The city of Jackson has developed an appetite for becoming more of a culinary destination, so much that a new food and wine festival and Mississippi’s first food hall have been established.
A three-day event, the inaugural Mississippi Food & Wine Festival will bring top chefs from Mississippi and its neighboring states together from Thursday, June 13 through Saturday, June 15 for private dinners held at various locations in Jackson.
There will be two dinners on June 13. One planned meal will take place at The Cedars, Jackson's oldest surviving residential structure turned retreat center. It will be overseen by chefs Louis LaRose and Hunter Evans, both of Lou’s Full-Serv in Jackson, known for its Southern fare with a twist; Mike Greenhill of Walker’s Drive In in Jackson, a New American bistro; and Jason Goodenough of Carrollton Market in New Orleans, a rustic Southern bistro. Food writer and restauranteur Robert St. John of Hattiesburg, MS will also be involved in the event's planning. Randy Ford of Cristom Vineyards in Oregon will serve selected wines.
June 14 will also feature two dinners. There will be a private chef dinner at Parlor Market, an American bistro. The participating chefs are Alex Eaton of The Manship Woodfire Kitchen in Jackson, a bar/eatery that puts a Mediterranean twist on Southern meals; Robert Rushton of Local 463, a seafood and Southern fare establishment in Ridgeland, MS; Vishwesh Bhatt of Snack Bar in Oxford, MS which is described as being “Bubba Brasserie cuisine”; and Alejandra Mamud and Gray Townsend of La Brioche, a patisserie in Jackson. International Wine will provide pairings.
At Brent's Drugs, a soda fountain/drug store and diner, the presenting chefs are Jesse Houston of Fine & Dandy of Jackson, a modern venue for burgers and Southern snacks; David Bancroft of Acre in Auburn, AL, a Southern-inspired fare, charcuterie and cocktails; Enrika Williams of Fauna Foodworks in Jackson, a food lab producing bohemian-chic cuisine; Paul Adair of The Gathering in Madison, MS, touting made-from-scratch breakfast, blue plate lunch servings and innovative suppers; Hunter Evans of Lou’s Full Serv in Jackson, MS, which does Southern fare with a twist in modern-rustic digs; and Bennett Lewis of Fresh Cut Catering and Floral in Flowood, MS. Wine pairings from Magnolia Barrelhouse will be provided.
Having limited seating, tickets for each of these dinners are at $125 per person. The festival will conclude with a grand tasting on June 15 along Duling Avenue in Jackson’s Fondren district. The tasting will celebrate Mississippi’s food resources and welcome chefs from the previous nights’ dinners along with other Southern restaurant community chefs, mixologists and reps from wineries.
What is also an addition to the food and wine festival is the infusion of another related event that has been happening for some time in Jackson. The fifth annual Mississippi Craft Beer Festival has become included in the inaugural festival. Three dozen participating breweries – with a focus on ones based within Mississippi and regional breweries - are scheduled to serve more than 100 craft beers for sampling. All-inclusive tickets will be at $35 per person in advance and $45 on the day of the event.
Another culinary feat for Jackson in 2019 has been the opening of Cultivation Food Hall. Opened in January of this year, the food hall’s nine boutique restaurants and a speak-easy style cocktail bar. Tenants extend to Bocca Pizzeria, which offers authentic Neapolitan style pizza; Fete au Fete StreEATery, preparing upscale Southern comfort food with a Louisiana twist; and Whisk, a creperie.
