Hire Local Stories | Anjelicia P.

Hire Local helped me take care of my family.

“After completing Hire Local's training program, I went from being unemployed to hired full-time. Next week I will start a new career with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital as a Housekeeping Attendant. I have always wanted to work in the healthcare field. Before I had my son I wanted to be an anesthesiologist and work at Le Bonheur. I can see the hospital from my home and dreamed about working there. I heard about Hire Local through Urban Strategies. I needed a change and decided to give it a shot. Now I can take care of my children’s needs and not say no to the little things they want. I will be working close to home, in a hospital and making double the wages I made in food services. I went from making $7.50 an hour to $15.00 an hour. I can see the hospital sign from my home and can walk to work. I’m looking forward to growing with the company and moving up the healthcare ladder. Hire Local helped every step of the way from training to job placement to uniform support. I am proud to be one step closer to my goal and I can’t wait to start."

-Anjelicia P., Hire Local's 2020 Housekeeping Training Cohort member

A Square Meal on Wheels + Aspiring School Meals Dining Services Trio

MMDC sat down with chefs Derrick and LaQuonta Clark, owners of A Square Meal on Wheels/A Square Meal Café and Chef Quan Anderson, owner of Aspiring School Meals Dining Services. The trio has teamed together to be the next food service provider for Southern College of Optometry.

Chef Derrick Clark

Chef Derrick: My name is Chef Derrick Clark. My wife is LaQuonta Clark. We started about 10 years ago with a food truck. I went to culinary school. Chef Quan just happened to be one of the chefs teaching classes at the school. At that time, my desire was to be a private chef for one of the Grizzlies. That was what I was going to do. One day, I was watching TV and “The Great Food Truck Race” just happened to come on TV. At this time, I was stricken with cancer. After I got over cancer and got through school, we decided to get a food truck. We paid $5,000 for it. We built it up and purchased parts from Facebook, eBay, everywhere. At this time, food trucks weren’t popular in Memphis. I was one of the chefs that started the food truck craze. We got our food truck at the right time and right place. We just blew up. We started the food truck serving fish tacos, fried green tomatoes, and lobster rolls. Those were our main dishes. Overnight, we just became really popular. We would go to different business complexes to serve from the food truck. At one of the complexes we went to, they told us they had an empty restaurant space. They said it would be really tough for us, that there was a tough crowd in that area. They had two restaurants come in that didn’t last six months. We told them we were interested in the restaurant space and we took the opportunity. We had already branded ourselves as “A Square Meal on Wheels” and decided to name the restaurant space “A Square Meal Café.” The café is located in the Lenox Park business complex. Every company that came in before us struggled to make it, but we’ve been there seven years and going strong.

Chef LaQuonta Clark

Once we opened, an MLGW employee came to the café and ate. They saw a post shouting us out when we were serving at Cooper Young Festival. We served a lot of customers at Cooper Young Festival. That’s how I ended up gaining exposure and teaching culinary classes at Arkansas State with the credentials that I received from L'école Culinaire. The customer that was working at MLGW let me know that they had a vacant restaurant space in their building and asked if I would be interested in it. The next thing we knew, we had two locations—one in East Memphis and one inside of MLGW. We gained more traction on Facebook and got contacted by someone at Swift Transportation that had an empty restaurant space. They asked if we’d like to come check it out. We did, and we expanded there as well. We starting to grow every 2-3 years. A lot of my culinary school classmates have been working for us ever since with our food truck. We treat our employees like we’d want to be treated. We look out for each other. If they’re down and out one week, we make sure to lift them up.

From that point on, people kept referring us to companies looking to occupy their restaurant space. Next thing I know, someone referred me to Southern College of Optometry (SCO) telling me they had an empty space. In one night, we prepared our RFP and we were determined. I called SCO and secured a meeting, then called my main man Chef Quan to let him know that I had a meeting set. Chef Quan told me that he had a meeting with SCO as well. I told him that we need to team up and tackle SCO. Chef Quan specializes in catering, and I knew that if we came together, our unified team would be that much stronger. We teamed up, and here we are today. My wife has been here with me from the beginning, and we thank God for everything. 

Chef Quan Anderson

Chef Quan: Latasha Harris, manager of the BUY Local Program at Memphis Medical District Collaborative sent out an email regarding the opportunity. I received her notice through another friend who passed the opportunity along to me. When Chef Derrick called letting me know that he had a meeting set, I said, “Let’s do this together!” For an opportunity of this magnitude, it works well to team together. Through my background in contract food service for the last ten years, Derrick and I have crossed paths many times. I used to be the Executive Chef/Catering Director in UT Health Science Center, then went to St. George’s, managing the catering at three schools in three different locations. We’re very well-rounded. We’ve got a lot of food service knowledge all together. I’ve done nine years at the Peabody as a Banquet Chef. I have served Presidents of the United States.

We will be serving good quality food. We look forward to this opportunity. We’ve known each other for quite a while. The brand name, “ASM— A Square Meal” came from our original idea to work with some of the charter schools to prepare meals for them. We’ve got a formula built for catering for schools as well as corporate events. We’re always looking to grow and give back to the community. That’s the whole plan.

Off the Walls Artist Collective

MMDC sat down with Artist Yvonne Bobo, owner of Off the Walls Arts located at Warehouse Studios.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your business?

My name is Yvonne Bobo. I’m a sculptor. I’ve been doing public art—large-scale metal structures since about 2000. I’ve been renting studios over the years, and this is the first time I’ve been able to own the studio where I am. I was in Cooper Young and kind of got priced out of there, so everywhere I go as the neighborhood gets better, the rents go up, and then you have to move on. This [the Medical District] is the upcoming neighborhood now. This is our new arts district. And I won’t have to leave, because now I’m a building owner!

 How did you get into sculpting & metal work?

When I went to college, I really loved art, but I had a middle-class family and they really wanted me to do something more useful, so I tried business and I had no idea what they were talking about. Then, I quietly drifted to liberal arts, then went into fine arts. That’s where I found my real love was building things. I was mixed media at the time, so I was doing a little bit of everything. Woodworking was my first sort of real skillset, then when I came to Memphis, I met metal artists. I worked with Tyler French and James Summerhill, and I was just sort of surrounded by metal. I just sort of went in that direction. 

What attracted you to the Medical District?

I’m a midtowner, and I live just a few blocks up Peabody, so this is my neighborhood. We’re right at the border. I call us the Edge of the Edge because we’re right on the line. I like the feel. Friends of mine had studios at Marshall Arts for years, so I’d been going over to the Medical District for a long time.

Many artists are attracted to the Medical District due to the creative culture of the area. Can you speak a bit on the elements of creative culture that you notice within the District?

I think there’s an interesting thing about artists. We’re generally attracted to affordable rents because it’s hard to make a living as an artist. In the District, there are big spaces that are affordable, and that you can build in. That always drives artist because a lot of us don’t make a lot of money, so having an area where we can all be together, we can get a little synergy going. It’s interesting about the way neighborhoods change, too. A little but of what I’m trying to preserve here is having a group of artists together since an artist owns the building—that’ll never change, so the group of artists won’t change.

Have you received any supports from MMDC to assist in your move to the District?

Yes, I received a façade grant. We actually replaced some of our doors with bifold overhead doors and MMDC helped us with some of the exterior lighting also.

You’ll soon be opening your studio to the public. What can people expect from Off the Walls Arts (gallery showings, classes, events)?

We’ll be having our Grand Opening on March 28th from 11am-3pm. Christopher Reyes will be showcasing an immersive art experience and we’ll have about 4 new artists moved into the building and will have their work on display as well. We’ll have a fashion show, the band will play, there’ll be different elements of the Off the Walls Arts artist collective showcased during the event. This will be a free, family event.

Can you explain more about the Artist Collective that will be working in Warehouse Studios?

The Artist Collective will be a core group of people who rent studio space in the building. Those people will stay here as long as the space serves them. In the future, we hope to develop the nonprofit arm of Warehouse Studios, Off the Walls Artist Collaborative. Essentially, there’s three things that go on here. We have the Yvonne Bobo Studio, which is me. Then there’s Warehouse Studios, which owns the building and houses the Artist Collective. And people rent space here. Then, there’s Off the Walls Artist Collaborative, the nonprofit that supports Christopher Reyes building out the immersive art experience. We hope to have artists that come in to build out installation-style art, so we help to support that and provide them space to build weird art that they can’t really do anywhere else. Maybe later, we’ll have some changing studios for artist. People who are in the building have already made a financial commitment to their artwork. They have a dedicated space and community. We’ll have workshops where people can come learn and do things with us, and maybe we’ll have transitional space where people can submit something and get free studio for a period of time to kind of work around. We’d like to nurture artists at all levels, that’s the goal.

For artists who would like to be part of the Artist Collaborative, is there still space available for rent?

Yes, I think with the workshops and the changing installations space, that’ll be a nice way to bring people in to work with the artists in residence, work together, do shows, and get folks involved who aren’t in the building. There are a few studios left for rent, about four. If someone is interested in renting space, they can reach out to me on the website offthewallsarts.org or at yvonnebobostudio.com.

Memphis Medical District Collaborative is all about highlighting vital connections within the District. Your work is featured around the Medical District. Can you name a few of your pieces that people can spot around the area?

I have a piece at Methodist Le Bonheur hospital, “Under the Rainbow.” It’s a dichroic piece that’s kinetic. I also have a piece in the entrance of Methodist Le Bonheur’s Community Outreach Building at 600 Jefferson. I hope to do more work in the District! 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am grateful. I think right now in Memphis, as an artist to by a building, I realized what a challenge it was financially to try to buy a commercial building. It’s difficult. Because there were a number of organizations in Memphis supporting people who are trying to do stuff to improve the neighborhoods. It was a really good time for me because MMDC helped us with the façade grant and EDGE did a matching grant with us for the work, and we also received support from DMC. We received a lot of support, which is great!

I think that speaks to you being connected with a lot of the various local community development organizations. For other folks who are looking to follow in your footsteps, can you describe that process and how you went about identifying those grant opportunities?

I actually reached out to Poplar Foundation because I knew someone there. They put me in touch with River City Capital. I already knew about MMDC. I didn’t know about EDGE, but started to investigate them. I started to see who was interested in supporting this type of work. A lot of community development organizations are interested in supporting artists because they realize how valuable supporting artists and their art is to an upcoming neighborhood. I think everyone wanted to support an artist-owned and artist-focused business because we’ll make sure to keep it that way. People are stopping by the building since we’ve installed the mural on our exterior. It’s interesting to watch people start to put up signs and start making improvements, too. I think other businesses are having a little encouragement. The work is definitely having an effect. 

Warehouse Studios is located at 358 Walnut Street. You can keep up with them at offthewallsarts.org or Facebook.

Chef Tam's Underground Café

MMDC sat down with Chef Tamra Patterson, owner of the  new Medical District restaurant, Chef Tam’s Underground Café.

Could you give a brief history of yourself and your business?

My name is Tamra Patterson, and I have been cooking professionally since 2010. I am not a native Memphian. I’m from Texas, but I’ve lived in Memphis since January of 2015. I was a food services provider for a charter school first. Once the charter was lost by Shelby County Schools pulling it, I opened my own restaurant in Cooper Young. I was there for three years and grew exponentially before moving to the Medical District. We’ve been open since the first of the year. We’ve seen a packed house every day, and it’s been phenomenal!

What inspired your move from Texas to Memphis?

A friend of mine was doing some ministry work here. He was relocating back here because his family was from here, and he asked if I would come and help him because I have a background in ministry. So, I came to Memphis to help him, even though I didn’t initially plan on staying. I ended up saying, “well, if I’m here, I might as well grow where I’m planted,” so that’s how I ended up staying.

How did you end up transitioning from ministry to the food industry?

By trade, I’m a hairstylist. I did hair until 2010, but I was always around really good food. My grandmother was a professional baker, my father owned a restaurant, and then my mom’s dad owned a barbecue restaurant. I spent my days washing dishes after my dad did a catering job or ironing linen. So, I never wanted to cook because of that side of it. It was always washing the dishes or cleaning up, and I didn’t want to have to deal with that even though I could cook really well, nobody ever taught me. Most kids have the opportunity to say, “oh, my Dad taught me how to make this.” My dad only taught me how to make about two things and that was it— even though he was a cooking fool. I only have sisters and he didn’t allow us to cook. He cooked all the time. I was in high school still taking a sacked lunch. Even with my stepmom there, I can never say I remember her cooking up until his passing. So, I always kind of knew I could cook, but I never thought that I would step out and do it and actually make money off of it. I felt like I would always be the person that was doing hair. I did hair and I kept all my nieces and nephews so after school, before school, and in the summers, they were with me while their parents were at work. I just knew that would be my lot. Then, all of a sudden, I started having these dreams of recipes. I’m the type of person that journals, so I would wake up and write down whatever I dreamt, but I would never cook them. I would just write down what I saw or heard. Finally, one day, I got up and actually made the stuff. When I made it, it was like, “This is really good! Wait a minute.” I ended up sending the pastry that I made to a coffee shop right outside of Dallas. When I sent it to them, they ordered it instantly. I would make them 24 pastries and before I could make it home, which was maybe 15 minutes away, they would say they were sold out. So I’d go back home and make some and take them back. I did that for like a month, month and a half. It was like, okay God I feel like you’re telling me to do something else, but I don’t understand it and I don’t want to be stupid or foolish taking a leap doing something that is not founded or secure. But, I did it, and here I am 10 years later really grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given from feeding celebrities to being on Food Network five times. In fact, on February 5th, I’ll be back on Food Network.

My son who is 16 now just said to me yesterday, “Do you remember when the goal was for you to sell 10 plates at 10 dollars a plate so you could make 100 dollars a day?” He was like, “Mom, you made it. You’ve finally made it. I’m so proud of you.” So, for me, that was the one thing that I’ve always wanted to hear, and it put me in a different mind space and gave me a different perspective. Rather than just thinking it needs to be better, I need to work harder, I established an appreciation for the hard work that I’ve already put in and the humility of how much work I still need to do. It’s a delicate balance, but it’s a balance nonetheless that I’m really grateful for.

When you were moving to Memphis, did you already have in your mind that you were going to work towards building a restaurant?

No, I was going to do the ministry stuff, and I was going to sell a few plates on the side if I needed to, to make some cash. It was never in my mind to build a restaurant here or to accomplish any of this. It’s interesting— the Bible says that we make our plans, but God directs our path. I had so many plans to do so many things, but God directed the path that I was supposed to go. I stood in here in the restaurant last week and I fought back tears because the restaurant was packed. I’m not from here. I don’t have any family here other than my husband, my son, and my husband’s family. For me to have seen the amount of success— I don’t spend any money on marketing, I just go post food on social media. To have had that kind of success is amazing. 

What were the steps you took to start your first restaurant?

This was birthed out of obscurity. When I was working at the charter school, they ended up closing. The owner of the charter school said, “I’m going to open a restaurant.” I foolishly thought it would work and went to work for him for about 3 months at the restaurant until they ultimately had to close. A woman that used to come to that restaurant, Cristina McCarter of City Tasting Tours, told me about the space in Cooper Young. I said, “I don’t know what you’re telling me for. I don’t have any money.” Surprisingly enough, one of my friends called and said, “God told me to bless you because you’re supposed to open a restaurant,” and she gave me the money to get the restaurant started in Cooper Young. Literally, the building is 100 years old—it’s an old house. I went to Dollar Tree and bought putty to fill the cracks in the walls. I would Uber at night and sell plates during the day, just to make the money to get the construction done. When we first opened, we ended up with 125 people coming in the door with no advertising, no marketing, no anything. So, we’ve had that type of eerie, crazy success since we’ve opened, and it hasn’t stopped since we’ve moved.

What inspired you to move your business to the Medical District?

Interestingly enough, we had looked at this building several times because it had the sign out that said ‘restaurant space.’ When my husband called, they told him no. Another guy had already put a contract on it. I happened to call him myself maybe a day later or so, and the broker—Robert Taylor— was actually my broker for the building in Cooper Young. I told him I was really interested in the building and he told me someone already had the building. I asked, “Well, have they given you any money yet?” He said no, but they didn’t want to go back on their word. I was like, “Well, if they’re not giving you any money, why are we talking about them?” What ended up happening was I bothered him and bothered him until he finally said okay. I turned in all the paperwork we needed to turn in, and I got the building. My husband has a God sister that actually worked in the area and told me that if I could just find a building in the Medical District or Downtown, they’d help me. It seemed so far-fetched because the prices were so steep. This building, as large as it is, turned out to be only a few hundred dollars more than what I spending in Cooper Young. To kind of give you an idea, we have an upstairs dining room that we rent for private events— all the furniture from the old restaurant fits up there and there’s still space left over. That lets you know how small we were versus where we are now.

What kinds of supports have you received from the Memphis Medical District Collaborative?

I’ve received Predevelopment and Façade Grants from MMDC. The building itself already had really good bones, all we had to do was make it prettier. The organization has been extremely kind, willing to help, and very patient. I am very specific about things happening a certain way and for things to happen at a certain time, and they were very understanding of that.

What can people expect from Chef Tam’s in the Medical District (programming, ambience, environment)?

You can expect live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings starting at 6:30pm. We’re about to apply for our liquor license, so we’ll have a full bar, and we’re also going to host some amateur nights and karaoke. We have the private event space for booking. We also have, what I think is my favorite thing in the entire building—the store. That store has everything from vintage candy from when I was little, to vintage toys, to our aprons, spices, food products, and our newly-released item is my grandmother’s chocolate chip cookie dough. We are really trying to put a different spin on things, and I think this helps us do just that.

You speak a lot about the importance of family and honoring your family through your business & products. Can you speak more on how family is represented throughout your restaurant?

Throughout the restaurant, we don’t have much artwork on the walls. What’s on the walls are my grandmother’s hand-written recipes. I just got them blown up, my husband made frames for them, and that’s our artwork. I’ve got my family tree painted on the wall, dated back all the way to 1821. The pictures on the dining tables are various pictures of my family, original Chef Tam’s menus, and family recipes.

What are your signature/most popular items?

The most popular items have stayed the same, the Peach Cobbler Nachos and Bayou Fries, even since the move and additional items added to the menu.

Will you be having any promotions or specials?

We’re going to be having a Valentine’s Day special. Stay tuned to Chef Tam’s social media for the upcoming announcement!

You are nationally renowned. How are you able to market yourself on both a local and national scale, and how did the special appearance opportunities come about for you?

When I ended up being on Food Network, they actually reached out to me.  What I do is work my social media over and over and over. In me working it, that allows whomever is scouting for those outlets to find me. It wasn’t a hashtag thing, it was just pretty food.

Do you have a most memorable event or most memorable interaction with someone through your business/catering?

I think the most memorable moment was the first time I went on Food Network and I actually won. It was so surreal. I had watched Guy Fieri when he first went on Food Network. I had been saying for years, “I’m gonna go on there one day!” and I had no idea that it would really happen. That would probably be one of the highs in my career.

You can contact Chef Tam’s Underground Café by messaging, following, and liking them on Facebook and Instagram and calling them at (901) 207-2598. You can also view their website and send them a message at www.thecheftam.com!