Mobile Bay Magazine - December 2019

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES

December 2019

MERRY& BRIGHT IT’S TIME TO DECK THE HALLS, TRIM THE TREE & SPREAD CHEER

SPREADING

JOY

GEORGE INGE’S

THREE-BARREL CATHERINE BURTON

Fête Uncommon Greenery

LOG CABINS UP THE COUNTRY

ALABAMA’S

TOP CHEF

COMES TO OAKLEIGH

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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXV / ISSUE 12

DECEMBER 2019

53 SERVER EMILY MUNCASTER IS JOYFULNESS PERSONIFIED. PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

Mobile Bay Christmas MB pens its list of top picks for table styling, drinks and special gifts

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Cabin Fever Take a trip “up the country” to see the handiwork of local cabin-builder Dr. Sage Smith

76

Joy to the World Meet seven locals who can’t help but leave you feeling positive

 According to researchers at the University of British Columbia, seemingly trivial encounters with strangers can positively affect our feelings of happiness. On page 76, meet a handful of these so-called joyful strangers living among us.

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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXV / ISSUE 12

DECEMBER 2019 28

45

ON OUR COVER ‘Tis the season for wreaths with Catherine Burton of Fête Uncommon Greenery, pictured at Fish River Christmas Trees in Fairhope

41

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

13 EDITOR’S NOTE 14 REACTION 17 INSPIRATION HOME

A VISIT TO EQUINE THERAPY GROUP / PHOTO BY SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY OCEANS 11 FROM SOCU / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU MEMORIES OF SUMMER AT SCOUTSHIRE WOODS

22 ODDS & ENDS 24 COLLECTIONS Locals share the stories behind their treasured ornaments

41 BAY LIFE A north Mobile County Girl Scout camp turns 75 27 THE DISH

45 SPOTLIGHT 28 TASTINGS At Equine Therapy Taste test the new Group, hoofed therapists SOCU Southern Kitchen lead the trail to recovery and Oyster Bar 48 TRADITIONS 30 BAY TABLES Dr. George Inge works Top chefs collaborate at to preserve the history of Dining on Dauphin a European firearm

62 SPOTLIGHT Jim Smith, former executive chef for Alabama and “Top Chef” contestant, on his new Oakleigh eatery 104 DECEMBER CALENDAR

112 ASK MCGEHEE What’s Mobile’s beer brewing history?

114 IN LIVING COLOR A World War II-era photo of Brookley Field gets colorized

110 LITERATURE Author Audrey McDonald Atkins isn’t so sure about some of your New Year food traditions

 In the 1840s, wealthy Americans were eager to follow suit when an illustration was published of Queen Victoria with a decorated evergreen tree. On page 24, a handful of MB readers share the origins of their most cherished ornaments.

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Mobile Bay VOLUME XXXV

No12

DEC 2019

PUBLISHER T. J. Potts Stephen Potts Judy Culbreth

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maggie Lacey MANAGING EDITOR/WEB Abby Parrott

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amanda Hartin PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Virginia Mathers

ART DIRECTOR Laurie Kilpatrick

EDITORIAL INTERN Caroline Hunt

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

ADVERTISING S R. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Joseph A. Hyland Anna Pavao ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Ray

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

ADMINISTRATION CIRCULATION Anita Miller ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Audrey McDonald Atkins, Eleanor Inge Baker, Cart Blackwell, Mallory Boykin, Emmett Burnett, Jill Clair Gentry, Tom McGehee, Breck Pappas CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Summer Ennis Ansley, Carl Calderone, Matthew Coughlin, Elizabeth Gelineau, Meggan and Jeff Haller, Chad Riley ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

3729 Cottage Hill Road, Suite H Mobile, AL 36609-6500 251-473-6269 Subscription inquiries and all remittances should be sent to: Mobile Bay P.O. Box 43 Congers, NY 10920-9922 1-833-454-5060 MOVING? Please note: U.S. Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through their bulk mail unit.

Please send old label along with your new address four to six weeks prior to moving.

Mobile Bay is published 12 times per year for the Gulf Coast area. All contents © 2019 by PMT Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. This magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style.

PUBLISHED BY PMT PUBLISHING INC .

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EXTRAS | EDITOR’S NOTE FROG PRINCE THIS FAT FROG CAME FROM MY ANNUAL ORNAMENT SWAP AND ALWAYS MAKES AN APPEARANCE ON MY FAMILY’S TREE. CHECK OUT OUR READERS’ FAVORITE ORNAMENTS ON PAGE 24, AND A FEW STAFF PICKS BELOW, TOO!

A joyful noise

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don’t come from a family of jokesters. I have a friend who dresses up in crazy costumes on Black Friday and visits the local Walmart to sing and dance her way through the aisles, just to see what kind of comedy will ensue. My mom’s best friend has been known to mail love notes to friends and sign strange men’s names, which always makes people either guffaw or get the vapors. Breck Pappas with MB recently decided he missed a career as the next Chevy Chase and has begun random spasms of physical comedy around the office, knocking into the shelves of our prop closet and getting tangled in the legs of chairs at the conference table, with much fanfare. Not my family.

But when I was young, Christmas Eve was the perfect time to channel our inner goofball. My dad would put on his (mediocre) Santa suit, launch our old wooden Stauter and drive the boat past the Grand Hotel in Point Clear so he could wave at the tourists in town for the holiday and shout Merry Christmas at the top of his lungs. “Won’t those Yankees be surprised,” he’d laugh. Who knew Santa drove a boat?

Around these parts, a boat makes a lot more sense than any contraption built for snow, we reasoned. To complete the spectacle, my older sister and I would dress as elves and help him wave at the slightly confused and certainly amused hotel guests. It was just our strange little way of putting some extra joy into the world at the holidays.

Christmas is certainly the time of year for spreading joy — in a million tiny ways. But there are those among us who keep their spirits high and spread joy to all they meet 365 days a year. Not just friendly people, or thoughtful people, but people who shine with joy and sunshine from the inside out and share it with everyone they meet. We are using this Holiday issue to honor seven such people in the hopes that you, too, will be touched by their shining light and feel a little extra joy this season.

Happy holidays.

LOVE THIS ISSUE UNBREAKABLE TRADITIONS THIS VELVETY REINDEER ORNAMENT CONJURES WARM CHILDHOOD MEMORIES FOR MB’S AMANDA HARTIN, WHOSE MOM GAVE IT TO HER WHEN SHE GREW UP. IT WAS BOUGHT WHEN AMANDA WAS A TODDLER BECAUSE HER MOM DIDN’T WANT ANYTHING FRAGILE, AND IT HAS LASTED THROUGH MANY HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

FIRST BABY / FUR BABY MB’S ABBY PARROTT LOVES THIS ORNAMENT OF HER DOG OLLIE FROM HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS. IT WAS HAND-PAINTED BY A COLLEGE FRIEND AND ALWAYS STANDS OUT ON HER ALL-NEUTRAL TREE, JUST LIKE HER WILD AND CRAZY DOG.

SO SOUTHERN I’M HOPING SANTA KNOWS MY MONOGRAM — HAVE YOU SEEN THE GORGEOUS COLOR COMBOS BY THIS FAIRHOPE LINEN AND MONOGRAM COMPANY? SFERRA COCKTAIL NAPKIN IN AVOCADO BOBBINS DESIGN

DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL (SCOUT’S) BEST FRIEND CAMP SCOUTSHIRE WOODS CELEBRATES ITS DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR — YUP, THAT’S 75 YEARS! I STILL HAVE MY PATCHES FROM SUMMER CAMP AMONG THE PINES WHEN I WAS A GIRL SCOUT. DOWN ON THE FARM CATHERINE BURTON SPENT THE AFTERNOON WITH MB AT FISH RIVER CHRISTMAS TREES IN FAIRHOPE TO HELP CREATE THIS MONTH’S GLOWING CHRISTMAS COVER!

Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR

maggie@pmtpublishing.com

 MB’s 2019 Inspiration Home opens this month!

The builders are done, the designers have staged their rooms and tickets are on sale. No detail has been overlooked.

Please make plans to visit this beautiful property. mobilebaymag.com/inspiration-home december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 13

EXTRAS | REACTION

Tell us how you really feel ...

MEMORY TOUCHDOWN On October’s “In Living Color,” a colorized photo of a football game, featuring previously unidentified children (right) In reply to your query about the “Backyard Gridiron” photo, I am the snaggletoothed kid in the center. The missing teeth indicate that I was 6 years old, which dates it 1938.

We were in our front yard on Hillwood Road in Spring Hill. The kids are, left to right, Richard Lester, 7, myself, my brother Blake, 9, Jack Cummings, 7, and Jack Friend, 9.

Thank you very much for using some of my dad’s pictures in Mobile Bay. - R. S. “Bobby” McNeely

HIGH PRAISES On MB’s October issue, featuring local change maker Jessica Norwood The cover is amazing. One of the most striking and artistic covers I’ve seen on a magazine in a long time.

- Chandra Brown Great issue, and I love the new binding on the magazine.

S. BLAKE MCNEELY COLLECTION, THE DOY LEALE MCCALL RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA / COLORIZATION BY DYNAMICHROME LIMITED

SWEET BEGINNINGS

TAKING (NICE) SHOTS

On October’s “Tastings,” spotlighting Maple Street Biscuit Company

On October’s feature of Silverhill’s dove hunter Billy Passmore

I haven’t had everything, but what I have had was delish.

What a great article on one of the nicest, most humble men that we are lucky enough to know.

- Gwenn Mccutcheon

- Meg Tait Moore

- Jerry Cowart I will have to switch from “Birmingham Magazine” to “Mobile Bay”!

GATHERING WITH PURPOSE

- Vickie Cobb

On October’s “Bay Tables,” featuring Glenn and Douglas Robertson’s football gathering

Jessica Norwood is a powerhouse of change. You can have one conversation with her and feel like your life has been impacted.

Great read by a wonderful person!

Those who know me know my love of football, but friends and family gatherings are my jam.

- Alletta Kinsey Jackson

- Sari Manuel Capilouto

The author did a great job — but they had a terrific subject!

- Hought Wahl One of the finest, nicest, most godly men on this earth, and he would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it.

- Annette Helton Lay

 Want to share your thoughts and reactions? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com.

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[MORE ONLINE]

Find additional local stories on mobilebaymag.com.

Here’s what’s new on the website!

Best of 2019 What. A. Year. We close the door on 2019 with a look at the most eye-catching photos, scrumptious recipes and talked-about articles of the year.

Shopping Made Easy

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

Avoid the long shopping lines this holiday season! Visit shoppmtpub. com to purchase the Mobile Bay cookbook, favorite books from local authors, prints and other gifts without ever leaving the couch.

Bite-Size Holiday Looking for a sweet treat to whip up for the kids? How about a quick and easy app for a holiday potluck?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite two-bite recipes that will become instant holiday staples.

Join Our Email List Finally, an email you actually want.

Get the latest in fashion, food, art, homes, history and events delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for our email list at mobilebaymag.com.

december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 15

HOMES | INSPIRATION

A Welcome Invitation MB opens the doors to its inaugural Inspiration Home. text by AMANDA HARTIN • photos by JEAN ALLSOPP

OPEN FOR TOURS December 12 - January 5 Thursdays - Saturdays 10 AM - 5 PM Sundays 1 - 5 PM 618 Pensacola Avenue, Fairhope Tickets: $10 at the door or online at mobilebaymag. com/inspiration-home

Ticket sales benefit USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital

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magine a place designed to soothe away stress, where worries are left to linger among the trees and where fresh air invites you to take a deep breath and exhale.

MB’s 2019 Inspiration Home offers the quiet respite for which your soul longs.

Nestled amongst the treetops of Fairhope’s Van Antwerp Park, this three-story wooden cottage was designed for rejuvenation.

Located just one block from the shores of Mobile Bay, the home brings the outdoors in with its large windows, outdoor living spaces and the third-level master suite, which offers a unique treehouse feel.

Top-notch amenities abound in the 2,800-square-foot custom home. Each of the four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms have been expertly designed to provide calm sophistication and modern flourishes, such as high-tech appliances and

sleek fixtures. Rich, warm colors complement wood paneling, which was sawn from on-site beech and white and red oak trees.

Natural light floods nooks throughout the home, even on staircase landings, adding to the relaxing, back-to-nature feel.

The truly unique showstopper, however, is the outdoor backdrop. The home highlights unencumbered views of the shared arboretum. The beautiful 7-acre botanical garden, once nurtured

by Mary Van Antwerp, provides access to walking trails, aerobic exercise paths and community gardens.

The Inspiration Home is a collaboration of talent, including Walcott Adams Verneuille, Tom Bierster Fine Home Building & Renovation and Espalier Landscape Architecture. Designers from both sides of the Bay spared no detail when decorating this one-of-a-kind, timeless charmer.

We hope to welcome you home soon. MB

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ABOVE, CLOCKWISE Nickel gap paneling milled from oak trees onsite craft the stunning kitchen cabinetry. The home is clad in James Hardie siding with stone base. The comfortable, open-concept living area flows into the kitchen. The custom kitchen island was built from a trestle base discovered at Charles Phillips Antiques, then topped with matching oak, dark metal hardware and a granite top.

Each landing offers an upholstered bench and tailored Roman shades.

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EXTRAS | ODDS & ENDS

For Auld Lang Syne text by MB EDITORIAL STAFF

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write.

May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.”

According to the National Weather Service, Mobile has had 16 snow events since 1881, for an average of one snowfall about every nine years.

1916 LINCOLN LOGS DEVELOPED BY JOHN LLOYD WRIGHT The classic children’s toy designed by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous American architect, has won many prestigious awards. Lincoln Logs peaked in popularity during the 1950s when it was among the first toys mass-marketed on television.

Check out the life-sized log cabins hand-built by Dr. Sage Smith on page 68.

[ DECEMBER 9 ]

NATIONAL PASTRY DAY A day for pastry puns that no one kneads. Scone be pretty fun, dough.

One cannoli hope.

65%

of holiday shoppers wait until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts

NOG, NOGGIN, GROG Despite it being a drink of many names, by the late 18th century the term “eggnog” stuck. Originating from the early medieval British drink “posset,” a hot, milky, ale-like beverage, eggnog became tied to the holidays when it hopped the pond in the 1700s.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY

A study published in the Journal of Aging Research reports that people born in December are more likely to live to 105 — or even longer.

ADVENT CALENDAR The tradition dates to the mid19th century, when German Protestants made chalk marks on doors or lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas.

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Mote Spoons

GUMBO | COLLECTIONS

Rare picture “The kids think this angel is so ugly. They try to hide it backs attributed to London silversmith and every year, but I insist on it being front and center.”

Philadelphia vendor, 18th century NICHOLE RUSSELL PATRICK

chunky cherub

“My grandma bought this in the 1950s while living in Germany. Growing up, there was always such excitement when

MEG FOWLER

star-struck santa

“My mom made lots of ornaments, including this hand-painted one. She found the starfish on a Virginia beach in the late ‘70s.”

the ornament you unwrapped to hang was the mushroom.”

KATIE VOGTNER

“When I was a child, many cousins would exchange presents under a tree that held circular frames with each family member’s name in needlepoint, all made by our Aunt Karen. These ornaments remind me of a wonderful time, in a place I love, among people I love and who love me.”

toad-ally retro

Christmas Baubles MB readers share the stories behind their favorite ornaments. text by AMANDA HARTIN photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

STACEY DRISKELL

stitched in love

“This sassy poodle was a housewarming gift from Mary Walker. It reminds me to be fabulous throughout the holiday season!”

KASEE HEISTERHAGEN

pom-pom pooch

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“I made this at Ashland Place Mother’s Day Out in 1992. The golden pasta is never going anywhere.

My parents hang it every year — no matter the condition.”

GRAYSI ETHRIDGE

crafty noodle

FOOD | THE DISH

Bite of the Bay MB’s contributing food fanatics share the local dishes that made them hungry for more.

CHIMICHANGAS AT BARIACHI MEXICAN KITCHEN. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

LUCY PRYOR SLATON, President, Junior League of Mobile

CHIMICHANGAS AT BARIACHI MEXICAN KITCHEN “This newest addition to Midtown is our new Friday night go-to. We ordered queso and a margarita to start while we browsed the menu. I chose a to-diefor chimichanga, stuffed with flavorful chicken and topped with cheese dip. It is also served with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, rice and beans. If you haven’t been, give Bariachi a try!”

BARIACHI MEXICAN KITCHEN 2032 AIRPORT BLVD. • 459-0404

MARIETTA URQUHART, Commercial Associate & Realtor, WhiteSpunner Realty

PIMENTO CHEESE CHICKEN SALAD AT THE CHEESE COTTAGE “It was our first ‘bluebird’ day of fall, and I wanted to have a picnic lunch break. The Cheese Cottage was the perfect choice, and I ordered the pimento cheese chicken salad on a croissant. The pimento cheese is made with Prairie Breeze Cheddar out of Iowa, and all-white chicken meat is added for the salad. It was served on a fresh, flaky croissant and provided for a perfect picnic on the patio overlooking St. Louis Street.”

THE CHEESE COTTAGE • 650 ST. LOUIS ST. 308-8488 • THECHEESECOTTAGELLC.COM

ERROL D. CROOK, MD, Abraham A. Mitchell Chairman of Internal Medicine, USA Health

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES AT SOCU “My wife and I enjoyed dining at this new restaurant Downtown. Among the many regional dishes, I went with the chicken and waffles. The two pieces of fried chicken were tasty, tender and juicy with wonderful, homemade waffles and their special syrup. The sides were Southern standards with great twists that could be a meal unto themselves: collards, mac and cheese, Parmesan cheese grits and seafood dressing.”

CECIL CHRISTENBERRY, Owner, Old Tyme Feed & Garden Supply

HAMBURGER STEAK AT MR. SPUD’S “If looking for a family-owned restaurant that makes every diner feel like part of the family, this is the place. I decided on hamburger steak with onions, rice and gravy, and pickled beets, and was I ever delighted with my choice! At Freddie Nolte’s new venture, named for the Nolte family’s Baldwin County potato-growing legacy, down-home atmosphere, good service and great food prove to be the winning combination.”

SOCU SOUTHERN KITCHEN & OYSTER BAR • 455

MR. SPUD’S • 18957 HWY 181, FAIRHOPE

DAUPHIN ST. • 287-6766 • SOCUMOBILE.COM

929-8699

 What dishes made you drool and left you hungry for more? Share them on our Facebook page! december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 27

FOOD | TASTINGS

SOCU Southern Kitchen and Oyster Bar text by AMANDA HARTIN • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

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here’s a good chance you’ve seen her before. There’s an even better chance you’ve seen her products. Erica Barrett, owner and founder of Southern Culture Foods — that’s “SOCU,” for short — has appeared on “Shark Tank” and “Good Morning America,” to name a couple of TV gigs, building her brand, which consists of waffle and pancake mixes, bacon rubs, syrups and flavored grits. But diners at SOCU’s first restaurant, Southern Kitchen and Oyster Bar, are likely to find Barrett seated at the bar, tapping away at her computer.

A driven entrepreneur with a contagious smile, Barrett says she gets her inspiration from someone very close to her. “I always wanted to be like my mom,” she says proudly of LaMarinette Dandridge. “She makes the best fried chicken,” Barrett adds, pointing to the aptly named “Mama’s Fried Chicken” on the Southern-inspired menu. “I like food that’s approachable and fun. When you look at the menu, I want you to be able to say, ‘I can eat this.’”

Mouthwatering, down-home selections change weekly and can include such dishes as Cajun lamb lollipops, braised beef oxtails, collard greens, mac and cheese, banana pudding and peach cobbler. Barrett’s stone-ground grits, named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2016, and biscuits are menu staples, however.

“You have to have ovens if you’re going to make biscuits,” Barrett says of the renovations she’s made to the former Saisho restaurant. Exposed brick walls, beams and iron railings are softened with sumptuous seating, both downstairs and up. The massive bar, with dim mood lighting, provides the perfect spot to watch chefs in the open, bustling kitchen — with a fancy cocktail, like the Louboutini Mule or a Dauphin Island Iced Tea in hand, of course.

Future plans include adding a raw oyster bar and upgrading outdoor seating. “SOCU is a baby,” Barrett says of the possibility of opening additional restaurants. “We want to perfect our techniques first, and then grow the brand.” MB

 SOCU Southern Kitchen and Oyster Bar • 455 Dauphin St. • 287-6766 • socumobile.com 4 – 10 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday, 2 – 8 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday & Tuesday

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MAMA’S FRIED CHICKEN AND RED VELVET WAFFLES WITH A SIDE OF PECAN-TOPPED SWEET POTATOES

[ ON THE MENU ]

FRIED LOBSTER DEVILED EGGS

CHARBROILED OYSTERS

MAMA’S FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

A classic Southern appetizer meets the ocean, with flaky fried lobster set atop a creamy yolk filling. Drizzled honey and Sriracha sauce adds a sweet kick.

Served by the half or full dozen, these perfectly cooked and succulent oysters come dressed with crawfish, crabmeat, shrimp, garlic butter and Parmesan.

Fried chicken and red velvet waffles, drenched in a white chocolate sauce, come with a side of pecan-topped sweet potatoes. This dish is slap yo’ mama good, y’all.

OCEANS 11 SALMON A hearty entree featuring a true smorgasbord of the ocean, with fresh Atlantic salmon, shrimp and sea scallops covered with crawfish sauce. Served with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 29

FOOD | BAY TABLES

Dining on Dauphin Three Downtown eateries come together in one kitchen to craft an unforgettable meal for a good cause. text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by MEGGAN HALLER / KEYHOLE PHOTO

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he phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” feels especially relevant as the holidays approach and generations of family prepare to cook in a single kitchen.

But gather three top chefs who are used to being the masters of their own domain and have never worked together before into one kitchen to prepare an al fresco wine dinner for 175 people, and you’d expect to find a scenario about which that phrase was invented. Not so with Duane Nutter of Southern National, Chris Rainosek of The Noble South and Kevin Powell of NoJa. Three of Mobile’s top restaurateurs gathered for one night to present a feast for local foodies under the stars in the middle

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of Dauphin Street and, remarkably, any and all ego was left at the curb.

Marvin Middleton, general manager of Mobile mainstay NoJa, came up with the idea to get to know his fellow fine-dining restaurateurs and promote the burgeoning Downtown food scene with some sort of event. Southern National and The Noble South were obvious partners, and over the span of several months, the chefs and their teams met to hash out a plan. “All I’ve been really doing is cooking and going to sleep,” laughs Chef Nutter. “I just don’t get a lot of time to go to other restaurants.” The opportunity to work alongside his fellow chefs appealed to Nutter and the rest. “We were forced to talk to each other,” he jokes.

Having the opportunity to raise money for Barton Academy was the cherry on top for these three champions of Downtown.

Each kitchen brought its own unique contribution to the night. The Noble South, for example, has relationships with numerous local farms, and was therefore tapped to craft a fresh salad course. NoJa created appetizers with their signature Mediterranean flair for an exclusive VIP party and Southern National brought in high-quality meat suppliers from across the Southeast to round out the evening’s menu.

And the competitiveness? Chef Rainosek simply says, “If Downtown succeeds, we all suceed.” MB above left Duane Nutter, Kevin Powell and Chris Rainosek.

GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD WITH COLLARD GREEN BUTTER SERVES 8 Recipe from The Noble South

BAKED CLAMS SERVES 6

Recipe from The Noble South 24 clams 1 small yellow onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 stalk celery, diced 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 limes 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil pinch salt and pepper

1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups cornmeal 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 2 cups buttermilk 1 cup melted butter 4 eggs

1. In separate bowls, add dry ingredients to one and wet ingredients to the other. Mix both separately. Then combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

2. Pour batter into a greased pan and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with collard green butter (see right).

COLLARD GREEN BUTTER MAKES 2 CUPS 1 pound butter, softened at room temperature 2 tablespoons powdered collard greens (from dehydrating the leaves) 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder pinch salt and pepper

1. Add all ingredients together and mix with a spatula, scraping the sides of the bowl to combine.

2. Serve immediately at room temperature or refrigerate to use at a later date.

1. Clean clams and add to a pan with 2 cups of water. Turn pan on medium heat and cover.

Check every 3 minutes to see if the clams have opened. When open, discard liquid and pull meat from the shells. Break apart the shells and save the 24 best-looking. Clean shells under warm running water.

2. To make filling, roughly chop the clam meat. Add to a bowl.

3. Cook the onion, garlic and celery in a saute pan until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the clams.

4. Add all the other ingredients and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Stuff the filling back into the clean shells and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 8 - 10 minutes. Serve warm.

december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 31

BALSAMIC BRAISED SHORT RIBS SERVES 4 Recipe from Southern National 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 6- to 8-ounce pieces of short ribs (usually how they come in the store) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 medium onion, diced 1 medium carrot, half-moon cuts 4 garlic cloves, smashed 1/2 cup red wine 2 cups low-sodium beef broth 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3 bay leaves

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, add oil and bring to mediumhigh heat.

2. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and cook in Dutch oven for about 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot.

When ribs are browned set aside. Turn your heat down if it’s getting too smoky.

3. Add onion, carrot and garlic, stirring occasionally until carrot slices are soft.

Add red wine to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute or so before adding beef broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and bay leaves.

4. Return the ribs to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, flipping meat once during cooking. When finished, take meat out of pot, strain the braising liquid and discard the vegetables. Then place the ribs and sauce back into the pot and serve.

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above left Rain moved the dinner to The Steeple, where guests enjoyed long glowing tables and the chance for an impromptu dance.

MUSTARD GREEN CHIMICHURRI MAKES 2 CUPS

Recipe from Southern National 2 cups Italian parsley 2 cups mustard greens 1 cup cilantro 1 shallot 1 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 4 cloves garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper juice and zest one lime

1. Using a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except lime zest, and blend until chopped.

Add a touch more oil if needed. Pour into a bowl, add zest and adjust seasoning to taste.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH CAJUN MARSALA SAUCE SERVES 4 Recipe from NoJa 16 U-10 fresh scallops 1 cup sweet Marsala 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 1/2 tablespoons Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Seasoning

1. Sear scallops in a smoking hot pan. Add Marsala wine, burn off the alcohol, then add heavy cream and seasoning. Let reduce to half. When color of sauce becomes dark brown, it’s ready to serve.

ROASTED CELERY ROOT PUREE SERVES 8 Recipe from NoJa 2 large celery roots 1 Idaho potato 1 clove garlic 1 ounce fresh thyme 1/2 ounce fresh basil 1/4 ounce scallions white pepper and salt, to taste

1. Roast celery root, potato and garlic until soft. Puree (adding vegetable stock to thin out if too thick), then season with herbs, white pepper and salt to taste.

“WE WANTED TO HAVE OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE, SO THE MENU FEATURED SOMETHING VEGAN, SOMETHING GLUTEN-FREE, BOTH MEAT AND SEAFOOD. THE ENTREE WAS SERVED FAMILY-STYLE SO GUESTS GOT TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER AS THEY PASSED THE FOOD AROUND.”

– Chef Chris Rainosek, The Noble South

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MIZUNA SALAD WITH PUMPKIN PUREE AND SORGHUM VINAIGRETTE Recipe from The Noble South

PUMPKIN PUREE MAKES 8 CUPS 1 small pumpkin, split and cleaned of seeds 2 cups apple juice 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground allspice salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast the split and cleaned pumpkin at 350 degrees until tender. Cool and remove pumpkin from the skin.

2. Combine pumpkin and all other ingredients in a pot. Cook until liquid is gone, stirring constantly to prevent sticking to the bottom. Puree mixture in a blender and set aside.

SORGHUM VINAIGRETTE MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS 1/4 cup sorghum molasses 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar pinch salt and pepper 1 cup olive oil

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the sorghum, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together.

2. Slowly add the olive oil to the bowl.

Whisk briskly to combine.

BUILDING THE SALAD MAKES 1 SALAD 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 3 pieces shaved ham 3 pieces shaved candy roaster squash 2 cups mizuna 1 tablespoon sorghum vinaigrette 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds 1 tablespoon crumbled cheese

1. Smear the pumpkin puree on the bottom of a plate. Surround the puree with pieces of shaved country ham and shaved candy roaster squash.

2. Lightly dress the mizuna with the sorghum vinaigrette and place on top of the puree. Top the greens with pumpkin seeds and crumbled cheese.

Serve immediately.

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“IT’S GOOD FOR US CHEFS TO GET TOGETHER AND GET TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER — NO COMPETITIVENESS.”

– Chef Duane Nutter, Southern National

above The chefs and their respective kitchen teams all pitched in to bring the courses to the table.

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SOUTHERN NATIONAL’S SHEET PAN BISCUITS MAKES 24 3-INCH SQUARE BISCUITS 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, frozen and grated 1 cup cold buttermilk FOR BRUSHING 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and mix until evenly distributed.

right While the dinner had to be moved inside due to inclement weather, the event still held a magical feeling, calling diners to the dance floor between courses.

2. Pour buttermilk into the mixture and gently work until the dough starts to come together.

Add dough to a standard halfsheet pan (no grease, flour or spray needed on pan). However, sprinkle some extra flour over dough to keep it from sticking to your hands as you work it into the pan. Using your hands or a rolling pin, spread dough into an even layer all the way to the edges of the pan. (Work quickly so dough doesn’t get too warm.)

3. Mix honey and buttermilk together to brush on top of biscuits before they go into the oven.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

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CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA WITH BOURBON SABAYON SERVES 10

Recipe from The Noble South 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 2 3/4 cups cream, divided 3/4 cup sugar pinch salt 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over 1/4 cup of the cream until it blooms. Combine the remaining cream with the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

2. Remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin, whisking until dissolved. Add the chocolate to the hot cream mixture and stir to melt.

3. Once melted, pour through a sieve into a large pourable cup. Fill ramekins with the chocolate mixture and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

BOURBON SABAYON 8 egg yolks 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup bourbon 1 teaspoon vanilla pinch salt

1. Set up a double boiler by placing a mixing bowl on top of a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add all ingredients to the mixing bowl.

2. As the water in the double boiler heats up, whisk vigorously. Whisk until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

When thick, remove from heat and spoon over top of the chocolate panna cotta.

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PECAN UPSIDE DOWNTOWN CAKE SERVES 12 Recipe from Southern National

TOPPING 1 cup roughly chopped pecans 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup Steen’s cane syrup 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons bourbon 1/4 teaspoon salt Baker’s Joy

1. Spray 10-inch cast-iron pan with Baker’s Joy. Add all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 3 - 4 minutes until smooth. Remove from heat.

CAKE 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup toasted cornmeal 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup melted butter 3 tablespoons bourbon 2 eggs 3 tablespoons orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, butter, bourbon, eggs and orange zest. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until smooth.

2. Gently spoon batter over pecan mixture in the skillet. (Do not stir!) Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

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PEOPLE | BAY LIFE

Into the Woods The 75th anniversary of Scoutshire Woods revives memories of youthful, Girl Scout fun. text by JILL CLAIR GENTRY • photos provided by SCOUTSHIRE WOODS

left The Echo Lake spillway has been the site for many Girl Scout water adventures since the camp’s opening in 1945. (Date of photograph unknown.)

S

ounds of giggles and chatter make their way across the shimmering lake. From the shore, onlookers, former Girl Scouts themselves, watch as their daughters — and granddaughters — navigate canoes, face fears and master team building. The girls’ vessels send ripples across the sky-reflected water, and as they come ashore, bare, sandy feet rush about in search of shoes before heading off down the pine-straw-strewn trail that encircles Echo Lake.

Moms and grandmoms look at one another with knowing smiles. It wasn’t very long ago that they, too, were here having the same kind of fun. They chuckle as they scurry to catch up.

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For 75 years, Scoutshire Woods, a beautiful refuge tucked away in north Mobile County, has been a home away from home for thousands of South Alabama Girl Scouts. The camp celebrated its milestone anniversary with the Diamond Jubilee, a weekend in October that included camp favorites, like canoes, archery, crafts, a campfire with s’mores, and songs and skits. One alumna, 72-year-old Harriet Nihart, attended the event and says it brought back incredible memories.

“I was there for two to six weeks every summer until I was in ninth grade,” Nihart says. “We loved canoeing down the Escatawpa River and camping on the sand dunes. Some friends and I would stand on either end of our canoes and bob them back and forth until someone fell off. My favorite memory, though, was in junior high when we decided to hike four miles to the nearest fire tower. We didn’t know they had torn it down, so we just kept hiking and hiking — we ended up walking 20 miles into Saraland, and they had to send someone to come get us.”

Nihart says her time at Scoutshire Woods changed her life in many ways, and she knows it’s done the same for thousands of girls over the past seven-and-a-half decades. “It made me a richer person, gave me a greater appreciation for the outdoors and all of God’s creation — plus the friendships we made have lasted to this day. I had one friend who I’d bob canoes with every summer who I only saw at camp. Now, we see each other every week at the senior center. Scouting has been a blessing.”

“Girl Scout Camp is such an important experience for our girls,” says Karlyn Edmonds, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. “They get to be outdoors, unplug from their

devices and make friends in a really unique environment.”

Scoutshire Woods sits on 68 acres and features a 12-acre lake, trails, campsites, ziplines and — notably — no cellphone signal. The camp is unique because it offers horseback riding in addition to other traditional camp activities.

Jeannie Napper, GSSA awards specialist, says the camp is an important place for troop leaders as well. “I have made so many happy memories there doing things with my daughter and her troop growing up. I can see the changes in myself going up there,” she says, reflectively. “When I spend a day at camp, I never think about my phone. I’m fully engaged in

top Riding amongst the pines at horse camp, 1945. above The dining hall during a summer camp session in 1971 (left) and in more modern times (right).

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the moment right in front of me. That’s crucial for everyone. The silence and the peace found in the woods is vital for all of us.”

Scoutshire Woods, originally built as Cedar Creek State Park in the 1930s, was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a volunteer work relief program for unemployed, unmarried men. In the 1940s, the park was sold to the Mobile County Public School System, and Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama has leased it from MCPSS since 1945.

“At the Diamond Jubilee, we gathered the girls and had them turn around and look at the lake,” Edmonds says. “I told them to think about how that lake was constructed — this enormous lake was hand dug. Their jaws dropped as they were thinking about that. Knowing the history of the place adds to their appreciation of where they are and what came before them.”

The future of Scoutshire Woods — and Girl Scouting in general — remains anchored in tradition while evolving to accommodate younger generations.

“We are definitely listening to our girls and what they want to experience at Scoutshire,” Napper says. “We recently opened a new campsite for hammock camping, which is a hot thing for high school and college kids. The girls wanted it, so a group cleaned up the campsite, installed anchors for the hammocks and added picnic tables and fire rings.”

Edmonds says the addition of engineering activities to the list of options for campers in recent years has been an important change.

“We’re trying to encourage these girls to take a deeper dive into particular areas that will empower them for the future,” Edmonds says. “They’re making catapults in addition to traditional camp activities and doing some higher-level activities that involve science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It’s wonderful to see light bulbs go off for our girls — they know they can do this stuff, and perhaps they can even have a career doing it.” MB

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PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT

Trail to Recovery Veterans sit high in the saddle again after relearning trust and overcoming obstacles, one hoofbeat at a time. text by EMMETT BURNETT • photos by SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY

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s an ammunition specialist E-4 with the U.S. Army, John Blackmon served with distinction in Operation Desert Storm. Like thousands of veterans returning home from war, the Daphne resident faced anxiety, depression and, in his words, “a bad run on life.” But Blackmon reached out for guidance, counseling and a horse with a helping hoof.

Blackmon is one of more than 1,000 graduates of Equine Therapy Group, which offers problem-solving solutions through handson horses at a beautiful 10-acre pastoral spread in Bay Minette.

Behold the power of horse sense.

Now in year six, Equine Therapy Group develops a person’s positive behaviors and problem-solving abilities through a relationship with horses. Tools are given, techniques are taught and exercises practiced. Steed and human become trusted friends. But why horses?

“Because they respond to body language, not verbal commands,” says Equine Therapy Group’s founder, licensed professional counselor and self-professed “lifelong horse person,” Kari Whatley. “By your actions, a horse learns to trust or not trust you. The skills required to build a relationship with a horse are transferable to a

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person’s life. As clients undertake behavior patterns to work with horses, they become aware of similar behavioral changes useful for interaction with life issues.”

The scenic vista includes a herd of nine.

Most of the four-legged counselors are rescue animals chosen for demeanor and temperament. Many are retired from the show ring or other venues. All share survival instincts that have kept horses alive since boarding Noah’s ark.

“Horses are prey animals, and they know it,” Whatley adds. “Herd members never face the same direction or nap at the same time.” They are always monitoring, updating their status and assessing the current situation — and that includes you.

“With horses, actions speak louder than words,” Whatley continues. “If you are tense, they pick up on it. Horses study your posture, breathing patterns and nervousness. They are one of the few animal species that recognize human facial expressions.”

During orientation, clients learn the basics: It’s all about the ears. “Ears up means a happy horse,” the instructor says. Ears down?

It’s upset and, possibly soon, you will be, too.

That’s part of the solution-seeking training.

After introductions, client and horse select each other for the journey in healing. Hoofed teachers and new students each sense who suits whom best — in most cases. “Now John was a bit different,” Whatley says, laughing.

“Every horse out here liked him.”

Blackmon came onboard with little equine savvy but learned fast. “A horse weighs 1,000 pounds,” he says while coaxing a compliant, shoulder-high animal to follow his lead. “If it doesn’t want to move, it’s not going to.”

Once total strangers, the mare and Army veteran now walk together, thanks to principles learned in Whatley’s sessions. “Force doesn’t move a horse,” Blackmon adds.

“Trust does.” Just like in real life.

No cowboy experience is necessary in the Baldwin County equine encounter; there is no horseback riding. These are clients, men and women seeking help, not rodeo stars.

They learn to work with powerful, yet

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peaceful, animals to maneuver through courses with various obstacles and checkpoints along the way. Each exercise is a metaphor for life.

For example, in one session, “Life’s Little Obstacles,” impediments are placed before the horse and client’s path. The two must work together to overcome barriers not unlike the obstacles and challenges of living: depression, communicating with a spouse or PTSD, to name a few.

“At first, I was baffled about being here,” Blackmon recalls about the day Veterans Court referred him to Equine Therapy Group. “I didn’t understand how a horse could help me.”

He was part of a six-member group of veterans with similar issues who completed the six-week course. “I learned to trust myself by trusting horses,” Blackmon recalls, whose depression was triggered by his father’s death in 2018. “Leading a horse past barriers helped me leave the past behind. It benefited me and helped my mental composure.”

Gently brushing the mane of Katie, a gentle steed and Blackmon’s former teacher, yesterday’s soldier ponders: “Today, my life is in a good place.”

Whatley says she wants more veterans “in a good place.”

above U.S. Army veteran and former Equine Therapy Group client, John Blackmon, demonstrates “Life’s Little Obstacles” by leading a horse through a path of impediments. The exercise is applicable to real-world issues where people face obstacles in their daily lives. opposite Kari Whatley, founder of Equine Therapy Group, has been around horses since childhood and says it “seemed only natural to make their best qualities available to those who need them most.”

“The Gulf Coast area has 65,000 veterans,” she says. “Some need help, but they never call. Their spouses, parents and friends do.”

She adds that once a vet starts to the program, they always come back, but getting them here is challenging. “I want them here before their situation becomes worse.”

In addition, Equine Therapy Group offers help beyond aiding veterans, providing support for struggling couples, family and behavioral problems, grief and bereavement, trauma, depression, anxiety, and by offering corporate retreats and team-building.

Whatley has been around horses since childhood, and today, she and husband Jason, the group’s business director / marketing man, live onsite. By design, horses are never far away.

She proclaims on the Equine Therapy Group’s website, “I have seen the impact horses can make, and it seemed only natural to make their best qualities available to those who need them most. For thousands of years, horses carried people to their destination of choice, and I’ve found that horses may still be the thing that helps get us from where we are to where we want to be.” MB

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GUMBO | TRADITIONS

For the Love of the Three-Barrel In his transcontinental quest to repair his great-great-grandfather’s 1902 Hollenbeck drilling, Dr. George B. Inge found an unlikely job as an international importer of fine drillings and shotguns from the old country. text by ELEANOR INGE BAKER • photos by MEGGAN AND JEFF HALLER / KEYHOLE PHOTO

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he first time a three-barrel gun ever grazed George Inge’s consciousness, he was 12 years old at an old-fashioned deer drive in the hardwood river bottoms near Jackson, Alabama. It was the day after Christmas, 1964. Inge and his older

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brothers had been invited to the annual Dunlap Family Hunt at Carlton, a large and sweeping property of hunting and timberland nestled along the Tombigbee River. “I was finally old enough to hunt that year, and the morning was cold,” he says. “Game drivers whooped walking

through the woods in a line as they pushed deer, pigs and rabbits toward us. My relatives were positioned, ready and in high spirits. On top of that, my swashbuckling, wild-man cousin, Plumber Tonsmiere Sr., who was larger than life anyway, had killed a buck at the edge of the drive with a three-

barrel gun. I hadn’t seen or heard of a gun like that. I never got over how cool it was.”

Growing up in Mobile, Inge knew prominent families owned and hunted with three-barrel guns, called drillings in Germany where they originated. “They have a mystique, the versatility of a shotgun and rifle in one,” he says. “I didn’t think my family ever had anything like that. Drillings were expensive and hard to get, but I always wanted one.”

After graduating from the University of Alabama, Inge earned an Army scholarship to medical school, completed his residency at Walter Reed Hospital, at that time located in Washington, D.C., and then moved to Heidelberg, Germany, for 3 years. “Part of the World War II treaty with the Germans was to give 25 percent of government land for the recreational use of Allied service men and women,” he says.

“I got my German hunting license and fell in love with traditional hunting there. The drilling was the main gun used, and my local friend helped me find and purchase one — a Sauer and Sohn double-barrel, 16-gauge shotgun over a 7mm Mauser rifle with a Zeiss scope that snaps on and off.

It’s been my favorite hunting gun through the years.”

Inge’s relationship with three-barrel guns experienced a seismic shift in 2017, when his elderly aunt revealed she owned a 1902 Hollenbeck drilling that had been passed down from her great-grandfather. Afraid of it, she’d hidden the gun under her bed for 60 years. “Low and behold, my family did have a three-barrel gun!” he says. Inge then enthusiastically purchased the gun and became obsessed with repairing and modernizing it. “I envisioned my greatgreat-grandfather, George Sage, wanting to gain an advantage over his young sons-in-law, killing a turkey out of shotgun range or a duck floating out on the water.

I chuckle every time I think about that, since I have 3 sons-in-law myself.”

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Above Mobilian Dr. George B. Inge with his T & G German Gun Imports partner, Tobi Nisse, a German gunsmith and dealer. Here, they hold two of their available drillings at a get-together for customers last September at Inge’s house.

Restoring this gun, however, was a major ordeal. Inge scoured the internet for someone able to repair it. Prospects looked bleak, even when he sent his drilling to a master gunmaker in Michigan. That contact finally put him in touch with Tobi Nisse, a German gunsmith and dealer. As fate would have it, Nisse was also looking for help. He had visited the U.S. hoping to establish a means of exporting traditional German guns stateside. The symbiotic possibilities of their relationship could not be ignored, and T & G German Gun Imports (named for Tobi and George) was formed shortly thereafter.

From the 1950s through the early 1990s, three-barrel guns were made by the tens of thousands in Germany. But more restrictive gun laws began to appear as Europeans moved toward the belief that personal ownership of firearms was not a right. “Young German hunters look back and do not embrace the old ways of hunting,” Inge says. “They see these threebarrel guns as a throwback to World War II and a part of history they understandably don’t want to think about. It’s also

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time-consuming and expensive to get a hunting license. In addition to that, buckshot and lead were outlawed, making shotgun use impossible.”

Popular hunting rifles in Germany now feature the latest in technology and are mass-produced. As a result, there’s a glut of drillings and shotguns, and prices have plummeted. Of course, it’s complicated getting them from Germany to the United States. However, Mobile’s strategic port of entry proved ideal. Mobile enjoys a direct relationship with the port of Hamburg, Germany, and because other unlikely stars aligned in Inge’s and Nisse’s favor, these guns are now cheaply and legally making their way to Mobile. “My wife and I decided, with the objection of my lawyer, that we’d be the ones to help Nisse,” Inge continues. “I’ve got my federal firearms license, and things just came together.

For example, we are required by law to engrave each gun with our business name within 14 days of it entering the U.S. My friend and fellow gun enthusiast, Howard Moore, engraves each gun for us with Claude Moore Jeweler’s diamond engraver in exchange for drillings. Hey, I love to barter! It’s remarkable how all these seemingly insurmountable details have work themselves out within our community.”

Although lovely and often ornate, these guns are designed to be used. “Drillings are not made so much as collector’s items as they are functional hunting weapons — classic examples of German craftsmanship and engineering,” Inge says. “Yes, many of them have beautiful engravings and polished wooden stocks, but these three-barrel guns are hard-hitting, versatile and accurate. They’re meant to be hunted with in the field, not admired in your gun safe.” MB Eleanor Inge Baker is a contributing writer for Mobile Bay Magazine and is the daughter of Dr. George B. Inge.

For more information about T & G German Gun Imports, check out german-gun-imports.com.

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Make it A Mobile Bay Christmas

Eight festive ways to add a touch of classic beauty to your holiday season.

text by MAGGIE LACEY styling by LAURIE KILPATRICK photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

Evergreen Centerpiece by Fête Uncommon Greenery Dramatic beach-foraged pinecone branches plus a trio of locally cut, fresh evergreens are the picks for the container of your choice. A sterling silver trumpet vase is timeless. Facebook: FÊTEuncommongreenery

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Mobile Bay Christmas

Make it Spirited A milk punch is the perfect way to ease into the holiday libations.

Silver pitcher, crystal rocks glasses and footed bowl by Antiques at the LoopÂ

Holiday Brandy Milk Punch 4 tablespoons brandy 3 tablespoons heavy cream 2 tablespoons simple syrup

MAKES 1 COCKTAIL

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass and stir. Add ice to fill glass, and garnish with a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg.

Looking to get creative? Download Mixel With an index of over 600 ingredients and 1,700 recipes, Mixel will show you cocktails you can make with ingredients you already have on hand. Created by Brewton natives Mitchell McMillan, brother Malcolm McMillan and Roy Brown, the app is set to go global. The Mixel app can be downloaded on Google Play and the Apple App store.

DOWNLOAD MIXEL

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Mobile Bay Christmas

Make it Personal Nothing is more traditionally Southern than a monogram, but these beauties feel fresh and exciting. The hemstitched cocktail napkins are available in 101 colors with endless embroidery options, perfect for holiday entertaining or gifting to the woman with beautiful taste. Colorful serging, embroidered edges and delicate fringe make these linens swoon-worthy. Fairhope’s Amy Gray and Effie Thompson of Bobbins Design can guide you to the perfect custom look. bobbinsdesign.com

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Mobile Bay Christmas

Make it Cheerful Red or White Wine shares the perfect bottle for every festive occasion.

Perfect Host gifts: • Graham Beck Sparkling Rosé $17 A South African sparkling rosé that is dry with notes of raspberry.

• Browne Heritage Cabernet $19 A medium-bodied wine from Washington State with a soft palate and notes of dark berries and tobacco.

• Alexander Valley “Cyrus” Bordeaux Blend 2013 $55 A hefty amount of Cabernet is the backbone of this very well done Bordeaux-style blend from Alexander Valley Vineyards.

Perfect for Christmas Eve: • Pol Roger Champagne NV $53 The favorite Champagne of Winston Churchill, also a choice for Prince Harry, and a favorite among Red or White staff!

• AIX Rosé $20 Very traditional Provencal rosé that works well with a wide array of foods.

• Olivier Leflaive “Les Setilles” Chardonnay $26 Grapes are sourced within the communes of PulignyMontrachet and Meursault. Clean and fresh tasting with notes of lemon.

• Chappellet Mountain Cuvee $28 Rich and complex blend from Napa County, great with beef tenderloin.

Perfect for Christmas Brunch: • Gerard Bertrand Sparkling Rosé $23 From Limoux, where sparkling wine originated. The picture of former President Thomas Jefferson is an homage to his love of wines from this region. Bright and lively with fine mousse, versatile enough to pair with most courses.

• Chateau l’Oiseliniere Muscadet $16 The quintessential oyster wine, or lovely as-is. Aged on lees for a richer palate.

• Charbonnier Vacqueyras $24 Dark dried fruits and some herbs lend a perfect pairing for roasted meats.

Hand-harvested grenache and syrah.

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Mobile Bay Christmas

Make it Local Looking for the perfect local gift for the person who has it all?

We picked four of our favorites, ready to wrap up and tuck under the tree!

No Ordinary Ornament Tuck a touch of the Bay into the boughs of your holiday tree with these cloisonné ornaments, each handcrafted and gilded with 24 karats. A keepsake box makes the perfect packaging. soireesignatures.com

A Modern Mobile Bay Watercolor Fairhope artist Elisabeth Hays perfectly captures the movement of our local waters in pale greens and shiny gold.

Prints small and large are a super chic gift. elisabethhays.com

Gentleman’s Game The first and only deer hunting and bass fishing card game is made locally by Clifton Mosteller and Brett Loper. Boys and men across the Bay are whispering, “Stocking stuffer!” wildcardbrands.com

A Holiday Staple Cheese straws are the perennial Christmas party snack, and no one does them better than Donna Hill. Keep a bag (or two) on hand for impromptu hostess gifts or last-minute guests. Cake! by Donna

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PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT

The Sweetest Nectar From the governor’s mansion in Montgomery to Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” competition in Charleston, Jim Smith has never been one to shy away from a food challenge. Now, the champion for Alabama food is opening up his first-ever restaurant, The Hummingbird Way, in a familiar Oakleigh location.

text by BRECK PAPPAS • photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

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hef Jim Smith’s new job will be a little the building last occupied by Kitchen on George, different from his last. For starters, his Mobile is adding yet another establishment to its kitchen will be a bit more crowded; burgeoning culinary scene — a scene which, he says, Smith worked alone in his previous gig, is far from reaching critical mass. “There’s room for so hiring and training a staff will be an adjustment, more good restaurants in Mobile.” he says. The setting is another change, as he’s moved The city is also gaining a bona fide celebrity chef; from a stately Montgomery mansion to a shaded cor- Smith was a top 10 finisher on Bravo TV’s popular ner building in Oakleigh. But the third cooking show “Top Chef,” an experience difference between his previous job and that the highly competitive chef both treaopposite: Chef Jim Smith says his new his new one is probably Smith’s favorite. sures and beats himself up over. “I don’t restaurant will be ”new really wake up with cold sweats anymore “People couldn’t just show up to the and innovative and fun governor’s mansion and ask to eat,” he like I did immediately after the show,” he but also harken back says with his winsome smile. “I can’t says, laughing (although I get the feeling to some old-fashioned times — a place where wait to get back into meeting locals and it’s not a joke). you can get a really connecting with people who are here beHigh-stakes competition has defined good, house-made cause they want to eat my food.” much of Smith’s life, but you’d hardly cocktail sauce.”

As the executive chef for the state of know it speaking with him; the bespectaAlabama, Smith (the first to ever hold the position) cled chef is unassuming, friendly and charming — it has spent the last nine years cooking for the First quickly becomes clear why he was a “Top Chef ” fan Family and planning and preparing menus for events favorite. Inside his soon-to-be-open seafood restausponsored by the state. With Smith’s decision to open rant, Smith sits down to discuss his winding journey his first-ever restaurant, The Hummingbird Way, in to the Port City.

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“I’M THE KIND OF CHEF WHO LIKES TO BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE IN THE KITCHEN. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GORDON RAMSAY, THROWING PLATES TO GET PEOPLE TO WORK FOR YOU.” – Chef Jim Smith

Debating Careers Cooking was a passion Smith didn’t discover until his 20s. “I’m not one of those chefs who has a story about tugging their grandma’s apron strings. I was more the guy who was catching the bream to be fried later.”

Born in Panama City, Smith recognizes the effect that growing up around seafood had on his later development as a chef. Whether going with his family to buy oysters straight off the dock or bass fishing in a freshwater lake near his grandparents’ home, he says that “as far as food memories go, that’s really where it all started for me.”

Smith moved with his family to Troy in middle school, where he devoted his creative energy to theater, music and photography. Debate, however, is what stuck. “I discovered this new way of learn-

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ing and this new way of thinking about things,” he says.

Smith found that he thrived in the “hypercompetitive, super research-intensive” world of debate, and by the time he graduated from Troy’s Charles Henderson High School, he was a three-time Alabama state champion debater. At Samford University, in Birmingham, he continued to excel in the activity, which he describes as “more like a sport that’s based in academia than just a sort of club.” Smith and his teammates would fly to places like Harvard or USC, competing in tournaments that could involve as many as 120 teams. Although majoring in psychology at the time, Smith says “the rest of the undergraduate experience was not nearly as important as debate was to me. That’s really what I was doing intensely before falling in love with food.”

There’s no question that Smith’s debating experience has come in handy as a chef. “There was a time 20 years ago when chefs could just sort of hide in the kitchen and let their food do the speaking for them,” he says. “But we live in a time when chefs can’t do that anymore. People want to talk to who’s creating their food, and they want to understand where it came from. And being someone who had thought a lot about how to structure arguments, how to describe things to people … that was really invaluable in helping me become someone who can describe food and express the passion I have for it.”

Creating recipes, he explains, is a lot like formulating a debate argument. “With debate, you could pick any subject and then dive as deep into it as possible,” he says. When creating a dish, Smith says he’ll gather 50 to 60 similar recipes and go from there.

“So when I come out on the other side after developing a recipe, it’s something that has a lot of thought, a lot of trial and error and a lot of advice from other people.”

As a college kid with dreams of becoming a lawyer or debate coach, Smith was blindsided by a newfound food passion when, needing a job, he walked into Frank Stitt’s restaurant Bottega in Birmingham and handed in an application. “I had no experience working in a nice restaurant,” he says. “Certainly not one of that quality.”

Starting off as a busboy, Smith eventually picked up additional responsibilities as a bartender and server. “I was just fascinated with cooking and service and the artistry behind it all.”

The wide-eyed youngster worked his way around Birmingham, rubbing elbows with chefs Chris Hastings and Anthony Marini and learning the food industry from the bottom up. “And it wasn’t much later that I was in culinary school at Johnson & Wales University [in Charlotte, North Carolina].”

The Spotlight A question Smith gets asked a lot is, “How does one become the executive chef of Alabama?” The answer is surprisingly simple. Following culinary school, Smith landed a job as chef de cuisine at Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook. As fate would have it,

above: Aside from two of his regular customers were Diane serving as a spokesand Robert Bentley, who made a habit of person for Ameristopping at Dyron’s while on the gubercan Sustainable natorial campaign trail.

Seafood, Smith has been the chairman “We just kind of hit it off,” Smith says. for the Alabama “As the campaign got to the end, Mrs. Seafood Marketing Bentley started asking me questions like, Commission for four years.

‘How do I feed all of these people at these events? What should I expect?’”

While Alabama had never had an official state chef, the position exists in several states across the country. Mrs. Bentley told Smith that she was considering creating such a role and that he should consider submitting an application. In 2011, Smith donned the chef ’s apron for his state, cooking everything from day-to-day meals for the First Family to 300-person buffets at the governor’s mansion. As the state’s first executive chef, Smith recognized that a major component of his job should be to champion Alabama farmers and fishers. Invited to represent Alabama in the annual Great American Seafood Cookoff in New Orleans, Smith picked up ingredients as he drove — produce at a farmers market in Montgomery, some yellow squash at a roadside stand, crab and shrimp right off a boat in Mobile. He went on to win the competition, which provided a “huge boost” to his career and made

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him the national spokesperson for American Sustainable Seafood, an experience Smith describes as some of the most rewarding work of his career.

In 2016, another competition came calling.

“I was a fan of ‘Top Chef ’ since season one,” Smith says. The application process for the popular Bravo TV series was a grueling, year-long slew of resumes, interviews and meetings. Charmed by the dapper Southern chef with an innocent smile, “Top Chef ” selected Smith to be a contestant on season 14, filmed in Charleston. Finishing 10th of the 16 contestants, he says he relished his time on the show. “I love the pregame jitters, getting pumped up because you’re about to compete and wondering what the challenge is going to be.”

Smith says he owes a “giant debt” to the show for what it’s done for his career, but the competitor in him wanted to be named Top Chef. “I can remember the day I got sent home like it was yesterday — everything about it and everything that I could have done better. Those are things that will probably continue to haunt me.”

In Bloom With plenty to accomplish before the opening of The Hummingbird Way (projected for December), Smith says the menu is essentially finalized. “I’m definitely what I’d call a modern Southern chef,” he says. “For example, we’ll serve an elevated version of crab Rangoon, but instead of a sweet Asian sauce, I might serve it with a house-made pepper jelly. There will be things like that on the menu that are fun and modern, but still Southern.”

The debate-champion-turned-chef thrives in the minutia. “The choices that you see in this restaurant have all been thought over endlessly by me,” he says. The establishment’s name is no exception.

“I really wanted to think of a name that was light and fun and whimsical but also had a little bit of meaning, too,” he says.

Hummingbirds, he points out, are migra-

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tory birds that Mobilians know well. “But the thing that a hummingbird is always doing is trying to find the sweetest nectar … and the movement of their wings, that sort of hyper-continual movement is something that I find beautiful and impressive and something I can relate to.”

Choosing a location was another looming decision. “I knew I wanted to stay in Alabama, and I knew I wanted to do a seafood-centric restaurant,” he says.

“Having done so much work with the Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission (Smith is the commission’s chairman), coastal Alabama already feels like home.”

With Smith’s decision to open The Hummingbird Way at the former home of the popular Kitchen on George, he is also fulfilling the wish of many locals who want to see another successful venture in the neighborhood. Kitchen on George was shut down a year ago this month following the abrupt closure of Virginia College, which had created the restaurant as an active lab for its culinary students.

Smith says his days are currently spent scrubbing equipment, putting the finishing touches on paperwork, seeking out local farmers and fishers and finalizing interior design choices (think quartz tabletops with wrought-iron decorative bases and a tiled bar). “We’re definitely going for a little bit of a retro vibe in here.”

While he uses words like “upscale” and “fancy,” he doesn’t want to scare away the casual diner. “I don’t want to make this place sound like it’s going to be a formal restaurant because there won’t be tablecloths. You’re welcome to come in shorts and flip flops, but if you want to come in a tuxedo, you’ll fit in fine, too.”

With the final pieces of the puzzle falling into place, I ask Smith what it is about this new challenge he’s most looking forward to.

“Just the act of getting in the kitchen and making my dream come out on a plate to guests.” And that, to Jim Smith, is the sweetest nectar of all. MB

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Cabin Fever

A physician-turned-cabin-master builds rustic log getaways designed to bring owners back to nature. text by CART BLACKWELL photos by SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY

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S

olid and sturdy, log cabins constitute a that the action of building them — of working with pervasive vision of early American life. While his hands and creating a lasting product — has the reality of life within frontier log cabins always served as his prescription for a grounded life. differs wildly from our nostalgic imaginings, His cabins more than fulfill that purpose for all who to see and step inside one conjures a multitude of experience them, as well. A visit to three of Smith’s associations. For master cabin-builder Dr. Sage Smith hand-built cabins provides a glimpse into the look, feel and his clients, log cabins afford a setting whereby and appeal of an enduring American construction. they can reconnect with nature, partake in recreation Among the earliest of Smith’s cabins, which he and enjoy time with family. constructed for a property other than Smith is not an artisan by his or his immediate family’s use, is the DR. SMITH HONED HIS profession. The Monroe County Inge-Baker Cabin at Pine Flat near Forest SKILLS ON THE FAMILY native is a University of AlabamaHome for Dr. George and Jane Inge. The COMPOUND “UP THE educated physician, recently 33-year-old weekend retreat is now being COUNTRY” IN FINCHBURG, retired from a 34-year medical enjoyed by the children and grandchildren practice in Monroeville. His MONROE COUNTY. SEVERAL of the couple for whom it was constructed interest in log cabins, however, RELOCATED AND EXPANDED and served as the template for the many BUILDINGS, SOME DATING cabins that followed. Smith constructed began while he was in medical FROM THE FRONTIER ERA, school. Smith was influenced two large, separate rooms out of logs on WERE SOON JOINED BY by the writings of the reverend his own family land and moved those and scholar Wendell Berry, CABINS WHOLLY OF SMITH’S structures to the client’s property. He then MIND AND HAND. whose work explores humanity’s connected the two log volumes with an disconnect from the natural enclosed breezeway, and porches skirt the world. Industrialization pulled front and rear. A chimney on the exterior mankind away from our connection to the changing and a hearth within seasons, a farming lifestyle and the peace provided anchors the dwelling. by time in the forest. But step inside a log cabin Constructed 20 years tucked perfectly amidst the trees and that separation after the Pine Flat cabin from nature is eased, if only for a little while. More is the Butler, Alabama, than just enjoying time in log cabins, Smith found cabin of Dr. David and

above Dr. Sage Smith proudly shows off a cabin that stands behind his home in Monroeville. left This diminutive cabin, a relocated corn crib, is an early work of Smith’s and sits amidst several other handcrafted cabins on the Smith family property. opposite, clockwise from top left Interlocking logs on Smith’s corncrib-turned-sleeping-cabin. The stairs at the Inge-Baker cabin. The front door of the Martin Cabin. The master bedroom in the Inge-Baker cabin. previous page The living room of the Inge-Baker cabin.

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K. D. Inge, brother and sister-in-law of George and Jane Inge. If settlement-era cabins were like this beauty, early Americans might not have built anything else. Situated in a park-like setting, the basic precepts remain the same.

Portions of the front and rear porch are enclosed, giving the feel that the cabin was enlarged by need over the generations. The proportions are larger, and it overlooks a nice lake, as does Pine Flat.

David and K. D. Inge, one of those amazing relationships going back to high school, laughingly have two takes on their cabin. One is when it is just the two of them in residence.

K. D. says of those occasions, “David and I are outside people and feel the most peace while amidst nature, enjoying the peace and solitude it brings.” The other visits are when the entire “nest” of three grown children, their spouses and the grandchildren are all in tow. She says of those gatherings that the cabin is the center of family affair, where “there is a huge bonfire and marshmallow roasting. When one of the grandsons has killed a deer or wild pig, he’ll bring it in for all of us to see, to congratulate and to hear all of the details.

It is mass pandemonium and excitement.”

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AT DAVID AND K.D. INGE’S PROPERTY IN BUTLER, ALABAMA, LOGS WERE SALVAGED ONSITE AFTER HURRICANE IVAN TO BE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR LOG CABIN .

top An enormous fireplace anchors the cabin on the exterior and serves as the focal point on the interior. above The front porch offers a warm nap for Scout. left The dining room was built to look as if it had been added to the log cabin over time. opposite The mantel shelf at the Inge cabin in Butler is a sill salvaged from an old mill in the family’s holding.

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The cabin of Black-Belt-area realtor Jess Martin of Beatrice is the most recently constructed of Smith’s cabins. Martin has been asked by guests the age of his home. He says many are dumbfounded when told that it is just 12 years old. He looked into living in a family house and even into log mail order kits, but neither scenario fit the bill. It was after seeing a number of Smith’s cabins that he saw a dwelling that suited his needs. As with all of Smith’s cabins, Jess Martin’s is tailored to the site and the resident. Porches engage three sides of the house. One approach overlooks a pond, a second is service-oriented along the drive and a third serves as an outdoor kitchen. There is almost as much porch space as there is enclosed living space. Nature is there for the nurturing, albeit with air-conditioning!

All of these singular, but related, cabins illustrate that Sage Smith’s constructions are not your THE LOGS USED TO BUILD ordinary place “up the country.”

THE CABINS ON DR. SMITH’S Whether made of squared or FAMILY PROPERTY WERE circular log, the appearance and HARVESTED ONSITE. THIS experience of a log cabin can be CABIN BELONGS TO TWO OF the optimal setting for peaceful SMITH’S BROTHERS, MACLIN living. While it is not prescripAND RAYFORD SMITH, tion, most lives could benefit AND IS ENJOYED BY THREE from the simplicity, honesty and GENERATIONS OF FAMILY ON beauty of such places, and, most A REGULAR BASIS. importantly, the experiences they foster. MB

right The sight of a substantive chimney conveys the spirit of a cabin. This instance on a cabin Smith built on the family compound is almost unrivaled in scale. opposite The rustic simplicity of the dining room in Maclin and Rayford Smith’s cabin could almost feel at home in any decade — or century for that matter.

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JOY WORLD to the

There are those among us whose countenance radiates joy and whose kindness lingers long after the encounter is over.

MB speaks with seven such locals to find out the secret behind their smiles. text by BRECK PAPPAS photos by MATTHEW COUGHLIN

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“I ALWAYS SAY, ‘PRAY FIRST.’ DON’T THINK YOU’RE DOING IT BY YOURSELF, BECAUSE

EMILY MUNCASTER Server/bartender at The Noble South, server at Red or White, server/chef ’s assistant for chef Cassie Powers

Emily Muncaster knows there’s more to being a good server than listing off the day’s specials and taking down orders correctly.

“Everyone has their own story,” she says. “I try to relate to people as best as I can.” With more than 10 years of restaurant experience and a background in theater, a lipsticked and charmingly tattooed Muncaster can’t help but serve your dish with a side of personality and know-how.

It’s not unusual for her to spot her most regular customers walking down Dauphin and have their orders placed before they enter The Noble South. “I love taking care of people, bonding with regulars and complete strangers and connecting through our love of food,” she says.

“People are my passion. They keep me going.”

“MY MOM IS MY INSPIRATION FOR THE WAY I INTERACT WITH PEOPLE. SHE’LL GO TO THE GROCERY STORE AND LEAVE WITH 10 NEW BEST FRIENDS. YOU SHOULD SEE US TOGETHER.” EMILY MUNCASTER

SANDRA JOHNSON Community Resource Officer, traffic guard at Gilliard Elementary School

One of Sandra Johnson’s most prized possessions is a ziptop bag of shells, each shell a gift from an adoring student to the soft-spoken traffic guard. “I’m going to keep these forever,” she says. For the past two years, Johnson, who has worked traffic for 18 years, has been helping Gilliard Elementary students cross D.I.P safely. “I like to make the kids feel good going to school and leaving,” she says.

“Sometimes they have bad days, so I’ll do something to pep them up, and they just give me that big smile.”

Passing drivers say she is “all smiles, all the time” and they often stick a waving hand out the window. “That makes my day, and it’s great if I’m having a bad day myself,” she says.

Her secret to staying positive? “I pray on the way to work and pray when I leave because I’m so thankful that God has seen me through it.”

SANDRA JOHNSON

BE THANKFUL

YOU’RE NOT.”

“THIS WORLD CAN BE A CONFUSING PLACE — THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ALL HAVE A JOY INSIDE OF US THAT THE WORLD CANNOT ROB.” CECIL CHRISTENBERRY

ORA STEBER Unit secretary, postpartum floor, Mobile Infirmary

MICHAEL STEBER Security officer/valet attendant, Mobile Infirmary

CECIL CHRISTENBERRY Owner of Old Thyme Feed & Garden Supply in Fairhope

Cecil Christenberry is something else. After 32 years of running Old Thyme Feed & Garden Supply, the Fairhope staple he operates with wife Linda, Christenberry has become a bit of a local icon, a jolly hurricane with the energy and growling voice of a pro wrestler, searching for somebody to body slam with kindness. “I love dealing with the customers. Sometimes, a customer’s spandex might be a little tight, so they come in a bit grumpy. I like to kill them with kindness,” he says.

“I try to act the same all the time, even when my feet are hurting.”

Christenberry says it helps to keep a routine; he starts every day with an early-morning devotion. “I’m a man of prayer. God is with me every step of the way, no matter what.”

This month marks the 22nd year that the popular business owner will don the Santa suit for the Fairhope Christmas Parade.

BE KIND

Wife and husband duo Ora and Michael Steber know the importance of making a good first impression. Michael, known around the hospital as “Cowboy” thanks to his trademark broad-brimmed hat, lets his energetic personality fly while greeting visitors, working valet and doing whatever needs to be done.

“He’s jumped off my car battery, removed a snake from underneath my vehicle, run in the rain to fetch my umbrella, the list goes on,” says one hospital employee.

Ora, unit secretary of the postpartum floor, is the first face seen by anyone approaching the unit. It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly. “She is always smiling, always greeting you and is literally the most pleasant person,” a former patient says.

“Patients come to the hospital for help, and they need our optimism,” Ora explains. “If we come to work grumpy, then what hope will our patients have?”

Michael couldn’t agree more.

“Every day is an opportunity to make a difference because, usually, people aren’t coming to our facility for a good time.”

“Our optimism is part of their healing, too,” Ora says.

“PATIENTS COME TO THE HOSPITAL FOR HELP, AND THEY NEED OUR OPTIMISM. IF WE COME TO WORK GRUMPY, THEN WHAT HOPE WILL OUR PATIENTS HAVE?” ORA STEBER

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LAUGH

& LOVE ENDORA (DORA) MCCREARY Preschool teacher at Dauphin Way Baptist Church, Child Development Center

Endora McCreary, better known as Mrs. Dora, says her preschool students make her “laugh all day.”

The world is a much better place for it; her laugh and smile have brightened many lives and put countless anxious parents at ease.

“Everyone adores her,” one parent says. After 12 years at Dauphin Way Baptist Church, McCreary has helped raise an impressive number of tiny Mobilians. “I teach the 1-year-olds, so I get to help them learn to walk and to say some words — there’s a lot to start with them!” she says. “I often get texts on the weekend from the parents — videos of their babies saying, ‘Dora’s house!’ as they drive past the daycare.” As for her upbeat manner, she says, “If you’re having a bad day, keep on smiling. I don’t go to work with an attitude. I just put my music on and dance with those babies.”

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“I FEEL LIKE WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS, SO WE SHOULD COME UP WITH OUR OWN THING. WE CAN BE INFLUENCED BY SOMETHING, BUT WE SHOULD TAKE IT AND DO IT OUR OWN WAY.”

CLAUDE THOMAS (aka Artist DJ Wildlife) Artist and DJ

Claude Thomas, also known as Artist DJ Wildlife, is the walking, often dancing, definition of contagious joy.

On the sidewalk outside BackFlash Antiques, the Joachim Street shop owned by his cousin, Thomas can be seen on Saturdays and Sundays jiving to his own mixes, arms outstretched and feet spinning on the pavement.

“I love seeing the reactions of people when they hear something they like,” he says. If his Bobby Jones-esque outfit doesn’t draw your attention, his spikey hair certainly will. “I wanted dreadlocks, but I wanted to do them in a different way,” the DJ, painter and sculptor says. Asked where his joy comes from, Thomas says he couldn’t even begin to explain. “It’s just me being the individual that I am and just feeding off of a crowd.” MB

BE YOURSELF

CLAUDE THOMAS

Mobile Bay Magazine

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ABOVE & BEYOND IN THIS SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION, LOCAL BUSINESSES DEMONSTRATE WHY THEY ARE LEADERS IN THEIR FIELDS, WITH SKILLS AND SERVICE THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND.

december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 83

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: AMY STRASSBURG, M.D. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Alabama Medical Group, P.C. Amy Strassburg, M.D., Internal Medicine

ALABAMA MEDICAL GROUP, P.C., HAS PROVIDED STATE-OF-THE-ART HEALTH CARE TO PATIENTS SINCE 1946. AS THE LARGEST INDEPENDENTLYOWNED, MULTI-SPECIALTY, PHYSICIAN CLINIC IN MOBILE, ALABAMA, ITS HEALTH CARE TEAM TAKES GREAT PRIDE IN CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PATIENTS RECEIVE QUALITY, INDIVIDUALIZED AND COMPASSIONATE MEDICAL CARE.

Why did you get into your field?

What is your mission?

Like most physicians, I joined the practice of medicine so I could get the chance to help people. As a primary care physician, I love the fact that I also get the opportunity to know people. In the clinic office, I have the privilege of walking through some formative life experiences with my patients, and it is my goal to do this with compassion and perspective. As a busy wife, mom of three kids, former collegiate athlete, US Air Force veteran, and number one advocate for my autistic son, I have been able to use many of my own life experiences to find common ground and empathy with my patients. The idea of being a part of a profession that is committed to helping others regardless of circumstance and that is focused on facilitating people to live healthier, and therefore happier lives, is truly rewarding — I can’t imagine a more fulfilling job.

As medicine becomes more complicated, I feel that it’s very important for a patient to have a personal relationship with his or her doctor. It is my mission every day to be the right doctor to help at least one person. The only way that I can do this effectively and efficiently is with awesome colleagues, a fantastic team of helpers, a supportive family and a strong faith. I’ve spent my life focused on the pursuit of medical knowledge, and it’s my great honor to use my medical training and open ears to help my patients every day.

101 Memorial Hospital Drive, Building 3 • 251-414-5900 • alabamamedicalgroup.com 84 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: DOUG HUGGINS, PRE-NEED SALES MANAGER; BARRY THERIOT, CO-OWNER & GENERAL MANAGER; ROBERT OVERMEYER, MANAGING FUNERAL DIRECTOR. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Ascension Funeral Group LOCALLY-OWNED AND OPERATED, ASCENSION FUNERAL GROUP IS COMPRISED OF FIVE ENTITIES — ASCENSION FUNERALS & CREMATIONS, FOREST LAWN FUNERAL HOME, FOREST LAWN MEMORIAL GARDENS, SPRING HILL MEMORIAL GARDENS AND MOBILE PET CEMETERY.

What is your mission?

We strive to always remember the trust placed in us by the families we are honored to serve and to perform our duties in a professional manner, while keeping in mind the personal challenges through which families are going. Our goal is to help each individual take the first steps toward a life that has forever been changed.

What sets you apart?

We are a progressive funeral home providing traditional funeral services as well as increasingly popular interests, such as cremation and natural burial. In 2016, we built our on-site crematory, so our families are secure knowing we personally take care of their loved one from beginning to end.

Likewise, a growing number of people favor natural burial — an environmentallysustainable burial alternative where the body is returned to the earth to be recycled into new life. We have designated a section of our Spring Hill Memorial Gardens for this distinctive choice.

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

Our families are treated with the highest respect, and our caring and experienced professional staff goes out of their way to accommodate all requests made by the family. We understand that each family is unique and has personal desires and traditions. We strive to provide the family with a meaningful service to remember

and memorialize their loved one, and we endeavor to create the perfect plan to reflect that individuality. We honor most pre-need arrangements from other funeral homes and provide services at all local cemeteries.

Our support does not end once the service has ended.

We host a Grief-Share group every Tuesday at Ascension Funerals & Cremations and are proud sponsors of the Widowed Persons Service.

1016 Hillcrest Road • 251-634-8055 • ascensionfuneralgroup.com december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 85

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

BATCHELORS SERVICE, FOUNDED OVER 50 YEARS AGO, IS A FULL SERVICE HEATING AND AIR COMPANY AND ALSO PROVIDES INSTALLATION AND SERVICE OF WHOLE HOME GENERATORS.

PICTURED: RON NELSON, ONE OF BATCHELOR’S FACTORY TRAINED SERVICE TECHS, WORKING ON A CUMMINS GENERATOR. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Batchelor’s Service BATCHELOR’S SERVICE, FOUNDED OVER 50 YEARS AGO, IS A FULL SERVICE HEATING AND AIR COMPANY AND ALSO PROVIDES INSTALLATION AND SERVICE OF WHOLE HOME GENERATORS.

What is your mission?

Our mission is to give peace of mind to our customers by providing quality installations and outstanding service of HVAC products and whole house generators for their homes and small businesses.

What sets your business apart?

We feel the two primary things that set us apart from other companies are the products we install and our co-workers. We are proud to represent and install Cummins Residential and Light Commercial generators. The Cummins/Onan name is synonymous with quality in the engine and power generation industry. Unlike other brands of generators who sell through the big box, or even furniture stores, Cummins goes to market through authorized, factory trained dealers, and we are honored to be the dealer for the Mobile area. That way you get a professional installation by a dealer who is trained to install your unit and is authorized service it.

Our co-workers are equally as important in setting us apart from others. They share our passion for providing outstanding customer service, day or night, weekends, holidays, 24 hours every day. We all understand our customers invest in a generator for one reason: to have power when Alabama Power can’t provide it. If for some reason the generator doesn’t come on, we know we’ve got to respond quickly to solve their problem. With our trained techs on call 24/7/365, we are committed to providing the service our customers have grown accustomed to.

Generators have become much more common than ever before.

Don’t go to the big box store and have a generator installed by someone who may not even be trained to do so. Turn to the folks at Batchelor’s Service, who have been selling, installing and servicing them for well over 25 years. Cummins and Batchelor’s — an unbeatable combination.

110 Durant Street • 251-476-4321 • batchelorsservice.com 86 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: TONY COOPER, LYNNELL MORROW, RON MORROW, PATRICIA COOPER, SHEREE DEES. PHOTO BY DANA ROUSE

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper & Co., Inc., REALTORS

LARGEST, LOCALLY-OWNED REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE IN THE AREA MARKS 50 YEARS OF HELPING PEOPLE ON THEIR JOURNEY HOME.

Who is Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cooper & Co. Inc., REALTORS? The Cooper name has been synonymous with Real Estate in Mobile and Baldwin counties for almost 50 years. We were founded as an independent brokerage in 1970 by Jack and Pat Cooper and in 2015 affiliated with the esteemed Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand. We are a unique full-service company offering residential and commercial services as well as property management, corporate relocation, referral services, resort beach properties and timberland sales in both Alabama and Mississippi. We remain the largest locally-owned real estate brokerage in the area with eight offices across Mobile and Baldwin counties.

What sets you apart?

The Cooper family always believed that if you put the customer first and treated them like family, then success would follow, and our customer-first approach has been the foundation of our business and is the reason we’re celebrating 50 years of real estate excellence in 2020.

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

Our perpetual focus is to create an exceptional client experience for the families we serve along the Gulf coast. For the past 50 years, our name has been a promise of integrity, professionalism, innovation and the highest standard of work. And we don’t take it lightly. That’s why you’ll see these values reflected in every office, every agent, every transaction.

“Berkshire Hathaway’s attention to detail, professionalism, marketing and solid advice put us at ease from the very beginning.”

— A. Stonecypher

“We have relocated several times and, by far, our best homebuying experience was with Berkshire Hathaway in Mobile.”

— J. Marshall

900 Hillcrest Road, Suite B1 • 251-344-5925 • bhhscooperrealtors.com december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 87

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: SUZANNA DELEGOS, PH.D.; GEORGE B. INGE, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.; ADELINA EMMI, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.; GEORGE T. KOULIANOS, M.D., F.A.C.O.G; TIFFANY SAUCIER, MSN. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

The Center for Reproductive Medicine

THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE IS THE LARGEST AND ONLY COMPREHENSIVE REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE CLINIC SERVING THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST, SOUTH ALABAMA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FOR 26 YEARS WITH MORE THAN 7,000 FAMILIES HELPED TO CONCEIVE HEALTHY BABIES.

Why or how did you get into your field?

We believe medicine is a calling that allows us to marry both science and caring in one beautiful profession.

What is your mission?

To provide the citizens of the Gulf South region with cutting edge care delivered by devoted professionals who will always put their patients first.

What sets your practice apart?

Our commitment to providing our patients the best science and clinical care in a compassionate and nurturing environment. For the past 26 years, we have been tracking a number of critical variables with our IVF cycles that allow us to really dig into our vast data set and see what treatments work best for which patients. We meet regularly as a treatment care team to review patients, care protocols and any unique needs they may have.

Forcing ourselves to be accountable to one another pushes each of us to always strive for something greater.

“The care and support I received from the entire staff at CRM was extraordinary. They never gave up on us, and I always felt like I was receiving the best care possible.”

— Jennifer Futrell

3 Mobile Infirmary Circle, Suite 213 • 251-438-4200 • infertilityalabama.com 88 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: JARED COCHRAN, GEOFFREY COCHRAN. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Cochran Investments, Inc. WE ARE A LOCAL BUILDING AND RENOVATION COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN HIGH-END ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS. YOUR HOME IS YOUR BIGGEST INVESTMENT, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE ARE FINISHED, IT IS MORE STUNNING THAN WORDS CAN DESCRIBE.

What is your mission?

The mission is and always has been to provide our customers with the very best in the construction process. From design to move-in day, attention to detail is the standard. We guide our customers all the way through the building process.

What do you attribute to your success?

“Cochran Investments, Inc., completed major construction and updates to our home in Spring Hill, including a kitchen rebuild, new sunroom, new garden cottage and major roof repairs. We cannot say enough good

Our team! The men and women who represent our company are the very best at their trade and in the surrounding area. If you can dream it, our talented craftsmen can build it.

things about Geoffrey and Jared Cochran,

How do you make sure your customers get the best result?

the 21st century. When the project began,

Obtaining the best result is making sure we are onsite to catch a problem before it happens. We only do a couple projects at a time so we can properly manage the job. This also allows us to use the same craftsmen on all our jobs, so we are able to deliver the very best work.

Geoffrey and Jared were just names; now

their skill, efficiency and concern for us personally while bringing our home into

they are friends.”

— Ray and Pamela Thompson

Spanish Fort • 251-423-9686 (Geoffrey) • 251-401-9059 (Jared) • cochraninvestmentsmobile.com facebook.com/cochraninvestments • instagram.com/cochraninvestmentsinc december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 89

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: CLAYTON ROBERTS, ZACH DEAS, MAURY MCPHILLIPS, BLAKE BARK. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Deas Millwork DEAS MILLWORK IS A FULL-SERVICE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL MILLWORK COMPANY SERVING THE NORTHERN GULF COAST. WE SPECIALIZE IN LEGACY PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO LAST A LIFETIME.

What is your mission?

We provide high quality, innovative, custom millwork products and architectural components through our design, fabrication and installation expertise.

“Deas Millwork and Zach Deas were invaluable in helping us build our new home in Spring Hill.

Zach’s knowledge, experience and attention

What sets you apart?

for detail made a difficult and complex job

We offer the best performing, quality millwork in the market. We only provide legacy products like Loewen and Brombal Steel, as well as the products we craft in-house. Our partner brands have chosen us because of how well we complement one another and because we can install all the products we offer. We are the only millwork company in our area that can offer this complete package.

seem easy. Our Loewen windows and doors

How do you make sure your customers get the best result?

custom outdoor garden doors and expert

We excel in saying “no problem” and are always looking for the one way to make our customers’ dreams a reality. We are known for our unique abilities and performance throughout the Southeast and have hundreds of successful projects to prove our capabilities.

advice. These products, installation and detail

are of exceptional quality, architecturally beautiful and were expertly installed.

Zach helped us with many other design details including antique architectural beams,

make our home truly unique.”

— Sam and Linda St. John

deasmillwork.com • 251–478–1060 • follow us @deasmillwork 90 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: JAMES DAVIS, ALEXIS LOCKE, STEVE ASCIK, BARBARA COMSTOCK, TIM YOUNG. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Eastern Shore Ace Hardware STEVE ASCIK GREW UP IN SELMA AND

Why did you get into this field?

GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF

I always enjoyed the shopping experience at my local Ace where we lived in central Florida, and I knew that it would work in this area. After doing business nationally and internationally for many years, I was excited to open a local business, where we could be active in the community and work with customers who become friends.

ALABAMA. DURING A 30-YEAR CAREER IN SALES AND MARKETING, HE LIVED IN SEVEN DIFFERENT CITIES AND FOUND HIS WAY BACK HOME IN 2015, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE ALISA AND DAUGHTER CARLYLE. READY FOR A SECOND CAREER, STEVE OPENED EASTERN SHORE ACE HARDWARE IN SPANISH FORT.

What sets your business apart?

We’re “Helpful at The Helpful Place.” Bring us your home issues, and we help find a solution. Our team has the knowledge and experience to help customers find the right products. We have an extensive selection of premium grills like Big Green Egg, Traeger and Weber, and we specialize in matching customers with a grill that fits their lifestyle.

We don’t just have hardware — we feature gift items like YETI, Woodstock Chimes and Corkcicle. And we are very excited to become a full-line Benjamin Moore dealer this February.

Our location is convenient, and our easy-access saves customers time. The overall atmosphere in the store is upbeat and positive, and of course, there’s free popcorn everyday!

What do you attribute to your success?

We have a great team that truly enjoys helping customers and a very supportive community in Spanish Fort and the entire Eastern Shore.

6530-F Spanish Fort Boulevard • Spanish Fort • 251-626-3350 • acehardware.com

december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 91

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: DENNIS LOWERY, CHRIS FAUSAK. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Fausak Tires and Service AS A FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS SINCE 1962, THE NAME FAUSAK HAS BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH EXCELLENCE IN TIRE AND AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE WITHIN THE MOBILE AREA.

What is your mission?

Chris Fausak: Our mission is simple.

When my father (Hal Fausak) founded this company, he knew the secret to success was to always treat the customer as a personal friend. He would say, “If you don’t take care of your customer, somebody else will.” We have generations of families that have been coming to us for over 50 years. I think our customers know that they can trust us to take care of their vehicles and to keep their families safe on the road.

What sets your business apart from your competitors?

Dennis Lowery: We invest in our people and our community. We look for ways to serve the community and support causes throughout the area. We hire and train quality people so that when a customer visits one of our stores, they can be assured they will receive expert advice and service performed by trained technicians, and more importantly, we will only recommend what they need. We have the right tire for the way they drive, and they can depend on the service we provide to be fast and what is needed to keep their car at top performance.

What contributes to your success?

Chris Fausak: We couldn’t achieve this level of success without having picked up the torch from my Dad and my brothers, Randy, Bruce and Chip. They laid the groundwork and showed us that doing things right, the first time and every time is one of the keys to success. Our customers depend on us to make sure they get where they’re going. Nobody enjoys having to get work done on their car, so we ensure that process is as painless as possible. Attention to detail, quality products and qualified technicians are what make us the right choice.

Serving Mobile - Daphne - Foley (Coming in 2020) • fausaktire.com 92 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

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PICTURED: HOLLY AND JEFF GEARY. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Go Play WHERE PLAY IS PRIORITY, NAPS ARE OPTIONAL AND FUN IS MANDATORY.

How did you get into this business?

How have you prepared for this business?

Holly Geary: I started working with dogs in 1999 when I left my hometown of Chas, South Carolina, and moved to Boston. I got a job as a vet receptionist my first day there. I immediately knew I had found my niche. I worked there for about a year and then moved to Mobile and got a job as a vet tech. I loved it even more than being a receptionist.

After a few years, I decided to learn more about grooming and then moved into dog training. I did dog training for a long time and loved it. But a friend told me about a dog day care that was potentially closing.

After many meetings at Starbucks, I acquired Go Play.

I am able to apply everything that I have learned along the way — receptionist, doggie nurse, groomer and trainer — all of which has prepared me and given me the knowledge to turn Go Play into the thriving, successful business that it is today.

God prepared me for this. He set the path, and I followed it.

What sets you apart?

One thing that sets us apart from other dog day cares in the industry (not just others in town, but across the country) is our routine.

We strive to give all pups a safe place to come and have fun and play. We believe dogs should play when they want and nap when they want. After all, a tired dog is a happy dog.

“Holly and the staff at Go Play have had a profound impact on the lives of my two rescue dogs. With their knowledge of dog behavior and body language, the Go Play team has taught my dogs how to interpret the actions of other dogs more appropriately. Now they are able to enjoy playing with the dogs at day care and they absolutely love the Go Play team!” — Michele White

6937 Highway 90 • Daphne• 251-621-7389 • goplay.dog december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 93

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PHOTO BY JEFF TESNEY

Infirmary Surgical Specialists INFIRMARY SURGICAL SPECIALISTS HAS ASSEMBLED THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE SURGICAL TEAM IN THE REGION ENCOMPASSING MORE THAN 200 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. PHYSICIANS YOU TRUST WITH MORE LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU THAN ANY OTHER SURGERY PRACTICE ACROSS THE ALABAMA GULF COAST.

What sets you apart?

Our team has 11 experienced surgeons specializing in oncology, general, robotic, breast, gastrointestinal, colorectal and endocrine surgery. We have been the general surgery leader in robotic surgery for over 10 years. In 2019 alone, our team has performed more than 250 complex oncology surgeries. Our geographical exposure surpasses any other surgery practice in the region with four locations to serve our patients in Mobile, Fairhope and Foley.

What is your mission?

As an affiliate of Infirmary Health, our goal is to be the first choice for your surgical care needs across the Gulf Coast. By devoting

ourselves to leadership, integrity, family and excellence, we aim to provide quality care to our patients.

What do you attribute to your success?

Infirmary Surgical Specialists has more than 200 combined years of experience, with many of our surgeons having been in practice in Mobile and Baldwin counties for more than 25 years. Combining the years of experience with the multi-disciplinary approach to surgical care allows for an ease of referrals and collaboration. Our surgeons are dedicated to education and growth in their specialties, putting them on the cutting edge of surgical technologies and methods.

infirmarysurgicalspecialists.org 94 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

Gerhard A. Boehm, M.D., FACS Christopher Dyas, M.D., FACS Joseph Galloway, M.D., FACS Jimmie G. Gavras, M.D., FACS Steven W. Kinsey, M.D., FACS Caroline McGugin, M.D. Edward A. Otts, M.D. Isaac C. Payne, D.O. Tammy Pugh, MSN, R.N., ACNP Kaci D. Sims, M.D. Lee Thompson, M.D. FACS J. Wells Wilson, M.D., FACS

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: DAVID MINTO, JR., D.M.D., M.D. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Minto Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery What is your mission?

We treat patients like family. While this may seem simple, we believe that it is applicable at every level of patient care.

“I dread dental visits, and the day I was told

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations, and what sets you apart?

ready to sever my relationship with the dentist

It all comes back to how we treat our patients. In our minds, there is not really any better service you can provide than to treat a patient exactly as you would your mother. We try to apply this principle to every aspect of the patient’s experience, from the moment they walk into the door, to getting a “How are you holding up?” phone call from Dr. Minto himself, the night after surgery.

What do you attribute to your success?

The community has been overwhelmingly receptive to our office and the way we treat our patients. We have lots of great referring practitioners, but a large portion of our patients have been referred by friends or word of mouth.

I needed to have major work done, I was forever. Fortunately, I was referred to Dr. Minto, and the moment I sat in the exam chair, I knew my experience would be different. After surgery, Dr. Minto personally called me to see how I was doing. With each and every visit, the staff and Dr. Minto made me feel like family. Dr. Minto helped change my attitude towards dental visits.”

19748 South Greeno Road • Fairhope • 251-990-5959 • momfs.org december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 95

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Mobile Appliance OFFERING A BROAD SPECTRUM OF APPLIANCES WITH THE ABILITY TO COMPLETE ANYTHING FROM A DREAM KITCHEN TO AN OUTDOOR OASIS

What sets you apart?

Everyone on our sales staff has a minimum of 20 years’ experience in the industry. We are a locally owned and operated business.

Mobile Appliance has served the Gulf Coast for over 29 years.

Why did you choose this field of business?

Mobile Appliance was established in 1990 and has been a family owned and operated business since it was established.

What is your mission?

Mission Statement: We will be known for performing quality service in an efficient

and timely manner. We will strive to attract customers and exceed all expectations on a daily basis. We value long-term relationships with individuals, builders, suppliers and vendors. We want to provide an enriching and rewarding environment for our employees, while serving and supporting the community in which we live.

To what do you attribute your success?

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

How do you make sure your customers get the best results?

Our goal is to help guide and educate our customers in making the best appliance selection to fit their needs. We want to help them make their dream kitchen a reality.

Hard work and honesty. Our main goal is to have 100% satisfaction from all of our customers. We would not be successful without our loyal customer base. We strive for all of our customers to become repeat customers or to give us a good a referral.

We handle all of our customers appliance needs from the planning stages, to purchasing, to final installation. We are involved in the process from start to finish.

3110 Old Shell Road • 251-633-3188 • mobileappliance.net 96 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

Mobile Oral Surgery FOR OVER 60 YEARS, MOBILE ORAL SURGERY HAS PROVIDED QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR MOBILE AND THE SURROUNDING GULF COAST. BOARD CERTIFIED SURGEONS STAND READY TO ASSIST WITH ALL YOUR ORAL SURGERY NEEDS, CONVENIENTLY OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY IN THE HEART OF MOBILE.

What is your mission?

To provide the best quality of care at a reasonable fee, in a professional, respectful, timely, caring manner to everyone in need.

It’s a privilege and a responsibility as health care providers to help those in need. We take that seriously, regardless of the circumstances.

What sets your business apart?

As doctors, we are constantly helping people in our office, but we try to be as helpful outside the office as well. Our desire to help people is why we team with local and regional charities to provide funds and awareness for their valuable organizations. We work with children’s rehab services and local hospitals, and we provide dental services to the less fortunate in our community.

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

We treat every patient as if they are our only patient. From front desk to final visit, we want everyone to feel they receive the utmost care and concern at Mobile Oral Surgery. We have excellent cutting-edge technology, a work ethic that is second to none and a desire for every patient to get the best results possible. We treat each patient like we would our own families because, in the end, this community is our family and we love them.

PICTURED: AARON WALLENDER, D.D.S., M.D. AND CHRISTOPHER MULLENIX, D.M.D., M.D. PHOTO BY STEVYE PHOTOGRAPHY

“I cannot say enough about Dr. Mullenix and his staff. They are top notch in every way. I work in a field where I am constantly meeting with people and talking all day long. Dr. Mullenix saved my confidence and my smile. I feel so blessed to have been referred to him, and my dentist was right … he truly is the best in town!” — Heather

715 Downtowner Boulevard • 251-471-3381 • mobileoralsurgery.com december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 97

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION | ABOVE & BEYOND

PICTURED: SHANA JORDAN. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Oyster Shell Strategy WE ARE A NEW, FULL-SERVICE, CREATIVE AGENCY IN DOWNTOWN MOBILE. OUR TEAM PROVIDES INNOVATIVE AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE OUR CLIENT’S BUSINESS OR ELEVATE THEIR EVENT.

Why hire an agency?

Even the most successful businesses need to call in the experts sometimes. Our team can provide a strategic plan to help our clients define and meet their business goals. Our clients range from small local businesses to large corporations, yet everyone is offered the same matchless customer service.

Without a strategy, your company may be spending dollars that don’t provide a good ROI (return on investment).

What sets your business apart from your competitors?

We help companies grow their brand through many different strategies including marketing and events. Many companies

offer similar services but our team’s diverse professional backgrounds bring a fresh yet experienced perspective to every project. We understand that time is money, so we pride ourselves on our quick turnaround and attention to detail.

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

The Oyster Shell team goes above and beyond for our clients because we feel like they are family. We take ownership of our clients’ projects and become an extension of their team. Our priority is to build strong relationships with our clients, which in turn, produces strong results.

“As Mobile Area Water & Sewer System embarks on a master plan to address our aging infrastructure, we knew we needed to educate our customers and keep them informed. Our partnership with Oyster Shell Strategy is helping us achieve our goals. From event planning to publicity, Shana and her team have proven invaluable.”

— Monica Allen, MAWSS Public Relations Manager

127 Dauphin Street, Suite 104 • 251-554-5614 • oystershellstrategy.com 98 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

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PICTURED: CHRISTOPHER PARK, M.D., RYAN REBOWE, M.D. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

The Park Clinic for Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery DR. CHRISTOPHER PARK IS A NATIVE OF MOBILE AND A BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON AT THE PARK CLINIC FOR PLASTIC SURGERY IN MOBILE. DR. RYAN REBOWE JOINED THE PARK CLINIC AS AN ASSOCIATE PLASTIC SURGEON IN JULY 2019.

What is your mission?

program at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where we learned the full breadth of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. We solve problems in a similar way, and we assist each other on larger and more complicated surgeries, which reduces patients’ surgery time.

Our mission is to change the lives of patients beyond just how they look.

Personal experience and statistics show that people are happier, healthier and more successful in their lives after cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, and that’s what we want for each of our patients. Our goal is to be the plastic surgeons for all of Mobile and Baldwin counties and the Gulf Coast.

email or text through our electronic medical record, and we happily respond to them personally. With the addition of Dr. Ryan Rebowe, we are able to provide faster, more efficient cosmetic and reconstructive services to the Gulf Coast. This cuts down on time spent waiting for consultations, surgeries and coordinating surgeries with cancer surgeons, general surgeons, Mohs surgeons and OB-GYNs.

How do your services exceed your patient’s expectations?

How do you make sure your patients get the best result?

he knew exactly what he was

We both completed extensive training, including medical school, residency and six years at the integrated plastic surgery

recovery went beautifully.”

We go above and beyond to listen, educate and communicate with our patients. Our patients can contact us directly by secure

“I am so happy that I visited Dr. Park. I knew immediately that doing, and my surgery and

mprsd.com • plastikospodcast.com • instagram.com/theparkclinicmedspaatthepark • 251-445-8888 december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 99

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PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Pond Elegance NEW OWNERS TAMMIE TOWNSEND AND MARK GIORDANO WANT YOU TO KNOW THEY ARE POND PEOPLE. THEY LOVE WHAT THEY DO AND IT SHOWS. SINCE ITS OPENING IN 1986, POND ELEGANCE HAS DESIGNED AND BUILT HUNDREDS OF PONDS. THEIR SERVICE TECHNICIANS HAVE REPAIRED AND MAINTAINED THOUSANDS OF PONDS SINCE THEN.

What sets you apart?

At Pond Elegance, we have a beautiful 1.5-acre outdoor showroom. Customers love to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and feed our friendly koi fish. We aren’t just a “pond store,” we are a team of dedicated professionals, and we strive to help everyone who calls or stops by. From DIY’ers to full design and construction, we are here to help. We also offer a variety of garden decor items, gifts, aquatic plants (including lilies), koi and goldfish. A payment plan is available so that our customers can have an amazing pond built without breaking the bank.

How do your services exceed your customer’s expectations?

We go above and beyond to make sure our customers and their koi or goldfish are happy and healthy. Mike Henderson manages the maintenance team, and he goes out of his way to make sure our customers’ ponds and water features are in tip-top shape. We know that koi and goldfish become part of our customers’ families, and we want them to know they can reach us anytime for fish and pond emergencies.

“I have been a loyal customer forever. I love the owner and staff. They are knowledgeable about ponds and fish. The grounds are gorgeous. I love taking my grandsons to feed the fish.”

3210 Dawes Road • 251-639-2546 • pondelegancemobile.com

100 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

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PICTURED: DANNY SPYBEY, GENERAL MANAGER/EXECUTIVE CHEF; TAMMY HOLLENKAMP, ASSISTANT OPERATIONS MANAGER; JESSICA LIPSCOMB, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE; JENNIE M. CAMPBELL, CEO/PRESIDENT. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Stewart Steelwood Investments dba “The Stewart Lodges” What sets you apart?

Core values are the foundation of our existence, and I believe that these values need to be aligned with the company culture for success. One of the strongest core values that both my investor (mentor) and I believe and live is the art of giving back. I have been very fortunate in my career to be the benefactor of a man who believed in this. The greatest gift he gave me was his time, knowledge and belief in me. Now, it is my turn to do the same.

What is your mission?

As an organization, I believe in the four-prong effect: giving back to the communities our business is in; giving back to the business organizations that align with our core values and goals; giving back to personal causes and, most importantly, giving back to the future generation of leaders through mentoring. It is also my goal to instill these values within our organizations by giving employees the time, support and encouragement to not only participate, but to succeed and thrive in their efforts. The greatest gift that my staff and I have received from this community is a sense of belonging, feeling significant and that we make a difference. Stewart Lodges is proud to be a good steward of the community and will continue our support.

“I would recommend Stewart Lodges to anyone looking for a secluded retreat.

Whether lounging by the pool, fishing or hosting seminars, the facilities and service have been first class.”

— Keith J. Naccari & Clayton J. White, Sternberg, Naccari & White, LLC

“Our attendees love the facilities, the food and even the storytelling of the chef and local Stewart representative. The gated facility, lake and golf club just create icing on the cake.”

— Charles F. Carr, Esq.

32311 Waterview Drive East • Loxley • 251-602-1300 december 2019 | mobilebaymag.com 101

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PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

Wise Living Real Estate WISE LIVING REAL ESTATE IS A BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE COMPANY WITH 17 OF BALDWIN COUNTY’S TOP-NOTCH AGENTS. DON’T LET YOUR NEXT REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT BE ONLY ABOUT A PIECE OF PROPERTY — LET IT MAKE SOMEONE’S LIFE “A LITTLE MORE INCREDIBLE!”

What is your mission and what sets your business apart?

“We live a pretty incredible life” are the wise words of a happy young man. These words ignited the vision for Wise Living Real Estate almost two years ago.

Owners Sandy Wise and Laura Norton wanted a company that wasn’t the biggest, but was personal, purposeful and powerful. Their hope is that each client, after every transaction, feels they were well represented by both a professional agent and a genuine friend.

The principal of living an incredible life isn’t about how much money you have or how many pieces of property you own, but rather it’s about the relationships, memories and the impact we make on

each other along the way.

Unlike big, corporate real estate companies, where a percentage of your money goes to an out-of-town corporate office, Wise Living was opened with the purpose of supporting the HAW5 Foundation, which gives 100 percent of all proceeds back to our local community.

The HAW5 Foundation was started in memory of owner Sandy’s son, Henry Alexander Wise V. Henry left a huge imprint on so many hearts with his contagious smile, positive attitude, witty sense of humor and endless energy.

What contributes to your success?

Co-owner Laura says, “The key to success is as simple as following Henry’s example:

choose to be happy, have a positive attitude at all times, find the humor in life’s unexpected curves and work hard!” It is our mission at Wise Living to keep the youthful wisdom of Henry’s outlook on life alive in each of us. We believe that when our clients ask us to represent them or refer their friends and family to us, that they are also making a proclamation that they too choose to “live an incredible life” and are contributing to something much bigger than just real estate. Their contribution to the HAW5 Foundation via Wise Living Real Estate goes toward equipping schools, churches, youth organizations, volunteers, search and rescue teams, and families to touch, change and even save lives of young men and women in our communities.

221 Fairhope Avenue • Fairhope • 251-928-9473 • wiselivingrealestate.com 102 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

EXTRAS | CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A December to Remember!

DECEMBER 6 - 7 HOLIDAY SALE 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. F. 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sa. Purchase plants and other seasonal gifts.

MOBILE BOTANICAL GARDENS MOBILEBOTANICALGARDENS.ORG

DECEMBER 6, 9, 10 BALDWIN POPS CONCERTS 7 p.m. The community band tunes up for three free concerts.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS BALDWINPOPS.COM

DECEMBER 6 CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK 6 - 8 p.m. Come for hot chocolate, snacks, Santa, Christmas Tree Lane and more.

THROUGH DECEMBER 31

DECEMBER 3 - 21

HERITAGE PARK • VISITFOLEY.ORG

MAGIC CHRISTMAS IN LIGHTS 5 - 9 p.m. Prepare to be awestruck with more than three million dazzling lights.

BRAGG-MITCHELL MANSION CHRISTMAS SEASON 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tu - F. Explore Christmas traditions of the past. Admission: $10.

DECEMBER 7

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

THROUGH JANUARY 1 ALABAMA COASTAL CHRISTMAS Check out one of the many events going on to celebrate the holiday season.

GULF SHORES AND ORANGE BEACH ALABAMACOASTALCHRISTMAS.COM

THROUGH JANUARY 1 CHRISTMAS NIGHTS OF LIGHTS 5:30 p.m. Drive through synchronized light displays in tune to music.

Admission: $6 per person; 3 and under, free.

BRAGG-MITCHELL MANSION BRAGGMITCHELLMANSION.COM

DECEMBER 3 CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING 5:30 p.m. Get into the holiday spirit while waiting for the big man.

THE WHARF ALWHARF.COM

DECEMBER 5 ST. MARY LIGHTING UP MIDTOWN 6:45 p.m. Food, cookie decorating, hot chocolate and a little snow are included.

HANK AARON STADIUM CHRISTMASLIGHTSOFMOBILE.COM

ST. MARY CAMPUS, MIDTOWN STMARYMOBILE.ORG

DECEMBER 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

DECEMBER 6

MILITARY MONDAYS Members of the military and their families will receive a 15 percent discount on each Monday during Magic Christmas in Lights.

FAIRHOPE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS PARADE 7 p.m. More than 60 parade units dazzle the crowd in anticipation of Santa Claus’ arrival.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE FAIRHOPEAL.GOV

THE 0.5K PUB “RUN” AND BLOCK PARTY 10:30 a.m. Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Alabama’s second annual run. Registration: $15, under 21; $25, runner; $50, VIP runner.

MOE’S BBQ, DOWNTOWN MOBILE LITTLERUN.ORG

DECEMBER 7 LET IT SNOW 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Enjoy a day of snow, live performances and storytelling after the parade.

HERITAGE PARK • VISITFOLEY.ORG

DECEMBER 7 KIDZ BOP 6 p.m. This interactive experience is for the whole family.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE • KIDZBOP.COM

DECEMBER 7 - 8 RICHARDS DAR HOUSE CHRISTMAS 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sa. 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Su. Delight in holiday treats and Victorian decorations at the historic home.

RICHARDS DAR HOUSE RICHARDSDARHOUSE.COM

 To have your event included in the online or print edition of Mobile Bay Magazine, email calendar@pmtpublishing.com.

104 mobilebaymag.com | december 2019

DECEMBER 8 BELLA VOCE CONCERT 4 p.m. Mobile’s premier women’s chorus presents its 12th annual concert, “Christmas Gift.” A festive reception will follow.

ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, MOBILE BELLAVOCEOFMOBILE.ORG

DECEMBER 19 CHRISTMAS MOVIE NIGHT 4 - 6 p.m. Get into the holiday spirit with some free, indoor family fun.

DAPHNE PUBLIC LIBRARY DAPHNELIBRARY.ORG

[NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENTS]

KIDS’ CONFETTI DROP 10 a.m. Enjoy a morning of fun, leading up to the confetti drop at noon.

Admission is free; various kids’ activities range from $5 - $10.

THE WHARF • ALWHARF.COM

REELIN’ IN THE NEW YEAR 5 p.m. Ring in the new decade with music followed by fireworks and a Marlin Drop at midnight. Admission is free.

THE WHARF • ALWHARF.COM

MOONPIE OVER MOBILE Countdown to 2020 with the city’s traditional MoonPie drop.

DOWNTOWN MOBILE • NCSMOBILE.ORG

CITY OF FAIRHOPE NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION 8:30 p.m. Celebrate the new year with dancing, fireworks and a ball drop.

DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE • FAIRHOPEAL.GOV

[NEW YEAR’S DAY EVENT ]

POLAR BEAR DIP 12 p.m. Start 2020 off right with a chilly dip in the Gulf of Mexico.

FLORA-BAMA • FLORABAMA.COM

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MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART mobilemuseumofart.com

THROUGH JANUARY 5 SOUTHERN MASTERS Step inside the lives of various local artists by looking at a recreation of their own studio or work space inside the museum. In addition to the large scale installations exploring the work and creative spaces of Casey Downing Jr., Bruce Larsen and Nall, each has selected an emerging Alabama artist to represent the next generation.

THROUGH JANUARY 5 LEE M. HOFFMAN: A LEGACY Explore the diverse talents that Hoffman exhibited in his career.

THROUGH APRIL 19 FROM FORT TO PORT AND BEYOND Delve into the city’s rich architectural history with maps, building materials, elevations, photographs, models, architectural plans and more.

THE GULF COAST EXPLOREUM exploreum.com

THROUGH JANUARY 5 HOLIDAY STEM WONDERLAND Celebrate the season and engineering at the same time. Find wonder in the model train and ice village.

MOBILE CARNIVAL MUSEUM mobilecarnivalmuseum.com

THROUGH JANUARY 4 MOBILE MAKERS: LEGENDARY CARNIVAL ARTISTS OF TODAY 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. M, W, F / Sa. Take a look at some of the creative geniuses who work behind the scenes to bring Mardi Gras to life.

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CITY STAGES DECEMBER 3 - 4 PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK PRESENTS “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” 7:30 p.m. The moving Dickens’ classic still entertains.

Tickets: $9 for student performances; $20 for public performances.

SAENGER THEATRE PLAYHOUSEINTHEPARK.ORG

DECEMBER 14 - 15 “THE NUTCRACKER” 2:30 p.m. Sa / Su. 7:30 p.m. Sa. Take the family to see the Mobile Ballet’s spin on the classic tale. Tickets: $20 - $60.

MOBILE CIVIC CENTER THEMOBILEBALLET.ORG

DECEMBER 14 - 15 MOBILE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS A CELTIC CHRISTMAS WITH CHERISH THE LADIES 7:30 p.m. Sa. 2:30 p.m. Su. The highenergy group puts their Irish spin on Christmas tunes. Tickets: $15, $20, $33, $45, $65, and $80.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG

DECEMBER 21 CHARLIE BROWN JAZZ CHRISTMAS 7 p.m. The Joe Cool Trio featuring The New Orleans All Star Horn Section performs classic hits from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Tickets: $40 for VIP, $20 for General Admission, $10 for children ages 10 and under. Discounts for large groups.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM

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[JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS]

JANUARY 2 WINTER CAMELLIA AND COLD HARDY DISPLAYS AT BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. View the garden’s fabulous camellias and intriguing winter blooms such as tulips, pansies, ornamental kale, mustard, cabbages and more.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

JANUARY 6 MOBILE ALABAMA BOWL 6:30 p.m. Watch the game in person or on ESPN. LADD-PEEBLES STADIUM MOBILEALABAMABOWL.COM

JANUARY 12 SERVIS FIRST BANK MOBILE MARATHON 7:30 a.m. Participate in the full or half marathon or five-person relay. Proceeds benefit L’Arche Mobile.

DOWNTOWN MOBILE MOBILEMARATHON.ORG

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JANUARY 17 THE BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY PRESENTS LED ZEPPELIN 8 p.m. Experience the sound-for-sound re-creation of one of Led Zeppelin’s hit albums. Tickets: $27 - $32.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM

JANUARY 25 - 26 “BRAVURA” 7:30 p.m. Sa. 2:30 p.m. Su. Hear classics from Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Brahms.

Admission: $15 - $80.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG

JANUARY 25 SENIOR BOWL 1:30 p.m. See the nation’s best collegiate football players face off against one another before they head to the NFL. Tickets: $10, $20 and $30.

LADD-PEEBLES STADIUM SENIORBOWL.COM

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THE ARTS | LITERATURE

Happy New Year and Pass the Innards, Please Nothing says health and prosperity like Southernstyle entrails.

excerpt from the book THEY CALL ME OR ANGE JUICE

by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS illustration by CARL CALDERONE

I

’m about as Southern as they come. And those of us reared below (way below) the Mason-Dixon Line are defined by many aspects of our culture, chief amongst them being our traditional foods. But one thing that I have never been able to stomach, literally or figuratively, is the idea of eating innards.

Yes, I said it. Innards. In-erdz, which are defined as “the internal parts of the body, entrails or viscera.” Yum. Now I understand that New Year’s Day is a time to partake of the symbolic food item. I get that greens represent monetary good fortune. I will douse them in pepper sauce and lap them right on up. I will feast on the humble black-eyed pea, which is said to swell with prosperity as it is cooked. And I will more

than likely indulge in a bit of bacon or some other sort of innocuous processed pork product so that I will forever move forward just as our porcine friends do as they root.

But I will not, cannot, ingest an innard. Tradition be damned.

I remember Granny and Baw were often known to ring in the New Year by enjoying a big steaming plate of brains and eggs for breakfast. Brains, y’all. Not bacon, not sausage — brains. The very idea is enough to put me off breakfast entirely. Scrambled eggs are just fine on their own, even runny ones. But mix them up with chunks of gray matter, and, well, there’s just not enough ketchup in the world to disguise that.

 Born and raised in Citronelle, Atkins shares stories about growing up and living in the South in her book, “They Call Me Orange Juice,” and at her blog audreyatkinswriter.com.

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And I must apologize to all you lovers of the chitterling, or “chitlin” as they are commonly called. I have smelled them cooking and cannot overcome it. I have eaten some truly foul-smelling cheeses that turned out to be just divine once you got them past the olfactory gland, but between my knowledge of this particular innard’s function and its fragrant nature, I’ll just have to say “no, thank you, ma’am.”

Now Mama and Daddy will surely spend the first day of the year as they always do — indulging in head cheese or “souse.” Now there are two words that I firmly believe should never, ever be used in conjunction. They are “meat” and “jelly,” which is just what souse is — a meat jelly. The long and short of it is this: You cook the creature’s head until all the remaining meat bits give up the ghost and fall into the stock, which will then congeal due to the natural gelatins in the skull.

My parents will sprinkle some vinegar over this cold, pink gelatinous slab of meat goo (because that makes it better, she says as she rolls her eyes to the heavens) and gobble it up! Not me, brother.

Now I will confess to have eaten, when I was very young in the pre-chicken-nugget days, a pickled pig’s foot or two, but that is more of an extremity than an innard. I have very nearly relished a Vienna sausage perched atop a saltine cracker, but that was on a fishing trip. And I really don’t even mind the occasional smear of pâté, especially if I am in a foreign country. It is there, however, that I must draw the line.

If it looks like an innard and smells like an innard, then by Granny it must be an innard. And somehow I just can’t get my arms up around the fact that eating innards will bring you anything more than a swift gag reflex, much less a whole year’s worth of happiness, health and prosperity.

Now can somebody please pass the cornbread? MB

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HISTORY | ASK MCGEHEE

What is Mobile’s beer brewing history? text by TOM MCGEHEE

The earliest listing of a brewery in Mobile is from 1865 when Charles W. Gelbke was operating one on a large lot on the north side of Springhill Avenue, just west of Broad Street. The property held his residence as well as a saloon.

The brewery, by necessity, had to be near the saloon since refrigeration was limited to ice imported from northern ponds. Manufactured ice would not arrive for decades.

By 1869, Gelbke had moved his lager beer saloon to Royal Street where it was operated in the former Odd Fellows Hall.

His last address was at the northwest corner of Government and Royal streets where he was in business until 1880, dispensing beer as well as wines and liquors.

The Mobile Brewing Company: Liquid Amber In 1891, modern brewing came to Mobile when a group of businessmen formed the Mobile Brewing Company and bought the corner of North Water and Adams streets.

Chicago architect August Maritzen, who was the recognized leader in the design of breweries (he ultimately helped create 80), was hired, and in September of 1892, the Mobile Register described “this fine establishment” in great detail.

The main building was of brick and stood five stories high with an eight-story elevator tower. It would be a decade before any building in downtown Mobile matched that height, so it was an immediate landmark and was dubbed “the building with the very tall tower.”

Adjoining this was a boiler house, a barrel factory and a bottling works. Unlike Gelbke’s

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ABOVE As seen in the 1930s, the abandoned, once-thriving brewery located at the corner of N. Water and Adams streets never recovered from national prohibition.

PHOTO COURTESY S. BLAKE MCNEELY COLLECTION, THE DOY LEALE MCCALL RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

establishment, the Mobile Brewery’s product was kept chilled by “an ammonia refrigerating machine.” The Register stated “the beer is of a light amber color, of medium strength, and has become a favorite beverage with the beer drinking public.”

The new methods of refrigeration also allowed the beer to be shipped by both train and ship, rather than just being sent next

door as it had a generation earlier. The news account reported that Mobile was shipping the beer “throughout the Southern states.”

The Bienville Brewery Noting the success of the brewery, a group founded a second one in 1901. The city was preparing to celebrate its 200th anniversary, and the new business was named the

Bienville Brewery, Inc., and located on what is today Telegraph Road.

Interestingly, the two breweries worked well together. At one point, German-born brothers Joseph and Carl Friedhoff served as the brewmasters of the Bienville and Mobile breweries.

The Bienville Brewery had a short life span. Its building was badly damaged during the 1906 hurricane and records indicate it suffered financial losses well into 1907.

Then, on November 19, 1907, the state legislature pushed through a statewide prohibition effective at the end of 1908.

The Bienville Brewery called it quits, finally selling their equipment to a Georgia firm.

Prohibition Repealed — Briefly The statewide ban on alcohol was put to a county vote in 1911, leading to its repeal in Mobile. The Mobile Brewery went back to brewing, advertising three labels: “Purity,” “Extra Pale” and “Export Beer.”

The firm had survived largely on the sale of ice, but its charter had also called for the “manufacture, bottling and sale of soda, mineral waters, ginger ale, and other beverages, and the manufacturing and sale of ice and furnishing cold storage.”

Prohibition efforts continued upstate and successfully pushed through statewide prohibition again in 1915. By that time, the Mobile Brewery had lost its brewmaster to a bullet during a dispute with his daughter’s boyfriend. His brother Joseph took his place until prohibition returned.

The firm survived both statewide and national prohibition, reincorporating as the Mobile Brewery, Ice and Coal Company in 1924. The firm sold out in 1937, and period photos indicate the once-proud building was nearly derelict by that time.

Local beers have returned to Mobile and Baldwin counties during the last decade.

Sadly, there is no trace left of any of the three breweries from the last two centuries. MB

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END PIECE | IN LIVING COLOR

Brookley Field, c. 1942 Photo courtesy Sherwood McBroom, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama Colorization by Dynamichrome Limited

During World War II, the slogan, “Up the Pace, Save for Peace,” was painted across hangars at Brookley Army Air Field. According to author Billy J. Singleton, in his book “Mobile Aviation,” the adage was meant to “encourage personnel to purchase war bonds.”

Brookley Field, now known as the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, was the major Army Air Forces supply base for the Air Material Command, employing nearly 17,000 skilled workers — more than any other employer in Mobile during the war. In 1944, the Army used Brookley’s large workforce for its top-secret “Ivory Soap” project, which was carried out at Point Clear, with hopes of hastening victory in the Pacific.

Do you know anyone who worked at Brookley? Let us know! Email ahartin@pmtpublishing.com.

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