Abraham Valenzuela got his start in the food business playing mariachi music in local restaurants. Now, he owns two restaurants in Olive Branch, one in Memphis and another on the way to Germantown. 

The Genre, known for its musical atmosphere as well as its food, is one of the many local businesses participating in the ninth annual Memphis Black Restaurant Week. 

Plus, Rendezvous will have special hours for March Madness. 

In this week’s episode of Sound Bites, Eric Barnes and Holly Whitfield discuss “100 Things To Do In Memphis Before You Die”.

Nearly all of Global Cafe’s starters are under the $10 deal mark.

The Junior BBQ League founded by Memphis in May barbecue grand champion Melissa Cookston is also coming to the rival barbecue contest in Tom Lee Park along with a barbecue boot camp.

In past visits, Publix has praised Collierville on the town’s organization, accessibility, design and cleanliness.

“If you’re in coffee long enough, you need to learn how to source the coffee yourself,” said Tina Tatum, who owns two coffee shops in north Mississippi and is now operating an Arlington roastery.

Back in 2008, Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” had Lou Martin of Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken in tears.

Sweet Musings will serve Asian-French pastries made with less sugar than traditional American desserts, plus coffee and boba tea at 1890 N. Germantown Parkway in Cordova.

“We get calls from Grubhub and Uber to add this on, and it’s hard to justify a customer paying the fee for one drink,” said one of Boycott Coffee’s co-owners. “It’s also hard to trust the drink is going to get there safe and sound.” 

Zang zang baos became huge on East Asian social media sites starting in 2017, where users began to post their “muddy bun face,” after their first bite covers eaters in cocoa dust. But there’s no guarantee it will last long in the Mid-South. 

Evergreen Grill recently opened its doors in Midtown and plans to lean into neighborhood hangout status with a forthcoming adjacent game room and pool table. 

South Korean bakery franchise to open three locations in Memphis, Mande Dibi announces opening date, and Celtic Crossing and Bog & Barley St. Patrick’s Day Festivities have been released. 

Prior to starting Good Groceries Mobile Diner during the pandemic, Chad Getchel was the longtime chef de cuisine at River Oaks Restaurant, while Leah Getchel worked in corporate catering. 

While it’s not perfect, Slider Inn serves up a very solid iteration of the beloved Chicago dog.

A seasoned restaurant owner is bringing his concepts to Germantown under a new name.

Last week, Muddy’s Bake Shop celebrated its “Sweet Sixteen,” and Chris Herrington talked to the owner about the evolution of the Memphis institution. This week, he and Holly Whitfield discuss some different angles of that story.

Smurfey’s is a barbecue joint but not in the traditional sense. The owners aren’t serving piles of pork with slices of bread. On this menu, smoked meat is served mostly piled atop tortilla chips, fries or baked potatoes.

“We want to try to invest as much time as we can into this business and into the area to continue to show that, with a little TLC, the area is going to be phenomenal,” owner Travis Brady said of South Main. “We don’t want it to be a ‘one business opens, two close’ situation.”

ScaleUp Kitchen is a free program directed toward unrepresented food entrepreneurs in the Fayette, Haywood, Madison, Shelby and Tipton counties to help them prepare for regional procurement opportunities.

Memphis-area grocery stores are dealing with higher food costs, and consumers are changing their buying habits.

“To do the Forward Lottery, you buy a ticket and they don’t tell you anything about the coffee. I don’t know the origin, the processing or anything. You roast it and then you ship it back to them by a certain due date.” 

Whether you’re looking for something boozy, bougie, beneficial, or involving a bunny, we’ve got you covered.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s may be coming to Memphis, charcuterie lunchables and more to be served at Congregation Coffee, and Carrabba’s on Poplar Avenue closed.