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Crafting His Own Career
Abigail Walker
Brandon native Graham Carraway says he “can’t sit still.” Between serving up signature
dishes at Estelle in downtown Jackson and crafting one-of-a-kind lettering with his design
business, the twenty-six-year-old has his hands full. But he’s proving that success can come
from chasing your dreams.
Carraway earned a degree in finance from Mississippi State University in 2013. He
worked at an investment firm for a little over a year until he realized he was called to do
something else.
“I always loved to cook,” he says. “My grandmother gave me a food processor when I was 14.”
His dad also passed down his own experimental cooking style to his son. But besides
some bartending in college, Carraway didn’t have any restaurant experience. He got his start
working at Parlor Market in Jackson before moving to Estelle Wine Bar and Bistro, where he
has been the lead line cook since they opened last summer.
Carraway enjoys crafting cuisine that not only tastes good, but also looks good. “You eat
with your eyes first,” he says.
But chef isn’t the only title he holds. Carraway says his other job sort of “fell into [his] lap”
when a friend asked him to address her wedding invitations. “I didn’t know people got paid
to do that,” he says. “I thought it wouldn’t be that hard, but it turned out to be pretty difficult.”
After countless practice envelopes, Carraway mastered his calligraphy skills enough to
keep pursuing the art and eventually start his own lettering business—J. Graham Design.
“I’ve always been interested in lettering and typography,” says Carraway. He adds that his
fascination with graffiti while growing up was a bit of a concern for his parents, but they gave
him a space where he could draw and paint to his heart’s content.
Hometown Brandon • 25