Stories For and About Living Your Truth
By Chanda Temple
Southbound Food Festival, a 10-day celebration of Birmingham’s food culture, will spotlight more than 100 chefs, musicians and beverage professionals through signature tasting events and collaborative culinary experiences, Sept. 19-28. The festival was named the No. 3 best new festival by USA Today, following its inaugural year in 2023.
By Chanda Temple
If you are planning to eat before or after catching “Love, Brooklyn” in Birmingham, the team at Sidewalk Cinema has you covered.
Both Chloe Cook and Corey Craft recommend Salud Taqueria . Chloe loves their tacos, and Corey goes for the Pastor Al Trompo tacos, which features thinly-shaved pork shoulder, fresh pineapple, red onion and cilantro. (But here’s a tip: the Pastor Al Trompo, which is marinated overnight in a family recipe, is not available on Sundays.)
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.
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.
By Chanda Temple
Naimah Elmore had a choice.
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.
“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.”
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.’’
By Chanda Temple
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.”
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.”
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.’’
By Chanda Temple
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.
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.
By Chanda Temple
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 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.