Archive of ‘Community’ category

Meet Aniyah Brown and how she makes every bite bright, bold and balanced

By Chanda Temple

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.

(Photo source: REV Birmingham)

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.

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Life stuffed with flavor: The Little Bougie Foodie’s inspiring burger journey

By Chanda Temple

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.’ ”

The name stuck.

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These Birmingham, AL pound cakes are so good, you’ll give thanks twice

 

By Chanda Temple 

Imagine sinking your teeth into a slice of buttery heaven.

The moistness. The golden glow. The home-baked happiness. They are all there in the five-flavor poundcake from Herban Soul Cafe in Woodlawn, AL.

When people try a slice, they swear a seasoned senior made it. But the young person behind it is Herban Soul Cafe tea house founder and self-taught baker Alexis Kimbrough, who makes the poundcake from a cherished family recipe. 

“People don’t believe I made it,” said Alexis, 30. “But they like it. They say it takes them back to their childhood.”

Alexis Kimbrough uses a family recipe to make her five-flavor poundcake. She is now taking orders for her poundcakes for Thanksgiving 2024. The deadline to order is Nov. 20. (Photo source: Chanda Temple)

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Emily Hall: How One Woman Turned a Breakup into a Cookie Sensation

By Chanda Temple

There’s something about biting into a chocolate chip cookie that just soothes the soul.

It’s ooey. It’s gooey. And just oh, so good.

And if you are Emily Hall, a chocolate chip cookie is not only comfort food but also a recipe for new beginnings.

The Breakup Cookie is made with three types of chocolate, which gives it its decadent flavor. (Photo courtesy of The Breakup Cookie company.)

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Birmingham, AL recipe tester wins praise for unique dishes

By Chanda Temple 

For several years, Jasmine Smith worked in the background to help her chef friends on big food events. She did so in her spare time because, well, that’s just the kind of friend she is.

Then, in 2023, a friend aware of Smith’s culinary skills, wanted to put Jasmine out front and suggested she be one of the presenting cooks during the inaugural Birmingham Food Plus Heritage dinner at Pepper Place in Birmingham, AL.

Jasmine accepted the invitation and served up dishes that impressed the crowd.

Jasmine Smith at Birmingham Food Plus 2023 at Birmingham’s Pepper Place (Photo credit: Chanda Temple)

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Motivation Monday: Birmingham artist offers African-American themed Christmas wrapping paper

Curly Contessa wrapping paper was created by Birmingham graphic artist Kristin Farmer. It features watercolor images of five women with natural hair. Farmer created the images. (Photo credit: Special)

Curly Contessa wrapping paper was created by Birmingham graphic artist Kristin Farmer. It features watercolor images of five women with natural hair. Farmer created the images. (Photo credit: Special)

By Chanda Temple

Birmingham graphic designer and watercolor artist Kristin Farmer has launched a holiday wrapping paper line that embraces girls with curls.

Known as Curly Contessa, the wrapping paper features five watercolor images of African-American women with natural hair. Farmer, who’s natural, painted the women. She included herself in one of the images.

Farmer rolled out the wrapping paper this month. And already, consumer interest has been rolling in for her.

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Wine and Food Festival set for Sept. 25 at the Birmingham Zoo

Bottles of wine will be fore sale during the Wine and Food Festival on Friday, Sept. 25. (Photo by Sara Franklin)

Bottles of wine will be fore sale during the Wine and Food Festival on Friday, Sept. 25. (Photo by Sara Franklin)

Discover new wines and support a good cause during the Wine and Food Festival on Friday, Sept. 25 at the Birmingham Zoo from 6 to 9 p.m. The zoo address is 2630 Cahaba Road.

There will be more than 500 wines to taste, plus winemakers and experts to answer questions. And while you’re there, enjoy tasty food from 35 vendors including Bryant’s Seafood and more.

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I’m here because of them

 

fourlittlegirlsstatue
In honor of the four girls killed in the Sept. 15, 1963 bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, I look back at how a Birmingham memorial in their honor became a reality in 2013. Located at the edge of Kelly Ingram Park in downtown Birmingham are statues in honor of Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins and Cynthia Wesley, all Birmingham City Schools students at the time of their deaths. 
 
This story looks at how Mountain Brook native Elizabeth MacQueen, the Four Spirits Inc. and the City of Birmingham worked to see the memorial completed.  All photos by Chanda Temple
By Chanda Temple
In 2012, a Birmingham organization known as Four Spirits Inc. launched a national competition in search of entries for a memorial to honor the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of Sixteenth Baptist Church.
There were five entries from men. Elizabeth MacQueen was the only female.
When MacQueen’s design was selected in April 2013, she halted a project she was working on in Thailand so she could dedicate all of her time to the Four Spirits memorial.

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Jameis Winston tells Birmingham students: ‘You are smart.’

No.1 NFL draft pick Jameis Winston made a surprise stop at Birmingham's Ossie Ware Middle School today. (Photo: Chanda Temple)

No.1 NFL draft pick Jameis Winston made a surprise stop at Birmingham’s Ossie Ware Middle School today. (Photo: Chanda Temple)

By Chanda Temple

The gym at Birmingham’s Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School erupted into cheers this afternoon as No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Jameis Winston entered.

Winston, newly recruited to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first joked about how the students could thank him for getting them out of class. He smiled. So did the students. But then things turned serious as he told students he was there to discuss three things: good grades, the way they carry themselves and confidence.

He asked students how many of them have good grades. Some laughed. He saw it as a teaching moment, encouraging students not to laugh at students making good grades because those students may be president one day.

“Don’t be ashamed about making good grades now,” he said, adding that good grades will lead to scholarships. The Hueytown, Ala. native received a scholarship to play at Florida State University, where he helped the school win a national championship and he was named a Heisman Trophy winner.

“I went to school for free, man!” he said.

Jameis Winston talks to students about the importance of having confidence, staying in school and making good grades. (Photo by: Chanda Temple)

Jameis Winston talks to students about the importance of having confidence, staying in school and making good grades. (Photo by: Chanda Temple)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8

And this is why teachers rock. Assistant Principal Tronci Southall-Mason makes a little boy's day after giving him an unsolicited push on the swing in Birmingham, Ala. Photos by: Chanda Temple

Assistant Principal Tronci Southall-Mason makes a little boy’s day after giving him an unsolicited push on the swing in Birmingham, Ala. Photos by: Chanda Temple

By Chanda Temple

I work for Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, Ala., where the smallest things yield big changes.

Take the other day on a school playground where a little boy sat in a swing with a sad face. The play area was full of children’s laughter and conversation. But there sat the little boy, sort of slumped down in his swing with a solemn face.

His assistant principal was giving a tour to visitors and noticed the little boy’s face. She asked him if anything was wrong. He said no. She asked if he needed a push. He still said nothing.

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