Memphis_October_2025

The Only Lab Grown Diamond That Comes with

The Mednikow Promise

BY MEDNIKOW

simple. They often stop you from doing the things that make your life happy and complete—like running your family farm.

Seasonal harvest made possible by Whole Spine Care™

Spine problems can be big or small, complicated or simple. They often stop you from doing the things that make your life happy and complete—like running your family farm.

These conditions can lead to unexpected symptoms, such as tingling and numbness in your hands, legs, or feet, shooting pains in your arms or legs, or a loss of strength and stability. The right approach is the whole approach. At Semmes Murphey, Whole Spine Care is our patientcentered approach for pain-free living. It starts with an environment where you are heard, supported, and empowered—and extends across the widest range of treatments available in the Mid-South. From conservative care to the most advanced surgical techniques, each step along your journey will be thoughtful, personalized, and rooted in more than a century of experience.

These conditions can lead to unexpected symptoms, such as tingling and numbness in your hands, legs, or feet, shooting pains in your arms or legs, or a loss of strength and stability.

We have been focused on spine care since our founding in 1912, constantly developing treatments that are faster and better, and deliver complete, lasting outcomes.

WholeSpineCare.com

The right approach is the whole approach. At Semmes Murphey, Whole Spine Care is our patientcentered approach for pain-free living. It starts with an environment where you are heard, supported, and empowered—and extends across the widest range of treatments available in the Mid-South. From conservative care to the most advanced surgical techniques, each step along your journey will be thoughtful, personalized, and rooted in more than a century of experience.

We have been focused on spine care since our founding in 1912, constantly developing treatments that are faster and better, and deliver complete, lasting outcomes.

WholeSpineCare.com

HIGH SPIRITS HIGH STAKES MEET

From slot machines to table games, fine-dining to luxurious accommodations, weekly promos to huge prizes—Southland is where entertainment comes alive.

Spread love, not germs by having your rugs disinfected.

Here at Taghavi’s, we would like to do our part to help stop the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus. Recent studies have shown that the virus can be brought into your home, by your shoes and can live on surfaces like your rugs and floors anywhere from two to nine days. In order to help curb the spread, we at Taghavi’s, recommend that you stop wearing your outdoor shoes into your homes and to have your rugs cleaned and disinfected. Quality rug cleaning can only be accomplished by in-store professional rug cleaners. Call us for disinfecting and cleaning of your rugs.

CEO AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF anna traverse

EXECUTIVE EDITOR michael finger

MANAGING EDITOR frank murtaugh

SENIOR EDITORS jon w. sparks, abigail morici, bruce vanwyngarden

STAFF WRITERS michael donahue, alex greene, chris mccoy

EDITORIAL INTERN jadyn cerna

CONTRIBUTORS jesse davis, kailynn johnson, tom jones, vance lauderdale

4 CREATIVE DIRECTOR brian groppe

ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR christopher myers

GRAPHIC DESIGNER neil williams

ILLUSTRATOR martha kelly

PHOTOGRAPHERS houston cofield, michael donahue, chuck ford, demarris manns, jenny thorsen, bruce vanwyngarden

4 SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE shaune mcghee

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES kelli dewitt, chip googe

4 published by contemporary media, inc. memphis, tennessee 901-521-9000

subscriptions: 901-575-9470

4 CONTROLLER lynn sparagowski

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER jeffrey a. goldberg

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER margie neal

DIGITAL SERVICES DIRECTOR kristin pawlowski

WAREHOUSE MANAGER chet hastings

NEWSSTAND CONSULTANT joe luca

SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR molly willmott

4

PUBLISHER EMERITUS kenneth neill

october 2025

A Bold New Plan for This Magazine (or Not)

BY ANNA TRAVERSE

reader survey: How would you feel about receiving this magazine on handmade, undyed paper? Lettered by hand with dyes made from coffee and onion skins, beets and blackberries? Images either drawn by hand — no two copies alike! — or printed in our yet-to-be-constructed dark room; the pages bound together with homespun yarns from the wool of local sheep? And all this bounty delivered to your door by bicycle messenger, or by crow?

Each month’s issue will cost, say, $500, to pay the craftspeople and the crows for all their extra labor. And our advertisers will probably have a few comments about our, no doubt, vastly reduced circulation numbers.

But think how lovely!

Okay, that’s probably not our real future. Still, I think there’s a reason I — someone who has embraced the latest technology all her life — am feeling a pull toward the extremely analog, the staunchly not-online, the rebelliously slow.

When I opened a blank document on my laptop to compose this letter, my word processing program inquired what I wanted it to draft for me . At the top of the screen appeared three prompts: Perhaps I might like to “draft a potential itinerary for a college reunion in London,” or “write an interview guide for a software engineer intern position at Microsoft,” or even “write an article

about 3 outdoor activities in Seattle in July.”

If I close the document and open a new one, I’ll be served three new prompts, and on and on in an endless loop, never once finding the option that offers to delve into the recesses of my own mind and extract a column in my own voice.

I can look at the writing of anyone on our editorial staff, byline removed, and with 99 percent accuracy identify the author. I know my colleagues’ quirks, curiosities, foibles; our bad habits and moments of brilliance. Generative AI may eventually discern how to mimic personal tone more convincingly, but it’s not there yet — and I’m not sure it ever will be.

Technology has its place, no doubt. Once upon a time — not really all that long ago, in earth time — printed books were new tech. But tech should open our minds and broaden our connections, not leave us isolated and grumpy while dueling AI programs talk to each other. We’ve reached

a point already at which some students (who knows how many) submit AI-generated work that teachers in turn use AI to evaluate. What is the point?

We’ve made plenty of mistakes in this magazine. Last year, a few of you might have noticed that a snatch of text was printed in … Latin?! We’ve messed up small details, made bigger errors in judgment. But our errors are deeply, aggravatingly human. at may not be worth $500 for each issue — but it’s worth something.

Our cover story this month is about a bookstore that — miracle of miracles — has stayed in business for 150 years. Burke’s is a wonder, a treasure, and a reminder of the joys of an analog life. e shelves are lined with both new and used books, the sharp smell of fresh paper mingles with musky antique leather; on wooden chairs throughout the store rest vintage typewriters, reminders of the people who sat in solitude bringing these many thousands of worlds to life.

Michael Finger, who wrote the cover story, has an uncanny ability to unearth the strangest, most curious details to accompany the histories he tells so fluidly. I mentioned antique leather — and, well, I don’t mind telling you I audibly gasped on first glimpse of one particular book-binding detail. You’ll just have to read it for yourself. Plus, he managed to secure onthe-record quotations from John Grisham himself, whose marathon book signings at Burke’s are legendary.

And lucky us, to work with Martha Kelly in illustrating the story so tenderly. She brings the people, places — and pets! — of Burke’s to life in these pages with unmistakable humanity.

So many of us have Burke’s stories. I know I do. at’s what happens when a place stays in business over three different centuries! We would love to hear yours: Drop us a line any time (letters@ memphismagazine.com).

ank you, sincerely, for reading. You, lovely fellow humans, are why we’re still here, and we don’t take that lightly.

V&E GREENLINE ARTWALK

OCTOBER 2025

COMPILED BY ABIGAIL MORICI

THE 9TH ANNUAL FREE AUTUMN SHOUT-OUT SHAKESPEARE SERIES: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Shakespeare’s romantic comedy plays gleefully in 90 minutes without intermission. VARIOUS LOCATIONS, THROUGH OCTOBER 19 “OF SALT AND SPIRIT: BLACK QUILTERS IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH” This exhibition will feature highlights of handmade and machinestitched quilts by renowned Black Southern quiltmakers. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, OCTOBER–JANUARY 2026

SIP AND STROLL (21+) Join Memphis Botanic Garden on a haunted trek through the history and use of botanicals as deadly drinks and powerful tonics — while you sip on themed (nonpoisoned) cocktails. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, OCTOBER 2, 6–7:30 P.M.

MEMPHO MUSIC FESTIVAL Here’s your memo to go to Mempho. This year’s headliners: Widespread Panic and Tyler Childers. RADIANS AMPHITHEATER AT MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN, OCTOBER 3–5

THE 2025 BARTLETT FESTIVAL, BBQ CONTEST & CAR SHOW This year’s fest has music, a 5K, children’s activities, arts and crafts, barbecue, and more. W.J.

FREEMAN PARK, OCTOBER 3–4

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW 50TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURING BARRY BOSTWICK Join the original Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) for a screening of the original unedited movie with a live shadow cast and audience participation. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 3, 7:30 P.M.

MEMPHIS TIGERS FOOTBALL Oct. 4 vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane; Oct. 25 vs. USF Bulls SIMMONS BANK

LIBERTY STADIUM

ANNUAL FALL PLANT SALE Shop over 150 species of native plants. LICHTERMAN NATURE CENTER, OCTOBER 4, 9 A.M.–5 P.M.

MEMPHIS EUROFEST CAR SHOW Take part in a unique gathering exclusively featuring European automobiles and motorcycles, both classic and new. C.O. FRANKLIN PARK, OCTOBER 4, 10 A.M.–3 P.M.

WINE ON THE RIVER MEMPHIS Sample wine and spirits from national and international wineries while local bands play in the background to benefit Door of Hope. TOM LEE PARK, OCTOBER 4, 5–9 P.M.

AN EVENING WITH ELIANE ELIAS Award-winning pianist/singer/composer/arranger Eliane Elias comes to GPAC. GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS

CENTER, OCTOBER 4, 8 P.M.

ZOOTOBERFEST Kick off October with Zootoberfest, featuring some of your favorite local breweries! MEMPHIS ZOO, OCTOBER 4–NOVEMBER 2

SPOOKY SEASON BOOK FAIR FOR GROWNUPS Sip, snack, socialize, and shop for your fall reading list with expert booksellers on hand to make individualized recommendations, plus special guest Cody Wayne Morris, author of The Ghost Writers Club NOVEL, OCTOBER 5, 9 A.M.–3 P.M.

A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL

The untold true story of a Brooklyn kid who became a chart-busting, show-stopping, award-winning American icon comes to the Orpheum. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 7–12

FOOD TRUCK GARDEN PARTY Unwind with a vibrant evening of food, fun, and entertainment. MEMPHIS

BOTANIC GARDEN, OCTOBER 8, 5-8 P.M.

FALL PLANT SALE 2025 Find the perfect additions to your garden, whether it’s hard-to-find natives, sun and shade perennials, favorite trees and shrubs, fall vegetables, annual flowers and mums, or a wide variety of houseplants and tropicals. MEMPHIS

BOTANIC GARDEN, OCTOBER 9–11

THE MERSEY BEATLES: RETURN TO SHEA

STADIUM The Mersey Beatles recreate the Beatles’ iconic 1965 Shea Stadium concert, the world’s first-ever stadium rock-and-roll show, in this 60th anniversary tribute experience. HALLORAN CENTRE, OCTOBER 8, 7:30 P.M.

ART & APERITIFS: A CONVERSATION WITH SUCHITRA MATTAI Join the Brooks for an evening of art, film, and conversation with the artist Suchitra Mattai, whose installation “with abundance we meet” is currently featured in the museum’s rotunda. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, OCTOBER 9, 6–8 P.M.

MEMPHIS COUNTRY BLUES FESTIVAL Grammywinning guitarist Kingfish will bring his electrifying talent to the Shell to help kick off the two-day Memphis Country Blues Festival. OVERTON PARK SHELL, OCTOBER 10–11

ZOO BOO Have a not-so-frightening Halloween at the zoo. MEMPHIS ZOO, OCTOBER 10–NOVEMBER 1

KAREN SLACK Soprano Karen Slack makes her Iris debut with songs from her recent Grammywinning album, Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, OCTOBER 10, 7 P.M.

MEMPHIS BACON & BOURBON FESTIVAL Enjoy bacon-inspired dishes of all kinds from some great Memphis restaurants, plus a vast array of distilled spirits to tempt your taste buds. FEDEX EVENT CENTER AT SHELBY FARMS, OCTOBER 10, 6–9 P.M.

PAINT MEMPHIS Watch live painting and mural installations all day long, plus enjoy a vendor market, free workshops, food trucks, a kids area, and more. SUMMER AVENUE & NATIONAL STREET, OCTOBER 11

V&E GREENLINE ARTWALK This free, family-friendly event features over 50 local artists and makers, live music, food, drinks, kids’ activities, and more. V&E GREENLINE, OCTOBER 11, 11 A.M.–5 P.M.

SHROOMLICIOUS MUSHROOM FESTIVAL Expect an unforgettable afternoon filled with good people, great music, and handcrafted vegan plates. TOM LEE PARK, OCTOBER 11, 11 A.M.–4 P.M.

LASER LIVE: CAMERON BETHANY This one-of-a-kind concert series, featuring live bands with a laser light show, is back by popular demand. PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION, OCTOBER 11, 7–9 P.M.

HOT OFF THE WALL ART SALE Discover and purchase works of art by nationally celebrated and emerging artists. DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, OCTOBER 12-19

“L’ESTAMPE ORIGINALE: A GRAPHIC TREASURE” This extremely rare portfolio features 95 works of graphic art by 74 influential artists from France, Switzerland, Belgium, England, and the United States. DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, OCTOBER 12-JANUARY 11

REPAIR DAYS Whether it’s a family heirloom or a favorite tool, the Metal Museum’s experts are ready to bring it back to life at its largest annual fundraiser. METAL MUSEUM, OCTOBER 16-19

TAMBOURINE BASH Music Export Memphis presents a night of Memphis music collaborations. OVERTON PARK SHELL, OCTOBER 16, 7 P.M.

FALL FEST Fall into this fest of music, barbecue, vendors, food trucks, rides and attractions, and more. CATHOLIC CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION, OCTOBER 17-18

SOUL OF THE CITY: SECRETS Elmwood Cemetery’s residents come to life for this annual tour, this year to share their secrets. ELMWOOD CEMETERY, OCTOBER 17-18

THE MUSICAL COMEDY MURDERS OF 1940 This ingenious and wildly comic romp serves a generous helping of biting satire. THEATRE MEMPHIS, OCTOBER 17-NOVEMBER 2

T. GRAHAM BROWN From his 13 studio albums to more than 300 performances at the Grand Ole Opry, T. Graham Brown is a well-seasoned performer, set to perform at BPACC. BARTLETT PERFORMING ARTS & CONFERENCE CENTER, OCTOBER 17, 7:30 P.M.

COOPER-YOUNG BEERFEST Enjoy unlimited samples of beer, plus tunes from Goner Records. MIDTOWN AUTOWERKS PARKING LOT, OCTOBER 18, 1-5 P.M.

ART ON FIRE The Dixon presents an evening featuring tastings from local restaurants, a curated selection of wine and beer, live music, fire dancers, and an art sale — all set around a roaring bonfire. DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, OCTOBER 18, 7-11 P.M.

I HEAR AMERICA SINGING Opera Memphis’ celebration of American legends features the Memphis premieres of two newly commissioned operas. CROSSTOWN THEATER, OCTOBER 18, 7:30 P.M. HERBIE HANCOCK A true icon of modern music who is now in the seventh decade of his professional life, Herbie Hancock comes to Memphis. GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, OCTOBER 18, 8 P.M.

RIVERARTSFEST As the largest artist market in the Mid-South, this festival features more than 150 artists from around the country. RIVERSIDE DRIVE, OCTOBER 18-19

MID-SOUTH FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL Expect food trucks, vendors, and live entertainment. IKEA, OCTOBER 19, NOON-5 P.M.

CEMETERY CINEMA: BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA See this classic vampire tale projected on the roof of Elmwood’s historic cottage. ELMWOOD CEMETERY, OCTOBER 24, 6:30 P.M.

2ND ANNUAL MAHJONG MADNESS Gather your friends, roll up your sleeves, and get ready for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition at Mahjong Madness. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART, OCTOBER 22, 10:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M.

FRANKENSTEIN Just in time for Halloween, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been adapted to the stage by Nick Dear. GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE, OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2

2025 OVERTON SQUARE OKTOBERFEST Get dressed in your dirndls and lederhosen and immerse yourself in a vibrant atmosphere filled with the sights, sounds and flavors of Germany. OVERTON SQUARE, OCTOBER 25, NOON-5 P.M.

GREENLINE 15 BIRTHDAY BASH Shelby Farms’ Greenline celebrates 15 years with live music, food trucks, a beer garden, kids activities, and good vibes. SHELBY FARMS PARK, OCTOBER 25 HOOPS FOR ST. JUDE TIP OFF CLASSIC This highenergy showcase of college basketball benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital features University of Memphis women’s basketball vs. Vanderbilt University and University of Memphis men’s basketball vs. University of Arkansas. FEDEXFORUM, OCTOBER 27, 5:30 P.M. THE NOTEBOOK Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, The Notebook is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. ORPHEUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 2

To suggest an event for future editions of Out and About, email ABIGAIL@MEMPHISMAGAZINE.COM.

Renee’s Sandwich Shop

Longtime general manager Diana Davis thinks it’s the perfect little downtown restaurant.

BY MICHAEL DONAHUE

Wearing a hairnet, flashing a warm smile, and demonstrating a nobody’s-astranger attitude, Diana Davis is the heart and soul of Renee’s Sandwich Shop. Standing behind the cash register at the cozy downtown restaurant, Davis greets customers as if they’re regulars. Even when they’re not.

A large print of Court Square’s Hebe fountain hangs on one of the walls. Given to them by an employee, it’s the only framed picture in the place, but fancy decor isn’t what customers expect at Renee’s. ey’d rather gaze at the menu, which includes “regular or kick’n” grilled-chicken sandwiches and pancake plates with ham or steak. Breakfast and lunch are served from the time Renee’s opens at 6 a.m. until it closes at 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“We used to be on the corner of G.E. Patterson and ird,” says Davis, the restaurant’s longtime manager. “It used to be called ‘Ray Ray’s.’” e little restaurant was named after the daughter of the former owners, who were Greek. “When her parents bought it, her name was Irene Davis (no relation to Diana). If you take the ‘I’ off, it becomes Renee.”

Ibrahim Yasin kept the name after he bought the restaurant about 30 years

ago. at’s when Davis began working there, explaining, “He and I are best friends.”

Born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, Davis earned a degree in music from the University of Tennessee at Martin. “I taught band grades six through 12 and general music at Trezevant in Memphis and Atwood outside of Milan. When Ibrahim bought [the restaurant], I decided to quit teaching. I wanted to try food service.”

e original Renee’s Sandwich Shop didn’t look like the one they’re in now, Davis says. “It was much smaller. We didn’t have tables. We had countertops back to back, with old stools. It was what we called ‘the community table.’ When you sat down, you usually ate with somebody. Everybody talked to each other.” e menu was written on boards attached to a cord “that stretched in front of the grills.”

Yasin changed a few things inside. “We added tables and took away the countertops and

DECA [Distributive Education Clubs of America], so we had to learn about customer service,” she continues. “ at helped a lot. I know how I like to be treated if I’m going somewhere. I don’t want to be treated badly or anything. You like somebody to have a smile and be nice to you. at’s just how I am.”

the community table,” she says. e menu also was shorter before he became the owner. “ ey originally had burgers and what they called ‘St. Louis Smoked Sausage’ at that time — a regular smoked sausage sandwich.” ey dropped pork from the menu, because “customers said their doctors were telling them to stop eating pork.” ey kept bacon, but got rid of that too after they moved to their current location 18 years ago. “We went with turkey,” says Davis. ey also added French fries, pancakes, Phillies, and club sandwiches. ey don’t add new items very often, but some are unusual. “ e last thing we added was mackerel,” she says. “We used to offer it and people had kind of gotten away from it, but we had a few people ask about it.”

Re-instated on the menu, the mackerel has been “a really popular item. You can get it as a sandwich or a breakfast plate.”

Davis, who cooks at Renee’s when needed, says her mother taught her to cook, while also teaching her the knack of working with the public. “ at’s just how she was. She enjoyed talking to people and learning about their lives. And she never judged people. at was the main thing.

“Plus, in high school I was in

She maintained that same philosophy when she was a teacher. Skin color didn’t matter, she says. “You’re there to help them learn and grow, and you give them the respect that they deserve. With a child, you never know what they’ve gone through and are going through. at’s the same thing with an adult. It shouldn’t matter what they look like.”

Her customers have included a lot of basketball players, Davis says. Former Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Zach “Zebo” Randolph is probably their most famous celebrity customer. ey even unofficially named a sandwich, which Randolph particularly loved, after him about 16 years ago.

“It used to be called ‘No Sloppy Joe,’” she says, but Randolph wanted them to name it after him. Now friends and customers call it “ e Zebo Sloppy Joe.”

Asked how many regular customers she has, Davis says, “I couldn’t even count, to be honest. Some of them I’ve known since they were young. eir parents came in, then they came in because their parents came in, and I’ve seen them grow up.”

She “rarely takes a vacation,” Davis says. “I always miss my customers when I’m gone.”

When asked if she should ever change anything at Renee’s, Davis has a quick response. “Nothing,” she says. “I think it’s perfect.”

Renee’s Sandwich Shop , 202 G.E. Patterson Avenue

Mee Plumbing and the Mee Family

Our history expert solves local mysteries: who, what, when, where, why, and why not. Well, sometimes.

BY VANCE LAUDERDALE

DEAR VANCE: I live in an older home in Midtown, and when [workers] were replacing my furnace, they found a tattered paper tag that said, “Inspected by Mee Plumbing.” That’s certainly an unusual name for a person, or a company, isn’t it? — J.F., MEMPHIS.

DEAR J.F.: It’s a shame you didn’t think to photograph this artifact, or send me the original to add to my nice collection of plumbing inspection tags. Since you didn’t, and I had nothing visually dramatic to share with my half-dozen readers, I was inclined to respond to your question by simply saying, “Yes, J.F., it certainly is an unusual name.”

But then I thought, perhaps I can find more about this company — not just to entertain readers, but also since I am paid by the word — and not paid very much, at that. [Vance — another talk, please — Ed.] So last night I huffed and puffed and pulled myself from the La-Z-Boy and ventured into the world-famous Lauderdale Library, Archives, and Sno-Cone Parlor (closed for the season), where I found a pleasant surprise. There, on Floor 3, Corridor 12, Row 18, Shelf 15, Box 78,

I pulled out a dusty container labeled “Mee Plumbing Company / Mee Family.” And what I found inside was enough to fill a column, and then it’s back to the La-Z-Boy.

It seems that Mee is an Irish name, and in the late 1800s, Annie O’Connor married Michael Mee in that lovely country and then journeyed across the Atlantic and took up residence in Holly Springs, Mississippi. I can’t tell you what they did when they got there; I don’t have full access to all the Holly Springs records, though I’m working on it.

The Mees soon became parents to a daughter and three sons: Frank (born in 1878), John (1879), Sylvester (1882), and Mary (1883). Around 1895, Annie brought her children to Memphis. Their father had apparently passed away, because she is identified in the old city directories in their terse way as “wid, Michael.” The family

took up residence at 700 Wright in South Memphis, later moving to 223 Hernando. After their mother passed away in 1926, the siblings moved together into a house at 539 Vance.

Now it seems to me that the three brothers would’ve gone to work for the same company, or even start a business on their own, but instead they set out in different directions, at first doing various unskilled-labor jobs. Sister Mary stayed home and somehow kept the house for the whole family, so she probably had the hardest task of all.

So what someone might have thought was an unusual name worked out very well as a company slogan, and “Let MEE Do It” began to appear on all of Sylvester’s advertisements and promotional items, like the desk blotter shown here.

Now look, I can’t spend much time describing the various convoluted career paths of the entire Mee family. So let me just zoom ahead and say that they eventually landed dependable, well-paying jobs in Memphis over the years.

John, especially, became the “star” of the family — and the envy of anyone who loved railroading. He first worked for several lines here, as an oiler and later a fireman (he didn’t put out fires; he made them by shoveling coal into the mighty boiler of the locomotive). In the 1920s, he landed a rather coveted position as an engineer driving the Sunnyland for the Frisco Railroad, a nationwide rail network despite the San Francisco name. The Sunnyland was a popular passenger train that linked the Midwest and Florida, with a stopover in Memphis, and in those days, anyone who piloted these massive, roaring, smoke-belching steam engines was admired as if they were astronauts or fighter pilots today. Frank chose a somewhat quieter career, serving as the longtime manager of the Cath-

olic Club Billiard Room, located downtown at Third and Adams and described in ads as “one of the best-equipped club buildings in the South, with every modern convenience.”

Sylvester — who apparently preferred to go by “S.L.” in all of his business dealings — obviously preferred something more “hands-on.” He took a job with E.L. Rawlings, a local plumbing company, and later moved to another firm, where he worked until 1926, when he struck out on his own. I know this because friendly ads in The Commercial Appeal explained his new situation: “Dear Folks: In case you shouldn’t know it already, I have withdrawn from the firm of Mee & Heisler and now it’s just ‘MEE.’ I expect to renew your acquaintance at my new space at 238 Vance Avenue, Phone 6-2561. If it’s plumbing service you want, you’ll be satisfied if you’ll just let MEE do it.”

So what someone might have thought was an unusual name worked out very well as a company slogan, and “Let MEE Do It” began to appear on all of Sylvester’s advertisements and promotional items, like the desk blotter shown here. “We make a specialty of repair work — and employ expert mechanics,” one ad announced, showing a plumber (perhaps Sylvester

himself) installing a new sink, while the homeowner looks on with approval.

In 1937, he moved up in the world, when he became the Shelby County plumbing inspector. That meant he checked out the various pipes and fittings, and then made someone else do the nasty work. So he visited your home, J.F., and apparently thought everything was fine.

At some point, of course, all the members of this industrious family passed away. Mary was the first, succumbing to heart disease in 1931; she was only 48. Sylvester was next, dying in 1943, and his brother, Frank, joined him barely six months later that same year. John outlived them all, passing away in 1957. The siblings, along with their mother, are buried together at Calvary Cemetery, and one obituary noted that all were devoted members of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

The Mees come across as a decent, hardworking family, which always makes it more difficult for me. They didn’t do anything illegal, they didn’t mingle with high society, they never married, they didn’t join social clubs. In short, they never (or rarely) did anything that got their name in the papers, or — even better — encouraged reporters to take their photos, which I could share with you here and add them to the “Mee Family Collection” in the Mansion.

Well — everyone except Frank. He made the newspapers for the most unusual reasons. In 1921, for instance, a tiny story mentioned that he was in charge of the annual chicken fry for employees of the N.C. & St. L. Railroad. That’s all it said about him.

In 1936, the newspaper reported that “Frank Mee slipped and fractured his left wrist while crossing the street last Fri -

day on his way uptown.” That’s right. A broken wrist made the news in 1936.

There’s more. Six months later, in a list of brief news items, it seems that “Frank Mee has left the hospital but is still confined to his home.” Surely not for the broken wrist!

Then, in 1943, The Commercial Appeal announced, “Frank Mee, the Catholic Club’s poolroom manager, has been granted a month’s leave of absence to rebuild his health. He will be glad to see his friends at home.” No details at all.

But I’ve saved my favorite Frank Mee “non-story” for last, even though it took place years earlier. On June 13, 1913, The Commercial Appeal carried this bold headline: HIGHWAYMEN ROB VICTIM OF HIS COAT.”

A subhead declared: “Frank Mee Has Sensational, If Not Thrilling, Experience.”

It must have been a slow news day, because the newspaper devoted half a column to a story about how two fellows armed with pistols accosted Frank on the street one evening, but since he carried no money, they took his coat instead. That’s right, his coat. “All Mee lost, according to his statement, was the coat of a $40 suit, and a lot of perspiration which his hasty departure from the scene rendered very copious.”

Frank Mee seems to have been the unlucky member of this family. You’re fortunate, J.F., that he wasn’t the one who inspected your house.

Got a question for Vance?

EMAIL: askvance@memphismagazine.com

MAIL: Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101

ONLINE: memphismagazine.com/ask-vance Or visit him on Facebook from time to time.

Black Women’s Magic

University of Memphis professor Lindsey Stewart’s new book, The Conjuring of America, is a masterclass in American culture and its roots in the conjure traditions of Black women.

BY JESSE DAVIS

Whether you think of culture in the United States as a “melting pot,” a “salad bowl,” a “mosaic,” or some other metaphor, it’s clear that the dominant artistic, culinary, and social norms of the United States are widely varied, and many can be traced back to distant lands and eras.

In Memphis, our music and food traditions are rooted in the cultures of indigenous peoples in this area, European settlers, and enslaved African people and their descendants.

University of Memphis professor Lindsey Stewart has successfully set out to

chronicle and celebrate the multitudinous contributions of Black women in particular with her new book, The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic (Legacy Lit).

Stewart’s insightful work of historical and cultural

exploration guides the reader through centuries of culture on the American continent, exploring a wide-ranging subject with surgical precision and focus. From the history of midwifery and herbalism to Fannie Lou Hamer, voodoo leader Marie Laveau, superstar performer Beyoncé’s 2017 Grammy performance, and Ryan Coogler’s 2025 box office record-breaking Sinners, Stewart guides the reader through a well-researched and gripping analysis of Black women’s spirituality in American culture.

CLASS IS IN SESSION

Stewart’s book grew out of a course she, a feminist philosopher, teaches at the University of Memphis called “Human and the Divine.”

“That course focuses on how race and gender and class affect how we think about, not just religion, but our faith, our spiritual practices,” she explains. “I always get students who are very much interested in the historical and social-political dimensions of church, especially Black church. I was definitely thinking about these students when I wrote this book.”

Stewart begins her class by discussing the influences of West African Yoruba culture and spiritual faith on Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade and her performance at the following year’s Grammy ceremony.

“I take the students on a journey,” Stewart says. “We start with basic tenants of Western religion, especially Christianity, and then I take them to West Africa and think about other traditions that are very different from what they’re used to, like Yoruba and Congolese traditions. Then I take them back to the United States, particularly the South, and try to show them

how the Christianity that they are familiar with in the South is very much influenced by some of these West African traditions that enslaved Africans brought with them and took into the Black church.”

Stewart takes a similar path throughout The Conjuring of America. Most chapters are focused on a specific idea — mermaid mythology, textile production and blue jeans, Aunt Jemima, or medical practices — and supported by extensive research and interviews. The massive endeavor is carried by Stewart’s infinitely readable tone, helping the reader to arrive at a deeper understanding of American culture and its origins in the prayers, kitchens, quilts, and looms of Black women.

CONJURE IS COMMON HISTORY

Before the media, the merchandise,” Stewart says, “Black women used magic to manage their luck and create a sense of safety in their communities.” In The Conjuring of America, the author examines the ways in which those traditions have morphed and changed over 400 years in the U.S., often while retaining their essence, a common culture that can be traced back to another continent and a time long before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“They’re all facets of this large tradition I’m calling ‘conjure,’ which combines West African traditions with local practices among the enslaved as a form of luck management,” Stewart explains. “One way to think of luck management is they were already in a really bad situation, so a lot of what they tried to do in their own time is figure out, ‘How do I minimize the damage? Or how do I make a really bad situation not be worse?’”

The practice of luck management evolved to protect its practitioners, who were usually older Black women living on the planta-

tions, as well as other members of their community. Conjure was everything from medicine made from on-hand resources to more spiritual practices. It was a way of retaining a shared history, of doing the necessary work of fighting fevers and bringing new lives into the world, all presided over by Black women.

“They were the ones who were responsible for taking care of all of the sickness on the plantation. Because doctors were scarce, and what doctors were doing at that time, like leeching and blood-letting, wasn’t really helping,” Stewart says.

These women were skilled herbalists who could make a tea, salve, or bath to aid a patient with a fever, help them rest in a productive way, and recover more quickly. Then and on into the eras of Reconstruction and Jim Crow, they were advocates for reproductive rights of women, as well as for women patients.

“Because of racism in the medical industry, a lot of Black women who get pregnant and go into the hospital to deliver have all sorts of problems,” Stewart says. The “Granny Midwives,” as Stewart calls these women, brought many babies into the world, and by their very presence alongside Black patients in the systems of the medical profession, helped to advocate for patients, even if a white doctor was nominally in charge of procedures. As Stewart points out, however, anti-Black racism eventually pushed Granny Midwives out of the system, and before that, meant that they were forced to play a dangerous game to ensure that they were allowed to treat their patients.

The Black midwives kept a state-approved medical bag, as well as a secret bag with their traditional

“I always get students who are very much interested in the historical and social-political dimensions of church, especially Black church. I was definitely thinking about these students when I wrote this book.”

— LINDSEY STEWART

implements. “During home call deliveries, where there usually was not a state official or medical personnel present, they brought the state’s bag, but they also packed the second, secret bag with them,” writes Stewart. “In these bags were secret tools of conjure: roots and herbs for teas to bring on contractions, castor oil or Vaseline for perineum massages, knotted strings or red rags for women who had a history of miscarriages, even coins tied into the corners of a handkerchief, which called upon the spirit of the crossroads to help them guide a new life into existence.”

This example illustrates the breadth of knowledge these women would draw on, as well as the ways their traditions have continued into the present day, even if sometimes in the form of myths.

MERMAIDS, MYTHS, AND MAGIC

Stewart also explores the myths and spiritual traditions that informed 2023’s live remake of The Little Mermaid and the backlash of casting a Black woman as Ariel, noting that even Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale drew on mythology of African water goddesses. It’s true that there’s a long tradition of mermaid imagery in European lore, not to mention Greek sirens. But in showing how African religious traditions influenced mermaid folklore, Stewart illustrates that “a lot of our myths are still alive,” she says.

Indeed, as evidenced by the 2020 short story collection Trouble the Waters: Tales From the Deep Blue , co-edited by Pan

Morigan and Memphians

Sheree Renée Thomas and Troy L. Wiggins, African water deities and traditions still resonate in popular culture.

To anyone unaware of a history that was often violently repressed and denied by mainstream forces in the U.S., much of what is considered simply Southern or American culture is just that. Stewart illustrates that those beliefs often have roots in conjure and African traditions that were forcefully imported to these shores.

The traditional Southern meal of black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread at the beginning of the new year “is a conjure tradition that started during slavery and it is all about managing luck,” Stewart says, casting light on a tradition common to so many tables in the U.S.

“The place where conjure has shown up most in my life is in the kitchen,” she writes, before discussing the traditional New Year’s Day meal, as well as the spicy dish known as Hoppin’ John. Some pages later, the author explains the reasoning behind the meal, “The blackeyed pea was considered a favorite food offering for certain orishas like Oshun, Yemaya, and Oya. All of these orishas were thought to bring wealth, fertility, and good fortune to those who worship them.”

Exploring everything from the threads of our blue jeans to the origins of our daily meals, The Conjuring of America is a revelation, adding context and depth to Americans’ cultural identities.

“One thing that I hope people take away from the book,” Stewart says, “is that no matter how dire the situation is, it’s always possible to drum up power in unexpected places.”

The Muddy Elephant in the Room

BY TOM JONES

Mud Island Park has been called many things, but most of all, it should be called a cautionary tale.

Opened to a gala celebration on the Fourth of July, 1982, its 52 acres have confounded city officials for decades with a history equal parts nostalgic and troubled.

There are many lessons to be learned from its 43 years: lessons about overly optimistic financial and attendance projections, about overpromising impact, about emphasizing tourists over residents, and about failing to fund upkeep. It’s become a place where ideas go to die — a remember the plans for a major freshwater aquarium, a zip line, luxury clamping, a pedestrian bridge on the south end, and an extension of Bass Pro Shops?

Nostalgia flows from memories of concerts at the amphitheater, with the panoramic city skyline as dramatic backdrop. Today, though, that amphitheater is outdated and according to some promoters, even misplaced.

Then, there are memories of family visits centered on the lure of splashing in the detailed 2,000foot scale model of the Lower Mississippi Valley. Pressure-washing burnished the river model’s appearance, but a number of informational plaques are still missing.

There was also the entertaining mile-long ride on the monorail to Mud Island that promised the special experiences ahead. Featured in the 1993 film The Firm starring Tom Cruise, it projected an image of a modern and innovative city — but was shut down seven years ago when parts were no longer available to maintain its 1960s-vintage suspension railway technology.

Nostalgia overshadows another inconvenient fact: The park was considered a problem by city government almost from the beginning. Within seven years of its opening, it was called a “white elephant” by City Council because it was not producing enough revenues to cover its operating costs.

Only seven years after it opened, Mayor Dick Hackett, looking for a way to remove the cumulative $12.5 million in operational losses from the city’s books, turned to Sidney Shlenker to manage Mud Island after the latter claimed he would raise $110 million to create a theme park there called Rakapolis, a mixture of Memphis music and Egyptian mysticism that was to include the Pyramid. By 1991, Shlenker was bankrupt and left Memphis in disgrace.

In 2000, the City of Memphis turned over operations for riverfront parks, including Mud Island, to then-newly created Riverfront Development Corporation . In 2018, that organization gave way to Memphis River Parks Partnership, which supplemented its budget with private donations. City government remained responsible for capital funding, but over four decades, there was no regular capital funding to keep the park current and well-maintained. It became a testament to what happens when city govern-

ment builds a $62 million project — $208 million in today’s money — and thinks its job is done.

Finally, three years ago, Memphis City Council approved $10 million in capital funding for Mud Island improvements — but took $5 million back and spent it on other city projects. About the same time, city government put $17.6 million in its capital improvement budget for updates to the amphitheater. The money is slated for 2027-2029. City officials said the outdated facility poses safety risks and liability concerns, but they continue to talk with the Downtown Neighborhood Association about its idea for pop-up concerts.

It is easy to dismiss Mud Island as a failure that never lived up to its promise. That assessment would be a mistake. Few cities can boast anything like 52 acres on the Mississippi River available for reinvention across from downtown.

Frustration about the slow pace of redevelopment on Mud Island routinely is more about the amphitheater than the rest of the park. The $17.6 million is likely to be less than what’s needed for the amphitheater’s resurrection, and a major concert company suggested a new amphitheater should be built on the south end of the park. In addition to the amphitheater, projections of $20 million have been given for refurbishing the rest of the park.

It’s little wonder that city officials are eager for funding partners with deep pockets and new ideas for developing the real estate.

The brochure for the opening of Mud Island — it was then called Volunteer Park then — claimed it would offer the prime venue for experiencing the river. Now, Memphis has a five-mile connected riverfront with 11 parks and miles of trails. In the place of the fine-dining restaurant, River Terrace, there is another one,

Mahogany River Terrace, that opened 13 months ago, and the former “Great Museum of the Mississippi River” is being transformed into Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time, a one-of-a-kind immersive entertainment experience being developed by some of the city’s most creative minds. Meanwhile, the Memphis Yacht Club remains on Mud Island and will celebrate its 125th anniversary next year. It is easy to dismiss Mud Island as a failure that never lived up to its promise. That assessment would be a mistake. Few cities can boast anything like 52 acres on the Mississippi River available for reinvention across from downtown. It cries out for a future that is bold, ambitious, and authentically Memphis rather than just selling it off to the highest bidder. In a 2022 report paid for by City Council, HR&A Advisors, a leading real estate and economic development consulting firm, provided smart context for the future.

Its advice: Any potential use must occupy a large footprint of the 52 acres. It should take advantage of the island’s limited access (not fight it). It should embrace some form of public access. It should not compete with downtown. It should have curb appeal from I-40 and downtown. It should not rely solely or principally on government money. It should produce enough revenue to cover Mud Island operations — and it should have a viable plan B if plan A fails or falters.

All that’s needed now are vision, investment, and most of all, patience. A tall order.

Tom Jones is the principal of Smart City Consulting, which specializes in strategic communications, public policy development, and strategic planning. He tends the 20-year-old Smart City Memphis blog and is an author with experience in local government. He can be reached at tjones@ smartcityconsulting.com

Bright, twinkly lights. magical displays. A snow-filled wonderland

Welcome to Corinth for the holidays.

Did we mention the parade? The visit the man in red fur himself? Oh, and the lights? Thousands upon thousands of bright, shiny gems lighting everything up just for you. Ahh, a real hometown holiday. Plan your visit at Corinth.net, and come home to Corinth this season.

Endoscopic spine surgery is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure that effectively relieves back and leg pain related to nerve compression. Dr. Chad Campion is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon who specializes in minimally-invasive techniques, including endoscopic spine surgery.

I firmly believe that surgery should be the last option for treating spine issues. That’s why my team explores all the non-surgical options available for each patient. And when you do need surgery, we’re with you every step of the way. We’ll guide you through the surgery, rehab, and into a future free from pain.”

Chad

E. Campion, M.D. Fellowship-trained Spine Surgery

IF WE COULD TURN BACK TIME

BACK PAIN IS COMMON, ESPECIALLY AS WE AGE. NEW TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES CAN OFFER RELIEF.

BY CHRIS MCCOY

Everyone has a back, and that’s the issue: We only have one. When we open it up to some kind of injury or strain, we don’t have a spare,” says Chris Guillo, a physician’s assistant at Semmes Murphey Clinic. “ at can be a problem.”

e modern world is hard on spines. “As I’m sitting here talking to you, I’m slumped over in my chair,” Guillo says. “We have phones, and we’re looking down at them for who knows how long a day, so we get chronic tension on some of these muscles. Our body is very efficient and it gets used to doing what it does most frequently. It kind of defaults to those settings. so you get a lot of people with rounded, humpedover shoulders.”

You’ve probably had someone tell you to lift with your legs, not with your back.

at’s good advice, says Guillo. But it’s not enough to avoid all back injury. Repetitive motion and bad ergonomics can also cause back pain. And some people draw the bad-back ticket in the genetic lottery.

“It’s a pretty good split, about 50/50,” Guillo says. “We’ll see injuries for sure, especially lifting injuries and twisting injuries — those are the big ones. Bending and twisting at the same time, that’ll get you. But then also we see degenerative-type conditions probably 50 percent of the time. ese have gradually progressed sometimes over the course of months, but usually it’s been years. It’s not uncommon for me to talk to someone who says, I’ve had some kind of back pain, at least off and on, for 5, 10, 20 years.”

ground and toss it into the hamper as I see fromlifting a heavy box.” It’s the mechanics of the movement more than the weight, for the most part. “It’s that complex dynamic motion,” he says. “ at bending, stooping all the way forward. … I drop my pen and bend over to pick it up. at’s when we’re not guarded. We’re not prepared for those kinds of things. I see a lot of injuries happen like that. Maybe a load shifts, mid-lift, and you’re picking up and twisting. It’s that imperfection that’ll get you.”

When a new patient comes to Semmes Murphey with back pain, the first step is to determine their history. Guillo says specialists ask them, “What happened? How long has it been going on? Have you always had it, or is this a brand-new thing? What other symptoms are you having?”

Next is an exam, he says. “We’ll poke and prod, test strength and reflexes and all kinds of things. Is this a mechanical-type back issue — strains and sprains and things like that — or is this something different? Does this have symptoms of nerve irritation or nerve injury? Do you have numbness, tingling, and loss of strength? We’re trying to differentiate between those two main pathways.”

While the vulnerability of the back to injury can sound alarming, Guillo says, “ e good news is the overwhelming majority of back pain and back issues are more on the mechanical side of things that are not affecting the nerves, not affecting the spinal cord.”

Many factors can affect the nature and severity of back and spinal problems, with some issues and diagnoses more predominant in men or in women.

Yes, people trying to lift heavy things frequently throw out their backs. But just as often, Guillo sees injuries caused by innocuous, everyday movements. “Watch those sneezes!” he says. “I see just as many people who injure their back bending over to pick up that sock off the

Guillo says pain radiating from the sacroiliac joint, “where the spine plugs into the pelvis,” is more common in women than in men. Sufferers usually describe the pain as coming from “the back of the hip.” at has to do with some of the muscle balancing, as well as

the shape of the pelvis in men versus women.

“But honestly,” he says, “I see a greater difference, whether it’s men or women, in activities that cause the pain. You have people who have a sedentary job versus people who are lifting and bending and twisting. They each have their own issues and they each have their common problems.”

In order to avoid a visit to the back doctor, Guillo says, “Whatever you’re doing the majority of your day, you should be doing it relatively intentionally. If you’re spending 6, 8, or 10 hours a day doing repetitive tasks or repetitive activities, that’s going to add up. What I see with people who have sedentary jobs, particularly most of us sitting in front of a computer, is a weakening of muscles. We’re not engaging those core muscles or those lumbopelvic muscles. We get opened up to injury with just minor things.”

“I’ve been doing back surgery for several decades and there have been huge advancements. I’ve had the opportunity to live through much of that, and I’ve also had the opportunity to help create some of those advancements.”

— Dr. Kevin Foley, Semmes Murphey Clinic

Strengthening your back muscles is the key. “It can be yoga, it can be tai chi, it can be going to the gym and doing some exercises,” says Guillo. “Start low, and work your way up.”

Much of the physical therapist’s job is to strengthen the back. “You go through doing things correctly, rebalancing some of those muscles.”

Nine out of ten patients can find relief without surgery. “The majority of back pain will get better over the course of a few months. Most people just need a little help,” Guillo says. “But if we have to do surgery, we have a team of world-renowned experts.”

Neurosurgeon Dr. Kevin Foley is one of them at Semmes Murphey. “Neurosurgery, of course includes not only surgery of the brain, but also surgery of the spine and peripheral nerves,” he says. “I’ve been doing back surgery for several decades and there have been huge advancements. I’ve had the opportunity to live through much of that and I’ve also had the opportunity to help create some of those advancements.”

You’ve probably heard horror stories of people who tried to relieve their suffering with back surgery, only to make the problem worse. In the past, these operations have involved large incisions that inflict trauma on the complex web of muscles, ligaments, and nerves surrounding the spine.

“One of the themes of my career,” says Foley, “has been the development of

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mally invasive spine surgery, with the goal of reducing suffering that would occur with big, open-back surgeries because big, open-back surgeries hurt, and sometimes the trade-off of that hurt isn’t worth having gone through surgery. Those would be the patients who say, ‘Oh, I had back surgery and I did so badly.’”

A negative outcome can be for several reasons, he says. “It can be that they never should have had back surgery in the first place. It really wasn’t indicated. It could be the back surgery wasn’t done so well. But it also can be that the back surgery caused so much surrounding tissue damage, for example, to their back muscles that those muscles never recovered properly, and are never the same.”

Foley pioneered an approach to spinal surgery where miniature robotic instruments are inserted through tiny incisions to clear out nerve pathways, or repair a bulging or ruptured disc. “Now, a procedure that used to require a hospital stay of several days, I can do that on an outpatient basis.

“I was the inventor of something called spinal navigation, or spinal image guidance,” he continues. A CAT scan, MRI, or ultrasound is used to create a 3D map of a patient’s spinal region. “It’s like GPS for spinal surgery. It lets us see underneath the surface without having to cut inside. Because of that, we can very precisely target what we’re going to do, and we can do it more accurately than we might otherwise do it. That was one of my innovations which has become commonplace now. It’s done all over the world. So I feel quite proud of that! But that actually started here in Memphis.”

One factor that frequently causes back pain in women is osteoporosis. People with compromised bone density are at risk of worse outcomes from surgery. Semmes Murphey now offers infusion therapy, which can shore up bone density ahead of any necessary surgery.

Foley says that, odds are, you won’t need surgery. “If you’ve got a spine problem, you want non-operative care first. No doubt. Often, patients get better with non-operative care, but the good thing about that is, even a lay person can figure that out. Be wary when someone points out something on an MRI and says, ‘Oh, you’ve got to have that fixed.’ Because if you feel well and you’re doing well, you don’t necessarily need anything surgical done.”

But if you’re one of the unlucky 10 percent who do need surgical intervention, your odds of relief are much greater now than they were at the beginning of Foley’s career, because of what he says are “really stunning things” happening technologically.

“The field continues to evolve, continues to get better, and it’s one of the things that keeps me engaged,” he says. “I love taking care of people, I love seeing people get better, and I love helping to improve the field.”

Mended Therapy

Ashley

Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND.

BK PEOP

Bure’s Book Store has been a emphis mainstay for

150

BY MICHAEL FINGER q ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARTHA KELLY

The headline for his 1911 obituary read, “Old Ball Player Dead.” Most readers of The Commercial Appeal knew Walter Burke: After all, for years baseball fans considered him the best first-baseman in the city, “having played that position for the Memphis Reds in their palmiest days.” After retiring from baseball, he opened a little newsstand at 182 North Main Street. No one reading that obituary, though, could have dreamed that Burke’s name would endure for 150 years — not for his prowess on the diamond, but for the shop he opened in 1875, which has survived to this day as Burke’s Book Store.

CHAPTER ONE

Born in Ireland in 1854, according to a tribute in the newspaper, Burke “was left motherless and fatherless at the tender age of two, buffeted about by strangers.” Nevertheless, “the boy came of the brave old stock of the Emerald Isle, which grows stronger under trials. ... Little by little, unaided, he became the head of a thriving business. And as his prosperity grew, so his charity grew.” Burke played an active role in St. Mary’s Church and chaired the annual picnic held at St. Peter’s Orphanage.

e bookstore was a family-owned (and -occupied) business — nestled into an old building near the southeast corner of Main and Poplar. Even though it’s usually described as a one-story building, company lore has it that the entire family — wife Emma, son Walter Jr., and daughters Lily, Violet, and Evelyn — all lived upstairs; the younger Walter had been born there.

e year before he died, Burke announced plans for a three-story, rather elaborate brick structure costing some $10,000 (the equivalent of $340,000 today), to replace the smaller shop. He didn’t live long enough to see the new building finished, but his death didn’t end that venture. His son, Walter Burke Jr., who had assisted with running the bookstore for years, took over the business.

CHAPTER TWO

Walter Jr. expanded the offerings of books, local and out-of-town newspapers, journals, and other publications. At the same time, he began to sell items not usually associated with bookstores. A 1920 newspaper ad announced “Dolls! Toys! At 50% Discount! is is a jobber’s sample line closed out to us.” The ad explained, “Dolls worth $6; our price $3. Wheel Toys, $3, $4, and $5 value, complete assortments 50% off.” That’s not all: “We also have a full line of Bibles, Testaments, Infant Sets, Smoking Sets, Manicure Sets, and Xmas Box Papers.” Within a few years, the store would offer “fabulous metal toys from Japan, Germany, and many places overseas.”

events, such as the annual St. Patrick’s Day Picnic and the Irish Society Picnic, held each year at Rainbow Lake on Lamar, which brought hundreds, if not thousands, of Memphians into the store.

During this time, Burke’s also stayed active in the community, by sponsoring baseball teams and organizing a company bowling team in the Knights of Columbus League. Both teams competed against local businesses, such as Rex Billiards, Bannon Coal, Chickasaw Foundry, and others.

e store also became a ticket-seller for community

Under the management of Walter Jr., in 1946 Burke’s contracted with the local school system, and this arrangement played a major role in the firm’s longevity. Public schools here provided textbooks at no charge to elementary and junior-high students, but highschool students and anyone attending parochial schools were on their own. Burke’s stepped up and began selling textbooks. is enterprise was very profitable, though at times it was overwhelming, when the schools waited until the last minute to select their textbooks.

In 1947, The Commercial Appeal reported, “School Turnout Sets Record — Then Book Store Is Overrun.” On the afternoon of September 3rd, some 5,000 students came to Burke’s to buy their textbooks, and “turned it into a temporary mob scene.” Police were called to control the crowd, which stretched as a

above: Crowds line the sidewalks at the 1719 Poplar Avenue location, waiting for the latest John Grisham book signing.

“After The Chamber in 1994,“ says Grisham, “we decided we could no longer endure 10- to 12hour marathons. “

left: Corey and Cheryl Mesler, co-owners and co-managers of the oldest bookstore in Memphis.

above: The battered wooden sales counter is “as old as the store itself,” according to Corey. Used in the original store on Main Street, it’s been moved to every location during the store’s 150-year history. And yes, dogs are welcome customers.

double line for two blocks in each direction down Main Street. Walter Jr. told reporters the number of customers was “almost double” what he had seen the prior year. The store remained open after hours, “with the staff of 11 clerks busily selling books,” and then reopened the next day, to serve yet another crowd, “which had diminished somewhat to 3,000 students.” Such business was obviously welcome, though one unnamed employee told a reporter it was “too much trouble for what it was worth.”

It was certainly an unusual situation. At the time, Burke’s faced competition from half a dozen other bookstores, but they were the only one selling textbooks (though later joined by a variety store on Madison, called Kuhn’s 5, 10, and 25 Cent Store). Walter Jr. told reporters, “We are having trouble getting some books, such as solid geometry and ninth-grade science books. Some of those have long been on order, but we are making efforts to obtain them.”

CCHAPTER THREE

hange came in 1953, when the third generation of the Burke family took over the business. Walter’s son, William, known to everyone as Bill, had joined the service during World War II after graduating from Christian Brothers High School, where he was a standout on the Brothers’ baseball and football teams. When he returned to civilian life looking for work, he showed little interest in the store’s textbook sales. at was just as well: e same year the Memphis public school system began offering books to all students, so a big part of Burke’s business vanished, though the store continued to offer books for parochial school students.

But Bill was truly interested in other books of all kinds, the older the better, so he settled in. He began working alongside his father, but when the older man’s health began to fail, his son took over the business. Walter passed away in 1958 and was buried in the Burke family plot at Calvary Cemetery.

e location at Main and Poplar brought many walkin customers, though parking was always a problem. After so many years at that location, an unexpected change took place in 1963. City officials acquired several blocks along Main Street and announced plans to pull the old buildings down to make way for the modern Civic Center, a complex that would include City Hall and office buildings for the county and federal governments. Burke’s would have to go.

Looking around town for a new location, Bill came across a vacant lot on Poplar, “between two ramshackle boarding houses, and so tiny one wouldn’t think it was a real estate parcel.” He talked with the two sisters who owned the property, agreed on a price, and soon erected a one-story building, red brick with a white Colonial Revival-style entrance. e new store at 634 Poplar doubled the display area, and a newspaper account said “the store is now an interesting mixture of slightly organized piles and cases of very old and very new books.”

“Things changed with The Firm . We were shocked at the reception and the fans were remarkable. I wouldn’t stand in line for one hour to see Mark Twain, but those fans were so loyal.”

— John Grisham

Even after hiring more staff, the following year at Burke’s was even more chaotic. According to e Commercial Appeal, “ ree new clerks were like straws cast before the flood. Burke’s was jammed from morning until night.” Walter Jr. told the reporter, “It’ll continue like this throughout the week, and I can’t hire more clerks because they’d get into each other’s way.”

But Bill wanted more and began acquiring collections and former private libraries. “ e glamor, the excitement, the interest, the possible big strike, is found in the old books,” according to a 1967 feature in e Commercial Appeal, which called Burke’s Book Store “a rarity. It’s a place where browsers can browse, and browse a lot, through more than 20,000 books of varying ages, with prices ranging from 75 cents to $75.” Described as “a smiling, congenial man with thinning sandy hair,” Bill told the reporter that many customers are looking for “that elusive thing, the rare book that will bring them a fortune.” e only problem with that quest, said Bill, was that he had personally reviewed and priced every book lining every shelf; if a book was particularly valuable, he would have already noticed it.

At the same time, he admitted that he probably wouldn’t have taken it home. “I can’t afford to collect them,” he said. “I would like to save the books on South-

ern history and the Civil War, but this is how I make my living. I can’t afford to have it as a hobby.”

Even so, he admitted that’s part of the appeal, as he contacted people he knew with high-quality book collections. “ at’s the hope — one that’s mighty faint,” observed the reporter. “But it’s part of the game that keeps him at a fading business, that of buying and selling old books.”

One challenge in selling old books was pricing them. “Some people think a 100-year-old book is something of value,” Bill said. “It may be, but” — and here he took down a handsome volume printed in England in 1685 — “look at the price.” It was $40. en he reached up for another book, not as fancy and printed in this country in 1915. e price: $50.

By this time, Burke’s offered a rather eclectic collection. Gone were the cheap dolls and toys. Instead, buyers could find “everything from a 1917 University of Tennessee annual to the latest biography of Pope John XXIII.” And the store had resumed selling textbooks. Whatever customers found was rung up “on an antique silver cash register, sitting on a counter scarred with the penciling of 80 years.”

Settled into the new building, a minor crisis developed in August 1963 when Bill Burke had surgery at Baptist Hospital and had to recuperate for a while. e solution: “Clerks who are the family and friends of the store owners came in to volunteer.” e only problem was “there’s now no shortage of clerks, but just how intelligent they are is another matter,” said Bill’s wife, Patricia. “If someone wants a particular book, he’ll just have to go down and look for it.”

During this period, Burke’s embarked on its own publishing ventures, producing high-quality editions of local histories. One of the fi rst, promoted as “the most sought-after history of Memphis” was Biography

of a River Town by Gerald Capers. “Certain to become a collector’s item” and “an ideal Christmas gift,” this limited-edition version was a bargain at only $7. Other, more expensive books, would follow: a two-volume slipcased edition of J.M. Keating’s History of the City of Memphis and Shelby County, considered “the most accurate and complete source covering the early years in Memphis,” and Memphis: A Pictorial History, by J. Harvey Mathes. Both would be limited to 300 copies, and Bill told a reporter that he did this “to gain a little prestige for my bookstore.”

Bill Burke passed away in 1978, ending the family link to the business that had lasted more than a century. Shortly before his death, he estimated that the shop now housed more than 60,000 volumes, many of them old and rare.

CHAPTER FOUR

Amonth after Bill Burke’s death, a Commercial Appeal headline announced good news for local book lovers: “Longtime Patron To Continue Venerable Burke’s Book Store.” Diana Wallace Crump, who first visited the store to buy her schoolbooks when she was a student at Snowden, had purchased the company.

“People really wanted this store opened, and it needed to be opened,” she said. “We’re still in business, but it’s a period of transition. Our main goal is to retain the character and policy of Burke’s Book Store, although we’ll miss Bill Burke’s warmth and graciousness.”

Diana said she planned to keep selling textbooks and historical society publications “but we want to expand the section of rare books and fi rst editions.” She also told reporters she was thinking of adding old

above: Perhaps “charming clutter” best describes the interior at Burke’s. In the old days, sales were scribbled on pencil, but in recent years, the Meslers have gone online with a very user-friendly website and a computerized list of the thousands of books they have on hand — with more coming in all the time as the store acquires private collections.

In

maps “since there’s no one in the area who does that. Later, we hope to have workshops on how to handle and preserve old leather-bound books. I think people feel the same way as I do about browsing here. It’s like a discovery to find an old or obscure book on your own while looking around.”

Diana Crump kept the store until 1984, when she sold the property to Harriette and Fred Beeson. Harriette managed the store, and her daughter, Meg, worked there, along with a half-dozen longtime employees — book-lovers all.

But these books weren’t bound in sheepskin, he noted. “ ey are bound in human skin.” How they came to be that way was a mystery. It seems former store owner Diana Crump had acquired them when she purchased the personal collection of world traveler and big-game hunter Berry Brooks. “By chance, a college professor from Wisconsin was in the store and guessed the nature of the bindings,” later confirmed by laboratory tests at a California university.

CHAPTER FIVE

In 1988, Burke’s moved east from its Poplar location, but remained on the same street. “We don’t want to lose our downtown customers, but we want to attract more customers farther out,” said Harriette, announcing the move to 1719 Poplar. e brick building at Poplar and Evergreen originally opened in 1924 to house the Evergreen Pharmacy. It had most recently been home to the Dan Ciger Equipment Company. Jodie’s Printing occupied half of the structure, but Burke’s would move into that space, too, a few months later.

e new location “will put it in the company of Circuit Playhouse, Squash Blossom, and Cafe Society,” according to the newspaper, adding it will “say goodbye to its pawnshop neighbors downtown, where it will open in late December in more congenial surroundings.”

Harriette told reporters that “we hope to get more walk-in traffic here. Down here [at the former location] they have to want to come here.” At the same time, the newspaper reported, “ e store hopes to keep its motley assortment of longtime patrons. ey included Billy Gibbons, guitarist with ZZ Top, Adrian Belew, guitarist with King Crimson, a New York writer working on a book about Beale Street, and a local nightclub owner. Lately, it’s also been visited by crew members from the [Jerry Lee Lewis] movie, Great Balls of Fire.”

In August 1989, the store owners sledgehammered the concrete wall separating their space from the printing company, almost tripling the sales floor to 3,200 square feet. Sales had increased dramatically since the move to Midtown. “I wouldn’t say business has been good,” Meg Beeson told reporters. “I’d say it’s been great.”

“Corey and Cheryl Mesler are still behind the counter, selling books, encouraging readers, and opening doors to new writers.

Happy Birthday, Burke’s.”

By this time, Burke’s had established a reputation as the bookstore that offered the old, the odd, and the unusual. “Six old books resting on a back shelf at Burke’s Book Store vividly bring home the point,” wrote Fredric Koeppel in e Commercial Appeal in 1986. “Ranging in date from 1608 to 1809 and religious in texture, their bindings possess the smooth texture and creamy color of old sheepskin vellum.”

She said their most popular books were “anything Southern and anything local.” e collection had increased along with the space, now offering rare William Faulkner first editions, a first edition of Catcher in the Rye, and a four-volume Life of Johnson by James Bosworth published in 1799. “We sell a lot of obscure books to pretty obscure people,” said manager Corey Mesler.

— John Grisham

In the 1980s, Memphis was home to some two dozen bookstores. One of those independently owned shops, opened in the 1960s, was the Book Shelf in Poplar Plaza. Mesler was the manager and Harriette Beeson was a longtime sales clerk. eir roles soon reversed. In 1984, Harriette left when she and her husband purchased Burke’s. Four years later, Corey closed the Book Shelf and began working for Harriette, first as a sales clerk, soon promoted to manager.

CHAPTER SIX

Burke’s Book Store was doing a steady business in new and used books. en a lawyer from Southaven, Mississippi, put Burke’s on the literary map. Harriette Beeson had met John Grisham in 1989 when he was trying to sell his first novel.

“Burke’s was one of the fi rst stores to sell A Time to Kill when it was first published in 1989,” says Grisham today. “Most of the other bookstores ran for cover when I knocked on their doors, but Harriette and Fred, and later Corey and Cheryl, were enthusiastic and welcomed another local writer.”

at book still didn’t sell well, at first, he says, “but things changed with e Firm. We were shocked at its reception, and book-signing lines grew even longer for the following books. Looking back, 30 years later, we had a ball. e regular customers brought enough food for an all-day feast. e Rendezvous sent ribs. And the fans were remarkable. I wouldn’t stand in line for one hour to meet Mark Twain, but those fans were so loyal.”

According to Corey, “I think the longest signing we had was in 1994 for e Chamber [Grisham’s fifth novel], We didn’t have any rules in place, so if you got in line, you could buy as many books as you wanted.”

e event began at 10 a.m. and continued for 13 hours, finally ending at 11 p.m. “John had to soak his hand in ice, and we brought in a chiropractor for his back,” Corey remembers. “One guy at the very end of the line was concerned we would close before he got a chance to see Grisham. Well, John heard about that and decided, ‘Let’s give him a book.’ So we walked practically to the Mapco station and gifted it to him, and that’s become part of the John Grisham lore.” Another customer ordered a pizza to be delivered to him in the line.

For years, Burke’s remained one of the few bookstores in America where Grisham, the author of more than 30 best-selling novels, held personal book signings. To keep things from getting out of hand, Corey says they came up with “Grisham’s Laws,” restricting the number of customers.

Other celebrities who have come to Burke’s for book signings and readings have included Anne Rice, Richard Ford, Ann Beattie, Ralph Abernathy, Peter Guralnick, Archie Manning, Bill Wyman, and many others. e store has also attracted celebrity shoppers — none perhaps more famous than one day when Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, newly married, paid a two-hour visit. Other VIPS have included Mary Louise Parker, Hal Holbrook, Courtney Love, Benicio del Toro, Joel Cohen and Frances McDormand, and members of the band R.E.M.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Corey hadn’t been working at Burke’s very long when he noticed a new customer. Cheryl Hodges, born in Indianola, Mississippi, had earned a business administration degree from Ole Miss in 1990. “I had no idea what I wanted to do after that,” she says. “I often drove to Memphis to shop at Burke’s and found out they had an opening. So I applied and got the job. I was just a lowly bookseller, and it wasn’t my intention to stay in Memphis, but I met Corey and we started dating two weeks later.”

Corey insists there was more to it than that. is sounds like a scene from a rom-com, but he saw that she was purchasing the collected poems of Leonard Cohen.

“So I made sure that I waited on her,” says Corey, “and when she came to the counter I actually said this: ‘I see you’re reading Leonard Cohen. Would you marry me?’ I was lucky that she didn’t think that was creepy.” Apparently not. ey began dating — and she did marry him, in 1992.

In 2000, the Meslers bought the business from Harriette and Fred Beeson, who retired and moved away to Ann Arbor, Michigan. “When we first came to the Poplar location, it was great because the store was so much bigger than the previous one, and we did great for years,” says Cheryl. “But two things hit at once. Amazon and 9/11 really screwed us. People stayed home and they didn’t need to buy books from a bookstore. We felt we were stuck and dying.”

It didn’t take long for the couple to decide the 1719 Poplar location wasn’t ideal. Cheryl told e Commercial Appeal that “it was like being stranded on an island,”

above: In 2007, Corey and Cheryl Mesler moved their bookstore to South Cooper. The building had originally opened in 1924 as a Piggly Wiggly selfservice grocery store.

and “the area just didn’t grow the way we had hoped.” At one point, when business declined after 9/11 and a national economic downturn, “when people weren’t buying anything,” she says they even considered closing. Instead, in 2007 they met with two commercial real estate agents who were upgrading the Cooper-Young neighborhood, James Rasberry and Jimmy Lewis, who showed them an empty space at 936 South Cooper.

e narrow building had originally opened in 1924 as Piggly Wiggly #5 and housed many other businesses since then; in the 1940s, it was home to Jimmie’s Sandwich Shop. It was basically a one-room shell, with bare plaster walls and scuffed oak flooring. e two developers offered to fix it up, but “we thought it was perfect just the way it was,” says Cheryl. “We liked the funky walls and the patina on the floor, and they uncovered the skylight.”

So, with a team of volunteers, they hauled bookcases, shelves, counters, and hundreds of boxes of books to the new location.

For Corey Mesler, it makes sense that this prolific author would have his own bookstore. Corey’s literary talents were evident at an early age, when he won the $500 top prize from Memphis Title Company’s “Believe in Memphis” essay campaign. e 1973 graduate of Bartlett High School attended Memphis State University before entering the world of bookselling, beginning with a stint at Waldenbooks in the Raleigh Springs Mall.

At age 19, Little Poems Press published his first poem, and in 2002, he published his first novel, Talk, written entirely in dialogue. is was quickly followed by some 40 other novels and poetry collections. Last year, Livingston Press published what is essentially his greatest hits collection: e World Is Neither Stacked for You nor Against You: Selected Stories. And every

$1,275,000 Charles

$825,000 3

$1,100,000

week, Corey posts a “Poem for Monday,” his own and from other poets, online.

FALL IN LOVE WITH

Meanwhile, though she confesses, “I can’t even write a grocery list, but I’m a reader and admirer of writers,” Cheryl has expressed her creativity in more visual ways. For years, she’s decorated the eye-catching show windows at Burke’s — with floral arrangements, Christmas trees, and even a giant Scrabble board, the tiles spelling out the names of famous authors. She recently created a miniature version of Burke’s, complete with a detailed interior showing rows of book shelves and customers, a monthlong project using more than a thousand Lego pieces.

e Meslers both maintain the store’s active social-media presence, and have created a uniquely inviting atmosphere with posters,

reading nooks, book and magazine displays, a special area for rare and collectible editions, and other categories, and the store’s colorful collection of Royal, Remington, Underwood, and other vintage typewriters. “We didn’t know that customers would fi nd them so charming,” says Cheryl. “Corey brought a couple in, and then all of a sudden, customers were donating them to us.” One of them, an IBM Selectric perched on a chair, is the typewriter Corey used to write his first novel.

e store’s appeal, says Cheryl, “is the constant rotation of stock. We carry new titles and concentrate on backlists and classics and some hot-off-the-press titles. But the used stock is the really interesting part, and we hope that encourages folks to come browse often. at’s one of the fun parts of this job — seeing what gems are going to come in every day.”

Another gem is the original wooden counter where customers pay for their purchases. “ at’s 150 years old,” says Corey. “As old as the store itself.” It’s been moved to all four locations over the years — just another part of the history that makes Burke’s unique.

WCODA

hen Harriette Beeson passed away on September 20, 2018, Corey wrote a memorial for this magazine about “the always-smiling face behind the counter”:

Working with Harriette was a rich and rewarding experience. e store we developed was a success and we gradually built up a clientele, some of whom are still friends and customers. ere are so many good memories from those years: the gracious dinners Harriette hosted at her house, where the food was to die for; the dinners out with Fred and Harriette and Cheryl (and sometimes authors); the signings and readings, including some with the finest writers of our day (where Harriette’s homemade brownies were often as acclaimed as our guests). It was a heady experience, and, at the heart of it was Harriette’s Southern sociability, her gentle authority, her charm, her ability to remember a person’s name and particulars after only one meeting, and her knowledge of books, new and old.

S. Germantown Pkwy (next to Lowe’s) 901.266.9100 germantown@browndoglodge.com BrowndogLodge.com

He concluded his tribute in this way: She was a beautiful woman, generous, warm and wise, and fun to be with. She taught me a lot. When she hired me I felt like I joined her family.

Perhaps that’s the key to the enduring success of Burke’s Book Store. It’s never been just a group of separate owners, only in it for the money, but families involved in a personal venture that they embrace with a passion. Walter Burke, “the old ball player,” would be proud that his little Main Street newsstand is celebrating 150 years — with more to come.

Moment !

MORE THAN A

MEMPHIS WOMEN

ATHLETES PLAY FOR KEEPS

The urge to win runs deep. But for most of modern history, athletic domination has been seen as a man’s pursuit. In recent decades, though, women’s sports have gained ground. The WNBA has been setting viewership records; revenues from women’s sports are climbing. Locally, women athletes are impressing crowds with their prowess and ingenuity — though true parity remains a distant goal. Women in Memphis are going the distance, taking flight, and smashing the competition (and no, those aren’t just metaphors). We highlight several women and teams here whose stories show that athletics aren’t just for the guys anymore. — Anna Traverse

UltraWOMAN

BARELY A DECADE AFTER HER FIRST 5K, SAVANNAH CRITTENDEN COMPLETED A 200-MILE RACE. IT WON’T BE HER LAST.

BY FRANK MURTAUGH

Savannah Crittenden loves running. Almost as much as she loves the wonderful world of Walt Disney. When she discovered that Disney World hosts races, it was a collision of happy forces too powerful to resist. Each January, over the course of four days, the Magic Kingdom is home to a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon, and a marathon. Crittenden ran her first marathon in Orlando in 2018 and now runs all four races, often dressed as Belle (from Beauty and the Beast). Crittenden is, you see, an ultra-runner.

“If you’re a [Disney] addict, you keep going back,” says Crittenden with a smile. “I have friends from all over the country who go every year. I’ve done at least two [Disney] events every year since 2018. I’m the first one there. They have music, the cast members. There are some people who race it, but it’s really for the experience. They have characters along the way; you can stop and take pictures. The characters really get into it, and I get hooked on the energy.”

Growing up in Olive Branch, Crittenden played volleyball. Any running she did was merely conditioning for the sport she adopted as a child in part to improve her hand/eye coordination. She devoted herself to academics at Ole Miss — Crittenden teaches math at DeSoto Central High School — and didn’t run her first 5K until 2014 (an event benefiting the Memphis Humane Society), when she was 29 years old. But the joys of running, to say nothing of the mileage, stacked up quickly.

“I fell in love with it,” says Crittenden, “that very first 5K. I’d been able to run two miles, just part of the training I did. So I was able to handle three miles. I had a blast. All the people, the animals, knowing I was helping them. It was such an uplifting experience.”

Crittenden has run a dozen marathons and at least a half-marathon in 27 states, with her sights set on 50. But these don’t qualify her as an ultra-runner, not even the four-races-infour days at Disney World. An ultra race must be, start-to-finish, longer than a marathon

(26.2 miles). How much longer? A 50K (31 miles) is an ultra. So is — deep breath here — the Viper 200-mile race, part of the Mamba Racing Series. Runners are tasked with completing the race in three-and-a-half days and Crittenden did so last April in 67 hours, with a total of three naps (she dozed one hour twice, and once just 30 minutes). How does a human being reach such an extreme level of exertion without physical or mental collapse? As it turns out, ultra-runners enjoy it.

“I ran a 50K just before I turned 35,” says Crittenden. “It was a timed race in Jackson, Tennessee. It was a 5K loop, and my goal was to run the full marathon distance, then I ran/ walked the last five miles.” With her interest established and goal of longer distances, Crittenden joined a local running group, Trail Trippers, which proved to be rocket fuel for her training. She has completed more than

ten ultras, with another this month in Illinois.

“My favorite part is my crew, the people,” she emphasizes. “It’s what made me fall in love with it. And to have the Viper here [at Shelby Farms], I was able to run with pacers I knew.”

When it comes to testing her limits — to extending her limits — Crittenden likes the wisdom of Steve Magness, author of Do Hard Things: instead of raising your ceiling of performance, raise your floor. Beginners may feel discomfort in running a 5K (3.1 miles) if their baseline, or floor, is a mile. But if that “floor” can be lifted to, say, two miles … the 5K finish line grows a little more comfortable. Having established a marathon as something she could handle, the push into ultra territory came naturally for Crittenden.

“One way of looking at it,” notes Crittenden, “is to compare an ultra with a car ride. If your drive to work is 30 minutes, it can feel like forever. But if you’re going on a six-hour

drive, you don’t even notice those first 30 minutes. The mindset for an ultra is similar. You don’t think about the early miles. The first day is fun. We take pictures, do silly things. As I get further into a race, the miles definitely become more forefront in my mind.”

While your feet, knees, and lungs feel every mile of an ultra, it’s the mind, according to Crittenden, that plays the largest role in getting you across the finish line. Even at “only” 100 miles, runners have been known to hallucinate, to struggle with orientation. And consider these problems while running a course through woods, sometimes at night. “I’m very regimented,” says Crittenden.

Gwen Beard, MD

Robin Friedman Musicante, MD

Gwen Beard, MD

Amy Amonette Huber, MD

Robin Friedman Musicante, MD

Courtney S. Woodmansee, MD

Amy Amonette Huber, MD

Courtney S. Woodmansee,MD

Frances K. Lawhead, MD

Frances K. Lawhead, MD

Emily T. Overholser, MD

Emily T. Overholser, MD

Alex Chantara, MD

Alex Chantara, MD

Mary E. Stephens, FNP-BC

Mary E. Stephens,FNP-BC

Buckley J. Parker, PA-C

Motivation matters: Crittenden with her team flag.

Lydia A. Wilbanks PA-C

Buckley J. Parker, PA-C L -C

Rachel C. Doerr, FNP-C, DCNP

eslie Graham, DNP, AGNP

Rachel C.Doerr, FNP-C, DCNP

“I like my plans. I’ll have everything lined up. But I also like the problem-solving. It has to be flexible as you go. Your planning can help negate those problems, but on race day, you don’t know if a tornado is coming through.”

Last spring’s Viper run was actually halted after 33 miles due to a tornado system entering the Mid-South. Crittenden had to go home (where she spent several hours sheltering in her bathroom), then resume her 200-mile jaunt after the system passed. And the course was dramatically altered, with much of it now on paved road, with shorter loops. “It actually worked in my favor,” reflects Crittenden, “because I was able to see my crew and it was

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easy to time nutrition. Plus I got a new pacer on each loop.” A pacer cannot carry equipment or nutrition for an ultra-runner, but they’re valuable late in a race for safety reasons, monitoring the runner’s physical and mental state. Crittenden chooses not to run with music. Instead, as she describes it, she listens to her body. “I need to know what my body is telling me,” she says, “about my lungs, my legs. Is it time for nutrition? How badly do I need water? [Dark urine is a bad sign. No urine is worse.] Is my pace steady, or am I slowing down?” Crittenden’s mood drops and her legs get heavy when she needs a nutrition infusion, which can come in the form of a gel, a turkey sub, or many things in between. She loves peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches during an ultra. “Pain is a signal your body is giving you,” she says. “It’s your job to interpret the signal. Is it an injury or just sore?”

Ever heard of a “pain cave”? It’s an area ultra-runners know well, and something they ironically embrace as part of their process. “If you’re tired and pushing through, there are different levels,” explains Crittenden, “when your body wants to quit. You’re done, your body is screaming at you, and you go anyway. I was well-prepared, except for the foot pain at the end.”

As much as Crittenden may plan for every mile, there are challenges that stack up during an ultra race. A runner’s mind must manage boredom: mile 157, mile 158 … . Crittenden has sat on a stationary bike and stared at a blank wall for an hour, a method to condition her mind for tedium. Soggy ground can lead to trench foot, the kind of discomfort that can become debilitating. Crittenden rubs Vaseline on her feet if water is a race factor. And above all, she protects her feet with proper-fitting socks and shoes. A mildly aggravating rub at the beginning of an ultra can become an open blister by mile 100 and threaten a runner’s ability to finish.

Distance running can be lonely, isolating even. Some are drawn to that, but not Savannah Crittenden. The social component — her community of supporters — has become the primary motivation when she trains and competes in ultras. Lengthy runs (30-40 miles) on consecutive days are essential training and having partners for even a fraction of such workouts is invaluable.

Crittenden’s team designed a flag for the car that would accompany her for a 100-mile road race. And the sight of “Savvy Striders” waving proudly as she put the miles behind her reminded a tired runner that joy is the reason. “I could see the flag before I saw my crew,” she remembers. “I would get so excited. And they got creative with that flag: put it in trees, shined lights on it. Here are my people.” Never lonely, never isolated. The kind of warmth worthy of a Disney heroine.

THE MEMPHIS ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE THRIVES ON COMMUNITY — ON AND OFF THE TRACK.

BY KAILYNN JOHNSON

On a spring afternoon, the Pipkin Building in Liberty Park was abuzz with fans. As team skaters with starstamped helmets whipped around the track — with serious grit — it was clear this league ran on more than adrenaline. They ran on community. Community for the league looks different, depending on where you observe them. During their bout, the crowd’s hype elevated players to rock-star status, every lap earning an encore, each breakthrough met with a roar. When a skater known as “Don’t Blink” successfully broke through her opponents, the audience went crazy. Memphis was behind her — and she knew it, throwing a two-handed wave and a smile to fans as she rounded the track.

Family members and friends donned merch — some with the league’s name — while others opted for custom-made gear featuring their favorite skater’s face. Only some people sat in graffiti-sprayed chairs, the Pipkin Building well past standing-room-only. Derby was a big deal that day, but its importance goes beyond the bouts.

On a Tuesday afternoon prior to the game, the Pipkin looked a bit different. Skaters piled in for practice, and the indoor track seemed almost too pristine, too quiet — begging for a bit of edge that only chaos and passion can bring.

The skaters moved from their pre-practice huddles into synchronized stretches. Their uniform side-to-side warm-ups transitioned into a high-energy sequence set to music. The beat blended into the background, and each players’ infectious swagger reverberated through the building.

Jemma Clary (known as Jem in the derby) lovingly refers to it as “off-brand Zumba,” led by their teammate Chandler. “It’s huge,” she adds. “It’s so fun because when we do it at games, other teams will sometimes join in. It’s always fun — hypes us up, gets our heart rates moving.”

From the energized warm-ups to the pre-scrimmage laughter, the camaraderie and community in the space was palpable.

EYE ON THE STAR

Pay attention to the person with the star on their head,” Clary tells me before the scrimmage round. “They’re going to be the one to watch. They’re going to be the one that’s scoring all the points for the team.”

I learn that the league prides itself on being a part of a niche subculture, one that stays alive partially through exposure to newbies. I’d only seen the sport on shows like Bunheads and The Fosters — usually as a shortcut to a character’s “edgy phase.” But that Tuesday’s practice was my first glimpse into the world beyond my streaming queues.

Clary translates derby in a beginner-friendly way, likening it to a mix of rugby, speed skating, and even a little bit of chess. While popular culture is often a person’s first introduction to the sport, Kendall Olinger (aka Choke) notes that these representations tend to conflate the sport to being “gimmicky” and akin to phenomena like wrestling.

The MRD league started here in 2006. “It’s evolved over the past 20 years to really stand alone as a serious sport with

serious athletes,” Olinger says. “A lot of the stuff you see in the movies — or a lot of people bring it up from watching roller derby from the ’70s or ’80s — it’s really gotten a lot more serious and way more focused on the sport. Lots of rules have changed, and a lot of those gimmicks have disappeared.”

Dylan Miller, an MRD jammer, says, “You’re getting lessons on all the basics and there’s somebody presenting the lessons, but you’re also getting one-on-one help from skaters in the league. We try to make sure it’s as accessible as possible to everyone regardless of their income.”

The league has taken this a step further by introducing Derby School, a program designed to refine their technique for derby readiness.

It’s been gratifying for Miller to see her growth from someone getting back on her wheels to joining the league. She notes it’s a “hard shift,” yet the league’s welcoming environment propelled her confidence. As a self-described “classic overthinker,” derby has given her the opportunity to get outside of her head and “leave it at the door.”

WHY SKATE

B eyond the requisite moxie, inclusivity seems to be an appealing tenet of derby culture. League members share that the search for community in adulthood can be surprisingly complex. Many found that the sport satisfies a hunger for togetherness, while also satiating the desire to achieve something real.

Stacy Bautista, for example, says that life after college graduation leaves much to be desired. For her, derby revives the thrill that sports like rugby and softball impressed on her while growing up.

“I loved a full-contact sport,” she says. “When you get out of college it’s like, ‘What now? You’re going to work a job and that’s it?’”

Ironically, it was through working as a carhop at Sonic that Bautista says the “roller derby seed” was planted. Yet, while derby was appealing as a return to the full-contact nature she grew to love, she was hesitant to go for it. A friend helped her overcome those initial jitters, and she’s now been engaged in the sport for 13 years.

Jemma Clary says skating had “been her thing” since college, so enrolling in skate school was “something to do” as opposed to an introduction to the skill. And while she was looking for a way to pass time, she found a refreshing way to make friends in this new stage in life.

“I didn’t even come in wanting friends,” Clary says. “I joined and everyone’s just so friendly and welcoming. Roller derby is [also] like a pretty big queer space. I never really had fellow queer people around me, and it’s a lot of people that are older than me. It’s a pretty heterogeneous mixture of people, and people who are truly Memphians.” These intergenerational spaces have proven to be invaluable. Not only does it contribute to league culture, but it’s what keeps the community thriving. The shared passion of skating permeates participants — both newcomers and seasoned skaters alike.

“It’s an honor to be able to skate with all these people,” Clary says. “I feel like over the past season we’ve been creeping up in the ranks and getting better and better, and everyone here who shows up regularly is super dedicated, not only to the sport but to the league and the community we have formed.”

The league operates as a nonprofit driven and run by skaters and league members. Members like Bautista and Olinger are not only team members but work as the heads of training and marketing, respectively. Along with sponsors and community support, members and participants help keep the culture and sport alive.

Whether it’s through skate school or a bout, the skaters invite others to learn about derby. While each player may have a personal reason they keep returning to the track, they recognize their presence builds upon a legacy that lasts long after their wheels stop turning.

Spirit THE GRIT AND GRIND

WINNING NATIONAL TITLES HAS BECOME MORE THAN A DREAM FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS DANCE TEAMS. BUT HURDLES STAND IN THE WAY.

For a few weeks, from the end of last year to the beginning of January, the volleyball gym at the University of Memphis transformed into a dance studio. Mats were taped over the court floor with the recognizable Tigers flags, and megaphones tucked to the side. Mirrors were rolled into the end of the court. The Pom Squad and Ambush Crew had been practicing their routines here, with rehearsals ramping up to nearly every day, hours at a time, in preparation for the UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship in Orlando, January 17–19, 2025.

At one January practice before the spring semester began, I spoke with Carol Lloyd, the U of M spirit coordinator and head dance coach, as the group went through a part of their routine to be performed in only a few days. Their footsteps were sharp, measured according to counts, heads turning in unison; there was no music, but they were in sync — or so it appeared to the untrained eye.

They lifted one of their teammates in the air, effortlessly it seemed, but something was off, though they hadn’t quite figured out what, exactly. Should she adjust her leg? Should it be bent at the knee? Lloyd asked for feedback from the athletes, pointing out collaboration’s role in their process. They ran through the counts again, and again, and again, and would do so again many more times. This part was only a few seconds of an entire routine that they’d been working on since November.

“It’s so detailed,” Lloyd said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how much goes into just dancing for this one minute and 50 seconds.”

For each championship, the Pom Squad and Ambush Crew compete in three categories: game day, hip-hop, and pom. In a game-day performance, dancers recreate the live game experience with a band, fight song, Pouncer the mascot, and lots of spirit. Pom uses

BY ABIGAIL MORICI

poms and can be a mix of hip-hop and jazz.

Last year, the team took home the national championship for game day and placed third in hip-hop and seventh in pom. That same weekend, the university’s cheerleaders won the national championship in small coed. This year, the cheer team placed fifth, and the pom team placed fourth in hip-hop.

Winning titles isn’t unusual for the U of M’s spirit squads, which include the cheer team, the Pom Squad, and the Ambush Crew, which Lloyd started last year to specialize in hip-hop during game days and compete with the Pom Squad at nationals. The cheer team holds seven national titles. The Pom Squad, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, has 16, including nine consecutive titles from 1986 to 1994.

“It’s always harder to stay on top than it is to get there,” Lloyd said. “I always feel pressure, but pressure is a privilege almost.”

T he first national collegiate dance team championship took place in 1986, and Memphis State, as it was then called, won — and it won for the next eight years. Lloyd, a Memphis native, cheered throughout high school and was on the college’s pom team during that champion-winning streak from 1989 to 1993. She would go on to succeed her college coach, Cheri Ganong-Robinson, in 2004.

“This sport has become so big — way more athletic, technical — so to still be one of the top teams and still keep it at that level is great,” Lloyd said.

“Memphis has been so well-known for so long as this amazing program across the nation in the dance world, so to be a part of it is absolutely amazing,” Bella Roy, a pom dancer, who graduated in the spring, added. “It’s easy to get so hard on yourself when you have all these long practices and you’re sore and

think, ‘Oh, I can’t make it to my spot’ or this or that. But then the alumnae are always like, ‘Oh, you’re flipping upside down, and you’re doing 12 turns,’ and we’re like, ‘Wait, we really are good.’”

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Yet neither the NCAA nor the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX, consider collegiate dance or cheer as sports, defining “sports” as activities whose purpose is competing, not “supporting” other sports on the sidelines. The spirit squads, however, very much consider themselves athletes, training hard and competing, albeit once a year. Even though they are at every football and basketball game, they’re also at community and philanthropic events because, as they would say, they’re the “face” of the university.

As it is, the spirit teams have to raise their own funds for the majority of their budget. Each year, the dancers and cheerleaders put on a golf tournament, host dance and cheer clinics, sell popcorn, offer appearances, and more.

“It takes about $120,000 to $140,000 each year to cover everything that we need,” Lloyd said. For reference, according to CNBC, U of M’s athletic program is worth about $148 million. That puts the school third in the American Athletic Conference, behind East Carolina University ($153 million) and the University of South Florida ($150 million).

The spirit squads also don’t have a dedicated facility, which can add more strain to the budget and affects efficiency. The cheer team practices at an All-Star gym in Collierville, and the Pom Squad and Ambush Crew have bounced around for the past few years, last year renting a church gym and this year using one of the university’s rec gyms until the volleyball gym opened up.

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At that January practice, where 20 dancers were rehearsing the pom routine, a few who weren’t in the number joined to cheer their teammates on. This is typical, Lloyd said. “When you know that someone is struggling in a certain part, you’ve got to scream for them,” she said to her athletes. “If everybody gets in their head, start yelling. The mat talk is what’s going to help everybody.”

And so they screamed and shouted, and so did Lloyd. “This is their family,” Lloyd said, noting that out of 43 team members who were on the Pom Squad and Ambush Crew then, only four were local.

Roy, a Franklin native, competed in game day, pom, and hip-hop this year, her last year competing. Hip-hop, she said, has been the dance style that

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has challenged her the most but the one she’s grown the most in since her freshman year. “Everybody knows Memphis hip-hop in the college dance world, so to go out there and be a part of that is so special and fun,” she said.

SAT NOVEMBER 8

The Univeristy of Memphis has consistently placed in the top four of the hip-hop division since the division started at the competition. “That first time, my freshman year, after we finished hip-hop for semis, when I did my last little smackdown and looked up, I just held my ending pose for at least 10 seconds,” Roy recalled. “It was that moment where I was just, ‘This is what I’ve dreamed of for so long. And I don’t want to leave.’ I was like, ‘I just did this.’ And then last year, that was always my lifelong goal to win a national championship. And to say that I actually did it is crazy, but it’s so worth it. Since I was little, that’s what I wanted.”

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Now, as Roy, a supply chain management major, looks to life after college, she said, “Since I’ve danced for so long, I think it’s going to be hard, that transition after college, figuring out what I’m going to do with my life. It’s been school, dance, school, dance, school, dance forever, so it’s hard to imagine a life without it. But I think I’ll continue taking dance classes here and there, doing a normal job. I have found a big passion, though, in teaching dance.”

When the spirit squads traveled to Orlando for their championship, both the dance and cheer teams were on the heels of last year’s wins. They didn’t win those big national titles again, but they flew back on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day before the semester began, knowing their season wasn’t over. They still had to perform at basketball games and other events, the spirit squads’ seasons lasting all school year.

And at the end of each practice, the dancers come together in a circle and link pinkies. “Seniors or captains will give a little wrap-up of practice,” Roy said, “just to get everybody in a good headspace before we leave, and then we say the Lord’s Prayer.” The prayer then leads into a chant: “Five, six, seven, eight, whoo, MPDTAC.”

That MPDTAC would stand for Memphis Pom Dream Team (and) Ambush Crew. And, yes, the DT stands for dream team — not the expected dance team — because, according to Lloyd, she’s always coaching the dream team, win or lose.

A version of this story was published by the Memphis Flyer in January 2025.

FACES OF HOPE

MARIBEL MEDINA

ough my journey with breast cancer was daunting, it taught me to trust God and that I’d come out stronger. Embracing resilience and positivity, I found hope and healing even in the toughest moments. I am excited to be a Face of Hope because I can inspire others to keep fighting and to always have hope. To encourage all Latina women to be more open about sharing their journey, trusting a support system, and being part of a movement to change the way the Latina community sees cancer.

TRACY GALLAGHER

I was a 46-year-old healthy wife and mom with a surprise diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer and a genetic mutation with no known family history. I was told it would be a gift, and I thought they were crazy. Come to find out, it has been a gift because I am excited and able to share my story of early detection of an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis, BRCA1 gene mutation, harsh treatment, and how I am a survivor living my best life. I want to offer hope that there is a good life after cancer.

FACES OF HOPE

ELLÉ COLEMAN

A cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean it’s a death sentence, but rather a different path God has us on to not only better ourselves, but to help others along the way. I’m excited about being a Face of Hope honoree because it gives me the opportunity to encourage, give hope, and help others through their journey.

KRISTI FLAKE

I am in a unique position to witness both sides of the cancer experience. As I navigate my second journey with triple-negative breast cancer, I understand the challenges of being a cancer patient. Additionally, as the assistant general manager of the Memphis Hope Lodge, I have the privilege of supporting patients as they face their own cancer journeys. I truly believe that attitude is everything. Never give up! You don’t realize how strong you are until your back is against the wall.

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Creating families together, Fertility Associates of Memphis is the only state-of-the-art practice providing comprehensive reproductive health care to couples of the Mid-South and beyond… treating patients struggling with infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss and reproductive disorders. Our highly specialized team utilizes cutting edge techniques including in vitro fertilization with laser blastocyst biopsy, preimplantation genetic testing, fertility preservation, and minimally invasive robotic surgery. Our compassionate physicians, board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, have been bringing dreams to life for over 25 years.

DR. CAREY CAMPBELL & DR. MELISSA KATH

Surgeons

Plastic Surgery Group of Memphis is home to two female surgeons, Dr. Carey Campbell (left) and Dr. Melissa Kath (right), that are redefining women’s health through expertise in both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. They provide advanced, patient-centered care that supports women across every stage of life.

Dr. Kath, fellowship-trained in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery, specializes in individualized treatment plans that address the unique needs of each patient. Her background in complex surgical procedures ensures that patients receive safe and natural results no matter what challenges they are facing or what their cosmetic goals are.

Dr. Campbell, a Memphis native with elite training from some of the top plastic surgery institutions in the country, offers comprehensive care in breast, body, and facial surgery. With a focus on restoring her patients’ confidence and enhancing their natural beauty through surgical and non-surgical techniques, she provides patients with both skill and compassion.

Together, they embody a commitment to women’s health and well-being and offer empathetic care informed by shared lived experiences with their patients and advanced medical training.

PLASTIC SURGERY GROUP OF MEMPHIS

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ALICIA HILL

Founder/Host/Professor

Alicia Hill creates valuable brands for individuals and organizations, helping them thrive in competitive markets. With over 20 years of leadership experience, she has worked with more than 200 small business owners nationwide, this year alone, while also continuing to support nonprofits, schools, and community initiatives. Alicia is the founder of ACG Brand Management, LLC, a growing consultancy dedicated to building brand value and driving impact.

In addition to her business success, Alicia is the creator and host of the Easy Talk: Real Talk for True Entrepreneurs podcast, an inspiring platform for entrepreneurs to gain practical insights and motivation. She also serves as a full-time professor at Lane College and teaches as an adjunct professor at Clinton College and Christian Brothers University, where she equips students with skills in branding, communication, and leadership.

Passionate about service, Alicia is a proud member of the Junior League of Memphis and continues to champion leadership development and youth empowerment through her role as Chairman of Developing Noblemen Academy (D.N.A.). Her dedication to education, entrepreneurship, and community advancement continues to make a meaningful impact on those she serves.

ACG BRAND MANAGEMENT LLC

5865 Ridgeway Center Pkwy., Memphis, TN 38120 901.402.1002 • alicia@acareergirl.com • acareergirl.com facebook.com/acgbrandmgmt • instagram.com/acgbrandmgmt/ linkedin.com/in/alicia-hill-acg/

Susan Ewing is a powerhouse in the Memphis marketing landscape whose career spans nearly three decades of leadership, innovation, and impact. As the Founder and Chief Navigator of Ewing Marketing Partners — now celebrating its 10th anniversary — Susan has built a firm that fills a vital gap for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits in need of strategic marketing expertise.

Her expertise and collaborative approach help clients build brands, increase visibility, and drive sales growth. Recognized in 2024 as a “Super Woman in Business” by the Memphis Business Journal, Susan is committed to delivering results.

EWING MARKETING

Susan@EwingMarketingPartners.com

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Kendra is an accomplished affiliate broker with Crye-Leike, boasting over 19 years of experience and more than 1,000 properties sold. Licensed in both Tennessee and Mississippi, she serves on the board of Memphis’ Multi-Million Dollar Club. Passionate about making homeownership a reality for everyone, Kendra also host a television show for the American Dream TV, highlighting local businesses. In her spare time, Kendra rehabs homes for resale.

DR. JAYNA M. KELLY

Interventional Cardiologist

Dr. Jayna M. Kelly is an Interventional Cardiologist at the Metropolitan Cardiovascular Institute in Memphis, Tennessee. After completing her training at the University of Vermont in 2023 and the Ochsner network in New Orleans, she returned to Memphis to specialize in Interventional Cardiology.

Inspired by her mother’s battle with breast cancer and the compassionate care her family received, Dr. Kelly committed her life to helping others achieve better health. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), a Master of Science from Indiana University, and a medical degree from the University of Tennessee, where she served as class vice president and actively contributed to the local community.

An advocate for fitness, Dr. Kelly co-founded the running group Sisters in Motion and has completed over 10 half marathons and a full marathon. She is passionate about educating and empowering women to proactively prevent heart disease and is available to speak on topics such as heart health, women in medicine, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Kelly is married to Justin Pearson, and together they have a son, Carter, and two dogs, Miles Davis and Bass Reeves.

METROPOLITAN CARDIOVASCULAR INSTITUTE

975 Nonconnah Blvd. Memphis, TN 38132

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Alicia Boyd is a Crye-Leike Real Estate agent with 10 years of experience and over 2400 home tours. She builds trusting client relationships, partnering with Jimmie Hopson Broker/VP. With 28 years at FedEx Mgmt & Cust Svc, Alicia brings TeamWork, problemsolving, and continuous improvement to the home buying and selling process, while establishing trust and open communication.

BETH WEEMS BRADLEY Member/Attorney

Beth Weems Bradley is a Member of Burch, Porter and Johnson, PLLC in Memphis, TN. Beth’s practice includes Trusts and Estates. Beth received her B.A. and J.D. from Vanderbilt University. Named “Lawyer of the Year” for Trusts and Estates by Best Lawyers in America®, Beth received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Memphis Estate Planning Council and was elected a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation in 2024.

BURCH, PORTER AND JOHNSON, PLLC

130 N. Court Avenue

Memphis, TN 38103

901.524.5000

bpjlaw.com

bbradley@bpjlaw.com

WOMEN to WATCH

KATHRYN CLARK Principal Builder

Kathryn Clark is the Principal Builder for K. Clark Homes and has been part of the building community in Memphis, for over 14 years. She has been a longstanding member with the West Tennessee Home Builders Association, National Association of Home Builders, Urban Land Institute, Professional Women in Building and the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. She holds the Certified Graduate Builder and Certified Aging in Place Designations from the National Association of Home Builders as well as an OSHA certification and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Memphis.

K. Clark Homes specializes in custom and market homes with a focus currently in Fayette County.

K. CLARK HOMES LLC kclarkhomes.com

Jacinta Hall, an estate planning and probate attorney with Mullins, Whitfield, White & Hillis, PLLC, has been honored as a 2019 Leader in Law by the Mississippi BusinessJournaland was selected for the 2013 Mississippi Bar Leadership Program. Jacinta serves on the Criminal Justice Act panel as conflict counsel before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Northern District of Mississippi. Beyond the courtroom, Jacinta inspires future and seasoned lawyers, presenting at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and national CLEs, while teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

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668 Colonial Road, Suite 4 Memphis, TN 38117

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KELSEY DUCKETT Lawyer

Kelsey dedicates her practice to helping her clients in the area of business transactions,regulatory/compliance, and non-profit/charities law. Her dedicated, hardworking and resilient work ethic ensures the best outcomes for her clients. Kelsey has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. As well as National Black Lawyers Top 40 under 40. Kelsey is also active in the community, as she is apart of many organizations around Memphis.

HARRIS SHELTON 6060 Primacy Parkway, Suite 100 Memphis, TN 38119 901.525.1455 kduckett@harrisshelton.com harrisshelton.com

Allison Holden is an accomplished Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices McLemore & Co, with over $15M in sales in the last 3 years, placing her in the Top 9% of agents nationwide. She has been a fi nalist in the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis Reader’s Poll for the last 3 consecutive years and she was featured as a Rising Star in the Memphis Real Producers publication, December 2023. You can find Allison sharing her love of Memphis online, as well as fundraising and volunteering with LeBonheur Club.

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REAGAN

FONDREN Attorney

Reagan Fondren is a Senior Attorney at Burch, Porter and Johnson, PLLC in Memphis, TN. Reagan is a twenty-year veteran of the Department of Justice who served as Acting U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. Her practice includes governmental investigations, criminal defense, commercial litigation and municipal law. Reagan received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law and her B.A. from Spelman College.

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Co-Owner / Author / Speaker

Rev. Emily Guenther is co-owner of The Broom Closet metaphysical shops in Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee and a leader in the alternative spiritual community. Rev. Emily is the author of the Metaphysical Connection column in the Memphis Flyer and the Patheos blog Light Your Path. She is also a convention speaker. REV. EMILY GUENTHER

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A partner at Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh, PLLC. Megan is a proud double alumna of the University of Memphis having obtained both her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis. She has been practicing law for eleven (11) years, and focuses her practice primarily on health care liability defense. Megan is licensed to practice law in TN, KY and AR. Megan is a past-president of the Association for Women Attorneys, she was recently named a Fellow for the Memphis Bar Association, and is a member of the American Inns of Court –Memphis ADR chapter. Megan has been recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, and received the Best of the Bar Ace Associate award from the Memphis Business Journal in 2020.

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Barbara Leone May celebrates 40 years of leadership at Travel Leaders Collierville in 2025, marking a milestone of excellence in the travel industry. A trailblazer in her community, she was named Collierville Chamber’s 2024 “Person of the Year,” earned Travel Leaders’ “Golden Legacy Award” and “Agency of Excellence Award,” and became the first woman to serve as President of both the Collierville Chamber and Rotary Club. Having visited more than 50 countries, Barbara provides vision and leadership while her awardwinning agency and dedicated team craft extraordinary travel experiences worldwide.

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MELODY A. MARTIN

AHWD, LHS, MRP, RENE, SRS

Proud mom and grandma, I’m a licensed Realtor in Tennessee and Mississippi with a passion for helping families and investors. I hold designations including Residential Real Estate Divorce Specialist, and serve on Diversity, Equity Inclusion committee. A Life Member Multi-Million Dollar Club at Memphis Area Association and NAREB, I bring dedication, experience, and results to every transaction — whether buying, selling, or investing.

I am a proud graduate of LeMoyneOwen College. I enjoy every thing Memphis. The great food, entertainment, and history.

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Dr. Daphnie Swift is an entrepreneur, certified Arbitrator, Contract Specialist, and Mediator with a proven track record of business leadership across multiple U.S. states. She holds numerous business licenses and certifications, reflecting her broad operational expertise.

As the founder of a premier business academy, she empowers aspiring professionals to succeed in both corporate and government enviornments. Her academy is recognized for its practical, results-driven curriculum.

Her contributions have earned her national recognition, including the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, formal Resolutions from Commissioners and State Representatives, and designation as an Amazon bestselling author.

LAUREN

MASSEY FUCHS

Partner / Attorney

Lauren Massey Fuchs is a partner at the Law Office of Massey McClusky Fuchs & Ballenger in Memphis, Tennessee. She has been practicing criminal defense since she graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2009. She has served multiple terms on the TACDL Board of Directors. She has been a member of the faculty for both the TACDL Tennessee Criminal Defense College and the TACDL Advanced Cross Seminar. She is an experienced trial attorney with a proven track record of results. A warrior in the courtroom, she brings the heart for the fight in the representation of all of her clients.

LAW OFFICE OF MASSEY MCCLUSKY FUCHS & BALLENGER 3074 East Road, Memphis, TN 38128 901.450.4419 masseymcclusky.com

CHRISTINE WEINREICH Executive Director

Christine embodies unwavering dedication to service. With 13 years in nonprofit management and 14 years practicing law, she’s dedicated her work to empowering her community. As Executive Director of the Memphis Library Foundation, she raises awareness and funds that help Memphis Public Libraries provide Memphis residents with the resources they need to thrive. Christine serves as a mentor through the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She previously served on the boards of the Memphis Rotary Club and OUTMemphis and supports a myriad of local nonprofits, especially those supporting youth empowerment, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and unhoused people.

MEMPHIS LIBRARY FOUNDATION memphislibraryfoundation.org

ASHLEY MCDURMON President/CEO

WOMEN to WATCH

KARINA PHAM & MARGARET TONG

Co-Owners

Ashley McDurmon is the President and CEO of Orion Financial, where she leads with vision, empathy, and a drive to spark innovation in the banking industry. She has championed digital transformation and elevated the customer experience as a core strategic focus. With 15 years in public accounting, McDurmon developed leadership programs that advanced diversity and inclusion across the profession. Passionate about the role of community-based financial institutions, she believes in their power to drive local economic impact. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Overton Park Shell and is a proud member of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s Circle of Friends.

ORION FINANCIAL orionfcu.com

Bao Toan Kitchen & Bar is a modern Vietnamese eatery founded by motherdaughter duo Karina Pham and Margaret Tong. Located in Crosstown Concourse, it’s a love letter to their family and heritage.

Pham and Tong believe food is more than nourishment — it’s memory, connection, and community. Their menu blends Vietnamese tradition with modern touches, offering bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and timeless dishes. With authenticity, hospitality, and a deep love for Memphis, they’ve created a space guests are proud to call their own.

BAO TOAN KITCHEN & BAR

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Setting Down Roots

BY BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Patterson

First things first: Sara Patterson owns the second-largest bur oak tree in the state of Missouri. She’s also a witty conversationalist and the bartender at Cafe 1912, Glen and Martha Hays’ cozy Midtown bistro. ose two things say a lot about her. Mainly that she’s Memphis and she’s country. It’s a rural/ urban dichotomy that has shaped her life.

“I was born in Memphis,” she says. “ en, when I was three, my parents divorced and I moved to the woods in southern Missouri with my mother. She remarried and I grew up on 40 acres near a small town called Alton. It was never a stable farm, but we were always growing something. I also spent a lot of weekends in Memphis, where my dad lived.

I have really great parents and a mixed family of four siblings.”

After graduating from Alton High School in 2005 (as class president), Patterson obtained an associate’s degree from Missouri State, then attended Arkansas State for a while, before finding herself at a crossroads.

“My mom had moved back to Memphis,” she says, “so in 2010, I did too. My first job

was at a beer cart on Beale Street. en I worked at Texas Roadhouse in Southaven for six years, then in an office for a while, before deciding I couldn’t handle that. One day, I was talking to one of my neighbors who worked at Cafe 1912 and asked if they had any openings, and before long, I was working here. at was in 2016.”

Nine years later, Patterson feels at home. “Somehow, Glen and Martha have cultivated this particular brand of magic here,” she says. “We’re the lucky ones who get to see that and kind of melt into it. It’s hard to explain. Nothing much changes. e French posters are still in the same place after

“I couldn’t do the job without the support of really great co-workers.” — Sara Patterson

can come and feel comfortable, where they know things are going to be consistent. I’ve seen proposals in here, breakups; I’ve been to weddings and funerals. is work and these people become part of your heart.”

Reader, I confess that Cafe 1912 is a restaurant I’ve frequented with friends and family — some now gone — for all of its 23 years, so Patterson and I go back a ways. On this day, she knows I’m there to interview her for this column and that she’ll be making me a drink, so she’s prepared.

“Would you like to try a New York Sour?” she says.

“I’ve never had one, but I would probably like it. Tell me about it.”

“It’s got Wild Turkey 101, lemon, simple syrup, and a Malbec float,” she says. “I think it’s going to be a good transition drink from summer to fall.”

ty-driven. Customers always know someone when they come

23 years. It’s nostalgic and it’s comforting and it’s community-driven. Customers always know someone when they come in. It’s a great place to hide from the world outside and connect with people and reset.”

Patterson has taken some cues from the late restaurateur and writer Anthony Bourdain: “ ere was a passion that came out in his writing,” she says. “It made you understand what this job is about. Good service is supposed to look effortless. Customers aren’t supposed to see all the work that goes into it. ey might not notice that someone is setting up fresh glasses behind me while I’m talking to them, but I couldn’t do the job without the support of really great co-workers. And I like how Bourdain talks about creating a place where people

Unsurprisingly, it is a good cocktail, with a rosy hint of August that lingers and a whiskey base that says winter is coming. Sort of like sangria, with a kick. Recommended. Now, about that bur oak tree …

“I’d been looking for years around Alton to buy some land, potentially to improve and flip it,” Patterson says. “One day, I found four-and-a-half acres on a beautiful stretch of highway, five miles from Mammoth Springs, and bought it. When I was walking the land, I discovered this 300-year-old bur oak in the middle of the property. It’s 17 feet around with a 100-foot canopy spread, and I later learned that it was the second-biggest bur oak in the state. So the land I was going to flip, well, now I’m in love with that tree.”

Cafe 1912, 959 South Cooper St.

A Curated Guide to Eating Out

Memphis Magazine offers this curated restaurant listing as a service to our readers. Broken down alphabetically by neighborhoods, this directory does not list every restaurant in town. It does, however, include the magazine’s “Top 50” choices of must-try restaurants in Memphis, a group that is updated every August. Establishments open less than a year are not eligible for “Top 50” but are noted as “New.” is guide also includes a representative sampling of other Bluff City eating establishments. No fast-food facilities or cafeterias are listed. Restaurants are included regardless of whether they advertise in Memphis Magazine; those that operate in multiple locations are listed under the neighborhood of their original location. is guide is updated regularly, but we recommend that you call ahead to check on hours, prices, or other details. Suggestions from readers are welcome: dining@memphismagazine.com.

DOWNTOWN

ALDO’S PIZZA PIES—Serving gourmet pizzas — including Mr. T Rex — salads, and more. Also 30 beers, bottled or on tap. 100 S. Main. 577-7743; 752 S. Cooper. 725-7437. L, D, $-$$

AMELIA GENE’S—Globally inspired fine-dining cuisine at the One Beale project, including Rohan duck, Wagyu filet, and an extensive cheese cart. 255 S. Front. 730-7650. D, $$-$$$ THE ARCADE—Memphis’ oldest cafe. Specialties include sweet potato pancakes, a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, and breakfast served all day. 540 S. Main. 526-5757. B, L, MRA, $ ARNOLD’S SMOKEHOUSE—A classic smokehouse with vegan and nonvegan options seasoned to perfection. Closed Mon. 2019 E. Person Ave. 922-5950. L, D, SB, $-$$$

AUTOMATIC SLIM’S—Longtime downtown favorite specializes in contemporary American cuisine emphasizing local ingredients; also extensive martini list. 83 S. Second. 525-7948. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$$

BARDOG TAVERN—Classic American grill with Italian influence, Bardog offers pasta specialties such as Grandma’s NJ Meatballs, as well as salads, sliders, sandwiches, and daily specials. 73 Monroe. 275-8752. B (Mon.-Fri.), L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$

BELLE TAVERN—Serving elevated bar food, including a butcher board with a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as daily specials. 117 Barboro Alley. 249-6580. L (Sun.), D, MRA, $ BEN YAY’S GUMBO SHOP—Spiritual successor to DejaVu, offering fresh and authentic Creole staples. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 111. 779-4125. L, D, $-$$

BISCUITS & JAMS—Offering sweet and savory brunch with a Cajun flare. Specialties include smoked sausage or spicy fried chicken on biscuits, lemon blueberry waffles, and rum custard French toast. No walk-ins on weekends. 24 N. B.B. King Blvd. 672-7905. B, L, WB, $-$$

BRASS DOOR IRISH PUB—Irish and New-American cuisine includes such entrees as fish and chips, burgers, shepherd’s pie, all-day Irish breakfast, and more. 152 Madison. 572-1813. L, D, SB, $-$$ BY THE BREWERY—Breakfast and lunch café, with a focus on Southern-style biscuits, salads, and soups. 496 Tennessee St. 310-4341. B, L, $

CAPRICCIO GRILL ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE

Offers prime steaks, fresh seafood (lobster tails, grouper, mahi mahi), pasta, and several Northern Italian specialties. 149 Union, The Peabody. 529-4199. B, L, D, SB, MRA, $-$$$$

CAROLINA WATERSHED—This indoor/outdoor eatery, set around silos, features reimagined down-home classics, including fried green tomatoes with smoked catfish, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, burgers, and more. Closed Mon.-Thurs. 141 E. Carolina. 321-5553. L, D, WB, $-$$

CATHERINE & MARY’S—A variety of pastas, grilled quail, pâté, razor clams, and monkfish are among the dishes served at this Italian restaurant in the Chisca. 272 S. Main. 254-8600. D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

COCOZZA AMERICAN ITALIAN—”The red sauce joint of your dreams” serves up classic Italian-American fare from the owners of Majestic Grille. Closed Sun. 110 Harbor Town Sq. 609-1111. D, $-$$

COZY CORNER—Serving up ribs, pork sandwiches, chicken, spaghetti, and more; also homemade banana pudding. Closed Mon. 735 N. Parkway. 527-9158. L, D, $

CURFEW—An elevated sports bar/American tavern concept by Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani at the Canopy Memphis Downtown hotel. 164 Union Ave. B, L, D, $-$$

ESCO RESTAURANT AND TAPAS—Shareable dishes, turkey ribs, and seafood mac’n’cheese at this 2 Chainz franchise. 156 Lt. George W. Lee Ave. 808-3726. L, D, $$-$$$

FELICIA SUZANNE’S—Elevated down-home farmhouse food, using locally sourced ingredients, served in an atmoshere of classic Southern charm. 383 S. Main. 623-7883. L, D, $$$-$$$$.

FERRARO’S CHEESY CORNER & PIZZERIA—Plenty of pizzas, along with a whole new cheese-inspired menu (fancy grilled cheeses and build-your-own mac and cheese bowls). 111 Jackson. 522-2033. L, D, $

FISHBOWL AT THE PYRAMID—Burgers, fish dishes, sandwiches, and more served in a unique “underwater” setting. Bass Pro, 1 Bass Pro Drive, 291-8000. B, L, D, $-$$

FLAME RAMEN—Traditional Japanese ramen restaurant serving up bowls of noodles. 61 S. Second St. 441-6686. L, D, wheelchair accessible, $-$$

FLIGHT RESTAURANT & WINE BAR—Steaks and seafood, with such specialties as bison ribeye and Muscovy duck, all matched with appropriate wines. 39 S. Main. 521-8005. D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

FLYING FISH—Serves up fried and grilled versions of shrimp, crab, oysters, fish tacos, and catfish; also chicken and burgers. 105 S. Second. 522-8228. L, D, $-$$

GARDEN BRUNCH CAFÉ—Fish and grits, steak and eggs, and other upscale takes on Southern brunch classics. 492 S. Main St. 249-7450. B, L, $$

THE GENRE—Burgers, tenders, catfish, and plenty of vegan options made to order at this music-themed restaurant/lounge. 200 Poplar, Suite 105. 410-8169. B, L, D, $-$$

GOOD FORTUNE CO.—Authentic handcrafted noodles, ramen, and dumplings. 361 S. Main. 561-306-4711. L, D, $-$$

THE GOURMET GALLERY—A variety of elevated comfort dishes, like fried ribs and waffles, shrimp and grits, grilled salmon, and more. Closed Mon. 412 S. Main St. 848-4691. L, D, $-$$$

GROOVY GRATITUDE—Offers a vibrant selection of cold-pressed juices, handcrafted smoothies, and healthy eats like paninis and acai bowls. Closed Sun. 605 N. Second St. 417-8007. B, L, WB, $

GUS’S WORLD FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN—Serves chicken with signature spicy batter, along with homemade beans, slaw, and pies. 310 S. Front. 527-4877; 3100 Forest Hill Irene (Germantown). 853-6005; 2965 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 373-9111; 730 S. Mendenhall. 767-2323; 505 Highway 70 W., Mason, TN. 901-294-2028. L, D, MRA, $

DINING SYMBOLS

B — breakfast

L — lunch

D — dinner

SB — Sunday brunch

WB — weekend brunch

MRA — member, Memphis Restaurant Association

$ — under $15 per person without drinks or desserts

$$ — under $25

$$$ — $26-$50

CHEZ PHILIPPE—Classical/contemporary French cuisine with Asian and Nordic influences, presented in a luxurious atmosphere with seasonal tasting menus from chef Keith Clinton. Afternoon tea served Thu.-Sun., noon-3:30 p.m. (reservations required). Closed Sun.-Tues. The Peabody, 149 Union. 529-4188. D, MRA, $$$$

$$$$ — over $50

CIMAS—It’s breakfast tacos, shrimp and grits, chilaquiles verdes, and plenty of other Southern and Latin-American twists at the Hyatt Centric. 33 Beale St. 444-3232. B, L, D, $-$$$

HIVE BAGEL & DELI Bagels, bagels, and more bagels at this new downtown deli offering baked goods, sandwiches, and salads. Closed Mon./Tue. 276 S. Front St. 509-2946. B, L, $

HU. ROOF—Rooftop cocktail bar serves toasts with a variety of toppings including beef tartare with cured egg, cognac, and capers or riced cauliflower with yellow curry, currants, and almonds. Also salads, fish tacos, and boiled peanut hummus. 79 Madison. 333-1229. D, $

HUSTLE & DOUGH BAKERY & CAFE Flaky, baked breakfast goodness every day with fresh pastries, sandwiches, and more at Arrive Hotel. 477 S. Main St., 701-7577. B, L, $

ITTA BENA—Southern and Cajun-American cuisine served here, located above B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale St.; specialties are duck and waffles and shrimp and grits, along with steaks, chops, seafood, and pasta. 145 Beale St. 578-3031. D, MRA, $$-$$$

JEM DINING—Chef Josh Mutchnick offers a dining experience that’s memorable, refined, unpretentious, and welcoming with dishes from around the world. Closed Sun./Mon./Tue. 644 Madison Ave. 286-1635. D, $$-$$$

KINFOLK—Breakfast with a side of nostalgia in Harbor Town. Specialties include biscuit sandwiches, steak and omelet plate, and brown butter mushrooms with jammy egg over grits. 111 Harbor Town Square location temporarily closed for repairs; offering Sunday pop-ups at HARD TIMES DELI. 457-5463. B, L, SB, WB, $-$$

KING & UNION BAR GROCERY—Classic Southern favorites including catfish plate, pimento cheese, po-boys, chicken & waffles. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with cocktails served with flair and favorite Memphis beers. Locally made confections available in the grocery. 185 Union Ave. 523-8500. B, L, D, $-$$

KOOKY CANUCK—Home of the four-pound Kookamonga Burger (no charge to anyone who can eat it in less than 60 minutes), plus other (smaller) burgers, sandwiches, wings, soups, and salads. 57 S. Second, 901-578-9800. L,D, MRA, $-$$

LITTLE BETTIE—New Haven-style pizzas and snacks from the Andrew-Michael team at Wiseacre’s Downtown location. 398 S. B.B. King Blvd. 334-9411. L, D, $-$$

THE LOBBYIST AT THE CHISCA—Chef Jimmy Gentry brings his farm-to-table ideas downtown, with seasonal, and sometimes weekly, new menus, and an emphasis on creative vegetable dishes. Closed Sun. 272 S. Main St., Suite 101. 249-2170. D, $$-$$$$

LOFLIN YARD—Beer garden and restaurant serves vegetarian fare and smoked-meat dishes, including beef brisket and pork tenderloin, cooked on a custom-made grill. Closed Mon.-Tues. 7 W. Carolina. 249-3046. L (Sat. and Sun.), D, MRA, $-$$

THE LOOKOUT AT THE PYRAMID—Serves seafood and Southern fare, including cornmeal-fried oysters, sweet tea brined chicken, and elk chops. 1 Bass Pro Dr. 620-4600/291-8200. L, D, $-$$$

LUNA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE—Serving a limited menu of breakfast and lunch items. Dinner entrees include citrus glaze salmon and Cajun stuffed chicken. 179 Madison (Hotel Napoleon). 526-0002. B, D (Mon.-Sat.), $-$$$

MACIEL’S—Entrees include tortas, fried taco plates, quesadillas, chorizo and pastor soft tacos, salads, and more. Closed Sun. 45 S. Main. 526-0037, MRA, $

MAHOGANY RIVER TERRACE—Upscale Southern restaurant offers such dishes as coffee-rubbed lamb chops and baked Cajun Cornish hen. Closed for dinner Sun. and all day Mon.-Tues. 280 Island Drive, 901-249-9774. L, D, SB, $-$$$

THE MAJESTIC GRILLE—Features aged steaks, fresh seafood, and such specialties as roasted chicken and grilled pork tenderloin; offers a pre-theater menu and classic cocktails. Well-stocked bar. 145 S. Main. 522-8555. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$$

McEWEN’S—Southern/American cuisine with international flavors; specialties include steak and seafood, sweet potato-crusted catfish with macaroni and cheese, and more. Closed Sun., Monroe location. 120 Monroe. 527-7085; 1110 Van Buren (Oxford). 662-234-7003. L, D, SB (Oxford only), MRA, $$-$$$ MESQUITE CHOP HOUSE—The focus here is on steaks, including prime fillet, rib-eyes, and prime-aged New York strip; also, some seafood options. 5960 Getwell (Southaven). 662-890-2467; 88 Union. 5275337. 249-5661. D, SB, $$-$$$

MOLLIE FONTAINE LOUNGE—Specializes in tapas (small plates) featuring global cuisine. Closed Sun.-Tues. 679 Adams Ave. 524-1886. D, MRA, $

MOMMA’S ROADHOUSE—This diner and dive at Highway 55 serves up smoked wings, burgers, and beer, among other solid bar-food options 855 Kentucky. 207-5111. L, D, MRA, $

PAULETTE’S—Presents fine dining with a Continental flair, including such entrees as filet Paulette with butter cream sauce and crabmeat and spinach crepes; also changing daily specials and great views. River Inn. 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3300. B, L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$$

RENDEZVOUS, CHARLES VERGOS’—Menu items include barbecued ribs, cheese plates, skillet shrimp, red beans and rice, and Greek salads. Closed Sun.-Mon. 52 S. Second. 523-2746. L (Fri.Sat.), D, $-$$

ROCK’N DOUGH—A blend of Italian and American foods like artisan pizza, salads, pasta, burgers, and house-brewed beers. 704 Madison Ave. 587-6256. L, D, $-$$

SABOR CARIBE—Serving up “Caribbean flavors” with dishes from Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Closed Sunday. 662 Madison. 949-8100. L, D, $

SAGE—Restaurant and lounge features daily lunch specials and tapas with such dishes as braised short ribs, teriyaki pulled pork, and the Sage burger made with Angus beef, avocado mash, fried egg, and flash-fried sage. 94 S. Main. 672-7902. L, D, WB, $-$$

SILLY GOOSE LOUNGE—Gourmet, wood-fired pizzas and handcrafted cocktails at this downtown restaurant and lounge. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 111. 435-6915. L, D, $

SOUTH MAIN SUSHI & GRILL—Serving sushi, nigiri, and more. 520 S. Main. 249-2194. L, D, $

SOB—Elevated gastropub that serves favorites like general Tso’s cauliflower or duck fried rice. 345 S. Main. 526-0388; 5040 Sanderlin (East Memphis). 818-0821; 1329 W. Poplar Ave. 286-1360. L, D, WB, $-$$

SOUTH POINT GROCERY—Fresh and delicious sandwiches made to order at Downtown’s new grocery market. 136 Webster Ave. B, L, D, $ SUGAR GRITS—Who said breakfast has to be in the morning? The Westmorelands offer grits and other breakfast goodness all day long, in addition to other Southern-style lunch and dinner options. 150 Peabody Pl., Suite 111. 249-5206. B, L, D, $-$$

SUNRISE MEMPHIS—Serves breakfast all day, including house-made biscuits, frittatas, kielbasa or boudin plates, and breakfast platters. 670 Jefferson. 552-3144; 5469 Poplar Ave. (East Memphis). 844-6117. B, L, MRA, $

TERRACE—Creative American and Continental cuisine includes such dishes as filet mignon, beef or lamb sliders, chicken satay, and mushroom pizzetta. Rooftop, River Inn of Harbor Town, 50 Harbor Town Square. 260-3366. D, MRA, $$

TEXAS DE BRAZIL—Serves beef, pork, lamb, and chicken dishes, and Brazilian sausage; also a salad bar with extensive toppings. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 103. 526-7600. L (Wed.-Fri.), D, WB, $$-$$$

TUG’S—Famous for New Orleans gumbo, fabulous burgers, fried thin catfish, and specialty pancakes. Now serving Grisanti Crafted Pizza. 51 Harbor Town Square. 260-3344. B, L, D, WB, $$-$$$

WAHLBURGERS WILD—Wahlburgers brings its classic menu, but with a few gamey twists at the Bass Pro Pyramid. 1 Bass Pro Drive. B, L, D, $-$$

WESTY’S—Extensive menu includes a variety of wild rice dishes, sandwiches, plate lunches, and hot fudge pie. 346 N. Main. 543-3278. L, D, $

WINGMAN—Downtown lounge and hookah bar offering wings galore with ten signature sauces, and plenty of other goodies. 143 Madison Ave. L, D, WB, $-$$

MIDTOWN (INCLUDES THE MEDICAL CENTER)

ABNER’S FAMOUS CHICKEN—Fried chicken tenders and dipping sauces galore at this Mid-South staple. 1350 Concourse Ave, Suite 137. 425-2597; (East Memphis) 1591 Poplar Ave. 509-3351; (Cordova) 1100 N. Germantown Pkwy. 754-5355. L, D, $-$$

ABYSSINIA RESTAURANT—Ethiopian/Mediterranean menu includes beef, chicken, lamb, fish entrees, and vegetarian dishes; also a lunch buffet. 2600 Poplar. 321-0082. L, D, $-$$

ART BAR—Inventive cocktails feature locally foraged ingredients; snacks include house-cured salt & vinegar potato chips and herb-roasted olives. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue #280. 507-8030. D, $ ASHTAR GARDEN—Southern twists on classic brunch dishes, and plenty of cocktails. Closed Mon.-Wed. 898 Cooper St. 4431514. L, D, $-$$

BABALU TACOS & TAPAS—Spanish-style tapas with Southern flair; also taco and enchilada of the day; specials change daily. 2115 Madison. 274-0100; 6450 Poplar, 410-8909. L, D, SB, MRA, $-$$

BAIN BARBECUE & BAKERY—Brian Bain’s popular Texas-style barbecue is back, alongside an assortment of baked goods. 993 S. Cooper. 310-4141. B, L, $-$$

BAR DKDC—Features an ever-changing menu of international “street food,” from Thai to Mexican, Israeli to Indian, along with specialty cocktails. 964 S. Cooper. 272-0830. D, MRA, $

BAR KEOUGH—It’s old-school eats and cocktails at the new CooperYoung neighborhood corner bar by Kevin Keough. 247 Cooper St. D, $ BAR-B-Q SHOP—Dishes up barbecued ribs, spaghetti, bologna, other classics. Closed Sun. 1782 Madison. 272-1277. L, D, MRA, $-$$

BARI RISTORANTE ENOTECA—Authentic Southeastern Italian cuisine (Puglia) emphasizes lighter entrees. Serves fresh fish and beef dishes and a homemade soup of the day. 524 S. Cooper. 722-2244. D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

BARKSDALE RESTAURANT—Old-school diner serving breakfast and Southern plate lunches. 237 S. Cooper. 722-2193. B, L, D, $ BAYOU BAR & GRILL—New Orleans fare at this Overton Square eatery includes jambalaya, gumbo, catfish Acadian, shrimp dishes, red beans and rice, and muffalettas. 2094 Madison. 278-8626. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$

BEAUTY SHOP—Modern American cuisine with international flair served in a former beauty shop. Serves steaks, salads, pasta,

and seafood, including pecan-crusted golden sea bass. Perennial “Best Brunch” winner. Closed for dinner Sunday. 966 S. Cooper. 272-7111. L, D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

BOSCOS—Tennessee’s first craft brewery serves a variety of freshly brewed beers as well as wood-fired oven pizzas, pasta, seafood, steaks, and sandwiches. 2120 Madison. 432-2222. L, D, SB (with live jazz), MRA, $-$$

BROADWAY PIZZA—Serving a variety of pizzas, including the Broadway Special, as well as sandwiches, salads, wings, and soul-food specials. 2581 Broad. 454-7930; 627 S. Mendenhall. 207-1546. L, D, $-$$

CAFE 1912—French/American bistro owned by culinary pioneer Glenn Hays serving such seafood entrees as seared sea scallops with charred cauliflower purée and chorizo cumin sauce; also crepes, salads, and onion soup gratinée. 243 S. Cooper. 722-2700. D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

CAFE ECLECTIC—Omelets and chicken and waffles are among menu items, along with quesadillas, sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Menu varies by location. 603 N. McLean. 725-1718; 111 Harbor Town Square. 590-4645. B, L, D, SB, MRA, $

CAFE PALLADIO—Serves gourmet salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts in a tea room inside the antiques shop. Closed Sun. 2169 Central. 278-0129. L, $

CAMEO—Three longtime Memphis bartenders join forces for creative cocktails, cheese boards, snacks, and Sunday brunch. 1835 Union Ave., Suite 3. 305-6511. D, SB, $-$$

CELTIC CROSSING—Specializes in Irish and American pub fare. Entrees include shepherd’s pie, shrimp and sausage coddle, and fish and chips. 903 S. Cooper. 274-5151. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$

CENTRAL BBQ—Serves ribs, smoked hot wings, pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, turkey, nachos, and portobello sandwiches. Offers both pork and beef barbecue. 2249 Central Ave. 272-9377; 4375 Summer Ave. 767-4672; 147 E. Butler. 672-7760 ; 6201 Poplar. 4177962. L, D, MRA, $-$$

COMPLICATED PILGRIM—Quick-serve coffee shop, bar, and restaurant all in one at The Memphian hotel. 21 S. Cooper St. 538-7309. B, L, D, $-$$

COOPER’S—“A charming experience for all ages,“ with po-boys, wraps, wings, fettucini. 959 S. Cooper. 343-0103. L, D, $-$$

THE COVE—Nautical-themed restaurant and bar serving oysters, pizzas, and more. The Stoner Pie, with tamales and fritos, is a popular dish. 2559 Broad. 730-0719. L, D, $

THE CRAZY NOODLE—Korean noodle dishes range from bibam beef noodle with cabbage, carrots, and other vegetables, to curry chicken noodle; also rice cakes served in a flavorful sauce. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 2015 Madison. 272-0928. L, D, $

ECCO—Mediterranean-inspired specialties range from rib-eye steak to seared scallops to housemade pastas and a grilled vegetable plate; also a Saturday brunch. Closed Sun.-Mon. 1585 Overton Park. 410-8200. B, L, D, $-$$

EVERGREEN GRILL—Serving classic American cuisine like patty melts, burgers, phillies, and more to bring you the comforting taste of home. Closed Mon./Tue. 212 N. Evergreen St. 779-7065. L, D, X,$$-$$$

FARM BURGER—Serves grass-fed, freshly ground, locally sourced burgers; also available with chicken, pork, or veggie quinoa patties, with such toppings as aged white cheddar, kale coleslaw, and roasted beets. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 175. 800-1851. L, D, $

FAWN—Seasonal, tapas-style dishes (don’t miss the sourdough bread and butter) in a chic setting. Closed Mon. 937 Cooper St. 310-4890. D, SB, $$

FEAST & GRAZE—Whipped goat toast, open-faced grilled cheese, and other local pantry snacks and charcuterie boards. Closed Sun./Mon. Inside Brooks Museum, 1934 Poplar. 654-5926. L, $

FINO’S FROM THE HILL—Italian deli offers old favorites such as the Acquisto as well as a new breakfast menu. Germantown location paired with Happy Glaze Donuts. 1853 Madison. 272-FINO; 7781 Farmington Blvd. (Germantown). B, L, D, $

FLAME RAMEN—Traditional Japanese ramen restaurant serving up bowls of noodles in Midtown. 1838 Union Ave. 779-8666; 61 S. Second St., Suite 160 (downtown). D, $-$$

FLIP SIDE—Pinball meets pub in the Crosstown neighborhood, with plenty of games alongside a Caribbean- and Latin-inspired menu. Closed Mon. 1349 Autumn Ave. 207-6193. L, D, $-$$

FRIDA’S—Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex standards, including chimichangas, enchiladas, and fajitas; seafood includes shrimp and tilapia. 1718 Madison. 244-6196. L, D, $-$$

GLOBAL CAFÉ—This international food hall hosts three immigrant/refugee food entrepreneurs serving Venezuelan, Sudanese, and Syrian cuisines. Samosas, shawarma, and kabobs are among the menu items. Closed Mon. 1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 157. L, D, MRA, $

GOLDEN INDIA—Northern Indian specialties include tandoori chicken as well as lamb, beef, shrimp, and vegetarian dishes. 2097 Madison. 728-5111. L, D, $-$$

GOOD GROCERIES MARKET & CAFÉ—Providing fresh, healthy, cruelty-free meals, Good Groceries offers a classic American menu with a twist: instead of pork, they use duck for their BBQ. They also sell quesadillas, mac-and-cheese, sandwiches, and more. Closed Sun. 585 S. Cooper St. 325-1269. B, L, D, $

GROWLERS—Sports bar and eatery serves standard bar fare in addition to pasta, tacos, chicken and waffles, and light options. 1911 Poplar. 244-7904. L, D, $-$$

GUAC FRESH MEX—Authentic Mexican cuisine and four types of guacamole. Closed Sun. 782 Washington Ave. 587-4100. L, D, $ HATTIE B’S—Fried chicken spot features “hot chicken” with a variety of heat levels; from no heat to “shut the cluck up” sauce. Sides include greens, pimento mac-and-cheese, and black-eyed pea salad. 596 S. Cooper. 424-5900. L, D, $

HUEY’S—This family-friendly restaurant offers 13 different burgers, a variety of sandwiches, and delicious soups and salads. 1927 Madison. 726-4372; 1771 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 7543885; 77 S. Second (downtown). 527-2700; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-4455; 7090 Malco Blvd. (Southaven). 662-349-7097; 7825 Winchester. 624-8911; 4872 Poplar. 682-7729; 7677 Farmington Blvd. (Germantown). 318-3030; 8570 Highway 51 N. (Millington). 873-5025. L, D, MRA, $

IMAGINE VEGAN CAFE—Dishes at this fully vegan restaurant range from salads and sandwiches to full dinners, including eggplant parmesan and “beef” tips and rice; breakfast all day Sat. and Sun. 2158 Young. 654-3455. L, D, WB, $

INDIA PALACE—Tandoori chicken, lamb shish kabobs, and chicken tikka masala are among the entrees; also, vegetarian options and a daily all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. 1720 Poplar. 278-1199. L, D, $-$$

INSPIRE COMMUNITY CAFE—Serving breakfast all day, in addition to quesadillas, rice bowls, and more for lunch and dinner. 510 Tillman, Suite 110. 509-8640. B, L, D, $

JACK BROWN’S BEER AND BURGER JOINT—Another spot to satisfy your burger craving, this time with 100% American Wagyu beef. 2197 Central Ave. 512-6957. L, D, $-$$$

THE JUICE JOINT—Locally owned purveyor of cold-pressed juices, smoothies, açai bowls, and snacks. 1350 Concourse Ave. 572-1127; 3139 Poplar Ave. (East Memphis). 207-2535. B, L, $-$$

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM—Serves such Southern cuisine as po’boys, shrimp and grits, and wood-fired pizzas. 2119 Madison. 2075097. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$

LOS COMALES—Authentic Mexican cuisine, daily specials, and strong margaritas. 1322 Madison. 440-8393; 345 Madison Ave. (downtown). 590-4524; 2860 S. Perkins (East Memphis). 369-0528. L, D, $-$$

THE LIQUOR STORE—Renovated liquor store turned diner serves all-day breakfast, sandwiches, and entrees such as Salisbury steak and smothered pork chops. 2655 Broad. 405-5477; 669 S. Mendenhall Rd. (East Memphis). B, L, D, $-$$

LOUIS CONNELLY’S BAR FOR FUN TIMES & FRIENDSHIP—An upgraded dive bar with a neighborhood feel and a rockin’ SMASH burger. Closed Sun. and Mon. 322 S. Cleveland St. 433-9582. L, D, $-$$

MADISON TAVERN—Indoor and outdoor seating available, plus a full menu with a range of comfort foods and drinks on tap. 2126 Madison Ave. 417-8029. L, D, $-$$$

MARY’S B.O.T.E.—This bar of tropical escapism offers over 30 specialty drinks, pizzas, bar snacks, and a cozy interior that transports customers to the beach. 21+ only. Closed Mon. 588 S. Cooper St. No phone number. D, wheelchair accessible, $

MEMPHIS JAMAICAN KITCHEN—Authentic Jamaican specialties, including jerk chicken and oxtails. 1354 Madison Ave. L, D, $$

MEMPHIS PIZZA CAFE—Homemade pizzas are specialties; also serves sandwiches, calzones, and salads. 2087 Madison. 726-5343; 5061 Park Ave. 684-1306; 7604 W. Farmington (Germantown). 7532218; 797 W. Poplar (Collierville). 861-7800; 5627 Getwell (Southaven). 662-536-1364. L, D, $-$$

MEMPHIS TOAST—Provides authentic Memphian breakfast cuisine and features themed rooms to honor iconic Memphis figures. Specialties include French toast, shrimp and grits, and their little Lucille breakfast burrito. 954 Jackson Ave. 417-7817. B, L, WB, $-$$

MEMPHIS WHISTLE—Cocktails, cocktails, and even more delicious cocktails alongside burgers, sandwiches, and other tasty snacks. 2299 Young Ave. Closed Mon.-Tue. 236-7136. D, $-$$

MOLLY’S LA CASITA—Homemade tamales, fish tacos, a vegetarian combo, and bacon-wrapped shrimp are a few of the specialties. 2006 Madison. 726-1873. L, D, MRA, $-$$

PAYNE’S BAR-B-QUE—Opened in 1972, this family-owned barbecue joint serves ribs, smoked sausage, and chopped pork sandwiches with a standout mustard slaw and homemade sauce. About as down-to-earth as it gets. 1762 Lamar. 272-1523. L, D, $-$$

PETALS OF A PEONY—Authentic Chinese restaurant serving chicken, fish, tofu, and more, smothered in spicy sauces. 2110 Madison Ave. 207-6680. L, D, $-$$$

SALTWATER CRAB—Offers an array of seafood dishes including boils with blue crab, crab legs, lobster tails, and more, and specialty sushi like the Dynamite or Royal King rolls, in addition to signature sangrias and cocktails. 2059 Madison Ave. 922-5202. L, D, $$

THE SECOND LINE—Kelly English brings “relaxed Creole cuisine” to his newest eatery; serves a variety of po’boys and such specialties as barbecue shrimp, andouille shrimp, and pimento cheese fries. 2144 Monroe. 590-2829. L, D, WB, $-$$

SEKISUI—Japanese fusion cuisine, fresh sushi bar, grilled meats and seafood, California rolls, and vegetarian entrees. Poplar/ Perkins location’s emphasis is on Pacific Rim cuisine. Menu and hours vary at each location. 25 Belvedere. 725-0005; 1884 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 309-8800; 4724 Poplar. 767-7770; 2130 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-0622; 2990 Kirby-Whitten (Bartlett). 377-2727; 6696 Poplar. 747-0001. L, D, $-$$$

SEN TRANG—Serving a wide variety of Chinese and Vietnamese soups, stir-fries, and noodles. 1615 Madison Ave. 276-0006. L, D, wheelchair accessible, $-$$

SLICE MIDTOWN—Serving New York-style pizza as well as subs and pasta dishes (formerly known as Little Italy). 1495 Union. 725-0280; L, D, $-$$

SMOKY CITY BBQ—Serving authentic Memphis barbeque, including burgers, ribs, wings, and daily specials. Closed Sun. 1023 Jackson Ave. 425-3115. L, D, $-$$$

SOUL FISH CAFE—Serving Southern-style soul food, tacos, and po’boys, including catfish, crawfish, oyster, shrimp, chicken, and smoked pork tenderloin. 862 S. Cooper. 725-0722; 3160 Village Shops Dr. (Germantown). 755-6988; 4720 Poplar. 590-0323. L, D, MRA, $-$$

STICKEM—Brick-and-mortar location for the popular food truck, which offers grilled meat on a stick. 1788 Madison. Closed Sunday. 474-7214. L, D, $

TEKILA MEXICAN CUISINE—Mexican cuisine with a modern twist. Specialties include chicken mole, enchiladas verde, and the trio special. 1433 Union Ave. 510-5734. L, D, WB, wheelchair accessible, $-$$$

TAMBOLI’S PASTA & PIZZA—Pasta-maker Miles Tamboli whips up Italian soul food with seasonal menus featuring dishes like crispy fried chicken or creamy bucatini with pecorino cheese. Serves dinner Tues.-Sat. 1761 Madison. 410-8866. D, $-$$

TAKASHI BISTRO—Fusion restaurant with an open kitchen that lets customers watch chefs prepare a variety of Japanese and Thai cuisine. 1680 Union Ave., Suite 109. 800-2936. L, D, $-$$.

TONICA—Paella and other Spanish-inspired dishes with an Italian touch, alongside an extensive list of gin and tonics. 1545 Overton Park. Closed Mon.-Wed. D, $-$$

TSUNAMI—Features Pacific Rim cuisine (Asia, Australia, South Pacific, etc.); also a changing “small plate” menu. Chef Ben Smith is a Cooper-Young pioneer. Specialties include Asian nachos and roasted sea bass. Closed Sunday. 928 S. Cooper. 274-2556. D, MRA, $$-$$$

TUYEN’S ASIAN BISTRO—A variety of Asian dishes from the minds and chefs behind Saigon Le. Closed Sun. 288 N. Cleveland. L, D, $-$$

ZINNIE’S—Dive bar classic reopens with a makeover and signature Zinnaloni sandwich. 1688 Madison. 726-5004. L, D, $

SOUTH MEMPHIS (INCLUDES PARKWAY VILLAGE, FOX MEADOWS, SOUTH MEMPHIS, WINCHESTER, AND WHITEHAVEN)

BALA’S BISTRO—Authentic West African cuisine available to order or by the pound, alongside traditional American dishes and an extensive vegan menu. 4571 Elvis Presley Blvd. 509-3024. L, D, $-$$ CACHE 42 KITCHEN & COCKTAILS—Elevated fine dining (think golden rack of lamb or lobster queso) and cocktail lounge at MoneyBagg Yo’s restaurant; menu by chef Daris Leatherwood. Brunch and lunch

options coming soon. 4202 Hacks Cross Rd., Suite 121. 494-5458. D, $-$$

COLETTA’S—Longtime eatery serves such specialties as homemade ravioli, lasagna, and pizza with barbecue or traditional toppings. 1063 S. Parkway E. 948-7652; 2850 Appling Rd. (Bartlett). 383-1122. L, D, $-$$

CURRY BOWL—Specializes in Southern Indian cuisine, serving Tandoori chicken, biryani, tikka masala, and more. Weekend buffet. 4141 Hacks Cross Rd. 207-6051. L, D, $

DELTA’S KITCHEN—The premier restaurant at The Guest House at Graceland serves Elvis-inspired dishes — like Nutella and Peanut Butter Crepes for breakfast — and upscale Southern cuisine — including lamb chops and shrimp and grits — for dinner. 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd. 443-3000. B, D, $-$$$

DWJ KOREAN BARBECUE—This authentic Korean eatery serves kimbap, barbecued beef short ribs, rice and noodles dishes, and hot pots and stews. 3750 Hacks Cross Rd., Suite 101. 746-8057; 2156 Young. 207-6204. L, D, $-$$

FABULOUS FLAVORS & FRIENDS ”The Candy Lady” Precious Thompson Jones comes up with a little bit of everything: omelettes, quesadillas, t-bones and waffles, and plenty of soul food. 2063 E. Brooks Rd. 314-0735. L, D, $

THE FOUR WAY—Legendary soul-food establishment dishing up such entrees as fried and baked catfish, chicken, and turkey and dressing, along with a host of vegetables and desserts. Around the corner from the legendary Stax Studio. Closed Mon. 998 Mississippi Blvd. 507-1519. L, D, $

HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY No one cares how late it gets; not at Hernando’s Hideaway. Live music, killer happy hour, and plenty of bar fare at this South Memphis hang. 3210 Old Hernando Rd. 917-982-1829. L, D, $

INTERSTATE BAR-B-Q—Specialties include chopped pork-shoulder sandwiches, ribs, hot wings, spaghetti, chicken, and turkey. 2265 S. Third. 775-2304; 150 W. Stateline Rd. (Southaven). 662-393-5699. L, D, $-$$

JIM & SAMELLA’S—It’s a revolving menu of soul food delight from Chef Talbert Fleming, with anything from Southern ribs to fried tamales. 841 Bullington Ave. 265-8761. L, D, $

LEONARD’S—Serves wet and dry ribs, barbecue sandwiches, spaghetti, catfish, homemade onion rings, and lemon icebox pie; also a lunch buffet. 5465 Fox Plaza. 360-1963. L, $-$$

MARLOWE’S—In addition to its signature barbecue and ribs, Marlowe’s serves Southern-style steaks, chops, lasagna, and more. 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd. 332-4159. D, MRA, $-$$

UNCLE LOU’S FRIED CHICKEN—Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for good reason: fried chicken (mild, hot, or home-style); jumbo burgers four patties high; strawberry shortcake, and assorted fruit pies. 3633 Millbranch. 332-2367. L, D, MRA, $ SUMMER / BERCLAIR / RALEIGH / BARTLETT

BISCUITS & JAMS—Biscuits, waffles, French toast, and plenty of sharables at this Bartlett breakfast spot. Closed Mon./Tue. 5806 Stage Rd. 672-7905. B, L, $

BRYANT’S BREAKFAST—Three-egg omelets, pancakes, and The Sampler Platter are among the popular entrees here. Possibly the best biscuits in town. Closed Mon. and Tues. 3965 Summer. 324-7494. B, L, $ CEVICHERIA AND GRILL CHILEMON—Ceviche, of course, but also plenty of other postres, aperitivos, and mixed grilled meat and seafood feasts. Closed Sun. 4509 Summer Ave. 672-7905. L, D, $

CHEF FLAVAS AND BARTLETT BREAKFAST FACTORY

”Flavaful” sandwiches, soups, pastas, and more from the makers of the popular local spinach artichoke dip. Traditional breakfast options served by Bartlett Breakfast Factory. Closed Sun./Mon. 6301 Stage Rd. 779-2200. B, L, D, $-$$

DIM SUM KING—All the best from a selection of authentic Chinese dishes: roasted duck, sizzling hot plate, Cantonese BBQ, and plenty more. 5266 Summer Ave. Suite 65. 766-0831. L, D, $-$$

ELWOOD’S SHACK—Casual comfort food includes tacos, pizza, and sandwiches. Specialties include meats smoked in-house (chicken, turkey, brisket, pork), barbecue pizza, and steelhead trout tacos. 4523 Summer. 761-9898. B, L, D, $

EXLINES’ BEST PIZZA—Serves pizza, Italian dinners, sandwiches, and salads. 6250 Stage Rd. 382-3433; 2935 Austin Peay. 388-4711; 2801 Kirby Parkway. 754-0202; 7730 Wolf River Blvd. (Germantown). 753-4545; 531 W. Stateline Rd. 662-342-4544. L, D, MRA, $

HABANA CLUB RESTAURANT, BAR & GRILLE—Offering authentic Cuban fare. 6110 Macon Rd. 480-8173. L, D, $-$$

LA TAQUERIA GUADALUPANA—Fajitas and quesadillas are just a few of the authentic Mexican entrees offered here. A bona-fide Memphis institution. 4818 Summer. 685-6857; 5848 Winchester. 365-4992. L, D, $

LOTUS—Authentic Vietnamese-Asian fare, including lemon-grass chicken and shrimp, egg rolls, Pho soup, and spicy Vietnamese vermicelli. 4970 Summer. 682-1151. D, $

MORTIMER’S—Contemporary American entrees include trout almondine, chicken dishes, and hand-cut steaks; also sandwiches, salads, and daily/nightly specials. A Memphis landmark since the Knickerbocker closed. Closed for lunch Sat.-Sun. 590 N. Perkins. 761-9321. L, D, $-$$

NAGASAKI INN—Chicken, steak, and lobster are among the main courses; meal is cooked at your table. 3951 Summer. 454-0320. D, $$

NAM KING—General Tso’s chicken, hot and sour soup, and homemade chicken wings are back at the longtime Raleigh Chinese eatery. 3624 Austin Peay Highway, Suite 3. 373-4411. L, D, $-$$

PANCAKE SHOP—Classic breakfast items plus meat-and-three lunches, sandwiches, soups, salads. Open 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every day except Wednesday. 4838 Summer. 767-0206. B, L, $

ÓRALE TACOS & BAKERY—Tacos, enchiladas, and other traditional Southern Mexican dishes alongside baked pan dulces. 2204 Whitten Rd. 571-1786. B, L, D, $-$$

PANDA GARDEN—Sesame chicken and broccoli beef are among the Mandarin and Cantonese entrees; also seafood specials and fried rice. Closed for lunch Saturday. 3735 Summer. 323-4819. L, D, $-$$

QUEEN OF SHEBA—Featuring Middle Eastern favorites and Yemeni dishes such as lamb haneeth and saltah. 4792 Summer. 207-4174. L, D, $

SIDE PORCH STEAK HOUSE—In addition to steak, the menu includes chicken, pork chops, and fish entrees; homemade rolls are a specialty. Closed Sun./Mon. 5689 Stage Rd. 377-2484. D, $-$$

TORTILLERIA LA UNICA—Individual helping of Mexican street food, including hefty tamales, burritos, tortas, and sopes. 5015 Summer Ave. 685-0097. B, L, D, $

UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT (INCLUDES CHICKASAW GARDENS AND HIGHLAND STRIP)

A-TAN—Serves Chinese and Japanese hibachi cuisine, complete with sushi bar. A specialty is Four Treasures with garlic sauce. 3445 Poplar, Suite 17, University Center. 452-4477. L, D, $-$$$

BROTHER JUNIPER’S—This little cottage is a breakfast mecca, offering specialty omelets, including the open-faced San Diegan omelet; also daily specials, and homemade breads and pastries. Closed Mon. 3519 Walker. 324-0144. B, $

CHAR RESTAURANT—Specializing in modern Southern cuisine, this eatery offers homestyle sides, charbroiled steaks, and fresh seafood. 431 S. Highland, Suite 120. 249-3533. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$$ EL PORTON—Fajitas, quesadillas, and steak ranchero are just a few of the menu items. 2095 Merchants Row (Germantown). 754-4268; 8361 Highway 64. 380-7877; 3448 Poplar (Poplar Plaza). 452-7330; 1805 N. Germantown Parkway (Cordova). 624-9358; 1016 W. Poplar (Collierville). 854-5770. L, D, MRA, $-$$

PLANT BASED HEAT All of your favorite Southern-style recipes, but deliciously transformed into a vegan format. Specialties include the spicy fye junt burger, or the chopped ‘n’ smoked BBQ jackfruit sandwich. Closed Sun. 669 S. Highland St.; 363 S. Front St. (downtown). L, D, $

EAST MEMPHIS (INCLUDES POPLAR / I-240)

ACRE—Features seasonal modern American cuisine in an avante-garde setting using locally sourced products; also small plates and enclosed garden patio. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 690 S. Perkins. 818-2273. L, D, $$-$$$

AGAVOS COCINA & TEQUILA—Camaron de Tequila, tamales, kabobs, and burgers made with a blend of beef and chorizo are among the offerings at this tequila-centric restaurant and bar. 2924 Walnut Grove. 433-9345. L, D, $-$$

AMERIGO—Traditional and contemporary Italian cuisine includes pasta, wood-fired pizza, steaks, and cedarwood-roasted fish. 1239 Ridgeway, Park Place Mall. 761-4000. L, D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

ANDALUSIA— Authentic Moroccan cuisine, including tagines, brochettes, and briouates. 5101 Sanderlin Ave., Suite 103. 236-7784. L, D, $-$$

ANDREW MICHAEL ITALIAN KITCHEN—Traditional Italian cuisine with a menu from two of the city’s top chefs that

changes seasonally with such entrees as Maw Maw’s ravioli. Closed Sun.-Mon. 712 W. Brookhaven Circle. 347-3569. D, MRA, $$-$$$

ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFE—Offering several varieties of eggs Benedict, waffles, omelets, pancakes, beignets, and other breakfast fare; also burgers, sandwiches, and salads. 6063 Park Ave. 729-7020; 65 S. Highland. 623-7122. B, L, WB, $

BANGKOK ALLEY—Thai fusion cuisine includes noodle and curry dishes, chef-specialty sushi rolls, coconut soup, and duck and seafood entrees. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. at Brookhaven location; call for hours. 715 W. Brookhaven Circle. 590-2585; 2150 W. Poplar at Houston Levee (Collierville). 854-8748. L, D, $-$$

BELLE MEADE SOCIAL—Upscale Americana cuisine including lamb lollipops, spicy tuna stack, and steak & noodle salad. 518 Perkins Extd. 480-7054. L, D, $-$$$

BELMONT GRILL—Burgers, steak sandwiches, and other classic American fare at one of Memphis’ longstanding bars. 4970 Poplar. 767-0305. L, D, $-$$

BENIHANA—This Japanese steakhouse serves beef, chicken, and seafood grilled at the table; some menu items change monthly; sushi bar also featured. 912 Ridge Lake Blvd. 767-8980. L, D, $$-$$$

BIG BAD BREAKFAST—Fresh biscuits, house-made cured meats, jams, jellies, and more for the most important meal of the day. 6450 Poplar. 881-3346. B, L, $-$$

BOG & BARLEY—An all-Irish fine dining experience by the owners of Celtic Crossing, and a full bar with plenty of beer and 25-year-old Macallan. 6150 Poplar, Suite 124. 805-2262. L, D, WB, $-$$

BROOKLYN BRIDGE ITALIAN RESTAURANT—Specializing in such homemade entrees as spinach lasagna and lobster ravioli; a seafood specialty is horseradish-crusted salmon. Closed Sun. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 755-7413. D, $-$$$

CAPITAL GRILLE—Known for its dry-aged, hand-carved steaks; among the specialties are bone-in sirloin, and porcini-rubbed Delmonico; also seafood entrees and seasonal lunch plates. Closed for lunch Sat.Sun. Crescent Center, 6065 Poplar. 683-9291. L, D, $$$-$$$$

CASABLANCA—Lamb shawarma is one of the fresh, homemade specialties served at this Mediterranean/Moroccan restaurant; fish entrees and vegetarian options also available. 5030 Poplar. 725-8557; 1707 Madison. 421-6949. L, D, $-$$

CHUKIS TACOS 2—Traditional homestyle Mexican recipes. 3445 Poplar Ave., Suite 1. 888-4139. B, L, D, $-$$

CIAO BELLA—Among the Italian and Greek specialties are lasagna, seafood pasta, gourmet pizzas, and vegetarian options. 5101 Sanderlin Ave. 205-2500. D, MRA, $-$$$

CITY SILO TABLE + PANTRY—With a focus on clean eating, this establishment offers fresh juices, as well as comfort foods re-imagined with wholesome ingredients. 5101 Sanderlin. 729-7687. Germantown: 7605 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 2. 236-7223. B, L, D, $ COASTAL FISH COMPANY—Upscale offerings of international fish varieties utilizing styles ranging from the Carribbean, East Coast, West Coast, China, Philippines, and more. 415 Great View Dr. E., Suite 101. 266-9000. D, $$-$$$

CORKY’S—Popular barbecue emporium offers both wet and dry ribs, plus a full menu of other barbecue entrees. Wed. lunch buffets, Cordova and Collierville. 5259 Poplar. 685-9744; 1740 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 737-1911; 743 W. Poplar (Collierville). 405-4999; 6434 Goodman Rd., Olive Branch. 662-893-3663. L, D, MRA, $-$$ THE CRAZY COOP—Plenty of hot wings and sauces, plus sandwiches and other dinner plates. 1315 Ridgeway Rd. 748-5325; 7199 Stage Rd. (Bartlett). 433-9212. L, D, $-$$

DAN MCGUINNESS PUB—Serves fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, burgers, and other Irish and American fare; also lunch and dinner specials. 4694 Spottswood. 761-3711; 3964 Goodman Rd. 662-8907611. L, D, $

ERLING JENSEN—For decades, Chef Erling has presented “globally inspired” cuisine to die for. Specialties are rack of lamb, big-game entrees, and fresh fish dishes. 1044 S. Yates. 763-3700. D, MRA, $$-$$$

ERLING JENSEN SMALL BITES—Enjoy Erling Jensen’s specialty dishes in a sharable, small-plate format alongside TopGolf Swing suites. 5069 Sanderlin Ave. 587-9464. L, D, $-$$$

FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE—Serves wet-aged and dry-aged steaks, prime beef, chops, and seafood, including salmon, Australian lobster tails, and a catch of the day. 6245 Poplar. 761-6200. D, MRA, $$$-$$$$

FOLK’S FOLLY ORIGINAL PRIME STEAK HOUSE Specializes in prime steaks, as well as lobster, grilled Scottish

salmon, Alaskan king crab legs, rack of lamb, and weekly specials. 551 S. Mendenhall. 762-8200. D, MRA, $$$-$$$$

FORMOSA—Offers Mandarin cuisine, including broccoli beef, hotand-sour soup, and spring rolls. Closed Mon. 6685 Quince. 753-9898. L, D, $-$$

FOX RIDGE PIZZA & GRILL—Pizzas, calzones, sub sandwiches, burgers, and meat-and-two plate lunches are among the dishes served at this eatery, which opened in 1979. 711 W. Brookhaven Circle. 758-6500. L, D, $

FRATELLI’S—Serves hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts, all with an Italian/Mediterranean flair. Closed Sun. 750 Cherry Rd., Memphis Botanic Garden. 766-9900. L, $

HALF SHELL—Specializes in seafood, such as king crab legs; also serves steaks, chicken, pastas, salads, sandwiches, and a ”voodoo menu.” 688 S. Mendenhall. 682-3966; 9091 Poplar, Germantown. 590-4304. L, D, WB, MRA, $-$$$

HEN HOUSE—Hybrid wine/cocktail bar and tasting room with plenty of cosmopolitan eats. Closed Sun. 679 S. Mendenhall. 499-5436. D, $-$$$

HIGH POINT PIZZA—Serves a variety of pizzas, subs, salads, and sides. Closed Mon. A neighborhood fixture. 477 High Point Terrace. 452-3339. L, D, $-$$

HOG & HOMINY—The casual sister to Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen serves brick-oven-baked pizzas, including the Red-Eye with pork belly, and small plates with everything from meatballs to beef and cheddar hot dogs; and local veggies. Closed for lunch Mon. 707 W. Brookhaven Cir. 207-7396. L, D, SB, MRA. $-$$$

LA BAGUETTE—An almond croissant and chicken salad are among specialties at this French-style bistro. Closed for dinner Sun. 3088 Poplar. 458-0900. B, L, D (closes at 7), MRA, $

LAS DELICIAS—Popular for its guacamole, house-made tortilla chips, and margaritas, this restaurant draws diners with its chicken enchiladas, meat-stuffed flautas, and Cuban torta with spicy pork. Closed Sun. 4002 Park Ave. 458-9264; 5689 Quince. 800-2873. L, D, $

LIBRO AT LAURELWOOD—Bookstore eatery features a variety of sandwiches, salads, and homemade pasta dishes, with Italian-inspired options such as carbonara and potato gnocchi. Closed for dinner Sun. 387 Perkins Ext. (inside Novel). 800-2656. B, L, D, SB, $-$$

LITTLE ITALY EAST—New York-style pizzas galore and homemade pasta. Closed Sun. 6300 Poplar Ave., Ste. 113. 729-7432. L, $-$$

MAGNOLIA & MAY—Southern-inspired, family-owned, casual dining restaurant serving up a variety of sandwiches, chef-inspired dishes, and craft cocktails. Popular items include shrimp and grits and the double cheeseburger. Closed Mon. 718 Mt. Moriah Rd. 676-8100. L, D, WB, MRA. $$-$$$

MANDE DIBI WEST AFRICAN BBQ GRILL—Pairs traditional West African BBQ with Memphis BBQ for a menu that offers a wide variety of flavors, including daily specials and vegan-friendly options. 6825 Winchester Rd. 672-8995. L, D, $-$$$

MARCIANO MEDITERRANEAN AND ITALIAN CUISINE—Veal Saltimbocca with angel-hair pasta and white wine sauce is among the entrees; also steaks, seafood, and gourmet pizza. 780 E. Brookhaven Cir. 682-1660. D, $-$$

MAYURI INDIAN CUISINE—Serves tandoori chicken, masala dosa, tikka masala, as well as lamb and shrimp entrees; also a daily lunch buffet, and dinner buffet on Fri.-Sat. 6524 Quince Rd. 753-8755. L, D, $-$$

MOSA ASIAN BISTRO—Specialties include sesame chicken, Thai calamari, rainbow panang curry with grouper fish, and other Pan Asian/ fusion entrees. Closed Mon. 850 S. White Station Rd. 683-8889. L, D, MRA, $

NAM KING—Offers luncheon and dinner buffets, dim sum, and such specialties as fried dumplings, pepper steak, and orange chicken. 4594 Yale. 373-4411. L, D, $

NAPA CAFE—Among the specialties are miso-marinated salmon over black rice with garlic spinach and shiitake mushrooms. Closed Sun. 5101 Sanderlin, Suite 122. 683-0441. L, D, MRA, $$-$$$

ONE & ONLY BBQ—On the menu are pork barbecue sandwiches, platters, wet and dry ribs, smoked chicken and turkey platters, a smoked meat salad, barbecue quesadillas, Brunswick Stew, and Millie’s homemade desserts. 1779 Kirby Pkwy. 751-3615; 567 Perkins Extd. 249-4227. L, D, $

ONO POKÉ—This eatery specializes in poké — a Hawaiian dish of fresh fish salad served over rice. Menu includes a variety of poké bowls, like the Kimchi Tuna bowl, or customers can build their own by choosing a base, protein, veggies, and toppings. 3145 Poplar. 618-2955. L, D, $

OWEN BRENNAN’S—New Orleans-style menu of beef, chicken, pasta, and seafood; jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and crawfish etouffee are specialties. Closed for dinner Sun. The Regalia, 6150 Poplar. 761-0990. L, D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

PARK + CHERRY—The Dixon offers casual dining within the museum. Seasonal menu features sandwiches, like rustic chicken salad on croissant, as well as salads, snacks, and sweets. Closed for breakfast Sun. and all day Mon. 4339 Park (Dixon Gallery and Gardens). 761-5250. L, $

PATRICK’S—Serves barbecue nachos, burgers, and entrees such as fish and chips; also plate lunches and daily specials. 4972 Park. 682-2852. L, D, MRA, $

PETE & SAM’S—Serving Memphis for 60-plus years; offers steaks, seafood, and traditional Italian dishes, including homemade ravioli, lasagna, and chicken marsala. 3886 Park. 458-0694. D, $-$$$

PF CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO—Specialties are orange peel shrimp, Mongolian beef, and chicken in lettuce wraps; also vegetarian dishes, including spicy eggplant. 1181 Ridgeway Rd., Park Place Centre. 818-3889. L, D, $-$$

PHO SAIGON—Vietnamese fare includes beef teriyaki, roasted quail, curry ginger chicken, vegetarian options, and a variety of soups. 2946 Poplar. 458-1644. L, D, $

PYRO’S FIRE-FRESH PIZZA—Serving gourmet pizzas cooked in an open-fire oven, wide choice of toppings, and large local and craft beer selection. 1199 Ridgeway. 379-8294; 2035 Union Ave. 208-8857; 2286 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 207-1198; 3592 S. Houston Levee (Collierville). 221-8109. L, D, MRA, $

RED HOOK CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Cajun-style array of seafood including shrimp, mussels, clams, crawfish, and oysters. 3295 Poplar. 207-1960. L, D, $-$$

RED KOI—Classic Japanese cuisine offered at this family-run restaurant; hibachi steaks, sushi, seafood, chicken, and vegetables. 5847 Poplar. 767-3456. L, D, $-$$

RED PIER CAJUN SEAFOOD & BAR—Owners of Red Hook bring more Cajun-style seafood dishes. 5901 Poplar Ave. 512-5923. L, D, $-$$$

RESTAURANT IRIS—French Creole-inspired classics, such as Gulf shrimp and rice grits congee served with lap chong sausage and boiled peanuts, are served at this newly remodeled restaurant owned by Chef Kelly English, a Food and Wine “Top Ten.” 4550 Poplar. 590-2828. L, D, $$-$$$

RIVER OAKS—Chef Jose Gutierrez’s French-style bistro serves seafood and steaks, with an emphasis on fresh local ingredients. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 5871 Poplar Ave. 683-9305. L, D, $$$

RONNIE GRISANTI’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT— This Memphis institution serves some family classics such as Elfo’s Special and handmade ravioli, along with house-made pizza and fresh oysters. Closed Sun. 6150 Poplar, Suite 122. 850-0191. D, $-$$$

ROTOLO’S CRAFT & CRUST—Louisiana-based pizza company’s first Memphis location, whipping up pizza pies with homemade sauces and fresh ingredients, pasta, wings, and other shareables. 681 S. White Station. 454-3352. L, D, $-$$

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE—Offers prime steaks cut and aged in-house, as well as lamb, chicken, and fresh seafood, including lobster. 6120 Poplar. 761-0055. D, $$$-$$$$

SALSA COCINA MEXICANA—Mexican-Southern California specialties include carnitas, enchiladas verde, and fajitas; also Southwestern seafood dishes such as snapper verde. Closed Sun. Regalia Shopping Center, 6150 Poplar, Suite 129. 683-6325. L, D, $-$$

SEASONS 52—This elegant fresh grill and wine bar offers a seasonally changing menu using fresh ingredients, wood-fire grilling, and brick-oven cooking; also a large international wine list and nightly piano bar. Crescent Center, 6085 Poplar. 682-9952. L, D, $$-$$$

STAKS—Offering pancakes, including birthday cake and lemon ricotta. Menu includes other breakfast items such as beignets and French toast, as well as soups and sandwiches for lunch. 4615 Poplar. 509-2367; 3660 S. Houston Levee Road, Suite 104 (Collierville). 286-4335; 7704 Poplar (Germantown). 800-1951; 2902 May Blvd. (Southaven). B, L, WB, $

SWANKY’S TACO SHOP—Taco-centric eatery offers tortas, flatbreads, quesadillas, chimichangas, burgers, and more. 4770 Poplar. 730-0763; 6641 Poplar (Germantown). 737-2088; 272 S. Main. 779-3499. L, D, $

Classical Music

WEEKDAYS ON Kacky Walton

THREE LITTLE PIGS—Pork-shoulder-style barbecue with tangy mild or hot sauce, freshly made coleslaw, and baked beans. 5145 Quince Rd. 685-7094. B, L, D, $

TJ MULLIGAN’S—Cold drinks, comfort food, and plenty of live entertainment. 1817 Kirby Pkwy. (East Memphis). 755-2481; 8070 Trinity Rd. Suite 1 (Cordova). 756-4480; 2821 N. Houston Levee Rd. (Lakeland). 377-9997. L, D, $-$$

TOPS BAR-B-Q—Specializes in pork barbecue sandwiches and sandwich plates with beans and slaw; also serves ribs, beef brisket, and burgers. 1286 Union. 725-7527; 4183 Summer. 324-4325; 5391 Winchester. 794-7936; 3970 Rhodes. 323-9865; 6130 Macon. 371-0580. For more locations, go online. L, D, $

TORCHY’S TACOS—Plenty of Tex-Mex variety, with creative monthly special tacos. 719 S. Mendenhall. 343-8880. B, L, D, $

VENICE KITCHEN—Specializes in “eclectic Italian” and Southern Creole, from pastas, including the “Godfather,” to hand-tossed pizzas, including the “John Wayne”; choose from 50 toppings. 368 Perkins Ext. 767-6872. L, D, SB, $-$$

WANG’S MANDARIN HOUSE—Offers Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan, and spicy Hunan entrees, including the golden-sesame chicken; next door is East Tapas, serving small plates with an Asian twist. 6065 Park Ave., Park Place Mall. 763-0676. L, D, $-$$

WASABI—Serving traditional Japanese offerings, hibachi, sashimi, and sushi. The Sweet Heart roll, wrapped — in the shape of a heart — with tuna and filled with spicy salmon, yellowtail, and avocado, is a specialty. 5101 Sanderlin Rd., Suite 105. 421-6399. L, D, $-$$

THE WING GURU—A staple of the Memphis wing scene, featuring everything from classic buffalo to exquisite lemon pepper. 5699 Mt. Moriah Rd. 509-2405; 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 6 (Collierville). 221-7488; 8253 Highway 51 North, Suite 103 (Millington). 8720849; 4130 Elvis Presley Blvd (Whitehaven) 791-4726; 5224 Airline Rd., Suite 107 (Arlington). 209-0349. L, D, $-$$

WOMAN’S EXCHANGE TEA ROOM—Chicken-salad plate, beef tenderloin, soups-and-sandwiches, vegetable plates, and homemade desserts are specialties. Closed Sat.-Sun. 88 Racine. 327-5681. L, $

CORDOVA

THE BLUE ROOM RESTAURANT—An elevated take on traditional Southern recipes, located in the U of M Kemmons Wilson Culinary Institute. Closed Mon. 1245 N. Germantown Pkwy., Suite 101. 249-7512. D, SB, $$-$$$

BOMBAY HOUSE—Indian fare includes lamb korma and chicken tikka; also, a daily luncheon buffet. 1727 N. Germantown Pkwy. 755-4114. L, D, $-$$

THE BUTCHER SHOP—Serves steaks ranging from 8-oz. filets to a 20-oz. porterhouse; also chicken, pork chops, fresh seafood. 107 S. Germantown Rd. 757-4244. L (Fri. and Sun.), D, $$-$$$

GREEN BAMBOO—Pineapple tilapia, pork vermicelli, and the soft egg noodle combo are Vietnamese specialties here. 990 N. Germantown Parkway, Suite 104. 753-5488. L, D, $-$$

JIM ’N NICK’S BAR-B-Q—Serves barbecued pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, and fish, along with other homemade Southern specialties. 2359 N. Germantown Pkwy. 388-0998. L, D, $-$$

EL MERO TACO—This food truck turned restaurant serves up Mexican and Southern-style fusion dishes, including fried chicken tacos, chorizo con papas tacos, and brisket quesadillas. 8100 Macon Station, Suite 102. 308-1661. Closed Sun.-Mon. L, D, WB, $ POKÉ WORLD—Serves up Hawaiian poké bowls filled with rice and diced, raw fish. Also offers Taiwanese bubble tea and rolled ice cream for dessert. 1605 N. Germantown Pkwy., Suite 111. 6237986. East Memphis: 575 Erin Dr. 779-4971. L, D, $

PETALS OF A PEONY—Authentic Sichuan cuisine, from crispy duck to peony fried chicken. Be prepared for spice! 1250 N. Germantown Pkwy. 787-8886. L, D, $-$$

SHOGUN JAPANESE RESTAURANT—Entrees include tempura, teriyaki, and sushi, as well as grilled fish and chicken entrees. 2324 N. Germantown Pkwy. 384-4122. L, D, $-$$

TANNOOR GRILL—Brazilian-style steakhouse with skewers served tableside, along with Middle Eastern specialties; vegetarian options also available. 830 N. Germantown Pkwy. 443-5222. L, D, $-$$$

VILLA CASTRIOTI—From traditional pasta dishes and family concoctions to hand-tossed brick oven NY pizza. 714 N. Germantown Pkwy #15 in Cordova. L, D, MRA, $$$

GERMANTOWN

901 HOT POT & KOREAN BBQ—All-you-can-eat hot pot and Korean BBQ, from short ribs to garlic shrimp. 2965 N. Germantown Pkwy. 512-4963. L, D, $$-$$$

BLUE HONEY BISTRO—Entrees at this upscale eatery include brown butter scallops served with Mississippi blue rice and herbcrusted beef tenderloin with vegetables and truffle butter. Closed Sun. 9155 Poplar, Suite 17. 552-3041. D, $-$$$

GERMANTOWN COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches; Mon.-night all-you-can-eat ribs. 2290 S. Germantown Rd. S. 754-5540. L, D, MRA, $-$$

LAS TORTUGAS DELI MEXICANA—Authentic Mexican food prepared from local food sources; specializes in tortugas — grilled bread scooped out to hold such powerfully popular fillings as brisket, pork, and shrimp; also tingas, tostados. Closed Sun. 1215 S. Germantown Rd. 751-1200; 6300 Poplar. 623-3882. L, D, $-$$

LIMELIGHT—Wolf River Hospitality Group brings Wagyu beef, duck gnocchi, and other fine dining dishes on a rotating seasonal menu. Closed Mon./Tue. 7724 Poplar Pike. 791-2328. D, $-$$$

LOCAL LIME—Tacos and margaritas in a casual environment, plus other goodies like the Mexican caramel apple crisp skillet. Closed Mon. 7605 W. Farmington Blvd., Suite 1. 224-2204. L, D, $-$$$

MELLOW MUSHROOM—Large menu includes assortment of pizzas, salads, calzones, hoagies, vegetarian options, and 50 beers on tap. 9155 Poplar, Shops of Forest Hill (Germantown). 907-0243. L, D, $-$$

MOONDANCE GRILL—From the owners of Itta Bena and Lafayette’s. Serves steak cooked sous vide and seafood dishes including Abita-barbecued shrimp and pan-seared sand dab, in addition to an extensive wine and cocktail list. 1730 S. Germantown Road, Suite 117. 755-1471. L, D, $$-$$$

MR. P’S WINGS—Casual eatery featuring hot wings, burgers, fried fish, and other American food. 2075 Exeter Rd., Suite 35. 587-6777. L, D, $$

NOODLES ASIAN BISTRO—Serves a variety of traditional Asian cuisine, with emphasis on noodle dishes, such as Singapore Street Noodles and Hong Kong Chow Fun. 7850 Poplar, Suite 12. 755-1117. L, D, $ ROCK’N DOUGH PIZZA CO.—Specialty and custom pizzas made from fresh ingredients; wide variety of toppings. 7850 Poplar, Suite 6. 779-2008. L, D, SB, MRA, $$

ROYAL PANDA—Hunan fish, Peking duck, Royal Panda chicken and shrimp, and a seafood combo are among the specialties. 3120 Village Shops Dr. 756-9697. L, D, $-$$

SAKURA—Sushi, tempura, and teriyaki are Japanese specialties here. 2060 West St. 758-8181; 4840 Poplar. 572-1002; 255 New Byhalia Rd. 316-5638. L, D, $-$$

SOUTHERN SOCIAL—Shrimp and grits, stuffed quail, and Aunt Thelma’s Fried Chicken are among the dishes served at this upscale Southern establishment. 2285 S. Germantown Rd. 754-5555. D, SB, MRA, $-$$$

STONEY RIVER STEAKHOUSE AND GRILL—Specializes in hand-cut steaks, a fresh seafood selection, and plenty of house specials. 7515 Poplar Ave., Suite 101. 207-1100. L, D, $$-$$$$

SUFI’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL & BAR—Offers authentic Mediterranean and Persian cuisine, from hummus shawarma to traditional moussaka. Closed Mon. 7609 Poplar Pike. 779-2200. L, D, $-$$$

TAZIKI’S—Mediterranean-inspired dishes all made from scratch. 7850 Poplar Ave., Suite 26. 612-2713. East Memphis: 540 S. Mendenhall Rd. 290-1091. Bartlett: 7974 US-64. 203-0083. L, D, $

THE TOASTED YOLK CAFE—Churro donuts, signature Eggs Benedict, and plenty other boozy brunch options at this franchise’s first Tennessee location. 9087 Poplar Ave., Ste. 11. B, L, $-$$

UNCLE GOYO’S—More than 30 dishes with a focus on authentic Mexican cuisine, from the brains behind TacoNganas. 1730 S. Germantown Rd. L, D, $-$$

WEST STREET DINER—This home-style eatery offers breakfast, burgers, po’boys, and more. 2076 West St. 757-2191. B, L, D (Mon.-Fri.), $

ZEN JAPANESE FINE CUISINE—A full sushi bar and plenty of authentic Japanese dishes, like Hibachi or Wagyu beef. 1730 S. Germantown Rd. 779-2796. L, D, $-$$$

COLLIERVILLE

BELLY ACRES—Upscale burger restaurant, featuring creative combos such as the Cowboy (fried onion strings, pickled jalapeños, and BBQ saucer, or the Hot Pow with pepper jack and spinach. 3660 S. Houston Levee Rd. 209-0168; 6130 Poplar (Memphis) 707-7638. L, D, $-$$

CAFE PIAZZA BY PAT LUCCHESI—Specializes in gourmet pizzas (including create-your-own), panini sandwiches, and pasta. Closed Sun. 139 S. Rowlett St. 861-1999. L, D, $-$$

CIAO BABY—Specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza made in a woodfired oven. Also serves house-made mozzarella, pasta, appetizers, and salads. 890 W. Poplar, Suite 1. 457-7457. L, D, $

COLLIERVILLE COMMISSARY—Serves barbecue sandwiches, sliders, ribs, shrimp, and nachos, as well as smoked barbecued bologna sandwiches. 3573 S. Houston Levee Rd. 979-5540. L, D, MRA, $-$$

DAVID GRISANTI’S ON MAIN—Serving Northern Italian cuisine and traditional Grisanti family recipes. Closed Sun./Mon. 148 N. Main. 861-1777. L, D, $-$$$

DYER’S CAFE—Juicy hamburgers, split dogs, and milkshakes at the historic Collierville restaurant. 101 N. Center St. 850-7750. L, D, $-$$

EL MEZCAL—Serves burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, and other Mexican cuisine, as well as shrimp dinners and steak. 9947 Wolf River, 853-7922; 402 Perkins Extd. 761-7710; 694 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 755-1447; 1492 Union. 274-4264; 11615 Airline Rd. (Arlington). 8671883; 9045 Highway 64 (Lakeland). 383-4219; 7164 Hacks Cross Rd. (Olive Branch). 662-890-3337; 8834 Hwy. 51 N. (Millington). 872-3220; 7424 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 417-6026. L, D, $

EMERALD THAI RESTAURANT—Spicy shrimp, pad khing, lemongrass chicken, and several noodle, rice, and vegetarian dishes are offered at this family restaurant. Closed Sunday. 8950 Highway 64 (Lakeland, TN). 384-0540. L, D, $-$$

FIREBIRDS—Specialties are hand-cut steaks, slow-roasted prime rib, and wood-grilled salmon and other seafood, as well as seasonal entrees. 4600 Merchants Circle, Carriage Crossing. 850-1637; 8470 Highway 64 (Bartlett). 379-1300. L, D, $-$$$

JIM’S PLACE GRILLE—Features American, Greek, and Continental cuisine. Closed for lunch Sat. and all day Sun. 3660 Houston Levee. 861-5000. L, D, MRA, $-$$$

MAROON BREW CO.—Family-friendly restaurant serving up gourmet

CHICAGO STEAKHOUSE AT THE GOLDSTRIKE—1010 Casino Center Dr., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-24KSTAY / 662-357-1225

FAIRBANKS AT THE HOLLYWOOD—1150 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-871-0711

IGNITE STEAKHOUSE AT SOUTHLAND CASINO HOTEL—1550 N. Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR, 1-800-467-6182

JACK BINION’S STEAK HOUSE AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE

LUCKY 8 ASIAN BISTRO AT HORSESHOE—1021 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-303-SHOE

SOUTHLAND CASINO HOTEL’S THE KITCHENS—1550 N. Ingram Blvd., West Memphis, AR, 1-800-467-6182

THE STEAKHOUSE AT THE FITZ—711 Lucky Ln., Robinsonville, MS, 1-888-766-LUCK, Ext. 8213

TWAIN’S STEAKHOUSE AT SAM’S TOWN TUNICA—1477 Casino Strip Resorts Boulevard, Robinsonville, MS, 1-800-456-0711

hot dogs, smash burgers, chicken, and shareables, all made to pair with beers brewed on-site. Closed Mon. 642 W. Poplar Ave., Collierville. 799-0354. L, D, $-$$

MULAN ASIAN BISTRO—Hunan Chicken, tofu dishes, and orange beef served here; sushi and Thai food, too. 2059 Houston Levee. 8505288; 2149 Young. 347-3965; 4698 Spottswood. 609-8680. L, D, $-$$

NASHOBA—Offers live music, sports games, and pub classics. Specialties are hot honey flatbread pizza, brisket fried rice, and the Nashoba burger. 4600 Merchants Park Circle, Suite 111, Collierville. 630-4683. L, D, wheelchair accessible, $-$$

OSAKA JAPANESE CUISINE—Featuring an extensive sushi menu as well as traditional Japanese and hibachi dining. Hours vary for lunch; call. 3670 Houston Levee. 861-4309; 3402 Poplar. 249-4690; 7164 Hacks Cross (Olive Branch). 662-890-9312; 2200 N. Germantown Pkwy. (Cordova). 425-4901. L, D, $-$$$

RAVEN & LILY—Eatery offers innovative Southern-inspired cuisine with such dishes as crispy shrimp and cauliflower salad, spiced lamb sausage and parmesan risotto, and bananas foster pain perdu. Closed Mon. 120 E. Mulberry. 286-4575. L, D, SB, $-$$

STIX—Hibachi steakhouse with Asian cuisine features steak, chicken, and a fillet and lobster combination, also sushi. A specialty is Dynamite Chicken with fried rice. 4680 Merchants Park Circle, Avenue Carriage Crossing. 854-3399. 150 Peabody Place, Suite 115 (Downtown). 207-7638 L, D, $-$$

WOLF RIVER BRISKET CO.—From the owners of Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza, highlights include house-smoked meats: prime beef brisket, chicken, and salmon. Closed Sun. 9947 Wolf River Boulevard, Suite 101. 316-5590; 1350 Concourse Ave., Suite 165. 791-4389 L, D, $-$$

ZOPITA’S ON THE SQUARE—Cafe offers sandwiches, including smoked salmon and pork tenderloin, as well as salads and desserts. Closed Sun. 114 N. Main. 457-7526. L, D, $

ARLINGTON / LAKELAND

BRENDALAY GRILLE—Wide variety of steaks, flatbreads, pasta, soups, sandwiches. Favorites: Brendalay BBQ Shrimp and Cajun Rosemary Shrimp. 6259 Quintard St., Arlington. 317-6998. L, D, SB, $$$$

KITCHEN TABLE—“Crafted comfort food that makes you feel right at home.” Steaks, seafood, catfish, chicken, chops, soups, salad, even hand-spun cotton candy. 12062 Forrest St., Arlington. 317-6402. L,D, SB. $-$$

VILLA CASTRIOTI—From traditional family dishes and pasta concoctions to hand-tossed brick-oven NY pizza. 9861 Lake District Dr., Lakeland. 466-8288. W., L,D, MRA, $$$

OUT-OF-TOWN

BOZO’S HOT PIT BAR-B-Q—Barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, and subs. 342 Highway 70 (Mason, TN). 901-294-3400. L, D, $-$$

CITY GROCERY—Southern eclectic cuisine; shrimp and grits is a specialty. Closed for dinner Sun. 152 Courthouse Square (Oxford, MS). 662-232-8080. L, D, SB, $$-$$$

COMO STEAKHOUSE—Steaks cooked on a hickory charcoal grill are a specialty here. Upstairs is an oyster bar. Closed Sun. 203 Main St. (Como, MS). 662-526-9529. D, $-$$$

ELFO GRISANTI’S NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE—Grisanti family classics like lasagna, homemade ravioli, garlic bread, and Northern Italian pizza. Closed Sun. 5627 Getwell Rd. (Southaven, MS). 662-4704497. L, D, $-$$

HARRY’S ITALIAN—Authentic Italian dishes using traditional recipes made from scratch, plus steaks and other entrees. 8472 U.S. Highway 51, Millington, TN. 872-0056. L, D, $-$$$

MANILA FILIPINO RESTAURANT—Entrees include pork belly cutlet with lechon sauce, and shrimp and vegetables in tamarind broth; also daily combos, rice dishes, and chef specials. Closed Sun.-Mon. 7849 Rockford (Millington, TN). 209-8525. L, D, $

MARSHALL STEAKHOUSE—Rustic steakhouse serves premium Angus beef steaks, seafood dishes, rack of lamb, and more. 2379 Highway 178 (Holly Springs, MS). 628-3556. B, L, D, $-$$$

MEMPHIS BARBECUE COMPANY—Offers spare ribs, baby backs, and pulled pork and brisket. 709 Desoto Cove (Horn Lake, MS). 662-536-3762. L, D, $-$$

PIG-N-WHISTLE—Offers pork shoulder sandwiches, wet and dry ribs, catfish, nachos, and stuffed barbecue potatoes. 6084 Kerr-Rosemark Rd. (Millington, TN). 872-2455. L, D, $

SAINT LEO—Offering sophisticated pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. A James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant in 2017. 1101 Jackson (Oxford, MS). 662-234-4555. D, L, WB, $-$$

SIMON’S—A unique dining experience situated on Court Square in a charming small town, offering Angus steaks, catfish, BBQ brisket. Closed Mon./Tue. 201 N. Main St. (Bolivar, TN). 731-403-3474. L, D, $$-$$$

SNACKBAR—An intriguing mix of “French Bistro with North Mississippi Cafe.” Serving a confit duck Croque Monsieur, watermelon-cucumber chaat, pan-fried quail, plus a daily plate special and a raw bar. 721 N. Lamar (Oxford, MS). 662-236-6363. D, $-$$$

TEKILA MODERN MEXICAN—Modern interpretations of classic dishes from all over Mexico. 6343 Getwell Rd. (Southaven, MS). 662-510-5734. B, L, D, $-$$

WALK-ON’S SPORTS BISTREAUX. Cajun classics: fried alligator, pepperjack boudin, shrimp, gumbo, along with unique specialties. 2715 Snowden Lane, Southaven. 662-870-8379. L, D, $$

WILSON CAFE—An impressive culinary destination in the heart of the Arkansas Delta. Serving jambalaya, Waygu flatiron, butternut ravioli, swordfish & shrimp kabobs, burgers. 2 N. Jefferson (Wilson, AR). 870655-0222. L, D, WB, $-$$$

Memphis to the Mountain

A new docuseries follows Memphis Rox climbers on a journey to Mount Kenya.

BY KAILYNN JOHNSON

When Memphis Rox Climbing and Community Center first opened its doors in South Memphis in 2018, co-founder Chris Dean said they worked hard to dispel the myth that rock climbing “is a white people thing.”

e gym’s presence and popularity in Soulsville, a historic Black community, turns this misconception on its head — and so does the recently released Andscape documentary series, Memphis to the Mountain, streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

“ e culture of rock climbing fitsBlack culture,” Dean says in the film.“ e love, the care, the motivation, theconversation — it’s perfect for a Blackcommunity.”

South Memphis has found itselfin a continuous news cycle bothlocally and nationally as the home toxAI’s data center. ose who call theneighborhood home have historicallybeen marginalized, disadvantaged, andoverlooked. e documentary highlightsthese systemic inequities — furthercharacterized by the subjects of the film.But its beauty lies in the fact that the subjects are not victims of their stories, but people living their dreams despite these circumstances.

Filmmaker and executive producer Tom Shadyac (also co-founder ofMemphis Rox) and director ZacharyBarr’s project follows a group of climbersfrom the gym as they train to conquerMount Kenya. Before going to Africa,the group prepares in Colorado andNevada alongside renowned climbersPhil Henderson and Alex Honnold,respectively.

e docuseries’ fi nal episode — the culmination of the climbers’ training — was screened at Crosstown eater on September 4th. Prior to the screening, Shadyac noted that the series’ first episode featured a title card that read: “One year after filming this documentary, Jarmond Johnson, one of the people you are about to meet, was tragically shot and killed in South Memphis. is story is dedicated to Jarmond, and to all those who loved him and continue to do their best to embody his selfless, positive spirit.”

Johnson breathed into his community and those around him — and how much more he had to give.

But the filmmakers have done a beautiful job of making sure that Johnson’s story was one of legacy, compassion, and tenacity. During the three-part docuseries, we’re introduced to Johnson, Michael Lee, Brittany Luckett, DJ Johnson, Isaiah Henderson, Pei Lin, JoJo Brown, and Quinton Onidas.

We first meet Lee, a 19-year-old going through a “rough time out in the streets” with no place to live. Lee found his way to Memphis Rox after being let go from his job at an auto parts store and seeing a food truck parked outside the gym. He noticed an instant shift in the culture and vibe as he began interacting with people at the gym.

Johnson was killed in June 2025 after a fight at the gym. At the screening, Shadyac recognized those who loved and knew Johnson, including his grandmother, who he said put the spark in her grandson. e love and support from Johnson’s community amplified the viewing experience as the crowd erupted during his on-screen appearances.

Watching the final episode was bittersweet. e cheers as each climber made it to the top of Mount Kenya were the applause South Memphis needed, and a beautiful metaphor for a community that won’t succumb to its circumstances. However, in a documentary that celebrated Black youth, culture, and dreams, it was a bit sad to realize how much character and life

Memphis Rox is a nonprofit space that runs on a pay-what-you-can model and has options to support entry for those who cannot pay at all. We learn that the gym is not solely a recreational place, but a home-away-from-home for many of the climbers in the documentary and neighborhood, with Dean even opening the community garden for Lee to camp in until he can find a place to stay. e documentary not only follows the journey of training for Mount Kenya, but also explores the characters’ depths through their own personal stories. eir candidness and authenticity make it easy to be invested in them.

As someone who loves documentaries, I’ve seen a lot of people tell other people’s stories. I’ve seen a lot of people tell their own stories. What this documentary does so well is having young people tell stories — hard stories. And these storytellers are well-positioned to illustrate an enlightening narrative. Moreover, it shows that minority experiences are not monolithic, even if there are similarities in struggle. is fi lm is not only a win for the climbers, but the neighborhood of South Memphis. It’s representative of the fight and determination ingrained in the community — demonstrated by those born and bred in that environment

Kailynn Johnson is a news reporter for the Memphis Flyer. Memphis to the Mountain is now stream ing on Hulu and Disney+

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