In December 2024, Party City, announced it was closing after being in business for nearly 40 years. The news hit hard for not only consumers, but also entrepreneurs such as Tanesha Sims-Summers.
As the co-owner of Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co., a Birmingham-based business she built from scratch, Tanesha couldn’t help but take the news personally. Watching a giant fall after decades of success made her pause and reflect. What went wrong for them? And, more importantly, could her own business face the same fate?
Tanesha Sims-Summers started Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. in 2014 with three flavors. Today, she has eight flavors, a storefront and a processing space. She runs the business with her husband, Clem Summers. (Photo Source: Tanesha Sims-Summers)
Then, she asked herself the hard questions: Was she running her own business based on her feelings or based on the numbers.
But the faith, drive and passion within her told her she was on the right path and to keep going.
“I’m just not at that point where I’m ready to throw in the towel, even at the roughest moment because it’s a burning desire within me to live out the purpose for this business,” she said. “That’s why we say, ‘Poppin’ with a purpose. Sweeter together.’ ”
For six years, Kristal Bryant was overlooked for promotions at a chain restaurant, where she worked as a five-star line cook.
She was skilled in handling all of the food stations and even worked double shifts to cover for others. When the company asked her to help open locations in other cities, she answered the call. But every time she inquired about a promotion, she was told, “We’ll get you in,” when the next door opens.
But that “next door” never came.
Kristal’s husband, Jonathan, saw how hard Kristal worked without advancement. So, he pushed her toward her passion: Step out on faith and do your side cake business, full time.
K&J’s Elegant Pastries in Birmingham’s City Walk area has 120 different cupcake flavors, but has a select set of flavors on the menu every day. (Photo source: Kristal Bryant)
Those words stopped Kristal cold. The year was 2010, and she was a 27-year-old mother of two small girls. Even though Jonathan had a good job with the railroad, she wondered if she’d be able to make a living out of baking cakes and contribute to the household.
Still, with faith and determination, Kristal took the leap. It wasn’t easy. There were challenges, doubts and even tears. But over time, her fears gave way to confidence.
Today, Kristal’s leap of faith has paid off in ways she never imagined. Her downtown Birmingham business, K&J’s Elegant Pastries & Creamery, is a place where repeat customers, high-profile corporations, celebrities and professional athletes make orders. She’s baked cakes for Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Da Brat, and Slutty Vegan CEO Pinky Cole, appeared on Good Morning America and the Food Network, and does monthly cooking segments on Birmingham’s WBRC.
Through it all, one of her guiding principles has been the Bible verse: “Faith without works is dead.’’
“I have the faith, and as long as I put in the work, this will be successful,” Kristal said. “And that’s one of the things that’s always kept me, sane, even running the business now.”
For years, Reatta Myers-Hall worked to help other companies thrive.
Whenever she saw areas that needed improvements, she offered suggestions. But she and her ideas were ignored. A lot.
Although Reatta was brokenhearted, she was never broken over what happened, for she knew that one day someone would listen.
Slutty Vegan offers four different types of plant-based burgers. The Fussy Hussy burger, pictured, comes with pickles, onions, tomatoes lettuce, a special sauce, an Impossible burger patty on a Hawaiian bun. In 2023, Yelp rated Slutty Vegan as No. 3 on its list of “Top 100 Burgers in America.’’ (Photo source: Slutty Vegan)
That day finally came in the fall of 2024 when Pinky Cole, the founder of the multi-million dollar Slutty Vegan brand, asked Reatta if she would like to own and operate Alabama’s only Slutty Vegan store as a franchise. Since Reatta already had a history of running the store as its manager when it first opened in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Birmingham in August 2022, she jumped at the chance. And Pinky gave her the store, which is located at 7 – 55th Place South.
“What happened at those other businesses never made me want to quit,’’ Reatta said. “I just tucked (the ideas) in my back pocket, and now I’m pulling them out.”
Today, Reatta is rolling out new value meals and products for Birmingham Slutty Vegan consumers, along with the long-cherished plant-based burgers on vegan Hawaiian buns, vegan desserts and fries that Pinky first started selling when she launched the Slutty Vegan burger stands in 2018 in Atlanta. There are now 12 Slutty Vegan locations in Georgia, New York ,Texas, Alabama and Maryland. Birmingham still has the only Alabama location.
“A lot of people don’t like to accept the nos that they get, and they get discouraged. But that should be fuel for you to keep going on and pressing to get to that yes,’’ Reatta said. “You have all the keys. You just have to create your own door.’’
In July 2023, Justin Jones received the call no one really wants to get: Your job has ended.
Saddened over losing his good-paying job in the steel industry, Justin nervously broke the news to his wife. But Charity Jones saw the loss as more of a gain.
“I said, ‘Well, congratulations! You always wanted to work for yourself, and this is your opportunity,’ ” Charity recalled.
Stunned by Charity’s response at first, Justin knew she had a point. So, he followed his heart and started making the sweet potato pies that so many of their relatives had already come to love. Meanwhile, Charity started scheduling Justin to sell pies at as many farmers markets and events as possible. By August 2023, Sweet Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pies was selling out every weekend.
Sweet Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pies is offering a holiday bake sale Dec. 19 – 22, 2024. Orders can be picked up on Dec. 23, 2024 at noon at Red Cat Coffee House. See details at the end of this story for ordering. (By Chanda Temple)
“Immediately, I felt in my soul that that was the best thing for my husband,” Charity said of Justin making pies full time. “I believed in him. I believed in our product.”
The two are co-owners of Sweet Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pies, which are made in a commissary kitchen in Hoover, AL and sold across metro-Birmingham. Their menu includes sweet potato pie, apple pie, peach cobbler, pecan pie and a gluten-free sweet potato pie.
They also sell mini pies, which is their top seller. They recently delivered 400 mini pies to an organization looking to distribute them for the holidays.
Charity and Justin Jones started Sweet Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pies in fall 2023. They call him, “Sweet Daddy” and call her, “Sweet Mama.” (Photo by Chanda Temple)
“Just to see this grow, it lets me know that my belief in what we are doing is right. I can only imagine next year,” Charity said.
Diners made their way past shiny silver chaffing dishes, selecting freshly made items during a Saturday morning Christmas brunch at the historic Arlington Historic House in Birmingham, AL.
They filled their plates with French toast, homemade strawberry syrup, roasted root vegetables and more. But the star of the morning was the Creole-seasoned shrimp and cheese grits.
Sauteed in butter and spices, the shrimp sizzled with New Orleans flavor and flair.
The shrimp and grits from Arlington House in Birmingham. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
“The shrimp was good and soft, but they were a little … spicy. And I liked that,” said Alice Riddle Bailey, 85. “It reminded me of stuff I used to do at home.”
Her daughter, Deirdre Pierce, agreed. “They had a good taste to them. I liked the spice.”
And while Arlington is making impressions with its food, it’s also making moves to revamp its antebellum home image through a series of programs that target the African-American community. The Christmas brunch was part of the Harmony and Heritage monthly food program, where people eat while connecting over history and creative ideas. More is planned in 2025.
People’s postures shifted and their eyes widened every time a dish by Aniyah Brown hit the table.
Perhaps it was the plump shrimp bathed in warm tones of coconut curry sauce. Or maybe it was the roasted chickpeas nestled against butternut squash and peppers in a satisfying sauce. Then again, it could have been the twice-fried chicken, accented with chopped mango and green sprigs.
Each entree was bright and bold, making you feel as though you’d found gold at the end of the rainbow.
But in reality, it was Aniyah’s vision of what a supper club dinner should be: a treasure you didn’t know you needed but one you were lucky you found.
Alabama chef and TV personality Martie Duncan has some pretty dedicated friends and followers.
Three and a half hours before kick off of the Nov. 30, 2024 Iron Bowl, which is the biggest SEC football showdown in Alabama, several of Martie’s fans lined up inside of a historic store in downtown Huntsville, AL to get her newly-released cookbook, “The Alabama 100: Best Recipes, Restaurants & Road Trips.” The book highlights noteworthy dishes and restaurants from across the state.
Martie Duncan took time to select just the right images to go on the cover of her new cookbook. Everything from fried chicken and gumbo to orange rolls and brioche can be found in her book, which is available via various retailers across Alabama. (Image provided by Martie Duncan.)
In her fifth cookbook, Martie shares recipes for the Pimento Cheese Tomato Pie from Helen in Birmingham; Lucy Buffett’s Famous Seafood Gumbo from LuLu’s in Gulf Shores; and Crab Cakes from the 360 Grille at the Marriott Shoals Hotel, just to name a few. She also gives cooking tips.
“I love the simplicity of all the recipes that Martie features. And when I see her on TV, everything that she cooks is easy to follow,” said Misty Robinson of Hazel Green. Misty and her family drove to Huntsville on a bone-chilling Saturday morning to get the book, which features 100 recipes and 253 restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, bars and a few dives.
And Charity McLin drove in from Athens, AL to pick up a book for her mother and one for herself. Like Misty, she has other books written by Martie, and she said she is drawn to the books to try recipes for the foods she loves.
“She writes great books and the recipes are always easy to follow,” Charity said. “I can’t wait to get home and look through it.”
A Food Network Star finalist and award-winning cookbook author, Martie drove more than 5,000 miles across Alabama, worked with 3,972 images shot for the book and tried 1,012 dishes to produce content for the 239-page book. And if people don’t want to cook, they can just use the book as a reference on where to go to try some the most delicious food in Alabama.
“This book is more of a travel guide and incorporates so many more restaurants than I’ve ever been able to do in any book ,” said Martie. “Even though we focus on 12 main cities, there are other towns and cities mentioned in the book.”
Birmingham’s Martie Duncan will have several book signings in December 2024. (Photo provided by Martie Duncan)
When Alice Goldsmith was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October 2019, doctors told her it was inoperable. They gave her two years to live.
Alice refused to take that as the final answer. She did research until she found a doctor in the Bronx with a different outlook. And on March 12, 2020, Alice had a new beginning.
She underwent a successful surgery, but the tumor, which was the size of a quarter, had left her unable to multi-task the way she used to do when she worked for an insurance provider in metro-Birmingham. She wondered what she’d do next.
Since she loved to cook, she left her desk job and decided to work with food. On Oct. 7, 2021, The Lil Bougie Foodie truck was born.
“My friends would tell me that my food was so bougie (another word for fancy),” Alice said. “I’m a presentation person, and I would make these meals with different colored peppers and red or white onions. One friend would say, ‘Hey Bougie!’ And I would say, ‘I’m not bougie. Just a little bougie.’ ”
Kenya Pickens graduated from culinary school in 2007 with dreams of dishing out delicious dinners.
But after working at a country club for only a few months, she lost her job. Devastated, she thumbed through the Yellow Pages, calling businesses and asking, “Are you hiring?”
More than a week later, those calls led to two job offers: being a server at a steakhouse and working at a bakery. She took both. Although Kenya had not studied baking, she settled in to learn a new skill.
Eventually, she became so good at baking, that she stepped out on faith and left the bakery in 2008 to sell her own desserts. She made five cakes a week and sold slices at barber shops, beauty shops and a discount meat market. In 2015, she started selling at Birmingham-area farmers markets while she still worked full-time jobs in various industries. Her days were long and her weekends were longer. But she knew that one day, her dedication would pay off.
Kenya Pickens opened Velvet Kake bakery in 2021 in Clay, AL, selling cakes, cookies and more. She’s grown her following to include fans of traditional and vegan desserts. (Photo Source: Kenya Pickens)
On Dec. 1, 2021, she moved into her own storefront, Velvet Kake, in Clay, Ala. and became a full-time baker. (She got the name because she sells so many red velvet cakes. Her mother, Evelyn Sherard, works in the bakery with her.)
Today, Kenya sells about 30 cakes a week.
“I should have given up a long time ago, but I kept going because I had something to prove,” said Kenya, 38.
