In early June, after vaccinations and a year of no traveling, my husband, Rick, and I hit the road and headed out West to visit the five big national parks in Utah—Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. We also found some state park gems like Dead Horse Point near Moab and Snow Canyon … Continue reading An Epic Road Trip in the American West
Food brings people together. No question about that. And creating a gathering place for conversation and fellowship, as well as good food, was one of the reasons behind Hubbard’s Off Main in Historic Main Street Oxford. That’s because the restaurant’s owner, Charlotte Hubbard, is one of her city’s most steadfast champions. Hubbard has served on … Continue reading Hubbard’s Off Main is a Main Attraction in Oxford
Bizarre: The Coffee Bar is a coffee bar by day and a bar bar at night, but this unusual place also is an all-day incubator for several minority-owned local businesses. The café, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (most nights), has become a hub in Birmingham’s Black business community, offering space for multiple vendors to attract attention … Continue reading Lots of Things are Brewing at Bizarre: The Coffee Bar
Yo’ Mama’s, a homegrown lunch and brunch place in downtown Birmingham, has long enjoyed a loyal local (and regional) following. Now the eatery has attracted some welcome, timely national attention, too. Yo’ Mama’s is one of about three dozen restaurants around the country – and the only one in Alabama – to receive a James Beard … Continue reading Yo’ Mama’s only Alabama restaurant to receive James Beard Foundation grant
Sage Juice Bar & Speakeasy in downtown Tuscaloosa is a lot of things to a lot of people. That’s because the offerings and the ambiance change from hour to hour—all day, every day. Photo by Jen Brown. The place starts early each morning as a juice bar and transitions to a bar bar at night. It seems … Continue reading A Fresh Approach to Every Day
Your first clue that The Lumbar is a bar like no other is the row of beers on tap. They are situated on what owner Rylie Hightower calls the Spinal Tap, and there are 26 of them—the same as the number of vertebrae in a human spine. Then there’s the giant (16-foot) microscope that’s actually … Continue reading Celebrating Women & Science at The Lumbar
Jake’s Soul Food Café was created to satisfy a personal longing for a certain kind of comfort food. For the past six years, the small restaurant has attracted a large, loyal fan base who apparently find the Southern soul food and Caribbean dishes comforting, too. photo from Jake's Soul Food Cafe In 2014, newlyweds Dawn … Continue reading Feeding Body and Soul
You might have an ahnvee and not even know it. Ahnvee is Cajun slang for “hunger,” as in: “I’ve got an ahnvee for some good gumbo.” Uncle Mick’s Cajun Market & Café in Prattville can satisfy that hunger. In fact, the restaurant’s chicken and sausage gumbo is one of the 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama. And it really is … Continue reading Cajun Flavors in the Fountain City
Friends, I am on the host committee of GirlSpring's Winter Party. GirlSpring was founded by my friend Jane Stephens Comer in 2010, and its mission is to empower girls by giving them access to accurate information, inspiring events, and positive female role models. Their largest program is https://www.girlspring.com, an online magazine run and managed by … Continue reading Celebrating Girls with GirlSpring
For Ryan Zargo, the chef-owner of Farmhouse of Springville, the idea of local is serious business. It’s personal, too. That’s exactly why he opened his fresh, new restaurant near where he lives. “I’m local,” he says. “I grew up in Trussville; I live in Odenville. I’m very passionate about food, and … there’s just not … Continue reading Live Local, Eat Local
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