Madan Babu

The director of the Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery has discovered a few of the hidden gems that make East Memphis a place of community and endless adventure for his young family.

Image of exterior of a restaurant — © 2022 KAREN PULFER FOCHT © Karen Pulfer Focht-ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE FOOD SCENE

The food scene has become really very creative. With more people moving here from different places around the world, ethnic food has become more authentic, which is good to see. We love how diverse Memphis is. We love exploring area restaurants such as Global Café, located inside Crosstown Concourse, which serves a variety of delicious dishes cooked by refugee food entrepreneurs. We also like exploring Cooper-Young restaurants like Celtic Crossing and the Beauty Shop.

I have been all over the world, and Memphis is a hidden gem.

Madan Babu

Director, Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Discovery

East Memphis

Madan's Story

PATIO STORIES | East Memphis

THE PEOPLE

We live in River Oaks in East Memphis. We love the big trees, quiet walkable streets, proximity to school, and lovely neighbors—many of whom have become friends. We have met people from all over the world here who are kind, intellectually engaging, and interesting. The community has helped make Memphis our home.

THE CYCLING CONNECTION

We have been pleasantly surprised by how green, walkable, cyclable Memphis and the surrounding areas are. Three of us are avid cyclists and usually cycle down the Greenline when the weather is good and end up at Shelby Farms Park. We love the fact that we could get on the Greenline and bike to a friend’s house on the other side of town. We love to take a picnic lunch with us, or sometimes our destination is a restaurant close to the Greenline.