Hudson Rouse, founder of Whoopsie’s and Pure Quill Superette, opened his all-day cafe, Babygirl, on April 11, bringing with it a sense of familiarity. The restaurant moves into Hosea and 2nd—near Gene’s and Poor Hendrix—in a neighborhood Rouse has known for years.

“The first farmer’s market I ever sold at was in the lot across the street,” he says. “That was really where I got my start in the food scene in Atlanta.”

Now he returns to the area, serving breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch including favorites from his recently shuttered Avondale Estates breakfast spot Rising Son.

“Rising Son can live on,” he says. “The ethos and mentality are the same—we want to support local and get to know our community.”

Photo by Claudia Ross

Rouse’s famous three-ingredient Rising Son biscuits will be available a la carte or as sandwiches, including one with fried chicken thigh, Swiss cheese fondue, and a chive omelet. Other callbacks include a grits bowl with fried trout, waffles with fruit and cream or fried chicken and collards. Rouse swapped the loose hash browns in his Hashed Out bowl to a crisp McDonald’s-style patty topped with Riverview Farms sausage, Pine Street Market bacon, peppers, and onions. A smoked salmon version pairs egg and crème fraîche atop the hash brown patty in a way that recalls latkes and lox.

A seasonal smoothie will be available daily, beginning with strawberry banana. “We’ll change it as we get tired of it,” Rouse says. “As a cook, you can’t eat biscuits and gravy every day, so we usually make smoothies.”

Coffee comes from Natural Born Roasters—another thread connecting Babygirl to Rouse’s earlier projects—with rotating single-varietal selections and an espresso program centered on straightforward classics rather than compete with Perc Coffee across the street.

Photo by Claudia Ross

As the day progresses, the kitchen expands beyond breakfast as well. Lunch brings salads like Cobb, Niçoise, and spring vegetable salad with fried goat cheese. There’s a a fried fish sandwich and a smashburger made with Riverview Farms beef, shaved Vidalia onion, and white American cheese.

Babygirl was designed primarily for dine-in with 58 seats indoors and 16 outside; however, both counter service and table service will be offered. Designed by Claudia Ross, the space features light wood tables, a colorful wall-sized window, and a Danish-meets-Japanese aesthetic. Rouse is perhaps most excited about the open kitchen, where he plans to spend his mornings. “I’m looking forward to cooking breakfast every day,” he says.

The restaurant is named for Rouse’s family—he has two daughters and a son—and follows the same thinking behind his restaurant group, Rising Sons and Daughters. That team, notably, includes much of Rising Son’s staff.

Photo by Claudia Ross

The bar program is led by longtime Porter Beer Bar fixture Justin Wickline. It will focus on classic breakfast and brunch cocktails, from Irish coffee modeled after that at San Francisco’s Buena Vista Café to an espresso martini, Harvey Wallbanger, and Death in the Afternoon. Wine will be natural and seasonal, while the beer list stays small and local. Rising Son’s pineapple mimosas may be gone, but fresh-squeezed orange juice will be poured daily, with the peels turned into marmalade for biscuits.

Dessert leans simple and nostalgic. House will move the soft-serve machine from Pure Quill to Babygirl, offering sundaes to “give kids in the neighborhood something they’ll recognize,” he says.  “I’ve watched the neighborhood grow [and] my friends open restaurants here. Now, I’m being welcomed back with open arms.”

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Madina Okot was selected by the Atlanta Dream with the 13th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night.

In Atlanta, Okot will team up with former Gamecocks Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao. Atlanta lost Brittney Griner in free agency, so the Dream need a big to replace her in the lineup. In coach Karl Smesko’s offensive system, everyone has the green light to shoot, so Okot’s three-point shooting ability should be an asset.

Okot said she met with Atlanta and another team before the draft.

“They talked about my skills, my versatility, and just being able to contribute to the team by rebounding, playing defense, finishing, doing some little things to help the team win,” she said.

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Okot should have strong fan support. Atlanta is the closest WNBA team to Columbia, and the Dream draws a lot of Gamecock fans, including Dawn Staley, who is a season ticket holder.

Okot was the second Gamecock selected on Monday night and became the 24th Gamecock selected in the WNBA Draft.

She was invited to attend the WNBA Draft in New York along with teammates Ta’Niya Latson and Raven Johnson. All were projected to be first-round draft picks. 

Okot averaged 12.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 assists last season. She led the SEC in rebounding and was third in the nation with 22 double-doubles. 

Okot only played one season at South Carolina, with one season at Mississippi State before that. She grew up in Kenya playing volleyball and didn’t start playing basketball until 2020. Okot played two seasons in Kenya while waiting on her visa, and appealed to the NCAA that those seasons shouldn’t have counted toward her eligibility. Her appeal was denied, and she entered the WNBA Draft.

Okot’s inexperience was seen as a bonus by WNBA teams, who believe she is only scratching the surface of her potential.

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“Just being here today, it means so much to me,” Okot said. “Six years ago, I didn’t see myself being here today, or I never dreamed of myself being here today. My dream was to play in the W, but I didn’t know it was going to be after six years. If I (could) go back, I would tell my younger self, (I’m) just so proud of her. She never gave up, had to go through a lot, and kept moving forward.”

The 2026 WNBA Draft is the first draft under the new CBA. Previously, first-round draft picks made about $78,000. Second and third-round picks made less than $70,000.

This year, first-round picks will all make at least $289,133 as rookies, more than last season’s supermax contracts were worth. As the 13th overall pick, Okot is slated to sign a four-year contract worth $1,294,367. It will pay her $289,133 this year and increase each year. 

Twenty-five years ago, publishing and event maven Dale DeSena gathered 20 local restaurateurs under an air-conditioned tent in Phipps Plaza’s parking lot. Each brought samples of their best dishes for attendees to taste with pre-purchased tickets. More than 4,000 people participated, and Taste of Atlanta was born.

The festival has evolved throughout the past two decades, as consumer behaviors shifted and other food festivals were developed, but the core principle remains: to showcase Atlanta restaurants and turn tasters into diners.

“The idea of chef-driven, local restaurants was just starting to come into focus,” DeSena says. “Chefs like Bob Amick and Gerry Klaskala were opening new restaurants. They needed help telling people these spots existed.”

Throughout the years, Taste of Atlanta has traveled across the city, from Lenox Mall to Atlantic Station to Spring Street near Georgia Tech and to Historic Fourth Ward Park. It grew, began featuring live music, and added a stage for cooking demonstrations. “The Food Network revolutionized the popularity of chefs being great entertainment,” DeSena says.

Courtesy of Taste of Atlanta

In 2022, following the Covid-19 pandemic, Taste of Atlanta pivoted to focus on hyper-local events that were all-inclusive, rather than ticket-based. Instead of a single, three-day, family-friendly weekend each year, DeSena and her team began planning four Thursday evening events for the 21-and-up crowd.

“Restaurants didn’t have the staff to attend Friday through Sunday, and they wanted to get more return on their investment by concentrating on their neighborhoods,” she explains. “Now we travel to different neighborhoods rather than having attendees travel across the city to us.”

Now, Taste of Atlanta offers events spaced throughout the year in Midtown, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and Buckhead. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, it’ll host a party at the Works on the Westside on April 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $95 plus fees for general admission and $135 plus fees for VIP.

Look for Hector Santiago from El Super Pan, Pano Karatassos Jr. from Kyma, Giovanni DiPalma from Antico Pizza Napoletana, and Jonathan and Justin Fox from Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, among others. Mixologist from brands like Don Julio, Grand Marnier, and Aperol will be crafting cocktails. There will be local beer, wine, and live music by Seed & Feed Marching Abominable Band and Bogey and the Viceroy. Plus, attendees will receive complimentary admission to Your Third Spot, as well as a game card.

Courtesy of Taste of Atlanta

“We intentionally partnered with restaurants who have participated over the past 25 years from all over Atlanta. We tried to think about the diversity of the restaurants, which ones are meaningful to the city, or new from the past few years,” DeSena says. “The chefs will all be there to meet and greet. They’re our rock stars. We want to showcase them.”

She waxes poetic about all the city has accomplished food-wise during the last quarter-century. “Atlanta used to be mostly chains. I’m proud so many chefs have opened great restaurants and how many are still in business. We’re all working together to highlight our great culinary city.”

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