WAPT - Historic Jackson hotel welcomes new restaurant - Nick Wallace Culinary Team partners with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services
JACKSON, Miss. —
A historic hotel in downtown Jackson has become home to a new restaurant that aims to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The Nick Wallace Culinary Team has partnered with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services to promote independence for people with disabilities while offering delicious food to the community.
"We actually started a partnership with them four and a half years ago and our museum cafe, the Museum Cafe by Nick Wallace in the Mississippi Two Museums, that was started off by MDRS. I really love what they are doing to empower workforce," said Nick Wallace, chef and owner of The Hen and Egg.
Wallace believes that the old Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel is the ideal location for his new Hen and Egg restaurant because of its downtown location and historical value.
"This place has been closed for 25 years and to know what this place kind of stood for, lodging for state legislators that were really fighting for a good cause, and a lot of that happened here," Wallace said.
Sun-n-Sand opened in the 1960s and was a hub for state legislators, lobbyists, and literary figures. It also played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement. The Jackson staple officially closed in 2001 and became a historic landmark in 2020.
Dorothy Young, director of rehabilitation services for the blind at MDRS, said the location is priceless and will once again create life-changing opportunities.
"This is employment for an individual who is blind," Young said. "This is a partnership that sets individuals who are blind with private businesses."
The restaurant will offer bold Southern flavors, serving breakfast, lunch, and popular blue plate specials. Hen and Egg will officially open Aug. 12, and will be open Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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