May 14 marks the confluence of two major events on our calendars. It’s Mother’s Day and National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Don’t get nervous wondering to yourself, “But how can I fit […]

Brimming with history, nature, and a whole lot to do, Decatur is the perfect place to visit for an authentic Alabama weekend. The county seat of Morgan County, Decatur offers […]

The owners and chef behind the Magnolia Springs landmark Jesse’s Restaurant are dropping anchor at Fort Morgan with a new casual fine dining concept. Every table has a view of the water at Jesse’s on the Bay, which opened along the stretch leading to the historic fort and tourist attraction. The executive chef over both Jesse’s, Larry Agnew, pays painstaking attention to detail. He sources the restaurants’ produce and proteins as nearby as possible. The kitchen ages its prime beef, heritage pork, and even Gulf fish to enhance its flavors. The new location in Fort Morgan boasts a raw bar featuring Alabama-farmed half-shell oysters and house-made fish ceviche. Both join the cast on the bayside restaurant’s ornate seafood tower.

Cinco de Mayo is a time for friends and family to celebrate their Mexican inner spirits. And while the day is not as big a deal in Mexico (it commemorates […]

Take a trip around the world at The Anvil Pub, where the oft-changing menu travels to Great Britain, India, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond—but still speaks with […]

If you’ve ever asked yourself “How do they do that” after devouring a slice of Ashley Mac’s signature strawberry cake, Ashley McMakin’s new cookbook is for you. Ashley Mac’s Kitchen […]

Colorful and intricately designed boards filled with thinly cut meats, cheese chunks, bread, nuts, olives, fruits, preserves, and other accompaniments are now common on restaurant and market menus. Morsels of the […]

Every culture has its own special crowd-pleasing baked sweets such as cookies, cakes, pastries, and breads. In Mexico, and to people worldwide with Mexican roots, these treats are collectively known […]

Spring is in the air and the excitement is building around incorporating fresh produce into our seasonal recipes. There is one key element necessary in ensuring that produce is bought […]

Thai cuisine is soul-satisfying food, sometimes simple and sometimes complex but always focused on five basic flavors – sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter. Cooking in Thailand reflects the culinary […]

  As Alabamians and as Southerners, tradition is a huge part of our culture. And no one knows that better than Temple Bowling, part-owner of one of the state’s oldest […]

It’s the season that’s a’pleasin, when super-ripe spring strawberries play a starring role in one of the South’s favorite cakes. Strawberry cake is beloved across Alabama and in neighboring states. […]

If you want the freshest locally grown vegetables for your family, there’s no easier solution than joining a CSA. Community Supported Agriculture programs give small family farms a crucial economic boost […]

When I was growing up, it wasn’t officially Easter until I opened the door to our clothes dryer. That’s where my mother, Juanita “The Easter Bunny” Velasco, always stashed my basket filled with candy, a chocolate bunny, and other sweet treats nestled on a bed of fake grass. To this day, I instinctively check the dryer on Easter Sunday. One never knows. Maybe your Easter Bunny will grace your basket or dinner table with treats from one of these Alabama bakeries or gourmet sweet shops.

In early spring, when the weather grows warmer and the rain picks up across southern Louisiana, the farmed and wild crawfish that grow there reach a perfect balance of size and flavor. Whether you call them crayfish, crawdads, crawdaddies, ecrevisse, mudbugs, or crawfish, these small lobster-looking freshwater crustaceans reach their peak around then in Louisiana, which produces up to 95 percent of the nation’s harvest. Crawfish season in bayou country generally runs from November into early summer, but spring time is prime time. By Easter, farmed and wild crawfish are abundant through the Southeast region, including restaurants and markets across Alabama. But while crawfish is a popular protein for those observing Lent, most Alabamians really don’t need much of an excuse to fill a plate, pop out some tail meat to eat, and then repeat. No surprise, then, that April is the month for crawfish-themed festivals across Alabama. Whether or not you opt to suck the crawfish heads is your choice.

It’s prime time for farmers markets to open across Alabama. A few may start earlier in the year, generally when the first strawberries grown nearby are ripe enough to pick. But April is the most popular month for market seasons to begin. At the beginning, you’ll see more arts and crafts, cut flowers, and prepared goods than fresh food. But in April farmers in Alabama are harvesting cauliflower, cabbages, lettuces, onions, spinach, and early squash. Hens are laying fresh eggs. And vendors that sell frozen meat or seafood are fully stocked. Alabama is blessed with so many places where people can connect with the people who produce their food—eating produce at its peak nutrition and flavor while also supporting family farms and local economies. Here are some of the Alabama markets opening in April, where locals can reap what nearby farmers sow.

Barbecue is so integral to the diet of average Alabamians it might as well be considered its own food group. Several festivals scheduled through May pay tribute to our favorite smoked meats, cooked low and slow. Some of the events double as competitions—for bragging rights as well as cash. Others serve their ’cue with a side of tunes (blues music seems to pair particularly well). All support worthy causes. Here are 6 barbecue festivals that will get you fired up for spring.

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and when it comes to breakfast, that certainly seems to be the case. Morning meals in the Lone Star State are all about supersized cinnamon rolls, hearty Southern classics like biscuits and gravy, and above all, the breakfast taco. The concept is simple, but delicious—and thanks to Ladybird Taco, it has finally made its way east to the Birmingham. 

Art and cocktails intertwine at The House of Found Objects, the latest creation from the bard of Birmingham bars, Feizal Valli (The Collins Bar, The Atomic Lounge). And the customers themselves are part of the performance. As you’re led through the bar to be seated, you might pass by the “Elvis Table,” where patrons have donned white “Vegas Elvis” jumpsuits. Artwork over the booth pays tribute to The King. That group sits next to a table of drinkers wearing Sesame Street costumes. Their friend, dressed as Cookie Monster, is working the room handing out coooo-keees.

Though it might have begun as Dry January, the trend of nonalcoholic cocktails has been getting more buzz (pun intended) throughout the last couple of years. Whether you’re looking to cut back on your regular alcohol intake, want to start a new habit, or just aren’t in the mood to drink, a mocktail can be a delicious alternative during a dinner out or night on the town. In recent years, craft cocktails bars across the state have caught onto the spirit-free movement and now offer several options—and sometimes entire menus—of nonalcoholic cocktails. So if you want to imbibe guilt-free and without the threat of feeling less than stellar the next day, here are six places to get a great mocktail in Alabama. 

When it comes to farm-to-table dining, there’s no better place to experience it than Hope Farm in Fairhope. At Hope Farm, much of the food served on your dinner plate was grown right outside the doors of the restaurant. And now, with Hope’s newest endeavor, The Barn, a breakfast and lunch bistro and event space, there’s even more farm-fresh flavor to be enjoyed.