What are your favorite things about living and working in Birmingham?
Having not been born in Alabama and discovering it in my mid-20s, I was struck early on by the warmth of the community. I’ve seen and experienced this warmth on many levels through the years and I believe it defines this community in a way that is very special.
I daily see wonderful selfless acts in such things as the incredible charitable giving in Birmingham, community involvement by local businesses on many levels, the commitment to support all things local as a true source of pride, and great empathy and caring for the people who have had tragedies befall them.
How would you describe the current culinary scene in Birmingham?
Birmingham has a mature well-established and award-winning food scene. We are currently seeing a renaissance in the local food scene and the makeup of that community.
Over the last three or four years, the word has gotten out and chefs are beginning to look to our city as a great place to move to, to start a new business in and to raise a family.
Opening in all communities around Birmingham are great food trucks, casual dining, ethnic food options, fine dining, etc., like never before here. It is awesome for the consumer. And this explosion of options assures that if you are to survive as a business in a very competitive field of options, you must stay on your game with food and service.
The best news is we in the food community are evolving, expanding, creating and producing more diverse, interesting and delicious food than ever before. Support from the city of Birmingham is now bearing tremendous fruit.
What makes dining at your restaurants special for groups?
At both the Hot and Hot Fish Club and OvenBird we take great pains to make sure our restaurants feel warm, welcoming, fun and exciting. A place that has an energy and sense of itself that makes you feel great from the minute you arrive. We hope this makes us special and is true for all our guests, including larger corporate groups. We try very hard to create an oasis, an escape for a few hours through our food, service and commitment to your comfort and happiness at our restaurants.
Beyond your restaurants, what are some great culinary experiences you would recommend for groups meeting in Birmingham?
We love to grab coffee at Revelator downtown, pizza at Post Office Pies, lunch at Los Dos Hermanos Taco Truck, business lunch at Red Pearl, ice cream at Big Spoon Creamery, world-class cocktails at Collins Bar and Saturday brunch at El Barrio.
Do you have a favorite dish that you like to prepare for groups?
It is very important that we stick to a seasonal approach and discuss likes and dislikes of the groups we host so that they get the best possible experience.
That said, if the Hot and Hot tomato salad were available year-round, it would be our most requested dish by a long shot. But it’s only available May through September.