Inspiration Mississippi is thrilled to partner with The Salvation Army, Anjou, Amerigo, CHAR, Saltine and Sombra to celebrate our third annual Pillow Donation Day!

THIS Saturday, April 1st, we encourage you to donate an unused pillow to Anjou, Amerigo, CHAR, Saltine or Sombra!  The pillows will be donated to the Salvation Army of Jackson, and will provide a Mississippian with a comfortable place to sleep.  For your generous donation, you will receive a $5 coupon to any of these fantastic restaurants!!

Thank you all for your great support of our fellow Mississippians!  

It all started with a zesty, homemade hot sauce.  On a cold, rainy Mississippi day, Courtney Aldridge and his son began crafting hot sauce in their kitchen.  His daughter, Ashleigh, graduated from college in 2014, and turned their hot sauce into a thriving business.  “I knew I wanted to work for myself.  I got a $10,000 loan and the hot sauce recipe from my father,” reflects Ashleigh.  “The next year I launched two more sauces and then a line of pepper jams.”  D’Evereux Foods was born a week after Ashleigh’s graduation. 

In just over two years, D’Evereux Foods has launched a retail store in Natchez, an online store, and a manufacturing facility.  “There is no shortage of daily tasks,” laughs Ashleigh.  “We end most days feeling like we just ran a marathon.  A few daily tasks include stocking the store, running the store, answering emails, shipping online orders, calling wholesale clients, hot sauce production, and inventory for all three – retail, online and wholesale.” 

D’Evereux Foods carries three incredibly delicious hot sauces and three pepper jams, all with meaningful family ties.  “We carry a Huckleberry Jalapeno Pepper Jam that has a sweet kick.  I used to pick huckleberries with my late Grandfather, so huckleberries will always have a special place in my heart,” smiles Ashleigh.  D’Evereux focuses on flavor first and then heat.  “Our sauces contain a special blend of spices and seasonings that other sauces don’t have.  We work on recipes until they are perfect.  My goal is always to create a sophisticated and southern food experience with an unmet explosion of flavor,” she says.

Even Mississippi Native, Oprah Winfrey, caught the D’Evereux Fever.  In 2015, their entire line of pepper jams was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List!  “My personal favorites are Pepper Sauce Rouge and Huckleberry Jalapeno Pepper Jam.  The Rouge hot sauce was the original sauce for D’Evereux Foods and I’ve been drowning my food in it ever since,” laughs Ashleigh.  “It has a thick and zesty flavor and texture that you can’t get anywhere else.  It’s my addiction.”

D’Evereux Foods can be found in their charming retail store, as well as online.  As customers enter the upbeat, southern store, they can write their favorite quote on the “Tell Me Something Good Wall!”  Visitors from all over the world can also tag their hometown on a giant map.  “From the music to the décor, you will love this place,” promises Ashleigh.  “It is right in the heart of downtown Natchez, on the 300 block of Main Street.” 

From Montana to Maine, stores across the country are selling out of Mississippi’s own D’Evereux Foods.  “I think the southern food appeal is irresistible and universal.  My mother is from New Orleans and my father is from Natchez.  That mix of southern and creole culture came to life in my childhood kitchen.  I’ve been cooking ever since and it is my happy place.  Even after a twelve-hour work day, I cook.  Food is more than a passion for me.  Food is everything.”

For more information on D’Evereux Foods, please visit www.devereuxfoods.com

Mississippi's highly acclaimed Crossroads Film Festival is rapidly approaching!  From April 6-9, come celebrate the art of filmmaking, its diversity and depth.  Film lovers and Filmmakers will gather together in Jackson to view films from Mississippi and around the world.  Click here to buy tickets for all of their upcoming events!

“Southerners are natural-born storytellers.  We have a rich legacy of world-famous storytellers from Mississippi, such as writers Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner and Eudora Welty; musicians B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis; film stars Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones.  This storytelling culture fosters the expansion from the page and lyrics to film, as film technology continues to evolve.” Robbie Fisher, Crossroads Film Society President

It all started in the 90’s.  A group of promising young filmmakers in the Southern Mississippi Film Program presented a “student films in progress showcase” on campus.  Much to their delight, the event was a rousing success.

Jackson film lovers Ed Inman, Ferrell Tadlock and filmmaker Anita Modak-Truran were intrigued.  They had been hosting independent film screenings around the state, and were striving to create a new film festival in Jackson.  They collaborated with Southern Mississippi Film Program students Philip Scarborough, Nina Parikh and Monte Kraus to form the Crossroads Film Festival and Society, supporting local filmmakers’ works and bringing films from around the world to communities of central Mississippi. 

The first annual Crossroads Film Festival was held in the spring of 2000, with a warm and enthusiastic reception.  It has only grown in scope and size over the past eighteen years. Robbie Fisher, Crossroads Film Society President, says, “Crossroads Film Festival is open to any independent filmmaker anywhere throughout the world.  Although we are particularly interested in ‘growing’ Mississippi filmmakers, and telling our hometown stories, we also have a huge interest in bringing the world’s stories to Mississippi.”

The Crossroads Film Festival and Society are truly celebrating the art of filmmaking, its diversity and depth.  “We believe Crossroads has played a role in the growth of our film production in Mississippi, as films are screened and as filmmakers visit the festival and Mississippi,” Fisher smiles.  An impressive number of films screened at Crossroads have received further acclaim.  God of Love (2010) won at Crossroads for Best Short Narrative and won an Oscar the same year.  Mr. Hublot, awarded Best Animated Film at Crossroads, received an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

This year’s Crossroads Film Festival will begin on April 6, boasting films, a movie premiere of a major motion picture shot in Mississippi, and a Music Video Showcase featuring local bands.  There will also be industry-related workshops, panel discussions with filmmakers and a closing party with live music, celebrities and Mississippi cuisine.  “Overall, we strive to get filmmakers and film lovers in the same space.  We want to share our stories,” says Fisher.  “We provide audiences with the opportunity to experience films they would ordinarily not be able to see in a commercial theater, and we encourage the creation and enjoyment of independent film in Mississippi.” 

For more information on the Crossroads Film Festival, please visit www.crossroadsfilmfestival.com Photographs courtesy of Crossroads Film Society 

Happy Spring!  Today we are thrilled to unveil our beautiful spring cover, featuring a lovely carousel horse proudly standing in downtown Meridian, Mississippi!

Spring

"In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth.  Each of you is an original.  Each of you has a distinctive voice.  When you find it, your story will be told.  You will be heard."  John Grisham

Meridian’s historical treasure, The Highland Park Dentzel Carousel, is the perfect spot for a birthday party.  Originally built in 1896, the carousel’s exquisite animals, chariots and original oil paintings have been meticulously restored, ensuring the National Landmark will be cherished for generations to come. 

We draped The Carousel House in precious blush, mint and sherbet décor.  Excited guests feasted on the carousel’s famous cotton candy, pastel macarons, iced animal cookies and favors, all topping fluffy pink linens.  Gold and turquoise animals, mirroring the gorgeous hand-carved creatures of the carousel, were wrapped in sweet ribbons and flowers for a soft touch.  The day ended with exhilarating rides around the carousel, leaving the birthday girl and her guests eager for their next trip to Meridian. 

VENDORS:
Venue:  The Highland Park Dentzel Carousel
Serving Pieces:  Modern Revival Rentals
Decor:  Persnickety
Photography:  Adam + Alli Photography
Clothing:  Bows & Arrows
Linens & Rentals:  Pretty Presentations Rentals 

Photographs courtesy of Visit Columbus!