Ready-Made: Holiday Meals From JXN Restaurants

If the thought of cooking a holiday meal is overwhelming to you, relax.

Several Jackson restaurants have you covered with ready-made meals that only require you to heat and eat. Focus your creativity on setting a beautiful table, putting the food on your best platters, and impressing your dinner guests.

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey, is set on a festive table.
Holiday catering from The Manship
Credit: Elizabeth Augustine

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen – 1200 North State Street

With a Mediterranean-inspired menu executed with a Southern flair, creating a traditional holiday meal is a little out of the norm for Chef Alex Eaton and his crew at The Manship.

“It has really become one of our most popular offerings of the year,” said catering manager Ebony Jones. The restaurant has been offering a package deal for both Thanksgiving and Christmas for the past few years, and Ebony said many of the people who buy it are repeat customers. “People like the convenience and they like knowing they can serve their guests food that will taste great.”

The restaurant offers a choice of turkey, ham or pork shoulder, along with dressing, gravy, cranberry relish, two sides and a dessert choice of bread pudding or pumpkin pie.

Mangia Bene Catering – 3317 North State Street

Mangia Bene uses a collaboration of all three of their restaurants – BRAVO!, Sal & Mookie’s and Broad Street Bakery to offer ready-made meals for the holidays

“We have been doing this for over a decade,” said manager Katie Leach. “We offer everything from salads, soups, main courses, sides, fresh-baked bread and rolls, to desserts.”

Main courses include Cajun fried turkey breast, oven-roasted half turkey or a honey-glazed Smithfield ham. Sides include andouille dressing made with Broad Street’s famous focaccia and Chef Dan Blumenthal’s popular spinach casserole. Leach said there are many more sides from which to choose.

Brunch is also offered, including Broad Street’s rustic deep-dish quiche and velvety cheese grits.

Don’t forget dessert! Bourbon pecan pie, decorated sugar cookies, BRAVO’s double chocolate bread pudding and even cinnamon rolls.

Sugar’s Place — 168 E Griffith Street

This family-oriented and family-run restaurant specializes in classic Southern food to heal your soul. Not only do they have a stellar, homemade menu year-round, but Sugar’s Place also features a yearly holiday catering menu for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Glenda Barner, daughter of “Sugar,” the restaurant’s namesake, said, “We offer the

same menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The main feature is our Sugar’s Deep-Fried Turkey and our Sugar’s cornbread dressing.”

In addition to their signature turkey, Sugar’s prepares traditional sides for their catering menu, as well. From greens to macaroni and cheese, to honeybun cake, your holiday table is covered thanks to Sugar’s Place. Visit their Facebook page, Sugar’s Place Downtown, to learn more and see their holiday menu.

“Our menu items are prepared from scratch as my mother taught me,” Barner said.

“I passed it on to my son, Chef Donovan, and my cousins who operate the kitchen. We are even teaching my grandsons how to fix dressing and other menu items and holiday favorites.”

You can call Glenda Barner at 601-750-6562 to place your order.

Brisket at The Pig & Pint

The Pig and Pint – 3139 North State Street

Open since 2014, Chef Grant Hutcheson and his business partner, Chris Clark, have been dishing up their award-winning smoked meats – including smoked brisket – and innovative takes on Southern fare to a loyal following.

“We are thrilled at the recognition our food has received,” said Clark. Most recently, Pig and Pint’s Pepsi Cola-glazed baby back ribs were featured on The Best Thing Ever on the Food Network.

“We sell a lot of meat for holiday gatherings,” said Clark. “This year we will be doing some sort of packaged take-out meal.”

It’s not unusual for folks to order pans of Pig and Pint’s delicious sides, including collards, comeback coleslaw, mango coleslaw, Southern baked beans, smoked green beans and potato salad.

“We also sell our desserts by the pan,” said Clark. “People who don’t really like bread pudding rave about our white chocolate cranberry bread pudding and we also sell a lot of our bananas foster pudding, which is a marriage between bananas foster and banana pudding.”

Wellington’s at The Hilton Jackson – 1001 East County Line Road

Another option for a more traditional meal is Wellington’s, known for its buffet at The Hilton Jackson.

The restaurant is offering a “Classic Package” that serves 10-12. It includes a 12-16-pound roasted turkey, a gallon of cornbread dressing, one quart of giblet gravy, two quarts of green beans, a pint of cranberry sauce, one dozen rolls, a Mississippi Mud Pie and an apple pie, all for $145.

Their a la carte offerings include classic package dishes plus a Honey Baked Ham and a lemon icebox pie. Prices range from $26 to $75 for individual items.

A minimum 48-hour notice is required. Contact Wellington’s at 601-957-2800.

A small cafe surrounded by greenery
Elvie's at Belhaven Town Center

Elvie's - 809 Manship Street

At Hunter Evans's and Cody McCain's Elvie's at Belhaven Town Center, Christmas brings with it a special menu for holiday takeaway.

Order Parker House Rolls (7-8) with honey butter ($11), Duck Confit Pie (serves 6-8) ($45), or Elvaretta Madeline, a creamy parmesan spinach and artichoke dip topped with bread crumbs ($30). There's even boozy iced coffee tiramisu ($45).

Orders begin now with the last day to order on December 15. Pick up is available December 22-23.

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Susan Marquez

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Susan Marquez