By Donna Cornelius A Birmingham cooking competition that’s traditionally a hot ticket is turning up the temperature this year. Iron City Chef: BBQ Edition will pit Birmingham-based grill-centric teams against each other. The event, hosted by the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club, is set for 6 p.m. July 23 at Jefferson State Community College’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute, at … [Read more...]
Fire Man: Food, Flavor and His Father’s Example Fuel Nick Pihakis
By Donna Cornelius The Cooking Channel show “Man Fire Food” isn’t named after Nick Pihakis, but it could be. Barbecue is still a hot topic for the Birmingham native who started Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q more than 30 years ago. Pihakis opened the first Jim ’N Nick’s in 1985 with his father, Jim. The Birmingham-based barbecue restaurant now has 35 stores in seven states. “We’ve … [Read more...]
A Market on the Corner: Iz Neighborhood Grocery Opens in English Village
By Donna Cornelius Many longtime residents of English Village have fond memories of Park Lane Supermarket, a grocery store that operated in the Mountain Brook neighborhood for more than 40 years. “The freshest vegetables in town and hand-cut meat were trademarks of the store, which also carried commodities considered exotic such as imported fruits and coffees,” writes Cathy … [Read more...]
Keeping It Real (and Rosemary): Jennifer Mims’ Mom and Children Inspired Her New Homewood Restaurant
By Donna CorneliusYou couldn’t describe Jennifer Mims’ daughter as a Gerber baby. That’s not because Jemma, now 4, wasn’t bright-eyed and beautiful, but because her mother shied away from store-bought food. “I made more than 90 percent of my daughter’s baby food,” Mims said. “When our second child was born, there was no time to do that. But I wanted to feel good about … [Read more...]
Back by Popular Demand: Piggly Wiggly Almost Ready to Return to Crestline Village
By Donna Cornelius One of Crestline’s most popular residents is coming back to the neighborhood. The new Piggly Wiggly supermarket in the Mountain Brook community has an anticipated opening date of May 31, company officials said. Owners Andy Virciglio and brothers Basim and Naseem Ajlouny hoped to re-open in Crestline Village after they had to shut down their store at the … [Read more...]