Jackson Free Press

Belhaven resident Chat Phillips recently launched his own bottled beverage business, Inaka Tea Company, in Jackson. Phillips sells homemade barley tea, which is a variety popular in Japan and Korea in which tea leaves are prepared in a roaster in a manner similar to coffee beans.

Phillips learned to make barley tea while living in Japan and working as a consultant for international companies in 2010. He roasted his own barley at home to serve to friends and, after returning to the United States, decided to start selling the tea in Jackson due to its scarcity in the U.S.

Inaka Tea is available in original, mint and ginger flavors. The tea comes in 16-ounce glass bottles, which are roughly $2.49 apiece, though the price may vary by retailer. Phillips sells his tea through local retailers and is also opening an online store at inakatea.com.

For more information, follow Inaka Tea Company on Instagram @inaka_tea or on Facebook @drinkinaka.

Thailicious Opens in Jackson

A new destination for Thai food in Jackson, Thailicious Restaurant (3000 Old Canton Road), opened for business on Thursday, Oct. 8.

The menu at Thailicious includes appetizers such as crab rangoon, edamame, egg rolls, fried calamari, gyoza and more. The restaurant also offers noodle dishes such as pad thai, lomein and pad woonsen, as well as red, green, yellow and pineapple curry.

Chef specials include items such as crunchy chicken, sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken, grilled chicken teriyaki and more. The restaurant also serves Thai fried rice, pineapple fried rice and stir-fried dishes such as broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, ginger, spicy basil and more.

Thailicious is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 601- 398-1456 or find the restaurant on Facebook.

Liberty Mutual and Safeco Donate $3,000 to Shower Power

Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance recently named Clancy Walker of Insurance Protection Specialists as a 2020 Change Agent and awarded him $3,000 to donate to Shower Power, a Jackson-based nonprofit that offers mobile showering services to people experiencing homelessness.

The Change Agents program recognizes independent Liberty Mutual and Safeco agents who volunteer with local nonprofits that focus on fighting hunger, providing education and animal welfare, ending homelessness and supporting troops and veterans.

Shower Power will use the $3,000 Change Agents award for building upgrades and modifications for their snack pantry and to install new washer and dryer machines to help provide clean clothing to the homeless community.

For more information, visit AgentGiving.com.