Jackson Free Press

Broad Street Baking Company & Café and Sal & Mookie's New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint have received awards in this year's "Best of Mississippi" issue of Mississippi magazine. Broad Street was named Mississippi's Best Bakery, and Sal & Mookie's was named Mississippi's Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant.

Jackson natives Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal own both restaurants, as well as the Italian eatery BRAVO!, which opened in April of 1994. Broad Street Bakery opened in December of 1998, and Sal & Mookie's opened in April of 2007.

Sal & Mookie's, which was named Mississippi's Best Restaurant last year, is a "classic New York pizzeria," born out of Good's desire to open an ice cream place in Fondren, he said. Though the restaurant won the Kid-Friendly award, Good says it's "a place the kids love where parents love to go too." The restaurant offers a full bar as well as non-alcoholic drinks and milkshakes, and "there's not a damn video game anywhere in the place," Good said.

Good said that Blumenthal's grandfather, Sol Blumenthal, owner of Blumenthal Bakery on Broad Street in Trenton, N.J., inspired the creation of Broad Street Baking Company. He and Blumenthal "wanted to channel that history" and model their restaurant after Sol's "busy, bustling" bakery. Broad Street, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, was one of the first Jackson restaurants to also offer free Wi-Fi.

Good said the physical Broad Street bakery, which has been housed at the Cabot Lodge on Millsaps, will be added onto the back of the restaurant within the next few months. In addition, he and Blumenthal will be "recasting" the entire menu with new breads, desserts and deli items.

Seven*Studioz to Close

Local poetry and soul club Seven*Studioz, an eclectic music and arts venue in the Millsaps Avenue arts district, is closing. The club, which hosted art viewings, poetry readings, concerts and film festivals, is coming under new management and will undergo a name change.

Owner Ezra Brown, a jazz saxophonist, has been living in New York for the past several months and will no longer be intimately involved in the running of the building where Seven*Studioz is housed, according to business man and JFP columnist Kamikaze (aka Brad Franklin). It is unclear whether the nature of the venue will change.

Seven*Studioz was the first venue of its kind in Jackson and had a "chill, neo-soul type vibe. It was kind of more of a mindset than anything," Kamikaze said.

Previous Comments

ID

149357

Comment

I'm sad to hear about Seven, but I'm looking forward to seeing what the future incarnation will look like! It's definitely a cool spot.

Author

andi

Date

2009-07-07T12:22:23-06:00

ID

149373

Comment

Let me just say..this is what I HEARD. not exactly sure WHAT Ezra's involvement will be going forward. Im defintiely not the authority. Phingaprint would be a better interview. But it wont be called Seven*Studioz any longer

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-07-07T15:37:09-06:00

ID

149375

Comment

Yeah, Ezra texted me, then later called to confirm us deleting Seven listings. He said he'll be in NY for at least several months. I do not think he will be involved by the sound of it, after the transition. DJ C-Lecta emailed me saying that in the new incarnation he'll probably be spinning reggae again. But thats not confirmed yet. I havent heard who is going to be in charge of the new club or what it might be like.

Author

herman

Date

2009-07-07T15:46:43-06:00

ID

149402

Comment

If you want to check out the other Best of Mississippi winners, you can check them out @ mismag (dot) com. Just sayin' ;)

Author

Sophie

Date

2009-07-07T21:00:18-06:00

ID

149413

Comment

I really hope Seven Studioz gets more recognition than this. It has been a cool spot for more than a decade, not really a club in my mind (though it has been referred to as that alot lately). Although it has moved from one location to another it has always been there as a solid venue for all artists and one of the things that has always made Jackson "cool". I would love to see a little more done about it because it has a very rich history, starting at the Living Room and making it's way around Jackson. In my opinion it was way more than a mindset, because it allowed the conversion of different mindsets in one dope setting. Peace and Blessings.

Author

analog girl in a digital world

Date

2009-07-07T23:39:07-06:00