Food of My People features local talent from a variety of backgrounds and cultures for a community dinner
Snackbar, Oxford’s neighborhood restaurant and living room led by 2019 James Beard “Best Chef: South,” Vishwesh Bhatt, announces a continuation of its dinner series, Food of my People. Hosted by Snackbar, a part of City Grocery Restaurant Group, Food of My People spotlights a crossover of cuisines, bringing local talent who represent a variety of cultural backgrounds to the restaurant.
The first installment of this year’s dinner series will be a two-night event on Tuesday, April 4 and Wednesday, April 5, featuring Sparky Reardon, who served as the Ole Miss Dean of Students for over 20 years.
“We are so excited to continue Snackbar’s Food of My People series, starting with Sparky Reardon in April. Kicking off with Sparky is something the entire team has been looking forward to,” said Vishwesh Bhatt, Executive Chef of Snackbar. “We are all excited to help bring another exciting and food-filled summer to Oxford.”
The upcoming dinners with Sparky Reardon will be an eight-course family-style meal featuring special menu items created by Chef Bhatt and Sparky including antipasti, pasta alla norma, scampi, and braciole.
Sparky Reardon retired to Taylor, Mississippi, after thirty-six years of working at Ole Miss; twenty of those as dean of students. A son of the Mississippi Delta, he was raised among four generations of a large Sicilian family. Every family meal was a celebration where Sicilian/Italian cooking blended with the traditional cooking of the Delta. Reardon has spent considerable time in Sicily, eating his way through the island, taking occasional cooking classes, and mastering la dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing.
“I have been a fan of Chef Bhatt since before we got the chance to meet,” said Sparky. “We have been collaborating on the menu for weeks and can’t wait to see this come to fruition.”
Snackbar is located at 721 N Lamar Boulevard in Oxford. The Food of My People series will continue in the coming months with special guests to be announced.
