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The Premier Issue of Julep Magazine. A publication for the modern Southern lifestyle.
Citation preview
Matraca Berg
!e Hall of Famer Behind Some of Country Music’s Biggest Hits Shares Her New Album, In"uences and Southern Roots
Special Derby Guide!row a party, make a mint julep & #nd the perfect hat
JOLIE & ELIZABETHFashion’s Brightest Young Duo
GARFRERICK’S CAFE A Small Town Restaurant Serving Food With Soul
DISAPPEARING GULF COAST
Hurricanes, Erosion and the Oil Spill -- how much more can it take?
Plus:5 delicious variations on the mint julep
9 classic brunch dishes with a twist
Spring 2011
PREMIER ISSUE!A fresh, new look at the stories, celebrations, traditions and lifestyle of the modern South
Cover Story
BACK IN THE SADDLEMatraca Berg discusses her soon-to-be-released album and what inspires her songwriting.....................page 42
Fashion
DESIGNING WOMEN!e duo who started Jolie & Eliza-beth brand are helping other young women get a start................page 48
Food & Drink
Southern Voices
RESTORING HISTORYWes Baker carefully repairs the books of yesteryear using traditional tools and techniques.............page 54
BLUEGRASS BRUNCHJulep throws a Derby-inspired brunch party and shares all the delicious recipes................page 20
SOUTHERN SOUL FOODChef Dave Garfrerick uses local, organic ingredients in his restaurant -- straight from his personal farm. See how his cafe is changing the restaurant scene in Alabama....................................................page 39
Southern Celebrations Photo Essay
Special Section: Julep’s Derby Guide
RUN FOR THE ROSESJulep’s 23 page guide to the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. Check out our Louisville travel tips, Derby-inspired brunch party and menu (plus a stress free timeline!) and spring dresses perfect for race day....page 16
THE DRESS-UP SHOPInside Oliver Manhattan’s costume shop as she prepares elaborate fashions for the mardi gras celebration and parades.................................................................page 10
DISAPPEARING GULF COASTAn open letter from New Orleans Councilmember Kris-tin Giselson Palmer accompanies Rush Jagoe’s stunnning photographs of the region....................................page 59
Welcome to the premiere issue of Julep! I am beyond thrilled with the launch of this innovative Southern lifestyle magazine.
I hope that you will enjoy this #rst, free issue of Julep. Treat it as you would a printed magazine – sit back, "ip through it and enjoy. !is issue – chock full with 80 pages of original content – has plenty for you to choose from. Use Julep’s travel guide to take a trip to Louisville, Kentucky for the Derby and an all-out celebration of that cherished Southern tradition. Read about what inspires Hall of Fame songwriter, Matraca Berg. Travel through the small town of Oxford, Alabama and experience the local creations of Chef Dave Garfrerick. Be inspired by the young designers behind the Jolie & Elizabeth fashion label – women who are creating an entirely new kind of sustainable business. See the inside of a Mardi Gras costume shop and test out Julep’s original brunch and mint julep recipes. Finally, I hope you will be moved by the dramatic images in Rush Jagoe’s photo essay from the disaster-ravaged Louisiana coast.
I am so proud of the innovative platform that Julep provides to experience these stories and pho-tos. !is publication will continually strive to stay on the forefront of technology and I hope that you will stay with us as we add new functionality, interactivity and apps for Julep.
In a lot of ways, Julep has de#ned the past year for me; from the concept stage through mock-ups and #nally our #rst issue, I have devoted myself to this magazine and its’ mission to highlight modern Southern culture. And with my move from Washington, D.C to Nashville, TN, I feel like my transition back to that lifestyle has #nally commenced and it is good to be here. It has been a thrilling trip with Julep so far and I am eager to jump back into the next issue.
But for today, I’m going to take the evening o$ to relax, enjoy a glass of bubbly and celebrate the premier issue (and my birthday!).
RebeccaEditor – in – Chief
!e editor, Rebecca Wilson,
during a scouting trip to
New Orleans for Julep.
editor’s letter
Highlighting modern Southern culture and lifestyle, Julep Magazine is an exclu-sively digital publication striving to inform and inspire the increasing contempo-rary Southern audience, Each quarterly issue will give voice to rising Southern
artists, explore vibrant points of destination, examine reinvented traditional foods and drinks, and include fresh designs, fashions and their creators.
Julep Magazine is a publication of Heritage Media, LLC.
Editor:Rebecca Wilson
We are taking submissions!If you are interested in contributing to Julep Magazine, please contact Rebecca,
Find us onlineJulepOnline.com
facebook.com/JulepMagazinetwitter.com/JulepMagazine
Please email all questions or comments to: [email protected]
For information on advertising in Julep Magazine please email: [email protected]
Look for future issues of Julep Magazine in June, September and December 2011
Rush Jagoe is a Louisiana-based freelance photographer. He is on a long-term endeavor to document communities in Coastal Louisi-ana and spent much of last year documenting e$ects of the Deepwater Horizon’s Oil Spill. Ja-goe’s work appears regularly in !e Wall Street Journal and sporadically in a number of other national and local media outlets.
Jason Howard is the co-author of Something’s Rising: Appalachians Fighting Mountaintop Removal and the editor of We All Live Down-stream. His features, essays, and reviews have appeared in publications such as !e Nation, Equal Justice Magazine, No Depression, Paste, and !e Louisville Review, and his commentary has been featured on NPR.(Photo: Silas House)
(Photo: Rush Jagoe)
Jason HowardIntroduces us to award-winning songrwriter Matraca Berg
Rush JagoeCaptures the beauty and soul of the South with his photographs
contributors
Meet the talented photographer and writers featured in this issue
Dagny Leonard was born in Oxford, Alabama, where she lived until leaving to attend the George Washington University. Leonard is a recent graduate of GW’s School of Media and Public A$airs with a B.A. in journalism and mass communication. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Holly Sears was raised in Kentucky and graduated from the University of Louisville where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Communication and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She currently lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina where she teaches seventh and eighth grade and looks forward to going on “staycation” every weekend.(Photo: Stephen Arnold)
(Photo: Dagny Leonard)
Cambron Jewell received her M.S.A from Belmont University and her Bachelor of Arts from Western Kentucky University. She has written for the Tennessee Titans online and maintains South-ern Sophisticate, a blog sharing the life of a simple, southern girl.
Dagny Leonard
Cambron Jewell
(Photo: Cambron Jewell)
Discovers the best little cafe in Alabama and explores the beautiful art of restoring old books
Writes about the festive Mardi Gras celebrations of her childhood
Holly SearsRemember’s the spectacle and tradition of the Kentucky Derby races with her family
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Allison Westlake is a public relations specialist by week, freelance writer and stylist by week-end. A%er graduating from Auburn University, Allison found her love for publishing working at Coastal Living and Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade magazines. She’s crazy about local restau-rants, new market trends, letterpress stationery and, of course, the South.
Allison WestlakeSearches for the ultimate mint julep recipe and "nds four delight-ful new variations along the way
(Photo: Allison Westlake)
!ndsOur editor’s favorite pieces from this issue
1.
3.
4.
11.
2.
1. Tory Burch Patent Danielle Sandals !ese navy and tan patent leather heels will go with just about anything this spring. Wear them with your favorite dress or a pair of cu#ed jeans.
2. Elva Fields Necklaces We love the chunky, one-of-a-kind Elva Fields necklaces, especially with the dresses from our Derby fashion shoot. For spring, this lemon yellow necklace is our favorite.
3. Tibi Behati Capsleeve Dress !is gorgeous abstract print dress is pretty enough to be a piece of art. We’re eyeing it for a Derby soiree.
4. State Pride Pillows !e Kentucky pillow was one of our favorite items Derby Brunch photo shoot. With pillows highlighting each of the 50 states, it is easy to show your home state pride.
5. Rebecca Taylor Simply Shirt Dress We love the bold, cobalt blue color of this dress. It is a great piece for day or night --- throw on boots for a more casual look or pair it with pretty jewelry and heels to dress up for evening.
6. Trench Coat A timeless trench with beautiful detailing, it’s perfect for all those spring showers.
7. Horse Bit Earrings !ese preppy, silver horse bit earrings from our Derby fashion photo shoot are a stylish tribute to the Triple Crown races in the spring.
8. Hermes Scarves !ese timeless scarves and beautiful designs complete any look. Our cover model, Matraca Berg, shows that they are versatile, too.
9. Seersucker Dresses Jolie Benson and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey, the duo behind the fashion brand, Jolie & Elizabeth, love seersucker in the spring and summer. We couldn’t agree more.
10. Hive and Honey Long Coral Necklace !is long gold and coral necklace is a beautiful piece on it’s own or layered with a couple other necklaces.
11. Stone Cu! Bracelets !is chunky Jody Candrian cu# bracelet makes a serious statement and the green stone is a gorgeous pop of color.
5.
6.
8.
Photo Credit: 1. Tory Burch; 2. Elva Fields; 3. Madison Culler; 4. Statepil-lows.com; 5. Madison Culler; 6. Tibi; 7. !istle & Bee; 8. Hermes; 9. Eliza-beth Ray/ Courtesy of Jolie & Elizabeth; 10. Piperlime; 11. Jody Candrian.
10.
7.
1. Tory Burch Patent Danielle Sandals !ese navy and tan patent leather heels will go with just about anything this spring. Wear them with your favorite dress or a pair of cu#ed jeans.
2. Elva Fields Necklaces We love the chunky, one-of-a-kind Elva Fields necklaces, especially with the dresses from our Derby fashion shoot. For spring, this lemon yellow necklace is our favorite.
3. Tibi Behati Capsleeve Dress !is gorgeous abstract print dress is pretty enough to be a piece of art. We’re eyeing it for a Derby soiree.
4. State Pride Pillows !e Kentucky pillow was one of our favorite items Derby Brunch photo shoot. With pillows highlighting each of the 50 states, it is easy to show your home state pride.
5. Rebecca Taylor Simply Shirt Dress We love the bold, cobalt blue color of this dress. It is a great piece for day or night --- throw on boots for a more casual look or pair it with pretty jewelry and heels to dress up for evening.
6. Trench Coat A timeless trench with beautiful detailing, it’s perfect for all those spring showers.
7. Horse Bit Earrings !ese preppy, silver horse bit earrings from our Derby fashion photo shoot are a stylish tribute to the Triple Crown races in the spring.
8. Hermes Scarves !ese timeless scarves and beautiful designs complete any look. Our cover model, Matraca Berg, shows that they are versatile, too.
9. Seersucker Dresses Jolie Benson and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey, the duo behind the fashion brand, Jolie & Elizabeth, love seersucker in the spring and summer. We couldn’t agree more.
10. Hive and Honey Long Coral Necklace !is long gold and coral necklace is a beautiful piece on it’s own or layered with a couple other necklaces.
11. Stone Cu! Bracelets !is chunky Jody Candrian cu# bracelet makes a serious statement and the green stone is a gorgeous pop of color.
9.
Spring Inspiration Board
Dress-upthe
shop
Photo: Rush Jagoe
Oliver Manhattan’s sewing desk
T he 2011 Carnival Season may be over, but renown New
Orleans costume designer Oliver Manhattan is already
working with clients planning for 2012 Mardi Gras.
The colors and textures associated with the city’s famous parades
come alive every day in Manhattan’s studio as explosions of fab-
!"#$%&'()*'!+$%+',-".+%(./%&-!%)(0'%+*(1'%".%+23'%2&%)*'%4.'+)$%(./%undoubtedly, most unique costumes to hit the streets of the Cres-
cent City. Manhattan’s creativity with textiles began at age seven
and during the last four decades her creations have also been
spotted on Broadway stages. Still, there is no greater showcase
for this native daughter’s wearable art than the promenade of St.
Charles Street.
Photo: Rush Jagoe
Manhattan works with a piece of tulle in her shop.
Photo: Rush Jagoe
Manhattan sews a Mardi Gras costume. Preparations are already beginning for next year’s celebration.
Mardi Gras Memories
As thousands of people crowded into New Orleans’ famed French Quarter recently
for Mardi Gras, I was reminded of the excitement, color and tastes imprinted in my mind from my childhood Mardi Gras adventures. My taste buds began to salivate as I remembered the spices and "avors that tickled my tongue and le% my mouth aching for more. I begin to sing the Bourbon Street Blues and conjured up images of myself begging for beads and putting away King Cake like it was my #rst meal in weeks.
I’m sure you are asking yourself, why was a child at Mardi Gras? Well, the age-old tradition of green, purple and gold is much more than "ying beads, eccentric costumes and uncontrolled debauchery. !e celebration of Carnival was originally an ode to the French Catholic traditions of Lent and continued until the day before Ash Wednesday which is Mardi Gras, or sometimes referred to as “Fat Tuesday”. !e Carnival festivities usually begin weeks before Ash Wednesday and feature daily parades, lavish balls and delicious Cajun food. !e parades and parties are a way for people to indulge one last time before they begin sacri#cing, or giving up something for Lent.
It is common for people to give up a particular food or treat for Lent. Perhaps because of that, I remember the savory Cajun dishes served during Mardi Gras as being even more delicious than normal. As a child, cocktails were not a part of my Mardi Gras fun, but the distinct taste of red beans and rice, craw#sh and sugary king cakes still sit heavy on my tongue. !e memory of dismantling my #rst craw#sh with my Dad still warms my heart. It is special to think of the many times we bonded over a meal from this
tiny crustacean. !e lavish meals and festive mood of Mardi Gras were delightful, but it is the outlandish costumes and parade "oats that were my favorite parts of the celebration.
!e over-the-top decoration of the "oats and brightly colored costumes are resurrected in my mind each year as this joyous celebration rolls around. I remember sitting on my mother’s lap as she would brush my hair and fasten my hand-decorated Mardi
Gras bow, complete with a porcelain mask, colorful sequins and feathers. !e electricity in the air was enough to make a young girl think it was about to rain cupcakes and butter"ies. It might as well have, the thousands of beads and candy in the air were equally entertaining. It was of the utmost importance to rehearse the most well known Mardi Gras phrase, “!row me something, mister!” and ensure that my voice was heard over all the other screaming parade
patrons. I always managed to come home with a neck full of beads – most of which were used for games of dress-up. To me, these tiny plastic necklaces are more than a symbol of the celebration in the streets. !ey are a memory of time past --- a gathering full of love and happiness that is met by the sights, sounds and tastes that will forever be in my heart.
I was not able to make it to Mardi Gras, this year. But as crowds of people lined the streets, reveling in the food and drinks before Lent began, I celebrated the Mardi Gras tradition in spirit. Listening to the upbeat New Orleans jazz, I am reminiscing of years past when I celebrated Mardi Gras the way it should be celebrated- as a family. Enjoying the celebration of excess in only the way a child can truly appreciate.
!e electricity in the air was enough to make a young girl
think it was about to rain cupcakes and butter"ies. It might as well have, the thousands of beads and
candy in the air were equally entertaining.
By Cambron Jewell
Julep’s Guide to the
Kentucky DerbyTips for throwing a stress-free race day brunch
9 Famous Kentucky dishesincluding 2 original Julep recipes!
!e insider’s guide to Louisville and Derby
Learn to make a perfect mint Julep (then try our 4 fun twists on the classic!)
Plus, our favorite spring dresses -- perfect for cheering on the horses!
Special Section
“The sun shines bright on myOld
Kentucky Home”
-Stephen Foster
Photo: Madison Culler
(Above) A cozy table using “Jockey” printed place settings and woven napkins provided by L. V. Harkness, continues the black-and-white color scheme to welcome guests and encourage conversation before admiring the beauty, speed and strength as the horses race to the "nish line.
Red Roses, tulips and ornamental grasses announce the arrival of spring in this intimate, sunny room featuring Neo-classic Revival Style architecture of the recently renovated Henry Clay Building, downtown Louisville.
Little boys in Boston grow up dreaming
of catching a "y ball at Red Sox game in Fenway Park; little girls in Kentucky grow up dreaming of wearing an over-sized hat to a horse race on the #rst Saturday in May --- !e Kentucky Derby.& Next to basketball, bourbon, and fried chicken it’s the state’s claim to fame. &
For approximately two minutes a year the eyes of the world are centered one place— Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.& And if you know the world is watching, you’re going to do it up right. &For the two weeks leading up to the event, the city of Louisville virtually revolves around the Derby Festival. From balloon races and marathons to concerts and galas there is certainly something for everyone. But during the four years that I lived in the city the only thing I truly longed for was a ticket in the grandstands.
In 2006, I got my chance. !e day before the race, while most of my college friends were trying to #gure out how to sneak in their alcohol into in#eld, I got a phone call from my uncle saying he had extra tickets. Being the good southern sorority girl that I was, I had the pearls and I had the
sundress, but there was no way I was going to the Kentucky Derby without the big hat. With a couple of dozen phone calls and a little bit of luck, my aunt lovingly o$ered me a hat to wear to the big event.
I grew up longing to see the celebrities, to witness the frenzy of spring fashion #rsthand, and to drink a mint julep in the shadows of the twin spires. And while all of that is part of the experience, those aren’t the details that I remember #ve years later. I remember my uncle teaching me the di$erence between a trifecta and superfecta, my aunt’s smile as she saw me in her hat and listening to my grandfather sing
“My Old Kentucky Home,” his voice #lled with pride.
My most cherished photo of the day is not of Michael Jordan, who was sitting on the balcony above us, it is of my grandmother and me with the track in the background. !e Derby is a tradition that transcends generations in Kentucky. Experiencing that day with my family, the very people with whom I share all of my traditions could not have been more special. One day I’ll get my chance to return to the Run for the Roses, but there is no way it will top my inaugural trip to Churchill Downs on the #rst Saturday in May.
!e writer, Holly Sears (le$), shown with her grandmother at the 2006 Kentucky Derby.
Sears recalls how spending the day with her family meant more than seeing the celebrities on Million-aire’s Row.
(Photo: Holly Sears)
for the
RunningRoses!"#"$%&'()*+,'-*%."*/",01
By Holly Sears
Heading to Louisville for the Big Race?Julep’s Guide to Derby Weekend
Where to go, what to do and how to #nd the hat of your dreams
REST YOUR HEAD:21 C Hotel
A boutique hotel and art musuem rolled into one. !is luxury hotel is one of the best in the country
!e Galt House O'cial Hotel of the Kentucky Derby. Located in downtown Lou-isville, on the Ohio River
BE SEEN:Barnstable-Brown Derby PartyHobnob with the celebrites at the hottest party in town (tickets avail-able here) Derby Festival.org
Kentucky Proud Derby Festival WineFest
Toast your glass to the thorough-breds at this wine lovers dream event
TOP IT OFF:
Still searching for a proper topper?
Dee’s Cra"s is taking orders for a one-of-a-kind Derby show stopper until April 26
Greetings from
LOUISVILLE, KY!
GO SEE:Bourbon Trail Tour
Plan a day to drive the famous bourbon trail and go taste testing at the distilleries
Louisville Slugger MuseumHead downtown to the museum and workshop dedicated to the iconic baseball bats
FILL YOUR BELLY: Jack Fry’s
!e chef ’s innovative take on Southern classics makes this High-
land’s establishment memorable
Proof on MainFeaturing innovative dishes and
local ingredients, this restaurant in the 21 C Hotel shouldn’t be missed
DRINK UP:4th Street Live
!e pedestrian street is chock-full of restaurants, bars and shops
60 West Bistro & Martini BarStop by to try one of their many special martinis and see the eclectic art adorning the walls
For Kentuckians the sun does shine a little more brightly on the "rst Saturday of May as the nation watches the best three-year old thoroughbred horses in the world emerge onto the famous dirt track below the twin spires of Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky.
As the University of Louisville Marching Cardinals Band plays “My Old Kentucky Home” over 150, 000 guests rise and hum along as the jockeys atop their horses are loaded into the starting gates.
Excitement grows as the doors behind the "nal horses click shut, the band plays the "nal stanza, and the voices of the crowd loudly sing the chorus. Suddenly the gates #y open and the crowd erupts in cheering as “the most exciting two minutes of sports” begins.
$is excitement is not limited to those on Millionaire’s Row or even grandstand ticket holders. Gather a few friends, prepare a spring brunch, stir a mint julep and let the fun begin!
(Above) Shown on the garden table are the Gruyere Grits and Roasted Vegetables baked in large Louisville Stoneware casserole dishes sold with matching lids to keep the food warm and compliment the theme.
To complete the bu#et table, blooming Dogwood
Bluegrass Brunching
A party to celebrate the start of the triple crown
Consider utilizing your patio or garden for a Derby meal. !e casual atmosphere encourages mingling around the bu#et table and relaxing in the patio furniture. It’s also a perfect way for the hostess to enjoy the party, too.
branches gathered from the yard are displayed in tall silver vases and hand-embroidered napkins from L. V. Harkness rest beside the jockey-patterned china. Also, don’t miss the Kentucky Landmarks chair pillow and equine candle vase with leather and brass trim --- some of our favorite touches.
Photos By: Madison Culler
O$er your brunch guests sweet tea, Mimosas, Bloody Marys and, of course, Mint Juleps. But if your guests are not from Kentucky, o$er them a little history of America’s only unique spirit.
Legend traces the roots of Bourbon to the late 1780s, over 100 years before the #rst race was held at Churchill Downs and even more than a decade before Kentucky became a separate commonwealth from Virginia.
!e inventor? Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister living in the area known today as Georgetown, northwest of Lexington. Reverend Craig was probably not the only Kentuckian distilling the homebrew using the abundant #eld corn and pristine water naturally #ltered by the thick layers of limestone, but he was the #rst known exporter.
Folklore paints the elderly minister tinkering
with the combination of grains and cooking process, then stumbling upon a just the right taste for which bourbon is distinctly known ---slightly smoky, spicy,
sweet and mellow. He must have been so excited he produced more product than the demand. Or perhaps he needed to keep his hobby a secret. Either way, Craig stored the liquid in oak barrels until he could transport it to the neighboring county, Bourbon, and load it on the river barge headed for New Orleans.
Customers were amazed at the new taste, but confused about the name. Turning the barrel, some one spotted the stamp “Bourbon” and
that street near the Mississippi River and the Kentucky brew were named and forever linked.
!ere are other horse races and other distilled libations, but only the bluegrass state can crown a Kentucky Derby winner and create genuine Bourbon.
We love the wreath of red roses made from wood chips hanging in front of the mirror that can be reused every year as you begin your own Derby traditions. All barware and placesettings were provided by L.V. Harkness, Lexington, Kenturcky and styled by Emily Pendleton and Mandy Vaughan.
Photo By: Madison Culler
!is cut of beef is the choicest, most tender and full "avored ---but also the priciest. However, when cooked whole it can be sliced thinly and served atop a warm biscuit to accommodate a large crowd.
4-5 pound whole beef tenderloin
1 stick of butter, room temperature
Salt, pepper and seasonings to taste
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove meat from refrigerator about one hour before cooking. Keep covered unless you are preparing it for cooking.
2.If meat has not been trimmed by the butcher, loosen the fat and pull away with your #ngers so to not damage meat. Remove the sinew (thin, tough bluish skin underneath) with the point of sharp knife taking care not to shave the meat.
3. So meat will cook uniformly, tuck thin end under. Secure with string or toothpicks if necessary.
4. Place meat on rack in greased roasting pan. Season to taste.
5. Generously cover with so%ened butter.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake uncovered.
7. Using a meat thermometer bake to 140 degrees at the thickest point. (Meat will continue to cook a%er it is removed from oven)
8. Add additional seasonings and allow meat to relax l5-30 minutes before slicing thinly with a sharp carving knife.
A terri"c entree paired with Bleu Cheese Biscuits and Silver Spoon’s Henry Bain Sauce
Serves 12
Beef Tenderloin with Bleu Cheese Biscuits
Winner’s Circle Brunch Recipes
Julep partnered with the famous Silver Spoon caterers in Louisville, Ky to create a race day brunch menu. !e recipes here include dishes adapted for the at-home cook from the Silver Spoon’s own signature meals as well as original recipes from Julep’s very own test kitchen.
A beef tenderloin prepared by Silver Spoon Catering Chef Phillip Koenig for Julep’s Derby Brunch. (Photo: Madison Culler)
Tender and light, these biscuits have just the right amount of bleu cheese "avor combined with a buttery goodness.
1 ( cups si%ed all-purpose "our
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
) teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, sliced
* cup sour cream
) cup heavy cream
) cup bleu cheese, #nely crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh chives, #nely chopped
2-4 tablespoons melted butter
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Si% "our and measure 1( cup. Add dry ingredients and si% again.
3. Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut sliced butter pieces into "our mixture. Stop when mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
4. Create a “well” by gently pushing mixture toward sides of bowl. Add
chilled sour cream and cream. Carefully stir in liquid until mixture is crumbly again. Do not over work.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly "oured board (2 tablespoons or less). Fold over twice to incorporate loose crumbs.
6. Pat down slightly and sprinkle cheese and chives over dough. Fold over twice more to blend in additions.
7. Pat dough to ( inch thickness, using minimal pressure so dough does not bruise and become tough.
8. Using biscuit cutter, cut circles using care not to rotate cutter. Place biscuits on parchment-lined or ungreased pan.
9. Bake for 12 minutes on middle rack.
10. Brush warm biscuits with melted butter and allow biscuits to rest slightly before serving.
Makes 24 1% - inch biscuits
Serving Suggestions:
For a Derby Brunch, serve with thinly sliced beef or pork tenderloin and a dollop of Silver Spoon’s Henry Bain sauce.
Julep Kitchen Tips:
Using bread "our will make even lighter biscuits.
Never skip the si%ing steps and measure "our carefully without packing it.
Use a light touch in every step so biscuits stay "aky.
To bake at a later time, tightly cover cut biscuits with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.
Always preheat the oven and no peeking while biscuits are cooking.
!ese biscuits are so good you’ll want to make more. However, make each batch separately; otherwise there is too much dough to handle gently.
Finally if you are lucky enough to have le%overs, cut biscuits in bite-sized pieces and toast at 375 degrees for 5-8 minutes. !ese croutons make wonderful toppings for soups and salads.
1 ) cups (12 ounces) Chili Sauce
1 ) cups (12 ounces) Ketchup
1 * cups (10 ounces) A-1 sauce
1 * cups (10 ounces) Worcestershire
2 * cups (18 ounces) bottled chutney*
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
Chopped Watercress, as desired
*Editor’s note: For testing purposes, Julep Magazine used Major Grey’s mango chutney
1. Puree chutney.2. Add ketchup, Worcestershire, A-1 and chili
sauces. Mix well.3. Add hot pepper sauce and watercress to taste.4. Serve with tenderloin. Also great substitute for
ketchup with ground beef or potatoes and as a sauce for pork, chicken, and grilled vegetables. To use as a salad dressing or meat marinade, thin with oil and herb vinager.
5. Store in tightly sealed container in refrigerator.
Makes 6 cups
Bleu Cheese Biscuits Julep Original Recipe
Silver Spoon’s Henry Bain Sauce
) cup Raspberry Spreadable Fruit ) cup Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar ) cup Pure Maple Syrup * teaspoon freshly ground pepper * teaspoon ground mustard 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, #nely chopped
1. Combine fruit spread and vinegar until smooth.
2. Add the other ingredients one at a time, whisking well a%er each to emulsify.
3. Keeps well. Refridgerate in container with tightly #tting lid.
4. Stir or shake before application.
4 -5 heads of Kentucky Bibb Lettuce 1 quart of ripe strawberries 2 cups walnut halves 8 ounces of bleu or feta cheese
1. Toast walnuts at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on a ungreased pan. Stir every #ve minutes. Cool at room temperature. Store in tightly covered container.
2. Carefully remove lettuce leaves from stem and wash well.
3. Wash strawberries. Slice or cut in halves.
4. Assemble salad in bowl or individual plates by layering leaves.
5. Add strawberries, walnuts and crumbled cheese.
6. Drizzle with Maple Syrup Raspberry Vinaigrette just before serving.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 2 ) quart casserole dish
3. In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, grits and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Note: When mixture begins to bubble around the edges, reduce heat slightly so mixture never boils.
4. Stir in butter and 2 cups of grated cheese (8 ounces) until melted.
5. Temper beaten eggs and add to saucepan. Mix well.
6. Pour mixture in casserole dish.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until #rm in middle.
8. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1 cup grated cheese. Allow dish to cool slightly before serving warm.
9. Garnish by sprinkling 1 teaspoon paprika and fresh sprigs of parsley around edges.
Editor’s Notes
** A$er step 7, dish may be covered tightly and refridgerated overnight before baking. Remove and let stand for 30 minutes before baking or add 15-20 minutes cooking time if cold.
** Individual casseroles give an added touch to a brunch. Grease ramekins, "ll with mixture, place in large baking dish and "ll with 1 inch of water. Bake until set, approximately 30 minutes depending upon size of dish.
!is beautiful salad uses a delicate, buttery lettuce that was "rst cultivated by horticulturalist John Bibb in the mid-1800s near Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky.
!e cool spring weather and limestone-rich soil of Kentucky have made this variety popular with gardeners who harvest it just in time for Derby.
Kentucky Bibb Salad Raspberry Maple Syrup Vinaigrette Julep Original Recipe
Serves 12
(Photo: Madison Culler) A traditional Kentucky Bibb salad.
Silver Spoon ‘s Gruyere Cheese Grits
Southerners look for any occasion to serve grits. Everyone will love this creamy baked dish with its sophisticated Gruyere &avor.
(Photo: Madison Culler)
7 cups of Milk 2 cups of Quick Grits 1) teaspoons of salt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter 3 large eggs, slightly beaten 12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated and divided 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional garnishes: fresh parsley, paprika
3 pounds potatoes (Idaho, Yukon Gold, Red-skinned or even Sweet Potatoes)
2-3 bell peppers (red, green, yellow or orange)
2 medium onions (white, yellow or red)
2-4 tablespoons Fresh Herbs ( Basil, Rosemary, or Dill)
2-4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-4 lobsters
) - 1 pound shrimp
1. Wash asparagus. Snap o$ tough ends and discard.
2. Fill large saucepan with water. Add salt and boil.
3. Add juice of lemon and asparagus.
4. Cook until bright green and tender. Do not overcook.
5. Transfer cooked asparagus to dish #lled with ice and water. !e ice bath will stop cooking process and retain the bright color.
6. When chilled, lay asparagus on foil lined baking sheet forming single layer.
7. Drizzle with Bourbon Vinaigrette (see recipe insert).
8. Just before serving, reheat in oven until asparagus is warm.
Silver Spoon’s Bourbon Vinaigrette
Excellent served cold as a salad dressing or warm with vegetables and meat.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Apple Cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Kentucky Bourbon
1 tablespoon sugar
) teaspoon curry powder
* teaspoon salt
) teaspoon pepper
( cup olive oil
1 tablespoon mango chutney
1. Whisk together #rst three ingredients.2. Add dry seasonings and whisk until blended.3. Slowly add olive oil, whisking briskly to emulsify.4. Add chutney and blend with a fork.
Julep Kitchen Variation: Bourbon Molasses Vinaigrette1. Omit curry and chutney. 2. Add 1 tablespoon spicy mustard and 1/3 cup sorghum molasses with vinegar.3. Follow other directions as listed above.
Roasted Vegetables with Lobster and Shrimp
A colorful dish that pairs roasted vegetables with succulent seafood Adapted from Silver Spoon, this recipe can be a side dish or an entrée and is easily adapted to your favorite &avors. Let your imagination go!
(Photo: Madison Culler)
1. Slice potatoes. Cut peppers and onions in strips.
2. Chop herbs.
3. Coat potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
4. Vegetables may be roasted in oven by spreading a single layer on foil covered baking sheet and baked until tender. Grilling vegetables is also delicious.
5. Wash seafood thoroughly and prepare by steaming, broiling or grilling.
6. Serve warm.
Serves 12
Editor’s Note: !is recipe allows the cook’s creativity to shine. Consider using winter or summer
squash, asparagus tips, brussel sprouts . . .
Fresh Asparagus with Bourbon Vinaigrette Glaze
3 pounds of fresh asparagus
1 teaspoon of salt
Juice of one lemon
Optional toppings: chopped hard-boiled eggs, red and green pepper con"t.
(Photo: Madison Culler)
Serves 12
Hosting a Derby Brunch Party?
Our ultimate planner will make it a stress-free day
ONE WEEK BEFORE
Shop for all non-perishable items, spirits, paper goods and decorations
Plan entertaining areas, linens and serving pieces
TWO DAYS BEFORE
Make vinaigrettes and sauces. Refrig-erate in airtight containers.
ONE DAY BEFORE
- Wash and prepare lettuce, mint, parsley and chives. Wrap in damp paper towels or produce saver. Refrigerate in separate airtight containers.
- Toast walnuts. Cool. Store in airtight container at room tem-perature.
- Cut and sauté peppers and onions. Refrigerate in airtight container.
- Make Gruyere Grits. Pour in dish, but do not bake. Cover. Refrigerate.
- Trim tenderloin. Tie end and/or marinate, if desired. Cover. Refrigerate.
- Set up dining, serving and bar areas including linens and dishes.
- Gather and prepare "oral ar-rangements/decorations.
8:00 a.m. - Remove tenderloin, grits, Henry Bain sauce, Bourbon Molasses vinaigrette from refrigerator. Set aside.
- Cut Potatoes. Add onions and pep-pers. Prepare to cook.
- Cook asparagus following recipe, except glazing. - Preheat Oven to 500 degrees
9:00 a.m. - Following recipe, Bake tenderloin and roast potatoes.
- A%er cooking, cover loosely with foil to retain heat.
- !en, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- While dishes are baking, prepare salad except for nuts and dressing. Refrigerate.
9:45 a.m. - Bake Gruyere Grits casserole. Add cheese to top. Loosely cover.
- A%er grits have baked, reset oven temperature to 450 degrees.
- Make biscuit dough. Refrigerate.
- Slice relaxed tenderloin. Transfer to serving dish. Cover until serving.
10:45 a.m. - Bake Biscuits, Reheat Potatoes with seafood and Glaze Asparagus simultaneously.
- Complete bar with ice and mint
- Set out salad. Add nuts. Hold Dressing until immediately before serving.
11:00 a.m. - Take o$ apron, pour a mint julep and greet your guests.
DAY OF BRUNCH
Save time and prevent last-minute stress by setting the tables, arranging &owers and organizing the bar the day before the brunch. (All Photos: Madison Culler)
Tradition Twist
with a
!e Mint Julep has long been a favorite drink of the Kentucky Derby. Steeped in Southern tradition, this classic cocktail is as refreshing as it is sweet.
Here we celebrate the simple sweetness of a traditional Mint Julep and the art of perfecting it. We’ve added a few "avors and twists and found our favorite new variations, o$ering helpful tips and know-how on the cra% of this Southern tradition.
By Allison Westlake
Mint Simple Syrup
2 cups sugar2 cups water1 bunch (1 ounce) mint leaves
Bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil in small saucepan, and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Tear fresh mint leaves and add to mixture. Let stand for 10 minutes. Pour syrup through a wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, syrup is ready to be used.
Traditional Mint Julep
2 tablespoons Mint Simple Syrup (see recipe) 3 ounces bourbonCrushed IceGarnish: Fresh mint
Yield: one serving
Pour Mint Simple Syrup in glass and #ll with 3 ounces bourbon. Add crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint.
Peach Julep
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish1/2 teaspoons sugar3 ounces peach juice2 ounces bourbonCrushed iceGarnish: peach slice, mint
Yield: one serving
Muddle mint and sugar together. Combine peach juice and bourbon and mix with mint and sugar mixture. Serve over crushed ice, garnish with mint and peach slice.
Serving Tips Mint Juleps are best served in a silver or pewter mint julep cup. Don’t have mint julep cups? No problem, we suggest a glass tumbler or high ball glass.
Chill mint julep cups before serving. Avoid wrapping hands around glass while drinking, allowing for a better chilled beverage.
Need a simple syrup shortcut? Regular bar syrup is a quick #x when infused with mint.
Cherry Julep
3 maraschino cherries2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice1 teaspoon sugar1 tablespoon lemon juice3 ounces gin1 ounce bourbonCrushed iceGarnish: Lemon slice, maraschino cherry
Yield: one serving
In a mixing glass, muddle together cherries, cherry juice, sugar and lemon juice. Strain, yielding juice without cherry pieces. Add ice cubes and stir in gin and bourbon, at least 30 seconds to combine. Fill a low ball glass with crushed ice, strain cocktail over crushed ice. Garnish with lemon slice and maraschino cherry.
Frozen Mint Julep
2 ounces bourbon1 ounce lemon juice1 ounce Mint Simple Syrup (see recipe)4 fresh mint sprigs6 ounces ice
Yield: one serving
Muddle lemon juice and fresh mint sprigs. Combine bourbon and mixture into a blender. Add ice and blend on high for 15 - 20 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with fresh mint.
Mint Julep Tea
1 cup Mint Simple Syrup (see recipe)1 lemon, sliced1 lime, sliced1 cup bourbon3 cups unsweetend tea, coldCubed iceMint
Yield: 1 1/2 quarts (makes 6 drinks)
Combine Mint Simple Syrup, bourbon, and unsweetened tea in a serving pitcher. Stir in lemon and lime slices, adding cubed ice to chill. Garnish with mint.
Did you know?A special editon Woodford Reserve Mint Julep is created especially for the Derby. Last year, the exotic ingredients included: raw-cane sugar made from organic sugar cane grown in Brazil; Kentucky Colonel Mint which was grown in a used Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel and ice made of water from a 10,000-year-old glacier. Each drink was served in a special edition Ti$any silver julep cup and cost $1,000.00.
2"3$'-"4*56,&(78Say hello to
warmer weather with bold colors, pretty prints and
delicate silks
Model: Joy Robyn FenwickClothes provided by: AJ’s CasualsPhotos by: Madison Culler
Slip on a Sundress and Sip Sweet Tea
Garfrerick’s Cafe serves fresh produce harvested from the Chef ’s farm
There’s nothing particularly special about Interstate 20 exit 185 in
Oxford, Alabama. Look to your le% and you’ll #nd a Walmart, to your right, a Chick-#l-a and a slew of fast food restaurants. It is safe to say you are not impressed.
However, if you go a couple of blocks farther down the road, tucked away behind the Red Lobster and the Hardee’s and the clutter of the Interstate exit, you will #nd a uniquely conceived restaurant. Amid the gas stations, mall buildings and chain restaurants typical of Southern Interstate towns, one would be fortunate to stumble upon
Garfrerick’s Café, itself resembling a small strip mall, designated as something special only by a small sign bearing the café’s name.
Upon entering the building, the so% green walls and spacious dining area signal that you are in a stylish café, not the strip mall bu$et restaurant you might expect when #rst pulling into the parking lot. A bright, posh bar greets you as you
walk in the door, with glass shelves holding bottles of everything from whiskey to "avored liqueurs. Large wooden beams give warmth to the high ceilings, from which hangs a single pronounced fan that looks as if it could li% the entire building o$ the ground if given enough power.
Immediately past the bar you will #nd the open kitchen area, de#ned below by a comfortable semi-circular bar that overlooks the work space of the multiple chefs, and above by a copper plated step-down ceiling, which provides accent lighting and ventilation to the bar and kitchen. Dressed in traditional white chef ’s jackets, Dave Garfrerick and his
Southern Soul Food
Straight
GardenBy Dagny Leonard
Photos By Rush Jagoe
from the
Above: A salad from Garfrerick’s Cafe features fresh fruit, nuts and cheese.
Le$: Owner and Chef Dave Garfrerick sets out dishes ready to be served.
sta$, tantalize customers with the sounds of sizzling meats and vegetables and the so% clang of metal utensils. !ey are visible to all the customers, whether seated at the bar or in the modest but elegant seating area that occupies most of the space.
!e menu, the creation of Gafrerick with the help of his sta$, provides a refreshing change from the chain food fare typical in many smaller Southern towns. Instead of chicken #ngers, potato skins and quesadillas, Garfrerick’s o$ers appetizers like a cheese sampler plate of European cheeses, organic baby beet salad, shrimp and grouper cakes and the Garfrerick Farms spinach salad with dried cherries, pecans, blue cheese and a honey mustard vinaigrette.
“My philosophy on menus and recipes is that no one owns a recipe anymore and we’ve all seen everything one way, one place or another and we just evolve it or change things the way we like it,” said Garfrerick.
And the menu here evolves daily.
“We change it every day depending on whatever we can get fresh,” said Garfrerick.
“It’s trying to be seasonal
and fresh and experiment with things, but we do have some favorites we keep most of the time.”
Whether you choose to order one of the more staple items, or one of the temporary specials, it is safe to say that you are sure to enjoy a succulent meal, and one that cannot be found at just any restaurant. If you ever #nd yourself in
the greater Oxford, Alabama area, Garfrerick’s Café may be the only place you will #nd with a dish like pan seared sea bass over sautéed spinach with a pomegranate-grapefruit reduction sauce.
Some of the more unusual entrees on the menu, like the pecan encrusted grouper are balanced by other staples like the Filet Mignon—so tender it can be cute with a fork—or Ribeye, both prepared on a grill over hickory wood and served with a house-made steak sauce.
And while there are some Southern favorites, such as the white grits with gulf shrimp—with a caper, herbs and a tomato base that makes it Garfrerick’s own—you probably won’t #nd fried chicken or other greasy regional staples.
In fact, Garfrerick’s does not have a fryer, the chef prefers instead to roast meats or prepare them with the unique "avor of the wood-
burning grill.
“We try to do everything a little healthier than you might get in other places,” said Garfrerick. “We don’t claim to be the ultimate healthy restaurant, but we try to get people healthy options.”
Along with fresh bread baked daily in the restaurant, every guest begins their dining experience with a complimentary 2-ounce shot of fresh juice—made with apple, celery and ginger—which is intended to give guests one of the #ve recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
“It’s always on the house,” said Garfrerick, “trying to help you get your fruits and vegetables.”
And many of those fruits and vegetables come from the owner himself.
When David Garfrerick opened his restaurant two years ago, in December 2008, he was an inexperienced restaurant owner. He was not, however, new to the restaurant business. Garfrerick, a former Navy pilot, was working for Frito Lay when he was transferred back to Alabama, his home state. Although he was originally not ecstatic about moving, once back in Alabama, Garfrerick, who always
Garfrerick feeds homemade dough through a pasta roller. (Photo: Rush Jagoe)
Patrons dine at the counter of the open kitchen at Garfrerick’s Cafe. (Photo: Rush Jagoe)
loved to garden, bought a 200-acre farm.
“I always kept up gardening,” said Garfrerick. “And when I was transferred to Birmingham then I bought the farm and just sort of gardened on a larger scale…so I guess you call that farming.”
For nearly 16 years Garfrerick has maintained a farm in Alpine, Alabama, about an hour southwest of his restaurant in Oxford, where he grows organic produce, such as tomatoes and squash. He used to supply the fresh produce to restaurants in Birmingham such as Hot and Hot Fish Club, Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega and Little Savannah. A%er years of supplying to popular restaurants in Birmingham, providing them produce out of his truck, straight o$ of his farm, Garfrerick decided to take the next step.
“I got to know a lot of the restaurateurs in Birmingham very well, and I really loved giving my stu$ to them so they could do something wonderful with it, and I just wanted to do that myself you know, take it all the way to the plate,” said Garfrerick.
He now supplies much of the produce in his own restaurant. In the summer, he said, he provides nearly 80 percent of the produce used at the café. Everything is grown organically, and when Garfrerick doesn’t have it, he tries to source it locally when he can. Garfrerick even uses cattle from his own farm to provide some of the beef served at
the restaurant.
“We try to use other local growers, too,” said Garfrerick. “I believe using locally grown produce is a good thing. !ere are growers in this county that do vegetables and eggs, mushrooms and lots of
di$erent things, and it’s great to get that. We try to partner with them just like they did with me when I was delivering to Birmingham.”
!ough his introduction to the restaurant business came from being a supplier to other kitchens, he had no formal training as a chef to aid him in his desire to get into his own kitchen or create his own menu, let alone start his own restaurant.
“It just evolved,” said the self-taught chef of learning his trade. “I always loved food and growing things and it just grew from there.”
Word of mouth has made Garfrerick’s a staple in the area that o$ers a fresh alternative.
“!e majority of people in a small town like this are familiar with chain restaurants and they frequent them a lot,” said Garfrerick. “And the chain restaurants do a good job of making food decent and a$ordable and all that, and that’s our biggest challenge. To get people to try something new and di$erent.”
A platter of fruit, cheeses and nuts is served as an appetizer at Garfrerick’s Cafe. (Photo: Rush Jagoe)
!e complimentary juice shot. Photo: Rush Jagoe.
Matraca BergBack in the Saddle
Matraca Berg is perched in a booth at Burger Up, a hip
restaurant in the Hillsboro section of Nashville. It’s a surprisingly warm Saturday afternoon in midFebruary and outside the restaurant 12th Avenue South is packed !"#$%&'(')#*"+,)%+,(%#*+-./0%1+*)%pass by with the windows down, blasting Taylor Swift from their stereos.
Inside, Berg studies the menu intently, a glass of Pinot Grigio in hand. At fortyseven, $'*%+,234+*%-'+#3*')%4556%7+!4'))%against the lacquered wood of the bench, framed by strands of mochacolored hair that cascade down past her shoulders. But the focal point of her face is a pair of dark, wideset eyes that say everything. They are equal parts power and vulnerability, joy and melancholy, a rich brew that reveals a mature knowledge of the world and its workings. Make no 8")#+6'9%:+#*+/+%;'*2%")%.'*/'0%
She makes her food selection, laying aside the menu and taking a sip of wine. “So let’s talk about the record,” she smiles.
That album is the highly anticipated The Dreaming Fields, +%8+2,"./',#%/544'/#"5,%5-%)5,2)<%due out May 18th from Dualtone Records. The release marks her return to recording after an absence of nearly fourteen years, following the critically acclaimed Sunday Morning To Saturday Night, a buoyant album which Berg refers to as her “love record.” It stands in stark contrast to the deep, aching melancholy of The Dreaming Fields.
“When you’ve been married or had a relationship for a certain amount of years, life takes on a slightly more sepia tone,” she explains. “Things get complicated and you go to some dark places to get to the other side. And then family members have addictions and there are parents with dementia, and on and on and
on. The songs that came out of that were completely different, and I knew I wanted them to be heard somehow. It wasn’t even about me wanting to go out there and be in the spotlight again, it’s just that these songs meant a lot to me.”
If her track record as a songwriter is any indication, the songs will resonate with listeners as well. Berg is the lauded wordsmith behind some of the biggest country hits of the last three decades, boasting eleven Number One records including “Wild Angels” (Martina McBride), “I’m That =",(%5-%>"*4?%+,(%@A53%1+,%B''4%Bad” (Patty Loveless), “Wrong Side of Memphis” and “XXXs and OOOs” (Trisha Yearwood), and the iconic “Strawberry Wine” (Deana 1+*#'*C<%,+8'(%D5,2%5-%#$'%A'+*%EF%#$'%153,#*F%:3)"/%G))5/"+#"5,%+,(%,58",+#'(%-5*%;')#%153,#*F%Song by the Grammys in 1997. Her songs have been recorded by the 4"6')%5-%H3)#F%D&*",2.'4(<%I",(+%J5,)#+(#<%#$'%H"K"'%1$"/6)<%+,(%Loretta Lynn.
By Jason HowardPhotos By Glen Rose
As she prepares to release her #rst album in fourteen years, the award-winning singer/songwriter sits down with Jason Howard to talk about the state of coun-try music, her literary inspirations and the spirit of her songwriting
But despite her success as a songwriter, the country music industry has never quite known what to do with Berg as a recording artist. Following her sterling 1990 debut Lying To The Moon, her restrained vocals and literate songs seemed to be swallowed by the wave of highoctane performers like Garth Brooks. Throughout #$'%'+*4F%LMMN)<%;*556)%.44'(%arenas with his soldout concert tours, offering audiences rock theatrics that included elaborate pyrotechnics, hurtling from trapdoors, and soaring over the crowd on a harness. Although such spectacles undeniably broadened country’s fan base, it also began squeezing out more literary performers who had composed the genre’s backbone. Perhaps it was no coincidence that Rosanne 1+)$O!$5%$+(%('4"P'*'(%'4'P',%Number One hits, twentyone Top Forty country singles, and two
254(%+4E38)%(3*",2%#$'%LMQN)Orelocated to New York during this time.
Berg’s intended sophomore album, Bittersweet Surrender, was shelved after her label insisted she make a pop record. Instead, The Speed of Grace was released in 1994 and performed poorly on the charts. And while her third effort, Sunday Morning To Saturday Night, showed promise three years later with radiofriendly singles like “Back in the Saddle” and “That Train Don’t Run,” her label -54('(<%+,(%#$'%*'/5*(%753,('*'(%",%the absence of the muscle supplied by a marketing team. “I just
stopped,” she says. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do next, so I just kind of semiretired as an artist. I went back down to zero, and stayed at home. Wrote songs.”
Fellow singersongwriters Gretchen Peters and Suzy Boggussbegan coaxed her into performing onstage with them as Wine, Women & Song, “[They] drug me out kicking and screaming,” she says. “We’ve been touring the UK on and off for a few years, and that’s been enormously helpful. I didn’t think anybody would care. I really didn’t. And !'%&4+F'(%1'4#"/%15,,'/#"5,)%and it was a huge audience and it
Berg, shown here in a Hermes scarf at a February 2011 Julep Magazing photo, will release her latest album, !e Dreaming Fields this spring. (Photo by Glen Rose)
Berg’s successful career includes:
1990 - Lying to the Moon
1994 - !e Speed of Grace
1997 - Sunday Morning to Satur-day Night
1998 - !e Masters
1999 - Lying to the Moon and Other Stories
2008 - Inducted into the Nash-ville Songwriters Hall of Fame
came my turn, and somebody in the audience yelled ‘Back In The Saddle!’ That was good. And then I got the courage to go back.”
This time around, the record promises to be different. Although mainstream country music has become more homogenized than 'P'*O@)#*"&%8+44%/53,#*F<?%;'*2%calls it, punctuated by a long )"2$O#$'%E558",2%G8'*"/+,+%genre has ensured a home for artists like her and songwriters like Lucinda Williams, Mary >+3#$"'*<%+,(%R+##F%>*"-.,%!$5)'%compositions are widely viewed as literature, in addition, to music. And herein lies the beauty of The Dreaming FieldsO"#%")%+%/544'/#"5,%of short stories, a true album that belongs alongside Emmylou Harris’s Blue Kentucky Girl and Kris Kristofferson’s The Silver Tongued Devil and I.
“I’ve been making this record for six years,” Berg laughs, explaining how her time in the studio was carved out around tending to elderly family members and composing songs for other artists. “I was writing for other people like Trisha Yearwood, and every now and then a song would come out that had nothing to do with anybody. It was like a whole different animal. Those were the gems that I kept close to me.”
One of those jewels is “Silver and Glass,” inspired by the tragic life of Anna Nicole Smith, in which Berg’s plaintive voice soars over a gritty guitar and her own mournful lyrics:
But your body was a sinner’s dream
When you were barely in your teens
Pretty baby, you put all your hopes in
Something so cold and easily broken
“I got to be close with women who were really bright and funny, but whose whole lives were devoted to men and people who would use what they wanted physically,” she explains. “There !+)%+%&+*+44'4%!"#$%G,,+%S"/54'Ofading beauties with substance abuse issues. It’s so sad to watch.”
Her voice trails off, and she looks down at her wine. “What happens when you get older is horrifying. It killed Marilyn Monroe. And didn’t they say T+F,'%:+,).'4(%$+(%#$'%UV%5-%a genius? There’s this thing that happens when you’re that young and beautiful… you just get swept along.”
But if Berg laments such heartbreak in “Silver and Glass,” she allows for a dose of revenge in a scorcher called “Your Husband’s 1$'+#",2%W,%X)0?%15Y!*"##',%!"#$%4'2',(+*F%)&"#.*'%:+*)$+44%1$+&8+,<%#$'%)5,2%")%E+)'(%5,%a short story by famed Southern !*"#'*%T"44%:/15*64'%",%!$"/$%+%man’s mistress teams up with his wife after they discover he has yet another woman on the side.
Berg says she “can’t count the ways” her songwriting has been inspired by Southern writers 4"6'%:/15*64'%+,(%I''%D8"#$<%both of whom she counts as close friends, which began when she read Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies. “It sounded like my grandmother talking, and she’s from old eastern Kentucky,” she says. “There are these beautiful, heartbreaking stories from the holler that my mother came out of. It didn’t occur to me to write about that stuff, and that put me on a completely different path in my writing.”
Smith, for her part, deems Berg a “born storyteller, through and through.” She continues: “For a real writer, everything depends
“I was writing for other people like Trisha Yearwood, and every now and then a song would come out that had nothing to do with anybody. It was like a whole different animal. Those were the gems that I kept close to me.” Matraca Berg
!e writer, Jason Howard, sits down with Berg in Nashville, TN (Photo: Glen Rose)
upon who you’re born to, and who *+")')%F53<%+,(%$5!%F53%.*)#%$'+*%language. In Matraca’s case, it was the loving mountain voices of her mother and her aunts, and the beautiful music of the Kentucky hills they came from. Perhaps no child has ever been raised with 83)"/O4"#'*+44F%)3**53,('(%EF%"#Oto the extent that Matraca was.”
Berg certainly had the voices of her mother and aunts in mind when she collaborated with 1$+&8+,%5,%Good Ol’ Girls, a musical revue based on the work 5-%D8"#$%+,(%:/15*64'0%G-#'*%being produced regionally, the show debuted in a successful off
Broadway run in February 2010, introducing Berg’s songs to an even wider audience.
“Matraca is not only a poet of place, but of the commonplace,” Smith says. “Even her most commercially successful cuts have deep, real roots in Appalachian soil. Mountain dirt, thin and hardscrabble.”
@W$%138E'*4+,(?%")%5,'%of those songs on The Dreaming Fields, written years ago while
Berg was in Los Angeles recording the illfated The Speed of Grace. “I was staying in Santa Monica, and I had to drive to the Valley every day to go
to the studio. I was sitting in the /+*%",%#$")%',(4'))%#*+-./%Z+8<%+,(%they had this NPR program called Citybilly. They played [Merle [+22+*(\)]%^;"2%1"#F<\%+,(%U%)#+*#'(%/*F",20%1*F",2%E3/6'#)0%G44%U%wanted to do was go back home.” ['*%/$*5,"/%$58')"/6,'))%/5,.,'(%her to the writing desk.
Fire on the asphalt, LA freeway
Santa Ana windstorm, come blow me away
_$'%!5*()%75!'(%+)%)#'+(F%as the river it was written about:
Oh Cumberland, I’m a faithful son
No matter where I run, I hear you calling me
The Mississippi’s wide and long, St. Paul to New Orleans
But my heart’s resting on your banks in Tennessee
“Sometimes when I write I’ll just have a melody and I’ll be ‘singing in tongues,’ blurting out whatever feels good, and it could be syllables and gibberish nonsense,” she explains. “But ^W$%138E'*4+,(\%/+8'%53#<%+,(%#$',%U%$+(%#5%.,(%#$'%8'+,",2%afterwards.”
She turned to a map of the 138E'*4+,(%J"P'*%-5*%&'*)&'/#"P'<%
“Sometimes when I write I’ll just have a melody and I’ll be ‘singing in tongues,’ blurting out whatever feels good, and it could be syllables and gibberish nonsense,”
Matraca Berg
and was speechless when she saw that it linked her mother’s native [+*4+,%153,#F<%=',#3/6F<%+,(%$'*%own hometown of Nashville. “I couldn’t believe it,” she shakes her head. “There is an element to songwriting that’s magic and spirit. I do believe that the idea was to make me look at that map.”
Although Berg sang “Oh 138E'*4+,(?%+)%+%(3'#%!"#$%Emmylou Harris on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 2002 release Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 3<%#$")%P'*)"5,%")%#$'%('.,"#"P'%*'/5*(",2O,5#%+%)8+44%)#+#'8',#<%as it is rare that Harris’s rendering of anything is ever eclipsed. But this can be added to Berg’s long list of accolades of late, including being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame three years ago at the age of fortyfour. U#%!+)%$'*%.*)#%F'+*%5-%'4"2"E"4"#F<%as she had met the requirements of having published a song twenty.P'%F'+*)%'+*4"'*0%
“She is one of eleven female songwriters to be inducted `+45,2%!"#$%+%$3,(*'(%+,(%.-#FYtwo men),” explains Marshall 1$+&8+,<%$'*%45,2Y#"8'%-*"',(%and colleague. “She’s right there alongside songwriting heroines Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, :+*"Z5$,%a"46",<%1",(F%a+46'*<%Tammy Wynette, and Felice Bryant.”
Berg shrugs off the praise. “It’s just another one of those strange, but wonderful things. I’m trying to enjoy it while it’s happening instead of going, ‘Oh my God, how did I get here and !$',%+*'%#$'F%25",2%#5%.,(%53#%U\8%not ready for this?’”
After publishing nearly 400 songs and earning a dozen BMI songwriting awards, her place among country music’s greatest
writers is assured. But it would be a grave mistake to assume that $'*%",73',/'%',()%+#%:3)"/%J5!0%Berg counts writers such as Smith, :/15*64'%+,(%G4"/'%J+,(+44%+)%her friends, when in fact they are her peers. Her songs are literature transcending the musical form.
The title track of The Dreaming Fields reads like a Willa 1+#$'*%,5P'4<%!"#$%;'*2\)%'P5/+#"P'%voice gliding over her gorgeous piano:
Oh the sun rolls down big as a miracle
Fades from the Midwest sky
And the corn and the trees wave in the breeze
As if to say goodbye
W#$'*%)5,2)O@U-%U%[+(%Wings,” “Racing The Angels,” “You and Tequila,” and the lush “A 154(%J+",F%:5*,",2%U,%I5,(5,%U,%T3,'?O#''8%!"#$%45))%+,(%45,2",2%and escape, themes not unnoticed by Smith.
“Many of Matraca’s songs actually contain entire novels,” she says. “Her characters have the grit and grace to tell their own stories and sing their own songs. She continues to honor this deep part of language and song within her as she moves forward into even more serious, beautiful and original work in her knockout new album.”
Berg has produced her ('.,"#"P'%!5*6%!"#$%The Dreaming Fields, a rich harvest offering row +-#'*%*5!O)5,2%+-#'*%)5,2O5-%sheer beauty.
Showing her stripes
Berg is photo-graphed in a Malene Birger cream stripe french top provided by H. Audrey in Nashville (le$) and in her own wrap (right). !e hall of fame songwriter has written for stars such as Deanna Carter, Patty Loveless and Trisha Year-wood.
(Photos by Glen Rose)
Designing Women
!e duo behind the Jolie & Elizabeth
fashion brand are re-designing
Southern fashionBy Rebecca WilsonPhotos by Rush Jagoe
Sarah Elizabeth Dewey (le$) and Jolie Benson (right), pose in their studio
Tucked away on beautiful
D#0%1$+*4')%Avenue in New Orleans, is an old home with a big front porch swing and a view of the historic olive green streetcars that amble by during the day.
Although the setting is most ('.,"#'4F%W4(%South, the home actually serves as the design studio for a fashion line embodying the new South. Jolie Benson and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey, the two vivacious women behind the Jolie & Elizabeth clothing line, draw on these traditional Southern charms as inspiration for their perfectly modern fashions.
Their collections focus on classic silhouettes and predominately feature dresses over pants and blouses. Along with the welltailored dresses, Jolie & Elizabeth have released simple jewelry pieces and tshirts honoring their New Orleans heritage. Their classic design aesthetic shines through in each of their collections.
“After living in New York, I saw that everyone is copying everyone else’s runway,” Benson
explains, “and the inspiration should be that old magnolia tree 5*%54(%&$5#5)%#$+#%F53%.,(%",%F53*%grandmother’s attic. That should be your inspiration, not DKNY’s latest runway,” says Benson.
Jolie Benson, a New Orleans native and graduate of Louisiana State University, spent four years #5224",2%E'#!'',%S'!%A5*6%1"#F%and Los Angeles working for popular designers Alice + Olivia, ;1;>%:+K%Gb*"+%+,(%;'#)F%Johnson. While Benson was at ;1;>%:+K%Gb*"+<%)$'%)#+*#'(%+,%internship program for Southern women interested in fashion. She laments that there are excellent fashion programs at many Southern universities, but that the opportunities for graduates are often limited.
“I wanted girls to see that there was a career path with this degree that was beyond retail. That you can actually design with a fashion degree,” says Benson.
It is not surprising that Benson started an internship to help young designers, who were more her peer age than typical interns. Benson is a natural mentor:
constantly speaking at university fashion programs and devising opportunities for future young designers.
“I started doing speeches at [Louisiana State University] and Sarah Elizabeth was in a few of the speeches. When she graduated and we met up for lunch,” says Benson.
And it was over shrimp po’boys and crab cakes that the fashion line Jolie & Elizabeth was born. The ,+8'%/58E",')%E5#$%5-%#$'"*%.*)#%names: Jolie, which means “pretty” in French, and Elizabeth, meaning “promise”. It was a pretty promise that launched the design duo, and a pretty promise to provide opportunities to young designers that motivates them.
Styling their futureJolie Benson and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey are designing the fashion line of their dreams; they are also creating opportunities for future designers
(Photo: Rush Jagoe)Jolie Benson and Sarah Elizabeth Dewey work in their studio in New Orleans, LA
“[We started] not to just create pretty dresses but to create a sustainable business,” says Benson. “And it has different purposes One is to help girls that have just graduated, the next generation, to see that there are opportunities in design. Retail just isn’t the end of the line of opportunity for them. Since then it has just taken off so much.
Dewey is the ideal business side compliment to Benson’s design focus.
“Sarah Elizabeth and I have such a great partnership,” says Benson. “We really balance each other out.
She does sales marketing and PR and assists with design and I’m more in the creative side. But at the end of the day we are both here doing everything.”
Dewey’s deft marketing skills proved to be an asset to the young design company
almost immediately. Within three 85,#$)%5-%#$'"*%.*)#%/544'/#"5,%
launch, Jolie & Elizabeth scored a string of good press that boosted their initial collection’s sales.
@a'%5-./"+44F%4+3,/$'(%",%#$'%middle of the spring 2010 with a summer delivery,” says Dewey. “Within two months we were in Daily Candy [national email newsletter] which was a huge boost and then in our local newspaper [The New Orleans Picayune] which was another huge boost.”
The fashion line, which is just barely a year old, has made a pretty promise to New Orleans, too. All of the manufacturing for Jolie & Elizabeth is completed locally. The designers even created a “Made ",%I53")"+,+?%#+2%#$+#%")%+-.K'(%
“[We started] not to just create pretty dresses, but to create a sustainable business.” - Jolie Benson, co-founder of Jolie & Elizabeth.
!e “Made in Louisiana” label which are sewn into every garmet.
in all of their clothes.
“This has been such a )"2,"./+,#%factor of who we are,” says Benson. “When we .*)#%4+3,/$'(%it was one of those good ol’ southern stories – you know my mother’s sister’s brother did insurance for someone that had a factory that had been destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.”
Benson continues, “They were about to throw in the towel on Friday, but on Monday we set up a meeting with them. Now they have E'',%+E53#%#5%8+6'%+%&*5.#0%G,(%for us, it’s just the smartest thing. I mean our factory is 20 minutes away. There aren’t many designers
in NY that can say that.”
The commitment to community, New Orleans and Southern values continues to be an asset to Jolie & Elizabeth.
“We’re not trying to be LA, we’re not trying to be New York, we’re not trying to take over the world of fashion or pretend like we’re the new Hollywood south,” says
Benson.
“Our brand identity is very southern and we’re very proud of that. It’s important to us.”
Although, Jolie & Elizabeth are not trying to go Hollywood, Hollywood is trying to come to them. The designers are working with makers of the
Twilight series, which does some .48",2%",%I53")"+,+0%B+,)%5-%#$'%vampire series will see the Jolie & Elizabeth designs in an upcoming _!"4"2$#%.480%
In addition to the big screen, Jolie & Elizabeth designs can be found in more than two dozen stores across the South as well as on their website.
Le$: Jolie Benson begins on a new design.
Bottom le$: !e Jolie & Elizabeth spring collection. Benson says that they hire aspir-ing models for all of their shoots to help give the young women experience.
Bottom right: !e inspiration board at the Jolie & Eliza-beth studio.
All photos by Rush Jagoe
The Inspiration Board:Jolie & Elizabeth’s
favorites for spring
1. 2.
3.
4.
5.
7.
8.
9.
Sarah Elizabeth’s Favor-ite dress from our Spring Collection: The Tallulah
Jolie’s Favorite dress from our Spring Collec-
tion: The Nashville
1. Levi’s 501 Boyfriend Cut Jean
2. Barq’s Root Beer
3. Dr John, New Orleans musician
4. Elizabeth’s Restaurant in the Marigny, New Orleans
5. Rides in our jeeps (we both drive jeeps!)
6. Billy Reid
7. Keds shoes
8. Steve McQueen, the british !"#$%&'()*+'9. Van Gogh Candles from the Met (started as a gift from Jolie’s Grandmere and now we’re addicted- we always have one lit &,$*-($+.!)(/10. Reruns of The Golden Girls
11. The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris. By Alicia Drake
12. The Columns - our favorite go-to spot for an afterwork drink (or any reason really!)
13. Front porch swings (especially the one at our design studio where we watch the streetcar go by everyday- can’t ask for much more in life! )
14. Hand-me-downs, especially scarves (thank goodness for our grandmothers!)
15. Voodoo love spells
16. Vintage watches
17. Our Child of the Mississippi wrap bracelet
- J & E
6.
10.
11.
12. 13.
(Photos By Rush Jagoe)
Wes Baker carefully adds gold leaf to the spine of a book.
(Right) Baker does all of the restorations by hand.
By Dagny Leonard
“I guess the real question is, what makes a book a book?”
Wes Baker stands in the middle of his basement workshop in
his home in Anniston, Alabama, in front of a long worktable on which sits a small stack of books. But they are not the kind of books you .,(%5,%#$'%)$'4P')%",%+%4+*2'%/$+",%bookstore. These books are old. They are bound in leather. They have the musty smell of years of use (and idleness) on their pages, and most of them are falling apart.
With technology like Kindles, iPads and other electronic tablets that allow volumes of literature to be carried around in an object no thicker than a traditional magazine, the concept of the book has for many people changed right under their noses. They have stowed away their hardback books in favor of the digital texts that can be transferred to portable devices in an instant.
But while many techsavvy early adopters are embracing the ability to carry their library around in their purse or bag, Wes Baker spends his
workdays in the basement of his Alabama home, the headquarters of Baker Bindery, surrounded by books, in the traditional sense of the word, sometimes up to hundreds of years old, practicing the increasingly rare art of book binding.
“There’s just something tangible about paper and ink,” said Baker. “Whether that be a piece of stationary and ink or printer’s ink and type.”
Baker takes books that are sent from book dealers, private
Restoring HistoryAn Alabama Bookbinder Repairs Ancient Texts
collectors and libraries from around the world to be repaired and restored to their original state.
He doesn’t use hightech machines to do his work. He uses the same tools and equipment bookbinders would have used 300 years ago. His work is done by hand, from the stitching of the pages to stretching the leather over the binder’s board. It is detailoriented and tedious, but through his work books are preserved as both works of art and pieces of history.
“I got really interested in it philosophically,” said Baker of his attraction to bookbinding. “What
is the text? If I sit down and read something, how can I believe that that’s actually a representation of what that writer meant originally? If I’m reading, how do I know this ")%!$+#%1+')+*%+/#3+44F%)+"(c?
His curiosity took him from the knowledge he gained from the printed word to .,(",2%53#%#$+#%the texts he read had variations over time.
“I found that out and I was like ‘Wow! That’s amazing’,” said Baker. “This is a composite of what 15 editors over 15 centuries thought this writer said.”
While exploring different texts, Baker realized that the same text,
produced by different publishing houses or in different countries, might have completely different -5*8+#)O*+")'(%/5*()%",)#'+(%5-%a smoother spine, or an ornately decorated cover instead of one with a simple frame.
“I guess I got caught up in that search for the original text,” said Baker.
Baker’s interest in text variations and formats lead him to his niche ",%#$'%#*+('O&'*"5(%E",(",20
“My obsession just happens to be can I recreate something that was done 300 years ago?” said Baker. @1+,%U%*'/*'+#'%#$+#%,5!c?
These books are not just valuable for their content. Each individual E556%")%+%*'7'/#"5,%5-%#$'%/53,#*F%and time period from which it
“My obsession just happens to be, can I recreate something that was done 300 years ago? Can I recreate that now?”
Wes Baker
(Photo by Rush Jagoe) Baker’s tools are made to replicate those of original bookbinders.
came. The style of a book printed in Germany 300 years ago would look decidedly different from that same book printed in Spain in the same time period.
For example, a book bound in Spain in the 16th century before the Spanish Armada might have 5*,+#'<%7+)$F%E",(",2)0%[5!'P'*<%as Spain began to fall into turmoil, the bindings became less intricate and decorative. A book’s bindings /+,%)'*P'%+)%+%*'7'/#"5,%5-%E5#$%#$'%economy and the culture in which it was bound.
Baker receives everything from .*)#%'("#"5,%G2+#$+%1$*")#"'%E556)%to a copy of The History of the Revolutions of Portugal printed in 1735 to ancient Hebrew texts. After researching historical examples, he seeks to return them to their original state. For books in particular disrepair, he takes them apart and hand washes the individual pages using special water baths adjusted for pH and temperature, to clean the pages without damaging the original print before he restitches them together. ;F%$+,(%$'%&+*')%#$'%4'+#$'*O5-#',%25+#)6",%5*%/+4-)6",O",%Z3)#%the right places so that it can be evenly folded over the binder’s board. The leather is securely attached to the boards by a wheat &+)#'%#$+#%;+6'*%8+6')%$"8)'4-O+%strong but natural adhesive that has been around since the ancient Egyptians.
To make the decorative designs and frames found on many leatherbound books, Baker uses sheets of gold leaf, with its extremely thin, clinging texture. Using an egg white adhesive, he rolls a hand tool with the desired pattern over the gold leaf, or presses a single tool down thousands of times to create the perfect design. The gold is -5*'P'*%"8&*",#'(%",%#$'%4'+#$'*Oonce it is done, it cannot be erased.
One mistake and he has to start from scratch. He doesn’t have any motorized equipment to make sure it’s right. He uses his trained eye +,(%+%)#'+(F%$+,(O+%)6"44%#$+#%takes years to learn.
However, these tedious and ("-./34#%)#'&)%/58'%#52'#$'*%#5%give these books a special threedimensional aspect that cannot be found from an online text, or even the modern paperback, which lacks both the sturdy build of a leatherbound hardback, as well as, the threedimensional bite of type in the page that letterpress printing has.
“The sad little ('#+"4)Othey’re what puts a model together on a runway, they’re what puts a Victorian house and all it’s brickabrack together. And that concept, as sad as it may sound, as far as fussing over this little line weight and this typeface and this type of letter and this type of thread can be what puts a bit of art together.”
When one looks at, or better yet, picks up one of these old retooled leather volumes, and feels the sense of richness, value and history behind it, one can immediately understand why these can demand such attention, focus and passion for many of his clients.
“You meet some interesting characters,” said Baker.
Like his customer in Australia who sent him a book along with several horn toad skins for Baker to piece together so that the book could be bound with them. Or the lady in
15,,'/#"/3#%!$5%")%)8"##',%!"#$%-+*8'*\)%+48+,+/)O;+6'*%E3"4()%boxes to encase her decades’ worth of volumes.
For them it is tangible. Those almanacs would not be the same if the content was transferred
online, nor would his Australian customer likely want to cover his kindle in the skin of a horn toad.
These books are part of their library, each a piece of literature, as well as an object with its own individual history.
“The whole idea of a library versus people being able to literally carry a library around in #$'"*%&5/6'#O#$'*'\)%almost something to my mind profane about that,” said
Baker. “To be able to carry Alexandria around in your pocket, yeah that’s a huge accomplishment,
but I don’t think you can correlate all those things. Books on your shelf, you can immediately look at the book and there was an idea represented by that binding, by that book, whatever it was, and you can relate it, crossgenre or cross discipline. You’re going to have a tough time doing that with your #$38E)%5,%+%7+#%&+(0?
(Photo by Rush Jagoe) Baker must carefully apply decora-tions to the cover of a book.
Louisiana’s Disappearing Coast
The Mighty MississippiThe Mississippi River naturally replenishes the coastal landmasses as it releases thick slurry sediment collected from 31 states into the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. Dams and levees built upstream over the last century have drastically decreased the amount of this natural protector of the fragile coastline.
Louisiana’s Disappearing CoastA Photo Essay By Rush Jagoe
Again and again, our precious city has
been victim to disasters of colossal proportions. And time a%er time, we have rebounded with an amazing spirit of cooperation, endurance and tenacity.
Both Hurricane Katrina and the Deep Water Horizon Oil
Spill have proven that our country’s lack of a strong environmental policy and poor regulation enforcement leads to repercussions of an epic scale. For over 100 years, Louisiana has watched its treasured wetlands disappear, taking along with them the essential foundations of our culture: our seafood industry and local businesses. During Katrina, the failure of New Orleans’ manmade levees and canals illustrated our nation’s deteriorating infrastructure – a problem found not only in New Orleans, but thousands of communities across the country.
Lack of su'cient help from disaster organizations and governmental agencies a%er Katrina and the Oil Spill exposed the dire need for our community to come together and start being proactive instead of reactive – especially as situations arrive that threaten our livelihood and culture. A%er every calamity, it becomes ever more imperative that we protect our precious Gulf Coast, which is essential to the ethos of New Orleans and the South. !e outdated mindset that the protection of our coastline should be the sole responsibility of a faraway government department simply will not su'ce. It is time for us all to take responsibility for preserving the Gulf Coast.
In the past few years, the residents of New Orleans have re-committed themselves to address the needs of our community. Grassroots organizations and local non-pro#ts are seeking contemporary community solutions and weaving them with the New Orleans traditions and culture to restore the fabric of our city. We have found that solutions born and fostered within the community prove to be more sustainable and o$er a more concrete base when developing the local infrastructure.
Post-Katrina, our communities, population and resilience have returned stronger than ever and the excitement is apparent in every corner of our city. We are in a progressive era of educational, governmental
and housing reforms that were badly needed. !ere is a new administration in New Orleans; one that for the #rst time that is stressing (and actually following through with) transparency and accountability. Our citizens and our local government are working together to overcome manmade disasters, and in the process, we are regaining trust in one another. We will continue to work to promote unity and the betterment of our society.
Similarly with the BP Oil Crisis, our community has rallied together to restore New Orleans and the Gulf. Our seafood industry is #nally coming back. A%er months of Atlantic or Paci#c seafood on
Unshakable ResilienceAn Open Letter From New Orleans
City Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer
our most acclaimed menus known for their distinct Southern cuisine, seafood testing has proven that the food from the Gulf is safe for consumption.
Tourism, together with the local economy, is regaining momentum and it is more noticeable then ever – especially as Mardi Gras kicks into full swing. New Orleans is no longer regarded as a city struggling with a string of bad luck. New Orleans is becoming a destination in America. !e national idea of New Orleans is becoming what locals always knew it to be – a place with a distinct "avor and culture that is ours and ours alone. It is one whose
heritage and future is to be savored and preserved. Kristin Gisleson Palmer serves on the New Orleans City Council where she is the chairperson of the Disaster and Recovery Committee, among others.
!"#$"%&$%'("%()(*&#$+,%-#.)(.$+%!/)0("%1/.%/%+$+2"$3&%executive for 20 years. As the Executive Director of Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Gisleson Palmer put over 400 displaced residents back into their homes, developed a $6 million dollar annual rebuilding operation and leveraged over $7 million in public funding to create a model for creating longterm sustainability in the New Orleans community postHurricane Katrina. She was recently selected as a fellow to the Aspen InstituteRodel Fellowship in Public Leadership.
Hoping For The Big OneThe coastal estuaries in Louisiana are some of the most bountiful in the world. Even with the marsh habitat disappearing from saltwater intrusion, it remains a top sport
3.'#+4%5(.&#+/&#$+6%%71$%3.'("0(+%8"/9(%&'(%()(0(+&.%'$2#+4%:$"%/%.;**(..:;)%*/&*'6
Sea Worthy (above)
In 1942, Parker Conrad began building wooden shrimp 8$/&.%)#<(%&'(%0$5()%$+%5#.2)/=%#+%'#.%$:3*(6%%>9("%&'(%years, the clients for his shipbuilding have switched from 3.'("0(+%&$%$::%.'$"(%$#)%#+5;.&"#(.6%
Built For The Sea (left)
Inside Johnny’s Propeller Shop, Douglas Hernandez prepares to hoist a large ship propeller that was removed from an off shore vessel for repair. Parker Conrad’s son, Johnny, owns the repair business in Morgan City, Louisiana.
Back On The WaterThe tugboat “Miss Megan” heads out to sea one morning from Barrataria Bay, Louisiana.
The Lone WatchmanA solitary tree stands watch over the religious shrine above the water at PointeauxChenes, Louisiana. Translated, the name means Point of Oaks. A southern symbol for strength, the centuriesold live oak trees were once abundant in this southern Louisiana community before coastal erosion allowed the intrusion of salt water that killed the trees. ?/5)=,%&'#.%1/.%/).$%&'(%3".&%#+'/8#&/&(5%/"(/%#02/*&(5%8=%&'(%@!%>#)%.2#))6
Disappearing ActBarrier islands once served as coastal buffers to the harsh weather coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, each major storm causes more of the islands to fade away.
An Oil Break (right)
Wilbert Collins of Golden Meadows, Louisiana takes a break from work. His company, Collins Oyster Company Inc., leases over 2,000 acres of marshland impacted in recent years by natural and environmental disasters.
Coastal Highrise (above)
%A&%&'(%*$/.&B.%(54(%#+%C$*$5"#(,%D$;#.#/+/,%&'#.%'$;.(%#.%"/#.(5%&$%/9$#5%E$$51/&(".6%%A.%&'(%8/""#("%#.)/+5.%5#./22(/",%.&$"0%.;"4(.%/:&("%/%';""#*/+(%*/;.(%E$$51/&(".%$+%.'$"(6%%
WANT TO HELP?Click on the charities below to support
orgazinations dedicated to restoring the Louisiana Gulf Coast
- Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
- Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
- Louisiana Gulf Response
- National Wildlife Federation
A Worthless Catch (top left)
Jure Slavic checks the health of an oyster bed in Lake Adams, Louisiana. Shortly after pulling dozens of oysters out of the lake, Slavic shovels them back into the water because harvesting was banned after the BP Oil Spill. Some of Slavic’s leases have been in his family for over 100 years.
Wharf Market (top right)
Residents of Morgan City, Louisiana can buy shrimp straight off the boat at the downtown wharf as 3.'("0(+%.&";44)(%&$%0/<(%/%)#9#+4%.())#+4%&'(#"%*/&*'6%
Crab House (bottom left)
F#44#+.%?(/:$$5%#+%D/3&&(,%D$;#.#/+/%.()).%&'(#"%*/&*'%&$%.(/:$$5%2;"9(=$".%1'$%.'#2%#&%/))%$9("%&'(%country. Chefs regard Higgins’ blue crab as among the best.
Dawn at BlowoutA boatbuilder turned bartender greets the sunrise at The Blowout Lounge in Morgan City, Louisiana.
The RoadSubmerged in high tide is a narrow road on the last strip of land connecting Isle De Jean Charles to Coastal Louisiana. The Louisiana coast is experiencing land loss on a scale greater than anywhere in the world because of erosion.
Credits:
Derby FashionLocation: Darley Farm, Lexington, KentuckyHosts: Jimmy and Wende BellModel: Joy Robyn Dixon FenwickFashions: A J’s Casuals, Lexington, Kentucky www.ajsclothing.comStylist: Lauren Salmon BellJewelry: St John and Myers, Lexington, Kentucky www.stjohnandmyers.comText: Rebecca WilsonPhotography: Madison Culler
Derby BrunchLocation: Henry Clay Building, Louisville, KentuckyCater: !e Silver Spoon Catering, Chef Phillip Koening-www.thesilverspooncatering.comAccessories: L. V. Harkness and Company, Lexington, Kentucky www.lvharkness.comDesigners: Emily Pendelton and Mandy VaughnFlorals: Sharon Blakeman WilsonText: Rebecca WilsonPhotography: Madison Culler
Matraca Berg Location: Cra$ StudioFashions: H. Audrey www.haudrey.comPhotography: Glen Rosewww.glenrosephoto.comHair/Make-up: Michael McCall
Special thanks to the following for their support and contributions to Julep Magazine:
New Orleans Councilmember Kristin Giselson Palmer and her Chief of Sta#, Trevor K. !eunissen
Holly Gleason for encouragement and advice
Dan Hammond for support and wisdom
Rush Jagoe for the beautiful photography and vision
Meg Beasley, Jason Howard, Cambron Jewell, Dagny Leonard, Holly Sears and Allison Westlake for their signi"cant contributions to this issue
Nathan Green for the wonderful logo designs
Madison Culler for patience and great photography
Je# Johnson and 4Truth Web Design for website design
Libby Howard for the domain, support and constant stream of great ideas
Steve Roberts for superb networking and advice
Don Baer, for too many things to count, but mostly for never-ending encouragement and mentorship
David and Sharon Wilson, my parents, for their faith, unceasing support, encouragement and this unbeliev-able opportunity. I am forever grateful for the chance to follow my dreams.
Coming up in the Summer issue
- 3 Fabulous Fourth of July trips - Dessert table ideas, recipes and tips - Penland, NC Artists Community - Bluegrass makes a comeback
.... and so much more!
