Lydia Waters
A sold-out event focused on the support of small food businesses made its debut in Oxford on Aug. 17. The Snack Down featured more than 15 local vendors who touted goods ranging from savory foods to sweets to delicious beverages.
Organizers aimed to sell at least 250 tickets but were excited to welcome a crowd of 300 people to the Powerhouse for the event. The Powerhouse featured many separate tables decked out with colorful displays of everything from appetizing chicken sandwiches to decorated cookies surrounded by more tables for attendees to sit, eat and drink.
Greater Hites Coffee Co., one of the vendors, focuses on spreading joy — and caffeine — throughout the Oxford community. Their drinks range from iced beverages and hot coffee to Red Bull spritzers and Italian iced sodas.
“My goal is to bring a smile to everybody’s face with one cup of coffee,” Suprina Hite, Greater Hites Coffee Co.’s owner, said.
The Snack Down offered Greater Hites and other small businesses a chance to connect with members of the community. This event potentially brought in future customers, but also deepened the relationships between businesses and their established supporters.
New businesses were also given a chance to shine. Tim Woodard, an Ole Miss alum who has lived in Oxford since graduating in 2003, has built a catering business, Little Easy Catering.
“We’re about to open up a food truck that’s going to be called Soul to Soul,” Woodard said.
This food truck will be located at the Oxford Armory Pavilion this fall and is set to feature an array of culinary delights including chicken sandwiches, smash burgers, funnel cakes and corn dogs. Some of their upscale “fair food” was featured at their Snack Down table to advertise their upcoming opening.
Participants enjoyed the event just as much as the vendors did. The crowd enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere while chatting with each other and with vendors and learning more about the special crafts in their area.
“(It was) an opportunity to help out the town and try all these awesome foods and drinks, which are really delicious,” Brittany Campbell said.
State College, Penn., native Brittany Campbell heard about this event through newspapers around town. She was drawn to the event’s sense of community.
“I love to see all the people that are here and the community that came out and supported these businesses,” Campbell said.
Plenty of work behind the scenes was put in as well, with Ole Miss students helping.
Jonathan “Than” Clayton, a senior film major from New Albany, Miss., works as an event coordinator for the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. His role is to build the events, make sure they run smoothly and tear them down afterward.
“Building (The Snack Down) up has been unique because we’ve been able to bring in a lot of people from Oxford and from the surrounding areas and have been able to share the culture,” Clayton said.
Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Director Wane Andrews helped support the event by hosting it on his site.
“We focus a lot on building the resources to support small businesses or local businesses and so as part of Leadership Lafayette I proposed a concept of focusing on food entrepreneurs,” Andrews said.
Lafayette Leadership, a volunteer-centered community group in Oxford, orchestrated The Snack Down. This event is one of the four that the organization has planned for their year. The Snack Down, particularly, was created by the following team members: Elizabeth Tettleton Mason, Amelia Ott, Cassie DiMauro, Eathen Rainey, Mason Chapin and Mike Burks.
Andrews expressed his wish to see growth within the Oxford community and also considered The Snack Down an opportunity for minority-owned businesses to promote themselves. He intended for these businesses to have exposure in both Oxford and from visitors from other regions.
“The authentic feel of a place and how we celebrate the stories and the culture and the diversity within our town comes from those businesses that are telling their own truth through their work,” Andrews said.
The Snack Down hopes to come back again next year with more participating vendors and culinary innovation to display.
Editor’s Note: Lafayette Leadership of Oxford is creator of The Snack Down. Due to a reporting error, the creator was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.
