Category Archives: Uncategorized

There are many components that contribute to making Mississippi a great place to live. We have clean air, clean water, a right-to-work policy, a relatively low cost of living, and several effective and efficient transportation corridors. In many ways, Mississippi is an economic development director’s dream pitch. Though what an economic developer might not beContinue reading “A Life of Wonderfulness”

How far will you drive for a favorite food item or a meal? My answer is easy: 112 miles. That’s exactly how far I live from New Orleans. I grew up eating in and around the Crescent City. My mother took my brother and me there, often. Her main haunts in those days were Galitoire’s,Continue reading “Road Trip Meals”

I have had a lifelong love-hate relationship with donuts. Actually, “hate” would be the wrong word. I have never hated donuts. No one hates donuts. Donuts are awesome. It’s just that in my younger days I could eat all of the donuts I wanted and easily slip into a pair of 28-inch waist blue jeans.Continue reading “Day-Old Donuts”

My town is still. The roads are quiet. Business is slow. Many people have retreated to their vacation homes for the summer. Some own vacation homes on the beach. All year long they dream of sand, surf, and the smell of salty air. It’s a place where they can get away from the daily grindContinue reading “Porch Retreat”

The Facebook warning stated “Beware of holes in the bottom of your soft-shell crab!” With an opening statement such as that, the author is almost certain to get a click from me. I bit. I have been cooking, serving, or eating soft-shell crab all of my life and I’ve never noticed a hole in theContinue reading “Local Seafood”

I am accustomed to travel challenges, but Hattiesburg to Chicago and back in 36 hours with two stints at one of the world’s largest trade gatherings— The National Restaurant Association Show— is a beast. The return flight to Jackson was a late one, so I called my friend, David Trigiani. “My flight will be inContinue reading “A Late-Night Restoration”

One of the greatest surprises of my adult life is that quicksand hasn’t played a larger role.   As a kid I was a fan of Tarzan. What’s not to like? He lived in a really cool tree house, had a chimpanzee as a pet, and a smoking hot British girlfriend who swung from vinesContinue reading “Quicksand”

You are a restaurateur and are out of town doing research and development for new menu items and concepts. The restaurant is packed. The energy in the room is palpable. The place is abuzz with happy diners. You’ve had this establishment at the top of your restaurant to-do list for months. You have spent timeContinue reading “The St. John Maneuver”

I was talking to a friend this morning and he was lamenting the fact that he couldn’t go to a restaurant, order a margarita, and take it home with him. “I swear I won’t drink it in the car,” he said. I believe that. I know him. He wouldn’t drink a Margarita while driving. HeContinue reading “Drive Through Craziness”