By Donna Cornelius Chef Tim Hughes tells a good fish story. Spend even a few minutes with the executive chef of Snapper Grabber’s Seafood Market in Vestavia Hills, and you can learn where a certain fish was last swimming, how long it will last in your fridge and even how to cook it. Hughes’ customers aren’t the only ones who now have access to his extensive knowledge. He … [Read more...]
Hot Numbers: Chef Monty Todd Is in the Soup – And That’s a Good Thing
By Donna Cornelius When you make soup for a living, you’d better get ready for repeated jokes about the Soup Nazi. Chef Monty Todd doesn’t mind the inevitable comparisons to the “Seinfeld” soup-maker, even though Todd’s sunny personality is wildly different from the TV character’s surly disposition. That’s because, just like the Soup Nazi, Todd serves up some pretty tasty … [Read more...]
Hoppy in Homewood: Red Hills Brings Beer Brewing Over the Mountain
By Donna Cornelius Birmingham is home to quite a few beer breweries, and Joe Pilleteri thinks there’s not a bad one in the batch. So when he decided to open his own brewery, the Vestavia Hills native looked for a way to set it apart from others in the city, he said. That’s why he chose to make his Red Hills Brewing Co. the first business of its kind in Homewood. “I’ve always … [Read more...]
A Whole New Ball Game: Vestavia Native Opens Cashio’s Meatball Market in Lakeview
By Donna Cornelius Mary Susan Cashio is having a ball. The Vestavia Hills native just opened her own restaurant in Birmingham’s Lakeview District. Its main attraction? Meatballs. Cashio’s Meatball Market, which opened Oct. 3, owes its existence to two very different experiences – family dinners in Birmingham and food expeditions in New York City. The young restaurateur … [Read more...]
It’s All Greek: Annual Festival at Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Celebrates Food, Culture
By Donna Cornelius It’s a few weeks before Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral’s 44th annual Greek Festival, and the church’s banquet hall is buzzing. Women wearing aprons and gloves have gathered for one of several cooking sessions to prepare food for the festival. On this day, they’re making pastichio, a lasagna-style dish that’s always one of the event’s most … [Read more...]