The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
Metro Hemp Supply adds line of CBD baked goods
Where to find ’em in Memphis this year
The promise of a brownie or cookie that can make you feel better?
The folks at Metro Hemp Supply (4750 Poplar Ave., behind Schlotzsky's) say baked goods made with just the right amount of cannabidiol (CBD) can improve health and well-being.
The Memphis shop recently added a line of CBD baked goods made locally by TN Roots CBD — the baked goods addition is part of a growing trend. According to Food Business News, brick-andmortar sales of CBD edibles in 2019 reached $17.6 million in specialty retailers and $14.2 million at natural food stores.
Metro Hemp Supply owner Blake Lichterman said while consumable CBD products come in many forms (ranging from tinctures to gummies), baked edible CBD products are the most popular.
Memphis-based TN Roots CBD makes all its baked goods from scratch, cooking in a bakery setup that looks more like a chemistry lab than a bakery.
TN Roots CBD owner Amber Salmon said the most important thing for all CBD products (including baked goods) is to know where your CBD is coming from. Salmon only sources from hemp farms regulated by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's pilot program. All the hemp products Salmon uses are non-gmo and organic. She also always sends samples off for testing before using it.
Currently, Metro Hemp Supply carries TN Roots CBD brownies and white chocolate peanut butter cookies. Fruity pebbles treats will soon be added to the offerings.
Salmon uses a tried-and-true brownie recipe as the base. Her family owned the now-closed Whitehaven bakery Radefield's; the brownie recipe was the one used at the bakery. She adds a hint of cinnamon to the mix to make any aftertaste from the CBD extract disappear.
Lichterman and Salmon both recommend first-time users start by eating only a quarter or a half of a baked good to see how one's body reacts.
The CBD used in TN Roots CBD'S baked goods is non-psychoactive, Salmon said, and the hemp-derived CBD will not get you high or cause any form of intoxication.
“CBD products are not about how they make you feel, but about the feelings that are removed,” said Lichterman, who noted CBD is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. “You should have a renewed sense of calm and a renewed sense of physical comfort. You take it to feel better.”
Metro Hemp Supply opened in November 2019. Lichterman said it only carries hemp-based CBD products. The shop also sells hemp clothing and accessories such as aprons and masks.
Kenneth Whalum III, the Memphisbred sax sideman turned solo artist, recently released a new track, called “One More Kiss.” Although it was released in time for Valentine's Day, it's less joyously romantic than soulfully melancholy.
“For me, all the songs come from a really introspective place. They're basically conversations about the predicament of relationships,” Whalum said.
"I think I sometimes push myself into those places so I can get inspiration too. I like to get as close as possible to those real feelings to have something to write about. I guess I love a storm.”
Over the years, Whalum has worked as a sideman and session player for a bevy of big-name acts — from Maxwell to Beyoncé to Kanye West, among others. Whalum grew up in a hothouse atmosphere of music, the nephew of noted Memphis sax player Kirk Whalum and older brother of Bruno Mars trombonist Kameron Whalum.
After moving from Memphis to New York to study at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, he began playing professionally and got his big break working with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Whalum soon found himself in
demand among top talents, establishing long-term working relationships with R&B stars such as Maxwell and D'angelo, and doing multiple studio sessions for rapper Jay-z.
Since leaving Maxwell's touring operation in 2018, Whalum has fully committed himself to his solo career. His catalog includes his debut EP, “Broken Land,” and its follow-up, “Beautiful Ending,” as well as a series of singles.
Later this spring, Whalum is set to release a full-length LP, “Flight to Forever.” Whalum has been working indepen
dently, putting out projects through his own Broken Land Records. But earlier this week he confirmed he was partnering up with indie label/distributor Secretly Canadian.
“Yeah, it's a joint venture basically with Secretly Canadian and my label Broken Land Records,” says Whalum. “And I signed a publishing deal with them too. All of it has been really good.”
“I'm coming from being a working musician, and as I've transitioned to doing my own art and my own music I've pretty much been doing everything myself. Now I've gotten it to a point where it makes sense to connect with a company like Secretly Canadian, who are indie too. That being said, it's unbelievable how on point they are in terms of knowing where to place the music and finding who will appreciate it and just how well they move it around.”
Due in April, Whalum's forthcoming “Flight to Forever” is a thematically linked set of songs, inspired by his constant travel in recent years, as he's been shuttling between New York and Los Angeles for work, and Charlotte and Memphis for his kids and family.
“Flight to forever is a real thing. In the last two or three years I've not really had a minute to sit down or stay still. I'm constantly moving. But you have to be wherever you're needed,” he says. “I feel like it's a never-ending thing where I'm perpetually in motion. That's the mood of the album and the songs.”
The record features Whalum's regular collaborators, including preeminent jazz/hip-hop musician Derrick Hodge and bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, John Mayer) and the first single from the album, "Party," is set for release next month.
“I'm really excited about it,” says Whalum of the album and his growing solo career. “I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing.”
It’s crawfish season. You don’t have to head to the Big Easy to enjoy these Louisianan crustaceans. They are available throughout the Memphis area from now until May or June, depending on the weather. You can get them boiled and ready to eat with all the fixin’s or pick up a bag of live mudbugs to cook yourself. Here is our annual roundup of places that are selling crawfish this season.
The Weekly Dish
If looking for live crawfish to cook at your own boil, it’s best to order ahead. All the spots listed recommend advance orders.
And, just remember the proper way to eat crawfish is to peel ‘em, eat the tails and suck the heads!
Billy’s Crawfish is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. at 1325 Church Road West in Southaven. Owner Billy Crumley cooks boiled crawfish from Houma, Louisiana, throughout the day on his truck. Live craw
fish is available by advance order at (901) 832-0445. You can also enjoy his crawfish every day at his restaurant, Crossroads Seafood, 2351 U.S. 51 South in Hernando.
Cajun Crawdad’s has two trucks this year. The original location is at U.S. 72 and Cayce Road in Byhalia. The second truck will be at Houston Levee and U.S. 64 in the TJ Mulligan’s parking lot. They are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or until they sell out. To reserve live crawfish, owner Jimmy Pegram said to preorder by noon on Wednesday for the weekend. Call (901) 496-5133.
Southbound Seafood’s Crawfish Cabin will open in late February or early March this year. The food truck parks at Walnut Grove Road and Houston Levee and is open Friday through Sunday. Owner Zach Jenkins brings his crawfish up from Belle River in southeast Louisiana. He sells both cooked and live crawfish. Text Jenkins at (901) 491-0642 for live crawfish orders.
The Crawfish Shackfood truck will move around this year. Check its Facebook page for each weekend’s location and hours; they operate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They sell both live and cooked crawfish. Call (901) 3030024 by Wednesday at noon to preorder live crawfish for the weekend.
Ellis Seafood (1379 Getwell) sells fresh, live crawfish by the pound when in season as well as boiled crawfish. Crawfish should be in stock every day, unless they sell out. Call (901) 505-2895 ahead to reserve.
Cordova International Farmers Market( 1150 N. Germantown Parkway, Cordova) plans to have live crawfish for sale every weekend. Call (901) 417-8407 to place an order.
Flying Fish (105 S. Second St.) offers boiled crawfish when in season. Order by the pound or get a combo platter with crab and shrimp.
The Bluff on the Highland Strip (535 S. Highland St.) hosts a crawfish boil every Saturday from now through April.
They start at noon and go until they run out. It comes with corn, mushrooms, onions, sausage and potatoes. Go early. They tend to run out by midafternoon.
Loflin Yard (7 W. Carolina) will host crawfish boils during the season. Check its social media for dates and times.
Railgarten (2166 Central Ave.) will host crawfish boils during the season. Check its social media for dates and times.
Glaze’s Crawfish hosts a crawfish boil every Saturday afternoon (weather permitting) at Max’s Sports Bar (115 GE Patterson Ave.). The boils will start the weekend of March 5. They start serving crawfish at noon and go until they run out, usually around 4 or 5 p.m. Boiled shrimp is also available. Glaze’s also will serve crawfish at your home for a party. For catering information, email glaze.hardage@gmail.com.
Cajun Catfish Company in Collierville (336 New Byhalia Road) reopened on Feb. 17. Starting in late February, it will have crawfish on the menu every night. But in the spring, Tuesday is the night to go. Starting in late March, the restaurant will offer its annual all-youcan-eat crawfish special. Watch its Facebook page for when the all-youcan-eat Tuesday night special begins.
Staks Pancake Kitchen (7704 Poplar Ave., Germantown location only) will have crawfish with all the fixings available for pick up on Saturdays and Sundays. Regional general manager, Clint Kelso, lived in Louisiana, so we think it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about crawfish. For Saturday or Sunday pickup, place an order by Thursday at (901) 800-1951.
Porter Seafood parks its truck every weekend at 2930 Goodman Road East, Southaven. Owner Ron Porter brings live crawfish up weekly from Opelousas, Louisiana. They are open Fridays from noon until dark and Saturdays from noon until sold out. Check social media to see if it’s open on Sundays. To order live crawfish by the sack, call (901) 3352930 by 9 a.m. on Thursdays.
Bayou Bar & Grill (2094 Madison Ave.) will host crawfish boils on the patio on weekends in April. An order comes with 2 pounds of crawfish.
Robilio’s Side Car Café (2194 Whitten Road) will host crawfish boils during the season. Check its social media for dates and times.
Carolina Watershed( 141 E. Carolina Ave.) will host crawfish boils during the season. Check its social media for dates and times.
Mortimer’s (590 N. Perkins Road) will host a weekly crawfish boil on Sundays this spring. The boils usually start in March; call the restaurant for details at (901) 761-9321.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com, and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
In The New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” viewers saw a gifted female pop star brought to her knees by a sexist culture that never let her freely live. Many women of the ’90s also saw themselves.
Culture held Spears up as an allAmerican girl but had her walk a tight line: look stunning but embody the girl next door, act sexy but remain a virgin, be articulate but never opinionated.
“I mean, it’s just all too much to ask of one girl,” said journalist Allison Yarrow, author of “90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality.”
On its surface, “Framing Britney” (now streaming on Hulu) is a bruising look at the extraordinary demise of Spears – her explosive success marred by a mental health struggle that led to the legal conservatorship that stripped her of autonomy. But while Spears’ story is magnified by her wealth and fame, the impossible standards to which she was held are familiar to the girls who idolized her.
“I don’t think that the girls who watched Britney Spears be held to those standards would in any way find that at the time to be anything but normal because those are the standards that they were held to every day of their lives,” said Rachel Devlin, a history professor at Rutgers University who studies the cultural politics of girlhood. “What they would see in Britney Spears is the constraint, the demands and the impossibility of their lives reflected back at them.”
Gender experts say the ’90s was a decade of contradiction. Women continued to break barriers in male-dominated professions, daughters of second-wave feminists came of age and the riot grrrl movement pushed for social change. But there also were the empty promises of “girl power,” the narrow beauty standards of teen magazines, and a hostile 24/7 media machine that sought to objectify and demonize girls and women at every turn. From Monica Lewinsky to Anita Hill to Lorena Bobbitt to Spears, women were the story – and often the punchline.
The unrealistic expectations Spears
was held to didn’t just have consequences for her own mental health, but for other girls who followed the spectacle.
“Seeing women in the media held accountable as individuals for not meeting impossible standards, of course, it impacts other people’s mental health,” said Kjerstin Gruys, a sociologist at the University of Nevada whose research focuses on the relationship between physical appearance and social inequality. “It shapes the way that we assess our own troubles as being individual instead of cultural.”
Many girls who tried to find their footing in the ’90s can only clearly see now what they vaguely felt then: sexism altered the course of their lives.
What ’90s girls grew up with
In 1994, Mary Pipher published the renowned book “Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls,” which looked at societal pressures and found girls were “much more oppressed. They are coming of age in a more dan
gerous, sexualized and media-saturated culture. ... America today limits girls development, truncates their wholeness and leaves many of them traumatized.”
She found that those social pressures to embody societal perfection led girls to become less curious, less resilient and less optimistic. Research shows gender stereotypes lead to harmful outcomes, which for girls can include depression and exposure to violence.
These stereotypes predate Spears, but at the time she came of age the structural forces of misogyny and sexism were thrust onto a larger stage, Yarrow said, in large part because of the 24/7 news cycle.
“Women were at the center of these major ’90s stories, and now they were being told, on television, on this new medium, all the time, in this really infotainment way,” she said.
The media reduced women to caricatures. It was bad for white women such as Spears and Lewinsky – who has said her public treatment after an affair with former President Bill Clinton led to posttraumatic stress disorder – and worse yet for Black woman, like Hill, who faced the dual forces of misogyny and racism.
The rise of teen magazines also was damning for girlhood in the ’90s, Yarrow said.
“Seventeen and Teen and YM, these magazines all exploded in the ’90s, and they really sold girls on this image of perfection that was thin, white, blonde, giving off the appearance of being sexually pleasing and available without actually having sex,” she said. “I subscribed to those magazines.”
In her reporting, Yarrow found 70% of elementary school girls at the time said magazines influenced their idea of the ideal body, and half said the kinds of pictures they saw in magazines contributed to their anorexia, bulimia and selfharm behaviors.
Gruys, who grew up in the ’90s and struggled with an eating disorder, said Spears was her “body thinspo.”
“I have a completely different perspective now of what I experienced and who I should have been angry at,” she said.
What Spears endured, and what girls watching internalized
Watching how Spears was treated sent signals to her fans about where the guardrails were, what they could get away with and what they never would. It highlighted what the culture valued.
Example: when Ed Mcmahon asked a 10-year old Spears after a stunning performance on “Star Search,” “do you have a boyfriend?” Or when later in her career an interviewer asked if she was still a virgin (Spears thanked him for the question) and when another journalist remarked on the size of her breasts.
“We focused on the pop star, as opposed to this extremely sexist culture and machine behind the pop star which had very little concern for how that person as a human being was doing,” Gruys said.
Spears deteriorated in the public eye, her demise culminating in what many perceived as a mental health breakdown – the shaved head, the infamous incident with the green umbrella.
It was shortly after that Spears’ father was given legal control of Spears’
estate, her career and her personal life, including the management of her mental health. Spears has for years tried to remove her father from this role.
“We throw around the word ‘patriarchy’ all the time, but it literally means ‘rule of the father,’” said Lisa Wade, a sociology professor at Tulane University and author of “American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus.““It is very striking that the one in control is her dad.”
Decades later, more understanding of mental health
Experts say society is more sensitive to mental health now than it was a couple of decades ago. If Spears had experienced what she had today, some would like to think that instead of the gawking and late-night jabs, she would have been treated with compassion.
“The mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid,” Paramore singer Hayley Williams recently tweeted.
Experts say girls and women today are savvier consumers of news and entertainment than they were in the 1990s, which may help them ward off some social pressures, but at the same time, American culture is still steeped in structural misogyny. It’s still easier to call an individual woman “crazy” than it is to look at a society that treats her mental health as expendable.
“Back then, we read Britney as a person who was broken and we were watching her fall apart. And it had nothing to do with anything except for what was going on inside of her. But the appeal of that kind of a read is that if it’s all about Britney being mentally ill, then we’re safe. Then it can’t happen to us,” Wade said. “If we didn’t see what Britney was going through back then, it means something that we’re seeing it now. Maybe we can take that awareness and be more careful.”