26 • Thursday, February 7, 2019
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
FOOD
Feast of 48
In 2018, Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch came up with the idea to host a Restaurant Trail challenge, inviting community members to visit 48 of the city’s restaurants in one year for the chance to win a grand prize of gift cards and packages from participating establishments. “When I first heard about it, I thought it would be really hard to eat at 48 different restaurants in one year,” said Bert Amason, a Mountain Brook resident and partner at Balch and Bingham. “Maybe by the second week of January, I had eaten at (four) of them.” He couldn’t imagine who ate out that much, but the task didn’t feel so insurmountable after he had knocked the first few off his list. After clearing the first three restaurants, Amason set the goal of eating at all 48. To verify each meal, Amason posted a photo taken at each of the restaurants on Instagram along with #i8mb. “There were actually a bunch of repeats that you don’t get credit for – places that we eat on a normal basis,” Amason said. Completing the contest challenged him to try out places he had never been before and some places he had never heard of before, which surprised him considering
how long he has lived in the city. Not a life-long resident but a majority-of-life resident of Mountain Brook, Amason also enjoyed being able to lend his support to the local food industry. “There are about three Asian or Asian-inspired restaurants within a mile of my house,” Amason said. “I never would have thought about driving all the way to Overton to eat at Wok Express, but I did and I enjoyed it.” Not only was the challenge fun for him, his family wasn’t complaining along the way. “My kids loved deciding to go get beignets in the morning at Another Broken Egg, going to get Breakup Cookies at Church Street Coffee and Books, getting ice cream at Mountain Brook Creamery. We also went and picked up cookies at Olexa’s one day, so it was a lot of fun for them,” he said.
Stiff Competition
Once the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce began running promotional videos announcing the first few finishers, Amason realized that there would be plenty of competition for the grand prize. “I think in all we had about 28 finishers and I was just happy to hear my name drawn,” to win the grand prize package, Amason
FOOD NEWS From page 25
COFFEE LOVERS WANTED: ALABAMA COFFEE FEST RETURNING AT CAHABA BREWERY
Cahaba Brewery is hosting the second annual Alabama Coffee Fest on Feb. 23. The event includes specialty roasters and coffee shops with unique beans, demonstrations, coffee tastings, live entertainment and live latte art creations. Pastries by local bake shops and Cahaba Brewery’s beer will be available for purchase. Proceeds fund a future multicultural center that will include art, music, dance, film and theater programs. This event is hosted by Alabama Multicultural Organization. For more information and to buy tickets, visit alabamamulticultural.org.
REOPENING SOON: FULL MOON BARB-QUE ON U.S. 280 RENOVATIONS NEAR COMPLETION
After closing due to a fire in May 2018, the U.S. 280 location of Full Moon Bar-B-Que has begun complete renovations that are expected to be completed by April. Among the renovations, the location is upgrading the flooring and other interior elements as well as adding features that are
Bert Amason, a Mountain Brook resident enjoyed being able to lend his support to the local food industry. He picked up his grand prize gift cards at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
said. Fellow finishers included Abby Nevins, Stewart Welch, Janet Forbes, Sam Gaston, Jackie Nesmith, Sue and Matt Abele, Holley Wesley, Alex Valencia, Elizabeth Riddle, Joshua Osborne, Kristen Osborne, Allison Savela, Julie Edwards, Steve Boone, Felicia Stewart and family, Samantha Chandler, Heather Scott, Food Baby Bham (Hunter and Alexandra White), Chris Mullins, Kristy Smith, Ashley Lyerly, Dylan Angeline, Monica
Sargent and Layne McDougal. After experiencing the Restaurant Trail, Amason said he is ready for the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce’s next challenge “I was hoping that the next challenge would be visiting all of the gyms,” Amason joked. While he is waiting, he’s been revisiting spots along the trail to use the gifts he won. He’s already treated his family to dinner at La Paz, Char Bar and Icehouse. Having now visited most of
the city’s restaurants, Amason gave his suggestions for places to eat this Valentine’s Day. His thoughts: it all depends on the mood you’re looking for. “One, there are a lot of great restaurants around town,” Amason said. “If you’re going for fancy, there is dg, Root to Tail, Vino. You can go all the way down to Sneaky Pete’s or Gus’ Hot Dogs if that’s what you want to do. … There is such a wide range of restaurants out there, so there is something for everyone.”
found in newer locations. The restaurant is at 4635 U.S. 280. For more information, visit fullmoonbbq.com.
WINTER FRESH VEG FIX: PEPPER PLACE RETURNS WITH INDOOR WINTER MARKET
The Indoor Winter Market inside the Martin Biscuit event space in Pepper Place celebrated its opening day on Jan. 19. Patrons could shop for veggies from Owls Hollow and Snows Bend, meats and cheeses from Marble Creek Farmstead and Dayspring Dairy, honey from Eastaboga Honey, prepared foods from several vendors and other non-food items such as scarves and home essentials. The winter market is held Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, until April 6. For complete vendor lists and more information, visit pepperplacemarket.com.
Journal file photo by Jordan Wald
By Emily Williams
Photo courtesy Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce
Mountain Brook Announces Amason as Winner of 2018 Restaurant Trail Challenge
SPICY FUNDRAISER: EXCEPTIONAL FOUNDATION CHILI COOK-OFF SET FOR MARCH 2
The 15th annual Chili Cook-Off to benefit The Exceptional Foundation will be held March 2 at Brookwood Village. The Chili Cook-Off is the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds are a significant source of funding for The Exceptional Foundation, which strives to meet the social and recreational needs of individuals
The Corporate Realty team at last year’s Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off, from left, Scott Goranti, Laura Hulsey, Stephanie Zepponi, Brandon Pennington and Austin Overton. of all ages who are mentally challenged. Tickets range from $10 to $20 and allow attendees to sample all the chili they can eat.
For more information, to buy tickets and to get information about registering a team, visit exceptionalfoundation.org.