JOE POPE BOULEVARD

Rosedale Mayor Carey Estes stands next to Joe Pope, Jr. at the Joe Pope
Boulevard dedication ceremony. Photo courtesy of Sara Coleman, The
Bolivar Commercial.


Sara Coleman
Boliver Commercial Staff Writer
Published August 20, 2007 3:27 PM CDT

Family members and friends of legendary hot tamale-maker Joe Pope gathered Saturday to dedicate Rosedale's Main Street, Miss. Highway 1, as Joe Pope Boulevard. "I want to say how proud I am for all of you to come out and participate in this event ... I want to thank each one of you. You know what this means to me to be able to be a part of this dedication," said Rosedale Mayor Carey Estes....

The renaming of Main Street to Joe Pope Boulevard stems from a desire of Rosedale's citizens, first voiced in July 2005, to honor Joe for his achievements and contributions to the community.

Pope, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 80, owned and operated the popular White Front Cafe -- Joe's Hot Tamale Place -- on Rosedale's Main Street for approximately 35 years prior to his death.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

THE LATE JOE POPE HONORED IN ROSEDALE

The town of Rosedale, Mississippi, is honoring the late Joe Pope by naming part of Highway 1 in his honor. This Saturday, August 18th, at 4 o'clock, a short ceremony will be held oalong the new Joe Pope Road. Joe Pope's mother, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday on Saturday, will be in attendance, as will Joe's sister, Barbara Pope. Barbara has been making the tamales for Joe's Hot Tamale Place/White Front Cafe, since her brother passed away in December 2004.

Go here to read the interview with Barbara Pope.

FEASTING ON TAMALES

Catch the Mississippi Delta Hot Tamale Trail on Alton Brown's Food Network show Feasting on Asphalt. The Tamale Trail is featured in Episode 3, "Soul Food Survivor," and premiers on Saturday, August 18, at 9 p.m. EST. Check local listings. And check the Food Network site for the rebroadcast schedule.

Thanks again, Alton, for hittin' the Tamale Trail!

ALTON BROWN ON THE TAMALE TRAIL

Alton Brown and his crew were in the Delta yesterday, filming a segment for his Food Network show, Feasting on Asphalt. They started their tamale trek in Greenville, where they visited Doe's Eat Place and Scott's Hot Tamales. Then I--Amy Evans, SFA oral historian--met them in Rosedale at Joe's Hot Tamale Place, where Barbara Pope plied us with tamales and Kool Aid pickles. We then traveled to Clarksdale, where we were supposed to meet up with Big Jim Cole at his tamale stand on State Street. Unfortunately, Big Jim didn't make it (sorry we missed you, Big Jim! We filmed at your place, though, so here's hoping it makes the cut). While we were there, Alton Brown fan Mattie Davis (pictured here) stopped to get an autograph. Evidently, Alton has quite a fan base in the Mississippi Delta.

Alton was keen on getting some footage at the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, so we headed back down the street to Abe's Bar-B-Q. We bellied up to the counter and had Abe's famous Tamaco (tamales covered in chili, cheese, lettuce and tomato), as well as some bbq. Then, unfortunately, it was time to call it a day. I headed home, and Alton and crew headed to Arkansas.

Alton is blogging about his thirty-day trek up the Mississippi River for Feasting on Asphalt on his website. You can get the scoop right here. The Tamale Trail adventure appears in the "Day 3" entry.

Feasting on Asphalt will appear on the Food Network this August, every Saturday night. Since the Delta fell early in their itinerary, look for the Tamale Trail to appear in one of the first few episodes.

Thanks Alton and crew for a great afternoon in the Delta and for stopping long enough to eat more than a few Mississippi Delta hot tamales and meet the fine, fine people who make them. Y'all are welcome back to these parts any time!

GET HOT TAMALES SHIPPED TO YOUR DOOR!

Due to the wonderful exposure the Tamale Trail received in Relish Magazine recently (a great article written by our friend and tamale lover, Brooks Hamaker), we have been inundated with requests for names of tamales vendors who will ship their wares. There are a couple who have an established mail order businesses and a couple who are willing to satisfy people's tamale cravings far and wide. But most people featured here might just ship you a dozen, if you ask, so take some time to meet the folks along the Tamale Trail and decide whose tamales you might like to try. Better yet, come to the Delta to taste them all!

Vendors who ship regularly:
Hicks' World Famous Hot Tamales & More
Pasquale's Hot Tamales

Vendor's who are willing to ship:
Maria's Famous Hot Tamales
Big Jim Cole: (662) 645-5600

Again, don't be shy about calling other folks featured here to see if they'll send some hot tamales your way.

Happy eating!

BIG JIM'S IN CLARKSDALE

Big Jim's has been one of the mapped locations on the Tamale Trail since the project appeared online in 2005. Owner, Big Jim Cole, has been a friend and fan of the project ever since. He welcomes Trail travelers, and he has even made catfish tamales, per our request. And now, Big Jim has been interviewed. Look for his oral history to appear here in the coming months. In the meantime, if you happen to find yourself in Clarksdale, make sure to pay Big Jim a call and enjoy some of his homemade red hots

PRESS FOR THE TAMALE TRAIL

The Tamale Trail was recently featured in Relish Magazine, as well as The Southern Quarterly. Joe's Hot Tamale Place/ White Front Cafe is the cover image for the Winter 2007 edition of The Southern Quarterly.