For chef Shuai Wang, heritage cooking has always been a journey. “I was never a great student, so I kind of just fell into the culinary world,” he says. His family immigrated from Beijing to Queens, in New York, when he was nine, and though traditional Chinese food was central to his home life, it took many years before he embraced it as a career. Instead, in his early twenties, the chef transitioned from architecture classes at the Art Institute of New York City to the school’s culinary program, and went on to cut his teeth in restaurants across the city. His focus, however, was never the Chinese cuisine of his childhood; instead, Wang worked to master the styles of other traditions, eventually landing a gig as chef de cuisine at Chez Sardine, a Japanese izakaya where he met his now-wife, Corrie, a young adult novelist and fellow veteran of the restaurant industry.
by RACHEL HAHN
video by MIKA ALTSKAN AND MATVEY FIKS
This season, discoveries await amid Mississippi’s boundless outdoor spaces
Where Adventure Begins
In 2014, the couple moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to work for a friend’s budding restaurant venture, but when those plans fell through, they agreed they were ready to launch a project of their own. While searching for a restaurant space, a friend suggested they try the food truck route, and soon, Short Grain was born. The roving truck specialized in “untraditional” Japanese fare, serving rice bowls and karaage (Japanese fried chicken) to ever-growing crowds. To Wang and Corrie’s surprise, Short Grain was a hit not only among their neighbors, but on the national food scene. In 2017, Shuai was nominated for one of the most prestigious honors in the business: the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year.
Be it iconic cuisine, compelling history, or an unmatched musical legacy, the best of the South is on constant display in the Magnolia State. Mississippi is also home to a wide array of natural wonders, including Gulf of Mexico beaches, verdant national forests, and placid lakes just a stone’s throw from bustling cities. Whether travelers have a hunger for history or a simple desire for some fresh air, summer presents a prime opportunity to take it all in.
Though Mississippi boasts twenty-four state parks, Tishomingo State Park, located in the state’s northeast region, is an especially enchanting retreat. Tucked in the Appalachian foothills, the park is filled with peaceful trails that guide explorers to massive rock formations, rushing waterfalls, and a historic swinging bridge. Canoe rentals are also available here, perfect for paddling through the wide, six-and-a-quarter-mile Bear Creek that cuts through the area.
Even more local history can be uncovered at Vicksburg National Military Park. Totaling 1,800 acres, the park centers on the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, commemorated by 1,325 historic monuments and markers. While a favorite stop for history buffs, it’s also popular among cyclists, runners, and dog walkers for its hilly, sixteen-mile tour road. Also in Vicksburg, the Tomato Place is a must-visit for folks meandering down the Blues Highway. Once a side-of-the-road fruit stand, the “grandma’s back porch”–style shop offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to fresh local produce. Despite a wealth of outdoor activities, it’s no secret that a Mississippi summer can be steamy. When the need for a cool dip arises, lakes, rivers, and beaches can be found in abundance—even in the state’s more urban areas. About three miles from downtown Jackson, Crystal Lake is a secluded natural oasis and a well-kept secret. Here, many visitors look to Capital City Kayaks, a local outfitter that offers boat rentals and guided tours of the wildlife-rich oxbow lake. Coastal Mississippi, too, holds its share of delights, thanks to twenty-six miles of beautiful Gulf-front beaches and a slew of enviable seafood restaurants. Running along the coast, the Ocean Springs Live Oaks bike trail offers unparalleled views, crossing into the charming live-oak-shaded town of Ocean Springs via the Biloxi Bridge.
For all those who are wanderers at heart, Mississippi is waiting.
Start your adventure at VisitMississippi.org/Wander
Those with horticultural fascinations will want to pay a
visit to Picayune’s Crosby Arboretum. As the Southeast’s premier native plant conservatory, the facility is home to a 104-acre Native Plant Center, as well as an additional seven hundred acres of pristinely preserved land containing more than three hundred species of indigenous trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses. While any stroll through the arboretum is sure to be tranquil, peak serenity can be
found at the Pinecote Pavilion, a sweeping open-air
structure that overlooks a pond teeming with aquatic life.
No Mississippi expedition is complete without a bit of scenic road-tripping, and stretching from Natchez to Nashville, the Natchez Trace provides the perfect route. A 444-mile recreational road overseen by the National Park Service, the parkway is dotted with historic sites and markers, together telling the story of the road’s ten-thousand-year history. Countless nearby stops give travelers ample opportunity to hop out and stretch their legs, then discover cypress swamps, waterfalls, Native American sites, and a nature trail that runs beside the sunken section of the original trace. Walkers, runners, and cyclists gravitate to the Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail, a paved section that runs through historic Choctaw lands and is named for the Choctaw town that once stood in the current city of Jackson.
Stay a While
Between excursions, these unique accommodations offer delightful ways to recharge
The Beatnik
Ocean Springs
In the Ocean Springs creative district, these four floating cabins offer “a new way to stay,” complete with sleek, modern amenities.
Monmouth Historic
Inn & Gardens
Natchez
Built as a mansion in the early nineteenth century, this idyllic inn is set within twenty-six acres of manicured gardens.
The Old Capitol Inn
Jackson
A boutique hotel in the heart of the capital, this beloved stay is Jackson
at its best. Don’t miss stunning city views
from the rooftop
thehotelbeatnik.com
monmouthhistoricinn.com
bar.oldcapitolinn.com
This season, discoveries await amid Mississippi’s boundless outdoor spaces