Jackson Free Press

Debra Griffin, owner of the Coffee Roastery (308 E. Pearl St.), will relaunch her coffee shop later this month after closing April 29. This time, Griffin will work together with Al Stamps of Cool Al's fame (4654 McWillie Drive) to create a new menu and business model for her establishment.

The relaunched Coffee Roastery will offer paninis, salads, shakes, self-serve yogurt, baked goods, a daily lunch special, and a wide assortment of fresh-brewed teas and coffee. It will also serve Stamps' Cool Dogs, gourmet hot dogs with a wide variety of special toppings to choose from.

"With the Cool Dogs, I want to be able to give the city of Jackson a special hot dog to call its own, like how you have New York- and Chicago-style hot dogs," Stamps said.

Although the opening date is still tentative, Griffin and Stamps hope to reopen the shop by Aug. 19. The restaurant will be open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, email [email protected].

Saltine Makes National Hot 10 Nominees List

Every year, restaurant and travel magazine Bon Appetit announces the Hot 10, a list of America's best new restaurants. Representatives Andrew Knowlton and Julia Kramer travel the country putting together a list of 50 nominees from which Bon Appetit will select the top 10. This year, that nominee list includes Fondren restaurant Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave.), opened by local celebrity chef Jesse Houston, who first came to Jackson as part of the original Parlor Market team.

Bon Appetit will announce the Hot 10 on Aug. 18. To see the full list of nominees, visit bonappetit.com.

Systems Group Hires Michael Thomas

The board of directors from the Systems Group—a collective of three Mississippi companies consisting of Systems Electro Coating, Systems Consultants and Systems IT—announced it hired Michael Thomas, former vice president of finance and business at Jackson State University, as the group's president on Aug. 1.

A Natchez native, Thomas will oversee the daily operations of the three companies that make up Systems Group and help them expand their footprint on the management consulting and IT training industries.

As a Tier I company to Nissan North America since 2001, SEC is the sole supplier of electro-coated nickel plating and sequenced frames for Nissan's U.S.-manufactured SUVs and trucks.