By Natalie Cole

Like most major metropolitan areas, it is not unusual to see a street bus in the daily hubbub of traffic. However, on any given day for some people, seeing a bright, lime green renovated MATA bus adorned with snazzy pictures of fruits, veggies, and music artistry roaming down the streets might be enough to turn a few heads.

While the Green Machine is fairly new to the city of Memphis, the need for fresh, healthy food options is not. The Green Machine is seeking to fill that void in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

The Green Machine, which has been transformed into a vehicle for mobile fruits, vegetables, dry goods and a nutrition education center, began as nothing more than an idea to meet the needs of the less fortunate.

It delivers “high quality, competitively priced, and culturally appropriate fruits and vegetables” to affordable housing complexes, senior citizen centers, parks, recreational facilities, and public schools located in 15 of the city’s poorest areas, also known as food deserts. Its weekly visits range from areas in the University District to parts of South Memphis in the Downtown area.

The eye-catching design and careful construction that transformed the bus into a retail sales facility stemmed from the thoughtful skills of Antonio Raciti, a University of Memphis visiting professor in city and regional planning.

Raciti along with the help of student volunteers from Hollis Price Leadership Academy High School, who also assisted in painting the mural for the South Memphis Farmers Market, was eager to “continue promoting healthy living.” Several local businesses such as the Memphis Grizzlies and the Church Health Center also offered support.

Aside from the flashy exterior, the inside of the bus houses is what is most important. Upon entering the Green Machine, one is transported into what looks like a small, yet well stocked functional fresh market. The walls are lined with numerous shelves, top to bottom, stocked with a variety of healthy options including squash, oranges, greens, peaches and more.

By Meagan Nichols

There is no denying the price of healthy eating can be expensive, but University of Memphis students have access to a garden full of free organic produce right on campus.

Located behind the Elma Roane Field House off Zach Curlin Road lies the Oasis Garden, a part of the Tiger Initiative for Gardens in Urban Settings (TIGUrS).

Founded in 2009 by Karyl Buddington, director of the Animal Care Facility at the U of M, all produce yielded in the garden is free to students and the surrounding University District community.

“The garden shouldn’t belong to one person; the garden should belong to everyone,” Buddington said. “I think the reason the garden has been successful is because we run it as a committee.”

Buddington got the idea for the program after noticing what she felt was the under utilization of flowerbeds throughout the U of M grounds.

“I come from rural Mississippi so I’ve always loved gardens,” she said. “When I got here, I walked all around campus from building to building, and it was just a little bit frustrating for me to see how we would plant flowers in a bed and then we would rip them all out. Then we would put more flowers in, when we could use that space to actually grow food.”

Funding for the garden and the student caretakers’ salaries comes from the Sustainable Campus Green Fees, which are divided among all green initiatives programs at the U of M. The roughly 12-member TIGUrS committee, consisting of students and faculty, meets once a week to discuss upcoming garden events and plantings for the next season.

A new Checkers drive in opened late April at the corner of Park and Getwell next to the Bank of America.

The Checkers and Rally’s franchise has been in the restaurant business since 1986. The first Checkers opened 1986 in Mobile, Ala., and Rally’s opened in 1985 in Louisville, Ky. The two restaurants merged in 1999 after maintaining more than 200 locations across the Southeastern and Midwestern states.  

The merger made Checkers and Rally’s the largest double drive-thru restaurant chain in the country. The franchise now has an established network of more than 800 restaurants across the United States.

The Super Submarine Sandwich Shop, commonly referred to as the Chinese Sub Shop and a long-standing business on South Highland Street, has found a new home at 3316 Summer Ave.

The address currently houses a 28,700 square foot vacant Captain D’s fast food chain.   

The building that has served as the sub shop’s home for more than 50 years is being sold and demolished to make way for a new commercial development.   

By Caray Oldham/MicroMemphis Reporter

Memphis based business, Café Eclectic, will bring its fresh baked pastries and one of a kind espresso drinks to the University District by mid-May. The newest café will open underneath the Stratum at the corner of Highland and Mynders, 510 S. Highland St.

It’s a family business owned by the Bouldens. Rachel Boulden says the first café opened in 2008, but she has been in the coffee business for almost 10 years. When her mother got the idea of opening the first location in Midtown she didn’t expect it would ever get this big.

The owner of Ching’s Hot Wings advertises itself as the place with the best chicken in town.

“I guess you can call me the chicken man,” said Lafayette Williams, the owner of Chings at 1264 Getwell Road.

This wing spot has become popular with residents of the University District and anyone who works or goes to school at the University of Memphis. Any U of M student gets a 10 percent discount at the restaurant.

Pauline Koplin, owner of Brother Juniper’s restaurant at 3519 Walker Ave. moved to Memphis with her family in 1999 to put the heartbeat back into the family business. 

She explains how renovations helped change the atmosphere to welcome the customers.

Robin Henderson, 22, works at Einstein Brothers at The University of Memphis every day and has a second job at FedEx Forum. She was born with an unusual circumstance where doctors called her condition a mystery. Her right hand is smaller than her  left but that doesn’t keep her from living a normal life. 

“My confidence comes from within,” Henderson said.

She believes in never giving up and conquering the impossible.

What I do on a day-to-day basis is work and spending time with my family.  I am very aware that my hand is different from others but I keep the ball moving because no one is going to have sympathy for no one,” Henderson said. 

Memphis has long been home to some of the finest dining and southern cuisine in the country. From its world famous barbeque ribs at the Rendezvous to fried chicken from Gus’s, the Bluff City is full of places for locals and tourists to satisfy cravings for just about any food they can fathom.

One of the places that has established itself as a premiere destination for Memphians and out of towners is Pete and Sam’s. Serving up favorites such as lasagna, spaghetti, Italian spinach and BBQ pizza, a dish featured on the Food Network, Pete and Sam’s Italian Restaurant has been a staple in the University District since 1948.

After being discharged from the Army Air Corps, Sam Bomarito returned home to Memphis, where he and his brother-in-law Pete Romeo formed the idea to open a family owned restaurant where people could come and have a bite to eat while relaxing and enjoying good company. Although Pete left the business after just six months, Sam’s experience growing up and working in his uncle’s eatery, as well as watching his mother prepare meals for years, to turn an idea into a success.