On September 20th, hundreds of hungry folks will make their way to Old Alabama Town historic district in downtown Montgomery, where they’ll chat, sip cool beverages, and slurp oysters under the shade of the area’s abundant trees during the third annual Montgomery Oyster Festival. They come to eat fresh, farm-raised oysters shucked on site, as well […]

Many Alabama towns boast at least one dedicated burger joint, and plenty of other restaurants — even those devoted to other culinary categories like barbecue — feature a hamburger on their menus. Every day, thousands of Alabamians file into these eateries and fill their bellies with burgers, evidence of the state’s affection for the staple […]

The best-laid plans often crumble. But it’s okay. Sometimes, the deck is stacked against you; the stars are misaligned; the recipe is just wrong. So it was for me the Christmas that I decided to build a gingerbread house. Note, I did not write decorate. I was above buying one of the already put-together gingerbread […]

Many Alabama towns boast at least one dedicated burger joint, and plenty of other restaurants — even those devoted to other culinary categories like barbecue — feature a hamburger on their menus. Every day, thousands of Alabamians file into these eateries and fill their bellies with burgers, evidence of the state’s affection for the staple […]

A nutty scent fills the sunlit back room of an old schoolhouse, right outside Greensboro’s downtown. It’s the commercial kitchen of Abadir’s and all is quiet and still; the only movement is Sarah Cole rolling out her toasty tahini cookie dough. (The warming tahini of a batch already in the oven is providing the roasting-nut perfume.) Most […]

Afternoon sun streams through a big bay window, putting a natural spotlight on a thick stack of rosemary-scented ham and creamy whipped butter on an hours-out-of-the-oven baguette. It deserves the attention. It’s the French Pig sandwich and one of the offerings that draws a steady stream of folks – locals and otherwise – to Tallassee’s Grove […]

To fans of HGTV’s popular TV show “Home Town,” it’s obvious: Stars Ben and Erin Napier have a sweet spot for small towns. While major metropolises like Los Angeles and New York City often garner the lion’s share of media attention, the Napiers know what most small-town residents do, that America’s hamlets and close-knit communities are the backbone […]

Wetumpka is ready for its close-up. Almost a year after it was announced that the city beat out 2,600 other small towns to be the focus of HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover,” the show will air its first of six episodes May 2. “Home Town Takeover” follows Ben and Erin Napier, stars of the hit home-renovation show “Home Town,” as they […]

When Freddie Lynn and Webb Smith met at church, they quickly became friends, thanks in part to complementary careers; Lynn is an architect with Goodwyn Mills Cawood and Smith owns a contracting firm. They started looking for a way to collaborate and recently partnered to form Bridge & Hill Holdings and launch the company’s first project: transforming […]

It was almost quitting time on a Friday, and Josie Russell Young was looking forward to her weekend when the phone at Russell Construction of Alabama’s Montgomery office rang. She saw it was a California phone number and almost didn’t answer. “It was 4:45, and I really thought it was spam,” she said, “but I picked […]

The notion of hometown pride may seem a quaint, old-fashioned sentiment in our modern – and increasingly cynical – era. But it’s real, and it can be powerful. For proof, look to Wetumpka, sitting on the soft bluffs rising above the Coosa River about 25 miles north of Montgomery. The strength of the hometown pride bursting at […]

When the former state of Alabama executive chef Jim Smith was thinking up a name for his new Mobile restaurant that opened in January 2020, he wanted something whimsical but also relevant, so he drew on his fascination with the world’s tiniest bird. “I’ve always thought hummingbirds were kind of like chefs,” he says. “Flying […]

While some national brands use humorous commercials to promote their products, jerky is no joke; it’s big business. Jerky is essentially dried meat; the removal of water and, usually, addition of salt preserves, extending its shelf life. Even though no one knows when the first jerky appeared, most sources believe it has been made and […]