Pretty Southern

Author: Lauren

Atlanta’s Annual Saints & Sinners Ball on Saturday, Oct. 27

Partygoers can revel in all the ghosts, ghouls and goblins they can handle this Halloween when ALT 105.7 and Park Tavern bring their devilish tradition alive at the fifth annual Saints & Sinners Ball on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Kicking off at 8 p.m., music fanatics are invited to descend upon Park Tavern in their most creative costumes for the annual Halloween bash. Featuring live music performances from Elle King, Albert Hammond Jr., and Camera Box, the high-energy night will also feature themed drink specials and plenty of surprises.

ALT 105.7’s Saints & Sinners Ball is for ages 21+. Tickets are available for $20, plus applicable fees at FreshTix.

Park Tavern is located in the heart of Midtown on the corner of 10th Street and Monroe overlooking Piedmont Park and the Midtown skyline. To purchase tickets, visit www.parktavern.com or call 404.249.0001.

October 20, 2018
Q & A with Daren Wang – “The Hidden Light of Northern Fires”

Daren Wang is not a native Southerner but his roots run deep.

Wang is the author of The Hidden Light of Northern Fires. While this is his first novel, he has a unique vantage point on what makes a successful story since he served as the executive director of the Decatur Books Festival for 12 years (he’s also the founder).

Before launching the festival, Daren had a 20-year career in public radio, both national and local. He’s also written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Paste Magazine, and Five Points magazine, among other publications.

Editor’s note — I could gush on about how much I loved The Hidden Light of Northern Fires, but instead y’all can read my Amazon book review.

Daren and I were introduced by a mutual connection, Decatur’s own Susan Wietsma. We connected over coffee at Dancing Goats on a hot summer morning where we talked about writing, the South, and the state of our world. He was kind enough to let us publish some of our Q&A on Pretty Southern.

Read on to learn more about Daren Wang and The Hidden Light of Northern Fires.

Tell us your story and what led you to the path of writing your first novel.

“I grew in the little rebellious hamlet where the book is set, hearing stories about how the town had seceded from the Union. The firemen all wore patches that said ‘Last of The Rebels’. People always talked about our house, and once, the local news came and did a story about it being part of the underground railroad. The weight, the uniqueness of the story didn’t strike me until I’d come south and spent a lot of time with Southern authors. After I found an oral history of the Willis family, the people who built the house, I started researching and eventually had to write.”

What’s the elevator pitch for your book?

“In the only secessionist town north of the Mason Dixon, a young woman risks everything to run a stop on the Underground Railroad.”

Your home is in Decatur where you founded the Decatur Book Festival. What do you see for the future of your city and the South?

“Decatur has so much going for it. I think it’s going to grow and prosper moving forward, but I think some of what makes Decatur unique will be lost. Of course, that’s the story with so much development these days.”

How has the Southern literary scene changed over the years?

“The term ‘Southern Writer’ gets fuzzier every day. In the 1960s, the defining list of Southern writers was so clearly Southern, there was no question: Faulkner, O’Connor, Welty, etc. You just knew. Today, the term gets applied loosely. I wrote a book about a young woman on a farm 15 miles from the Canadian border in Western New York, and it is largely considered a Southern Novel. If something is rural, people think of it as Southern.”

“I’m not sure what Southern means anymore.”

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? Would you share some of your secrets to success?

“Your first draft will suck. They all do. Get in the chair and write, then rewrite, then rewrite again. The difference between you and a great writer is the work. The number one writing skill is patience.”

What are your favorite books / who are your favorite authors?

“Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude looms large, along with Frazier’s Cold Mountain and O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find. Chuck Rosenthal’s The Loop Trilogy is the funniest thing I’ve ever read, and heartbreaking too. Natasha Trethewey’s Native Guard. Ask me again tomorrow, and I’ll have a different list.”

You have an incredible, eclectic taste in music that’s showcased in the mixtape you put together for The Hidden Light of Northern Fires. What inspired you to publish this and share it with your readers?

“I grew up a vinyl junkie and ran record stores for years. Songwriting, as much as anything, inspires the sentences I write, and the way I tell stories. I planted dozens of little musical nuggets, you might call them ‘Easter eggs’, throughout the novel. I wanted to give credit to the source of so much of went through my head as I wrote.”

Who are some of those folks you’d like to give shoutouts to?

“I’ve got a long list of acknowledgments in the book, but this week, I want to give a shoutout to Julie Wilson, who took over for me at the helm of the Decatur Book Festival. She’s done a great job wrangling that, and I’m really proud of the work she’s done.”

What comes next? What are your goals for 2018 and beyond?

“I’ve been tooling around with the next novel, but the structure, the spine of it just came clear to me over the last week or two. I’m hoping to settle in and get this next one written.”

The Hidden Light of Northern Fires is now available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle and audiobook via Amazon. Keep up with Daren by following him on Twitter. And while you’re at it, follow Pretty Southern, too. #LoveTheSouth.

September 1, 2018
Grace Cunningham Falls in Love with the Boy Next Door

Vivienne Grace Cunningham was the youngest daughter of Caroline and Randy Cunningham.

Named after her great-grandmother, Vivienne, everyone called her Grace. It was a trend started by her older sister, Kate (the middle Cunningham child) whose full Christian name is Georgia Katharine Cunningham. As the youngest of the three Cunningham girls, Grace earned the nickname ‘Angel Baby’ for her sweet features and cherub-like disposition.

Unlike her two blonde sisters, Grace looked the most like their daddy with the same auburn curls and bright blue eyes. Grace was a true little sister, being six years younger than her oldest sister, Macy, and four years younger than Kate. She was several grades behind her sisters, although they all attended Magnolia Academy, one of Atlanta’s premier private schools. The only home Grace has ever known is in Atlanta’s most affluent neighborhood. Grace was just a baby when her family moved from Marietta to their big house in Buckhead.

The Angel Baby didn’t realize the world of privilege she was brought into, and how hard both her parents had worked to make a name for the Cunningham family. Grace simply knew that she was happy and loved her family very much.

She grew up beloved by others. Everyone who ever met Grace said she was “just the sweetest” and “such a little Southern belle.” It was her mama Caroline’s best friend, Birdie Roberts, who bequeathed her the nickname of Angel Baby. Birdie and her husband, Trey, lived next door and had four sons—Jake, Caleb, Wesley, and Christopher—who were all about the same ages as the Cunningham girls. Grace and Christopher were in the same grade together, as were Kate and Wesley.

One summer, when they were all at the country club pool together, Grace overheard Birdie say to her mama, “I hope one of your girls marries one of my boys.” Grace was only a little girl and not interested in boys yet, so she kept swimming without much thought.

Until one day, when she was in the eighth grade, Vivienne Grace Cunningham fell in love with Wesley Wade Roberts.

Although Grace had known the Roberts family since she was a baby, it wasn’t until a fateful day in spring when she realized Wesley was the man of her dreams.

Grace had been invited to her first boy-girl party. When Mama Caroline heard from Birdie that Chris was invited to that same party Grace was also attending, she and Birdie came up with the brilliant idea of carpooling. They agreed Wesley would drop the kids off and Kate would pick them up later.

At this point, Kate and Wesley were seniors at Magnolia Academy and both had their own cars. They were about to graduate then go off to college. It was a warm early spring evening, and the sun was starting to set as Wesley’s old Bronco came chugging up the Cunningham’s driveway.

His car was lifted, raised up on muddy tires. Grace thought, “I shouldn’t have worn a skirt,” since she was going to be riding in that contraption. She glanced down at her patterned sundress with its Lilly Pulitzer flowers, hoping the inside of the car was cleaner than the outside.

“Hey Grace,” Christopher Roberts said as he jumped out of the front seat to help her hop in the back. It as the first time she and Chris had been in the same car together. He was cute in his own right with his floppy brown hair and amber eyes. All the Roberts boys were good looking, and Grace was already a bit nervous to share a car with her cute classmate.

“Hi there,” she replied climbing into the truck. She settled into the old fabric seat, trying to ignore the slight mildew smell.

Then Grace saw Wesley Wade Roberts, smiling at her from behind the wheel. The butterflies in her stomach had a fit.

“Hey Grace,” Wesley beamed. Grinning at her from ear-to-ear, she was drawn to his smile, a set of white, square teeth. She’d never seen any boy smile like this before. The only slight imperfection was a teensy gap between his two front teeth, to learn about this sort of deformations Click this link. That made him look rugged, even more dashing, and then there were dimples, tan skin, freckles, the hint of a beard—really peach fuzz—from not shaving for a day or two.

Sweet Jesus, he looked so fine. And then Grace looked into his eyes: these blue-gray-hazel eyes which reflected the baby blue polo he was wearing. A dirty UGA cap covered his wavy blonde hair which curled naturally at the ends tucked behind his ears.

“Sorry about the smell,” he said. “I went camping last night and forgot to roll the windows up before it rained.”

“Oh it’s fine,” she said as her heart fluttered. Grace was apprehensive to say anything more because she had the most hideous braces. This was before the days of 360dentalcare when every adolescent kid was forced to wear chunky metal on their teeth for at least a good year.

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“Buckle up kids, and I’ll get y’all to your party. I’ve got my own event to attend this evening. Mom said to call Kate when you’re ready to be picked up, but if you need me I’ll swing back by.”
“Nah, Wesley, we’re good,” Chris replied.
Grace wanted to shout, “Take me with you!” Instead, she quietly wished she was going to his party.
“I’m really sorry about the smell,” Wesley said turning around to face her. “If you roll your window down it will help but it might mess up your hair.”
“It’s okay,” Grace said, taking a hairband from her wrist to pull back her long auburn curls. She rolled down her car window, taking in the fresh Georgia spring air. Pollen season had passed and the night was fragrant with fresh pine and blooming flowers. Grace stared at the back of Wesley’s driver’s seat the whole five minutes they cruised through Buckhead to that party. Her eyes were fixated on the way those blonde curls popped out beneath the bottom of Wesley’s baseball cap.

When they arrived at their friend’s house, Chris popped from the front seat calling “Thanks, Wes,” as he bounced out of the Bronco. Grace took her time unbuckling her seat belt.
“You got that?” he asked smiling.
“Um, yeah,” she blushed. Looking up at him grinning at her in the rearview mirror. He made her flush even harder. “Thanks for driving us.”
“Not a problem,” he smiled. “Be good and have fun.”

She didn’t want to leave him. How had Wesley gotten so cute without her ever knowing? But what was up with him telling her to “be good” like a big brother? Would he always only think of her as little Grace, the Angel Baby?

That night at the party, as all the other eighth graders gathered around for spin-the-bottle, Grace found herself on the back deck of her friend’s house, looking up at the stars and wishing that Heaven would see fit for her to see Wesley again.

This was in April, and in May, Wesley graduated then went off to the University of Georgia. Even though Athens is only about sixty miles from Atlanta, Grace thought it might as well be a different planet. Her sister Macy was already a junior at UGA and she barely came home except for a few times a semester. The only time she’d see Macy is if her parents went up for a football game in the fall and they’d all tailgate together. Grace hoped she could convince Mama and Daddy to buy season tickets with the Roberts, or for Daddy’s business for Cunningham Construction, but that never happened.

For the next four years, Grace loved Wesley from afar. She’d barely see Wesley except on the rare occasions he was home for the holidays or met up with the Cunninghams for a tailgate in Athens. When he was home during the summer, Grace spent as much time as possible at the country club where she’d scour for his figure on the golf course, or lay for hours by the pool hoping he would make an appearance.

Alas, if Wesley did, he would always be too far out of reach. It’s not like Grace could try to flirt with him as he swam across the pool, not with Mama Caroline sunbathing next to her. Or if she was riding in Daddy Randy’s cart around the golf course and spotted Wesley across the green, it would take every bit of restraint in her not to dart across the grass to give him a hug.

When Wesley did see Grace, he’d always make polite conversation. Afterall, he’d practically grown up with the Cunninghams. Wesley would give Grace a big grin showing off those rows of perfectly square teeth. His hazel eyes that always seemed to reflect whatever color Polo shirt he was wearing: navy, forest green, or even steely silver. Wesley’s eyes had Grace’s heart.

But when a girl is under the age of eighteen, society doesn’t take kindly to the idea of her chasing after an older college boy. Heavens, though, he was all Grace ever wanted in a guy. Her affection for Wesley is why she’d never had a boyfriend, even though she was now a senior and about to graduate from Magnolia Academy. No other guy could measure up to Wesley Wade Roberts.

Grace had grown up to be as pretty as Macy and nearly as smart as Kate, although not as pragmatic. Other boys would ask Grace out and, as politely as she could, she’d turn them down. Grace had earned the reputation of being a prude but she didn’t care. Her heart only pined for Wesley. But she didn’t tell a soul. Over the years, she kept wishing on the stars to be with Wesley and this secret stayed in the deepest place of her young soul.

This perplexed Mama Caroline who wondered why Grace hadn’t had a boyfriend yet. When Macy was Grace’s age, Daddy was practically having to beat them away, and Lord knows how many boys Macy had gone through while at UGA. But not the Angel Baby. She just wasn’t interested in any other guy, much to Daddy Randy’s delight.

By her calculations, Grace wasn’t sure when she’d ever be able to be in the same city with Wesley again. But then, by God’s grace, during the spring of her junior year, she heard from Birdie that Wesley would have to take a ‘victory lap’ to do a fifth year of college. Grace could finally be together with Wesley in Athens, away from Mama and Daddy, and start her own life with the boy she’d longed for.

Knowing it would take good grades to get into UGA, Grace studied as hard as she could to make straight A’s. It was one of the sole reasons now that Grace wanted to go to Athens, for the promise of being with her handsome Wesley. She nailed the SATs and gained early admittance to UGA. Grace sailed through her senior year on cloud nine, for soon she would be heading to Athens and reunited with her love.

While all this was happening in Grace’s world, her sisters were off having their own adventures.

Macy had won Miss Georgia but didn’t even place in the national competition. After she’d graduated from UGA, Macy moved to New York to become a Rockette. Much to their parents’ delight, Macy was dating the son of Georgia’s governor, Campbell Brayden. Mama had told Grace she thought Campbell would propose soon.

Kate had gotten into Georgia’s Institute of Technology, studied abroad in Europe for a year, then graduated with her undergraduate degree from in three years. Now she was finishing up her master’s at Tech and wasn’t even twenty-two. The same fall Grace was applying to UGA, Kate was taking the LSAT with hopes of attending an Ivy League school.

And then, right after Thanksgiving, it was about eight a.m. when the phone rang in the Cunningham’s kitchen. Grace was wrapping up her breakfast and closest to the phone. She hit the speaker button and with a mouth full of biscuit saying, “Hello, Cunningham residence.”
“Hey, Grace, good morning. It’s Campbell.”
Grace about spit out her biscuit. “Oh, hi!” She wasn’t expecting it to be Macy’s boyfriend so early. “How are you? Is everything okay?”
“Yes ma’am. Sure is. Any chance your daddy is around? There’s something I need to talk to him about.”
“Yeah, one sec.” Grace finished chewing and swallowed hard on a big bite, knowing she shouldn’t be talking with her mouthful.
“Daddy!” she called upstairs through the foyer. “Campbell’s on the phone for you.”
“Comin’!” Randy hollered back. Grace listened, waiting for Randy to pick up the other end.
“Hey Campbell, everything okay?”
“Yes sir, all is well. I’m actually going to be in Atlanta today and wanted to see if I could stop by the house or your office to talk to you about somethin’.”
Grace was intrigued but knew she probably shouldn’t be listening.
“Angel Baby,” her daddy said, “If you’re on the other end, you can get off now.”
“Ok, sorry.” Grace clicked off.

About a minute later, Caroline came down into the kitchen asking Grace, “Who was that on the phone?”
“Campbell,” Grace said. “He was callin’ to talk to Daddy.”
“This early? Was something wrong?”
“I dunno,” Grace replied returning to her biscuit. “Daddy made me hang up.”
“Hmm,” Caroline said perplexed. Randy walked into the kitchen soon after. “What’s goin’ on honey?”
“Campbell wants to meet with me today,” Randy said. “He’s coming to Atlanta and said he wants to ask me somethin’. I’m pretty sure he’s comin’ to get my permission to propose to Macy.”
“Whaaaat?” Caroline drawled. “Seriously?”
“You bet. I do believe so.” He said, smiling, then looked to Grace. “Looks like you might be getting a brother-in-law, Angel.”

Grace smiled. Not only because she was excited for her sister, but also because she was thinking of the day when Wesley would call her daddy to ask for his permission to marry her.

August 14, 2018
Q & A with Lauren Fernandez, President of Origin Development Group

Let’s get to know Lauren Fernandez, President of Origin Development Group and Atlanta’s Chicken Salad Chick locations.

Tell us your story and what led you to the path of launching Chicken Salad Chick in Atlanta?

“In 2015, I started Origin Development Group with my partners to grow restaurant brands in the fast-casual space. I wanted to leverage my years in product development and in restaurant franchising into the business of restaurant growth. We vetted a number of brands as our first investment and ultimately chose Chicken Salad Chick. The brand’s unique positioning, value and freshness proposition really resonated, especially since it too was founded by a female entrepreneur.”

What’s the Chicken Salad Chick elevator pitch?

“Chicken Salad Chick is one of the fastest growing brands in the South, delivering a mix of value, freshness and charming Southern hospitality to our guests. Our team at Origin develops the Atlanta, Augusta, and Athens markets and is the largest franchisee for the brand.”

The “Chick Trio” from Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick has experienced incredible growth since its launch. Would you share some of your secrets to success?

“At Origin, our whole company is focused not just on brand growth, but growth as professionals and as people. We’re always trying to improve. We also have the most amazing development team at Origin; I view each member of our team as partners. From the very first time we opened a new restaurant, we took the time to document every single step along the way and asked, “What’s best in class?” Now, each time we open a new restaurant, we have a clear understanding of who does what and when. At the end of each build, we ask, ‘What could we have done better or more efficiently?’”

Your home is in Atlanta but your business ranges from Augusta to Athens to Peachtree City. How is Chicken Salad Chick helping to support the region (creating jobs, etc.)? What do you see for the future of the South?

“Every time we open a new restaurant, we create 50-60 jobs in the market. We are exceptionally proud of the opportunities that we create and the resulting diversity of our team – we are over 85% female and nearly 40% minority! We are also regularly engaged in giving back to the local community. We have partnered with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, food banks and even started a School Partnership Program —we are very active and involved in all aspects of our neighborhoods for each one of our restaurants. This sense of community is what makes the South so special!”

99% of startups don’t make it to $1 million in revenue. What advice would you give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

“To all entrepreneurs, I’d say it’s vital to stay close to what you know as you build your venture. I was an attorney—not a restaurateur or operator before we formed Origin—but I had an extensive career in food and product development and in restaurant franchising. That experience formed a great base for me that gave me a running head start when we launched. As we prepare to cross another financial milestone year, we still live by our golden rule: people first, process second. When you’re scaling up from $1M to $20MM, you cannot lose sight of your people—both your team and your guests. But you also have to have standards, processes, and procedures in place from the start for nearly every facet involved.” You should also use Socialboosting to grow your following on social media.

The importance of product-market fit cannot be understated when it comes to having a startup succeed. How has Chicken Salad Chick created its own niche in the busy restaurant landscape?

“Knowing your customer and your value proposition are vital to growing any brand but knowing what you aren’t is just as important. We aren’t fast food; we do freshly made food and exceptional customer service. It’s also important that you and your team know what the brand stands for, even as you are watching your customer demographics shift over time. We pay attention to feedback; I read every single customer complaint myself.”

What are your favorite chicken salads? Any other favorites on the menu?

“I love our Dill-icious Diva chicken salad with diced cucumbers and fresh dill. I do think our scratch-made pimento cheese is one of the unsung heroes on our menu!”

Who are some of those folks you’d like to give shoutouts to?

“I have a number of people alongside me for this ride who provide endless support and encouragement. These major moments in our careers are always not about us personally, but rather looking around us to the team that got you there. Our Chick Operations team has been largely composed of women, and they are the ones deserve the shout out for making Origin so successful.”

What comes next? What are your goals for 2018 and beyond?

“I’m looking forward to taking on more coaching and speaking engagements focused on empowering women in their careers. I will be launching a workshop soon to assist women in making career changes under my coaching seminars called Speaking Broadly. [link: thefernandezcompany.com/speakingbroadly]. I am always looking for the next brand to partner with for their growth, either in an operations and development role, serving on the board for other companies or perhaps even jumping back full time into leadership. Stay tuned!”

For more information, please visit Chicken Salad Chick’s website or call 844-41-CHICK (844-412-4425). Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and special contests from Chicken Salad Chick.

Editor’s note – photo credit for Lauren’s headshot = Cat Max photography

August 13, 2018
Georgia Katharine Cunningham – The “Li’l Liberal”

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Georgia Katherine Cunningham but everyone called her Kate.

Kate was born with entirely too much gumption. When she was a baby, she actually picked her own name. She was so independent that on her first day of life, lying in her hospital crib in the nursery–where Kate’s father, Randy, was trying to capture her first moments of life on camera–Kate refused to cooperate.

He kept saying, “Georgia. Georgia. Look over here, Georgia,” yet Kate wouldn’t acknowledge his presence. So he tried, “Georgia Katherine. Katherine. Sweetheart. Sugar Bear,” and nothing worked. Finally Randy said, “Kate! Kate! Look over here.” At that, Kate rolled over and smiled at her father.

Some doctors say newborns don’t smile, but Randy took it as a sign. He went back to the room where his wife, Caroline, was resting with their oldest daughter, Macy, and Jacqueline, Caroline’s mother, his girls’ “Grand-Mère”.
“Well, we can’t call the baby Georgia,” Randy told his family.
“Why ever not?” Caroline asked. “We already filled out the birth certificate.”
“She won’t respond to her name,” he said.
“Of course she doesn’t know her name,” Caroline protested. “She’s only a few hours old.”
“I know, but she responded to Kate,” and Randy recounted the story of how their second daughter preferred to be called Kate.
“There are lots of Southern women who go by their middle names,” Grand-Mère stated. “And wasn’t Kate your mother’s name?”
“It was indeed,” Randy smiled.

That was it. From then on out she was Kate. However, Kate knew she was in trouble whenever Caroline hollered, “Georgia Katherine!” But Kate was rarely on her mom’s rotten side. Her older sister, Macy, had that covered.

As sisters only two years apart, Kate and Macy looked similar with the same light blonde hair but Kate had blue eyes like Randy while Macy had green eyes from Caroline and Grand-Mère. Despite the fact that Kate and Macy could almost be twins, the girls had very little in common. There are a couple of incidents with Macy, all before the age of five, which had a profound impact on Kate’s life.

Kate’s first memory is from the day her younger sister, Grace, was born. She was at her preschool, taking her morning nap. It was dark in the playroom and Kate slept on a cot close to the floor. She remembers hearing Randy’s deep voice waking her up saying, “Kate, I’ve come to pick you up. Your baby sister was born this morning. I’ve got cookies and apple juice waiting for you in the car.” She doesn’t remember what happened next but there’s a picture of her and Macy crowding onto Caroline’s hospital bed with the three of them holding baby Grace.

The rest of Kate’s early childhood memories are a montage. Kate remembers the day her family moved into their new big house in Atlanta, right before she started kindergarten. Though she can’t recall the tiny house in Marietta her parents first owned in the suburbs, Kate remembers standing in the long driveway of their new home with its whitewashed brick and wide front porch, thinking it was the prettiest house she had ever seen. She gazed across the yard with a few pine trees in clusters.

“Dad,” she said to her father passing by, “did you have to cut down lots of trees to build our house?”
Randy stopped, put the box he was carrying down, and said, “Well Kate, we did have to use wood to build our new house. You know houses are made of wood.”
“I know that. I want to know if you had to chop down lots of trees to make room for building our house.”
Randy stooped down to Kate’s level. “Sugar Bear, we did have to remove a few dozen trees so we could live here.”
“That’s sad,” Kate said. “We shouldn’t have to kill so many trees.”
Puzzled by his daughter’s statement, especially since Randy used to work in a timber yard, he thought for a moment before responding. “Tell you what, Kate. Why don’t you help me plant new trees? We can decide where to put them together, and we’ll buy even more baby trees than what we took down in the first place. How does that sound?”

Kate hugged her father. One of her next memories is walking around their big yard, picking out places to plant more trees. They marked the spots by sticking a flag in the ground. A truck arrived with lots of saplings: oaks, maples, poplars, dogwoods and pear trees.
“Dad, can we plant them now?” she asked
“How about you get started digging the holes?” he said, handing her a small shovel plus a pair of child’s gardening gloves in bright light blue and a pink rubber knee pad. Kate remembers walking along the property, digging holes for a few trees before the landscaping crew, like the ones from landscape renovations in Hinsdale, came the next day to finish planting them all.

Kate’s next memory was when she learned about cancer because the Cunningham’s black lab, Battle, was dying from it. Battle was miserable with pain and hiding under her parents’ big four-poster bed. Kate laid down on the floor trying to convince him to come out. Battle snapped at her, and Randy heard Kate cry out, rushing in to scoop her up out of the master bedroom. It’s Kate’s last memory of their dog. They had to put poor Battle down shortly after that.

Her memories are crisp, especially the painful ones. The Cunningham girls had a big playroom on the second floor of their new house. Mama Caroline was always on them about cleaning up their toys “or else.” There was one afternoon where Macy was screaming at Kate to help her pick up the bevy of Barbie dolls scattered across their playroom. The floor was covered with Barbie’s dresses, shoes, and a variety of pink plastic accessories.

“Kaaaa-te!” Macy screeched. “Clean up!”
“I will if you do!” Kate shrieked back.
“I am cleaning!” Macy shouted as she chucked Barbie’s pink Corvette right at Kate’s head. Kate turned around trying to dodge the toy car, but it smacked her right in the back of the noggin. Kate touched her hair and got a little blood on her tiny fingertips.
“Mo-mmmmm!” Kate wailed. Caroline rushed upstairs into their playroom to find Kate crouched on the floor with blood on her hands.
“What in the world! What are y’all doing up here? How did this happen?”
“Macy threw Barbie’s car at me!”
“Macy Bonaventure Cunningham!”
“She started it! I was only trying to clean up.”
“Go downstairs right now, Macy. Sit in the chair in the dining room. You’re in time-out.”
“For how long?”
“Until I say so. Now scoot.”

Caroline carried Kate to the kitchen where she fetched her trusty witch hazel from the refrigerator. She dabbed some on a paper towel pulling back Kate’s hair from her scalp to place it on the cut.

“Ow! Mom. That stings.”
“We can’t have it getting infected. Does it hurt much?”
“It just stings,” Kate whimpered.
“Don’t be such a baby!” Macy called from her perch in the token ‘time-out chair. Macy’s arms were crossed and she kicked her feet dangling off the seat.
“Macy, be nice. Ladies don’t act like that to one another. If you apologize to Kate, you can end your time out.”
“She should apologize to me.”
“Don’t be sassy, Macy.”
“Kate wasn’t helping to clean up.”
“That’s no reason for you to throw your toys. She’s your younger sister, and I expect better behavior from you.”
“Fine Mama,” Macy huffed. “I’m sorry Kate.”
“Say it like you mean it, and give your sister a hug.”

Macy popped down from the time-out chair and padded down towards Kate. She put one arm around her sister for a half-hearted hug.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” she simpered.
“That’s nice girls,” Caroline said. “Y’all go finish cleaning up that playroom, and then I’ll fix you a snack.”
Kate had stopped bleeding and left the kitchen to follow Macy up the back staircase.
“You’re such a tattletale,” Macy said as they started picking up Barbie’s things. Kate didn’t reply back. She didn’t want to fight anymore with her sister.

It’s moments like this that are so clear from Kate’s childhood. She can see Grace taking her first steps. Kate can also remember her fun moments from kindergarten, like when she put on her school uniform for the first time. She can still visualize her classroom at Magnolia Academy with its small cubbies, tons of books, the rice table, bright colored blocks, and the smell of bleach.

Kate’s kindergarten teacher told her she would become the first woman president.

That same year, Macy got a golden retriever for her birthday. It had been about a year since poor Battle passed, and when Randy asked Macy what she wanted for her birthday, she declared, “Daddy. I want a little gold puppy.” How could he say no to that?

As a family, they went to the animal shelter together, Grace toddling holding Caroline’s hand with Kate standing back as Macy and Randy looked through every cage.
“Daddy…” Macy whined. “They don’t have any gold puppies. I want a little gold puppy.” She said this in front of a rather sad-looking beagle that Kate thought would’ve made a great pet after the loss of Battle. But it was Macy’s birthday and the pup was her present. Shortly after, Randy saw an advertisement in the newspaper for purebred golden retriever puppies. One day the girls came home from school to find a fluffy golden ball of fur dragging a teddy bear around the kitchen.
“It’s my gold puppy!” Macy screamed dropping her backpack to rush towards the puppy. She sat on the floor and pulled the dog into her arms. “Is it a boy or girl, Daddy?”
“She’s a girl. What should we name her?”
“Goldie,” Macy said.
Kate went up to try and pet the pup. She got one good pat on her head before Macy turned around. “She’s my dog. You can hold her when I’m done.”
“Now Macy, you have to share Goldie. She’s part of our family.”
“Fine,” Macy rolled her eyes. “You can pet her, Kate.”
Kate touched the puppy’s soft gold fur and it licked her hand. She giggled and sat there with her sister. Grace joined them on the kitchen floor, taking her baby blanket to cover the puppy. There’s a picture of all three little Cunningham girls cuddling Goldie.

For her next birthday, Kate asked for a dog too, and Randy, always trying to be fair said, “Yes, Kate, you can also get a dog.” This time, Kate decided they would adopt from the pound. She found this scruffy little gray dog that looked part terrier and who-else-knows-what. When the family brought the mutt home, Goldie immediately adopted it like she was her own baby. Kate named her Gaia. She was big on Captain Planet at the time.
“That’s a stupid name,” Macy quipped.
“It means Mother Earth.”
“Why would you name a dog after the planet?”
“At least I picked something unique for my pet’s name, ’cause Goldie is such an original name for a golden dog.”
“No one is going to know what Gaia means,” Macy said trotting off. “You’re so weird.”

Kate sighed. Even as a little girl, Kate knew she didn’t quite fit in with the south. While Macy was off taking ballet classes, Kate would hole up in her room reading with both Gaia and Goldie at her feet. While Macy opted to play dress up, Kate liked to wear oversized t-shirts declaring “Save the whales!” and “Save the rainforest!”

At Christmas when Kate was about seven, she passed on the ham declaring herself to be a vegetarian because she didn’t want to eat any more animals. Her Uncle Charley, Randy’s brother, asked her, “What’s up with not eating meat? And those hippie shirts? Are you some kind of liberal?”
“What does liberal mean Uncle Charley?”
“Well some folks think it’s a dirty word,” her uncle said. “It can mean radical, different, or open to new ideas. It’s the opposite of being conservative.”
“I just want to help save the world,” Kate said. “If that makes me a liberal, then I think I’m on the right side.”
Uncle Charley chuckled. “Good luck with that one, kiddo.”

From that Christmas forward, Kate was the “li’l liberal” of the Cunningham family, and this was way before she ever really knew what was happening in the world.

Editor’s note — fast forward fifteen years to Macy getting engaged to Campbell, from the Republican dynastic Boyd and Brayden families, and Kate was gonna cause a ruckus.more on Kate coming soon.

August 11, 2018
Bloveit – The Concierge Date Night Service

The trick to successful relationships is to always feel like you’re dating your partner, and Bloveit is here to help.

In our (almost) eight years of marriage, my husband and I have committed to weekly date nights. Typically on Friday nights, it’s the one night a week we reserve just for us. And while we have our go-to spots, we’re always looking to try something new. Which is why I was super excited to learn about Bloveit, a date night concierge service for couples.

Bloveit was kind enough to offer us a complimentary date night to St. Cecilia in Atlanta so we could check out the experience for ourselves. We’ll get into those details in a minute, but first, let’s get to know more about this concept from Bloveit’s CEO & founder, Ugo Ezeamuzie.

Tell us your story and what led you to the path of launching Bloveit?

“Oh man, that’s a long story, but in a nutshell, I’ve always been passionate about dating and relationships. I lived in New York City for about five years and was kind of a “Hitch” for my friends, helping them plan dates and navigate their dating/romantic relationships and even recommending products like this dragon style dildo they could use in their relationships. That experience helped me see just how much of a pain planning dates can be for a lot of people. The idea for Bloveit was conceived in NYC but it was birthed in ATL, and we couldn’t have picked a better city for our launch. Not only does Atlanta have incredible talent coming out of Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory, Morehouse and so many other schools, but it has an amazing restaurant scene, tech scene and a demographic that’s responding so well to our product.” If you’re unlucky when it comes to days, you might as well experiment with products. Just make sure to be cautious. No wonder there are information such as sex toy injuries.

“Our mission is to empower people to be their most romantic self. We think helping couples plan date nights in a fast, easy and delightful way is a great first step in accomplishing that mission.”

What’s the Bloveit elevator pitch, and how has Bloveit grown since it launched?

“Bloveit is a date night concierge that helps busy couples plan awesome date nights at the click of a button. We started the date night concierge concept in April 2017 and since then we’ve grown 42X. But not only have we grown, we’re seeing great retention as well because we’re helping couples develop the date night habits they’ve always wanted. So many couples know and talk about the incredible benefits of doing date night on a consistent basis. But many of them have never been able to create a plan and stick to it. Bloveit makes that super fun and easy.”

“We make help couples build a consistent date night habit, spend quality time together, discover new restaurants and ideas in your city, stay intimate & connected, have a blast together and create new memories. Is that what we all want in our relationships?”

The importance of product-market fit cannot be understated when it comes to having a startup succeed. How has Bloveit created its own niche?

“About 99% of the products, apps, and brands out there in the dating and relationship space are created with singles in mind. We wanted to create something for couples. There are so many dating apps out there for every kind of single person and they’re all designed to help singles find someone. But what happens after you’ve already found someone? How do you keep that relationship fresh, fun and exciting for the next 10, 20, 30-plus years? We believe the couples market is completely untapped and is a niche that represents a huge opportunity.”

What are your favorite date nights you’ve been on or planned for clients? Any favorite menus? Fave drinks? Activities?

“Personally, I’m a fan of Barcelona Wine Bar. I just love the vibe and ambiance in there. Plus the tapas are delicious! But I think what’s more fun is planning dates for our couples. We’re seeing couples ask us to help them plan dates to celebrate some of their most special occasions. We’ve had couples plan birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day and many more.”

“As I’m writing this, we’re helping one of our couples with a gender reveal on their Bloveit date. The wife reached out and wanted us to help us surprise her husband with the gender of their baby on the way. That’s incredible! We’re so honored to get to share in those kinds of special moments with our couples. It’s so rewarding!”

What’s your perfect date night? Or the best date you’ve been on in ATL?

“My girlfriend and I’s first date was super low key but really fun. We had dinner at Waffle House in Midtown (classy I know) and then got ice cream at Jeni’s and then walked over to JCT Kitchen for some cocktails and live music. Best first date ever!”

Who are some of those folks you’d like to give shoutouts to?

“I’m super proud of the work my team is doing so obviously shout out to them. Our Techstars mentors and advisors have also been really helpful so shout out them for sure!”

What’s the revenue model for Bloveit?

We make money in two ways:
1. We charge couples $9.99 per month to plan each date night.
2. We negotiate to take a 10-15% cut of the total bill from the restaurant side.

Editor’s note — learn more in this interview Ugo from Bloveit did with Atlanta Tech Edge

What comes next? What are your goals for 2018 and beyond?

“Our primary goal for 2018 is to find product-market fit, and we have a few milestones associated with that goal. For example, we have plans to launch a new version of Bloveit which will have some key features we’ve been working on, like our gifting feature, where someone can gift a Bloveit date to their couple friends. We also have plans to complete our pre-seed round of funding that is live right now. We also want to make a couple of new hires to help us with tech and marketing.”

“As for goals beyond 2018, we want to be our second city by late 2019, and then grow from there.”

Your home is in Atlanta. How is Bloveit helping to support our city’s growth? What do you see for the future of the South?

“We hope to employ a ton of people here in Atlanta in the years to come. We also hope to build the next great consumer brand to come out of Atlanta that rivals the likes of MailChimp, Scoutmob, etc. And I think we can do it because we care about the space so much! We’re so passionate about empowering people to be their most romantic self – that’s our mission and that’s what drives us every day!”

“I think Atlanta has so much potential and with it comes the South as well. I think the tech scene in Atlanta, in particular, is going to explode in the next five years.”

Now here are pictues from our own Bloveit date night at St. Cecilia.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a flower and ‘love note’ from Bloveit waiting on our table.

Chef Craig Richards was kind enough to send out a hamachi crudo appetizer. It was exceptional!

What’s a date night without aphrodisiacs?! The oysters at St. Cecilia were awesome.

This squid ink pasta with clams was sooo good! Bloveit sends you the options for your dinner before arriving, and while I was nervous about the squid ink at first, it was so tasty that my husband and I swapped plates halfway through the meal!

I love Bloveit so much that I became a subscriber. It’s only $9.99 per month and the first month is free. To learn more, check out Bloveit’s website and blog plus follow Bloveit on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

Thanks again to the Bloveit team for our awesome date night, and be sure to follow along with our adventures at Pretty Southern. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

August 10, 2018