summer. That toppings bar, which can be seen randomly changing colors and giving off a hip vibe of its own, features more toppings than any other store in the South. Furthermore, it has some local toppings from Blackberry Patch made here in Thomasville and honey made from Fargo, just outside Valdosta.
“We’ve had so much support and we’ve made so many good friends already with other merchants in this area and the ladies in the downtown office,” says Summer. “They’re the key to it.” You can stop by The Mix on 221 West Jackson Street: MondayThursday 11a-10p, Friday-Saturday 11a-11p, and Sunday 1p-5p Facebook: The Mix - Thomasville Instagram: @themix_ thomasville
- Catharine F.
It’s also the only place in Thomasville that you’ll find Dippin’ Dots,
FREE July 15 - August 4 VOLUME 5
Farm to Table Delight! White Chocolate Cupcakes It can be a dilemma selecting a cake flavor to please a crowd, but these luscious, almost creamy cupcakes are perfect for celebrations and partner well with a variety of fillings and toppings.
White Chocolate Cupcakes F F F F F F F F F
10 ounces white chocolate, chopped 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup buttermilk 5 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
As you know, my dogs are the light of my life. They’re always happy to see me when I come home, and they never want me to leave. I always refer to my dachshund, Nora, as my best friend, and she’s wonderful at lifting my spirits when I’m sad, lazy, sick, too full, hungry, annoyed or perplexed. She has all of the qualities of a wonderful companion. I can pick her up and carry her around; we share the same taste in snacks {well, except for the “treats” out of the cat box—gross} and both love a good nap; she’s hilarious, cute and fashionable and honestly, she’s my doggy doppelgänger. Understandably, I try to share my love of dogs every opportunity I get. I am a walking, talking and breathing Sarah McLachlan sad, homeless dog poster. I follow every animal shelter and rescue in a 300-mile radius. I openly try to entice people to adopt animals
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting F 7 ounces white chocolate, chopped F 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature F 1 cup butter, at room temperature F 5 cups powdered sugar Place chopped white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until white chocolate is melted and smooth, keeping a close eye to stop microwaving before white chocolate scorches. In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter. Sift in powdered sugar in three batches, beating in between each batch to combine. Beat in warm, melted white chocolate. Adjust consistency with spoonfuls of powdered sugar or milk. - Kelly S.
Another of my friends adopted this very sweet lab mix named Zuzu. {Where do they even come up with these names?} Zuzu, now renamed Maizy, is goofy, a little uncoordinated and every bit as sweet as any lab that you could think of.
I am proud to announce that three {THREE!} of my friends recently adopted dogs. I can’t say if any of my one million shares and screenshots of homeless pets have anything to do with it, but I’ll just say that it did to make myself feel better. Two of my friends, a couple, adopted a Chihuahua mix who was originally named Pepsi. He does not resemble any sort of cola beverage, but he’s very laid back which doesn’t describe any Pepsi I know. They renamed him Oscar.
Then, there’s Bailey. Bailey is one of those cute, sweet pit-mixes that probably gets a bad rap just because of her distant relation to a pit bull somewhere down the line. Since, I am so excited about all of these new dog friends, I suggested that our friend bring Bailey over to my house so that we could eat dinner and the dogs could get acquainted.
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Nothing says southern lifestyle like the Remington-adorned products from Thomasville’s new store over on Madison, SouthLife Supply Co. Once you enter this wooden, rustic shop, you’ll find there is pretty much something for everyone, even your four-legged friends.
What’s more, everything sold at SouthLife is uniquely created and curated by Heather and her husband, Kelly {the only exceptions being the honey and candy displayed at their vintage bar complete with an antique cash register from Stafford’s}. Furthermore, the majority of the leather products are also personally designed and made by Kelly in his Maker’s Corner of the shop, a place where customers can watch as he creates bags, belts and custom pieces from scratch. Heather says that this piece of the store is important to her husband because Kelly enjoys doing the custom pieces for customers. “It’s interesting to people,” she says, talking about the Maker’s Corner. “I think that speaks a lot about the uniqueness of the store.” Heather and Kelly didn’t start off in the wholesale business. Before they ventured into the trade, Heather was a pharmaceutical sales rep and Kelly worked as a nurse. But that all changed once Kelly came up with this jewelry idea about six years ago and then they started AmericasMart five years ago, one of the world’s largest wholesale trade centers located in Atlanta. Starting as Lizzy J’s and SouthLife, they eventually combined the two and created SoutLife Supply Co. and evolved from just a jewelry brand to a lifestyle brand with over three hundred unique items. They have traveled with their brand all over the U.S., from Atlanta to Philadelphia, Denver to Dallas. Their products can be seen in 3,000 stores nationwide and 25 representatives that go out and sell their wares in the Southeast every day. You can find their products in 70 Bass Pro Shops and at four locations with the Grand Ole Opry. Also, SouthLife has held a license agreement with Remington so that they were able to procure enough shells to cater to their massive production needs. But all big things have small beginnings. The first bullet shells used in SouthLife’s jewelry actually came from local skeet shooting places as Heather and Kelly also focused on recycling: “That’s another big, key piece of our business is the recycling part. We started out as a green product.” Now, the Abbotts and their business continue to thrive in the Thomasville community, bringing quality products to the Creative District of downtown all while, Heather says, "staying in their lane." Facebook: @southlifesupplyco Instagram: @southlifesupply Website: southlifesupplyco.com - Catharine F.
every opportunity I get, so that Nora and Rigby can build up their doggy posse in hopes that one day Nora’s birthday party will be filled with dogs in birthday hats sipping chicken broth out of teacups. {It’s a glorious vision, isn’t it?}
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{Finally!} Hits Downtown
“We really want to be a lifestyle brand,” says owner Heather Abbott. “So we have anything from shirts to hats to coozies to shot glasses.”
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two dozen-capacity muffin tins with cupcake liners. Place chopped white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until white chocolate is melted and smooth. {Watch carefully and shorten microwaving intervals if necessary to prevent scorching; alternatively, the white chocolate can be melted using a double boiler.} Into a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small mixing bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Drop butter into the flour mixture in large spoonfuls; pour in the buttermilk mixture. Beat the mixture just until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides with a spatula. Gently beat in warm, melted white chocolate. Give the batter a last stir with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are evenly combined. Scoop batter into prepared tin, filling each cupcake liner a generous 3/4 full. Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, top with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and enjoy.
Trill in the ‘Ville
SouthLife Supply
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obviously has a weird idea of playing. She also peed on one of my area rugs {only about a gallon or two}, broke a candle by knocking over a table and tried to snuggle with {maul} my 16-year-old cat. After about half an hour of this calamity, I breathlessly suggested, “Maybe Bailey needs to go home,” as I mopped up urine and swept up glass. A good time was had by all {and by “all” I mean Bailey}. So, we have to work on some things before we build up this dog posse, and maybe I need to invest in some plastic tea cups and/or muzzles before our next big shindig.
It was a Disaster {yep, with a capital D.} Bailey was very excited by Rigby and Nora’s small size, so she tried to stomp on them. She
t h a n k s
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- Denise P.
t h e s e :
Our Clients Are Our Friends branding / logo design / graphic design photography / video
113 E. Jackson St
Clay Byars
designer - creator - owner byarsclay@gmail.com 229 977-4615 tri-bstudio.com
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Downtown Thomasville
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Phone 229-226-3911 www.keysouth.com
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