By Chanda Temple

When Birmingham native Jessica S. Smith, founder of “Jess Ask,” the podcast  and Emmy winner and social media star Tabitha Brown took the stage at the Lyric Theatre on Feb. 3 in Birmingham, AL, they enriched the evening by dropping pearls of inspiration, wisdom and empowerment. Near the end, Brown commended Smith on a job well done.

“I’m so grateful you said, ‘yes,’’’ Brown told Smith, recalling how she first asked her to be a part of the event. “You have been amazing. ‘Honey, (doesn’t) it look like she belongs in this space?’ She’s doing what God has called her to do.’’

“So, I pray that whatever it is that you dream, whatever it is that you imagine, that God makes it 10 times even bigger than it is, honey.’’

“I appreciate you. I see you. And God sees you. He hears you. So, don’t ever forget, and don’t ever doubt it. It’s all over you, honey,’’ Brown told Smith.

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By Chanda Temple

On June 10, 2022,  Pyper Brown was feeling good. Really good.

It was her 28th birthday, and it was also the day she and five designers were set to compete in Magic City Fashion Week, a public fashion show that highlighted up-and-coing designers.

Although Brown said the Birmingham crowd cheered for her avant-garde designs, she didn’t win.

Despite the loss, Brown still celebrated with family and friends. “You can’t just let stuff like that take advantage of the moment you had,’’ said the West End resident, now 29. “It was still a good experience. It just didn’t end the way that we wanted it.’ 

But from that one night, Brown gained different kinds of wins.

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Birmingham barber cuts his way into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 set

By Chanda Temple

When West End native Tommy “TJ” Dudley Jr. was 22 years old, he told a barber shop owner that he wanted to be a barber.

Dudley’s interest in being a barber was met with doubt and discouragement with the owner telling him, “Naw, this ain’t for you’’ and that Dudley had waited too late in life to start a new career.

But Dudley didn’t let the negativity cloud his vision. The next day, he enrolled in barbering school at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham.

“I don’t know if (what the shop owner said) was motivation. But I do know that I don’t like people telling me what I can’t do,’’ said Dudley. “So, it was just like, ‘Let me prove to you I can do this.’ ’’

Today, the 38-year-old Dudley owns two, local barber shops, King’s Grooming Lounge and has been in demand to cut hair in Hollywood.

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Ramsay graduate conquers adversity on road to Miss Collegiate America crown

Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin and Kennedy Whisenant (Photo source: City of Birmingham)

By Chanda Temple

Ramsay High School graduate Kennedy Whisenant has been competing in pageants since she was 15 years old.

Now at the age of 21, she admits she’s lost more competitions than she’s won.

But in June 2022, all those loses prepared her for the biggest win of her pageant career, and that was being crowned Miss Collegiate America, a scholarship program for female students enrolled in a continuing education program. As a student at Clark Atlanta University, Kennedy’s national win gave her a $10,000 scholarship, a Jeep and a deep sense of knowing that God’s timing is always right on time.

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Dietrich is set to bring his brand of Southern storytelling to Birmingham library event

By Chanda Temple

On a recent Tuesday morning in a Birmingham area park, Sean Dietrich is training his newly adopted dog. which is blind.

Her name is Marigold the Magnificent, and she’s become somewhat of a celebrity. She was blinded from abuse and left abandoned behind a tire shop in Mississippi. When Sean found out about her last month, he took in Marigold. Since then, Sean has written about Marigold’s rescue and rehabilitation, earning thousands of likes about her on his social media pages and website, http://www.seandietrich.com.

“I have a soft spot for the underdog, literally, because I am the underdog,’’ he said. “Watching a creature who has been trivialized, find themselves, if you will, all of a sudden become something very valuable, very special, not just to me but to other people, that means a lot to me. I’d like to prove the person who hurt her, wrong.’’

Sean, a novelist, columnist and podcast host who is commonly known as “Sean of the South,’’ offers commentary on life in the American South. He not only writes about Marigold, but also his love of Waffle House, the people who write him for advice and more. In March 2022, he and his wife of 18 years, Jamie, moved to Avondale. New in town, Sean even wrote about getting a library card at the Birmingham Public Library.

On Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m., Sean will return to the downtown library to share some of his stories, bring Marigold and sign copies of his newly-published book, “You Are My Sunshine.’’ The memoir provides humorous details of how Sean and Jamie cycled from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. and the interesting people they met along the way. (Reservations for this free event have sold out.)

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Aww Shucks food truck business gives corn a gourmet upgrade

By Chanda Temple

One day in March 2020, Phillip and Avrie Powell were sitting in their garage, thinking of businesses they could run during the pandemic.

They wanted to create something different that was healthy, fun, guilt-free and definitely not fried. And thus the Aww Shucks food truck was born.

“Aww Shucks started July 4, 2020, and it was just supposed to be a job we did on the weekends,” said Phillip, 42. “Little did we know it would take over both of our lives.”

Today, the Powells are running a successful food truck that sells 15 flavors of gourmet fire roasted corn, which has added a global recognition to its already growing list of local and national commendations.

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Slutty Vegan CEO and founder gives business tips ahead of grand opening

By Chanda Temple

Slutty Vegan CEO and founder Pinky Cole, who will open her restaurant today in Woodlawn with a block party starting at 12 p.m. and ribbon cutting at 1 p.m., said her company is more than just burgers, fries and pies. It’s also an ecosystem focused on people, purpose and philanthropy.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, she met with several Black Birmingham small business leaders to discuss her climb to building her a plant-based, $100 million food company that has five locations in Georgia and is set to open many more in America. During her talk, she offered tips people need to know when starting a business. Some of them include:

1. Hire an accountant, even if you don’t have a lot of money in the bank.

An accountant will help make sure your books are clean in case you get audited, especially if finances are not your strength. Cole made the mistake of not having an accountant when she started her first business in New York several years ago, and she didn’t pay her sales and use tax. That mistake cost her two years after her first business burned in a fire; the government garnished her wages. But she said the mistake only made her a smarter entrepreneur. Hiring professionals will help you stay focused on the business.

“Sometimes, you have to go though the mud, you have to go through some speed bumps, and some tribulations and some bad stuff for you to realize that you need to make better choices.”

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By Chanda Temple

LaToya Jolly, 48, owns the Jolly Cakes &Treats food truck, which is is known for its cupcakes with the ever-so-sweet icing. And as the city marks its 150th birthday this year, Jolly wants to make the celebration a little sweeter.

During the month of July, she has decided to rename one of her bestsellers, a red velvet cupcake, as the “Magic City Velvet’’ in honor of the city’s major milestone. (Birmingham, which was officially chartered as a city by state legislature on Dec. 19, 1871, is celebrating its 150th birthday throughout 2021.)

Jolly said it’s ironic that the city’s 150th theme is “Built to Last’’ because she sees her company and herself as a survivor, just like the Magic City.

“I feel that I was built to last because after having two heart attacks, I still had the energy and the passion to bake cakes. I think that’s why I’m here,’’ said Jolly. “I think this is my gift from God. I’ve had no formal teaching in baking or anything. It just came to me. Naturally.’’

“I think I recovered (from those heart attacks) to spread my gift – my gift in joy and in treats.’’

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Five delicious years: How Yo Mama’s became a downtown dining staple

By Chanda Temple

Once you’ve been in business for five years, you’d think there would be balloons, a cake and maybe even a DJ to help celebrate your years of success, right?

Not so for Yo Mama’s, the award-winning restaurant in downtown Birmingham. Instead of throwing a party to mark their 5 years in business this week, the mother-daughter team behind the popular eatery, donated their time last Friday night to feed guests staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.

“We hope this meal brings a little sunshine to your Friday,’’ Yo Mama’s co-owner Crystal Peterson said as she joined her mother and business partner, Denise Peterson, in scooping up hot helpings of spaghetti and chicken Alfredo with sausage for parents and children. “It’s always good to give back. That’s why we are here.’’

Those on the receiving end were people like Pam Hallford from Montgomery, whose 15-year-old son, Josh, was in Birmingham to receive intensive physical therapy at Children’s Hospital. The Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families facing extended stays for their child’s medical care.

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