INSPIREMS

Nick Wallace Has the Chops {Life}

3/16/2018

A Jackson chef is making waves in the food world by marrying Mississippi farmed goods with sophisticated culinary technique. Chef Nick Wallace, born and raised in Edwards, Mississippi, formed his love of food at a very young age. As a little boy, he would wander his family farm barefoot, cheeks stained by blueberries; and as he matured, his passion for the culinary world grew stronger and stronger." Wallace began his career washing dishes in high school. “It was important to me to work around food any way I could.” Wallace explained. He went from working in restaurants to working in hotels then cooking school.

In 2015, Chef Nick made his Food Network debut competing in Alton Brown’s Cutthroat Kitchen, a high-energy game show where chefs go through different recipe challenges to compete for $25,000. While the Edwards native did not win this competition, he returned to the cooking channel in October of 2017 where he took first place on Food Network’s Chopped: Alton Brown Challenge. “It was incredible winning this time around,” Chef Wallace grinned. “I felt I owed it to myself and my family to compete again and show my skill and technique.” Wallace says he’s not done competing. “I’m determined to be a two and three-time Chopped champion.”

Competition isn’t the only thing that’s on Wallace’s radar. He spends a great amount of time with his non-profit organization Creativity Kitchen. Chef Nick realized that children in the Jackson-metropolitan area needed healthy meals at school and for some kids it would be their only opportunity to receive delicious and nutritious fare. “It’s so important for me to give back to the community, specifically JPS [Jackson Public Schools],” Chef said. “It’s really tough being young and black. You may not get the support you need, and if I can help even a little bit it’s worth it.” The young chef went on to say that he plans to revolutionize the business. “Giving back is usually the last step in a chef’s career. Instead, I’m starting with it.” This year, Chef Nick Wallace has made it his mission to do more. He plans to fill 2018 with growth, advancement, and helping Mississippi.

Article written by Hilary Ravick

Vivienne's First Birthday Party! {Event}

3/14/2018

Today we wanted to give y'all a glimpse of a super adorable first birthday party for the sweetest little girl! Her mama is so creative and put together a wonderful event that brought friends and family together to celebrate! Keep reading for more details on this cute and creative birthday party.

{Tell us about you.}
I’m Meagan… Everyone calls me Meag (pronounced Meg, with a random A that serves no purpose whatsoever). I’m married to super hot dude name Brett and we have a little girl named Vivienne. I was born and raised in Mississippi (from Meridian, graduated from Mississippi State) and have lived and worked in Jackson for 7 years now. I have a blog called Twenty Two Lane where I ramble on about all things fashion + lifestyle + motherhood. You can find me here: www.twentytwolane.com

{Tell us about the party!}
Vivienne’s 1st birthday party mood board (yes, I totally had a mood board) was full of simplicity... whites, florals, cute balloons, etc. I had one big idea in mind that my husband so graciously ran with. He built a HUGE backdrop so that I could create a flower wall. It turned out so gorgeous! The party was held at our house on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

{What was your favorite detail from the party?}
My favorite detail was the flower wall! It was even more special and meaningful that Brett built it. I actually picked up an array of flowers from Kroger the night before, and that’s what I used to create it.

{What was your favorite part of the planning process?}
My favorite part of the planning process was at the end when everything came together. All of your visions up to that point are just in your head. Seeing the reality of it all set-up was so dreamy!

Thank you Meagan for allowing us to feature this event!

Be a Healthy Woman | Guest Blog

3/12/2018

As women, we are really great at taking care of others but are quick to neglect taking care of ourselves. It is important to see your Women’s Healthcare Provider yearly. The key to taking care of yourself includes following prevention recommendations including diet, exercise and necessary vitamins or supplements as outlined by your physician or nurse practitioner. Your annual gynecological wellness exams include important lab work and a pelvic examination that screens for early signs of cancer. There are a variety of issues including irregular or painful periods, painful intercourse, lack of sex drive, vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, weight gain or mood swings that can affect women. These can be evaluated at your yearly gynecological exam. Breast and colon cancer screening is also an important part of your wellness exams. Your healthcare provider will review your past medical history and family history to individualize your care including mammograms and colonoscopy. Don’t wait, take care of yourself today.
Please contact us to schedule your yearly exam.

Valley Hildebrand, NP-BC
Ovations Women’s Wellness
601-326-6401
www.ovationwomen.com

March 12th, 2018

3/12/2018

Made in Mississippi, a Podcast from BlueSky Studios {Life}

3/9/2018

Today we wanted to feature a native Mississippian who is working to highlight the incredible innovation and entrepreneurship present right here in our state. We got the chance to talk to Casey Combest, the founder of BlueSky Studios, about his podcast series Made in Mississippi and what the growth of BlueSky Studios means for our community.

{Tell us a little bit about yourself.}
I grew up in Vancleave, down on the Coast of our state. It was really a wonderful place to learn and grow. After High School, I studied Sociology at Mississippi College. Like most college students I did not have a strong hold on how I wanted to spend my life. After college I had several jobs, but nothing really resonated with me until I realized I could be an entrepreneur. I could build something.

{What is BlueSky Studios?}
From High School until College I recorded my music at a lot of different studios. But, I never really had anyone produce me. Never someone to walk me through finding a sound that is both unique to me (so I could stand out), and still familiar to the current market (so I could build a career). I eventually began to recording myself out of frustration. While it was efficient, sitting in front of your computer by yourself with a guitar for hours is super boring ha! Over time, I really began to see the joy of working with others. Helping them get their vision for their music out of their heads. Making their dream a reality. After 3 years of running the studio part-time, I made the jump to full-time. That was 5 years ago now.

{What is the story behind your podcast series, Made in Mississippi ?}
While studying sociology was a blast, it’s not super helpful for running a business ha! Podcasting was the way I educated and inspired myself while I was starting the studio and building it into what it is today. At some point, you sort of become numb to the 1000th story about an amazing entrepreneur in NY or Silicon Valley. From this listener fatigue came one one of those light bulb moments. Why not create my own podcast where I tell the positive stories of our entrepreneurs? After Season 1, C Spire graciously approached us to be the title sponsor. We launched Season 3 in early February 2018. We’ve had entrepreneurs like Joel Bomgar (Bomgar), Will Primos (Primos Hunting), Stephen Johnston (Same Kind Of Different As Me), and 15 other amazing entrepreneurs on our show. Mississippi is truly a wealth of experience and amazing men and women who build stuff.

{What does the future of BlueSky Studios and Made in Mississippi look like?}
As Made In Mississippi grows, I want to establish it as the place that tells the stories of our entrepreneurs. When people think of inspirational and positive business stories, I want them to think of Made In Mississippi. I think there are plenty of platforms that tell stories and news of business in our state. Yet, our agenda is to tell those stories in a way that other Mississippians feel courage and excitement about their business, whatever stage it is in.
There’s a lot of potential with Made In Mississippi. We’ve already begun producing podcasts for amazing clients like C Spire, Morgan White Group, BankPlus, and Navitas Wealth Management. And we have several exciting podcasts for other brands launching over the next few months.

Blue Sky Studios is experiencing its own growth as well. It will be in its first stand alone, dedicated music space in a few months. It will have lodging for out of town bands, and a studio B that will be perfect for writing, co-writing, rehearsals, and recording overdubs. Making the early stages of the recording process financially accessible and creative.

{Where can people listen to episodes of Made in Mississippi?}
People can listen to Made In Mississippi on any podcast app, or stream on the web here: https://goo.gl/RoJ6LM
We currently release 2 episodes a month. In the past we’ve taken breaks between seasons, but we’re really hoping to move straight from season 3 into season 4 in the summer. I feel very confident I could easily do 10 seasons of Made In Mississippi. There’s so many amazing entrepreneurs in our state.

You can find out more about Blue Sky Studios here: www.blueskystudios.org

Mississippi has a wonderful and bright future. I’m so excited to play a small part in it.

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Nick Wallace Has the Chops {Life}

Vivienne's First Birthday Party! {Event}

Be a Healthy Woman | Guest Blog

March 12th, 2018

Made in Mississippi, a Podcast from BlueSky Studios {Life}

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