Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1532159
"I had a moment. It warmed my heart watching that NuWay crew treat Oprah just like us." Jessica Walden President & CEO of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce A s the daughter of music manager Alan Walden, and niece of Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden, Jessica Walden has seen a lot of spotlights and camera-ready moments. How could she not? Who knew that one faithful day in 2007, at a renowned Macon restaurant, the limelight would find her in a moment that would leave her breathless. The lights and cameras, and those manning them, were with Oprah Winfrey, in town taping Oprah's Favorite Things show. Walden and her girlfriends were on an Oprah hunt. Catching up with O required a plan of action. Walden connected with her buds by phone at work, and committed to finding her during their lunch break. They caught her leaving a standing room only H & H Restaurant just as they arrived. The ladies got a good glance at television's queen of daytime before she was whisked away, leaving them thinking it was to be their one and only moment. Excitement exceeded hunger, but now their bellies were reminding them why they got together in the first place. Even after Oprah left, getting into H&H was impossible, so they headed to NuWay Wieners on Cotton Avenue. Fast forward to Walden preparing to tackle her All The Way and Slaw Dogs, accompanied by other must-have items like a Dressed Bun and Coke with crushed ice. For those unfamiliar with NuWay, Walden described the All The Way as that red hot dog on a bun covered in mustard, onions, and off the charts minced meat chili sauce. The Dressed Bun is the same – minus the hot dog. Her mastery of the menu has deep roots, said Walden. NuWay is where she ate regularly as a young girl. "I even read aloud for the first time from the famous sign, 'I'd go a long way for a NuWay Weiner,'" she fondly remembered during our conversation. Bouncing back and forth between childhood nostalgia and her most memorable Macon meal, Walden at NuWay on Cotton and when she realized Oprah would be eating lunch with them. The doors literally locked behind her, and it was then customers started spewing menu items into the atmosphere for Oprah to choose from. "I hollered out 'Be sure she gets an All The Way,'" Walden said, insisting that Winfrey would be remiss if she didn't sample one. Watching a celeb take in her first NuWay meal was memorable. But what stood out the most was the calmness and courtesy with which it was delivered, consistent with how it was served daily to Walden before Oprah even knew the iconic restaurant existed. "I had a moment. It warmed my heart watching that NuWay crew treat Oprah just like us. They went about doing their job like it was no big deal." That moment for her was so Macon, she said. The care preparing Oprah's meal, the energy of the crowd, the smell of onions, her friends' excitement, and that All the Way followed by Coke with crushed ice. It reminded her that food is connecting. "NuWay is such a bridge in this community. Looking back on that day reminds me that Oprah kind of dropped in. Sometimes the taste is secondary to the experience." 56 maconmagazine.com | February/March 2025