Archive of ‘Entrepreneurs’ category

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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A national nod meets a normal day for LaFete Chef Kristen Farmer Hall

By Chanda Temple

On Jan. 21, 2026, it didn’t take long for word to spread that Kristen Farmer Hall of the La Fete French bistro in downtown Birmingham had been named a James Beard Award semfinalist for Best Chef in the South.  

Her DMs, text messages and voicemails were full of celebrations about her shot at receiving the highest honor in the food industry. Finalists will be named on March 31, and the winners will be announced on June 15 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony in Chicago. 

The Steak Frites from La Fete. (Photo by Caleb Chauncy)
The Steak Frites from La Fete. (Photo by Caleb Chauncey)

“It’s been a wonderful day for me, for La Fete and our city because of all the other nominations,” said Kristen, who is one of five Birmingham chefs/professionals/restaurants named as a semifinalist. Such news came two months after LaFete and 10  Birmingham restaurants/chefs were named in the MICHELIN Guide’s first-ever MICHELIN Guide to the American South. (La Fete made MICHELIN Guide’s Bib Gourmand List, which recognizes restaurants for “good quality, good value cooking.”)

“So, Birmingham continues to crush,” she said. “It’s been a big year.” 

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Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn owner opens up about a hard season

By Chanda Temple

For almost three months, Tanesha Sims-Summers debated whether she would get real on social media about a big issue facing her company.

In late fall 2025, her Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co. food truck, stopped running. At first, she thought it would be an easy fix because she and her husband, Clem Summers, have faced truck challenges in the past. But this issue was different.

The mechanic told them that the part and labor to fix the truck, which is known as Ms. Poppy, would be $6,500. (The rear differential, which distributes engine power to the rear axel, was not working.) And to make matters worse, they would have to pay up front to order the part.

They didn’t have the money for such a repair, and Tanesha thought long and hard about what to do: Should she start a Go Fund Me?

The Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn food truck is a 2004 model that Clem Summers and Tanesha Sims-Summers bought in 2019. They outfitted ready for it to roll in 2020, not anticipating how the pandemic would impact the business. They pivoted with online sales until the world opened back up again. (Photo from company's Facebook page.)
The Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn food truck is a 2004 model that Clem Summers and Tanesha Sims-Summers bought in 2019 for $50,000 from Golden Flake. They outfitted it and had planned to put it in operation in 2020, not anticipating how the pandemic would impact the business. They pivoted with online sales until the world opened back up again. Today, the truck, which is paid off, has experienced vandalism twice and even a fire through the years. Still, the owners managed to get it rolling every time. Now, they are hosting a Go Fund Me to pay for a major repair. (Photo from company’s Facebook page.)

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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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Inside PopUp Bar Bham: Drinks, Decor and Delicious Joy

By Chanda Temple

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 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)

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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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Hallmark Channel gets a taste of Alabama with Sally Wicker McKay and her mom on new baking show contest

By Chanda Temple

Alabama food stylist Sally Wicker McKay and her mother, Amy Wicker, are winning hearts and bellies on Hallmark Channel’s new baking contest, “Baked with Love Holiday,” which airs on Monday nights at 8 p.m. CST.

Sally Wicker McKay and her mother, Amy, are competing on the Hallmark Channel's Baked with Love:Holiday on Monday nights at 8 p.m. CST. (Photo: Hallmark Channel)
Sally Wicker McKay and her mother, Amy, are competing on the Hallmark Channel’s Baked with Love:Holiday on Monday nights at 8 p.m. CST. (Photo: Hallmark Channel)

The show, which debuted on Monday, Oct. 27 and is hosted by Emmy-award winning actress, producer and entrepreneur Tamera Mowry-Housley, features two cooking challenges per episode. The judges are Irish Chef Anna Haugh and New York Times cooking producer Vaughn Vreeland.

On Oct. 27, the mother/daughter team won the hometown Christmas pie challenge with their peach pie, which Anna said was “really nicely baked. The spices are so important. That’s what gives it length of flavor and complexity. It’s brilliant.”

Sally, who is based in metro-Birmingham, said the peach pie recipe is something they’ve made over the decades for family gatherings.

“We may look calm on the exterior but the wheels are always turning in my head,” Sally said on the show.

Tamera Mowry-Housley hosts "Baked with Love: Holiday,'' as Judges Chef Anna Haugh and New York Times Cooking Producer Vaughn Vreeland help pick a winner each week. (Photo: Hallmark Channel)
Tamera Mowry-Housley hosts “Baked with Love: Holiday,” as Judges Chef Anna Haugh and New York Times Cooking Producer Vaughn Vreeland help pick a winner each week. (Photo: Hallmark Channel)

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Javacia Harris Bowser’s breast cancer journey was full of breaking, building and becoming

By Chanda Temple

When Javacia Harris Bowser walked into her doctor’s office and saw a big box of tissues in January 2020, she knew what words would come next.

She had breast cancer.

The doctor was expecting Javacia to cry. She did not. In fact, it would be some time before Javacia shed a tear over the news of being diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. Instead, Javacia, a Type A person with an award-winning writing background, pulled out a notepad and said, “Ok, what do we need to do?”

Javacia Harris Bowser
Breast cancer survivor Javacia Harris has advice for those wanting to help loved ones fighting breast cancer. “Don’t ghost them,” she said. “When we don’t know exactly what to say or do, we just decide not to show up at all. Don’t do that. We would ratchet you say the wrong thing than not say anything because at least you are trying. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.” (Photo by Melissa Newton)

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From Naysayers to New Flavors, Sarah Cole Brings Egyptian Food to Rural Alabama

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)
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.

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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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