Table Talk
Table Talk: Pie, oh my — Pi Day is almost here
Mathematicians celebrate Pi Day for the number 3.14. The rest of us celebrate it for the pie.
Ellen Chamberlain
Ellen Chamberlain is a global citizen who is happy to call Memphis her forever home. The Michigan native has worked in media for nearly 25 years as a radio broadcaster, journalist and ghostwriter. As The Daily Memphian’s food and restaurant writer, she gives readers inside perspectives of their favorite restaurants and the people behind them, suggestions for the best bites around town and the latest food news from in and around Shelby County.
There are 172 articles by Ellen Chamberlain :
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March 2026
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Downtown New Memphis restaurants could get reduced rent
The Downtown Memphis Commission is once again looking for restaurateurs to bring new life to empty storefronts — like the former Cafe Keough — along the Main Street Mall.
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Food News Protein bowls, salmon, avocado ice cream headline Babalu’s new menu
While some favorites remain, about two-thirds of Babalu’s menu has been updated or replaced with new dishes.
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Food NewsCoffee shops spill the beans on why cafes keep opening — and closing
For each coffee shop closure, a new opening is on the horizon — or, sometimes, in the same spot.
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Food News New Eats: West Memphis’ food truck park has hot tamales, gizzards and more
The food truck park is currently home to three permanent food trucks with a fourth joining them next month.
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Food News Petra Cafe reopens near old Carrefour location
Fourteen months after its unexpected closure, Petra Cafe is back with its signature Mediterranean dishes. And former customers don’t have to look too far to find it.
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Real EstateAfter 10 years in the pulpit, pastor opens sober lounge
A former Memphis pastor opens The Living Room, a luxury lounge without liquor at the former Abundant Life Fellowship Church on Knight Arnold Road.
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The To-Do List The Elvi are coming, and you can eat chili, soup and gumbo for a cause
In this week’s To-Do List, catch the premiere of a new opera set in Memphis, the Dixon celebrates women in the arts and the Monster Club honors the King of Cool.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Patrick’s keeps its customers with a good menu — and a good time
“We’ve more than doubled sales in 20 years,” said Mike Miller, owner of Patrick’s. “And we’re thankful for everybody that comes to see us.”
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MidtownCity & State removing retail side to focus on coffee
Late last year, the owners decided to eliminate the retail portion of the Broad Avenue business.
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February 2026
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Table TalkTable Talk: Memphis embraces the board
Long before viral grazing boards and algorithm-friendly spreads took over social media, Memphians were assembling cured meats and cheeses — and doing it properly.
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Food News Comeback Coffee comes back — for one day
For nearly a year, Comeback Coffee has existed without couches, without conversations and without a morning crowd lingering at its Downtown cafe. On Saturday, Feb. 28, that energy will return to North Main Street.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Cocktails meet canvases in The Edge
For one night a month, Bar Limina will be serving craft cocktails at the nearby Sheet Cake Gallery.
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Food News Seafood, soups and pizza: Where to eat during Lent
Area churches get ready to feed the masses.
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Food News Downtown’s By the Brewery restaurant has closed
Less than a month shy of its fifth business anniversary, the Downtown Memphis restaurant has announced its permanent closure.
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BusinessAfter 28 years, Tsunami is ‘going out with a bang’
Now in its final weeks of operation, the announcement of Tsunami’s closure has triggered a wave of sadness and a bevy of last-minute reservations.
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Food News Makeda’s expands to Atlanta
Makeda’s owners knew they had found the right spot — the address was 901 Abernathy Road.
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FoodTable Talk: Galentine’s is the perfect time for a cookie swap
Bake Swap Memphis is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a bunch of Memphians who love baked goods gathering together to trade everything from opinions and recipes to finished products.
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Food NewsSlutty Vegan tests Memphis market with restaurant takeover
Memphis is the first in a multi-city food tour the popular Slutty Vegan brand is doing to gauge demand for franchise locations.
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BusinessThis Memphis influencer feeds the algorithms by feeding the hungry
His short-form cooking videos rack up hundreds of thousands — sometimes millions — of views, but Kai Stowell’s most recent videos have an altruistic side.
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Food NewsCreating a safe space: Why Da Sammich Spot owner took on ICE
When ICE showed up at his Orange Mound business after hours, Da Sammich Spot owner Rob Brown felt like he had to take action.
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Food News Bain Barbecue opening second location
The Memphis barbecue spot will open a new location in July, but first, the owners need to “de-Arby-fy” it.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Ring in the Lunar New Year with The Daily Memphian
To begin our revived Restaurant Insider series, we’ll gather at Good Fortune Co.
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Food NewsMemphis caterer delivers all the way to Holly Springs — due to weather
As winter storms left parts of north Mississippi isolated, a Memphis caterer partnered with a disaster relief group to deliver meals to those who needed them.
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Food NewsWith savory hand pies, Whisks of Doom whips up a different type of bakery
Founder Allie Trotter said Whisks of Doom was never meant to fit into traditional bakery culture, which she describes as too “cotton candy” for her taste.
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