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PAUL:

For the past month, we've been talking about Jackson Food and Wine and it's here… and sold-out Saturday, March 2 at the Mississippi Museum of Art Art Garden. And we're catching up with this past month's guests about the big event.

Hey, it's Paul Wolf with the front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places and events that make the City With Soul shine.

Today, we’ve put together an episode featuring The Local Palate’s Amanda FitzGerald, Chef Nick Wallace and Chef Cat Cora. It's worth listening back to hear their affections for Jackson and have them explain why a food and wine festival is important here and now in the City With Soul.

AMANDA:

The town - Jackson is so supreme. It's why it was a no-brainer to host a festival there with the abundance of talent that already exists. I mean, we could do a festival just with Jackson talent. We've got Joseph Sambou, who is bringing Gambian cuisine. He was a James Beard nom. You've got Cristina Lazzari, who comes from Argentina, but is a French baker. So she's got such a delicious flair of baked goods. We also have some just amazing classics coming to us with Pierre Pryer from Iron Horse, Hunter Evans from Elvie's and Chaz Lindsay from Pulito. You know, they're just across the street from each other in Jackson. They're serving up some yummy food. And then yeah, around the state, you've got Cooper Miller from Tupelo, none other than Vish Bhatt from Oxford. The list goes on. I think we've got over 20 chefs. We've also got a couple from New Orleans. We've got some epic stars from Kentucky, Ming Pu and Lawrence Weeks. So, come hungry.

PAUL:

Okay. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Jackson culinary talent is on par with any city and it plays in the big leagues here 365 days a year.

AMANDA:

We were particularly motivated to bring an event such as this to Jackson as a capital city. The talent there is just the same as what you can find in New Orleans and Atlanta and New York. And so, we really wanted to highlight that and give the opportunity to the locals of Jackson and the surrounding areas a taste of that. We wanted to bring in even some of these chefs so that they get to see it too. And much of this through the helm of someone like Nick Wallace, obviously, he's been such a spokesperson for Jackson. He's gone on national TV, you know, through Top Chef, but multiple other shows at this point now. And really bringing light to, Jackson and honestly to the great Magnolia state of the food culture that's beyond what maybe some people's impressions might be.

PAUL:

Chef Nick agreed with Amanda and offered a deeper dive into the culture and cuisine here.

NICK:

Mississippi is, it's a special place. I have been, you know, trying to discover exactly how do you define Mississippi because I personally don't believe soul food is the way to go. I don't know what it is. So regardless of whatever we're doing, Mississippi has a way to just almost like a chef kiss in a way with the hospitality, the way we talk to you, the way we approach you, the way we serve you. Like everything is full of respect. We have a lot riding on us always.

PAUL:

And for Chef Nick, it's a chance to showcase his hometown and an opportunity to keep him on his toes.

NICK:

When I'm surrounded by that much talent and this is with having my Mississippi community, I mean, that's enough talent by itself. But then now you're going to plop over this wonderful chef from Chicago. Then you got this other chef from New York that's going to be here, worked in Michelin star kitchens all his life. Then you got this very creative chef that love local fronts from all different directions when she's talking about her food and that's chef Ashleigh from Asheville. Come on.

PAUL:

Iron Chef Cat Cora sees Jackson Food and Wine as a way to help set the story straight about Mississippi's food scene and the state itself.

CAT:

I think people think we are just Southern food, but there's so much diversity. You know, I'm so happy that Jackson is finally doing a food and wine festival. I mean, it's, you know, overdue because we have so much to celebrate. Such a rich tapestry of food, culture, the people, the music, so much soul. I mean, that's why it's called the City With Soul.

PAUL:

And as we always say, it's the people and our food and wine festival guests agreed.

AMANDA:

Just that real sense of community with Jackson is what I feel as though Jackson Food and Wine will deliver on. I mean, this setup in the garden and the areas of mingling with the chefs and the mixologists and all of the partners that are coming in, you know, serving up cocktails and wine and also having a nonprofit partner like Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. They are so integral into the hospitality industry of being advocates as well as just empowering the students that they have to find a place in this industry as far as real careers and that we get to have some of them as our own volunteers to help the chefs and even cook some dishes. You know, that's what again kind of gives this full circle of community and partnership from our sponsors to our vendors, to our chefs, to our ticket holders. And that's also what's going to make this particular event extra special.

PAUL:

Chef Cat Cora says there's a richness here and maybe in ways you wouldn't even expect.

CAT:

I think it's such a progressive city and I'm so proud about. The Deep South is just such a rich place in general. I mean, with music and all of the incredible novelists have come out, and all the musicians and the chefs and the food and just all of the wonderful talent and creativeness that comes out of Jackson and Mississippi in general is just something that has been beloved all over the world. As I've traveled all over the world and all over this country, and movies are made about it. And it's just so something that I'll always be proud of. And I think that coming back now is just really for me, the icing on the cake to come back and be able to really celebrate that and to have so many chefs from all over the country to come and see that for themselves.

PAUL:

And for Amanda, a repeat visitor to Jackson time and time again, she says she's feeling like this is a place where she really belongs.

AMANDA:

Every time I have been, I get to explore different areas. And then, you know, obviously for me that means food. I don't even think I've touched all the restaurants that I know I want to. There's so many places still on my list. But every time you walk into a restaurant, you kind of feel this sense of you've already been there, they know you. But then also just exploring there's so many museums and there's just so many different, again, like I said, pockets of town to kind of dig your heels into that I just enjoy it every time. And I just have started to feel like it's kind of another place that I get to feel it's as comfortable as home.

PAUL:

And that's certainly the feeling we hope you feel when you come to Jackson Food and Wine on March 2. Now, if you missed out on tickets, start counting the days until next year. Food and Wine will make a return. My thanks to Amanda, Nick and Kat for being a part of this month's episodes.

Soul Sessions is produced by Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Mississippi's capital city. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Ricky Thigpen, and I'm our managing editor. You want to know more about Visit Jackson, about the great work we do to make Jackson a better place? Well, you can log on and check us out at visitjackson .com.

I'm Paul Wolf and you've been listening to Soul Sessions.

Listen to previous episodes of Soul Sessions