Traditions, they inspire connections between families, friends, and even strangers. The wonder of meals shared, crafts created, service given, and community started by the generations before us is not […]

Alabama native Hunter Wiggins is working to change that. The young entrepreneur opened Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa in the fall of 2019 and is expanding with a second location in Auburn this November. From there, he hopes to spread his concept across the South and eventually open a location in every SEC college town.

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Like the start of many new businesses and pursuits, Pop Ramen’s origins began during the pandemic. And after two years of speed bumps and hard work, the new food truck is finally ready to hit the streets of Birmingham with its creative take on ramen. Pop Ramen is the brainchild of chefs Addison Porter and Cory Bolton, longtime friends and industry veterans who met working at Birmingham seafood restaurant Ocean several years ago. During COVID, they made the move from Tuscaloosa back to Birmingham to take jobs at the former Fancy’s on the Fifth in Avondale, and that’s when the idea for Pop Ramen sprung about. 

Florence, Alabama doesn’t lack for exciting breakfast dining options year-round, but during ShoalsFest music festival happening October 1st and 2nd, it’s not unusual to find yourself sharing the morning meal across from rock stars. Hazy ShoalsFest mornings bring local love and Nashville star power together at welcoming breakfast tables dotted around the sleepy college town.

Trussville is one of Alabama’s newest hotspots for restaurants, breweries, and bars. The city of roughly 26,000 that straddles the Jefferson-St. Clair county lines is building on the momentum from the two-year-old Trussville Entertainment District, a green space with a stage for outdoor performances surrounded by food and drink establishments, including Ferus Brewing’s flagship brewery and taproom. The growth radiates from there, including expansions from established restaurant brands based in nearby Birmingham and Homewood, as well places opened by hometown entrepreneurs. Here are a few new spots, and some coming attractions.

Revitalization of historic Montgomery is well underway through the addition of fine-dining restaurants, nationally recognized museum and memorials, modern housing developments, and so much more. As the capital city, Montgomery is truly the heart of “the soul of the south.” Here are three reasons why people are making the move to Montgomery and why you should consider making Montgomery home too.

Change comes gradually at Milo’s Hamburgers. For years after Milo Carlton opened his Birmingham restaurant in 1946, he slung only his unique burgers, slathered in house-made sauce and featuring a bonus bit of beef under the bun. It took a half-century or so for Milo’s to add chicken. Now its modest menu is coming full circle with a line of what Milo’s calls Thick-Style burgers, including two that premiere this month.

Oktoberfest has been many things over the years since the tradition began in Munich in the early 1800s. It started as a two-week celebration of the October 12, 1810, marriage of the Bavarian crown prince and a princess from a nearby state. People had so much fun, especially at the post-wedding horse race, folks decided to do it again in 1811. Oktoberfest officially became an annual festival in 1819, and has missed few years since. In many ways, it’s a super-charged version of typical modern fall festival, with more than 7 million visitors enjoying carnival-style rides, attractions, and signature foods like bratwurst and pork shanks.

Chris Joe’s Birmingham restaurant roots run deep. In 1919, his family moved to the city from Canton, China and opened Joy Young Chinese and American Restaurant. The restaurant remained a staple in the city with locations in downtown Birmingham, at the Brookwood Mall, and beyond for the next 70 years. The last Joy Young restaurant closed in the 1990s. 

If you’ve never heard of raicilla, that could change very soon thanks to Andrew Bernauer. He’s bringing the lesser-known agave spirit to Alabama through Birmingham-based El Viaje. The company produces raicilla that’s handcrafted and distilled in Jalisco, Mexico. 

You asked, he answered! Our Instagram followers submitted questions to SoulGrown’s “Man About Town” columnist.

If you don’t have children in school, this may be the perfect time to hit Alabama’s beaches. The weather is still warm, but not too hot. The water is still warm, but not too cold. And the size of the crowds at beachside amenities is just right.

Football and chicken wings connect like quarterbacks and receivers. Whether you’re watching the game in a sports bar, joining friends at a tailgate, or rooting with family at home, chomping down on a few chicken wings earns a No. 1 ranking in many fan polls.

Auburn University’s hospitality management program takes a great leap forward this month with the opening of the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, where undergraduate and graduate students will combine hands-on experience with traditional classroom training.

August marks a big month in the ongoing and tasty collaboration between Kristen Hall and Victor King, as they reopen their retail baked-goods shop, Bandit Pâtisserie, and premiere their wine-centric Bar La Fête in downtown Birmingham. The new Bandit—a pandemic-delayed relocation from the original in suburban Homewood—opened its door on August 9. King and Hall hope to start pouring and serving small-plate dishes at Bar La Fête by the end of August.

23 counties across the mid-section of Alabama are better known to locals as the Black Belt. This area between the Appalachian foothills and the Coastal Plain has become popular to tourists for many reasons, but there are a few standouts. Here’s what we’ve found when exploring Alabama’s beautiful Black Belt.

Rada Griffin wears a lot of hats. During business hours, she’s a contract software engineer working on top-secret NASA projects. But after she clocks out for the day, the real fun begins. In addition to serving as a personal chef, Griffin is also the owner of Anissa Wakefield Wines. She recently became Alabama’s first (and only) certified Black woman winemaker.  

LeNell Camacho Santa Ana fell into the world of bartending by necessity, but discovered a passion instead. Her boutique liquor shop in Birmingham’s Norwood neighborhood has gained a staunch following from those looking for small-production brands of wine and spirits. But more than that, they’ve found expertise, integrity, charm, and humor in the woman behind the bar. We sat down with LeNell herself to learn more about how she got into the buzzy biz.

What is it about Alabama biscuits? The best—airy and light—are a quintessentially Southern food that is equally at home in a diner or inside a temple to haute cooking. We’re talking all-American biscuits, the bready cousin to the unleavened, hard, flat and often sweet English-style biscuit that we’re more likely to call a cookie. Leavened with baking powder and salt instead of yeast, a Southern biscuit is at home on the side of a breakfast plate, patiently waiting to be slathered in syrup or used to sop yolk released by a sunny-side up egg. When sliced, biscuits are the perfect holder for breakfast, lunch, or dinner sandwiches.

Banana pudding. Few foods are more quintessentially Southern than sweet, creamy ’nanner puddin’. Perhaps that’s why Alabama plays host to the first-ever Major League Eating World Banana Pudding Championship on Friday, August 5. Akin to televised hot-dog or chicken-wing eating contests, 10 people who gorge for a living will compete for a $3,000 total prize purse at Madison’s CrossPointe Church.