Chris Ortego of Cotton Blues Cheesecake Company doesn’t believe success happens by chance, but he does believe in timing. “If you’re prepared when opportunity comes, that’s when you create your own luck.”
When Chris’ father was rushed to the emergency room in 2009, he mentioned to his nurse that his son was in the country club business. The nurse, whose own son had just graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Las Vegas, asked for Chris’ contact information. Her son was Shaun Davis, a young pastry chef eager to tackle his first professional gig. Shaun called Chris immediately but was intimidated by the demands of running a dessert line in a busy kitchen; he spent the next two years working in a bakery and learning the business. Confident in the experience he gained, he called Chris again just as Chris was looking for a pastry chef for his new restaurant, Cotton Blues in Hattiesburg.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Centenary college
In the woods of rural Rankin County lies the history of Mississippi’s first medical college.
Four pounds of fortuitous timing
The cheesecake with a story good enough to eat
Oxford's dirty business
A gas station-turned-plant shop is a perfect spot for an OIL change.
Secret garden
A walled and plant-filled courtyard is a private sanctuary for a Madison couple.
The Home Team
Old friends join forces to breathe life into a historic home on HGTV’s hit television series “Home Town.”
On the waterfront
A Jackson home takes full advantage of its lakeside location, swans and all.
Nourishing a community
Jerry Thompson’s heart and love of gardening combine to feed Tupelo children.
Climbing to the top
The Hattiesburg Zoo offers high views and fun times with animals.
CHICKEN COME HOME TO ROOST
Quarantine ignites a need for eggs and a home for feathered friends.
A heart for horses
Mississippi Horse Rescue offers a safe place for at-risk equines.
Elsa & Chris' MARRIAGE STRUGGLES
hollywood HEARTBEAT
WILL SMITH: 'MY WHOLE LIFE IS GETTING DESTROYED'
A NEWLY RELEASED INTERVIEW REVEALS WILL SMITH IMAGINED HIS LIFE GOING SOUTH BEFORE IT DID!
The fight for Init Freedom DEVUAN
Devuan, with its promise of Init Freedom, provides users an alternative to systemd as an init process.
Influencers Have Platforms, Celebs Have Street Style
And yeah, they're definitely using it to stay famous.
Home SWEET Home
Ferguson & Shamamian Architects designs an inspired farmhouse with spectacular Atlantic views in East Hampton.
mini marvels
HUMMINGBIRDS HAVE TRAITS THAT MAKE THEM ENTERTAINING, BUT THOSE SAME QUALITIES HELP THEM THRIVE.
WILL SMITH'S UGLY GANG TIES EXPOSED!
Assault bust linked to kidnapping of music mogul's son
LEAVING A CHAR
Chefs are grilling salads and coaxing meat lovers to eat their veggies
The New Age of the Society Swan
How a ’50s archetype found her way back into the limelight.
An Exclusive Interview With Christophe Meireis
After several years of self-taught practice, Christophe Meireis took photo training, after which he launched himself as a freelance photographer.