Archive of ‘Food’ category

A Recipe for Resilience: The Love Story Behind Sweet Daddy’s Sweet Potato Pies

By Chanda Temple

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)
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. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
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.

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Birmingham’s Arlington Historic House is looking to serve up a new image

By Chanda Temple

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 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.

Alice Riddle and Deidre Pierce

“Hearing about the new programs makes me feel good because, in the past, we felt that Arlington was a place that Black people shouldn’t come to,” said Pierce. “But now, it’s a different feeling, which is good.”

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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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Food Network Star Martie Duncan releases fifth cookbook with recipes and more from popular Alabama restaurants

By Chanda Temple

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 haș released her fifth cookbook, and it's the perfect guide to finding good food across Alabama. It comes with recipes from homegrown restaurants and suggestions of what to eat in various cities in the state. (Image provided by Martie Duncan)
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)

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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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From Pain to Pastry: How Kenya Pickens Baked Her Way to a Better Life

By Chanda Temple

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.

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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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Made for This: Dre Foster makes good on cooking up Birmingham restaurant for dad

Dre Foster and her father, Andre Craig, had always talked about owning a restaurant. But he died in 2016 before they could make the dream a reality. Today, Dre is pushing to make their dream a reality as she works to open The Preservery Birmingham restaurant in the city's Five Points South area. (Photos: Special)

Dre Foster and her father, Andre Craig, had always talked about owning a restaurant. But he died in 2016 before they could realize their dream. Today, Dre is pushing toward their goal as she works to open The Preservery Birmingham restaurant in the city’s Five Points South area. Pictured is Dre’s sweet potato cheesecake with toffee bits, maple bourbon syrup and maple mascarpone. On the right is her five spice duck with braised baby bok choy, a corn fritter cake and pickled watermelon radish. (Photos: Special)

Starting today, “Made for This” is my new series that highlights people answering the call to do what they were born  to do. To be considered for a profile, please email me at chandatemple@gmail.com with details on why you were “made” for what you are doing today. 

By Chanda Temple

Dre Foster and her dad often talked about running a restaurant. He loved to cook and so did she. So, in Dre’s mind, they’d be perfect partners after she retired one day.

But the dream of father and daughter running a business never happened. In 2015, Dre’s father, Andre Craig, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He passed the day after Thanksgiving 2016. He was 57.

Dre was devastated and left with a new look on life: Life is short and she could no longer ignore what had been eating at her all these years. She was made to run a restaurant.

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