Hey y'all!! The day is here... Inspiration Mississippi's 2020 magazine has arrived! We put our heart and soul into this publication to bring to you the best inspiration in weddings, events and life. We hope that you love it as much as we do. 

    Our mission is always to create inspirational content and photos by celebrating Mississippi's most elite vendors. Here at Inspiration Mississippi, we are blessed to have the hospitality state and a household of faith at the root of our inspiration. We want to thank Masa Kathryn Photography for our winter cover feature of Demi and Reid Humphrey's stunning wedding. We are so thankful to all of our talented advertisers!

     At the center of Elizabeth Heiskell’s table are dishes that are prepared with an uncompromising loyalty to classic, southern flavors. Elizabeth knows food. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She has also served as the Lead Culinary Instructor at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, Mississippi. Further, she has been a featured guest on multiple television programs and authored multiple cookbooks.
     Growing up in the Mississippi Delta meant that entertaining guests with a rich meal and fantastic conversation quickly became second nature to Elizabeth. “The Delta understands the importance of entertaining like no other place in the world. Entertaining is a part of the lifestyle; it’s what our grandmothers, mothers, and fathers did. For me, my childhood in the Delta is why food is so important to me. Southern cooking is an integral part of my identity. It’s my heritage and my truth and for me, that gives southern cuisine all the validation it needs,” smiles Elizabeth. Throughout her career, Elizabeth has managed to capture the soul of the Mississippi Delta in her cooking and has shared a taste of that culture with the world. 

​ Attending an event that has been catered by Elizabeth Heiskell is nothing short of an absolute treat. Her catering business began over twenty-four years ago as a small business out of her home. “Instead of Flowers was the precursor to my catering business. Customers would contact us when they wanted to send a hot meal over to a loved one when someone died, a baby was born, or any other occasion. Instead of Flowers quickly grew and developed into what my catering business is today,” adds Elizabeth. The menus Elizabeth prepares for her clients are always personalized and as unique as the celebration itself. “One of the most important things to us is to use unbelievable ingredients in our cooking. We make everything from scratch, there’s absolutely no ordering in. Our style is straightforward and truly southern because we believe that results in the best tasting food possible. The recipes we are using are a part of me and my team, we cook what we know. They’re our grandmother and grandfather’s recipes, recipes that have been around the Delta for years that we add a modern twist to,” says Elizabeth. Not only does the food taste incredible, it is all presented beautifully on copper, silver, and alabaster serving pieces. “It is so hard to pick a favorite type of event to cater. I love them all for what they are. From summer barbecues to tomato dinners outside, graduation celebrations, and of course weddings, every event is a chance to celebrate and that is incredibly exciting to me!” 
     Beyond catering, Elizabeth is a talented cookbook author. Her first cookbook, Someone Stole the Cornbread from my Dressing, was written with Susanne Reed to answer the question “What should I serve?” The book suggests the dishes hosts could serve in order to complete the perfect celebration of all occasions from New Year’s Eve to the ideal tailgate. Elizabeth’s second book, What Can I Bring: Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up was inspired by the adored “What Can I Bring?” column in Southern Living magazine. Organized by occasion, What Can I Bring guides readers by suggesting classic, southern dishes to bring to celebrations and to more solemn occasions such as wakes. 
     Following the success of both her catering company and her two books, Elizabeth was approached by the editor of Southern Living magazine to revamp the revered The Southern Living Party Cookbook that was initially written in 1972. “I was a nervous wreck. This was such a big undertaking and an even bigger honor. For so many southern chefs this book was the authority on entertaining, it was absolutely adored,” adds Elizabeth. The resulting The Southern Living Party Cookbook: A Modern Guide to Gathering is just as respected and loved as the original. Elizabeth has yet another cookbook, Come On Over, that will be available for purchase in October of 2020. “The inspiration behind Come On Over, is the idea that we should not wait to celebrate everyday life. There’s only one Christmas and Thanksgiving a year; if you’re waiting for those days to celebrate with a great meal, you’re missing out on so many opportunities to create joy in everyday life. I believe that everything deserves to be celebrated, from a Monday night dinner to diet cheat days! I want to inspire my readers to celebrate it all,” says Elizabeth. 
     Debutante Farmer Bloody Mary Mix is another facet of Elizabeth’s love for entertaining. “The bloody mary mix was born on the farm my husband and I started eight years ago. That first year we were absolutely inundated with tomatoes. We did everything we could think of- canned them, made salsa, gave them to friends and family. If we were invited anywhere, we were bringing tomatoes. It got to the point where people stopped inviting us!” laughs Elizabeth. Looking for a solution and determined not to waste the gorgeous produce, they settled on bottling bloody mary mix. The mix is perfectly seasoned and makes whipping up a delightful bloody mary simple and easy. 
     When asked what inspires her, Elizabeth responded by saying: “There isn’t one thing that inspires me, it’s a million different things. I am inspired by the people I work with every day. Between all the florists, event designers, and other vendors I collaborate with there is so much passion and creativity in the hospitality industry. The team behind me is also a great source of inspiration. I am only two hands. Without the people that work with me, support me, and put so much effort into my business there is no way that I can succeed. I am inspired every time I walk outside. One of the things that has become so clear to me is that you can miss so much if you’re not in tune and not present. If you get caught up in the strife of your life, you forget to look at everything around you that is flowering and begging to be noticed. The more you want to notice the beauty in this world, the more you see it and the more you’re filled up with inspiration.” 

     Reunion Golf & Country Club’s culinary operations led by Chef Billy Kistler have been named a Golden Fork award winner by Golf Inc. magazine . Golf Inc. annually recognizes the golf industry’s top dining facilities with its Golden Fork awards in their January/February issue.
     Reunion Golf & Country Club opened its 33,000 square foot clubhouse in August 2018 and features four distinct dining options for members, including Ella Jane’s Pizza Pub, Kristie’s, the henry and the Golf Lounge. With an unprecedented 105 percent increase in total food and beverage revenue over 2018, Reunion Golf & Country Club was one of the best new and improved dining facilities in 2019.
     “It’s an incredible time to be a member of Reunion Golf & Country Club,” said Casey Smith, General Manager, Reunion Golf & Country Club. “On the heels of Golf Inc. naming our clubhouse the Private Club ‘Clubhouse of the Year’ this past August, it’s an honor for our culinary operations to be recognized by the judges at Golf Inc. Everyone involved was able to take the incredible vision of Kristie and David Nutt and turn it into an award-winning reality.”
     Ella Jane’s Pizza Pub, located on the first floor of the clubhouse, offers a casual, family-friendly atmosphere with an
outside patio and seating area complete with cozy teakwood furniture and linear fire pits. “EJ’s” made-to-order pizzas
are made from hand kneaded Italian flour with San Marzano tomatoes and baked in an open face fired pizza oven.
Kristie’s offers a sophisticated, yet comfortable a la carte dining experience featuring member favored entrees such as
the redfish on the half shell. the henry is a charming bar with the personality of a sophisticated Southern gentleman.
the henry features an incredible wine cellar, hand-crafted whiskey and scotch cathedral offering the finest and most
distinctive selections in Mississippi. An expansive variety of both local and imported craft beers are also available and
on tap.
     The clubhouse complements Reunion Golf & Country Club’s award-winning Bob Cupp-designed 18-hole golf course. The 7,400-yard course takes advantage of the property’s wooded acreage with a well-balanced mix of straight holes and challenging doglegs. Open since 2004 and recently named one of the top private golf courses in Mississippi by
Golfweek Magazine, the course is set on the former site of the Ingleside Plantation with roots preceding the Civil War.
     The Reunion community has numerous amenities, including 400 acres of lakes, a white sandy beach, a full-service
country club, a Junior Olympic-size swimming pool, in addition to the two neighborhood pools, a tennis complex, miles
of hiking and biking paths and an equestrian center. The club’s fitness center was recently expanded to 6,000 square
feet and opened to members on January 1, 2020. The new fitness center features all new equipment, expert personal
trainers, dedicated space for spin, individual and group Pilates Reformer classes, and group fitness instruction.
     The community is located within the city limits of Madison, five miles from Interstate 55 and 10 miles from Jackson.
The 2,100-acre residential community currently features over 800 homes with more than 1,700 homes planned.
     Reunion Golf & Country Club is a Troon Privé club of distinction and professionally managed by Troon’s Honours Golf Division. For more information on Reunion Golf & Country Club, visit www.reunionms.com , or call (601) 605-8784.

Hey friends! We hope you had a wonderful long weekend (yay! for a short work week, too!). With Valentines day right around the corner, our friends at Kendra Scott have hooked us up with the most perfect gift guides. They have options for every person in your life and all price ranges, whether you're looking for "just a happy" or something a little more. Girls, feel free to send these to your man or significant other! Kendra Scott is located in Highland Village and can help you pick out the perfect gift in person, too! Happy shopping, y'all!

Hey friends! We're walking into the weekend celebrating the GOOD that Shower Power is and does for our community. If you aren't familiar with Shower Power, please check out their story here.  Last week, they set up in a parking lot for a day of providing showers to the homeless. Not only did they provide a warm shower, but they also gave haircuts and shaved beards. They danced, laughed, shared stories and had wonderful fellowship with one another. Sugar Magnolia Takery provided food for everyone who came through for a fresh shower. If you want to know more about what Shower Power is doing in the Jackson Metro Area, visit their website here! #GoBeLove

"l'll never forget getting out of my truck last Friday at the shower location --I had the best greeting from them all.. thank you to all of the complete strangers for contacting me and dropping off hygiene items/towels, etc... thank you to the people who help us financially monthly -- we need your help to keep the truck running.. thank you to my frins for helping in every way that they can -- thank you to our board members for believing in shower power.. this experience has been humbling-- rewarding-- and will make you think in a new way!! Be kind or get in line bc you may need a shower next!!" says Teresa Renkenberger, the woman behind Shower Power!