Mississippi

Jackson chef, two other Mississippi restaurants named James Beard Awards semifinalists

Published

11 months ago

January 22, 2025

Jackson chef, two other Mississippi restaurants named James Beard Awards semifinalists

A Jackson chef joins two Biloxi chefs and an Ocean Springs restaurant as semi-finalists in the prestigious 2025 James Beard Awards.

For 35 years, restaurateurs throughout the nation have sought out recognition from the James Beard Foundation, a national nonprofit that gets its namesake from the renowned chef, cookbook author and television personality, James Beard. The foundation annually recognizes exceptional culinary talent with semifinalist and finalist rounds of awards.

This year, Mississippi appeared three times on semifinalist lists, which the foundation released Wednesday morning. The finalists for each category will be announced in early April.

Hunter Evans of Elvie’s, Jackson

Hunter Evans, the chef behind the New Orleans-style café Elvie’s in Belhaven, is a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard “Best Chef: South” award.

Evans is one of 20 semifinalists from the category that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico.

This year is not Evans’ first recognition by the James Beard Foundation. Last year, Evans was one of five finalists for “Best Chef: South,” and in 2023, he was a semifinalist.

In a past interview with the Clarion Ledger after his being named a finalist in 2024, Evans, a Jackson native who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City before moving back home, called Elvie’s a “farmer-and-season-driven restaurant that explores Mississippi-French cuisine.”

Elvie’s is an homage to Evans’ grandmother, May Elvieretta Good, who provided the chef’s first memories of the complex nature of food. Evans grew up visiting his grandmother in New Orleans and fondly remembers eating her classic Southern cooking, which inspires Elvie’s menu today.

In 2020, weeks after Elvie’s had opened, the restaurant fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic and, like so many other restaurants around the world, shut its doors. The closure was temporary, however, and Evans and his crew managed to grow the restaurant through pop-ups and takeout meals.

Five years later, Elvie’s is still going strong. The menu, split between day and night, includes classic Southern breakfast dishes such as home fries and cheese grits, as well as some more upscale dishes, including oysters and caviar service. The menu includes a wide range of wine and specialty cocktails.

Since 2020, Evans has continued to deepen his roots in Jackson by buying, renovating and reopening the Mayflower, a historic restaurant in Downtown Jackson, not too far away from Elvie’s. Evans, along with co-owners Brandi Carter and Cody McCain also recently opened Levure Bottle Shop, a specialty wine store in the former Bridal Path location in Banner Hall.

Austin Sumrall and Tresse Sumrall of White Pillars, Biloxi

Tresse and Austin Sumrall, the husband-and-wife duo behind White Pillars in Biloxi, are together a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard “Best Chef: South” award.

White Pillars, which opened in 2017, is a nationally recognized farm-to-table restaurant exploring the different tastes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a few unexpected twists. The restaurant serves small plates and sample menus with a variety of dishes from caviar toast to shrimp pad thai.

Austin, a McComb native, studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York before returning to Alabama to put down roots with Tresse, a Gulport native. After welcoming their son, Ollie, in 2015, the Sumrall family moved back to Mississippi with hopes of opening a restaurant.

The Sumrall family is no stranger to the James Beard awards. In 2020, Austin was a semifinalist in the “Best Chef: South” category, the same honor he holds now in 2025.

Vestige, Ocean Springs

Vestige, a restaurant specializing in market-driven tasting menus, is a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard “Outstanding Hospitality” award.

The Ocean Springs restaurant caters to diners seeking a unique experience by providing an ever-changing “chef’s choice” menu. Each seating includes a multi-course meal designed by chefs and husband-and-wife duo Alex Perry and Kumi Omori.

Perry and Omori, much like the other Mississippi chefs on this year’s semifinalist list, are well acquainted with the James Beard Foundation. In 2024, Vestige was named a finalist for the “Outstanding Restaurant” award.

This year, Vestige is one of 20 restaurants that made semifinalist for the “Outstanding Hospitality” award which, according to the James Beard Foundation, recognizes a “restaurant, bar, or other food and drinking establishment that fosters a sense of hospitality among its customers and staff that serves as a beacon for the community and demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality and operations.”

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 23, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

04-10-12-20-23

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 5-1-5, FB: 1

Evening: 4-6-9, FB: 2

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 0-2-8-7, FB: 1

Evening: 4-3-6-6, FB: 2

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 13

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team – Meridian Star

Published

22 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team

Published 12:08 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

East Mississippi Community College running back Gavin Griffin has added to his list of 2025 season accomplishments by being named to this year’s NJCAA Division I Football All-America First Team. The National Junior College Athletic Association announced the organization’s first-team, second-team and honorable-mention football selections on Dec. 20.

As an NJCAA All-Region 23 honoree as well as being the MACCC North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year recipient this season, Griffin’s most recent honor gives East Mississippi’s football program a total of 36 NJCAA All-America selections during the past 18 seasons under the guidance of NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame head coach Buddy Stephens. Dating back to the 2008 season, the EMCC Lions have had at least one NJCAA All-American in football during 13 of the past 18 years.

In becoming EMCC’s 15th first-team NJCAA All-American dating back to 2008, Griffin helped lead the Lions to a 7-3 overall record and 5-1 MACCC North Division mark while earning the program’s 12th division crown and 15th conference playoff appearance during the Stephens coaching era.

A Troy University signee, Griffin was twice selected as the NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week this season while topping the NJCAA Division I statistical leaders with 22 rushing touchdowns and ranking second nationally with 1,168 rushing yards. With six 100-yard rushing outings on the year, Griffin’s top performances on the ground included a career-high 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 22 attempts during EMCC’s 49-27 home win over Pearl River. He also had 189 rushing yards and three scores in 23 carries during the Lions’ 34-28 road victory at Northwest Mississippi.

With at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 games this past season, Griffin had seven contests with multiple scoring runs, including an additional four-touchdown effort in EMCC’s 50-39 home win over Holmes. During the Stephens coaching era at EMCC, Griffin’s 134 total points scored and 22 touchdown runs this season rank second behind Tyrell Price’s NJCAA-leading 24 rushing touchdowns and 150 points scored during the Lions’ 2017 national championship season.

On EMCC’s single-season statistical leaders list during the Stephens era, Griffin’s 1,168 rushing yards in 10 games played rank third behind 2025 EMCC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013), who both had the advantage of playing two additional games during EMCC’s respective national championship seasons. Griffin’s 207 rushing attempts this season are the most by an EMCC player during the Stephens era, breaking the mark of 200 carries previously held by second-team NJCAA All-American Deon McIntosh during the Lions’ 2018 national championship season.

For his two EMCC seasons, Griffin’s 1,722 career rushing yards rank third behind Thomas (1,724) and Moore (2,211), while his 30 career rushing touchdowns tie Price for the most during the Stephens era. Along with the 66 points that Griffin scored (8 rush TDs and 3 TD catches) as an EMCC freshman in 2024, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School became just the second EMCC player of the Stephens era to reach 200 career points scored.

EMCC’s 35 NJCAA All-America players under Stephens’ leadership are divided among 18 offensive performers, 15 defensive honorees and two special teams players. Leading the way positionally for EMCC dating back to 2008, the Lions have had 10 All-America quarterback selections, including NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year recipients Ty Keyes (2023) and Bo Wallace (2011) as well as two-time All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey (2008 & 2009). On the defensive side of the football during the Stephens coaching era, the Lions have featured eight All-America defensive linemen, headlined by 12-year NFL veteran Denico Autry (2011) of the Houston Texans and recently retired 11-year NFL standout Za’Darius Smith (2012).

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

20-21-22-24-25

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 1-8-7, FB: 3

Evening: 9-1-4, FB: 1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-6-1-7, FB: 3

Evening: 1-2-4-0, FB: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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