She is self-taught, yet went on to win the nation’s highest culinary honor in her field, a James Beard award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Dolester Miles has spent 40 years working with Beard Award-winning chef Frank Stitt, playing a role in the birth, growth, and sustained excellence of his Beard Award-winning flagship restaurant, Highlands Bar and Grill.

Whether you want to chow down on barbecue, sample vegetarian food-truck fare, or crush on gussied-up funnel cakes, Black-owned food businesses in Huntsville and across north Alabama will make your belly happy. These aren’t just restaurants to support once a year, though. This is serious food for serious eaters, all 12 months of the year. 

The Birmingham area is known for a diverse restaurant scene, and its Black-owned restaurants only enhance that tasty reputation. With food from Ethiopia, the Mediterranean, and Jamaica to regional southern favorites from Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, the world is your oyster at these eateries in the Magic City and environs.

Cheryl Harper offers a sample cup of infused olive oil with flavored balsamic vinegar to a visitor at her Birmingham specialty shop, Simply Infused.  “This is Tuscan herb with wild-raspberry white balsamic,” she says, reacting gleefully to the customer’s reaction after he takes a sip. “It’s very fragrant, complex. You get rosemary, garlic, and oregano from the oil, and a little tart and sweet from the balsamic.”

A man walks by the main lot at Fountain Heights Farms, where Maria Dominique Villanueva trims the outer leaves from just-picked winter cabbage that she and her husband, Chris Gooden, grow in a north Birmingham neighborhood. “Hey Wallace,” she calls out, waving to the man. “How are you? You want some cabbage?” They talk briefly and share a laugh before he continues on with a couple of heads of fresh produce. It’s a regular occurrence at the urban farm, spread over three separate plots that total a little less than an acre. They’re within a 10-block area in the historic neighborhood near the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, which has fallen on hard times since the community was left isolated by interstate construction that was completed in 1971. 

“Birmingham is one of the worst coffee cities in America, ranking 4th-worst in the U.S.,” blared the email from the data crunchers at Clever Real Estate. Wait. They say Birmingham is fourth-worst? In the country? Well, that just grinds my beans (which I actually do every morning—with locally-roasted coffee).

Valentine’s Day is famously one of the busiest days of the year for dining out. When February rolls around, suddenly everyone and their mother is out fighting for the same reservations at all the nicest restaurants. And while there’s nothing wrong with wanting to treat your special someone to a white tablecloth experience, there’s something to be said for putting a little thought into the other half of wining and dining. This Valentine’s Day, whether you snag a reservation, bring in takeout, or cook your own romantic dinner for two, make plans to incorporate a pre-dinner cocktail or nightcap into your date. Whether you’re looking for a chic speakeasy, classy wine bar, or drinks with a view, we’ve got you covered with our list of six places for a romantic drink in Birmingham.   

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Nothings says Valentine’s Day like a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates. But if you’re looking to surprise your special someone with something a little different this V-Day, why not skip the drugstore candy and opt for a locally made treat from one of Birmingham’s many bakeries, sweet shops, and confectionaries.  Here are seven places to treat your sweetie this Valentine’s Day.

When Ben and Laura Smith moved to Bluff Park from Birmingham’s Southside six years ago, they had no trouble falling in love with their new home. They loved the personality of the homes. They loved having a yard for their two sons to run around in, and they loved the community feel of the tight-knit neighborhood. As far as they were concerned, the neighborhood was perfect, save one thing: its lack of a community watering hole.

It’s game day and the libations at your home tailgate are running dry long before kickoff. Or the guests at your sunset soirée are proving thirstier than anticipated. Or everybody’s showing up to your adult house party. You can’t just buzz off to buy more liquor, beer, or wine. You probably shouldn’t get behind the wheel to buzz anywhere, anyway. What to do?

February 1 marks the Chinese New Year, a 15-day festival set by the traditional lunar calendar that many Asian countries still use for holiday dates. It’s now the Year of the Dragon. But the lunar new year also is celebrated in Vietnam and its diaspora (Vietnamese ex-pats in New Orleans, for example, hold an annual three-day weekend festival, set this year for February 4–6). 

As Jonathan “Jon” Harrison faces the judges on the Fox competitive cooking show, “Next Level Chef,” he’s concerned about his fate after a series of mishaps while he prepared that episode’s dish.

Juniper is one of those places that is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the taste buds.

Walking into the intimate establishment in the Forest Park commercial district, you see floral paintings and other artwork, framed by an ornate hanging loveseat. The lime-wash walls in the bar area—painted Wellington blue—enhance Juniper’s Victorian vibe.

Just because it’s winter that doesn’t mean nothing’s coming out of the ground on Alabama’s farms. Carrots, greens, root vegetables, satsumas, broccoli, fava beans, and sweet potatoes are all in-season now here. And if you know where to look, you’ll find the freshest homegrown food the state produces. The early season for markets selling Alabama-grown food direct from farms started this weekend, with the opening of Birdsong Farmers Market in Birmingham. The indoor winter market at nearby Pepper Place starts January 22.

It’s an increasingly common conundrum for restaurant owners and managers: You need someone to cover a shift or two—a prep cook, a bartender, a server, a dishwasher, a host. So, you put the word out on a group message to the network of hospitality workers that you’ve built over the years.

It’s hard to slap a label on Helen, the downtown Birmingham restaurant owned by repeat James Beard Award semifinalist Rob McDaniel and his wife, Emily. “It’s hard to say what it is, because Helen doesn’t really fit any category,” says McDaniel, who was the executive chef at the acclaimed SpringHouse restaurant near Lake Martin for 11 years before opening Helen in June 2020.

Miller Mobley has been all over the world. As a photographer, he’s met some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Tom Hanks, Robert DeNiro, George Clooney, and Nicole Kidman. He’s taken portraits of icons Dolly Parton, Anthony Bourdain, and Taylor Swift, and he even shot the cover for Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming.” But after years of living and working in New York, Mobley decided it was time to come home. So four years ago, he packed up his family and made the move back to Birmingham. With the move home, Mobley was inspired to challenge his creativity. 

It’s that time again, when we make resolutions for how we’ll live in the new year, and perhaps assess how we did with the goals we set 12 months ago. As a culinary writer, my thoughts naturally turn to what and how I plan to eat and drink this coming year, while also providing readers some food for thought. Here are five goals for 2022 that can tie into locally driven and sustainable food habits:

The upcoming year will mark a new milestone in Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s growth, as its $8 million upgrade fully comes on line with a new educational center and other improvements designed to enhance the nonprofit’s overall mission of providing nutritious food to people who need it most.

For most people accustomed to walking in off the street to dine in brick-and-mortar restaurants, ordering lunch or dinner from a food truck is about as exotic as it gets. But some Alabama restaurants go to unusual heights or dish from decidedly different locales. You can eat in a jail, or nosh between firing rounds from a pistol or paint gun. If the water floats your boat, try a bobbing bistro in a lake. Or graze on a steak before the barn doors close.