Earlier this week, a woman on Instagram challenged her followers to write a letter to God, telling Him what they wanted in 2026.
The message got to me to thinking: What prayers do owners in Birmingham’s food industry have for 2026?
I posed that question to Kelli Caulfield, of PopUp Bar Bham on Morris Avenue in downtown Birmingham, during her Influencer Night event this week. As the DJ played Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna …”, which lured creators to dance floor to do Karaoke, Kelli shared her prayer: coverage and protection for others in the culinary community.
The Sleigh Baby, Sleigh from PopUp Bar Bham is made with white rum, coconut rum, lime, mint syrup and coconut cream. It’s topped with prosecco. (Photo provided by Kelli Caulfield)
The chicken boudin egg rolls, far left, are the post popular item on the Roll Cajun Boudin food truck, which is run by Louisiana native Matt Coltrin. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
By Chanda Temple
When Matt Coltrin retired from the Air Force after 21 years, he thought he’d found his next mission and that was to work for a high-paying telework job in Birmingham. It was the kind of role most people would envy.
The money was good. The benefits were better. But the happiness he expected never appeared.
That part would come much later, in a food truck parked on Birmingham streets, where the smell of Creole pork and rice, wrapped in sausage casings felt more like home than any office ever could.
Can we talk about the power of manifestation for a minute?
About six or seven years ago, Jimmy Proffitt told himself he was going to write a book. He didn’t know when. He didn’t know how. He didn’t even know the topic. But he knew he was going to write one.
Then, he wrote it down and said it out loud. (Which are all ways to stay true to manifesting, which is believing you can do something, staying focused on it, remaining positive on it and working on it until it becomes reality.)
It took Jimmy Proffitt of East Tennessee only six months to write his first cookbook, “Seasoned in Appalachia,” because he had been preparing for years as he manifested that he would write a cookbook one day. He already had the recipes and stories when two publishers contacted him in 2024. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
The blood that runs through Sarah Cole’s veins is half Egyptian and half Southern, a blend that shows up in her food story.
Chef and writer Sarah Cole, from Greensboro, AL with her husband, Robert Fitzpatrick, and their son, Theo. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
That mix is what fueled her dream of bringing Egyptian food to Greensboro, a rural city in west-central Alabama, where fast food chains and meat-and-three restaurants appear across the landscape like dots on a domino. While friends supported her, some people questioned her vision. Their whispers got back to her: “Make sure she knows to include something very Southern on the menu because we are probably not going to like her spices too much.”
The words stung, but Sarah refused to let negativity stop her because they were just opinions, and opinions don’t build dreams. Courage does.
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.
