#JXNMS is in the news and we’ve got the good stuff! In case you missed it, here are a handful of positive, uplifting features from the past couple of weeks.

Chef Nick Wallace will soon be at the helm of the Nissan Cafe at the Two Mississippi Museums. Located on the west end of the museum complex, the menu is yet to be announced. But, if it’s Chef Nick, it’s bound to be good! Wallace recently won Food Network Canada’s “Fire Masters” and is the Chef Operations Manager at The Capital Club in Downtown Jackson.

The Jackson State Tigers baseball team has completed a perfect SWAC season. The victory clinched Jackson State’s first 24-0 conference record in program history and the first 24-0 record in the SWAC since Alabama State did it in 2016. It’s the best regular-season conference finish for the Tigers since 1990, when JSU, with Braddy at the helm, went 22-1 in conference play.

The Fertile Ground Project documentary film has been nominated for the Southeast Emmy Awards. The announcement was made by the film’s production company, General Usage. The Fertile Ground documentary follows the life of local residents experiencing challenges accessing healthy food options, while also detailing the systematic policy failures that have allowed “food swamps” to thrive.

Chef Enrika Williams was recently featured on A Hungry Society’s Boundless Horizon Podcast in an episode titled “The Blank Quilt Square & the Infinite Nature of Black Brilliance.” The podcast series explores the legacy of Black food in America, inspired by the Museum of Food & Drink’s upcoming exhibition “African/American: Making the Nation’s Table” at @theafricacenter.

Local barbecue entrepreneur Eddie Wright has been selected to receive a $7,500 grant from Kingsford®, announced today as part of the charcoal maker’s inaugural Preserve the Pit™ program. This grant can be used at Wright’s discretion to continue preserving the culture and history of Black barbecue in America and fueling its future.

Jackson-native MaKayla Dillard has been named the 2021 Miss Jackson Hospitality by Visit Jackson, joining other 18-24-year-old young women from across the state to serve as their community’s “goodwill ambassador for tourism.”

The daughter of Tom Dillard III and Amy Hedgepeth Dillard, MaKayla is majoring in political science & broadcast communications at Hinds Community College.

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