Ellington

Leading lawmakers, medical researchers and health-care professionals will convene on Jackson Nov. 9 through Nov. 11 for the Global Obesity Summit 2010. Sponsored by the the University of the Mississippi Medical Center and the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, the event is part of an effort by UMMC to develop a international-caliber research center dedicated to studying and treating obesity, the Center for Obesity, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Research.

The summit, held at the Jackson Convention Center, features keynote addresses from Congressman Bennie Thompson, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, as well as a video welcome from former President Bill Clinton. Presentations over two days will bring together researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health, among other institutions.

Other panel discussions will focus on the public health, policy and economic aspects of obesity and feature state figures such as former Congressman Mike Espy and former Sen. Trent Lott.

For more information, visit gos.umc.edu.

Seafood on Lakeland
Danny Eslava is taking his talent for seafood to Flowood. The original chef at AJ's Seafood Grille in Ridgeland has teamed up with Phuong Pham, owner of Vietnamese restaurant Saigon, to create Eslava's Grille. The new restaurant opened Oct 5. on Lakeland Drive, near Saigon.

Eslava, who was born in Colombia but has lived in Jackson since he was 16, says that the menu at his namesake restaurant will feature Latin-influenced dishes like ceviche in addition to pastas, steaks and salads.

Eslava's Grille is currently open Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The restaurant will open for Sunday lunch soon and is hoping to get a liquor license, Eslava said.

Eslava's Grille is located at 2481 Lakeland Drive. 601-932-4070

Lumpkin's Drive-Through
Raymond Road restaurant Lumpkin's BBQ now offers drive-through service on Thursday and Friday evenings, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The drive-through, which opened last week, has a simplified menu, including pulled-pork sandwiches, ribs, fried chicken and a variety of side dishes.

The barbecue restaurant also hosts a fundraising event, Barbecue, Books & Blues, to support local artist Bill Wilson's second children's book, "The Fib." Admission to the Dec. 4 event is $25 and covers the cost of food, entertainment and a copy of the book, with some of the proceeds also going to place copies of the book in Jackson Public Schools.

Lumpkin's is located at 182 Raymond Road. Call 601-373-7707 for more information.

Small Business Loan Clinic
The U.S. Small Business Administration hosts a loan clinic Nov. 2 to educate business owners and entrepreneurs about SBA loan opportunities. The clinic, which the SBA holds the first Tuesday of every month, takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the SBA's Mississippi office, at 210 E. Capitol Street, in the tenth-floor conference room.

For more information or to register, go to sba.gov/ms, email [e-mail missing] or call 601-965-4378, ext. 11.