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.
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.
Today is her 42nd birthday and Labor Day, and she had originally planned to be off. But after thinking about how much people enjoy visiting Alicia’s Coffee shop in downtown Birmingham, she decided to be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Alicia’s Coffee is located at the A.G. Gaston Motel in downtown Birmingham. They offer more than 60 flavors of beverages, breakfast and lunch. This is their Harlem Renaissance, which is made with almond syrup, vanilla syrup, their cold brew, cane sugar, cold foam and topped with a dash of cinnamon. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
“Sometimes, it goes back to ‘What are you willing to sacrifice?’ ” Naimah said. “Are you willing to sacrifice being off on a holiday and just being at home? Or, can you get up, get out in the community and open up the doors?”
“You have to be able to make a sacrifice to get the things you want in life.”
Roc Harrell, left, and Naimah Elmore are the co-owners of Alicia’s Coffee. (Photo 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.’’
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)
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)
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.’’
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)
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.
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 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.
When I recently walked into North Italia at the Summit in Birmingham to try their summer menu, I asked the visiting chef what I could expect.
The first word out of his mouth was: Love.
“You’re gonna taste all of the love that we put in our food,” said Chris Curtiss, North Italia’s corporate chef and director of Culinary Research and Development. “Everything is made from scratch. All of our pastas are made by hand. We’ve sourced the best ingredients.”
He did not lie.
The Lumache Alla Norcina didn’t just show up, it took a seat, made a scene and shut the table down. The cream? So rich. That fennel sausage? Loud in the best way. Combined with black truffle, herb breadcrumbs and shaved asparagus, it was luxury in every bite. (I even heard the server call this dish “scrape-the-bowl good!” )
The Braised Short Rib Marsala appeared like a general on a mission. It was fully in charge. Coming in as back up was its army of beech mushrooms, snap peas, heirloom carrots and black truffle risotto. Together, this was a full-on takeover with flavor in command.
And the Tiramisu? Its espresso-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone mousse and chocolate pearls made it the showstopper for the evening. Thick, cold and creamy, I felt like saluting. Then, I asked for an encore.
Dish after dish, it was evident that North Italia did not come to play this summer. They came to slay. (Their summer menu will be available until late October.)
“It’s our take on modern Italian cuisine, and we tried to base all of our dishes on a certain region of Italy but through a twist that will appeal to a lot of people,” Curtiss said.
So, settle in and get ready because North Italia is reporting for duty with love in every layer.
When Charles Pilot and Chris Pilot launched their Fat Charles OG Tacos in 2019, Birmingham stopped and took notice.
They were soft tortilla shells filled with smoked chicken or brisket; two to three freshly-grated cheeses; colorful, homemade Pico de Gallo; and their own creamy concoction known as OG Sauce. The tacos came with a presentation that pulled you in, and a flavor that refused to let you go.
Tacos are what’s king at the Fat Charles food truck in Birmingham. (Photo from Fat Charles Corp.)
As soon as Fat Charles BBQ opened, a long line quickly formed. Hours later, “Sold Out’’ would be written across the menu board. “There is a restaurant on every corner in Birmingham, and just to know that somebody wakes up and comes and wants food from us, it was a blessing then and it’s a blessing now,’’ said Chris.
The brothers, who are Birmingham natives and graduates of E.B. Erwin High School in Center Point, were like Batman and Robin, tightly connected in working to make Fat Charles BBQ a household name.
