Signature Magazine January 2012 by Hattiesburg Publishing, Inc.

signature

the food issue Happenings Noteworthy

........................................ 4- 5

Adam Doleac: Self-taught musician makes transition from baseball diamond to the stage ..

6 Meet the Gumbo Gourmets .... 9 How sweet it is... Home Bake and Candy Shoppe offers tasty confections ........................

13-16

Concrete cuisine Local food vendors curb your appetite .................................................................. 19-24

A legacy of eating establishments Jimmy Faughn’s, The Collegian, LeFaughn’s, Gold Post ................................

Ward’s Ward brothers were fast-food pioneers ......

Top Chef Q&A

Meet Brian Jackson, chef, Leatha’s BBQ Inn ..................... 39

Signature Events ...................................... 40-53 Hub Award ................................................................ 40 From Hamptons to Hattiesburg ................................ 41 Ales & Tails ................................................................ 41 Brown Reception ...................................................... 42 Silver Anniversary Reception .................................... 43 HCLO Patron’s Gala .................................................. 44 HCLO King & I .......................................................... 45 PRCC Homecoming .................................................. 46 Vines of the World ...................................................... 47 Sweeteas .................................................................. 48 Signature Chefs Auction ............................................ 50 Dining with Stars ...................................................... 51 Riley/Carter Shower .................................................. 52 Ribbons of Change .................................................. 53

Signature Q&A 28 33

Food .............................................. 38-39

Randy Stein, winner of the CSS/Tony Chachere Tailgate Cookoff ............................................ 56 ABOUT THIS ISSUE: January is usually a kickoff to dieters and health enthusiasts who want to make a new start in a new year with healthier eating habits and lifestyles. In years’ past Signature dedicated the January magazine to a Healthier You. This year we thought we’d take it in a completely different direction with the Food Issue. Inside you’ll find stories about eateries you may or may not remember from years gone by or ones you frequent or might want to on a regular basis.

Signature Magazine • January 2012 • vol 6 number 10 publisher David Gustafson editor Beth Bunch contributors Dana Gower • Lee Cave Chloe Rouse • Ed Lashley • Carolyn Critz • Matt Bush • Tim Parris ad representatives Missy Pickering • Jessica Wallace • Agusta Callaway art director Bill Benge graphic artist Emily Hall Signature Magazine is a product of Hattiesburg Publishing, Inc., publisher of The Lamar Times, The Petal News, HubCitySPOKES, Camp Shelby Reveille and Signature Magazine. For information on submitting items for consideration, call (601) 268-2331 or email beth@HubCitySPOKES.com. To mail information or photos, send to Signature Magazine, 103 N. 40th Avenue, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.

january 2012

January 5-7

LCHA Winter Circuit Cutting Horse Show Come out to the Forrest County Multipurpose Center in Hattiesburg for the LCHA Winter Circuit Cutting Horse Show. Watch as talented horses and riders of all ages compete for cash and prizes. For more information contact Gwen Coie @ 318-644-5788 or call FCMPC office at 601-583-7500

January 7

Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon The 2012 Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half-Marathon will start at 7 a.m. Saturday, January 7, in downtown Jackson and race slots are selling out. Challenge yourself with the 26.2-mile marathon or the 13.1mile half-marathon. You can even create a team of five runners and tackle the course as a relay team. Four of you take on five-mile legs with the final runner going the 6.2 miles to the end. Wheelchair competitors are welcome to take part in this challenging course!

January 7

ances and school visits over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The main public concert will be a Salute to America’s Heroes concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, January 14, at Galloway United Methodist Church, 305 North Congress Street in downtown Jackson. The Men’s Glee Club will be the featured performers. The concert is free and no tickets are required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. In addition to the concert at Galloway UMC, the Glee Club will be visiting several area high schools and participating in the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service on January 15 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Brandon.

January 15

Breakaway Prom Fashion Show 7-10 p.m. Saturday, January 15, Lake Terrace Convention Center, sponsored by Traci Goodwin Photography and Forrest General Hospital’s Spirit of Women. For more information, visit www.breakawayfashion.com.

January 20-21

Petal’s Distinguished Young Woman of the Year Petal’s Distinguished Young Woman of the Year competition is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, January 7, at the Petal Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at the door.

January 13-16

U.S. Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club The internationallyacclaimed U.S. Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club will be in Jackson January 13-16 for a series of public perform-

LCHA Winter Circuit Cutting Horse Show

signature

Petal Showchoir Dinner Theater “Hooray for Hollywood” is the theme for this year’s Petal Showchoir Dinner Theater. Show time is 7 p.m. The dinner will be held in the school cafeteria with the show to follow in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15 per person and are available from showchoir members and at the school.

January 21

AXTOUR Arena Cross Racing Back again at the Forrest County Multipurpose Center is the Axtour Arena Cross. Watch the action of several different classes of bikes from kids to pros, as well as quads. Advanced tickets can be purchased at Hattiesburg Cycles. For more information contact 601-583-7500

January 27

Hoops for Habitat Hoops for Habitat will bring actionpacked excitement and raise funds for Hattiesburg’s Habitat for Humanity on January 27 at the William Carey University Gymnasium. Doors open at 6:30 with action to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through Habitat’s website at www.hattiesburghabitat.org. This is the third year the Habitat affiliate has hosted the Harlem Ambassadors as part of Hoops for Habitat. The Harlem Ambassadors offer a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam dunks, dazzling ballhandling tricks and hilarious comedy routines. The Ambassadors feature non-stop laughs and deliver a positive message for kids wherever they play. For more information on the Harlem Ambassadors, please visit www.harlemambassadors.com

January 28

PRCC Women’s Health Symposium PRCC Women’s Health Symposium is set for Saturday, January 28, in Crosby Hall on the Pearl River Community College Campus. Check-in will begin at 7:15 a.m. along with the Art Walk and a continental breakfast. Participants will gather in the Olivia Bender Cafeteria by 8 a.m. for a welcome and presentation by Deanna Favre, chief executive officer of the Favre4Hope Foundation. Four physicians will take part in a health panel at 8:45 a.m. The luncheon will begin at noon with entertainment by The Voices, PRCC’s elite vocal ensemble. Motivational speaker Kelly Swanson, an award-winning storyteller and comedian from High Point, N.C., will speak at 12:45 p.m. Presentation of door prizes and favors and the re-opening of the Art Walk will conclude the symposium. Tickets are $20. For reservation materials, call 601-403-1317 or email womenshealthsymposium@prcc.edu after January 2

January 28- March 16, 2012

African American Artists of the South Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel features Southern Journeys: African American Artists of the South

February through March 2012

Eudora Welty's Garden Photographs by Langdon Clay

April through June 12

Mississippi Art Faculty Juried Exhibition The museum is located at 565 N. Fifth Avenue, Laurel. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. For more information, call 601-649-6374

February 10

10th Annual Home Sweet Home Raffle The 10th Annual Home Sweet Home Raffle, which benefits the United Way of Southeast Mississippi, will take place a month later this year. Tickets will go on sale February 10 at a ribbon cutting at the home, which is located in Vintage Springs off Bonhomie Road in Forrest County. This year’s builder is Patrick Ward of Southeastern Construction. HubFest on March 31 will be the last chance to buy a ticket.

February 11

Mississippi Children’s Museum People attending this year’s 1920sthemed “Ignite the Night” event at the Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) can expect an incredible evening full of alluring, prohibitionstyle excitement and special surprises. The adults-only event will feature a variety of food, adult beverages and lots of exciting activities that give a nod to this noteworthy period in American history. The 7 p.m. event will feature 1920s-era jazz music, circus entertainment such as a fortuneteller and period-style gaming – complete with a speakeasy! The event will feature silent auction packages. People attending the event should dress to explore the museum and feel free to accent casual attire with '20s flair. MCM is a unique 40,000 sq. ft. facility that features about 20,000 sq. ft. of interactive, educational and stimulating exhibits. For more information about the Ignite the Night Gala or for information about MCM visit www.mississippichildrensmuseum.com or call 601-981-5469

By David GUSTAFSON hether he’s crushing a home run far beyond the left field fence or crooning his favorite John Mayer song at a local honkeytonk, Hattiesburg native Adam Doleac knows how to captivate his audience. Doleac is probably best known for his prowess on the baseball field as a former standout at Presbyterian Christian School and as a four-year starter for the University of Southern Mississippi, but these days the 23year-old son of Donnie and Lisa Doleac is trying to make a name for himself as a singer/songwriter and front man of the new Adam Doleac Band. The band is celebrating the release of its new album, “Travel On,” at a special CD release party planned for Jan. 20 at The Bottling Company in downtown Hattiesburg. The 5-song EP features original tunes penned by Doleac and was recorded by Mark Black at his Black Magic Studio in Moselle.

signature

Recorded under a country/western “label,” the EP is hardly a traditional country album, but instead a toe-tapping, soul-searching, head-nodding mix of country and southern rock with the types of lyrics featured on some of the finest Americana releases out there. “It’s hard to explain exactly what kind of music it is,” said Doleac. “Southern rock, blues, country, pop – you name it, we play it.” Doleac said his diverse musical background is the result of listening to a variety of music while growing up. His father, Donnie, co-owner of Hattiesburg’s Doleac Electric, was a drummer and a former member of “The Prophets,” a Pine Belt garage band with some minor and mostlylocal notoriety. His parents gave Adam his first set of drums at the age of two and other than a crash course from his father that consisted of primarily a single drum beat, Doleac said he has basically been self-taught. In high school, he and a group of

friends including Logan Stephenson, West McKellar, Matthew Gilliam, and Caitlin Broom helped start a praise band for PCS assemblies and as a junior he was asked to play drums with Sumrall’s Justin Patterson. In fact, drums, has always been his goto instrument. At least until recently. Doleac picked up a guitar for the first time just last year and played his first gig as a front man just a few months later at Shucker’s. “It was tough,” he said. “But a lot of fun.” His first gig with his top-notch performing band that includes Adam McPhail on lead guitar, Kody Killens on bass and backup vocals, and Nick Manton on drums, was at The Gold Pub & Grill just a few months ago in August. “The band is incredible and it’s fun playing with these guys. Every time we get together, something special happens.” In fact, Doleac’s finished project sounds almost too good to be pro-

duced regionally with its crisp drum beats, fluid guitar solos, and rich tempo. “Mark (Black) really did an amazing job,” said Doleac. “He has a real knack of taking everything to the next level.” And that’s exactly what Doleac hopes happens. “I’m working on getting the EP heard by music folks in Nashville and Atlanta. It’s all about looking for a break,” he said. “I’m going to put it out there and hope that it ends up in the right hands at the right time. “Obviously I would love to play music as a living,” he said. “It’s what I love the most and I have a real passion to succeed. Hear Doleac and the band perform all five original songs featured on the EP as well as a bevy of other covers on Jan. 20 at The Bottling Company. A $10 cover charge gets you into the venue and includes a copy of the new CD, which is also available for purchase on iTunes.

january 2012

signature

hat does the time prior to Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl have in

common? If you’re a Pine Belt resident then you’ve probably come to expect the famous gumbo prepared by the Gumbo Gourmets at Hattiesburg’s Episcopal Church of the Ascension. This year’s November sale was so popular that they had to stop taking advance orders before the published cutoff date. According to Ken Cantrell, one of the gourmets, the church has been making and selling their famous gumbo for more than 15 years. “We started in very small batches and mostly sold to church members, but it quickly grew to the greater Hattiesburg area,” he said. The original fundraiser came about as a means to support the church youth group who was planning a trip to Kentucky to assist in rehabilitating homes. Today, proceeds from the gumbo sale support the Outreach efforts of the church. “Our Outreach efforts support the Hattiesburg area and as far away as orphaned children in Uganda,” he said. According to The Rev. Dr. Susan Bear, rector at the church, the church counts on the gumbo sale to enable them to carry out the church’s Outreach programs. “It’s a perfect blend of a great product and the community’s support which makes for a great blessing,” she said. “The community’s support is validation for what we do. The sale has grown a great fellowship.” The gumbo, which sells for $10 a quart and just needs rice added to it, is offered twice a year – a couple of weeks prior to Thanksgiving and again prior to the Super Bowl, with many people purchasing during both sales to stock their freezers for the coming year until the next sale. “We pray for good weather each year,” Bear said. “While we’ll sell in any weather, we prefer good weather.” Several years ago it actually snowed the night prior to the Saturday sale and there was a smattering of snow on the ground as customers picked up their gumbo.

the church’s “Gumbo Mailing List, which serves as a reminder of the upcoming sales. “We mail out more than 600 postcards to all areas of Mississippi and locations in Louisiana, in addition to email reminders which are sent out,” Cantrell said. Bear said one of the church’s favorite customers is a lady from Lake Charles, La., who drives up to pick up her gumbo. “We look forward to her sale,” she said, adding that every sale they have picks up a few more names on their mailing list.” Because of the popularity of the gumbo,

The Ascension cooks begin preparing for this large undertaking about two months in advance, ordering supplies and preparing the space needed for the cooking. The now-famous recipe was developed by the late Bill Jordan, a church member with a Cajun background. “The only change that has been made to the recipe is to standardize the ingredients to allow a consistent batch each time, but it’s still Bill’s recipe,” Cantrell said. “The recipe’s secret ingredients includes the Cajun trinity, and the talents of the Church of the Ascension family.” In their recipe, the gourmets use 200 pounds each of chicken, sausage, and shrimp for approximately 1,000 quarts of gumbo, “plus or minus what the cooks sample.” There’s also crushed and diced tomatoes and okra, with about 10 cases of the green stuff going into the making. “It has to have okra to be gumbo,” Cantrell said. “That’s what makes gumbo, gumbo.” Their cookware for this event includes 160-quart pots, of which they use eight.

While there are probably many loyal members of the community who have been purchasing the gumbo from the beginning, Cantrell said members of the church and their families have eagerly continued to enjoy the tasty Cajun gumbo. Volunteers are an important part of this worthwhile endeavor and it takes “pretty much the entire membership of the Church of the Ascension’s help in preparing a batch of gumbo, either by setting up, slicing sausage, stirring, washing pots, pouring up or selling the gumbo. Everyone has special talents they use during the preparation,” said Cantrell. “At least 30 or 40 members are usually on hand for at least part of the cooking day.” Cantrell said the cooks start the creative process early in the day the day prior to the sale. “We start cooking early in day, adding various ingredients throughout the day and cooking until late evening,” he said. “The slow cooking allows the ingredients to marry. When our stirring paddles can stand vertical alone in the gumbo, we know the gumbo is finished.” Those who have purchased the gumbo in the past are included on

pre-orders from church members and the community are strongly urged. “A year or two ago for our January Super Bowl sale we did keep a waiting list for walkups. We do urge pre-ordering because we do typically sell out,” he said. The church hasn’t missed a sale since its inception, even in 2005, just three months after Katrina. “We have not missed a planned sale,” Cantrell said, explaining that “we sold out very quickly after Katrina because many people had lost their reserve supply of gumbo when their freezers were off.” He said that year the church added two additional smaller batches to their cooking “to help supply everyone wanting to restock their freezers.” And lucky for gumbo connoisseurs, the Gulf oil spill two summers ago hasn’t hampered the ability to purchase shrimp for recent batches. For those not familiar with the gumbo, Cantrell urges Pine Belt resident to “give our gumbo a try.” Those who pre-order are reminded to pick up their “famous” seafood gumbo at the Gray House, 37th Ave. side of the church, located at 3600 Arlington Loop, Hattiesburg. To pre-order, call the church at 601-264-6773 or email coa@megagate.com or order online, www.ascension.ms and click on the Order Gumbo! option on the left side of the page. You probably don’t want to wait and call at the last possible minute. If you do, you might be left with an empty bowl.

january 2012

signature

By Beth BUNCH When passing the brown brick house with bubble gum pink trim and shutters situated on the corner of North 25th and 7th in Hattiesburg, you might roll your eyes and scoff under your breath about their “unique” decorating tastes. But you’d be wise to roll your eyes back down and take notice of the hand-written signage on the front of the building about the offerings of the structure which houses Home Bake and Candy Shoppe. This is a place you’ve probably driven by many times, but have never stopped. Stop. It will be worth your time. And your tastebuds will thank you. Really. Continued on page 15

january 2012

signature

This family enterprise, now in its 26th year, is the confection/creation of Sue Sumrall and her children, Billy Sumrall and Rebecca “Becky” Csaszar. The Sumrall family business is going as strong as ever and it’s just as sweet. The signs on the front of the building, which also advertise their hours, laud such sweet treats as divinity, fudge, pralines and other delectables. But that’s just a taste of what you’ll find inside. Open the door and you’ll discover all the sweet smells of a bakery – cakes baking, buttercream icing and cases filled with a variety of treats....from candies and cookies to cupcakes, bars, pies and cakes. The business, which faces a convenience store and is surrounded by apartments on one side and an older Hub City neighborhood on the other, is just a stone’s throw from the Hwy. 49 overpass and on the fringes of the University of Southern Mississippi campus. The small house is where the Sumrall children actually grew up. On a warmer-than-usual day during the second week of December, window unit air conditioners are humming along, keeping those bustling back and forth at a frenetic pace inside comfortable. It’s just two weeks before a major holiday and you’d definitely know it. Other than the phone ringing off the wall with customers hoping for one of the business’s remaining coveted openings, trays and pans of Martha Washington balls, fudge and cupcakes are ready to be boxed for orders or await the perusal of walk-in customers. While it’s a busy time of year, especially for candy orders, it’s not their busiest. That honor falls to the month of May. “May is our busiest month of the year,” said Billy Sumrall. “With the start of weddings, Mother’s Day, graduations and parties associated with them, it’s our busiest month of the year,” he said. “Whereas Christmas is really busy for a couple of weeks with the popularity of our homemade candies, which are mostly seasonal items, Thanksgiving or Valentine’s Day for a couple of days, May is busy all month long.” “The bulk of our work in December is cakes, which means a lot of design work, and candies,” Billy said. And the summer months are the slowest. “Usually from July until the start of school is pretty quiet,” said Becky. “It’s then that we do things that we don’t have time to do the rest of the year – clean out our closet – so to speak.” Everything the business does is by order, with the exception of the walkin customers, of which they have a

lot, who purchase from the cases. “We take as many orders as we can then unfortunately have to turn people down,” Billy said. “Everything that is ordered is made fresh. We don’t bake something two or three days in advance or a week or two in advance and then freeze it. Everything is as fresh as humanly possible.” During December one of their regular customers purchased $1,400 worth of candy, which amounted to about 85 pounds of sweet treats –

done during the day, with Billy as the overseer, and the majority of the decorating is done at night when Becky and her team of decorating divas descend upon every available work space to put their creative talents to the test. They may work for several hours or they may work until 3 a.m., it just depends on the load. The business came about when Sue, who always loved to cook, and eat, according to her son, tried making and selling candy around the holi-

“I knew the basics when we opened the bakery, but most of my education has come through the school of hard knocks.” divinity, pralines, Martha Washington balls, fudge and the like. Sumrall, who trained as a nurse, only joined the business about 12 years ago. “I had no idea I would be in the bakery business, but I’ve learned to love it,” he said. “And when I’m out and about sometimes people will recognize me and say ‘Hey, you’re the bakery guy.’ ” The business was actually started by his mother and sister in November of 1985. “We’ve just started our 26th year,” he said. “My sister has had a love of this since she was in her teens,” he said. “She’s always loved being creative and putting her talent on a different type of canvas. And she has a passion for it and really loves it. While she loves the baking aspect, she really enjoys the creative side.” Nowadays, most of the baking is

days to bring in some extra money. From there, things flourished into a full-fledged bakery out of their home. “For the first 10 years the front two rooms were the bakery and the rest of the house we lived in,” Billy said. “It was strictly Mom’s job and she and my sister worked very hard to make it work. It was a love of baking and sweets that turned this into a fulltime occupation for our family. There were some lean years in the begining to get established to what we are now. They started small and as they grew, added employees. It’s been a true blessing.” With very little advertising, their popularity has been mostly by word of mouth. “It got to a point, especially on weekends, where we’d take as many orders as we could and then have to turn people away,” Billy said. While it’s a problem they want to fix,

it’s also something they’ve got to look into to see what’s possible. “We had talked about moving west to a more centrally-located establishment that was larger, but when the economy turned, that scared us and we backed off.” Space issues have caused a hiatus in two of their once-popular offerings. At one time, the shoppe offered freshly-baked breads, as well as cinnamon rolls, but “we ran out of room, so we had to quit,” said Billy. “But we do still have people who come in the door asking for cinnamon rolls, so you know how long it’s been since they were last here.” In the past they also made king cakes, but again space constraints forced them to discontinue the popular seasonal treat. “We’d like to start back, but we’ve got to remedy the space issue first.” And with a good thing going, why change it? Because of the physical demands of the job and being on your feet so much, Sue Sumrall has had to retire, but now serves as bookkeeper for the business. She leaves the day-today or day-to night operations to her children. They also have 10 to 11 part and full-time employees. Becky got her start in the business at the age of 16 when she went to work for Olde Time Donuts, which was located near Forrest General Hospital. Her mother also worked there. But it was at the age of 13 that her interest in cake decorating was first piqued. “I had seen beautifully decorated bakery birthday cakes and begged for one,” Becky said. When her birthday rolled around there was her decorated cake. “It was awful,” Becky remembers. “The taste was just horrendous and I was horribly disappointed because it tasted so bad.” Being bakers, she remembers her mother telling her, “You can do better than this,” and her mother purchased her a cake decorating kit. When she was 16, she took her first course in cake decorating. “It was a once-a-week course at the YMCA that lasted four weeks,” she said. “The lady who taught me is still teaching at a local craft’s business.” Sue went with her to classes and gained 5 lbs. “The roses she made looked so horrible that she’d eat them before the teacher could see them,” Becky said. Several years later, Becky remembers the teacher calling her. “She told me I had a lot of talent and that Olde Time Donuts was looking for a cake decorator and she thought I could do the job. They offered and I accepted.” And she’s being doing it ever since. Continued on next page

january 2012

“I’ve basically taught myself,” said Becky. “I knew the basics when we opened the bakery, but most of my education has come from the school of hard knocks.” At one time, before her brother joined the business, she did the majority of the baking and then the decorating. “It was 19 years before I had cake decorators to help me,” she said. “My hands just can’t do what they used to do. I’d come in at 7 p.m. and work until it was done. Half of my life has been spent doing this and staying until the wee hours of the morning.” Baking is now done during the day to give the cakes time to sit for the better part of the day, cool and settle before the decorators come in at night to pretty them up. She now has three full-time workers who help with that process. And she can’t imagine life without all of this. The small back “work room” serves many purposes, but mostly the mixing and decorating. “This is it, we’re making it here, but wish we had more room,” said Billy. Another room at the front of the shoppe holds only two industrialsized ovens, as well as cabinets and counter space. The cabinets in the back room are papered with recipes, written in black marker on white poster board, of some of their more popular icing recipes. There’s one multi-shelved unit which houses nothing but colorful pastry bags of icing. Small stacked jars contain colorful edible glitters and sweet sprinkles such as stars and nonpareils in a variety of shapes and sizes. Large grey vats, which were probably new garbage cans in a former life, are lined and filled with their famous creamy buttercream icing, which can be transformed into a plethora of flavors...from peanut butter and strawberry to caramel or really any flavor. “We’re known for our buttercream icing,” said the siblings, which is their own private recipe. “My sister came up with the icing and worked to tweak and perfect it to make it unique,” Billy said. “When we go on trips we always line up bakeries along our path and we’ve yet to come across one that has anything similar to ours.” “In the beginning we took a lot of insults for our icing,” Becky said. “So I worked hard to do something different for us, which is the tweaked buttercream icing.” While other bakeries may be up to their eyeballs in fondant, “we’re fondant holdouts,” said Becky. “We work a lot harder to do buttercream.” She said they will use a little fondant here and there, depending on the job.

The repertoire for the business includes cakes, such as coconut, caramel (which may be Becky’s favorite), pineapple upside down, German Chocolate, Italian Creme, layered, sheet, shaped, birthday, wedding and even a sugar-free cake, which isn’t decorated; pies in flavors such as pecan and custards; candies with names like haystacks, tumbleweeds, turtles and pecan clusters; cookies and bars such as pecan pie, chocolate chip and turtle; and cupcakes in a variety of flavors (lemon, pineapple, chocolate mint, pumpkin, coffee cream), a new flavor for each month. They test different cupcake flavors each month to see what kind of response they get to them to know whether to add them to their regular lineup. “Cupcakes have become huge sellers, whether sold individually or made into shaped cakes,” said Becky. They also do the regular monthly cakes, such as birthday or anniversary, for businesses in the area. In addition to regular frosted cakes they also decorate cakes which feature drawings created from patterns

they make. “In this business you have to be very careful about copyrights,” Becky said. “That’s especially true for people wanting Disneythemed cakes. We have companies that we go through to purchase Disney characters to put on top of those cakes.” “This business is a whole different age from what bakeries used to be,” she said. “It’s just a sign of the times.” This isn’t your mother’s old bakery business, but in their case, it truly is. Their biggest days of the week are Friday and Saturdays, during which time they may turn out anywhere from 80 to 100 cakes (350 in a week). “Right now I’m just living for the week after Christmas when we’ll be closed for a week,” said a weary Becky. While they want to make customers happy and they try to accommodate whatever a customer wants, which can get tricky at times, “we mostly stick to what we do,” Becky

said. She said Micah Williams, one of her decorators, started out decorating ice cream cakes for a local business and most of their wedding cake design work is done by her as well. “She has been with us for 5 years and does beautiful work.” Becky stressed that while the decorating job can be fun at times, it requires a lot of hours. “For those looking for a job I have to stress that this isn’t craft time, but real work. And those who work here will learn a skill. We work at night and put in a lot of really long hours. During slow times we do have shorter nights.” While many might think working at night would have its advantages, Becky misses the interaction with customers during the day. She also admits that working around so many sweets can be difficult. “It’s hard to resist all these sweets at some times,” she said. To keep from getting stagnant and to continue the learning process, Becky watches the Food Network and other cooking shows as well as doing research on the internet in order to get new ideas and recipes. And it’s paid off. The business sells Trim Cakes, an idea Becky got from a food show. Trim Cakes are the trimmings from the cakes they bake which are then covered with icing and sell for $2.95. “We have a waiting list for those,” Becky said. “We had some fat squirrels and birds out back because we’d just throw the trimmings out the back door,” she said. Now, what was once waste is making them money. With new recipes, Becky does indepth research and gathers about 10 recipes and then picks and chooses from each to make her own. “I make it more original by adding spices and other ingredients,” she said. “The business has been a blessing. We’ve survived and have built a reputation and clinetele through our unique, fresh baked offerings and that’s what it takes,” the siblings agreed. Their many return customers are a testament to it. “We want it to be right and want to please and I believe that’s why we’re still here,” Becky said. Becky said things are looking good for keeping the family business in the family and going strong into the future. “My two sons are involved and want to help,” she said, with the younger, Vincent, already helping with the baking. “There will come a day when it’s time to turn it over to them. It feels good that we will be able to pass it on one day because we love it and can’t imagine life without it,” she said.

signature

By Beth BUNCH Hot dog cart entrepreneur Hoyt Tanner has been a jack of all trades. The native Bronx, New Yorker, and French-trained chef has been in the restaurant business, a seafood/meat wholesaler, a short order cook, a New York City police officer, Mexican pottery and ironwork importer, and a chef locally at Walnut Circle Grill. Hoyt’s New York City Hot Dog stand is set up on Timothy Lane between Broadway and West Pine Street. He decided on his original location across the street and where he was for the first 2 1/2 years, after doing a little research. But when the land was sold and he packed up and moved, his customers followed. “I rode around and looked and sat for two days and counted cars. I knew to be a successful vendor you needed for 30 cars a minute to pass. “At the time there were 32,” he said. In December, the stand celebrated its four-year anniversary. “My first gig was four years ago, actually the Saturday night of Victorian Candlelight in Downtown Hattiesburg,” Tanner said. He had closed on the house he and wife, Dawn, has purchased on Walnut Street earlier that weekend. The couple has lived in Hattiesburg for almost 10 years. “While we lived in New York there were times it would snow 8 inches every Wednesday for 6 weeks. And the snow was so high I had an alleyway to my house and they were having to cart it to the beach to do away with it,” Tanner remembers. “I told Dawn to find someplace warm for us to relocate to, but not Florida. So while in the beauty shop one day she was looking through a magazine which featured a 12-page spread on the South. We started researching and she asked if I had ever been to Mississippi. I told her I’d only ridden

through it on importing trips.” Tanner said they wanted to be somewhere away from hurricanes (then there was Katrina), in a town with a university and here we are with two, and good hospitals “because we were getting older,” again two, and close to New Orleans. And here we are.” Tanner said that “since 1977 I wanted to do a New York City hot dog cart.” So when he retired from all his other jobs he and Dawn took the plunge. While it’s actually Dawn’s business, he’s her “main man.” He went to the city, got the paperwork in order with them and the Board of Health and ordered the authentic New York City street cart they use from a company out of Miami. And if you’re going to have an authentic cart, then you better be serving an authentic hotdog. Tanner sells Sabrett’s Beef Frankfurters, which he has shipped several times a year from the Bronx. “Only 5 percent of hot dogs manufactured in the U.S. have a natural casing, and that natural casing is what gives a dog its snap,” he said. The Sabrett dogs are 100 percent beef hotdogs with natural casing and no filler. He also sells a jumbo allbeef “hot” sausage with no fillers. For a Muslim customer, who’s a regular, Tanner pulled the label off the packaging to ensure his customer that the ingredients contained no pork, which Muslims don’t eat “These are the dogs you’ll find on the streets of New York,” Tanner said of the dogs which have to be purchased 1,000 pounds at a time. “So you have to have the capacity for storage.” While he used to place an order about every 10 weeks, Tanner said with the slow down in the economy it’s only about three times a year now. He buys buns locally from Flowers Bakery. Condiments include fresh sauer-

kraut, which is cryopacked and shipped from Sabrett’s as is the onion sauce and spicy brown mustard. Also available are onions and chili, which the chef makes himself. On a busy day, Tanner says he may sell about 100 hotdogs and 20 sausages, and he keeps a fresh supply of buns in the front seat of his car. During the heydays of the stand, the couple worked together, but when things slowed down there was not enough for both of them to do, so Dawn went to the house. “Back then we would have 15 standing in line and I couldn’t leave till 4 p.m. I was happy to see the end of day, but now by about 2:30 the rush is over.” When the economy started going south Tanner said his business dropped off about 10 percent a quarter and it’s off about 70 percent at this point. “My clientele, like tradesmen, when they aren’t working they aren’t out having lunch,” he said. “But when they get a job they come back The menu selection varies amongst his customers. “Some order their hotdogs plain and simple, while others order them with everything,” Tanner said. “If you stay here long enough you’ll see every possible combination. People settle on what they like and get it. The regulars know some of the real dog combinations by name.” And Tanner knows the likes, dislikes and wants of his regulars, without even having to ask when they drive or walk up. “We have good days and slow days. Sales for the last year have been off considerably,” he said. “I show up and hope for the best,” he said. “I’m here year-round unless it rains. Rain and bad weather are the nemesis of a street vendor. People get upset if you’re not here, especially if they’ve driven across town to eat with you.” Tanner likes it on days when he

has a steady stream of customers. Spring and fall are his best times of year and he’s there through hot and cold. On especially cold days he might be wardrobed in long johns, ski pants and “look like I was going to the mountains,” he said. “But everyday my feet hit the floor, it’s a good day.” The cart, which is open from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday, can sometimes “be a political hotbed,” while at other times it’s a place for people to stop and just visit, “whether they order anything or not.” Tanner likes to work the crowd, whoever stops. “Have a little fun, if nothing else,” he said. On this day one person is portrayed as a parole board member to some while to others they are with the IRS. Some people just drive by, honk and wave. “I’ve watched some kids grow up,” Tanner said relaying the story of a particular family. He inquires about sick family members, their jobs and other aspects of their family life. Tanner describes the people who eat with him as those with on-the-go lifestyles. “And they are from every walk of life – doctors, lawyers, and judges to guys in the ’hood,” he said. “But one person is just as nice and polite as the next, saying yes ma'am and no sir. It’s just incredible. People want to be treated the same.” And he even speaks ‘the language’ to those customers, who may know English, but have Spanish as their primary language. “I had to know Spanish, especially as a New York Cop, and I learned to cook from my Puerto Rican friends. You’ve got to make people comfortable,” he said as he took a customer’s order and carried on a conversation with them in Spanish. “I’m just a character, who kids around and says things you might expect a New Yorker to say,” Tanner laughs.

january 2012

By Beth BUNCH Floyd Patterson got his start flipping burgers under the Golden Arches. Not exactly the job he’d hoped for. “I wanted to be on the front end of things, but they wanted me on the grill, so that’s where I made my debut,” said Patterson, who decided then and there “that’s where I would make my name known. They referred to me as Meat Man No. 1. I’d get it done as fast as anybody.” After that stint, a burned-out Patterson vowed never to return to the grill. “But I guess history repeats itself,” he said recently on a cold, dreary and blustery day in front of Lowe’s, with a heater burning in the background for warmth. He now enjoys fast food of a different sort. As proprietor of Floyd’s Grill, Patterson’s movable setup has a semi-permanent home on the “porch” of Lowe’s on Hwy. 98 West during the week, and on weekends, while also at Lowe’s, he also sets up at Upward football and soccer events at Temple Baptist Church on old Hwy. 11 and other events or for special occasions around town. Now he has the best of both worlds, working the front, the back and everywhere in between. Patterson, 32, grew up in McComb, but has been in Hattiesburg since 2004, where he attended the University of Southern Mississippi. An appliance salesman at Lowe’s for about seven or eight years, he left his full-time job to start Floyd’s Grill in February 2003. Now he serves people his menu all over town – whether catering an event for Sam’s Club, BancorpSouth, Westover Apartments or working a special event such as Black Friday at Best Buy, Relay for Life, HubFest, Live at 5 or Eaglepalooza. His repertoire consists of a variety of seasoned dogs, including the Floyd Dog, a Chili Cheese Dog, Bratwurst and Cajun; cheeseburgers and double

signature

cheeseburgers; Philly and chicken cheesesteak sandwiches and his newest addition to the menu, a grilled farm-raised tilapia hoagie. Add-ons include grilled onions and peppers, jalapenos, bacon, sauerkraut and chili/cheese (and no cheap cheese, but a Colby Jack/Monterey Cheddar). Patterson has even partnered with 180 Fitness once a month to promote healthy grilling and eating for their members. “We take platters of our grilled tilapia and chicken, so they can

The Lowe’s location is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and times vary at other locations on Saturdays. “But this (Lowe’s) is our home. When we finish roaming, this is where we come home to,” said the young entrepreneur. “We don’t work on Sundays unless it’s a big event.” Spring, the beginning of summer “before it gets too hot” and fall are the busiest times of the year for the business with lots of catering jobs. And

taste the benefits of grilling healthy food,” Patterson said. His menu items come a la carte or as combos and with normal condiments such as relish, mayo, mustard, ketchup and Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, “which takes a dog in another direction.” “Like Subway, you get chips and a beverage in your combo,” he said. At the present he’s not serving any dessert items and drinks include soft drinks, lemonade, root beer and water. “All of our food is grilled fresh and grilled cooked to order,” he said.

his homebase is very busy “with people doing home improvements,” with weekends, Fridays and Saturdays, being their busiest days. “We hate it when it’s real real cold...so cold that your feet freeze or when it rains on Saturdays,” said Patterson, who has two workers to help him, including his 8-year-old son, Caleb, who also helps out on weekends making sure the drink box is full, plenty of chips are out and the trash is picked up. The Floyd’s Grill set-up includes his cooktop/grill and serving area, a tent, which on this day is pulled for-

ward more than normal to try and break some of a blustery wind, and outdoor seating, complete with tablecloth. Businesses such as this, which are inspected quarterly by the health department, must be bonded, licensed, and have hot and cold water, just like inside. But Patterson admits that’s it’s much more tedious and he has to be a whole lot more careful. “But I enjoy being held accountable,” said Patterson, whose employees wear gloves from start to finish of the prep and cooking processes. “It’s just like indoor dining, but outdoors,” he said. He stresses that his business is “not a hot dog stand, but outdoor fine dining.” Patterson, in fact, started out with a hotdog cart before he decided to expand, change the theme and build a platform for the Lowe’s location. “It looks cleaner and is more welcoming,” he said. His wife, Lakisha, helped him come up with the name and new design. “I centered it around the grill and gave it more of an outdoor theme, thus the trees,” he said of his logo and signage. “While this is a hobby for me, I consider myself chef of a 5-Star Grill,” a proud Patterson said. “I want it top knotch and want to provide top customer service – from greeting people when they walk up all the way to the food. And even when we go on location, it’s the same mandate. We’re real big on customer service.” Floyd’s takes call-in orders and accepts all major credit cards, debit cards and cash. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter. Patterson has had a variety of Tshirts made that he and his employees wear, each with a slogan to help promote the business. He hopes his food and service will bring customers back, “Nothing like a good meal from Floyds. Let your taste buds bring you back.”

By Beth BUNCH Now that he’s retired, Ned McInnis was looking for something to bring in a little extra income each month. Gadsby’s Good Grub, a hot dog stand, was the answer. “I was too dang old to get a job and needed some income, so I started looking around,” he said from his cart stand location in the parking lot of the old DiFatta’s Fresh Market on Broadway Drive near Little Butcher Shop. The name Gadsby was his paternal grandmother’s maiden name. It was fellow church member and businessman, Hoyt Tanner, who suggested a hot dog cart as a means to that end. Tanner has been in the cart business for about 4 years and had seen relatively good success during economic good days. “I couldn’t find a cart less than $3,500, so I ordered plans for one off the Internet,” McInnis said. “The plans said you could build it in a weekend in your garage.” Five weeks later McInnis completed his project, having to order a lot of things, including a water pump. But he put the entire thing together with the help of five DVDs, which came with the plans. “I had to cut the wood and screw everything together,” he said. Then there was the matter of permits and licenses and city government. McInnis and other such vendors are required to go before the city planning committee and produce a site plan, as well as having the cart approved by both the health and fire departments. “There are licenses and fees and taxes,” McInnis said. “It’s not something you can just decide to do and go out and set it up. And if you move to a new location you’ve got to do it all over again,” McInnis said. McInnis serves Nathan’s Famous All Beef Hot Dogs from his stand.

signature

“They are truly famous and became internationally famous when Franklin Roosevelt served them to the king and queen of England in 1939,” he lauds, spouting off a few bits of trivia related to the “dogs” – Walter Matthau had it put in his will that he wanted the hotdogs served as his funeral; Jackie Kennedy served them at the White House and Streisand

for the dogs for a perfect fit, nothing hangs out either end. “They are big, plump and juicy beef hot dogs,” McInnis said. The dogs can be dressed with a variety of condiments, including mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet relish, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, chopped onions, sauteed onions, sliced tomatoes, jalapeno slices,

had them shipped to London for a party she threw over there.” McInnis hints that it’s a secret as to where you can get the dogs, but admits that he buys them locally at a big box store. And the buns he serves with the hot dogs are made

homemade chili, mild cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, red pepper flakes and celery salt. His meal includes just a dog or paired with drinks, chips and a cookie for a complete meal. McInnis sets up Monday through

Friday from about 10 a.m. until 2:30 or 3 p.m., depending on business. During the Christmas season you can find him on weekends at Thomley’s Christmas Tree Farm in Oak Grove and he also follows an estate sale company when they are conducting sales in town. “For the most part, business is good,” he said. “I get discouraged some days and at least one day a week I don’t sell, at least not enough to buy a new Escalade.” Wednesday is probably his busiest day of the week. “When it’s cool, I’m really busy, but I’m not as busy when it’s freezing.” And he can sometimes stay out in the rain, but has some trouble on windy days when the wind wreaks havoc with his tent. He’s learned about tie-downs. But McInnis enjoys making new acquaintances. “It’s fun to meet a lot of people,” he said of the new customers who stop by in addition to his “regulars.” McInnis’ original setup was just his stand and two chairs, but he’s expanded to include a small table with cloth, tent and umbrella. At one time he was able to haul everything with his wife’s red 1967 Cadillac convertible, which matched his cart and other paraphanalia, but has had to switch over to a truck. His cart is completely self-contained with a camper stove inside the cart, as well as a steam table and hot and cold water. He has coolers for keeping drinks and condiments cool. He sports a matching apron and hat, as well as towels with the business name that his daughter, who owns a shop in Petal, monogrammed for him. At one time his menu consisted of Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh or New Orleans-style dogs, but “people kept getting confused about what was on each dog, so I did away with those and you can just build it yourself,” McInnis said.

january 2012

By Dana GOWER Anyone who grew up in Hattiesburg remembers Jimmy Faughn’s – if not the first fine dining restaurant in Hattiesburg, at least one of the most iconic. But how many remember LeFaughn’s or, even

signature

further back, The Collegian? For Sharon Faughn Skelton, the family’s restaurants were always a part of her life. “They started out about 1949 or ’50, when I was three years old, with a restaurant where Elam Arms is now called The Collegian,” Skelton said. “The hamburgers were wonderful.” Her parents met while her father was in the military, stationed at Camp Shelby, Skelton said. They married in 1946 and moved to St. Louis, where Jimmy Faughn managed a restaurant for two or three years. But her mother, Lillian (“People called her ‘Lil,” Skelton said), got homesick, so they returned to Hattiesburg. “My greatgrandfather let him borrow

the money for the first one,” Skelton said of The Collegian. “It just had a counter at first, but it kept expanding,” eventually becoming a cafeteria. Skelton said her parents divided up the work, with her mother handling the business end and the employees, while her father oversaw the kitchen and created the recipes. “He said he always liked to cook,” Skelton said of her father. “He never followed a recipe – he always had to change it.” Everyone in her family was a good cook, she said, noting, “Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at our house were the best I ever had. I would watch him make the dressing and clean up as he went. He always made two types of dressing, oyster and regular. He was a great chef.” Eventually, the family would open and sell other restaurants, sometimes operating more than one at a time. The second restaurant was LeFaughn’s, located across from

Lake Byron. By about 1955, they had opened the first Jimmy Faughn’s, a steak and seafood restaurant located on Broadway Drive. Next came the Sea Lodge, Skelton said. “It was in a huge log cabin,” she said. “They had a little log cabin out back where they shucked oysters. The windows were lined with pearls.” The restaurant was styled on one her father had seen in Houston, Skelton said. “They would bring courses out – boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell,” she said. “Bob Hope came and ate there.” Eventually, the family opened the Jimmy Faughn’s on 26th Avenue that is remembered to this day as one of Hattiesburg’s first full-menu, fine-dining restaurants. “It was primarily steak and seafood,” Skelton said of the restauContinued on page 30

january 2012

rant’s menu, but added that her father “was probably the first (in Hattiesburg) to have a Mexican plate and a really good spaghetti. People used to tell me it was the only good place to eat in town.” Among all of the restaurant’s offerings, though, one of the ones bestremembered was its salad dressing. “He made up the recipes for all the sauces and dressings” at the restaurant, Skelton said. If not the exact recipe, at least a close approximation can still be found in Hattiesburg today at the Gold Post on Hardy Street, a restaurant that shares a lineage of sorts with Jimmy Faughn’s. Later in the restaurant’s history, the Faughns took on a partner, Ralph Lowery Sr. “They were real close friends,” Skelton said. Eventually, Lowery went on to open the Burger House and, later, Gold Post. “He gave a version of it to Ralph Lowery,” she said of the salad dressing recipe. “It’s not quite the same. After my dad died, I found the recipe. There was an original and a revised

signature

recipe. For some reason, he was saving the original for me.” Lillian Faughn died suddenly in 1978, Skelton said, noting that her father sold the restaurant within about a year. He ended up taking it back over for a time, but the restaurant then ended up being closed permanently. Ralph Lowery Jr., who still owns the Gold Post, said he has heard stories about the origin of the signature salad dressing. “From what I can understand, my dad was a friend of a gentleman who had a restaurant up town. He was a Greek and he had this dressing,” Lowery said. “This gentleman said if he ever left and went back to Greece, he would give him this recipe. That is what I’ve been told.” Despite his connection with Jimmy Faughn’s, however, Ralph Lowery Sr.’s restaurant legacy in Hattiesburg derives from two iconic restaurants of a different type, one of which remains to this day.

“Back in 1961, he opened up what was called the Burger House,” Ralph Lowery Jr. said. The restaurant was located next to what is now the Wendy’s next to Kamper Park and was the first 15-cent hamburger restaurant in Hattiesburg. “I was working there in the ninth grade,” Lowery said. “It was one of the spots in Hattiesburg. Frostop was here first, but we were the first 15cent place.” Lowery looks back fondly on a time when all of the restaurant owners in town knew each other and would help each other out when needed. “It was friendly competition,” he said. Eventually the Burger House closed, about three years after Jimmy Faughn’s had finally closed its doors for the final time, Lowery said, but by that time a new Hattiesburg icon was in full swing. Gold Post opened in October of 1971, recently celebrating its 40th year in business. During all those years, Lowery said, the restaurant has maintained its same format and décor. About the only change from the time the restaurant opened, he said, is that

the top part of the original Gold Post sign is no longer there. If there are any other restaurants in town that have been open as long as Gold Post, there definitely aren’t many, Lowery said, adding, “We’re just happy to be here.”

You can find John Middleton, head clean captain, top left, and Scott Lowe, part-owner, at their posts at Gold Post most days of the week. Above, the house dressing at Gold Post share a lineage with Jimmy Faughn’s restaurants.

january 2012

Frostop Root Beer, with its iconic mug, may not be original to Hattiesburg. But for many, the Frostop restaurant at 1000 Hardy Street was a local landmark. And, eventually, it served as a launching pad for what became one of Hattiesburg’s own signature restaurants. Richard Ward and his late twin brother Edgar opened the Frostop restaurant in Hattiesburg on December 4, 1957. “It was the first fast-food walk-up in Hattiesburg,” Ward said. Ward said he had seen some Frostops in New Orleans, and thought it would be a good fit for Hattiesburg. According to a company history, the first Frostop Root Beer stand

opened in 1926. In 1954, the chain expanded to the South, with New Orleans being the first location. In 1957, when the Ward brothers opened their restaurant, “Everything was still downtown,” Ward said. “We were on the route from downtown to the college.” Ward, who graduated, along with his brother, from Oak Grove High School in 1947, was convinced that the city’s natural progression was toward the west. On their first day of business, though, “We were scared to death. We took in $63 the first day. We worked from eight in the morning until 12 that night for the first couple of months. One of us would open up and the other would close, seven days a week.” Continued on next page

january 2012

Since Ward and his brother were identical twins, “They thought we were working all day long,” he said. “We were a pioneer in the fast-food business” in Hattiesburg, Ward said. “McDonald’s opened a couple of years later. Shoney’s opened a couple of years after we did.” Burger House, which was touted as the first 15-cent hamburger restaurant in town, opened about three years after Frostop, Ward said. “We sold ours for 25 cents.” One of Frostop’s signature menu items was the Lot-o-burger, a quarter-pound hamburger on a four-inch bun. When the Ward brothers opened their second restaurant in 1978, the identical hamburger became a signature of the new Ward’s.

“We were scared to death. We took in $63 the first day.” - Richard Ward

“We dress them the same way. It’s the same thing,” he said, adding that the restaurant also continues the tradition of selling homemade root beer. On May 28, 1978, the brothers opened up the first Ward’s, located on 40th Avenue. “We had this store and the Frostop,” Ward said. “We added chili burgers here,” he said of the new restaurant. “We always had the chili dogs.” When the brothers built the restaurant on 40th Avenue, “There was nothing this far out,” Ward said, but added, “Everything was moving this way.” Ward had a stroke nine years ago, and he has turned the business over to his daughter, Terri Ward Hughes. But he still visits a Ward’s restaurant every day. “I go here 90 percent of the time,” he said of the 40th Avenue location. There are now 42 Ward’s restaurants, all in South Mississippi, with five of those in Hattiesburg. His family still owns three, located on 40th Avenue, Highway 98 West and next to the Cloverleaf Mall. The others are located on Highway 49 North and Highway 49 South. Although most of the Ward’s restaurants are now franchised, there is still a continuity with the original restaurant. Glen Sullivan, who, with his wife, Shelley, has Wards Food Systems Inc., started at the original 40th Avenue restaurant, Ward said.

signature

“I hired him,” he said of Sullivan. “He started right here.” “My husband started out as a fry boy at night” when he was 15 or 16 years old, Shelley Sullivan said. “He’s 42 now.” Sullivan said the Ward brothers began franchising restaurants in the early 1980s, with the Ward’s in Petal the first to be franchised. Around 1984 or 85, they sold the right to franchise Ward’s restaurants. In 2004, the Sullivans bought out the franchising company and now own 15 of the 39 franchise restaurants, along with the brand. “They’ve done real well,” Ward said of the Sullivans. “Shelley is a smart girl.” Ward said it has become much more difficult for individuals to start a restaurant than it was when he and his brother first got into the business. “The food business has really changed. When we started, we peeled our own potatoes and cut them up,” he said. “To equip the store was $12,000” when he and his brother opened the Frostop, Ward said. “It would be $100,000-plus now for just the equipment. It’s probably $500,000$600,000 to open a store, depending on the land.” Now “83 years old and rolling,” Ward looks back on his career with fond memories. “I’ve had an interesting life,” he said. “God blessed me. I wasn’t lucky. I was blessed.”

Richard Ward, below, can be found eating at one of the Pine Belt’s Ward’s restaurants every day. But he frequents the original restaurant, on the corner of Hardy and 40th, most frequently.

january 2012

Dear Friend, If you’ve ever thought about going to a chiropractor but you’ve hesitated because you weren’t sure it was right for you, please read on. My name is Dr. G.H. Hairston. We are celebrating our “New Year, New You” program for the greater Pine Belt area. I have agreed to “give away” (to anyone who asks for it) $200 worth of my services for only $15 - that’s right, $15. In the 12 years since I opened my doors I’ve helped thousands of people throughout Mississippi feel better and live healthier, more productive lives through chiropractic care. And now I’d like to introduce even more Mississippi residents to the many benefits our profession has to offer. For instance, chiropractic care may be able to help you if you are suffering from any of the following Conditions: - Slipped Disc - Low back pain - Numbness in your arms or legs - Constant fatigue; lack of energy - Muscle spasm, sprains & strains - Migraine Headache - Fibromyalgia And a whole host of other problems ranging from painful menstruation to sciatic nerve problems. These symptoms can be caused whenever the vertebrae in your spine are out of alignment, because the “Misalignments” directly affect your nervous system. Fortunately, if you are suffering from any of these problems, or similar afflictions right now, they may be relieved or eliminated

signature

by proper chiropractic treatment (commonly called adjustment). So if you have always wanted to “check out” chiropractic care and see what it can do for you, now is the best time to do so because... For one month only, $15 will get you all of the services I normally charge new patients $200 for. What does this include? Take a look at what you will receive... - A detailed consultation with Dr. Hairston - A complete chiropractic spinal examination to determine the severity of your condition.. - Helpful literature that shows how your body works and why you experience pain... - Answers to all your most probing questions about chiropractic care and what it can do for you... But now as a part of this one-time offer, you can come in and find out for certain if you need chiropractic care and how it might help you eliminate the pain you are feeling. Before you come in though, you will probably want to know a little bit about me. So let me tell you... I brought professional chiropractic quality to Mississippi in 2000. Since graduating from Cleveland Chiropractic College of Kansas City with my doctorate, I have undergone extensive postgraduate education in neurology, kinesiology, biomechanics and spine traumatology, foot disorders, rehabilitation of nervemuscle-bone, clinical nutrition and internal disorders, including gastroenterology. After graduating from Leland High School, I attended mississippi Delta Community College. I decided to continue my education at Marshall University

in Huntington, WV after earning a football scholarship.

Meet The Doctor

Dr. G.H. Hairston I graduated from Marshall University with a bachelor degree in exercise science and chemistry. I continued my graduate education at Cleveland Chiropractic College of Kansas City, Missouri earning a doctorate of chiropractic in 1999. I have served as a consultant to many doctors throughout the United States. I have consulted with many attorneys regarding personal injury claims. I have co-treated with many medical specialists on difficult cases needing special treatment. I currently hold advanced certification in Biomechanics and Injury Traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. I am currently board certified as a chiropractic physician at the state and national level.

Does Chiropractic Really Work? Absolutely! Here are some findings from studies done by chiropractic physicians and orthopedic surgeons...

Harvard Medical School Letter... Sept. 1990 “Chiropractic treatment of low back pain, which affect 75 million Americans, is superior to the standard regime administered by med-

ical doctors, a major British study has concluded. Chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile long-term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management,” said Dr. T.W. Meade, a British medical doctor who headed the study conducted at 11 hospitals and chiropractic clinics.”

Federal Medical Study Endorses Chiropractic for Back Pain - US Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research. December 8, 1994 panel of 23 doctors headed by Dr. Stanley Biggs, MD (Professor of Orthopedic Surgery) studies 3900 medical articles on low back pain. Their conclusions were that “Chiropractic manipulation of the spine was more helpful than any of the following: Traction, massage, biofeedback, acupuncture, injection of steroids into the spine.” Surgery was beneficial only in 1 out of 100 cases! Would you like even more proof that chiropractic works? Then listen to these comments from a few of my patients...

Patient Success Stories Dr. Hairston and his staff treat me very well. What I like most about my care is that it helps. THE RESULTS OF MY CARE ARE THAT I HAVE HAD EXCELLENT IMPROVEMENT!! When I am asked about Dr. Hairston, I simply say,“MY TREATMENT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN BENEFICIAL AND THE STAFF HAD BEEN WONDERFUL!!” Lisa

Dr. Hairston and his staff treat me GREAT! Everyone is friendly. WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT MY CARE IS THAT EVERYONE IS VERY POSITIVE AND NICE AND THAT THE CARE REALLY WORKS!! The results of my care have been great! I feel much better and my back is getting better. WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME ABOUT SEEING DR. HAIRSTON, I TELL THEM IT’S A GREAT CHOICE. HE CARES ABOUT ALL THE PATIENTS AND WANTS TO HELP EVERYONE. Elizabeth Before seeing Dr. Hairston, I was suffering with severe pain. I could not sleep at night due the pain in my lower back, hips and legs. I felt very ill and depressed. I had upper back surgery in 1996 so I have always had a weak lower back. For the last 2 years it has really been terrible. Prolonged standing and sitting had become difficult. I was unable to clean my own house and was very irritable. I had seen numerous medical practitioners and taken a lot of pain medications. Still my problem progressively worsened. Finally, one of Dr. Hairston’s patients referred me to his clinic. Dr. Hairston and his staff are GREAT! They make you feel very comfortable and they treat you like family. What I like most about my care is the positive attitude they give. THE RESULTS OF MY CARE ARE THAT I AM DOING THINGS I HAVEN’T DONE IN YEARS. MY WHOLE WORLD HAS CHANGED. Even my mental outlook is so positive. I recommend Dr. Hairston to everyone. He is very sincere in finding your problems and correcting it. Brenda

Guarantee of Great Service Obviously, I cannot guarantee results. No one can. But there is one guarantee I can give you, and that is a guarantee to give my best effort. Plus, if I do not think I can help you, I will tell you, and refer you to another specialist who might be able to help.

Limited Time Offer Obviously, with an offer like this, I cannot afford to do it for very long. So I picked Monday, January 9th Friday, January 20th. If you’d like to take me up on my offer and see what chiropractic can do for you, all you have to do is call our office and set up an appointment.

PHONE (601) 268-8805 Call This Number Only

Call anytime between the hours of 9am-12pm and 3pm-6pm Monday thru Friday. Tell the receptionist you’d like to come in for the Special Introductory Examination starting Monday, January 9th. Thank you very much and I look forward to trying to help you get rid of your pain so you can start living a healthier, more productive life. Sincerely, Dr. G.H. Hairston

Pine Belt Chiropractic 117 Thornhill Drive Hattiesburg, MS 39402

601-268-8805 Any further treatment shall be agreed upon in writing and signed by both parties.

(Family Features) Staying true to wellness goals in the New Year doesn't always mean cutting out your favorite foods. In fact, having delicious meal options makes it easier to keep resolutions on track by increasing satiety and curbing the impulse to over-eat. One solution to health-conscious meal planning is flavorful, nutritious pork. Today, pork tenderloin is one of the leanest proteins available, containing only 3 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving. What's more, studies show that trim, protein-packed cuts like the tenderloin make you feel fuller longer, keeping cravings at bay. Nutritious, inspired meals for the New Year don't have to be complicated. Follow these simple tips for delicious meals that won't derail your health and wellness goals: • Slim Down with Leftovers: Control portion sizes by immediately reserving part of the dish for later use. Pre-cooked tenderloin and chops can be repurposed throughout the week for healthful salads, wraps and stir-frieskeeping meals diverse while cutting down on prep time during hectic weeknights. • Dress it Up: Tenderloin and chops are a no-brainer for fast family dinners, but they are also a perfect fit for elegant occasions. Stuffing chops with vitamin-packed veggies or rubbing tenderloin with flavorful herbs and spices elevates simple meals without the added richness of heavy sauces. • Lean, Mean, Juicy: To keep them tender, lean cuts like chops and roasts should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145?F, with a three-minute rest, for maximum enjoyment. For more information, including recipes to help you maintain a healthy diet year-round, visit www.PorkBeInspired.com or Facebook.com/PorkBeinspired.

signature

january 2012

Anita Johnson, Judge Prentiss Harrell, David Johnson

Kyle Wallace, Katherine Driscoll

illiam K. Ray and Rep. Percy Watson were the recipients of this year’s Hub Award, a prestigious public service award that is presented annually. This year’s presentation was made during a banquet at the Hattiesburg Country Club. The Hub Award has been Robin Martin, Stacie Wallace, Ray Humphreys given since 1979.

J. Ralph Noonkester, Andy Stetelman

Amanda & Mike Neuendorf

Gary & Logan Grubbs, Tom Brabsion

Percy & Barbara Watson

Judy Mixon, Lee Dearman

Terrell & Martha Tisdale, Barbara Hamilton, Sandra & Dr. Tommy King

Lynn & Dr. John M. Turner

Ella Lucas, Theresa Erickson

Greg Garraway, Scott Hummel, J. Ralph Noonkester, Lynn Cartlidge, Andy Stetelman, Zeke Powell

signature

Lynn McMullen, Pam Bolten

Aubrey Lucas, Melba Houze

Sharon Richardson, Jacquelyne Pittman

Sheila & Fred Varnado

Larry & Gail Albert, C.D. “Red” & Ruby Galey, Terrell Tisdale

Christy Chain, Ree Brahan

Mary Jo Basinger, Roman & Keri Galey, Robin Martin, William & Chalie Ray

Cathey Aultman, Karen Folkes, Cindy Sanford, Vickie Hanna ack deLashmet, renowned landscape architect and Mississippi native, brought the beauty of the Hamptons to Hattiesburg at the FGH Spirit of Women event, â&#x20AC;&#x153;From Hamptons Gardens to Hattiesburg Gardens.â&#x20AC;? The event was held at the Lake Terrace Convention Center.

Barbara Ann Ross, Liligene Vardaman, Suzanna Baker, Sharon Walker

Ann Bullock, Diane Lewis, Paula Potter

Janet Lewis, Roma Graham, Glenda Miller, Kelli King, Charlotte Kidd, Frank Kidd

Jack deLashmet, Dr. Joe Campbell

Jane Tubbs, Miriam Yearwod, Ethel Lott, Muriel Anderson; Susan Speights, Gates Goza

Danielle Turnage, Courtney Kelly, Katherine Sammons, Emily Daughdrill Chris & Nora Novak, Wes Lee, Oliver Klosof

Heather Cooksey, Lara Hudson, Summer Sammons, Joe Bernardo, Dorothy Ricks

he Keg & Barrel hosted "Tails & Ales," a benefit for Southern Pines Animal Shelter. For a donation to SPAS, guests received a 1 Flying Dog beer, a T-shirt, a $10 gift certificate and a doggie date book listing profiles of eligible "bachelors" and "bachelorettes."

Daniel Ott, Teresa Johnson, Tiffany Wolfe

Lara Hudson, Summer Sammons, Joe Bernardo, Dorothy Ricks

Karen Reidenbach, Angela Smith, Brittany McAllister, Anna White Dunn

january 2012

Lt. Col. Raylawni Branch, Sgt. Major Ralph Lindsey

Dave Ware, Charles Brown

Amy Ware, Kristie Fairley

Anita Wright, Annie Jones

harles J. Brown of Hattiesburg was feted with a reception and preview party at Lake Terrace Convention Center. Brown, a Vietnam Veteran, was featured in a History Channel documentary about the war. Dr. Andrew Wiest, a professor at Southern Miss, served as lead historian for the film, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vietnam in HD.â&#x20AC;?

Mary Hibbler, Elayne Lockett

Virginia Morris, Natalie Wiggins

Karsyn, Carrington Brown, Christine Brown Cooley, Carrington Brown, Jerome & Cameren Brown Robert Huddleston, Fran Ginn Lance Nail, Bob Smith

Christine Brown, Kim Brown, Cameren Brown, Celeste Brown Pat & Ken Smith Fran Ginn, Maureen Ryan, Susan Steen

Wanda & Henry Naylor, Jan Howard

signature

Pat Fluker, Erma Barnes, Dot Dismuke, Ruth Pool

Bob Lowe, Joe Wesley

Edward Shows, Ruth Centanni, Hannah Ryan Ryan & Jean Henley

Father Tommy

Cristina Morenand, Carol & Bianca Fernandez

Marion Conway Keogh, Margaret Conway Yarvey

Ella & Aubrey Lucas, Al Triche

Evanne Flanders, Jody Balius, Maria Finch ather Tommy Conway, priest at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Hattiesburg, was recently honored upon the occasion of his silver jubilee. A 25th Anniversary Celebration Mass was held followed by a reception at the Thad Cochran Center on the USM campus.

F Bishop Joseph Lawson Howse, Dr. Adina N. Green

Erica, Tammy & Kelsea Lewis, Angela Rodgers

Jacquelyn Jones, Dr. Adina Narcisse Green

Brian, Antonio & Daniela Street

John & Christy Wilson, Colette & Bo Foster

Melanie & Keith Dale, Noah & Jonathon

Angela Rodgers, Joseph Ventura

Eileen Capogna, Irene Pilcen

Kathy Bills, Victoria Donato

january 2012

Duwayne Ezell, Woody Lyon, Tim Phalen

Doug & Pat Horton, Cody & Jane Seal

Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera patron’s gala was held in the lobby of Trustmark Bank prior to the opening night performance of “The King and I.” Performances were held at the Saenger Theater.

Lindsay Loustalot, Albert & Patsy Young, Fleetwood Loustalot

Helen Freman, Mary Becht

Betty & Woodrow Lyon

Diane Lafferty, Terry Pitts

Delores Schmidt, Yvonne Black

signature

Bridget Berry, Bonnie McNail, Debbie Pollitz

Curtis Dufour, Callie Crider, Katie Kelly

Darren Johnson, Marie Landrum

Betty Rushing, Jennie Aaron

Anita Anderson, Della Dawkins, Patsy Glover

Wayne Sharp, Bonnie & Ken Hrdlica, Dolly Loyd – Gala Guys & Gals Workerbees

Barbara Seller, Curtis Dufour, Nellie Phillips, Ann Cole, Linda Alston

Hattie Phalen, Billie Hogan

Kevin Malone, Bonnie McNair, Jerre & Peter Bokor

Mary Thomsen, Wanda Harden, Mary Frances Mullen, Marika Warner, Debbie Pollitz

Johnny Jr. & Amanda Campbell, Josh & Camille Weaver

Hallie & Dews Jussely

Tim & Hattie Phalen, Carol & Jerry Scott

Ryan Meyers, Riley Taylor

Dr. John McCann, Charlotte Calhoun-Hurt

Hilary, MaryMargaret & Betty Duggan Sarah, Madelyn & Molly Schraeder, Ella Leek, Jenna Gibson

Becky & Grant Riddle Amanda Lee, Jennifer Morales

Jane Ezelle, Sabrina & Chandler Ivy

Ella, Christy & Ainsley Richardson, Grace Stevens ow in its 36th season, HCLO presented â&#x20AC;&#x153;The King and Iâ&#x20AC;? as its second show of the season. Performances, which featured Pamela Jones and John Parker, were held at the Saenger Theater.

Tricia & Jack Linton Tyler & Susan Dobson

Garlinda Walls, Beth Taylor, Pat Bryson, Lola & Luke Taylor

Wayne & Bethany Sharp, Edward Guillie

Dee Bishop, Emerson Meyer

Lyn-Holli & Kay Severson

Mary & Marissa Ethridge

january 2012

2011 Pearl River Community College Homecoming Court everal Forrest and Lamar County students were named to this year’s Homecoming Court at Pearl River Community College. In addition to the pregame crowning of the queen, a luncheon was held for the court and reunions were held for many of the classes. Inductions were also made into the Hall of Fame.

T’Kia Smith & escort

Logan Miller, Sarah Grace Friday, Dr. William Lewis

Einnor Rankins & escort Hannah Herring & escort

T’Kia Smith & Audrey Smith

Emily Patton & escort

signature

Hannah Herring & Amy McCardle

Mary Jean Saulters and family

Danielle Rogers & escort

Roxanne Angelle, Vanessa McLellan, Jacque Pace, Cindy Molloy

Pam & Jeff Jarman

Tom Light, Barbara McGilvery, Myra Davis, Bonnie McNair, Kevin Malone

Steve Massey, Emily Brannon

Rick & Lisa Conn

Christopher & Allison Allbritton he Second Annual Vines of the World wine tasting and silent auction was held at The Venue at the Bakery Building in downtown Hattiesburg. The event benefits Mississippi Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Services.

Annie Jackson

Katie Headrick, Jenny Salloum

Erin Lambert, Peggy Bullion

Marsha Peters, Sharon Solomon, Sandy Jackson

Kitty Cook Ramsey, Sonya Duncan

Sonya Sanderson, Webb Sanderson

Beth Richmond, Susan Straus, Joanne Oshrin

Sonya Sanderson, Britta Carpenter, Howard Pritchartt

Katie Headrick, Myra Davis, Jenny Salloum

Julie & Eddy Breazeale, Michael Shemper

january 2012

Heather Williamson, Kilie James, Misty & Sia Pilgonkar

Lauren Sumrall, Mctaysia Thomas, Ryleigh Borbash, Kilie James, Reagan Sumrall; Kailey Skinner, Ashley Hatton, Makenzie Jones, Hannah McVeigh, Sia Pilgonkar, Reese Prestidge

Makenzie Jones, Hailey Hening, Tamarah Hening, Madisa Jones

ne of Forrest General Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sweeteas groups met recently at Olive Garden to learn more about table etiquette, while at the same time having an opportunity to polish their skills. Sweeteas are a group of young ladies, ages Pre-K through 6th grade, organized through FGHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spirit of Women, who meet regularly to learn about practicing healthy habits beginning early in life.

Makenzie Jones, Lauren Sumrall

Ashley & Reese Prestidge

Reagan, Christina & Lauren Sumrall

Suzanne & Kailey Skinner

signature

Ryleigh Borbash, Reagen Sumrall

Hannah & Susan McVeigh

Michelle & Ashley Hatton

Mctaysia Thomas, Shamika Pollard

2nd Grade Presbyterian Christian School Sweeteas

Avery White, Weslie Hunter, Ann Marie Kittrell, Avery Hudson

Katie Rouse, Shelby Perkins

embers of the Presbyterian Christian School Second-Grade Sweeteas group met for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tailgating with the Teasâ&#x20AC;? gathering at the Spirit of Women Conference Room. The young ladies dressed in their favorite team attire and enjoyed tailgating food and fun, including making time capsules with their moms.

Merrit McLemore

Avery & Denise White

Leigh Ann & Ann Marie Kittrell

Gina & Avery Hudson

january 2012

his yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Signature Chefs Auction, which benefits the March of Dimes, was held at the Thad Cochran Center on the Southern Miss campus. Chefs from across the Pine Belt prepared their signature dishes and donated culinary gift packages for bidding during a live auction. The Glitter Boys were the featured entertainment.

Justin & Taylor Wix, Jennifer Yonce

signature

Chef Alma Murillo

Ruth Ann Tanner, Debra Topp, Vicki Kibodeaux

Lts. Patrick & Stacey Connelly

Perry Thomas, Dr. Edna R. Thomas, Delores Williams, Althea Fisher

Chris Noffke, Roxanne Duhon

Sen. Tom & Susan King, Deborah Bryant, Amy Russell, Jack Armstrong, Joey Fillingane Althea Fisher, Toby Barker his year’s Dining with the Stars benefit was held at the Lake Terrace Convention Center. Funds raised during the event will support The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and Social Service Programs. This year’s featured stars included Deanna Favre,Whitney Miller, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Rep. Larry Byrd, Rep. Toby Barker, Larry Eustachy, Jay Dean, Richard Giannini, Gen. Jeff Hammonds, Eddie Hodges, Larry Fedora, Ray Guy, Reggie Collier , Sen. Tom King, Gary Grubbs, Tom Lester, Judge Dawn Beam, Dr. Martha Saunders, Dr. Tommy King, Judge Prentiss Harrell, Gen. Buford Blount, Sen. Billy Hudson, Scott Berry, Judge Bob Helfrich, Paul Ott, Ray Perkins, Mayor Johnny DuPree, Sen. Joey Fillingane and Rex Thompson

Dick Jordan, Sonya Fox

Emily & Scott Covington

Joy Davis, Kate Barker

Isaac & Ben Gilliam; Shannadoah Sandifer, Vyshonne Wright, Ladacia Floyd, Melissa Rankins; Pat Carter, Latashia Owens, Sedrick Williams

Jeremy & Tinkye Cooper

january 2012

Courtney Owens, Tanner Graves

Megan Carter and shower hostesses, Courtney Owens, Courtney Carter, Shannon Carter, Stacy Knight, Ashley Sherrard, Ashley Smith, Carmen Grayson, Elizabeth Roberts

Andrea, Megan & Lin Carter

Megan Carter, Rob Riley, Elizabeth & Brent Roberts

Courtney & Shannon Carter Rob Riley, Megan Carter egan Carter and Rob Riley celebrated with friends and family with a USM vs. MSU-themed couples shower. The bride is an alumni of USM and the groom is an alumni of MSU. The couple married Oct. 15, 2011, in McLaurin.

Michael & James Ewing, Megan Carter, Ashley Vinzant

Ashley Smith, Shannon Herrod

Stacy & Rob Knight, Clint Smith

Ashley Sherrard, Joe Price, Megan Carter

Megan, Pat & Andrea Carter

signature

Sherry Gipson, Rob Riley

Shannon & Micheal Herrod

Sarah & Jeff Greene, Hilari McFarland

Monica Echols, John Brown, Dr. Quenyatta Echols-Williams

Wendy & Stephen Farrell

Michael Watkins, Jim Dukes Jr., Dr. Ben Carmichael

Dana & Jerry Holifila, Ross Roberts

Wade & Dolly Walters he AIDS Services Coalition (ASC) held its 2011 Ribbons of Change Gala fundraiser at the Train Depot in downtown Hattiesburg. With a combination of food, music and silent auction, the Ribbons of Change Gala gave citizens and students from across South Mississippi a chance to join together and promote AIDS awareness.

T Blake Lowry, John Reynolds, Justin Tisdale

Lia Landrum, Gene Polk, Marsha & Joe Townsend

Misty & Ryan Armstrong

Bob Marshall, Shannon Brackett, Erick Lowrey

Kristi Locke, Kim Dukes, Faye Mullis

Melissa Feigel, Angela Williams

Allen Hajnal, Andra Kostyal

Scott Cruise, Terry Kerry, Jason Terry

Gene Polk, Lia Landrum

january 2012

signature