Meet the chefs
behind the plates.
Five Mississippi-connected kitchens serve the Summer Breeze weekend — Jackson BBQ, gourmet burgers from Starkville, modern Mississippi, chef-driven soul, and Caribbean jerk with a Southern twist. The full 2026 lineup, with the people behind it.
Ray's To Go BBQ & More
Jackson BBQ — housemade sauces, cooked to order.
Ray's To Go BBQ & More is Raymond Kennedy and Natasha Cayson's family business, named not for Raymond but for the “Ray” tucked inside most of their eight children's names. Raymond learned the smoker from his mother Christine and grandmother Lois Gene; he taught Natasha, and together they catered out of a Jackson billiard hall, ran a food truck, then opened the brick-and-mortar in 2014. Today they cook from 415 E Capitol Street downtown.
Brisket, pulled pork, ribs, blackened shrimp over rice, salmon, and Raymond's own chicken Philly with bacon and jalapeños — everything finishes with housemade seasoning, hot sauce, and barbecue sauce. The “& More” is load-bearing: loaded BBQ fries, stacked double cheeseburgers, smoked wings with cheesy broccoli. Twelve years in, they're still cooking together for a family that keeps growing.
44 Takeout
Gourmet burgers and wings, locally sourced — out of Starkville.
44 Takeout rolls out of Starkville with a basketball-themed wrap and a tagline that does the work: Love at First Bite. Owner Latoya named the truck after a jersey number shared by multiple family members and welded it to a kitchen built on locally sourced staples — gourmet cheeseburgers, Philly steaks, fish and shrimp po-boys, catfish, tenders, smoked sausage, and wings in six flavors: BBQ, Lemon Pepper, Hot, Mild, Sweet Asian, and Stingin' Hot Honey Garlic.
Sides come correct — loaded fries, Philly steak fries, fried okra. The catering operation runs deeper than the truck menu suggests: cornbread dressing, smothered cabbage, creamed corn, chicken spaghetti, mashed potatoes by the pan. Whether she's parked at Designer Gallery on Hwy 12 or feeding a wedding, Latoya cooks like the family's coming.
Savour Downtown
Modern Mississippi plates from Chef Willie Williams' downtown kitchen.
Roll'n Chef Kitchen & Catering
Chef-driven soul plates and Soul Food Sunday, from a neighborhood Jackson kitchen.
Chef Cornelius Quick is the culinary visionary behind Roll’n Chef Kitchen & Catering, where authentic Southern cuisine, bold flavors, and exceptional hospitality come together to create unforgettable dining experiences. With years of experience in food service and catering, Chef Cornelius has developed a reputation for delivering high-quality comfort food with a creative twist, specializing in smoked meats, seafood, soul food favorites, and crowd-pleasing event catering.
Known for his passion for cooking and commitment to excellence, Chef Quick has built Roll’n Chef Kitchen & Catering into more than just a food business — it is a brand centered on family and community. Whether serving guests from the food truck, catering private events, or preparing large community gatherings, he brings professionalism, flavor, and heart to every plate.
JerkCity Grille
Caribbean with a Southern twist — jerk specialties from Chef Wendell Brewster.
Chef Wendell Brewster moved to Mississippi in 2013 and spent the next decade earning his stripes inside Thompson Hospitality — three years as executive chef at Mississippi Valley State, then food-service director and corporate chef. Studying the Jackson food scene, he saw a Caribbean-shaped hole in the metro and filled it himself: JerkCity Grille launched as a food truck in April 2021 and grew into a Robinson Road brick-and-mortar by that August.
Brewster's plates lean Caribbean with a Southern accent — slow-simmered oxtails over yellow rice, jerk chicken with seasoned rice and peppers, curried turkey wings, red stripe ribs, jerk beef melts and jerk chicken po-boys. Behind the counter sits his 2005 signature lemonade recipe, joined by passion fruit, mango, and pineapple-ginger pours. Caribbean cuisine, finally at home in Jackson.
Cook with us in 2027.
Mississippi-connected kitchens — applications for the next Summer Breeze open in early 2027. In the meantime, we’re always looking for craft beverage, dessert, and pop-up partners.