Archive of ‘Business’ category

New De Nada restaurant in Birmingham is ready to serve Tex Mex and Authentic Mexican dishes

By Chanda Temple

In late 2024, Armando Martinez wanted to bring a restaurant to downtown Birmingham, where people could experience elevated Tex Mex and his Mexican roots.

As he drove by a building with boarded-up windows at Second Avenue and 13th Street North, he took a deep breath and wondered, “What if?”

What if this spot could become his spot.

The blackened mahi mahi from De Nada restaurant in Birmingham's Parkside District. It comes with black beans, rice, avocado lime dressing, guacamole and cilantro. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
The blackened mahi mahi from De Nada restaurant in Birmingham’s Parkside District. It comes with black beans, rice, avocado lime dressing, guacamole and cilantro. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

At the time, there were no sidewalks and the brush was overgrown. But there was possibility.

“What I saw was Regions Field and Railroad Park,” Armando, 31, said, citing that the building is less than one block from both. “I said, ‘Those are two anchors that can sustain this place. And there were also a few apartments that were done at the time, and two apartments under construction.’ ”

The idea simmered within his soul for a few months. He even looked at another location a few blocks over. But there was something about the building in the Parkside District that pulled him back.

In 2025, he contacted the landlord, and they had several conversations about Armando’s vision. Eventually, Armando inked a deal for the location, which will officially open in late April 2026 for lunch and dinner. He calls the restaurant De Nada, which means “You’re Welcome,” in Spanish.

Armando Martinez, owner of the new De Nada restaurant in Birmingham, AL. (Photo provided by De Nada)
Armando Martinez, owner of the new De Nada restaurant in Birmingham, AL. (Photo provided by De Nada)

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Sloss Furnaces is About to Smell Amazing, and this Auburn University Student Will Be One Reason Why  

By Chanda Temple

Last June as Jack Burke prepared to cook for Festa Italiana at Sloss Furnaces, the morning was bright and beautiful. But it didn’t  take long for the weather to turn.  

Rain came down in sheets and high winds blew tents everywhere. Jack and other vendors sought cover under a nearby viaduct, waiting for the worse to pass. And in that very moment, Jack wondered if his food had been ruined. Will people even come?

Eventually, the storm passed, and the sun came out again. So, did the people.

“Within an hour of opening up, boom! Thousands of people!” Jack recalled, adding that his food had survived. “We had a line wrapped around the tent. At 4 or 5 o’clock, it was as if half of Birmingham had decided to come to Sloss.” 

Jack Burke's focaccia bread from Molay Bros. (Photo provided by Jack Burke)
Jack Burke’s focaccia bread from Molay Bros. (Photo provided by Jack Burke)

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Velvet & Vine’s Hassan Gooden wants to bring a new kind of Sunday dinner to Birmingham

By Chanda Temple

Hassan Gooden takes one bite of his three-layer seafood lasagna and jumps up and down like he’s struck gold.

In a way, he has. As the executive chef of Velvet & Vine BHM, a new restaurant slated to open in downtown Birmingham in March, he’s been testing recipes to get them just right before opening day.

On a recent Tuesday morning, he’s already cooked one lasagna full of shrimp, crawfish, fish stock, and a blend of Gouda, aged cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano, placed in between his homemade lasagna pasta sheets. Fresh out the oven, the lasagna continues to bubble. Hassan takes a spoon and cracks the slight crust of cheese topping dotted with fresh parsley, thyme and rosemary.

The seafood lasagna. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
The seafood lasagna by Hassan Gooden. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

He scoops out a serving, tries it and smiles. It’s good.

But in his mind, Hassan wonders if it can be better. He whips up another version and leaves it in the oven just a little while longer. The extra cooking time makes all the difference.

The flavor is even more deep and robust.

“This is it!” he exclaims while wearing an apron dusted in his rolling pin flour power. “This one was better than the first.”

As a youth, Hassan Gooden wanted to be an OB/GYN. But after growing his talents in restaurant kitchens, he found a different kind of delivery to make people happy. "For me, cooking is the only thing that matters,'' he said. (Photo from Hassan Gooden)
As a youth, Hassan Gooden wanted to be an OB/GYN. But after growing his talents in restaurant kitchens, he found a different kind of delivery to make people happy. “For me, cooking is the only thing that matters,” he said. (Photo from Hassan Gooden)

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Birmingham’s On a Bun celebrates flavor, community and Crystal Peterson’s creative touch

By Chanda Temple

Crystal Peterson gets it.

Layoffs. Rising food prices. Unexpected expenses. They all came in like a fury the last few months of 2025, leaving wallets stretched for many. And as 2026 continues to unfurl, money remains tight.

To help ease the pain of what to eat for just one meal, Crystal Peterson, owner of On a Bun in downtown Birmingham, will give away 200 free hamburger and cheeseburger meals on Monday, Feb. 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. She’s also partnering with a non-profit organization to distribute 100 additional hamburger and cheeseburger meals to the unhoused in Birmingham.

“We want to care about the citizens just as much as anybody should,” she said. “Sometimes, you have to step in and be that person. It’s called good will.”

“We just hope that this one meal can maybe make your Monday.”

The plain cheeseburger from On A Bun. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
The plain cheeseburger from On A Bun. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

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Birmingham gains more James Beard semifinalists in 2026

By Chanda Temple

Five Birmingham restaurants/chefs have been named as semifinalists for a James Beard Award, the Oscars for the food industry.

From here, restaurant and chef nominees will be announced on Tuesday, March 31, and the winners will be recognized on Monday, June 15 in Chicago during the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony.

The Birmingham semifinalists are:

  • Outstanding Chef: Rob McDaniel, Bayonet
  • Best Chef (South): Kristen Hall, La Fête
  • Best Chef (South): Geri-Martha O’Hara and Ryan O’Hara, Pizza Grace
  • Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Eric Bennett, Continental Drift
  • Outstanding Hospitality: Bottega

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Meet Dennis Echoles, the Birmingham baker who has turned retirement into a sweet second act

By Chanda Temple

When the corner store on his newspaper route stopped selling oatmeal cookies, Dennis Echoles didn’t get discouraged. He got creative.

He figured if he wanted one bad enough, he’d better make it himself.

That one choice turned into a long life of baking on the side. Today, at 71, the Collegeville native, is not only baking those oatmeal cookies but also cakes, pies and brownies that taste like home.

A homemade oatmeal raisin cookie from Amber's Desserts. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
A homemade oatmeal raisin cookie from Amber’s Desserts. Founder Dennis Echoles has also made oatmeal Craisins cookies. (Photo by Chanda Temple)

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Air Force Veteran Matt Coltrin finds new mission with Roll Cajun Boudin food truck in Birmingham

The chicken boudin egg rolls, far left, are the post popular item on the Roll Cajun Boudin food truck, which is run by Matt Coltrin. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
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.

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Southbound Food Festival fans flock to Bomb Biscuit for stacked-high biscuits

By Chanda Temple

Erika Council is used to lines.

One forms outside her Atlanta restaurant, Bomb Biscuit Co., every weekend as people wait to get their fix on one of her stacked, pillowy buttermilk biscuits filled with fried chicken, scrambled eggs, bacon and more. The wait is usually an hour.

But luckily for Birmingham residents, the wait at Sloss Furnaces today wasn’t anywhere near that long. Granted, there was a continuous line at Erika’s tent during the Southbound Food Festival’s Funk Brunch, where she offered buttered, golden biscuits filled with a hot honey glazed fried thigh and bread and butter pickles. Yet, the line moved quickly and easily as a team fried the chicken on site, dipped it into the glaze, plated it and handed it off to attendees, one by one.

The biscuit looked like a skyscraper on a plate. Its height and layers were enough to turn heads.

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A packed room, a powerful voice and a day to remember

By Chanda Temple

Ninety-five minutes.

That’s about how long I stood in line today to meet New York Times Best-Selling author Kennedy Ryan and have her sign my book, “Before I Let Go.”

And during that time, something struck me. I stood in a line full of mostly women. They were happily chatting and holding tight to their own best-selling books by Kennedy. Their ages were wide-ranging and so were the places from where the attendees came.

Greenville. Atlanta. Huntsville. And more!

They joined me in standing 95 minutes and some even longer just to say, “Hey!!” to Kennedy and snap a photo with her. As they shifted their weight from side to side, their faces never grew weary. Instead, their faces filled with anticipation.

“My life has been changed!” one woman exclaimed as she exited the room and held one of Kennedy’s books like it was her first born.

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Birmingham’s Cutie Chutes Serves Up Faith, Flavor and Fresh Ideas

By Chanda Temple 

One week before Willie Williams was to host an event at his art studio in North Birmingham, his catering fell through.  

Unable to contact another caterer, he wondered what he was going to do. He found his answer after tasting the sandwiches Lauree Blair of Cutie Chutes had prepared for a Yelp Elite event that was being held at Willie’s Studio 2500 just days before his own event. 

“Divine timing kind of hooked us up,” Willie said as he talked about Lauree. “You’d think she’d have just regular sandwiches. But she took it a step further and made them unique.”

Think gourmet sandwiches made withmaple Dijonaise, maple glazed ham and Swiss cheese, warmed inside croissant bread that’s encrusted with honey on a griddle. There was also a pretzel bun filled with Lauree’s homemade Buffalo chive spread, Blazin’ Buffalo chicken, butter lettuce, Vermont white cheddar, marinated tomatoes and hickory bacon. 

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