A small stretch of downtown Jackson has now been renamed “Hal White Way” in honor of the late restaurateur who co-founded Hal & Mal’s, a restaurant and bar that has been central to the capital city’s cultural life.
Family, friends, and city officials recently gathered at the section of Pascagoula Street that runs from South State Street to Commerce Street – the roadway that connects Hal & Mal’s to the rest of downtown – for a renaming ceremony. After the idea was first brought about in 2017, the Jackson City Council approved plans last fall to create Hal White Way.
“The street naming provides a fitting directional marker to the establishment that has served as Jackson’s living room for nearly four decades,” a press release from Visit Jackson noted.
The ceremony featured heartfelt words from city officials and members of Hal’s family, including his brother and Hal & Mal’s co-founder Malcolm White.
Ann White, Hal’s widow, provided some insight into the moments before the cover was pulled off revealing the new street sign: “I walked down this street…and I talked to Hal the whole way. I think he probably would have been smiling to know that he has this little street named after him.”
Hal & Mal’s has served as a staple to Jackson for more than four decades, serving as a reliable lunch spot during the day and a popular music venue and watering hole at night. Founded by the White brothers in 1984, talks to move operations to the next generation were sped up by Hal’s passing in 2013. In 2022, it was announced that fellow restaurateurs Damien and Mary Sanders Cavicchi would become the new owners.
The Cavicchis have since built on what the Whites created with Hal & Mal’s, adding a new bar called “The Walk-In” in what was once the restaurant’s walk-in cooler. The quaint bar is an additional option for those who are looking for light plates and specialty cocktails.
The unveiling of Hal White Way could not have been timelier as thousands gathered downtown this past Saturday for the Hal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade. The annual Irish get-together was created by the White brothers in 1983 with the city’s largest signature event being renamed in memory of Hal in 2016.
