Welcome back to Table Talk, where Daily Memphian food and dining editor Jennifer Biggs sends the latest food news (along with a dash of this and that) to your inbox every Wednesday.

Reny Alfonso will prepare lunch for The Daily Memphian’s lunch event at Celtic Crossing on Friday, Oct. 21. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

First things first this week: We have a handful of tickets left for Friday’s lunch at Celtic Crossing, and you can buy them through today, but I have to turn in a headcount tonight, so be quick about it.

It’s the best of both worlds: We’ll have perfect weather, so we’ll be on the covered patio of a casual Irish pub, but we’ll be feasting on upscale food prepared by Reny Alfonso, formerly the chef at Chez Philippe and other fine dining restaurants in Philadelphia and Miami.

Click here, buy your ticket and come on out and enjoy a three-course meal and raise a mid-day pint with Geoff Calkins, Chris Herrington and me. Tickets are $25 plus tax and tip for subscribers and $30 for non-subscribers. Lunch starts at noon, but the mingle (everyone liked that last month) is at 11:30 a.m. Hope to see you there.

On Saturday, you have choices. It’s been 20 years since the World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival debuted as the Southern Hot Wing Festival, and they’re celebrating Oct. 22 with a heated championship cookoff and plenty of fun for all.

The fun starts at 11 a.m. and continues until 7 p.m. at Tiger Lane. There’s plenty going on, from a hot wing eating contest, a cornhole contest and a parade featuring a flock of chickens marching to “When the Saints Go Marching In.” You’ll need to get there early if you want to see the chicken parade because that kicks off the event. And all I’m saying is that if you’re going, you need to see the chicken parade, right?

The World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tiger Lane. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

When it’s over, there will be a winner, and at this festival, you get to sample the food, too. Click here for more information and to get tickets, which are $15 for general admission. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House. 

The Cooper-Young Beerfest is also Saturday, back in full swing this year after some COVID restrictions and a smaller festival in 2021. The festival, in its 12th year, raises money for the Cooper-Young Community Association and only serves beer that you can find within a day’s drive of Memphis, local brews, or those made by home brewers.

It’s held 1-5 p.m. at Midtown Autowerks, 795 S. Cooper St. Admission is $55, and gate sales are allowed if there are tickets left, but don’t count on it. Click here to get yours in advance and go enjoy beers from 33 breweries, at last count (others could be added to the list). You have to be 21 or older, leave your pets at home with your food and coolers, but bring a designated driver if you’re not using Uber or Lyft (recommended because of parking). Designated drivers, who also have to be 21 or older, are admitted without charge. 

Here’s an early notice to mark your calendar and a nudge from the organizers to also go ahead and get your tickets. Special Olympics Whiskey, Wine and Dine is back after a two-year COVID break. It’s at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m., and it is a fun event, folks.

A partial list of participating restaurants include Bain Barbecue & Bakery, Folk’s Folly, Erling Jensen: The Restaurant and Owen Brennan’s. Dishes will be paired with wine or bourbon, there will be a live and silent auction and a wine pull. Tickets are $125, or you can reserve a table for $1500. 

A tree in the middle of Limelight will change with the seasons; it’s just gotten its fall leaves. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian)

Now, let’s catch up. Did you see the story about Limelight, the new restaurant that officially opens in Germantown today, Oct. 19? I was in for a sneak dinner last week and thoroughly enjoyed it all, but I was particularly impressed to find out that the beautiful restaurant was designed and decorated by co-owner Chip Foreman. Have a look. 

Josh Carlucci’s $10 Deal lit a fire under me to get back out to Asiana Garden. It’s a place I always enjoy, but one I forget about, too; I need to be more thoughtful about remembering old friends. 

Chicken wings and catfish are two entrée choices at Celebrity’s Soul Food, and side dishes include mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, braised collards and squash and cornbread dressing. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

I took in lunch for a New Eats at Celebrity’s Soul Food on Highland Street, and here’s something that makes for a great pair: Fried catfish and curry tartar sauce. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. You’ll also find the biggest chicken wings you’ve ever seen there. That’s a challenge. Prove me wrong. 

Food writing is not always fun and games, and it shouldn’t be. The Works, the group behind the South Memphis Farmers Market, launched a mobile grocery last week to serve communities in food deserts, and you can click here to learn about it. 

Maurice and Pamela Hill, owners of Makeda's, reopened their store on Airways Blvd. on Sept. 17. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Have a listen to Sound Bites to hear Chris Herrington and me on a bit of a sugar high from Makeda’s cookies and pastries from Blanchard’s OG Patisserie & Coffee. It wasn’t what we planned to talk about, but we had the food and the conversation followed.

And finally, a recipe for the barbecue shrimp from the Rendezvous, which I printed on Saturday in anticipation of “The ’Vous,” debuting at Indie Memphis on Saturday afternoon. Read more about it here and get Chris’s full Indie Memphis film festival recommendations here.

I know I’ll be watching a lot of movies over the next few days, and I’ve had to curate them like I had to pick and choose which food to eat and wine to drink at Memphis Food & Wine Festival last weekend. Such hard choices, right? 

Have a great week.

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