By Anne RuisiAnnette Ritchey remembers visiting her grandfather’s homeland of Greece at 13 and watching people stomp grapes on one of the islands.Years later, on a recent Saturday morning, she was in the parish hall of St. George Melkite-Greek Catholic Church on Birmingham’s Southside working with other church volunteers to use another part of the grapevine to make … [Read more...]

By Anne RuisiChef Maureen Holt isn’t Jewish, but when she prepares the hors d’oeuvres and three-course meal for the J’La Gala at the Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham on Aug. 18, everything will be kosher. “It’s a very healthy way of eating,” said Holt, a private chef who is owner of Southern Graze catering company. “There are lots of amazing, fresh … [Read more...]

 The area’s best mixologists will compete for Best Cocktail in Birmingham on July 27 at the Magic City Cocktail Challenge, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.The event, at The Fennec in Birmingham, features guests sampling signature drinks created by participating bartenders and voting on their favorites, according to an American Cancer Society news … [Read more...]

 By Donna CorneliusEarly in his cooking career, chef Adam Evans learned about the James Beard Awards and hoped that one day he’d “get on a list” for consideration for the honor, one of the food industry’s most prestigious prizes.Evans did just that in 2020. His Birmingham restaurant, Automatic Seafood & Oysters, first made the long list of semifinalists … [Read more...]

Cooking with Culture, held at Vecchia Pizzeria in Hoover, will receive statewide and national exposure with a feature on Simply Southern TV. The cooking classes were co-founded and are led by Chef Benard Tamburello, an American Italian, and Giuliana Russo-Skinner, an Italian American.The show will premiere locally on WBMA-TV 33/40 in Birmingham on Sunday, July 3, at … [Read more...]