The Place Magazine

FA L L

2 0 16

THE PLACE

7

to

Savor

Taste the Flavors of the Season at Pepper Place

Getting Guest Ready with kitchen expert, Cyndy Cantley

Cooking with Fire Cooking Channel Films at OvenBird

PEPPERPLACE.COM

1

2

PEPPERPLACE.COM

A LETTER from SLOSS REAL ESTATE Pepper Place is experiencing one of its most active and vibrant years in recent memory. We continue to work on our master plan bringing new retail, office, and restaurant space to the area. The Makers Village, which

TABLE of

CONTENTS

debuted in early summer, positioned Pepper Place as the city’s leader in supporting and celebrating local businesses. Finally, we are very pleased with the press (see the quote below for one international accolade) coverage received in 2016 .

1

WELCOME

4

FR E SH EN

To continue connecting our creative community,

TH E

we hosted Third Thursday events throughout the year bringing many new visitors to Pepper Place. We’d like to thank our sponsors for their year long support of those successful events. As we transition into the holiday season, we are excited to present “O, Little Town of Birmingham” - a promotion calendar supporting our merchants and chefs during the holiday season.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for invites to events, special seasonal sales, and performances in our restaurants, galleries, shops, and theatre.

“Yule” love it at Pepper Place all season long.

FO R

H O L I DAYS

7

B L ACK

8

7 TO

B EN A K

S AVO R

10

P O P-U P

10

OV EN B I R D

11

B EH I N D

SH O P

TH E

SCEN E S

“A potent symbol of this ‘new’ Birmingham is Pepper Place, a complex of renovated century-old brick buildings, including a former Dr. Pepper bottling plant.”

–British Airways,

12

A L A BA M A

13

R ECI PE

14

GO. SEE. D O.

15

CU RTA I N

16

D I R EC TO RY

M A D E

C A L L

High Life Magazine

PEPPERPLACE.COM

3

Freshen for the holidays Pepper Place Style Setters Share Some Secrets

4

PEPPERPLACE.COM

T

here’s no better place to find fall decorating ideas than at Pepper Place, where creative shops are brimming with design inspiration and one-of-a-kind products to make your holidays more festive. We talked to a few shop owners and design experts about how they like to get ready for the season.

CANTLEY & CO. While it may be too late to have a complete kitchen renovation done this year, Cyndy Cantley has some festive ideas to add holiday charm to your kitchen.

“Fall is such a fun time to fluff your house for the upcoming holidays!” says Cyndy. “I love orange tulips and white pumpkins in my kitchen and all the traditional things on my porch and terrace.” Cyndy explains the advantage is that several of these can cross over into Thanksgiving.

“Christmas means lots of family and friends,” says Cyndy. “I give all my glass cabinets a good cleaning and change out china and crystal. I keep my Christmas china in the kitchen. I love to use all my china, crystal, linens and silver the entire month of December, because what are we saving it for?”

Even if you don’t have Christmas china, Cyndy says it’s easy to make your kitchen festive. She uses simple white Wedgwood china with different chargers. Linens are easy to change for different events. As a less expensive tablecloth option, purchase a few yards of fabric and simply drape it over your table. If you are out of time or money, there are always votives. The more the merrier!

“I hang tiny wreaths from my glass mullion doors with pretty velvet ribbons. If you have a large wood or metal hood, a wreath made from bay leaves or rosemary is really nice,” says Cyndy. Fill bowls with oranges or green apples, and if you feel inspired, bring out your inner artist and make designs on them with cloves. Paperwhites are a favorite and Cyndy forces the bulbs in big terra cotta pots (spray painted gold or any shiny color) to place in every room and down her dining room table. Nothing is more beautiful than a giant amaryllis blooming in red or white!

Cyndy also loves to put wreaths on her cabinet doors and windows with beautiful ribbon. “I have used the same dried boxwood wreaths for several years and they are still bright green.”

She changes the centerpieces on her kitchen table and island throughout the season. She starts with a big silver punch bowl because it never gets enough use and PEPPERPLACE.COM

5

looks great full of oranges. Silver julep cups are stylish, filled with dark red roses cut very short. As it gets closer to Christmas and her paperwhites and amaryllis begin to bloom, she will place them on tables or in a line down her island.

“When the Christmas decorations come down,” she says.”You can start planning your kitchen renovation to be ready for the next holiday season.”

2821 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35233 205.324.2400 cantleyandcompany.com

RICHARD TUBB Richard Tubb loves to take a natural approach to the holidays with materials like dried hydrangeas and lichenfilled dead tree branches. “You may even find a bird’s nest to put in your Christmas tree,” Richard suggests. “I gather winged elm and tie the branches together with a brown velvet or copper-colored bow.” After Thanksgiving, Richard covers everything with a mist of silver spray paint.

“Have fun searching in the woods,” adds Richard. “You’ll be surprised at the treasures you’ll find.”

2829 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233 205.324.7613 richardtubbinteriors.com

CHARLIE THIGPEN’S GARDEN GALLERY Charlie Thigpen loves autumn. The changing of the seasons and cooler temperatures get people in the mood to decorate inside and out. “For the home, we have beautiful pear-shaped candles that mimic autumn hues,” he says. “You can use these to brighten tabletops and mantels. We also have “Hot Skwash,” which are velvet fabric pumpkins with real stems. Their jewel tones are perfect for decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas.” To dress up your kitchen or dining table, Thigpen’s Garden Gallery also offers seasonal hand towels and napkins.

In the garden, Charlie suggests mums, marigolds, pansies and violas to add fall and winter color to the landscape.

“And don’t forget foliage plants like flowering cabbage, kale and giant red mustard greens which look beautiful with fall and winter flowering plants,” he says.

2805 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, Alabama 35233 205.328.1000 charliethigpensgardengallery.com

6

PEPPERPLACE.COM

CREATING CLIENT BUZZ

WITH BL ACK BENAK

T

hree years ago when Hannah Benak, owner of Black Benak Public Relations, started her agency, she knew she didn’t want to work out of her home.

When a space became available, she jumped at the chance to lease it. “Pepper Place reminds me of my time in New York working at Elle magazine,” she says. “What I love about Pepper Place is it has a big city feel and you can walk to places like Bettola, Cantina and The Red Cat, but you can always find a parking space.” It has also allowed her to work more closely with a few of her clients.

“Cantina is one of our oldest clients,” says Benak.

“We love their business and they have a great lunch and weekend crowd. But they were having a problem with Tuesday nights being really slow. So, we worked with them to start Tapas and Tequila Tuesdays at Cantina.”

Jorge’s (Castro) brother owned Sol Y Luna, a beloved Birmingham restaurant known for tapas that closed when his brother passed away several years ago,” says Benak. “It has been a huge success to have the tapas menu that people loved brought back.” In addition, about once a quarter Cantina has a special Tuesday night with music or Mexican bingo. They also offer gift certificate giveaways from other Pepper Place tenants such as Aero Joe yoga classes and jewelry shows with Stella and Dot. Another nearby client, South Cypress, had been an exclusively e-commerce flooring company for ten years before deciding to open a brick and mortar showroom in Birmingham. Benak and her team felt the best way to create buzz would be with a grand opening event. Black Benak partnered with local event planners, Prop House, to pull together an extravagant night that included a big boxwood wall, with greenery around the whole front door.

“Everything looked great and was well branded,” says Benak. “The event was well attended and people posted it on social media, which generated even more buzz.”

In addition to event planning and strategic public relations, Black Benak enjoys developing special projects with clients. They recently worked with a photographer to capture one of Appleseed Workshops’ projects from start to finish. The project will be featured nationally in Rue Magazine.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than having a third party believe in our client as much as we do,” says Benak.

2805 2nd Avenue South, Suite #200 Birmingham, Alabama 35233 205.202.5759 blackbenak.com

PEPPERPLACE.COM

7

7 Savor to

F

rom wood-fired fare and rich coffee to some of Birmingham’s most authentic and freshest Mexican and Italian, Pepper Place offers some of the most creative and best local food in the city. Here are seven dishes you must sample this season.

1. Feel like you’re in France on a Saturday morning during the Farmers Market with crepes at The Red Cat.

1.

2. Warm up fireside with the Porgy a la Plancha with grit cake, persimmon mojo, kumquat, and achiote at OvenBird.

3. Recharge for holiday shopping with mocha madness at The Red Cat. 4. Hot soup warms the winter soul. Try the

shrimp bisque at Cantina - or one of their other daily soup specials.

5. You haven’t had dessert until you’ve had

the sweet potato pie with Italian meringue, butter scotch pecan brittle and graham cracker crust at Bettola.

6. You never know what Hero Doughnuts is going to bring on Saturday to the Farmers Market.

7. Tapas, tequila and tacos on Tuesday at Cantina is a great way to wind down after the work day and try some of the city’s freshest Mexican.

8

PEPPERPLACE.COM

5.

3.

2.

6.

4.

7.

canvas tote bags, collars and pet leashes, sunglasses, and hats were very popular!”

The Pepper Place location also allowed the retailer to test the changing downtown market and start relationships with customers who may have never gone to one of their shops before. Some of their best sellers were the BHM hats by Aviate and their own line of BHAM tanks and tees, which Wiligus says is reflective of the Pepper Place customers’ pride in Birmingham.

POPPIN’ UP AT THE PLACE

A

labama Outdoors opened a branch at the Pepper Place Pop-Up Shop on May 14 and was open every Saturday and third Thursday thru August 6. “The Pop-Up shop was an exciting challenge because it was the smallest space we have ever used,” says Jack Wilgus, Operations Coordinator of Alabama Outdoors. “However, it gave us the chance to carry a tailored selection of goods that catered directly to the Pepper Place visitor. Alabama Outdoors custom

The company also organizes grass roots event sponsorships to support the communities around their stores. For instance, the Homewood store hosts a “Party on the Porch” the first Friday of every month with food trucks, local beer, and a live band to benefit different non-profits each month.

For fall and winter they’re seeing a mix of function and fashion from brands like Patagonia, True Grit and Sorel. Shop their stores this holiday season, and keep your shopping local!

Pepper Place is focused on helping small local businesses get started.

Please contact Sloss Real Estate to learn more about our limited edition Pop-Up spaces.

CHRIS HASTINGS - COOKING WITH FIRE

W

hen The Cooking Channel’s Roger Mooking went looking for chefs to feature in his television program “Man, Food, Fire,” it was only natural that he would pick Chris Hastings and OvenBird for one of the segments.

“The Cooking Channel wanted to identify who the leaders in the different disciplines,” says Hastings.

“They came to us when they were looking for restaurants using 100% wood fire because they knew about our reputation.”

The show was a natural fit for Hastings, who has done a good bit of television over the years - from local spots, to “Iron Chef” to “Good Morning America.”

“Man, Food, Fire” highlights Hastings preparing several dishes with meat and vegetables in a “fire barrow,” which is a customized wheelbarrow fire pit.

Every dish in OvenBird is cooked over wood fire, a concept that Hastings had kicked around for about 20 years before opening the restaurant a year ago.

10

PEPPERPLACE.COM

“I have a comfortable relationship with nature and the outdoors,” says Hastings. “I love the rhythm of preparing a meal over the fire. You have to be in tune with it and it’s all about temperature control.”

Hastings enjoys cooking over fire because he feels good about the flavors of the dishes. And the small plate experience at OvenBird has been extremely popular with the patrons.

2810 Third Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233 (205) 957-6686

ovenbirdrestaurant.com

BEHIND THE SCENES

PE PPE R PL ACE - POSITIONED FOR GROWTH

F

or nearly thirty years people seeking an authentic experience in design and dining have flocked to Pepper Place.

The former home of the Dr. Pepper Syrup Plant and Bottling Company is getting a makeover, starting with updated, more contemporary branding.

The Sloss Real Estate marketing team has been working with Derick Belden and the team at bw&co to create the new look. “We’ve had two main goals with the new branding,” says Derick. “The first is to help tenants, increase visibility and traffic and make Pepper Place even more special than it already is. The second is to help attract new tenants to the area.”

You’ve seen our market.

Now come see what we’re made of.

At Pepper Place, we’re changing Southern cuisine one bite at a time. Black-eyed pea hummus, jalapeño cornbread, gouda grits, sweet tea vodka, deviled eggs with curtido, and we’re just getting fired up.

You’ve seen our market.

Now come see what we’re made of.

PEPPERPLACE.COM

PEPPERPLACE.COM

The team wanted the new branding campaign to be an organic extension of what already exists. A long time champion of Sloss Furnaces, the Sloss team thought the new branding should continue to relate to the district’s industrial heritage. The team also wanted it to be clear, while the Market at Pepper Place has grown and dominates the district on Saturday mornings, the Pepper Place District is its home and the “soil” from which the Market continues to grow.

The team looked at shopping and dining destinations across the nation - like Chelsea Market in New York, Westside Provisions and Ponce City Market in Atlanta, and The Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. As the branding process went on, there were many iterations before Derick’s team came up with the new visual stamp that is the perfect organic reflection of what Pepper Place has always been.

“The new branding is launching in stages,” says Derick. “We started with ads in B-Metro, posters and cards for Third Thursday and the Pepper Place newsletter and social media homepages. Soon we’ll have street signage, with more to come.”

The most visible and accessible piece will occur with the launch of the refreshed pepperplace.com.

As the team promises, everyone will see “really cool stuff coming soon.”

PEPPERPLACE.COM

11

ALABAMA MADE

B

irmingham was built on a foundation of combining raw materials with determination, ingenuity, and creativity, so it’s only fitting that the Market at Pepper Place in the Magic City would be home to the Makers Village.

“The Alabama Tourism Department is celebrating the Year of Alabama Makers,” says Pepper Place Executive Director Leigh Sloss-Corra. “So they partnered with the Market at Pepper Place to help us create the Makers Village, which was a natural fit for the Market and Birmingham.”

To plan Makers Village, the Market looked at other successful festivals like Southern Makers and Kentuck. They received more than 150 applications to participate in the event. A jury of six reviewed each application and selected who would be included.

There were 25 tents each week with a variety of handcrafted items in the parking lot outside of Scene Gallery. Scene also had between seven and ten additional artists each week in their shop.

Throughout the season, there was a rotating collection of participants, so patrons could discover new artisans each week.

Some of the artists had never shown in Birmingham before. They came from all over the state. Wood artist, Keith Cochran came from Fort Payne. He brought one of his most popular items, a wood and leather rocking chair. Taylor Mettzer came from Waverly, Alabama with his handcrafted lamps made from thinly shaved veneer. A fifth generation potter from West Alabama who digs the clay out of riverbeds to make his classic face jugs came as well. And, the world-renowned quilters from Gee’s Bend came in June and September.

“One of the best things about the Makers Village was seeing the relationships established between the exhibitors,” says Leigh.

“The creative community of all ages come together in a way that was good for them and really wonderful for the market and the city of Birmingham.”

MEET OUR MAKERS Give a gift of Alabama this holiday season.

pepperplacemarket.com/meetourmakers/ Images: Stone carver Brooks Barrow of Brooks Barrow Studio (top), Basketweaver Betty Bain of Black Belt Treasures (middle), Clothing designer Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin (bottom).

FALL FL AVOR from PEPPER PL ACE

Housemade Ricotta and Charred Tomato Crostini Bettola Chef James Lewis, James Beard Foundation Award Semi-Finalist

HOUSEMADE RICOTTA 1 gallon whole milk 1/2 tsp citric acid 1/2 tsp sea salt

Image from marthastewart.com

CROSTINI 1/2 cup olive oil 1-2 cloves garlic 8-10 slices slightly stale Italian or French bread, thinly sliced

TOMATOES 16-20 small cherry tomatoes 1 tsp olive oil Pinch sea salt, or to taste Fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces Black pepper (optional) Aged balsamic vinegar (optional)

TO PREPARE TOMATOES: Lightly coat with olive oil and sea salt. Char in a hot cast-iron skillet over mediumhigh heat before toasting the bread for crostini, or roast tomatoes under a broiler to blister while toasting the bread.

Smash to break them up. If they are sweeter, leave them whole.

TO ASSEMBLE: Spread ricotta on bread. Top with charred tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil, season with sea salt,

TO PREPARE HOUSEMADE RICOTTA: Heat whole milk to 360ยบF; remove pan and let cool. Add 1/2 tsp citric acid and 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir. Chill and strain with linen or double-lined cheesecloth; drain to catch whey.

olive oil, and a pinch of black pepper and balsamic vinegar if

TO MAKE CROSTINI: Heat 1/2 cup of oil on low in a cast iron skillet or pan. Add one smashed garlic clove and heat on low 4-5 minutes. Remove oil and garlic from skillet. Reserve oil in a heatproof container. Return a small amount of oil and heat skillet to medium.

colander and let it slowly drain. After you have strained the

Add bread and remove when is has reached desired level of crispness. Add a small amount of garlic oil into skillet, and continue toasting until lightly browned.

until it has reached your desired consistency.

desired.

Tip: When making ricotta, it helps to put cheesecloth over a ricotta, remove it from the linen. At this point you can mix in your choice of seasoning such as fresh herbs, citrus zest, honey, or bacon; adjust the seasoning to fit the dish you are serving the ricotta with. For smoother cheese, pulse in food processor

YIELD: 8-10 SERVINGS

GO. SEE . DO. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON AT PEPPER PLACE. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EVENTS AT PEPPERPLACE.COM.

Look for our holiday happenenings on posters (at right) posted throughout the district. And, don’t miss the world premiere of Love is a Blue Tick Hound (below) at Terrific New Theatre. We look forward to seeing you down at The Place soon.

14

PEPPERPLACE.COM

C ARL STE WART ’ S CURTAIN C ALL

C

arl Stewart has been in entertaining for as long as he can remember. “I started as a toddler when my parents would teach me jokes to tell,” he says. “Of course, I didn’t know what they meant, but everyone laughed.”

His theater career began in Birmingham and led him all over the world before he eventually retuned to Birmingham where he’s been instrumental in the city’s theater scene for 45 years. He’s seen theater in Birmingham grow and evolve.

When he first returned to the city, Stewart created Birmingham Festival Theatre before opening the Terrific New Theatre (TNT) in 1986 on the corner of 21st Avenue and First Street South. Five years later, when Pepper Place was just a plan, TNT moved in.

“We go back to the very beginning of Pepper Place,” he says. “Cathy Jones has always been encouraging to us and instrumental in the development and theater.

And that’s one thing I will miss the most.” Stewart recalls that when they first moved to Pepper Place the Dr. Pepper logo was still on the floor of the building and. Richard Tubb was the only other tenant in the development.

“Carl has been a steady presence at Pepper Place for more than 25 years. When we first started working together, he told me that TNT was guaranteed to entertain and would make all those who visited his theater and Pepper Place smile,” says Jones. “He was telling the truth.

I have loved knowing Carl! He has contributed so much to Pepper Place and to our entire city!”

Of all the many performances Stewart has directed at TNT, it’s hard for him to name a favorite, citing “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living In Paris” as one he particularly enjoyed. “I see each one as a child,” he says. “Whichever one I’m working on at the time is my favorite. And right now I’m working on retirement so that will be my favorite.”

On July 30 Stewart retired as artistic director of TNT after the very well received “Three for the Road,” a new show by actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock who has been working with him since the 1990s. She says of her longtime colleague, “Carl is incredibly insightful, and always, in the 17 shows we did together, would find subtle motivations, reactions, and subtext that would be easy for me to miss. The broad Southern comedy he always did so well didn’t always showcase his sensitivity, but I was fortunate to work on “meatier” plays with him that let that deeper side of his directing brilliance come through.”

“It amazed me that Carl was able to watch rehearsal, night after night, and I always felt like he was really watching, really listening. Carl always said that throughout the rehearsal process, he was the eyes and ears of the audience,” Hydock continues. “And I felt that even after he’d seen a show over and over and over in rehearsal, he somehow brought new eyes and new ears to hear and see it, every time.”

Carl’s legacy will be carried on by Tam DeBolt. For details on the exciting new season and to buy tickets:

www.terrificnewtheatre.com S I G N U P F O R O U R N E W S L E T T E R A T P E P PPEEP R P L A C E . C O M 15 PERPLACE.COM

THE DIRECTORY 1S T AV E N U E S O U T H

1

2

P

3 P

P

4

6

29T H S T R E E T S O U T H

2 N D AV E N U E S O U T H 28T H S T R E E T S O U T H

2 N D AV E N U E S O U T H

5 P

3 R D AV E N U E S O U T H

RETAIL & SHOWROOMS 3. Aero Joe Pilates aerojoepilates.com

6. Atmosphere Home Essentials atmospherehomeessentials.com 6. Cantley & Company cantleyandcompany.com

P

8

7

3 R D AV E N U E S O U T H Z Y P B I K E S TAT I O N

P

PA R K I N G

J O N E S VA L L E Y T R A I L

6. Terrific New Theatre, Inc terrificnewtheatre.com

5. Battle & Winn LLP battlewinn.com

Market at Pepper Place pepperplacemarket.com

5. brik realty brikrealty.com

MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

6. Chapel Steel chapelsteel.com 5. Chip Rewards Inc chiprewards.com

3. Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery charliethigpensgardengallery.com

6. About Town abouttownsite.com

4. The Collective thecollectivebham.com

4. Airship, LLC teamairship.com

5. Dekalb Office dekalboffice.com

3. Black Benak, LLC blackbenak.com

1. Elsys, Inc elsys-inc.com

6. BW&CO, Inc thinkbw.co

2. Ferguson ferguson.com

6. Cayenne Creative cayennecreative.com

3. Live Design Group livedesigngroup.com

8. Frontera fronterairon.com

4. Context A3 contexta3.com

6. Momentum momentumleaders.org

3. King’s House Oriental Rugs kingshouseorientalrugs.com

5. Country Living countryliving.com

4. Ryan Freeman Inc rfbuilders.com

4. Richard Tubb Interiors richardtubbinteriors.com

4. Hodges and Associates thehighroad.com

6. Schilleci & Tortorici, PC themillenniallawyer.com

3. Scene artgallery1930.com

6. Murphy Media, Inc murphymedia.com

4. Southern Environmental Law Center southernenvironment.org

4. Peppermint Photography apeppermintphoto.com

4. The Watson Firm birminghambusinesslaw.com

4. Peritus Pr, LLC perituspr.com

4. Yeatts Law Firm yeattsfirm.com

FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT 5. Bettola bettolarestaurant.com

5. Cantina cantinatortillagrill.com 6. OvenBird ovenbirdrestaurant.com 5. The Red Cat theredcatcoffeehouse.com 16

31S T S T R E E T S O U T H

1S T AV E N U E S O U T H

PEPPERPLACE.COM

6. Prodigi prodigistudio.com

OFFICES

5. Aq2 Technologies aq2tech.com

5. Epic epicbrokers.com 4. Haskins Jones, LLC haskinsjones.com 6. Krumdleck A+I Design krumdleck.com