brigade motors. Tortellini with house-
made veal mortadella is revelatory. I
came to Memphis in search of Southern
staples but I found exemplary modern
Italian. Case in point: a seasonal soft-shell
crab brought up from the Gulf is not
drawing on Italy, nor Asia; it’s a Southern-
inspired dish with Creole heritage.
Away from Downtown, Jose and
Jennifer Velázquez have lovingly restored
The James Lee House. A historic-home-
turned-art-school, it fell into disrepair
over decades but is now one of the city’s
grandest places to stay while maintaining
its B&B charm.
True to the nature of Memphians,
native or adopted, Jose points us to
Crosstown Concourse, describing it as
a “city within a city”. This 1.5-million-
square-feet space was a former Sears,
Roebuck & Co distribution centre and
retail store between 1927 and 1993, and
was a blight on closure. Resistance to
demolition paved the way for a thriving
food-and-arts hub, as well as offices.
Crosstown Brewing Co. calls it home, as
does Global Kitchen, where immigrant
and refugee women from Syria, Sudan
and Venezuela cook traditional dishes.
Today and Always is a cafe and
coffee shop helmed by chef Raymond
Jackson, who cooks for artists in
residence at Crosstown Arts. And there
is also nearby Art Bar, a small cocktail
bar that opens to a warren of spaces
populated with vintage pieces. Muralist
Toonky Berry strikes up conversation
over a cocktail, his enthusiasm for the
street-mural scene contagious.
The Four Way hums with local
chatter. This neighbourhood soul-food
restaurant, opened in 1946, is kept alive
by owner Patrice Thompson, passed
from her father, who in turn kept it going
when its founders fell on hard times.
In this dining room a legacy was formed;
a meeting place during the Civil Rights
era, diners over the years included Dr
King, Jesse Jackson, Aretha Franklin,
Issac Hayes, Elvis and a continuing
roll call. In many ways it embodies
Memphis old and new: welcoming,
unassuming and hopeful.CLOCKWISE: Today
and Always cafe;
top Italian fare at
Catherine & Mary’s;
chef Raymond
Jackson; soul food at
The Four Way.CITY GUIDE.