Jackson Free Press

Candice Gammill, a Brandon resident who formerly owned Lit'l Gourmet restaurant in Jackson and Candy's Confections in Brandon, held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for her new restaurant, Taste Bistro and Desserts (5419 Highway 25, Suite L, Flowood, 769-235-6232), on Nov. 30 following a soft opening in October. Taste features sandwiches, soups, entrees, desserts and more, all made from scratch with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients.

In addition to its regular daily menu, Taste features six to eight weekly special items, which have included Cuban sandwiches on homemade Cuban bread, shrimp and grits, slow-brazed roast beef and Cajun seafood pasta. The restaurant also has a selection of to-go meals, including chicken spaghetti, pork tenderloin, king ranch casserole and chicken enchiladas. Taste also has catering options for private and corporate events.

The restaurant is also the exclusive carrier for Buttercream Bakery, a commercial kitchen that Gammill's sister, Kim Niskala, owns. Niskala makes her confections from scratch, such as lemon icebox, custard and buttermilk pies, coconut cake and carrot cake.

Taste Bistro and Desserts is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant will also open Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. starting in January 2017. For more information, visit tastebistroanddeserts.com or find the restaurant's Facebook page.

Thimblepress Comes to Highland Village

Kristen Ley, owner of paper- and party-goods store Thimblepress (113 N. State. St.), opened a new location called Thimbleshop by Thimblepress in Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 144) on Dec. 1 inside the former Earthwalk shoe store.

Ley is hosting a grand-opening celebration for the new location from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 10. The event will feature wine, snacks, giveaways and a sale on party goods, stationery, gift wrap and other Christmas items.

Thimblepress, which first opened in 2011, offers paper goods such as stationery, cards, letterpress prints and calendars, and party goods such as push-pop confetti, balloons, banner kits, party hats, gift wrap and more.

At 1,500 square feet, the Highland Village location is larger than the downtown store, making it possible to host events such as pop-up art galleries and craft workshops with local Jackson artists.

For more information, visit thimblepress.com.

Bonfire Grill Opens in Brandon

Pearl resident Timothy Zetterholm opened his new Brandon restaurant, Bonfire Grill (118 Service Drive, Suite 17), on Nov. 25 together with Tony Lu, who also owns Fusion Japanese & Thai Cuisine in Flowood. Bonfire Grill occupies what used to be J & J Deli.

Over the past 12 years, Zetterholm has worked in different capacities at restaurants such as Fusion and Osaka Japanese Restaurant and Sushi. For Bonfire, he'll serve up food such as burgers, sandwiches, seafood baskets and other homemade items using recipes that he has been developing for the last seven years.

"I've got things like po'boys made with roast beef I've seasoned and roasted myself, starting with a whole 17-pound roast slow-cooked in the oven," he said. "I hand-form my burger patties and season them with my own seasoning recipe, and I even use my own special seafood breading."

Bonfire Grill's menu also features shrimp, crawfish, catfish po'boys, tilapia, shrimp baskets, deli sandwiches, salads and more.

The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 601-591-7211 or find the restaurant on Facebook.