SFA Annual Symposium: Christmas in October for Foodies

WORDS & PHOTOS Caroline Rosen

Consider the okra. The word originated in Nigeria, where abundant varieties of the vegetable grow freely. Not native to the American South, had West Africans never been forcibly brought to the United States as slaves, okra would not be served in every restaurant from New Orleans to Charleston. While we use the Nigerian word for okra, in other Bantu languages the vegetable is known as “kingombo.” Unsurprisingly, the vegetable stew that makes great use of okra goes by the name “gumbo.” The history of okra cannot be decoupled from the history of slavery.
           
If you found that last paragraph interesting, then you will love the Southern Foodways Alliance. The SFA is a group of academics, chefs, food producers, food writers, and food lovers who study and celebrate Southern Food and Southern Culture. SFA calls Oxford, Mississippi home, based at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture. The organization’s mission: “set a common table where black and white, rich and poor — all who gather — may consider our history and our future in a spirit of reconciliation.” SFA uses food as the starting point for conversations about culture, race, gender and religion in the South.
           
Alabama features prominently in the history and leadership of the SFA. The organization was founded in Birmingham in 1999, and dinner at Highlands Bar and Grill was the SFA’s first act after its founding. Frank and Pardis Stitt of Highalnds Bar and Grill have served on the SFA board of directors at various times, and Jim ‘N Nicks BBQ Restaurant provides enormous financial support for the organization.
           
SFA’s biggest event of the year is the symposium, held in and around Oxford, Mississippi annually in October. The symposium features speakers from across the United States who discuss different aspects of Southern food and Southern culture. For instance, a few years ago a speaker discussed a specific species of mirliton (or chayote squash) that grew in backyards in New Orleans. For decades, people in low-income areas of New Orleans grew mirliton in vines that wrapped around the chain-link fences of their backyards. The fruit grew prolifically, meaning neighbors constantly shared extra with neighbors, making slaws, salads, and seafood and breadcrumb stuffed mirliton during holidays. The mirliton was part of the fabric of life for these communities.
           
Then came hurricane Katrina, flooding New Orleans and drowning all of the the backyard mirliton. After the storm, communities in New Orleans tried to re-introduce mirliton, but the Costa Rican variety brought to New Orleans failed to grow. Researchers determined that the pre-Katrina backyard mirliton had evolved to grow in the rough, shallow, wet and often contaminated soil of New Orleans. The new varieties, coming from Costa Rica, were acclimated to rich, tropical soil, having never been forced to develop the ability to grow in unfavorable conditions. Today, almost 10 years after Katrina, mirliton remains a casualty of the hurricane. While mirliton initially seems like a fairly limited topic, this lecture made it clear that an important part of New Orleans food culture was lost, and was likely never coming back.
          
In addition to the lectures and speakers, the SFA symposium features food. Lots of it. Chefs from around the United States are asked to prepare meals for lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch to close the symposium. These meals have become a competition among the chefs, each trying to outdo meals cooked at the symposium the year before. The winners are the attendees, who have enjoyed dishes such as boiled peanuts and edamame from Chef Edward Lee of Louisville, a 12 course barbeque lunch made entirely of vegetables from Chef Ashley Christianson of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a brunch featuring squid-ink pasta from Alon Shaya of New Orleans, Louisiana.
           
This year, the SFA is celebrating “Women at Work,” and women will do all of the speaking, cooking, and presenting at this year’s symposium. Although tickets for the event have already sold out, MADE will be there covering all of the talks and all of the food. Check our website regularly between October 4 and October 6 for updates.
For information and SFA memberships, visit www.southernfoodways.org.

Interpreted Architecture

WORDS  Caroline Taylor 

ARTWORK Courtesy Oliver Michaels, Square in Square Series, 2013 

Oliver Michaels, Gamaliel Rodriguez and Harvi Sahota utilize individual approaches to architecture as a vehicle for narrative or story. Interpreted Architecture is the inaugural exhibition at Made Gallery.

Artist Spotlight: Oliver Michaels
Oliver Michaels, whether working in film, photography, or sculpture, creates structures that combine documentary and fantasy, resulting in objects or interactions that are impossible or irrational. The composite buildings in his most recent series, A Square in Square (above), shot primarily in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, lack windows and doors, or general function. Train pulls the viewer through a series of unconnected interior spaces – a dislocating journey in which narrative is clear but story undefined. A Journey Between Two Fixed Points glides from one unrelated interior or exterior to the next in an elegant rotation.

Holding a BA from Central Saint Martins in Fine Art, Oliver’s works have been widely exhibited at venues including Cole Gallery, London; Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Krefelder Kunstmuseen, Krefeld, Germany; Tate Britain, London; and P.S. 1, Long Island City, New York. His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Kreferlder Kunstmuseen, Krefeld, Germany.

Join us on November 7 from 6-8pm for the Opening Reception of Interpreted Architecture.

Interpreted Architecture
Oliver Michaels, Gamaliel Rodriguez, Harvi Sahota
Curated by Caroline Taylor
MADE Gallery
November 7 - 21, 2013
The A&P, 505 Cloverdale Road, Unit 102

Rob McDaniel: Food Invader

WORDS Brent Rosen   PHOTO SpringHouse, contributed

The idea came from my sister. We were talking at the bar at True, she working, me drinking, when she said “doesn’t Rob kind of look like the Capital One Vikings from the commercials?” Why don’t you make something up about that.” Interesting, I thought - a profile as historic fiction.  I went home, poured a tall glass of Weller, and came up with the following:

“Rob McDaniel keeps a cluttered war room. Crumples of balled-up loose leaf strewn about the floor, the script so small you can barely make out words like “prosciutto,” “padron,” and “porchetta” among the folds. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of cookbooks: lining the bookshelves, stacked on the floor, some piled in a heap on the table, now used as a makeshift armrest. An apothecary cabinet bulged in a corner, its haphazard drawers of cumin, curry, coriander, cast jagged shadows in the low light coming through the room’s only window. In the middle of it all, a map. And over that map hulked McDaniel.

There, in the map, Montgomery, beckoning - the prize of the River Region. McDaniel plotted for days in his stronghold on Lake Martin; he strategized, worked through plan after plan in his mind. This would not be Rob’s first invasion. In February 2012, Rob invaded Kitchen Stadium, ready to do battle with the culinary worlds keenest warriors. McDaniel used his secret weapon - Alabama Peach Moonshine - to help Chris Hastings unseat Bobby Flay, the “King of Sausage.” That invasion was successful, but Rob knew not to rest on his laurels. Montgomery would produce unique challenges all its own.”

That’s as far as I got before realizing fiction is much harder than fact.

“Actually, that’s pretty accurate. Especially the part about the clutter. I like it” Rob told me, laughing, after I asked him to read those two paragraphs.  Rob is an old friend, and someone I’ve written about at least a half dozen times for various publications and websites. I’ve interviewed him about the Front Porch Revival, Lambstock, winning Iron Chef, and opening Kowliga, as well as about various dishes served at SpringHouse, his restaurant on Lake Martin. I was hoping he’d hate the idea of Rob McDaniel, Food Invader - Rob bearded, in furs and horned helmet, ready to raid. I wanted him to get into “aw shucks” mode, turn a little red in the face, and tell me the Food Invader idea was cool, but too much. Unfortunately, He didn’t.
           
“Well, I’ll probably hurt myself if I try to extend that metaphor any further than a couple of hundred words, so maybe we need to turn this into a more traditional newspaper piece.” I admitted, not wanting to figure out another dozen clever puns, another hand-full of alliterative descriptions.
           
“No problem,” Rob told me, maybe a little disappointed, “where do you want to start.”
           
Realizing that all of my prior interviews concerned only Rob’s role in a particular event, I thought this interview could be different. More in depth. I realized I had no idea when he graduated college, where, or if, he attended culinary school, where he first worked in a kitchen. I told him “let’s begin at the beginning”.
• • •  
Rob started working in kitchens while still at Auburn University. First at Ruby Tuesdays, then at Auburn’s chef incubator, Amsterdam Café. After his time at Amsterdam, he knew he wanted to be Chef, so Rob changed his major to hotel and restaurant management, and prepared himself for the graduate program at the Culinary Institute of America. Then, something unexpected happened -- The New England Culinary Institute (NECI) in Vermont offered him a spot in its program.
           
Rob left Alabama for New England, but only made it as far as the mountains of Tennessee before he panicked. “I got really nervous,” Rob said. Imagine Rob -- before any accolade, before any accomplishment, before he’d cooked with anyone of note -- doubled over on the side of the road, breathing hard, feeling smothered by the haze drifting down from the Smoky Mountains. What if I fail? What if I have to turn around and go back to Alabama with my tail between my legs? What if no one likes me? What if I make no friends? I’ve never been outside of the South, what am I doing going to Vermont? Don’t the girls there have hairy armpits? Do I even want to do this? If you haven’t been there before, you haven’t lived right, and that moment forced Rob to make a choice. Be comfortable, or be the best that he could be. Rob chose the latter.

Shortly after arriving in Vermont, Rob realized his fears were unfounded. The people were great, he made lasting friendships and enjoyed his time in Vermont immensely. NECI taught him the skills of a chef, the techniques he would rely on for the rest of his career. He also learned he was a good cook, at least as good as his classmates. Upon graduation, confidence built, Rob left Vermont for Birmingham ready to show everyone back home his hard-learned culinary skills.

After returning to Birmingham, Rob spent time cooking under Chris Hastings at Hot and Hot Fish Club, and then several years at Jim N’ Nicks before Russell Lands brought him to SpringHouse. SpringHouse features an open kitchen, allowing guests to watch Rob and his team at work. The first thing you’ll notice: Rob’s calmness, his near serenity in the kitchen. Activity whirls around him, chefs performing the complicated dance of prep, to stove, to finishing, but all the activity purposeful. There is economy in the kitchen Rob runs, no wasted movements, no extra processes, no unnecessary steps. Part of that is experience, but the rest is personality. He has the look of a raider, but the temperament of a yogi.
• • •
 I asked Rob why he agreed to participate in the Food Invasion at EAT South’s Hampstead Farm at the end of October, and his answer bordered on riddle. “Alabama is in the moment,” he told me. Puzzled, I asked, “um… could you maybe elaborate a bit on that?” Rob further explained, “we are at a moment where we are on the fence. We can keep going as a food state, continuing to climb upward, or we can roll back down the hill into a rut.” For years, Alabama food had two names, Frank Stitt and Chris Hastings, and those two carved out a path leading people outside of Alabama to see our food scene as more than barefoot people eating boiled vegetables. Rob believes that as a younger chef with a growing profile, it is his job to keep clearing the path forward, to continue the work of Frank and Chris, making sure that their hard-won achievements aren’t swept under the rug, forgotten.
           
This need to keep clearing the path, to keep pushing the boundaries of Alabama food forward makes Rob EAT South’s perfect partner for the Food Invasion. Rob already challenges himself to make certain the ingredients he uses are the finest and freshest available. While everything can’t be local -- for instance there isn’t a local producer of duck, or rabbit, or chicken -- Rob makes sure to use local, seasonal produce as frequently as he can. Rob buys vegetables direct from small farmers, and he picks figs and pears right from the trees of folks who live around Alexander City.  Rob’s foraged for mushrooms in the woods and used hand-picked edible flowers in dishes at SpringHouse. The EAT South dinner will make Rob’s ingredient quest easy: every vegetable served at the dinner will come right from the farm.
           
I asked about the menu, and Rob coyly referred to it as a variant on “Surf and Turf.” What, I asked, do you mean by variant? While Rob remained evasive, it sounds like the “Surf” portion of the dinner will be Gulf seafood. As far as “Turf,” think things that grow in turf, and not animals that graze on turf. Rob wants there to be some mystery to the dinner, so anything more concrete about the menu became an off-limit topic. Rob would say he intends to do much of the cooking on open coals in a pit dug close to the dining area, and that the entire idea of cooking without a kitchen presented an excellent opportunity to explore other, rustic cooking methods. Rob says he looks forward to cooking for Montgomery out under the stars, and those fortunate enough to have a seat at the table should prepare for a night of expanded expectations and culinary truth and beauty.
• • •
On the day I interviewed Rob he had just returned from Charleston, where he cooked in a “Young Guns” dinner fundraiser for the Southern Foodways Alliance. The dinner had been silent-auctioned at Blackberry Farms during “Taste of the South,” and the winning bid was somewhere pretty close to the federal poverty line. At the seated dinner for around 70 people, Mike Lata and Sean Brock -- two luminaries on the national food scene -- served Rob’s food. “It was pretty awesome” Rob undersold. He’d come a long way from Ruby Tuesdays.

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Photo: KBK Photography

Oktoberfest Round Up

WORDS  Anna Lowder, Brent Rosen

Google “Oktoberfest” and you’re sure to find the usual suspects: damsels in dirndls and blokes in lederhosen, braids and brats, steins, pretzels and kraut. And while I’m certain our readers have few objections to most of the above, Oktoberfest can have an air of tongue-in-cheek cliché about it. So before you turn your nose up at the Lowenbrau-ness of it all, take a second to consider the history of the festival.

Sixteen days dedicated to celebrating beer in Bavaria. The sheer enormity of that much revelry is laudable. Add to it that Oktoberfest (running late September through the first weekend in October annually) is the world’s largest fair with over 6 million participants in Bavaria alone, and you’ve got yourself a party.

Montgomery is not ever going to have 6 million people at an event. That being said, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate Oktoberfest Southern style. Here are our picks of the best and most unique upcoming Oktoberfest events.

If you had to guess the oldest building in Montgomery County, you’d probably say a church. Good guess, but you’d be wrong. It’s actually a tavern. Lucas Tavern, on N. Hull Street in Old Alabama Town is the oldest building in Montgomery County, and on Friday October 4, come out and celebrate the spirit of the old tavern at Tavernfest. There will be craft beer and wine tastings, music from The Goat Hill String Band, tavern-style food, and games for the childrens. Everything is set up in a courtyard behind the Tavern; tickets are $10. If you want to go all-in, for $125 you can purchase a “Porch Pass” that will give you and ten of your friends your own private porch on the courtyard, along with a table, chairs, and great views for the concert. All proceeds benefit the Landmarks Foundation. Octoberfest, restored buildings, and historical stories - this sounds like the recipe for making a Montgomery episode of “Drunk History.” I’ll call Comedy Central, you just go to Tavernfest.
Gates open at 6pm, band starts at 7pm. For info call 334 240 4500. Proceeds benefit Landmarks Foundation and help bring more school children to learn about history at Old Alabama Town

Putting their usual spin on the celebration, El Rey and Leroy join forces tonight selling their famous chorizo dogs (house-made pork chorizo verde and vegan chorizo, no less). Live music with three bands - Eleven Year Old, Koko Beware and Burning Itch - is on the cards, and select Oktoberfest beers at both locations.
For info visit burritolounge.com

The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is hosting its second annual Art In Concert featuring two renowned up-and-coming bands, The Banditos and St. Paul and the Broken Bones. This event was a massive success last fall, so don’t miss these great musicians on their tour through Montgomery. A gorgeous outdoor setting (chairs and lawn blankets welcome), original music, and food and drink available for purchase … sounds like a great night to us.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door and are on sale now at www.mmfa.org/museumInformation or call 334 240 4348.

Don’t let your furry pal miss out on the German fun. Bring your wingman along to BarktoberFest where you can both enjoy the great outdoors at Hampstead. This 3rd annual event features live music, a “Hot Dog Bar” and dogs of all shapes and sizes frolicking in The Tipping Point’s Beer Garden. Proceeds benefit the Montgomery Humane Society. Thursday 17th, 6-9pm, tickets $10 at the door. Weiner dogs obviously encouraged, just for the sheer fun of it.
For info call 334 260 9110.

Kung Fu Kicks, Cold Beer & Billion Dollar Ball Clubs

WORDS Will Steineker

Word is you don’t like soccer.  It probably has something to do with all of those faux-European hipsters who go out of their way to call it football.  It doesn’t help that they’re usually wearing skinny jeans while they rant about how much you should like their version of the game.  The worst part is how the condescension just oozes out of them as they look down their noses, right through their conspicuous glasses, and chirp about how “you just don’t get it.” 

Word is you don’t like soccer and that makes perfect sense.  After all, soccer’s just a bunch of pansies and pretty boys running around playing a child’s game.  Nobody ever scores.  Games can end in a tie.  You can’t even touch the ball, for God’s sake!  The fact of the matter is that soccer’s a sport for seven year olds, and sports for seven year olds are not real sports.  It’s a game played by children and wannabe male models.  Real men don’t play soccer.  Real men play American sports.  Real men play real football, not that hot pansy nonsense.

And every single bit of that may be true.  But before you decide to consign soccer to the wastebasket reserved exclusively for soft sports played by soft people who do soft things, consider the events of the evening of January 25, 1995.

It was a damp, chilly night in South London when Manchester United forward Eric Cantona was ejected from his team’s English Premier League match at Crystal Palace.  He was tossed for blatantly kicking a Palace defender and was headed back to the locker room when a Palace fan named Matthew Simmons made his way to the front row to toss a couple of insults in the visiting player’s way as he made his way down the tunnel.  It seems Simmons was no fan of the forward, a fact he made known by shouting a few choice words Cantona’s way while insulting his nationality.   Cantona, a proud Frenchman with an often-volatile temper, had just spent the last ninety minutes running at full speed while taking cleats to the shins and elbows to the face.  As such, he didn’t appreciate what the home team’s supporter had to say.  He registered his dissatisfaction by launching himself from the field, kung fu kicking Simmons in the chest, and punching him in the face.

Think about that. 

A professional athlete kung fu kicked another team’s fan in the chest and punched said fan in the face, and he did so after exerting more energy in an hour and a half than the average person goes through in a week.  In most countries, that kind of assault gets you arrested.  In the UK, it made the Frenchman a god.  That night, Cantona went from mercurial professional athlete to the nation’s most famous celebrity.  His endorsements exploded, his jerseys sold out, and his next contract was a record breaker.  Still think your favorite football player’s a hard ass?  Think again.

Listen, that hipster who’s always talking about how everyone else in the world calls it football may very well be insufferable.  Nobody’s going to argue with that.  Still, there’s a very real chance he’s actually onto something.  It happens to be that soccer’s played by tough guys in top physical condition, and it turns out soccer fans are notorious for their passion and intensity. And nowhere are the players tougher and the fans more intense than in the English Premier League.  Here’s the skinny on how it works:

The English Premier League (the EPL or, alternately, the Premiership) is made up of the top twenty teams (or clubs) in English soccer, and it works in a manner that’s pretty easy to understand.  Each team plays thirty-eight matches, with each match lasting ninety minutes (plus a few extra minutes added onto the end of each half to make up for any stoppages in play due to injury).  Each club earns three points for a win, while a tie (or draw) gets you one point and a loss gets you none.  The points are tallied at the end of each season, and the club with the highest points total wins it all.  It’s that simple. 

In a twist that might seem amazing to the average American sports fan, the bottom of the EPL’s standings are even more interesting than the top.  The three clubs with the lowest points totals at the end of the season are sent down to the Football League Championship (a professional division that can best be described as the AAA baseball league of English soccer) in a process known as relegation, while the League Championship’s top three teams are promoted to the Premiership.  Relegated teams miss out on the massive revenue that’s shared among the top flight’s teams, while promoted teams get a cash infusion that can change their trajectories for years to come.  And while there are a few traditional league powers who consistently remain in the top tier of English soccer (London clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur come to mind alongside powerhouse sides from industrial towns such as Liverpool and current league champions Manchester United), there’s a parity that’s created by the struggle to remain in the Premiership that gives every single one of the season’s 380 games the sort of meaning that you just won’t find in your average week twelve matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns.

The Premiership’s rules of the road certainly offer an interesting twist or two, but the truth is that rules don’t make fans. No, fans need teams.  Fans need teams because nobody cheers for a league.  Fans need teams so they can buy shirts, learn chants, and talk trash.  Fans need teams so that they can properly live and die with each and every weekend’s results.  Premiership fans, referred to as supporters, understand what it is to do all of those things in a way that can challenge the faith of even the most fervent American football fan.  In fact, EPL fans are so ardent that sold out stadiums are the norm and pubs across the UK are packed on game day with supporters sporting their team’s colors as they drink beer and sing songs in support of their most beloved players.  And those are just the guy and gals watching in the UK.

Over 2,700,000,000 people in 212 countries watched the EPL last season, making it easily the most followed professional sports league on the planet.  The question of fandom is one that’s decided at birth for most Britons, but fans around the world have the privilege of choosing for themselves.  Which begs the question of which teams you should consider when choosing your side.  It’s a tough question, but the good news is that we’re here to help you make what very well may be the toughest, most important decision of your sporting life.  Here goes nothing...

Are you a fan of teams that have been good for so long that finishing second is unacceptable even if it means everyone else hates you (Manchester United) or do you prefer scrappy underdogs with a ton of oft-unrealized upside (Arsenal)?  Speaking of underdogs, how do you feel about hopping on board with one of the teams that were just promoted (Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Hull City) and are looking to make top-tier soccer an engagement that lasts longer than just a year?  Perhaps you’re the sort of person that has a taste for eccentric owners (which means you’re probably a Dallas Mavericks fan).  How about a side owned by a Russian billionaire (Chelsea) or a Sheik from Abu Dhabi (Manchester City), both of whom spend money like crazy while enjoying their fair share of time in the tabloids?  No?  Maybe you need an American connection.  What about team that’s owned by the same guys who own the Boston Red Sox (Liverpool) or the Jacksonville Jaguars (Fulham) to ease yourself into your newfound fandom?  Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to cheer for American players abroad (Aston Villa, Everton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur).  No matter your angle, the fact of the matter is that the only issue you’ll have when choosing an EPL club to support is narrowing it down to just one.  Just take your time, do a little research, and remember that the cheering’s the thing.  You can’t make a wrong decision.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably interested in finding out how you can give this whole Premier League thing a shot.  The good news is that watching EPL games in the US has never been easier.  This season’s action kicked off on August 17 and will run through May 2014, with the every single match being carried live on the NBC family of networks.  Comprehensive online coverage is available through the Premier League’s website (premierleague.com), the BBC (bbc.co.uk), and ESPN FC (espnfc.com).  But watching the Premiership’s biggest matches is a communal experience best enjoyed while sharing an adult beverage or two with a few dozen of your team’s biggest supporters. Give Hampstead’s The Tipping Point or Cloverdale’s Bud’s a shot if you’re looking to have a beer as you cheer for your boys alongside your fellow fans.  Once you’ve decided where to watch the game, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the experience.  It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s strangely familiar.  Matches flow beautifully and the crowd practically tells you when to cheer.  It helps that NBC’s announcers are among the best in the business.  So grab a beer and cheer your face off, folks.  Give it enough time and you’ll fall in love.  Give it a little more and you might even find yourself buying that condescending hipster a beer when you finally admit that he was right all along.  That’s not so bad, really.  After all, there are worse fates than having to admit you were wrong.  Just ask Matthew Simmons.

A Gentrification As Preservation: Previewing The Landmarks Foundation Cottage Tour

WORDS Brent Rosen  PHOTOS Jon Kohn

The welcome mat in front of Rich and Christy Anderson’s house says everything you need to know about the Landmark Foundation’s upcoming cottage tour: “Sometimes I feel like I’m the Only One Trying to Gentrify this Neighborhood.” This is not a tour of mansions for the unattainably wealthy. Instead, every house on the tour was bought by someone willing to see opportunity in a neighborhood where others only saw blight. The homeowners in these areas weren’t worried about whether they knew, or even had anything in common with, their neighbors, and were willing to take a chance in order to create something beautiful. Fortunately for everyone in Montgomery, on September 29, you will be able to share in that beauty.

Scott Finn and Charlie Caldwell live in the beautiful hacienda-style home on the corner of Girard and Felder. While the outside looks like something from the old west, the inside is European influenced Southern beauty. Scott teaches architecture at Auburn, and you can tell from the details in his home. Look for the armoire/head board in the rear bedroom, the candle chandelier on a pulley in the dining room, and the re-purposed set from the Shakespeare Festival Scott and Charlie use as a screen to block their fireplace during the summer to make their living room feel cooler. This is just one example of how Scott and Charlie live seasonally, changing the layout of their house from Winter to Summer.

Dr. Susie Paul found beauty in a concrete, mid-century modern home in Historic South Hull. Susie has lived there for the last five years, continually collecting period appropriate pieces at flea markets and antique stores to complete a thoroughly unique home. Originally, the home was built by a concrete maker as a part of a series of display homes, but now Susie’s house is one of the last ones left. Susie severs as President of the Historic South Hull neighborhood, and she loves the fact that White, Black, Latino, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Rich and Poor all call Historic South Hull home. While we walked through her home, looking out through the enormous windows that run the length of the house’s southern face, Susie explained that a neighborhood like Historic South Hull forces you to understand people that are different from you, and makes you learn how to get along with others you might never otherwise meet. Historic South Hull is an example of diversity that works, and everyone that lives there is better because of the experiences shared with neighbors.

On Plum Street in the Highland Park neighborhood, Emily Burge has rebuilt a 1910’s home from the ground up. Originally created by a builder that owned the entire block, Emily’s house was originally built identically to the house next door. Over time, each house has taken on a character of its own, as different owners expanded and contracted until the houses no longer no longer share much of a resemblance. The most impressive thing about Emily’s house isn’t the homes age, but that Emily has renovated everything in the house on her own. She has redone floors, built and stained bookshelves, and even wallpapered the ceiling of her house in order to restore  period detail that had wilted over the decades. Emily praises her neighbors and the sense of community she feels when neighborhood children on their walk to school stop and visit with her as she sits on her porch.

 In Capitol Heights, Rich and Christy Anderson rehabilitated a home from the 1910’s with near perfect attention to detail. The wood paneling, exposed beams, antique floors and high ceilings are pure old South, while the Ikea kitchen, modern bathrooms and well-appointed study bring their home into the present. The Andersons have an amazing heart of pine table in their kitchen they repurposed from a wall they tore down during the house’s renovation. That is the beauty of old homes -- if it was built in the 1920s, everything in it was built to last. The walls, the windows, the doors, the floors: everything in that house is a good today as it was 100 years ago.

That quality of construction is what separates the neighborhoods being redeveloped from the neighborhoods currently in development. Montgomery’s original neighborhoods have been around for over 100 years, and with owners willing to put in a little time and effort, those neighborhoods could still be around in another 100 years. While gentrification may have negative connotations in other places around the country, in Montgomery, it’s not so much gentrification as preservation. We have an amazing stock of historic properties in this town, and right now many of them are falling apart. Take the tour of homes, talk to the homeowners, and see that living in a historic neighborhood isn’t dangerous or crazy, but an investment in Montgomery’s past that will preserve our unique historical heritage for the future.

The Landmarks Foundation Cottage Tour takes place on September 29, 2013. Visit their website for more details. 

It's All About Hue You Know

WORDS Anna Lowder   PHOTOS Grace Photography

The shop is packed with boxes stacked waist high: tissue and packing lists trail from ripped packages while clothes racks and hangers slide feverishly across the showroom. Neither the owners nor the staff seem to mind. For that matter neither do the customers entrenched in the chaos, with good reason. This is the opening scene of Fall / Winter 2013 at hue studio. That’s right, it’s time to shop.

Not familiar with hue studio? Then it’s probably time for a makeover. Hue studio is the headquarters for style and fashion in Montgomery, with looks straight from New York and Los Angeles but curated for the modern, local maven. It’s everything a shop should be: locally-owned, independent, innovative, and supportive of its city. Moreover, it’s run by three sharp-witted and no-nonsense women, making it all the better.

This month, it unveils its huetopia Fall 2013, a semi-annual runway-meets social event of the season, at The A&P. Bigger and badder than ever, this year brings New York City’s fashion gurus to Montgomery, a runway erected in the street, and an extra VIP Party. Let’s dig in...

Owners Heather Steen, Stephanie Brown and Edna Steen are as varied as the offerings of hue studio. With backgrounds ranging from finance to interior design and a span of thirty years between them, this crew is a balance of creativity, sensibility, and determination. Connected as both family (marriage and birth) and as friends, they play off each others strengths. Stephanie is the “all things financial” gal and keeps the lights on and bills paid; Edna has a warmth with customers and keeps the place organized and running smoothly; Heather  (the “Yankee turned Southerner” by way of South Florida and NYC) has the passion for “all things design.” We talked shop one summer afternoon.
 
How did the idea of opening an independently-owned women’s boutique in Montgomery, Alabama come about? When Heather moved to Montgomery, we were all talking and came to find each of us had a vision for a retail store we dreamed of opening. We decided to join forces and open a new concept to Montgomery: a “lifestyle store.” We noticed all of the Montgomery stores had the same feel, look, and sometimes products.  Traditional design and objects were king, we just thought there was a bigger story to tell.
We opened with a modern store design and with edgy products to shake it up. We found that most of our customers who initially “got it” were military or well-traveled and were excited that we offered something different.  Over seven years, our modern lifestyle concept has gained a great following and we’ve been there to teach and fuel its fire.
 
It couldn’t have been easy for a group of professional females to open an independent fashion boutique in Montgomery. Tell us some of the obstacles you faced early on. One of our obstacles was also our biggest asset: none of us had ever owned a store, bought for retail, or had our own business. We made mistakes along the way - but not knowing what we were in for, or what the rules were, allowed us to do things our way.  We’re not so sure we would have made some of the decisions that created who we are today if we had been groomed in the business prior to opening.

So that’s one. Anything else? The 2007 economic downturn, scarcely a year after we opened. That was definitely our biggest obstacle - one that we still feel the effects of today.  We had projections from our amazing first year, and when everyone stopped spending, it was a big shock. We had to look carefully at everything, throw out what didn’t work, and lean on the things that did.  We re-wrote our program, and from that moment we never held on too tightly to what we thought we were supposed to be. We listened to what our customers needed us to be.”
 
You have the most successful, highest profile womenswear store in the region. You are sought after and respected today. As women in a male-dominated entrepreneurial role, was this always the case? We were told more than once that our idea would not work: our name didn’t make sense, or we were “doing it all wrong.”  Each time we heard that we would do a few things: laugh, shake our heads, look closer to give more thought, and then press on full steam ahead.  We didn’t fit a mold, and for that we had to have tough skin. 
It’s funny now that we think about it, most of the people we work with are women.  We have a team we generally go to for banking, photography, graphic design and more, who loved our concept and store and none of them happened to be men. We’ve worked hard for our current status and know we have to continue to create, develop and grow to keep things at this level.
 
You individually juggle career, family life, personal time - it’s a full schedule. How do you each organize and prioritize it all? We are still learning day by day how to make it work.  Since opening, we’ve added five children to the mix.  There is always a constant shift of kids from one owner to another to help get tasks completed.  Edna is a grandmother to two of the children and a great aunt to the other three.  They’re all cousins that function more like brothers and sisters and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Our staff is essential too - it’s all hands on deck and no one is too big or small to take on a task.  Personal, family, career - lives tend to all mesh together so it’s hard to even separate them anymore.  We just put our heads down and plow through. Sometimes it proves to be harder than we ever thought but we do it together and have a great time with each other in the process. 
 
You’ve expanded and adapted the offerings at hue studio over the years. Talk us through how you have adapted to meet the needs of the local market and changes in the economy. When we first opened we were a little bit of everything.  This worked for the first year until the market sunk and people had to focus on what they needed rather than wanted.  We were labeled “expensive” and that didn’t sit well with us.  We weren’t looking to own a store that catered to one type of person… this was for everyone. It took years to debunk that first impression and sometimes we still fight it today. 
We narrowed down our list of what we offered and became the experts on just that.  Women still wanted to look fabulous, so we brought in well-priced lines that met the quality and design standards we were known for, and only kept the best of the best at the higher end.  Through the years we have added and dropped lines but one thing remains: you can get a variety of styles, sizes, and price points when you shop with us.  Now that things are on the upswing we have started to add back some of the higher end and special occasion brands but we will always continue to look for those great deal brands that service a large portion of our customer base.
 
You relocated to Old Cloverdale last year. Why did you choose to move to an older, neighborhood setting? When we first opened, we had an idea of what we wanted to be and how we wanted to function.  We didn’t quite get everything on that list in our first location.  Our visibility wasn’t perfect, which didn’t help with traffic, and the one thing we really pined for was a sense of community.  Lifestyle centers, interstates, national chains: all are missing that connectivity with a community. They just lack heart. 
Cloverdale, and specifically The A&P, provided a place where we could collaborate with similar businesses and gave us an audience that cared if we were successful.  Our fashion show, huetopia, is a big tell for this.  People want to be a part of this, whether as a retailer or a customer, and everyone wants to contribute to its success.  We feel like we are at home now and we love that we can be a part of something bigger than just our store!
 
Who is your target customer today? The majority of our business is women aged 25-45.  But this is not our only target.  Our target is anyone who wants something different, something that you won’t see everywhere, something that you make your own.  We truly have all age groups that shop with us.
 
What sets hue studio apart in Montgomery?  
We sell a lifestyle, not just products.  We strive to keep brand exclusivity and when we can, we buy local.  Most of our jewelry is made by local artisans, either as one-of-a kind or made in small quantities.  We’ve had trunk shows with Susan Starr, Anchor and Daisy, Catherine Brawner, and we carry our very own Jenny Johnson Lockhart’s collection in the store. 
 
Tell us some of the new offerings and products this season at hue studio. Our biggest adventure this season is our new website (www.avibrantlifestyle.com).  With our current work load we can’t offer another store, but what we can do is bring hue studio to the masses via the internet. So for all of our “out-of-towners” that visit here and there, you will be able to shop with us on a regular basis!
 
What’s your advice to younger entrepreneurs looking to do a start-up in Montgomery or a town similar? Know what you want and go for it.  People will tell you no (A LOT) but it’s your choice to either listen and quit, or press forward and find a way.  Owning your own business is not for someone that wants it easy, or isn’t willing to go that extra mile.  If you want a 9-5, we recommend you be employed rather than be an employer!  Also, read up and be prepared. Learning things the hard way is always a lasting lesson, but if you are informed about what you’re doing, those lessons come at a lessor price.
 
What’s next for hue studio? Our next adventure is SHOES!  We’ve started with a small offering of five pair and will add 13 more over the next few months.  Our goal is to expand our shoes in the rear of the store and have it as “(S)hue Studio” within a season or two. So watch out for our Fall (S)hue Collection!

And now, on with the show: Let's Talk huetopia Fall 2013

huetopia is bigger and badder than ever this season. What’s in store for us September 13th? A true catwalk this season with national brands at the helm including J Brand Jeans and Cinda b.  We have the collaboration of our favorite Montgomery retailers: it’s the best line-up we have ever produced. We are a little scared as to how we will top this one!
 
Gorgeous ladies, high fashion, flash bulbs and cocktails? Done. Throw in a VIP Party to start it off and we’re definitely in. Give us the details.

5pm-7pm: Amplify Salon hosts a “Blow Out Bar.”  Get your hair done prior to the event and look like one of the models!  Appointments are available at Amplify.
 
6pm: VIP Party at True to start the night off right!  A red carpet welcome leads you to cocktails and appetizers and a chance to meet Cinda and Oscar!  Each VIP will get a gift bag filled with coupons, treats and Cinda has a special surprise for the attendees in each bag!  This will kick off the night and get everyone prepped for the runway. Tickets are $20 and available at True.
 
6pm: Didn’t get a ticket in time?  We have Pop-Up Shops on Graham Street that will sell great accessories and much more prior to, during and after the event.  We have partnered with local brands Matter, Anchor and Daisy, Catherine Brawner, Capital City Challenge, Southern Posies, Wrap and Wellness, Amanda Roberson Art, Jamie Mitchell Art, Parish, Ex Voto Vintage, Holland Williams Photography and Grace Photography Studio to get you started on this Fall’s essential looks.
 
7:30pm: Our emcees take the stage to show you this season’s must haves for Men (The Locker Room), Women (hue studio), Lounge Wear (Christine’s Feathered Nest) and Athletic Wear (Pure Barre), while showcasing Hair & Makeup trends provided by Doug’s 2 Salon and L’Esprit de Salon.   
 
Trends for Autumn / Winter 2013:
Colors: Pops of electric blue and jewel tones will make an appearance, but for the most part it is BLACK AND WHITE
Fabrics: Vegan leather is a must.  Combinations of multiple materials are in every collection. Brocade is big. 
Key pieces: For Fall/Winter you should have the following: Laser cut vegan leather anything.  A Moto inspired jacket. A circle skirt. Accented vegan leather detailed tops and printed pants.
Inspiration: Motorcycle Chic
 
Soundtrack of the Season:
 We are going “Old School” drum and bass.  Kruder Dorfmeister, Orbital, Ming and FS are a few on the catwalk list. We’re loving The Xx and Pharrell this season too.
 

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Who Are Ya? Football Kick Off

WORDS Anna Lowder

Saturday August 17, 12:45pm: The Countdown Begins

In just a matter of days, men will arise to paint their faces in thick primary shades, chests will be bared or full regalia donned in honor of beloved clubs nationwide. Yes, it’s time again for the full-on madness that is the English Premier League.

What’s this heresy? You don’t know the fanaticism that is British football? Well strap on your boots: this is the crash course in real football (yeah, I said it).

Lesson 1: Translation is important. Football is another name for soccer. The sport is primarily known as football throughout the world due to the fact that, rationally speaking, it is a sport played with the feet. The EPL is also known as the Premier League, or the Premiership. It is made up of the 20 top football clubs of the season, operated on a system of relegation (kicked out) or promotion (moved up) at the conclusion of each year’s season. The highest ranking team at the end of each season is crowned champion. Current reigning champions are Manchester United (Man U).

Lesson 2: Numbers don’t lie. Football is the world’s largest sport, played by over 270 million registered players and staff worldwide. Add in all of the kids and fans playing football around the globe, and we’re talking billions of people. It is plausibly the most democratic and inclusive sport in the world: all that’s needed for a pick up soccer match is one round ball and a flat piece of earth.

Lesson 3: Dollars (pounds) don’t lie. Over 4.7 billion people watched the English Premier League last year in over 212 countries. When it comes to money, football is king: global revenues for the sport total $28 billion annually—nearly as much as the revenues of all U.S. sports, Formula One racing, tennis and golf combined ($32 billion total).

Lesson 4: Form follows function. In other words, when guys run the full length of a 100 yard pitch for 90 minutes, they end up looking pretty damn fit. Compare soccer players bodies to the majority of American football players physiques and there’s not even a question of who gets more modeling gigs. This lesson was for the ladies.

Lesson 5: Time is of the essence. Each match is 90 minutes of play time (two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute half time). But the best part - no commercial breaks. Save yourself an hour and a half of meaningless commercialism and watch a football match instead of a college or, worse, NFL game.

Now that you have the low-down, get to know the top clubs to watch the best of the Premiership this fall. Top teams include: Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur. Most of these have ranked in the top five for decades, while others like Man City simply have ridiculous amounts of money due to wealthy overseas owners. These teams feature top talent and, when paired up each season, offer rivalries rarely seen outside Southern college matchups. But don’t stop with these six: smaller clubs compete with heart and each have unique histories and folklore (West Bromwich Albion - the name alone makes a match worth watching).

Now your only task is finding a local pub to watch live matches for the next nine months starting from 6:30am. Cheers.

The Premiership kicks off August 17th and runs through May 2014.

Catch the best live matches weekly on NBC and NBC Sports network. Follow statistics, analysis, commentary and fanaticism on these sites: premierleague.com • bbc.co.uk (BBC Sport) • skysports.com.

It's A Chef, It's A Farmer, It's That Guy: David Bancroft

WORDS Anna Lowder

Remember the first time you realized “That Guy” existed? Maybe you were in the grips of teenage awkwardness, covered in braces and spots and trying like hell to just remember your locker combination, when you looked up and there he was: That Guy. The one that never looked worried and never felt nervous, who always smiled and was sincere and friendly to everyone. That guy that could ace the test, score the winning run, and get the cute girl - all in a day. And no matter how much you didn’t want to, you liked him just like everyone else did. He was just That Guy.

You’re all grown up now - maybe you are a designer or a lawyer or you sell things or you buy things. Truth is it doesn’t matter because, factoring in the unfavorable chances of probability, you still know a That Guy. This one’s just grown-up, successful at all of his many chosen fields, and is still annoyingly happy.

David Bancroft is That Guy. If he were a superhero, of which I can find no proof to the contrary, David would inevitably be SuperMan (I honestly tried the “Superhero Name Generator” but Mega Bat didn’t quite do it). There is simply nothing Chef David Bancroft cannot do. Sound hyperbolic? Perhaps, but when one human combines professional dominance, sharp intellect, gracious demeanor, wicked sense of humor, stunning good looks and is devoid of drama, I’m not sure what else to call him.

Let’s start by calling him “Bancroft” as his friends do, most of whom are culinary professionals or creatives, which says a lot considering the snarky, often cut-throat business of the modern US food scene. Ask any acclaimed regional chef (Chris Hastings or Alon Shaya) or serious up-and-comer (Rob McDaniel or Leo Maurelli III) who has worked with Bancroft and the adjectives are always the same: talented, driven, hard-working, together. Being a chef is often about possessing one of these traits, or two. But finding one that marries them all with a business mindset and communication skills to rival Anderson Cooper and you’re starting to see the picture.

This April, Bancroft and The Front Porch Revival (a prolific group of Alabama chefs, artisans and brewers) rolled into Florence, Alabama to join forces with The Alabama Slammers (a rag-tag baseball team made up of Billy Reid / Alabama Chanin folk) and battle The Texas Playboys (similar group from Austin). Baseball was possibly the sideshow but a great excuse for chefs, designers, artists and musicians to gather for four days. Watching Bancroft operate in a new town with a new cast of characters was a lesson in calm. Prepared with every ingredient and tool he needed, his menus were planned entirely in advance and his dishes complete before others had even shown up. We’re not talking over-played “this is the South: we love Bacon!” food. David hand-rolled xxx home-made merguez sausage & local collard green tamalés for one dinner, and still had time for seasonal tabletop displays, signage, hand-made pickles, hand-packed jams - he even stole the show playing in the baseball game. And when he finished his tasks, he helped out anyone that needed an extra hand. Same story, different city. Working events with David from the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival to Southern Makers and the Farm To Fork Food Invasion in Montgomery and getting to truly know him, I knew that guy was bound for something big. I was right.

That Guy is unveiling his new restaurant, Acre, this August in Auburn. His own restaurant as executive chef, partner and creator - entirely from the ground up on one acre of land. Not just any new restaurant, but a space that incorporates years of planning, layout design, pro-formas, menu edits, an in-fill building site, a renowned culinary team - and oh yes, an on-site garden - headed by Chef David Bancroft. Because when he’s not dazzling the national press (Food & Wine, Southern Living, Garden & Gun to name a few), David taught himself to cultivate everything from Southern staples to heirloom produce, herbs, and fruit trees. Now he’s bringing it all to the table for his guests to enjoy.

“Acre highlights new Alabama cuisine inspired by our Southern heritage,” says Bancroft. “The food is responsibly grown, harvested, sourced, and prepared by a staff that enjoys the extra dedication and labor required in our type of food. The menu moves with the rhythms of the seasons and the unpredictability of the harvest.”

As much as I detest national restaurant chains and the mediocrity they serve as food, they have enough money and marketing power to convince much of the US that they are “chef-driven” and train their culinary teams in “the kitchens of Italy” with only the “freshest ingredients” (Olive Garden and Applebees, I’m aiming at you). So how does an authentic chef and restaurant communicate real hands-in-the-dirt growing and support for local purveyors to the consumer? Bancroft believes the proof is in the locally-grown arugula. “I garden onsite so customers really believe what we are doing. It’s not out of pretense, but responsibility for the consumer. I enjoy knowing I can point outside to my customers’ food source and not at a box in the freezer. Actually, at the moment Acre doesn’t even have a freezer.”

Born in Mobile with farming and growing in his blood, his earliest food memories were formed around his grandmother’s table. “My grandfather farmed catfish, tilapia, pine trees, cotton, peanuts, cattle, chickens, and vegetables. But my biggest influence was definitely Mama Jean’s long farm table. An average lunch included: country ham, fried pork chops, cornbread dressing, zipper peas, butter beans, squash casserole, mashed potatoes & giblet gravy, fried cornbread, pecan pie, jello molds, and always a tub of Cool Whip!”

David is well aware it’s not always about vegetables in the South. Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, “I was surrounded by beef and awed by the art of slow smoking beef brisket.” He recalls his earliest experiments with cooking. “I used to toss a dry-rubbed brisket on the smoker early in the morning, leave for a double header baseball game (I was the catcher) return to feed the fire, invite the team over, and by mid-afternoon, we were crushing the perfect brisket.”

He since moved on to pig, rabbit, lamb, Gulf seafood, and game, to glowing reviews of his rabbit brunswick stew and self-cured chorizo from both journalists and his dedicated clientele. Yet he still weaves his Texas childhood influences into many of his progressive Southern dishes. Ghost chili salt, ruby-red beet hot sauce, crispy fish tacos, charred Mexican street corn: this is the adventurous side of Chef Bancroft that is setting him apart in his field. “I love Tex-Mex and true Mexican cuisine. Mexican tradition always leads to someones abuela in the kitchen. She is the epitome of scratch cooking,” he said. “I love the intensity of Latin spices and flavors, but mainly how Mexican cuisine uses fresh produce like we do in Alabama. The only difference between southern and Tex-Mex is more chilies and add tortillas,” he laughs.

His creativity is balanced with a behind-the-scenes understanding of all aspects of restaurant operations. From book keeping and cost controls to working salad and grill stations, from waiting tables in front of house to a savvy grasp of marketing and ease of communication skills, David combines technical expertise with time spent learning and improving until he masters a task, then moves on to the next challenge. After working in New Orleans learning “all things Creole,” he grasped the restaurant business and the local market at Auburn’s local Amsterdam Cafe, becoming head chef in just one year and stepping onto the Southern culinary stage. After five years at Amsterdam, Bancroft moved to his next chapter in the Fall of 2012: he began work on his dream restaurant - concept to bricks and mortar in just a few short months.

“My design started with the correct selection of land. I wanted to be able to grow on my land and plant an edible surrounding. Inside, the layout has many features from my favorite restaurants: I chose design elements from the most inspiring places I’ve visited across the South. Then, we tried to find ways to incorporate materials gathered from important parts of our family history. We wrapped the walls in solid oak from my grandfather’s farm where I hunt deer. We salvaged wood from a 100 year-old general store from my friend’s land where he and his family spent winters together.”

Acre has smart features. Not too large, not too small. A beautiful open bar, a private (but not isolated) dining room, a central room engaging the open kitchen and chef’s station, and outdoor dining area with a working hearth. It’s confident yet approachable, like the menu itself. Offering options for every type of guest - from the most conventional eater (The Family) to the most adventurous (The Foodie)- Bancroft knows his locale.

“Acre is two blocks from the famous Toomer’s Corner in downtown Auburn. We are in the central part of a college town that has a very specific restaurant market. We are trying to sneak adventurous foods that redefine the normal standards into a culture that is very used to college fare.” The components of Acre help him do that. “My favorite feature is definitely the outdoor fireplace / grill. It provides us an interactive and open kitchen concept and rewards us by getting to play with fire. Everybody likes that, right?”

“I think locals are excited about taking the journey with us. The community enjoys getting ‘fresh’ back on the plate. I think my friends know that my food philosophy is in their best interest. As soon as people see their neighbor’s name called out as a source on our menu, it really clicks.”

The chef-farmer experiment has produced another perk - this time for his family. “Being able to cook our backyard gives a reassurance that I can provide for our family without relying on fast-food restaurants. I can’t describe the feelings I experienced when my 1 1/2 year-old son waddled into my strawberry patch and started devouring berries with juices running down his chin!”

Father, husband, farmer, chef, entrepreneur, photographer, media darling. Check, check, check. So what’s next for Bancroft? Acre will open, critics will rave, diners will swoon, and he will grow an empire - mark my words. Bancroft is destined for television and magazine covers, and let’s be honest, he deserves it. Hard work and commitment sometimes do pay off. So let’s enjoy all that’s to come from, your guessed it, That Guy.

Acre opens August 29th.
Acre is located at 210 East Glenn Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830 • www.acreauburn.com

The Bootleggers of Montgomery Co.

WORDS Brent Rosen  PHOTOS Jon Kohn

John Applegate’s wife purchased him a beer making kit, and it gathered dust in his garage until his curiosity and chemistry background overcame him. He finds the planning, the sitting, and the conceptualizing relaxing, the same way an accomplished home chef enjoys thinking through a dinner menu and then preparing it, ingredient after ingredient combining to form a finished product. Applegate is now trying to rediscover the brewing techniques used by monks in 64 A.D.

Brandon Brazil brought six-packs of high-gravity beer back to Montgomery when he returned from trips to Georgia. At the time, high gravity beer was illegal in Alabama, so if your taste ran toward anything beyond standard American light beer, you were out of luck. Eventually Brazil realized his expenses were far higher than they would be if he just made high-gravity beer himself. 

Kevin Long discovered the joys of European beer on a trip to Austria. When he returned to Montgomery he found himself missing the full-bodied, dense flavor he had grown to love on his travels. Since no one in Alabama sold the beer he enjoyed, he decided to brew it himself.

All of these men were bootleggers. Their hobby was illegal under Alabama law; their mere ownership of beer-making materials was a felony. On May 9, 2013, Governor Bentley signed HB 9, making home-brewing legal, and now these men can emerge from the shadows. Say “hello” to the last beer bootleggers in America.

“Dear Mr. Harrison,” the letter began, ”I would like to remind you that HB9 has not passed in the Alabama Legislature during this session, and therefore what you possess for sale in the form of Beer and Wine Making kits remains illegal under Code of Laws 28-1-1 and penalties explained in 28-4-52.” This was the opening text of the cease and desist letter that Lee Harrison (pictured above left), owner of Fairview Homebrew in Cloverdale, found slipped under his door the day after the Montgomery Advertiser ran an article about the Southern Makers festival. The article included information about Harrison’s seminar on homemade beer brewing, and apparently, the ABC Board found the article too much eye-poking to ignore. In case Harrison did not receive the message, the ABC Board informed him that Tiffany Bell, the event planner for Southern Makers (and a MADE contributing editor) had removed his scheduled workshop from the Southern Makers event (for a scanned version of the letter, see our website).

A few days after HB 9 passed the legislature, I visited Harrison. He proudly pointed to the ABC letter, which now hangs on the wall of his shop, believing he received one of the last prohibitionist letters in America. While he can now, after Alabama became the 49th of 50 states to legalize home-brewing (thanks Mississippi!), view the contents of the letter with a laugh, at the time it was enough to frighten. In fact, Tiffany Bell was told that if Harrison participated in Southern Makers, the workshop would be shut down by the ABC board. While it’s hard to imagine the enforcement division of the ABC Board shutting down part of a major art festival in downtown Montgomery over a seminar, apparently, the ABC Board was willing to carry out its threats. 

Amusingly, all of the home-brewers I spoke with followed the debate on HB 9 before the bill passed, and none of them could believe the bill’s opponents’ faulty logic and outright inanity when it came to home-brewing. Opponents claimed that cheap beer would flood the community, not realizing that it costs $50 dollars to make 5 gallons of beer (for those of you unfamiliar with weights and measures, that is approximately four 12-packs). Some were worried about the children, apparently not realizing it takes weeks to turn a combination of yeast, malt, hops and water into a drinkable beer. “Let’s get drunk in three weeks y’all,” is not something I’ve ever heard a teenager utter. Opponents also believed Alabamian’s were singularly irresponsible when it came to home-brewed beer, since there was no willingness to look across our borders at the examples of Georgia, Tennessee, or Florida, none of which experienced any of the home-brewing-related problems that were predicted to befall Alabama. 

So what was the problem? Entrenched interests of beer distributors? Reflexive dislike for anything that further liberalizes alcohol? The ABC Board spreading misinformation to continue its stranglehold on the entire alcohol business in Alabama ? No one can say for sure.

What can be said for sure is the cost to Alabama of this misguided rule. Not only did it criminalize the harmless activity of people who spend more time checking in on home-brewing Reddit threads than they do corrupting the youth with illegal hooch, but there were economic losses as well. All of the home-brewing supplies ordered online not subject to sales tax, all of those empty storefronts that could have viably sold beer and wine making supplies, all of the purveyors of malts, hops, and brew-making yeasts unable to service the Alabama market; this represents a significant economic impact. Worse still, home-brewers are an entrepreneurial sort, and as any beer maker will tell you: today’s home-brewers are tomorrow craft brewers. And craft beer is big business. 

Cade Miller is the brewmaster at Railyard Brewing Company, however he got his start just like everyone else that frequents Fairview Homebrew: making beer at home. Miller fell in love with Lowenbrau and other darker, German beers before there was anywhere in Montgomery to buy them. He began experimenting with craft beer in his home, and soon was able to clone Lowenbrau in five gallon batches. After serving our country in Iraq, Miller decided he wanted to brew beer professionally. He started out at Avondale Brewery in Birmingham, and then attended brewing school in Germany. After brewing school, he worked professionally at a few Alabama craft breweries before he was offered the brewmaster position at Railyard. 

When I asked Miller about the differences between being an amateur home brewer, and a restaurant brewmaster, his answer was simple: “making the beer is no different, and the ingredients are pretty much the same, I just have much cooler equipment.” Miller talked at length about the room for experimentation he has as a professional, combining different combinations of ingredients to create new kinds of beer, much the way a chef would tweak traditional recipes when conceptualizing a new dish. Miller talked about his experiments with ancient brewing techniques; for instance, when we met at Fairview Homebrew he brought a batch of Mead. Mead is a honey wine, but the fermentation process is no different than one would use to make any sort of beer. I asked Cade where this spirit of experimentation came from, and he felt like everything circled back to his days brewing at home.  

While Miller may be the only pro that currently hangs out at Fairview Homebrew, some of the other home-brewers I met have already distinguished themselves as amateurs. Jonathan Sexton, a home-brewer who started marking beer after meeting like-minded people through Montgomery’s WAKA kickball league, just won the Silver Medal in the Stout category at a Golden Triangle beer competition in Mississippi.  He brought a sample of the batch, and I can say with confidence that if Leroy sold that beer on draught it would pass most aficionado’s muster. Other home-brewers in Montgomery have entered Samuel Adams’ “Longshot American Homebrew Contest,” where the winner gets a small run of beer produced by Samuel Adams based on their homebrew recipe. These competitions are a showcase for home-brewers, forming a kind of AAA farm league for home-brewers who one day want to become pros.

Now that Alabama home-brewers no longer have to tangle with the ABC Board, expect more beer making competitions, more home-brewers meeting out in the open to learn from -- and collaborate with -- each other, and more Alabama home-brewers turning their favorite recipes from home into your favorite beer at the bar. This brings a great benefit to Alabama’s economy: according to Miller, for each of the past three years, craft beer in Alabama has enjoyed triple digit growth, and craft beer continues to be a true driver for Alabama’s tourism and restaurant industries. With innovation-destroying laws no longer on the books, the only limit on Alabama’s home-brewers is their creativity -- well that, and the time their significant others will allow them to spend tasting, talking about, and tinkering with beer. 

Fairview Homebrew is located in Old Cloverdale and online at www.fairviewhomebrew.com

Indie Film Lab & The Re-Birth of Film

WORDS Anna Lowder

Indie Film Lab is one of the most respected film labs in the US and is resurrecting the new breed of the (almost) lost art of film. Based in Montgomery, meet the photographers and artists in demand by film professionals throughout the country as we celebrate the craftspeople right at our back door.

Q&A with Josh Moates, founder Indie Film Lab

What do you love about film? 

There are so many things: One is the type of cameras you can use that give the photographer different experiences, from twin lens reflex where you look down to rangefinders where you focus with two images. There are so many interesting ways to shoot film. The look of film is another aspect. There is so much more character with film: you have many varieties of black & white film - some with grain, others absolutely smooth. A company like Fuji makes a 400H film that is super soft and pastel, whereas Kodak is really warm and makes bolder film. It’s much broader than a digital camera with just a chip.

The photographer has a level of control over the artistic experience through both the film and the process of developing film. With a chip it’s just a click and maybe Photoshop. With film it’s a medium actually in the camera, it’s tangible, that you as the photographer are controlling and creating.

Where do you look for visual or intellectual inspiration?

I love to capture people in their own element - stylized, artistic shots of subjects enjoying what they do. Professionally, I shoot mostly weddings and portraits - in a very simple style that comes across as truthful documentation.

My real passion is a fine art approach to capturing my favorite subject: Home. In everything that can mean - what encapsulates home to me. So that can be where I lived, places that evoke a memory of riding my bike down the street as a child, a neighbor’s house I used to know.

Basically my artistic work is a photo journal of where I have lived. Nothing deeper than that - places that I’ve known as home. When I was on tour for a few years in a band it sat heavy on me and I missed home.

I love to shoot people that I have a personal connection with too. One of my favorite guys is an older farmer at Floyd’s Produce. Another guy who passed away last year at 90, his name was Buck. He played trumpet at Sous La Terre from 2-6am, then went  to church straight after to play trumpet again. He had me beat by a mile. I had to shoot him in Sous La Terre. I was there every Saturday night for a period of my life and I got this one fantastic shot of him. His story still fascinates me. I’m super sentimental that way.

What’s your go-to camera?

The Hasselblad H-1 for weddings, but for convenience my Leica M6 is great because it’s small, light weight, and not intimidating to others. Paired with B&W 35mm film - it’s classic.

What’s your first memory of shooting film?

In high school, it was an art class. I would take pictures of people and paint from the images, but the paintings sucked and the photos were cool. The photos were just a tool - taking pictures of my peers in class - but looking back on them after college, it hit me “Oh I can actually do this and make a living from it.”

How did you grow from shooting to development?

In 2011, I would shoot film for weddings and send them off to California and it would cost $100 a pop. So I thought, “Well, I could invest money into a serious scanner of my own, then I can afford to shoot more film and get a better outcome.” So when I started posting images of my scans on Facebook to a group called Film Shooters, people were asking “Who did these - who is your lab?” and I was able to say “I’m my own lab.” 

So that’s how Indie Film Lab came into being?

Essentially yes. I began hiring people to help with the processing - development and scanning.

How did the word get out about Indie - regionally then nationally?

It was through Film Shooters. I’d post some things on social media and people would comment and share, and the word of mouth just grew. In the film world today there are only three or four labs doing this in the US - that care and take the time to put effort into film. People that shoot film now really care about what their images look like. Film forces you to slow down, to really take your time. It’s not like snap - snap - snap. It’s slow down everything, get the one right shot. All they do is photography - not multi-tasking ten different things. I relate to some of these photographers specifically. These are the artists we tend to work with over and over. My life is photography. That’s how I see the world now - everything’s composition and photography. So we have to be a serious lab, and that’s what our customers respect about us. There are two well-known labs in California, and then there is Indie. That’s it really. So the costs of operating a business in Alabama work to our advantage in that we can be a little more competitive on price that someone in California, and turn out a great product for the photographer. 

How did you find the talent locally to grow with demand?

Talent - it’s very tough and we’ve been very lucky. Allen was our first employee - his background was at a lab. Nick, Luke, Matt, Jon - all are photographers that deal with color correction and scanning, which is really important to getting a quality end product.

It’s worked to our advantage so far because we keep sucking people in who are interested in the art of photography. I’m finding out there are more people in this area that are into photography and film than I first thought. They are hidden out, and maybe not connected to each other at first, but I think Indie helps bring these people together. Creativity breeds creativity.

Where do your clients come from today?

Throughout the country, largely due to the internet, social media, and word of mouth. We’ve done no advertising. There is an online show coming out called “Film” (Season 2) on the Framed Network. Anyone into photography stays up on this show. So this season Indie Film Lab is the main lab sponsor which gives us great coverage to a broad network. When we were in Las Vegas this year we got to join in the wrap up party and hang out with everyone. Things like this show we’re part of the larger community and in it for the craft.

What’s a day at Indie Film Lab look like?

We’re a really tight knit group of buddies. It’s laid back in the way we interact with each other, but very serious when it comes to the work. The same anywhere else in an artistic field. We have a total of eight full time employees and four industry scanners. 

We’ve grown to a point that’s comfortable and I’m not stressed everyday about what is or isn’t happening.

You’ve expanded into offering prints as well?

Yes, we now offer matte paper prints. My favorite paper is Hahnemühle paper. They’ve been around for 400 years making paper. It’s a beautiful soft cotton photo rag paper, the ink is actually in the paper rather than on top. It’s stunning.

So we get the feeling you love Kodak. What is it that you love about Kodak film, beyond the fact that it’s been around since 1889?

Kodak is my favorite. I’ve been shooting it for so long it’s just second nature to me now. I never could get Fuji to look right for me - the light is different in California, where it works well. The light here in Alabama has always worked for me with Kodak - the colors turn out exactly as I see things in my mind’s eye.

Kodak has a B&W film called TRI-X, a classic film that’s been around for years and years. If I dressed someone up in 1940s attire and shot with this, we would not be able to tell when that photo was taken. It has a gorgeous authenticity to it.

In 2010 Kodak invested in R&D for one new film stock based on their movie film technology, and  mixed it into their professional photography film. I respect the time and investment that took to create a new, improved product. People are digging it. Its film division has seen a 20% profit. 

Tell us about your Workshops with Ryan Muirhead or Artifact Uprising.

Ryan is one of the most talented, creative people I’ve known. I respect him immensely. He and I were talking this Spring about what to do next (teaching, classes, shows) and I said “Look, we’ll pick you up in Vegas and on the drive back we’ll come up with something.” So what came out of it is The Missing Frame Workshop. It’s about the tangible. The companies that are on board with this are getting back into the hand-crafted movement. So you’ve got companies making wood shutter release buttons, real cotton paper, new types of film, books, so on. It’s about getting real things into people’s hands. It’s a two day workshop - hopefully in situ (maybe a unique house, outdoor spaces, etc) where we have time and space to focus on technique in Ryan’s stripped-down, slowed-down world.

Tell us of a photographer whose work you admire?

Henri Cartier Bresson is one of the greatest influences on my work. He’s the founder of what many call the modern photojournalism. He was one of the first to use 35mm film, and his thoughts in “The Decisive Moment” are monumental. What he captured with light and shadow is beautiful. 

How do you see the rebirth of film and print progressing from this point?

I feel there is a segment of people who are now focused on caring about process and the experiential. We’re coming to a crux where a large enough group understands faster is not always better. Just because a digital camera can take and store thousands of pictures, it’s not necessarily better. For me, and many like me, film is better. For photographers who insist on highlights, shadows, composition, color - film is the medium of choice and will continue to be. 

These may be the same people that will pick up a Garden & Gun, or a real newspaper. It may be that time is becoming the ultimate luxury, or the most important commodity. And things - whether it’s film, or growing food, or making crafts - that take time will become more appreciated by a specific type of person into the future.

Photographers - true photographers - will continue to come over to film. And since it’s serious, it may always be seen as more valuable. What we’re promoting is tangible, good products and experiences. I shoot film because I care and finally I can relate to others like me who take their art and work very seriously. I see Indie continuing to strengthen, and maybe we’ll be one of two labs left in the US. But we’re here in Montgomery and have no need or plan to change that. This is where I live. It’s my home.

Follow Indie Film Lab on Facebook or at indiefilmlab.com

Indie Film Lab is located in Montgomery at The A&P in Old Cloverdale.

Ryan Muirhead’s The Missing Frame Workshop

When: July 21-22, 2013

Where: Montgomery

Q&A with NATALIE CHANIN

“Natalie Chanin designs world-renowned textiles from small town Florence, which she has helped put on the national map over the past decade. Step inside The Factory for a one-on-one with Natalie.”

Words: Tiffany Bell

All of your pieces are hand-sewn by local artisans using only recycled or organic fabric and materials, and it’s been that way for more than a decade. Why have those principles always been so important to you?

 Using local artisans is important because it keeps work in our community. The Shoals area lost quite a few jobs with the passage of NAFTA and the promise of cheaper labor elsewhere. Part of our mission is to create job growth within this area and for our artisans. Alabama Chanin is about making beautiful products in an ethical way. That also means that we have to be conscientious in our methods and materials. We use organic cotton because we believe that it is healthier for the wearer or user. We believe it is healthier for the earth and for our environment. Our customers know that we always strive to provide sustainable and beautiful products. 

Your work - whether it’s a garment, film or recipe - always tells a story, has a story behind it or invites the imagination to create one. Can you tell us a little bit about your story?

I studied Environmental Design at North Carolina State University, at what is now called the Annie Albers program. This program was based on Bauhaus teaching methods, allowing me to study design theory alongside manufacturing methods. 

After graduation, I worked for a short time in New York, eventually moving to Austria for 10 years. Everything that I learned in that city, working as a designer and stylist,/* helped form the person and the designer that I am today. 

Returning home from Vienna, I had knowledge of materials, colors, textures, things that are important in when you begin to define yourself as a “designer”. Then I had to teach myself all of the not-so-fun things about business: logistics, supply, and finance. I should own stock in Quickbooks, as often as I’ve recommended it to others. Smile.

I have read that you started out in Europe in set and costume design - how did you end up on that path? That must have been quite a move from Florence, Alabama...

 In 1999, I took what was meant to be a sabbatical from my work as a stylist in Austria. I moved to New York City and stayed longer than I’d planned. I made myself a shirt and people really responded to it. So, I had an idea to create 200 one-of-a-kind shirts to sell during New York Fashion Week. I realized that what I was doing was mimicking stitches I’d seen my grandmothers make while quilting. So, this idea brought me back to Alabama and to my community, where I knew I could find skilled seamstresses. It was quite a transition for sure, but more than a location shift, it was a life change – a change in ideology. 

What (or who) inspired you most in the start of your career? How about these days - where do you draw continuous inspiration?

I think that truly the beginning of my career as a designer was a glorious accident – the perfect storm of people, places, and ideas coming together at just the right time. I’ve always had a desire to make things and my studies in design school really helped define that desire. I had an amazing professor, who became a friend, who came into my life and helped shape me with his guidance. His direction helped me to understand myself and how I wanted to design. 

These days, I’m inspired by my community, by the talented artisans that work for Alabama Chanin, and my family. 

Tell us about the T-Shirt that started it all. We have to ask - do you have any clue where it is today?

Oh – that storied t-shirt. If you have heard the story, please forgive me. While on that previously mentioned sabbatical, I moved, for a time, to New York City. One night, while dressing for a party, I had that moment that many women have – the feeling that you have “nothing to wear.” So, I cut up a t-shirt and sewed it together with the seams on the outside and some appliqués on the front. Everyone seemed to respond to it. Even in super cool New York City. That shirt is now stored in our studio, buried in a box somewhere.  

What was it about Alabama that brought you back after spending years in cities some of us only dream of living?

Initially, I didn’t really intend to stay in Alabama for good. As I mentioned, this trip home was only part of a supposed sabbatical from my work in Vienna. But, when I had the idea to make those 200 one-of-a-kind shirts for New York Fashion Week, I found that no one in New York thought it was possible to make what I envisioned and still turn a profit. That’s why I came home to Alabama – I knew there was a workforce here that understood how to make, to sew by hand, to create quality goods.

We’ve heard a lot recently about your organic cotton endeavors in Florence. What has surprised you the most about growing and harvesting organic cotton? Has the greater community been receptive to help harvest as you’d hoped?

There are so many things about the process that surprised me – primarily how difficult each step would be. Simply acquiring organic cottonseed became a seemingly impossible task. We’ve really studied the process and have hopefully learned so much along the way – through research and through trial and error. 

We were touched and surprised at each step by how our community embraced our efforts. Of course, there will always be those that think you are on a fool’s errand when you attempt something new. But, the number of people who were willing to physically help us – weed, cut, even pray – was a wonderful surprise. 

And it was wonderful to collaborate with the whole team at Billy Reid.

What do you love or appreciate most about living in Florence now?

I love seeing the artistic community grow and flourish. This area is filled with talented artists, photographers, musicians, etc. The resurgence of the music scene in The Shoals is incredible to watch – and hear. 

When friends and family visit you in Florence, where do you take them?

The first place I take most people is The Wall, a mile-long rock wall near my home built by family friend, Tom Hendrix, in honor of his great-great-grandmother, a Yuchi Indian woman. It’s a sacred place for our community and for me, personally. We also have a local house designed and built by architect, Frank Lloyd Wright – a perfect example of the beauty of great design. The Shoals is known for its recording history, so I like to take visitors to FAME Studios to see where people like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James recorded. And, of course, we must have a chicken salad sandwich from Trowbridge’s in downtown Florence. 

You mentioned (in a recent interview), there was never truly a “plan.” That seems to have worked out quite nicely. What about now, do you have a plan or vision for Alabama Chanin for the next 5-10 years in mind? When are we going to see Alabama Chanin boutiques? 

It has always been a goal of Alabama Chanin to collaborate. We want to continue to connect the makers with the users and the manufacturers with designers. Reaching out to other like-minded companies and artists is a wonderful way to expand upon this conversation. This will be part of our plan for the years to come. 

And as for an Alabama Chanin boutique – perhaps someday…
Any films, books, art projects in the works in your “spare time”?

We look forward to our continued collaboration with Heath Ceramics. We also plan collaborations with artists like Arkansas photographer Maxine Payne, about main street photographers in the Depression-era south, like Disfarmer. 

How about a plan for tomorrow? What does a day in the life of Natalie Chanin look like?

We have several plans in the works for the long and short term. At the moment we are working toward creating a machine manufacturing facility in our studio building that will allow us to create a new line of machine-made knit products. That’s our next big goal.

As for my life, every day in my life brings a different, exciting challenge. That’s the joy and the risk of being a business owner. But, an ideal day would probably involve the smell of delicious coffee, the sound of work and laughter in The Factory, Patty Griffin on the stereo, and dinner from my garden with my family. 

Do you have a favorite or go-to meal for dinner around the table with your family?

Breakfast for supper.

There’s certainly a lot of buzz and excitement going around about you visiting Montgomery for Southern Makers. Is there anything you’re particularly excited about for this event? 

I look forward to meeting other makers and creating that connection. And, of course, all of the delicious food.

Can you tell us what’s in store for the 25 lucky workshop goers attending your 2 hour Sewing Workshop?

Oh, stories, laughter, and sewing… Participants will select one from a list of our DIY Kits and we will provide the materials and instruction necessary for them to begin the project. This 2 hour Workshop is great because both beginners and experienced sewers can participate and find common ground in the middle.

Best advice you were given?

Don’t look, just leap.

Any final tips for new crafters?

Persistence.  Practice.  Patience.  All with a bit of fun and lightness of spirit…