Jackson Free Press

Greg Price, who owns grocery store Jackson Cash & Carry with his brother, Chester Price, recently partnered with Hope Credit Union and Hope Enterprise Corporation to move the business from 1204 W. Capitol St. to 3520 Terry Road. The store now occupies the former Kroger location that closed in 2015, leaving that part of south Jackson a "food desert"—an area with limited access to fresh food options.

On its website, the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes food deserts as "urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy and affordable food." The agency defines "ready access" for a rural town as having a grocery store within 10 miles and, for an urban neighborhood, one mile.

Price held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for his new store with Hope, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce last week.

Hope provided Price with $1.25 million in financing for acquisition, renovation and working capital through its Mid South Healthy Food Initiative, a program that increases access to nutritious food in communities that lack these options. The Healthy Food Initiative receives support from the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and private investors. To be eligible for the program, a store must be located in a food desert or distressed area.

In addition to bringing fresh food options into the area, Price's new store will bring 25 new jobs.

"The people in the community have received us well these last few days," Price told the Jackson Free Press. "We're going to work with local farmers to get their products to the market and help fill some of the voids in this food desert, and we're also looking to help local children have healthier choices. We're happy to be here in south Jackson and are looking forward to serving the community."

Jackson Cash & Carry is open Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 601-372-0944 or find the business on Facebook.

Doe's Eat Place Comes to Ridgeland

Steve and Lisa Beagles, owners of the newly opened Doe's Eat Place of Ridgeland (898 Avery Blvd.) moved to central Mississippi from Miami, Fla., seven years ago with their two daughters, Sarah-Beth and Rachael-Ann.

After they began looking into opening a restaurant in the area, they met with the Signa family, owners of the original Doe's Eat Place of Greenville, and decided to bring their own Doe's location to Ridgeland.

Dominick "Doe" Signa, the founder of Doe's in Greenville, got his start when he acquired a recipe for hot tamales from a coworker at the Greenville Air Base. When Signa took over his father's grocery in 1941, he began selling his tamales, and the recipe hasn't changed since.

Doe's of Ridgeland offers signature dishes from the Greenville location, including tamales, steaks, shrimp and chili, as well as unique menu items such as Steve Beagles' own secret recipe grilled salmon.

The Beagles' restaurant features two private dining rooms, The Ridgeland Room and The Madison County Room, both of which have 65-inch flat-screen televisions. The Ridgeland Room seats 25 guests and is designed for events such as corporate business meetings and can seat up to 25 guests. The Madison County Room seats 20 guests and is designed for private family events or meetings between small-business owners and their clientele. These rooms are available by reservation only.

Doe's of Ridgeland is open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 601-487-8954, visit doesofridgeland.com or find the restaurant on Facebook.

Baptist Health Systems Merges with Memphis Entity

Jackson-based Baptist Health Systems and Baptist Memorial Health Care of Memphis, Tenn., announced that they had completed a merger in April. The groups said in a release that the merger now makes Baptist the largest hospital group in Mississippi.

The merger comes as a way to address problems that Baptist Health Systems was having with computerizing its records. With the merger, the four hospitals will receive the electronic system that Baptist Memorial uses. The two groups employ 16,000 people between them, and neither is planning layoffs after the merger.

Baptist Memorial Health Care owns six hospitals in north Mississippi, seven in west Tennessee and one hospital in Arkansas, and it plans to open another location in West Memphis, Ark. Baptist Health Systems owns hospitals in Jackson, Carthage, Kosciusko and Yazoo City.