“I’m from the projects from a single mother — if I can open a restaurant, anybody can do it. I want to send a message to people.”

Three new brunch spots have Memphians’ mouths watering for everything from chicken and waffles to beignets and salmon croquettes. And the people behind one of those brunch places are already opening a sister location in East Memphis. 

Exodus Marketplace will be open Monday-Saturday, offering wholesale prices on produce, bread, eggs, honey and jams, meats and other food items from Mid-South vendors.

Elise Dessert Co. is celebrating its grand opening in the University District. The shop features banana pudding made with owner Bria Walls’ family recipe.

The Evergreen Street eatery will close Friday, June 30, and will reopen under new ownership.

A self-service wine bar is coming to Southaven’s mixed-use development, Silo Square.

A Memphis dish has named the best Over-the-Top Treat in the state.

Hernando aldermen approved allowing food trucks in the DeSoto County city, but not at the expense of existing brick-and-mortar restaurants.

With the opening of his second Elwood’s Shack location at 4040 Park Ave. delayed until mid-July, Tim Bednarski realized he had more tomatoes than he could handle.

At Nostalgic Tea Rooms in Collierville, which opened in early June, customers often feel like they’re getting an authentic British experience. 

Many Memphians took to social media to lament the demolished eatery and share fond memories. 

Fino’s Corner Market will open at the current location of Happy Glaze Donuts, 7781 Farmington Blvd. in Germantown. 

For four decades, Nesbit Blueberry has offered people an opportunity to pick their own berries. The tradition continues this year despite weather-related problems.

After five years of tossing around an idea to provide hassle-free takeout — while still offering the same dishes and quality of the main restaurant — Frank and Larkin Grisanti have opened Go Grisanti.

The restaurant, which opened in 2013, is scheduled to close on Friday, June 30. 

Big River’s founder pivoted from live music promotions to the market during the pandemic. Now, in a post-pandemic world, he’s singing a new song. 

“I like to feed hungry people,” said chef Ryan Meeks. “When they taste something delicious, and it gives them a wiggle, that brings me happiness.”

Tequila is one of fastest-growing spirit sectors in the U.S., and a Memphis entrepreneur has launched a new brand with a cause, not a mascot. 

As Molly Smith finalizes the end of Bhan Thai, new owners Thuan Pham and family percolate plans for a cafe.

“This really wasn’t the plan,” owner Amanda Martelli joked. “I always wanted my own sports restaurant, and I never thought that (my husband) would do this for me. But here we are.”

This year’s Grand Champion is the first rib team to win Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in more than 20 years.

For more than a year now, the Kinfolk pop-up at Downtown’s Comeback Coffee, with its big cathead biscuits, has been a popular option in a city hungry for weekend breakfast and brunch options. But that’s about to change. 

Phillip Ashley Rix has a deal with an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers for his first cookbook, and he wants it to be the “quintessential book on chocolate.”

Despite the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s smaller scale, Tom Lee Park was active Tuesday afternoon with contestants building booths and hauling in grills and smokers.

Related story:

MIM Guide: Barbecue fest brings smoke back to the water

Could it be that middle-of-the-country cousins — Cincinnati chili and Memphis barbecue spaghetti — are, respectively, the most overrated and most underrated dishes of American regional cuisine?