August 2025 archive

Roy Wood Jr.’s New Movie, Love, Brooklyn, comes to Birmingham

By Chanda Temple

In between bites of a croissant dressed in strawberry jam, Birmingham native Roy Wood Jr. sits in a Washington, D.C. hotel room, waiting for a flight back to New York.

He is fresh off comedy tour appearances at U.S. Air Force bases and still catching his breath after a quick trip to Scotland for a conference. But on this day, the comedian, actor and writer isn’t talking about stand-up or global travel. He is talking about love, the kind that drives his new film, “Love, Brooklyn,’’ which will be shown Sept. 5 – 18 at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Cinema in downtown Birmingham.

In the film, Wood plays Alan, who is married and is the best friend to Roger, the main character played by Bessemer native Andre Holland. As single Roger tries to make decisions about relationships, Wood provides comic relief.

“Every character is going through a change, except for me, to a degree,’’ says Wood, 46. “I’m considering whether or not I’m happy in love, and Andre’s character is trying to decide who he wants to be in love with.’’

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Where Cherith Fluker Ate While Writing ‘Secret Birmingham’

By Chanda Temple

Cherith Glover Fluker walks into General coffee shop on Birmingham’s Clairmont Avenue and orders food that helped fuel her future as a first-time book author.

Coffee, black. Cinnamon roll, warmed.

She settles in at a small chestnut-colored table that’s flush against a huge window. Looking through the glass, the city street starts to stir as people walk their dogs or jog past for a morning run. It’s a scene that played on repeat for Cherith for almost a year as she visited the coffee shop six or seven times to jot down notes for, “Secret Birmingham: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure.”

Cherith Glover Fluker pauses for pic with her new book, "Secret Birmingham,'' inside the General coffee house, where she made the final decision to write her book. The project took a year, and she visited the shop several times to reflect on her writing process. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Cherith Glover Fluker pauses for pic with her new book, “Secret Birmingham,” inside the General coffee house, where she made the final decision to write her book. The project took a year, and she visited the shop several times to reflect on her writing process. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

The book, which highlights well-known and not-so-well-known nuggets about the Magic City, was released on Aug. 1, which was a big day for Fluker. But an even bigger day for her was in April 2024 when she decided to stop letting her fears of wondering if she was “good enough” to write a book, get the best of her.

“This is my table when I come here,” she says, as steam rises from her coffee cup and sunlight streaming through the window sort of bounces off the glaze on the cinnamon roll. “This is where it all started.”

Cherith Glover Fluker loves the homemade pastries made daily at General, a coffee shop in Forest Park. Her favorite is the blueberry scone, bottom left. She also likes the cinnamon roll, top right, and the olive cake, top left. She has not tried the cheese danish, bottom right. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Cherith Glover Fluker loves the homemade pastries made daily at General, a coffee shop in Forest Park. Her favorite is the blueberry scone, bottom left. She also likes the cinnamon roll, top right, and the olive cake, top left. She has not tried the cheese danish, bottom right. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

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Giving back never tasted so good at RyRy’s Wings, Fries and Pies

By Chanda Temple

Ever since he was a kid, Ryan “RyRy’’ Burch has loved pizza.

And today, at the age of 43, he’s living his dream of running a food truck, RyRy’s Wings, Fries and Pies, which produces pizzas that are all the rage. People line up to get their fill of his handmade dough, freshly cut vegetables and red sauce with just a hint of sweetness.

“A lot of times, we don’t pursue things because we don’t think we can do it,’’ Ryan said, as the scent garlic and other seasonings hung in the air at his food truck. “But I’m just glad I went out there and did it. I learned a long time ago, that if God gives you the vision, he will give you the provision.’’

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Alicia’s Coffee Brings Beats and Brews to Birmingham with the Brown Sugar Set

By Chanda Temple

It’s always a vibe at Alicia’s Coffee LLC., where drinks are served with a side of community and conversation.

But this summer, they’ve added a fresh brew to their batch, and we’re not talking coffee beans. It’s a live DJ with drink specials known as the “Brown Sugar Set,” which is scheduled to go from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with DJ JRad today, Aug. 9, at their shop inside the A.G.Gaston Motel, 1510 Fifth Ave. North.

Roc Harrell and Naimah Elmore wait on a customer at Alicia's Coffee at the A.G. Gaston Motel. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Roc Harrell and Naimah Elmore wait on a customer at Alicia’s Coffee at the A.G. Gaston Motel. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

The “Brown Sugar Set” was created in collaboration with The Modern Green Book and Voltron Printing to showcase some of Alicia’s Coffee’s mocktail specials. The name was inspired by the 2002 romantic comedy movie, “Brown Sugar,’’ which highlighted entrepreneurship and the love for hip hop.

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Pull over in Pelham for Mama Suz’s Fried Pies

By Chanda Temple

The way a friend recently raved about her orders from Mama Suz’s Fried Pies in Pelham, AL, I knew it was a place I needed to visit.

“I had the apple fried pie, and it reminded me of how my grandmama made pies for us,” said Deirdre Heard of Tallapoosa County in central Alabama. “And after I left the place, I called my grandmama and told her about it. I saved her half of my pie, drove all the way back to Tallapoosa County and gave it to her. She gave it a thumbs up. And she’s 91.”

“For her to give it the thumbs up, that spoke volumes,” Deirdre said.

Mama Suz's Fried Apple Pies come in savory and sweet options. Every pie is topped with a heart. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Mama Suz’s Fried Apple Pies come in savory and sweet options. Every pie is topped with a golden, flaky heart in the crust. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

Mama Suz’s also sells empanadas filled with everything from breakfast fixings to lunch options. A fan of Mexican food, Deirdre’s eyes were drawn to the menu’s “Mama’s Empanada,” which features pollo asada, chicken, dirty rice, refried beans and cheese.

Like the dessert fried pies, the empanadas are made to order and come out hot, golden and flaky.

“It brought back good memories from high school when I went to Mexico as a foreign exchange student. I love good savory food, and this was good,” Deirdre said. “It was like a one stop shop.”

At Mama Suz’s, flavor flows through the building, right along with faith and family.

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