Mountain Brook Magazine, May/June 2018

FAMILY PROMISE IN ACTION • FROM BLACK SHEEP KITCHEN TO YOURS • ON TOUR WITH TOM LOVELADY

MOUNTAIN BROOK’S BEST 2018 THE RESULTS ARE IN

INTO THE WOODLAND A VISIT TO LOUISE WRINKLE’S GARDEN MAY/JUNE 2018 MountainBrookMagazine.com Volume Two| Issue Three $4.95

aviary

ARTS

GALLERY TALK WITH KATHRYN TROTTER

MountainBrookMagazine.com 1

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FEATURES

54

FAMILY PROMISE How a network of churches welcomes families who have fallen on hard times into their homes.

60

ON TOUR MBHS grad Tom Lovelady has found the work he loves—and it’s on the PGA Tour.

MOUNTAIN BROOK’S BEST 2018 WINNERS You voted. We tallied. See just who Mountain Brook’s favorites are.

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PHOTO BY REBECCA WISE

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66

35

PHOTO BY TIME INC FOOD STUDIOS

arts & culture

19 Taking Flight: The Artistry of Kathryn Trotter 24 Read This Book: Poetry for People Who Never Liked Poetry

schools & sports

25 When Virtual Becomes Reality: A Look at Technology at MBE

food

& drink

35 From Black Sheep Kitchen to Yours 41 Cocktail: Taco Mama Prosecco Fizz Margarita 42 Five Questions For: #i8mb Ambassador & Dietician Abby Nevins

home

in every issue 8 Contributors 9 From the Editor 10 MountainBrookMagazine.com 11 #MountainBrookMag 12 The Question 13 The Guide 74 Chamber Connections 76 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Mountain Brook

& style

43 The Woodland Voice of Louise Wrinkle’s Garden 52 In Style: Endless Summer

MountainBrookMagazine.com 9

MOUNTAIN BROOK

contributors

MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

Graham Brooks Stephen Dawkins Alec Etheredge Briana Harris Amalia Kortright Madoline Markham Keith McCoy Emily Sparacino Neal Wagner

Jennifer Jones, Photographer

Jennifer Jones is a photojournalist that loves to capture that “special second” when no one is watching. Each session is unique and different.

You will find that Jennifer’s approach to each one is as distinctively individual as the subjects that she is photographing. She is originally from New York but has made Birmingham her home. She is a loving daughter and mother to her son Harrison, a talented musician.

CONTRIBUTORS

Kayley Coggins Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Rachel Crisson Jennifer Jones Eleanor Kerr Michelle Love Patrick McGough Tracey Rector Christiana Roussel Emma Simmons Lauren Ustad Rebecca Wise

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Kate Sullivan

MARKETING

Kristy Brown Kari George Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Kathy Leonard Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Kerrie Thompson

ADMINISTRATION Hailey Dolbare Mary Jo Eskridge Katie McDowell Stacey Meadows Tim Prince

Patrick McGough, Photographer

Born and raised in Mountain Brook, Patrick has had a passion for photography from when he bought his first cardboard box camera in a flea market at the age of 12. That passion has taken him all over the South and abroad on many assignments and projects. Every shoot creates an opportunity to meet new people and to explore ideas and locations.

Whether shooting businesses, families, or individuals, he strives to capture the most fun, genuine and unique images for his clients.

Rachel Crisson, Writer

After earning her degree and spending eight wonderful years living around Montevallo, Rachel made the move back home to Birmingham, where she lives with her cat Calypso, her roommate Sarah and Sarah’s cat Hermes. You can find her most days working at Image Arts, Etc. in Crestline Village, taking portraits, editing photos or laying out photo books. Nights find her hanging out with family, attending community events, playing games with her friends or watching cartoons with her cat.

Michelle Love, Writer

Michelle loves writing about all of the new and exciting things her city has to offer. She spent three years writing for Weld for Birmingham about the different businesses and people that make this place so unique, including artists, restaurants and political/social issues. When she isn’t writing, Michelle can be found trying out new recipes in her kitchen while listening to classic rock music or reading a horror novel. She also loves spending time with her family and her cat, Lola.

Mountain Brook Magazine is published bimonthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook Magazine is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Mountain Brook Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Mountain Brook Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Mountain Brook, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit MountainBookMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $16.30 for one year by visiting MountainBrookMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532.

Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@mountainbrookmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

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from the editor

A

ON THE COVER

In the Gallery

The corner of the Grand Bohemian Art Gallery that features Kathryn Trotter’s work has been dubbed “The Aviary.”

Photo by Patrick McGough Design by Jamie Dawkins

A year ago I was a handed a blank slate of 92 glossy magazine pages.

They were to be about Mountain Brook. Today we’ve filled them, five times over, in a way I take great pride in. People often ask how it happens, especially since I fill just as many pages and social media posts for two other community magazines too and our office produces far more titles than that.

The key, of course, is people.

Patrick McGough not only shot stunning portraits of artist Kathryn Trotter and Black Sheep Kitchen owner Julie Grimes for this issue, but he also mentioned to me that he went to MBHS with Tom Lovelady, who is now on the PGA tour, and maybe we should do a story on him.

Longtime Birmingham News sports writer veteran Solomon Crenshaw Jr. brought that story to life in the pages ahead, but the key to it was connecting with his super kind mom, Kitty, and also our awesome contacts with the MBHS yearbook and Sword & Shield newspaper digging up old photos for us.

From day one, I was hoping we could get Christiana Roussel working her food writing magic (which, let’s face it, is mostly about the amazing humans behind the food) for our pages, and lucky for us, she’s done just that every issue, including one this time on Black Sheep Kitchen.

I remember sitting outside at Revelator last summer with Tracey Rector and talking about how she’d gotten into writing later in life, primarily through blogging. She’d never written a magazine feature, but she sure was interested and she sure seemed to have the talent too.

She’s now crafted a compelling narrative for each issue. She says this about each one she sends in, but she tells me the story in this issue on Family Promise is her favorite.

Photographer Rebecca Wise reached out to me a few issues in, and a Church Street Coffee meeting later, we set her up for some assignments.

I still can’t get over how stunningly she documented Dyron’s behind the scenes in our last issue and virtual reality technology at Mountain Brook Elementary in this issue.

Photographer Jennifer Jones is ever feeding me ideas for stories, and is ever faithful to shoot and document her community as well, this time capturing a family who stayed at St. Luke’s through the Family Promise Network.

And MBHS senior Eleanor Kerr seriously rocked our Out & About event pages for this issue. Go Eleanor!

I must note that this is a very incomplete list of shout outs because so many in this community are making this magazine what it is becoming.

And you can be a part too! I always love to hear your ideas for stories, and to get more writers and photographers of any age involved.

Happy summertime!

madoline.markham@mountainbrookmagazine.com MountainBrookMagazine.com 11

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Events Not To Miss in Mountain Brook Find our monthly round of what’s going on where each month on our website.

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@mountainbrookmag

Just read my magazine during my ‘coffee time.’

Fantastic! Loved every article!

-Alice Womack

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#MountainBrookMag

Tag us in your @mountainbrookmag photos on Instagram, and we’ll pick our favorites to regram and publish on this page in each issue.

@paulstrag That’s two #2peat

@millierudder

Happy birthday to two of my favs! Loved celebrating at Daniel George!!! #febbdays!!! #i8mb

@glittertheunicornbook

Look what just came in from the printer!!!

Glitter the Unicorn goes to the Moon!!!

Exciting news coming soon. Book launch parties...donations and more. Stay tuned....

@tulipanoboutique

We are OPEN! Whew! We already feel at home in Alabama! My new team in Birmingham has been nothing short of awesome! I also want to thank my amazing friend and designer, @helendavisdesign, for working countless hours to make my dream come true! #fashion #shoptulipano #birminghamboutique #sweethomealabama #laneparke #comeshop

MountainBrookMagazine.com 13

“ ” THE QUESTION

Where’s the best place in Mountain Brook to be on a sunny spring or summer day?

Faring Road! So many kids live to play outside together with the neighbors. Several of them learned to ride a bike in what we like to call “the sag” on Faring.

The Botanical Gardens: running through the trails, swinging, and in the Japanese area hiding in the bamboo. My kids also like to roll down the hill across from the restaurant.

Walking on our new sidewalks by the high school! THANK YOU to the leaders we have in OUR COMMUNITY for connecting our villages by sidewalks.

Find a box of sidewalk chalk, grab your kids and head out to your own driveway! Watching kids’ imagination at work and the conversations you will have hands down makes it the best place to be.

-Rhea Hill Pelekis

-Robyn Andrews

Driving by cherry trees on Victoria Road.

-Amanda Yeary Davis

-Joan McCalla

-Peyton Tubb Russell

Lunch at the MB Elementary Fields and walk across the bridge for playground time. And it’s even better when the food trucks are nearby.

-Katherine Davis Moak

On the grass of Overton Park, all you need is a blanket! Lying down to enjoy the warmth on your face, you can enjoy the whistle of the wind in the trees, the buzz of the bees, and the children’s laughter.

-Christina Eckert McGovern

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Early Saturday morning taking the pooches to Crestline Bagel. Taking the breakfast back home to my wife and daughter. Of course the pooches obediently share a fresh bagel.

-Arther P Hontzas

THE GUIDE

SUMMER READING KICK-OFF MAY 20 3 P.M. THOMAS HUGHES BRINKLEY MEMORIAL FUN RUN, 3:30 P.M. CARNIVAL EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY Join the Junior Women’s Committee of 100 for this annual set of festivities to kick off summer reading at the library, and be sure to sign up for summer reading amidst the fun and games.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY MountainBrookMagazine.com 15

THE GUIDE WHAT TO DO IN MOUNTAIN BROOK MAY 4 All Ages Star Wars Party Emmet O’Neal Library 6 p.m.

MAY 8 Celebrate May Mountain Brook Village Shops 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

MAY 14 Community Conversation on Aging: Patient Advocates Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

MAY 21-24 Exam Study Breaks Emmet O’Neal Library MAY 23 Art House Film Series: Purple Noon Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

APRIL 28-MAY 13

Decorators’ ShowHouse 2018 Rooms in this Cherokee Road home will be decked out by local interior designers, so be sure to come by for a tour of its five bedrooms, six bathrooms and pool. ShowHouse hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday

10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 2-5 p.m.

There’s no parking at the house, so be sure to catch the shuttle from Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church at 3405 Brookwood Road. Find more info at svcalabama.com.

Arts in the Village

MAY 29 Last Day of School Mountain Brook Schools

MAY 31 An Afternoon with Author Doug Wedge: Baseball in Alabama Emmet O’Neal Library 2 p.m.

CRESTLINE SPORTS FIELD 9 A.M.-4 P.M.

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MAY 24 Memorial Day Emmet O’Neal Library Closed

MAY 29-JUNE 1 JCLC 40th Birthday Events Emmet O’Neal Library

MAY 12

Everyone’s favorite spring arts show has a new home, at least as far as its date is concerned. The annual Mountain Brook Art Association Spring Art Show is now being held Mother’s Day weekend at its usual post. Come out to see and shop from work by your favorite local artists, and maybe discover some new ones too. You’ll also find music from the

MAY 24 Mountain Brook High School Graduation

JUNE 5 Adult Summer Reading: Bob Ross Paint Party Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

Choko Aiken Jazz Band, Steel City Pops and the annual Norton’s Florist Competition—all while being just steps away from your favorite village eateries and shops.

JUNE 5, 12, 19, 26 Ukulele Workshop Young Adults Emmet O’Neal Library 5-6 p.m.

THE GUIDE JUNE 5 Animal Tales: Born to be Wild Emmet O’Neal Library Kids 10:30 a.m.

JUNE 6 Chamber Go & Grow Featuring Business Practices from Local Experts Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce 8:30 a.m.

JUNE 7 Giant Inflatables Young Adults Emmet O’Neal Library 5-6:30 p.m.

JUNE 9 Chopped Young Adults Emmet O’Neal Library 1-4:30 p.m.

MAY 12

St. Jude Field of Dreams GRAND BOHEMIAN MOUNTAIN BROOK 6 P.M. Slade Anderson knows St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis well from his treatments, and now his family and others in Alabama are wanting to give back to the hospital. Join them for the fourth annual St. Jude Field of Dreams for a sit-down dinner, a live and silent auction, and musical entertainment by The Undergrounders. To learn more or get tickets, visit stjude.org/fieldofdreams.

JUNE 12 Freedom from Addiction Coalition Hosted by Over the Mountain Mayors Canterbury United Methodist Church 8 a.m.

JUNE 6

JUNE 12 Miss Kit’s Bubble School Emmet O’Neal Library Kids 10:30 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL

JUNE 15 Adult Summer Reading: Yoga & Poetry Emmet O’Neal Library 10-11:30 a.m.

JUNE 19 All-Ages Performer Emmet O’Neal Library Kids 10:30 a.m.

JUNE 20 Art House Film Series: Summer with Monika Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

JUNE 26 All-Ages Performer Emmet O’Neal Library Kids 10:30 a.m.

Flicks Among the Flowers: Hitch MAY 6

Comedy Hour with Joe Hobby

LEVITE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

GARDENS FORMAL GARDENS 6 P.M. GATES, 8 P.M. MOVIE Bring your picnic blanket, and a picnic too if you like, and watch Will Smith’s Hitch character teach men how to woo women. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. Also save the date July 18 to come see Jaws.

2 P.M. Joe Hobby has appeared on TNN and the Comedy Channel, and opened for Chicago, the Temptations, and the Four Tops. Now come see him live.

Cost is $8 for J Prime Members, $12 for Non-J Prime Members or $15 at the door.

Share your news! Email submissions to mm@mountainbrookmagazine.com to be considered for our next issue.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 17

THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN MAY 5

13th Annual ZooRun: Run for Future Rangers!

BIRMINGHAM ZOO

7:30 A.M. 5K, 8 A.M. KIDS RACES Run your way around wildlife in a course that weaves around the zoo and ends at the new Henley Park. Strollers and walkers

MAY 7-11 Birmingham Barons vs.

Pensacola Blue Wahoos Regions Field

are welcome, too. Plus, race registration includes admission to the zoo for the day of the race, and each registration funds one local child to attend the Future Ranger Program at the Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa. Register at runsignup.com.

MAY 11-27 Smokey Joe’s Café Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre MAY 16-20 Regions Tradition Greystone Golf & Country Club MAY 17-21 Birmingham Barons vs.

Montgomery Biscuits Regions Field MAY 19 Do Dah Day Caldwell and Rhodes Parks MAY 19 Alabama Accordion Association Free Concert Series Featuring Cory Pescaturo

Helping parents Character in kids CULTIVATE

FIND OUT HOW

www.ccslion.com/character

Birmingham Locations

Greystone • Homewood • Pelham Trace Crossings • Valleydale YMCA OF GREATER BIRMINGHAM

®

covenant classical ® schools & daycare

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YMCA OF G

18 MountainBrookMagazine.com Cultivate Character 3.5x4.75 BHM.indd 1

1/31/2018 8:41:15 AM

THE GUIDE Birmingham-Southern College Recital Hall 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

MAY 12

MAY 29-JUNE 2 Birmingham Barons vs.

Chattanooga Lookouts Regions Field JUNE FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS Various Movies Alabama Theatre alabamatheatre.com for listings SATURDAYS The Market at Pepper Place 8 a.m.-non JUNE 4-7 Birmingham Barons vs.

Jackson Generals Regions Field JUNE 8-JULY 1 Beauty & The Beast Presented by Red Mountain Theatre Company Dorothy Day Jemison Theatre Alabama School of Fine Arts

Magic City Wine Fest BIRMINGHAM ZOO 5:30-8:30 P.M.

Travel through global regions with your glass—plus food and live music and tickets that benefit the Birmingham Zoo. The event goes on rain or shine.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 19

&CULTURE

ARTS

TAKING FLIGHT

How Kathryn Trotter gives wings to her creativity amidst family life.

BY MICHELLE LOVE PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCGOUGH MountainBrookMagazine.com 21

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When Kathryn Trotter moved to Birmingham from Atlanta, she didn’t paint, not for two years. And her energy diminished.

“We were in an apartment, and I wasn’t about to leave my kids and get a separate studio space. And I certainly wasn’t inspired by the décor,” she says with a laugh. Instead, she focused on her kids. “But it’s amazing kind of what all you crave when you don’t get what you really need,” she recalls. “You’re just constantly needing something else…You’re just more likely to go to extremes with something else when you’re not getting fed that creativity.”

The hiatus has now ended and she’s back into paint, but it helped Kathryn to see the importance of finding time every day to express her creativity. “If I don’t have time to paint, I find something else creative to do. Because otherwise it comes out in other ways, like you might shop too much or eat too much, you know? Other things get out of balance. I think if you’re creative, if you don’t channel that passion into somewhere, it comes out somewhere else because it has to come out.”

Today Kathryn’s paintings, tapestry works done with a palette knife, hang throughout the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook Gallery. Her fashion-oriented works, including portraits of chic women in Chanel-esque attire going about their daily lives, greet people as they walk inside. To Kathryn, these women represent a time, she says, women were “softer.”

“The fashion is really inspired by…that vintage woman from decades ago who kind of knew her place in this world,” she says. “She was strong but she knew when to take a step back and be quietly strong. Whereas a lot of times women these days feel like they need to prove something in this world, that they’re a woman and they have all this power and the women back then had a lot of power. You would be surprised how many men are drawn to those paintings because they know what woman I’m painting and they miss that feminine woman… soft but very strong.”

Toward the back of the gallery, sunshine beams illuminate her vibrant paintings of birds on display. Mary Smith, the operator of the gallery, says the birds are a favorite amongst the staff and patrons. “We’ve dubbed the corner ‘The Aviary,’” she says with a laugh. The birds are not inspired by any particular breed, Kathryn says, but more so reflect the ones that have stood out to her, perhaps from a book or during a trip to the zoo. One large piece in particular she points out has “a lot of peacock qualities.”

Kathryn’s journey toward artistry started when she was a young girl in Mississippi. Her parents were always encouraging of her artistic streak, but her father was wary of art school.

“He always encouraged me being an artist and he always was like, ‘You should make that your career if you want it to be your career.’ But we were in Charleston one year and we were able to meet with a very well-known artist, John Carol Doyle. He

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MountainBrookMagazine.com 23

Kathryn’s background in textiles and apparel design comes to play in these chic women.

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looked at my portfolio and he said, ‘You cannot go to art school. It will ruin you,’ and my dad really took that to heart. He didn’t want it corrupting my style.”

Kathryn is grateful for that advice, however, as she’s seen how it can hinder some artist’s creativity. “I see a lot of artists in galleries who kind of morph their style to other artists and you don’t recognize their work anymore,” she says.

Instead of art school, Kathryn graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in textiles and apparel design. From there she focused her creative expression in areas of design ranging from wallpaper design to the New York fashion scene, all the while painting on the side. She even credits her painting style to her work in textile design and her love of French tapestry. “I just felt that was sort of lacking in the art world,” she says.

“It’s one of those pieces of art that doesn’t always have a strong focal point, and it can kind of hang in any room and take a back seat or it can become the focal point. And that’s one reason a lot of people love them because they can make it the focal point or they can make it this beautiful piece

of art that can feel just like a fabric and make the room feel warm.”

Kathryn and her family now reside in Mountain Brook, a place where she’s happy to show her art and raise her family. “With the villages and the pedestrian aspect of it, everyone can kind of be out and about, and it’s easier to meet people and see everyone, so it was a better fit for us as newcomers.”

Today amidst her art career, Kathryn’s three children, an 18-month-old boy and two girls ages 5 and 7, are her top priority. “I have to be a mom before I put all my efforts into my art, or else it just makes me anxious,” she says. “It just creates this dissonance because in my heart and in my mind I know that that is tip-top priority to me. So if it gets out of balance, it comes out in my art.”

Her 7-year-old, Caroline, has even taken after her mother’s creativity, something Kathryn says she is more than happy to encourage. “All of these parents have their children enrolled in all of these different things like softball, ballet, soccer, and we just asked her, ‘What do you want to do?’ And she just loves art. She loves to draw and paint.” Kathryn even consults with her daughter if she encounters any obstacles with a project. “If I’m stuck, she’s the first person I’m going to ask. She’ll come in and she’ll know immediately what I need to do.”

For more information on Kathryn Trotter and her work, visit kathryntrotterart.com. Her work is currently displayed in the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook Gallery.

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READ THIS BOOK

Poetry for Non-Poetry Readers Recommendations from

Dale Wisely

Poet & MBS Director of Student Services

I have been reading and writing poetry all my adult life and I edit three poetry journals. Yet, if I were to go to my local bookstore, pull down a volume of poems at random and read the poem on any page, chances are I would fail to appreciate it. We have to find what we like. I have selected here books of poems that are accessible—but not compromising in quality—intended for those who want to escape the trauma of being forced to read Chaucer in high school.

Winter Morning Walks: 100 Postcards

By Ted Kooser A former US Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, while being treated for cancer, maintained a daily habit of walking country roads in Nebraska for exercise. He walked in the pre-dawn because his medications made him sunsensitive. Every day, he wrote a poem on a postcard and mailed it to his friend, Jim Harrison. These poems are direct, simple, wise and consistently beautiful.

After the Lost War: A Narrative

By Andrew Hudgins This is my favorite book of poems. Andrew Hudgins, who went to graduate school at the University of Alabama and taught for a time at the University of Montevallo, brings us a story told in 44 poems. He takes on the voice of the real-life southern poet Sidney Lanier, who fought in the Civil War. These are heartbreaking stories of the war and of the aftermath of the war from a man who fought on the wrong side, the losing side. When I was reading this book for the first time, I drove to church early, planned to sit for a few minutes reading in the car. I finished this book in the parking lot and never went in to church.

Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems

By Billy Collins No list of poets who appeal to general audiences would be complete without an entry by Billy Collins, who is among the best-selling poets in the US and is also a former Poet Laureate. Collins writes about topics both mundane and profound, with a kind of sincerity, heart and humor that has made his work so broadly appreciated. Collins’ poem about the Victoria Secret’s catalog is as humorous as a good poem gets and is an example of how he can be funny and deep on the same page.

A Good Cry: What We Learn From Tears and Laughter

By Nikki Giovanni Any shortlist of the longest, most celebrated, most widely-admired American poet will include Nikki Giovanni.

Just published in October, this collection looks inward in work offering her insights into her life and the people who have shaped her. No one should confuse her life with that of a ruminative academic. She survived lung cancer. She was a figure in the Civil Rights movement. A professor at Virginia Tech, she taught Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech mass murderer, and had warned the administration there about Cho and offered to resign as an alternative to being forced to have him in class.

The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, & Issa

By Robert Hass I don’t know what your experience with haiku was in school—I just know you had experience with it in school. Maybe it was a source of relief from trying to decipher Shakespeare, or maybe you wondered why in the world people could appreciate a tiny poem about a frog jumping into the pond. In any case, this is my favorite collection of haiku, translations by the poet Robert Hass of the three great masters of the classic Japanese form.

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SCHOOL

&SPORTS

WHEN VIRTUAL BECOMES REALITY

What did your elementary students do at school today?

They might just have travelled to space.

BY RACHEL CRISSON PHOTOS BY REBECCA WISE MountainBrookMagazine.com 27

W

At MBE, learning information literacy and coding skills starts in kindergarten.

When you were a child, did you imagine putting on magic goggles that can take you anywhere on earth, even to the stars? Imagine taking in dazzling 360-degree views of the solar system, video chatting with students across the world, and engaging with material like never before. This is all happening for students in Mountain Brook schools today, says

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Mountain Brook Elementary School Technology Coordinator Thea Patrick, one of several specialists leading the way for these advances in education in Mountain Brook Schools.

And Mountain Brook Schools are doing more than keeping up—they are leading the way in putting technology in the hands of students, teachers and

administrators. For example, a set of 25 Android smartphone-based Virtual Reality headsets regularly take students across the globe and into outer space using 360-degree photographs from Google Expeditions and videos from the New York Times VR app. Students compare volcanoes and rock formations on other planets with those on Earth.

They take a dive under sea ice in Antarctica and come face-to-face with marine life in ways they may never get to do in person. Teachers can fit the media to their individual curriculum, so a history class can visit a national monument and talk about why it was built, while a math class could visit the same place and look for geometric shapes and patterns—all from MountainBrookMagazine.com 29

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inside the classroom.

“These are places the students could not go as a group, and that’s what we wanted them to have: group experiences, shared experiences they could talk about just like they do on field trips, but instantly,” Thea explains. “Now, just getting those headsets out makes the students pay attention more.”

Even cooler is the fact that Mountain Brook students are actually able to add to this wealth of information themselves. As a part of a Google Expeditions Beta group, MBE and Brookwood Forest students are building their own expeditions for Birmingham, as the city currently has none. In March and April, students used 360-degree cameras to take photographs

of important places around the city, like the Birmingham Museum of Art, Civil Rights Institute, Vulcan and UAB. They provided the photos as well as historical, cultural and other pertinent information on each location to Google Expeditions, which has to approve each expedition before adding it to their app.

“This is a unique opportunity,” Thea says. “And students are so engaged with this. To know in the future these students could say, ‘That’s my Google Expedition that you watched in China!’ is so cool.”

Another way students are engaging with information and people across the globe is through Level Up Village (LUV), a program that matches classrooms of similar size and curriculum to complete STEAM

WHY WE LOVE TECHNOLOGY “Technology helps me stay organized.

me peace of mind that they will be

I don’t know what I would do if

successful in their future educational

I couldn’t look at Canvas for my

endeavors.”

assignments! I would almost have to... write things down!”

-Grayson Hydinger, Sixth Grade Student

-Kelsey Frey, Kindergarten Teacher

“We are able to do things more easily because of technology. We can do test more quickly, typing is

“It is so important to not only use

quicker than writing. Technology is

but also teach technology in the

more modern. It introduces us to new

elementary classroom. Knowing that

things. It is a lot easier than going

I am teaching information literacy

some place.”

and coding skills at this age gives

-Pippa Roy, Sixth Grade Student

MountainBrookMagazine.com 31

experiments and exchange cultural information with one another. For nine weeks, they work on the same projects as their sister classroom and keep each other up-to-date on progress through student-to-student video postcards and the occasional live chat, time zones permitting.

Susan Andrews’ fifth-grade class at MBE used LUV to learn about water safety and filtration this year, and they were paired up with a classroom in Bogotá, Colombia. Students created videos for their virtual pen-pals and even more excited to hear back. Similarly, Kelsey Frey’s kindergarten class at MBE was paired with a class from Jordan, and one of the students was so engaged that he began learning simple words in Arabic so he could speak to their sister class. Kelsey opted for full-class video updates rather than the personal postcards the older kids made.

“Tech provides an opportunity for students to have conversations to learn a little more about their fellow man and see that we all have things in common,” Thea says. “We want students to empathize and understand someone else’s perspective. You may not agree with them, but you need to be listening.”

Before MBE kindergarteners are able to read or write sentences, they are already using a program called ScratchJr to learn the basics of coding through cute little sprite characters.

Using Chromebook touchscreens, kids can drag and drop with their fingers. And if a child wants to make their cat meow but does not know how, they have no fear trying a bunch of gestures or in announcing their predicament out to the class—and one of

32 MountainBrookMagazine.com

“

Tech provides an opportunity for students to have conversations to learn a little more about their fellow man and see that we all have things in common. We want students to empathize and understand someone else’s perspective. You may not agree with them, but you need to be listening.

�

-Thea Patrick

MountainBrookMagazine.com 33

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their classmates generally comes to the rescue.

“We do have some really supportive students.

They can build off each other, and there’s a lot of sharing even in kindergarten,” Thea says. “[The tech] is so engaging that they really want the other kids to be successful. They are so willing to help each other.

“In some ways, it’s really building community because the kids are having to think at a higher level We have to problem-solve to get through a lesson, and the kids just roll with it.”

Speaking of thinking at a higher level, through the app CoSpaces Edu, students are creating blocky 3D environments, like in the video game Mindcraft,

of planets they dream up in science class. After they build their planets on the Chromebooks, teachers can load them to the VR headsets and let others look around the newly created virtual environment.

“Before, students made environments in papermâché, but this will take it to the next level,” Thea says. “They can compare the planets’ environments and compare them to each other and to earth to have a better understanding of geology or biology.”

The biggest new technology component currently being tested at the Board of Education is an interactive classroom that tech coordinators hope to have in several schools down the road. The room will be outfitted to have an interactive floor and

MountainBrookMagazine.com 35

Mountain Brook Elementary School Technology Coordinator Thea Patrick

walls, where students can walk up and manipulate projected objects. A handful of students from Crestline have already tested out the practice room at the board.

“Our K1 students really can’t use [the VR goggles], so the classroom would give everyone an opportunity to explore virtual reality,” Thea explains. “This technology that you use to create something is what I’m interested in expanding in our schools.”

According to Thea, all five MBE teachers who applied for the school system’s Institute for Innovation grants in the 2017-18 school year met their tech goals “and beyond,” so plans are in place to expand use of both VR goggles and LUV next year by the full staff.

“Parents who have heard about [the tech] or read the blog want their kids to have it, too,” Thea says. “It’s not just a cool thing. They’re really learning.”

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&DRINK

FOOD

FROM HER KITCHEN TO YOURS

Black Sheep Kitchen’s Julie Grimes has always been a professional at helping get dinner on the table.

BY CHRISTIANA ROUSSEL PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCGOUGH & TIME INC FOOD STUDIOS MountainBrookMagazine.com 37

PREVIOUS PAGE: Black Sheep Kitchen serves its Tomato Pie seasonally.

PHOTO & STYLING

BY TRENT PICKENS THIS PAGE: Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

38 MountainBrookMagazine.com

T

There is a running joke amongst some Mountain Brook restaurant owners that Crestline Village is the food court of our fair city. Given the population density and younger demographic of this area, it is easy to see why so many food retailers are attracted to Church Street. In just a few square blocks, diners can enjoy everything from loaded hot dogs and fries to sushi and pad prik pork. There’s fresh seafood from the Gulf and protein power plates, fried chicken sandwiches and the best onion rings around. Then there’s the new Piggly Wiggly with a butcher AND a fishmonger, alongside hydroponic butter lettuce and organic kale offerings. Filling that niche in-between is Black Sheep Kitchen, a graband-go spot where chefowner Julie Grimes creates made-fromscratch meals that travel well and are surefire people pleasers.

Julie grew up cooking and always enjoyed the process. Majoring in English at Texas Tech, she taught school for a few years but always felt more at home in a kitchen than a classroom. She completed a work-study culinary program in New York City and went on to work in the famed Danny Meyer-owned Union Square Café. (Meyer’s restaurant group is also behind the new Shake Shack coming to The Summit this summer.) The work was rewarding but the pace was grueling, and she knew she eventually

wanted to make a change. Fast-forward several years to the time when Julie and her family moved to Birmingham and she landed a job with Southern Progress as an editor and recipe developer. The opportunity was perfect as it combined her first love, cooking, with her well-honed ability to write. Along the way, she learned what resonated with readers (and eaters!), what they wanted more of and what they could do without. All of this percolated in her mind, which is where the idea of Black Sheep Kitchen began. “I was always thinking about it, looking at possible locations and then when this space (in Crestline) opened up, the timing just seemed right,” she recounts.

From her corner spot Black Sheep adjacent to Church Street Kitchen Owner Julie Grimes Coffee and Books, Julie and her small staff feed ever-growing numbers of Mountain Brook residents. “I would say that about 95 percent of my customers live in Mountain Brook but I am still—even in our third year of business— getting in new customers who have never tried us before,” she says. A Crestline resident herself, community support is one of the things that drew Julie to open Black Sheep Kitchen in this particular location. “This might sound like an odd analogy, but I feel like Black Sheep Kitchen is what the beauty shop used to be in a town this size: a place to see familiar faces and keep up with friends old and new. The people of this community MountainBrookMagazine.com 39

Julie Grimes brings her background in test kitchens to work in her menus in Crestline.

40 MountainBrookMagazine.com

have just been a real blessing to me. I love being a part of people’s lives here. Like we know who just had a baby, who is in the hospital. Above all, I want to feel like we’re a good neighbor to have.”

Getting to this stage in her business took some tweaking though. “I look back at the direction of where I thought this would go and so much has changed—portion sizes, menu options—but the core approach is the same. All those years I had of being an editor and a recipe developer informed my decisions here at Black Sheep Kitchen. What are the dishes people want to make at home versus what do they want to pick up? What are the dishes that the whole family will eat?”

Julie changes many menu items each week but knows that if she completely gets rid of certain items, there might be a mutiny. Her guiding mantra is, “I want everything we do to be rooted in the familiar.” “Of course, we want to be aware of trends and new ingredients,” she says, “but I always come back to that fact. For example, our chicken pot-pie and meatloaf are very humble foods, rooted in Southern tradition.” Other options in rotation show off her Texas roots, like Gran’s Texas Brisket with Onion Jam or Pork Roast with Apples and Onions. Menu offerings are the dishes people crave but might not have time to make from scratch. So Julie does just that. “For the chicken pot-pie, I start by roasting the chickens myself, pulling the meat off the bones and then making my own stock. We make the

A CHAT WITH JULIE GRIMES If you were renting a beach house,

advanced degree, what would you

would take?

Oh, I would love to get my Masters in

what is the one kitchen tool you

A great chef’s knife is my first thought, but after that a good whisk.

What is something that works in Texas that might not fly here?

study?

Gastronomy.

Tell us something about you that would surprise our readers.

I prefer to eat Black Sheep Kitchen

If there is anything we make with

Bacon Almond Cheddar Spread with

pepper in the title – or gumbo or

Fritos scoops—no judgement, please!

enchiladas – people here want to know just how spicy the dish is. In Texas, eaters want things a lot spicier than I make them here.

If you could go back to school for an

What’s next for Black Sheep Kitchen?

Sales of my products outside of our

storefront, like our White BBQ Sauce and that Bacon Almond Cheddar Spread.

Pork Scaloppine from Julie Grimes’s new cookbook $10 Dinners

MountainBrookMagazine.com 41

Beer-Brasied Beef with Onions, Carrots & Thmye is featured in Julie Grimes’s new cookbook.

pastry ourselves.” And all those years perfecting recipes in the test kitchen added some secret skills to Julie’s arsenal. “The marinara meatloaf is another popular entrée we sell. We bring in imported Parmeggiano Reggiano to add that extra umami.”

Regular customers receive weekly emails from Black Sheep Kitchen with menu updates while others are apt to find Julie’s updates on Facebook and Instagram, showing off what has just come out of the oven, or noting that there are only a certain number of meatball orders left that day. “This is a community that really engages that way.” These social media followers will soon see something else new from Julie. She has a cookbook coming out this August from Oxmoor House: $10 Dinners: Meals for a Family of Four that Don’t Break the Bank. The idea originated while she was still working at Southern Living and her Oxmoor House editor, Rachel West, held on to the idea. The timing now seems perfect for its release. Featuring more than 100 weeknight-ready recipes, and several that would impress your mother-in-law, Julie seems once again poised to fill a kitchen need we never even knew we had.

42 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Prosecco Fizz

FOOD & DRINK

MARGARITA

TACO MAMA

BY SCOT HARRISON PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

A number of items on the Taco Mama menu have a story behind them, like The Big Client, Hippie Fisherman, The Judge burrito, Justice is Served and Alabama Redneck tacos. Each were named for people instrumental in Taco Mama founder Will Haver’s career in the hospitality business and his growing taco chain in particular. Almost from the start Will’s wife, Leigh, had asked when he’d name one after her. Knowing how Leigh and her friends enjoyed the occasional glass of prosecco, Will created the Prosecco Fizz Margarita. After all, he’s always credited Leigh as a key player in Taco Mama’s success.

WHAT’S IN IT Giro Tequila Silver Gran Marnier Lime Juice Simple Syrup Prosecco MountainBrookMagazine.com 43

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Abby Nevins

#I8MB Ambassador & Dietician PHOTO BY HARRY LONG

Eating healthy and eating out don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, Abby Nevins is eating her way through the Mountain Brook Restaurant Trail with just that duality in mind. After all, she spends her days advising the clients of her concierge nutrition business on how to eat well. How does she do it though? We met her to check Grille 29 off both our trails, and she told us. (Side note: To learn more about the trail, visit mtnbrookchamber.org and follow #i8mb on social media.)

What are some of your go-tos that you checked off your Restaurant Trail list first?

I got Zoes and Starbucks immediately out of the way. At Zoes I absolutely love the Cauliflower Rice Bowl, or I’ll get a Greek salad with chicken, not the one with potato salad in the middle, or their soup.

owns Crestline Bagel. He said you can order your bagel “scooped,” so they take out the inside extra breading and all you have left is the flavored exterior.

At Urban Cookhouse, their smoked turkey is some of the best I have ever had. I order it with roasted veggies and salad. At Miss Dots you don’t have to get the fried chicken. They have a phenomenal kale salad, and their How do you approach a menu when you Brussels sprouts are really good.

At La Paz I order the Village Salad with are trying to make healthy choices? chicken, and my father-in-law is jealous. It’s We eat out so much as a community that I have to tell my clients you can’t splurge every got seasoned chicken and a mango salsa and time you eat out or you will get yourself in avocado. At Taco Mama instead of a buildtrouble. I assess a menu by asking how I can your-own burrito bowl, I build my own get a decent protein and as many vegetables salad. You put everything else on top, but you are starting with your base as a vegetable as possible.

It’s also good to try to make half of your instead of rice.

I have a huge sweet tooth, so I know at plate non-starchy vegetables. You can order Olexa’s I will get a piece of wedding cake and two vegetable sides instead of rice at places like Taziki’s and Zoes. And don’t be afraid to share it with whoever I am with. So I’ll order ask for substitutions. I get a salad and also a salad with lean protein, instead of one of tomato-cucumber salad instead of rice at their paninis or focaccia, which are so good.

You’ve got to live a little, and Olexa’s cake Taziki’s. you just can’t pass up.

What tips do you have on specific items to order around Mountain Brook?

I live around the corner from Ralph who 44 MountainBrookMagazine.com

What new-to-you things have you tried on the trail?

I love to cook, so it’s very rare I’d pick up dinner. or Black Sheep Kitchen. But dinner.’s turkey meatballs were really good. You can serve them as-is or over spaghetti squash. I also had never been to Chez Lulu for dinner.

My husband is a pizza fanatic, and their pizza was fantastic. We went to Italy last October, and this was really authentic.

My husband grew up here too, and we have eaten at Otey’s so many times! I was thinking, “How many times have I gotten the chicken finger basket with honey mustard?” But I got the salad with the blackened chicken, and it was awesome. I also have clients who get the “Mayor’s Special” like Mayor Stewart Welch: two pieces of Blackened Chicken and slaw.

What’s up next?

I have never been to Bongiorno even though I grew up here, so I am excited to use the trail as an excuse to go. I already looked at ahead at Gus’s, and they have a grilled chicken sandwich. I’ll probably get that instead of a hot dog. I am interested to try the new Ice House Restaurant, I like the guys at Dram who started it and enjoy their food.

&STYLE

HOME

THE WOODLAND VOICE For three decades Louise Agee Wrinkle has let her family garden speak for itself.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD MountainBrookMagazine.com 45

T

The presence of Louise Agee Wrinkle’s mother and father is not far from the all-glass sunroom that provides a panorama of the natural woodland garden they birthed. “Father liked to be in the open, and Mother liked air conditioning,” Louise recounts. “So (this space) was their compromise.” A dark wood chest once held her father Rucker’s map collection, now in safe keeping in the Birmingham Public Library. A distinctly Southern peacock feather high back wicker chair has always been “Miss Hannah’s chair” after the elderly friend of her father’s who gifted it to him. The wall art and the furnishings alike are bedecked in florals, and a live fig vine grows up a brick wall, inside. “Mother left a little piece there where the foundation opened up to the ground,” Louise explains, also noting that without external roots she “kills (plants) as soon as (she) brings them inside.”

The living, breathing botanical expanse that comes up around the room is soothing, almost therapeutic. “I think that’s because it’s natural,” Louise says.

The pages of Louise’s new book Listen to the Land, released last fall, best tell the story of this woodland garden’s decades long journey in the Agee-Wrinkle family, and quite eloquently at that. “My lifelong connection with this piece of Alabama woodland has taught me how to hear its particular voice,”

Louise Wrinkle holds a photo of her and her father on her wedding day at their family home on Beechwood Road.

46 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Louise writes. “I have a strong feeling that, as gardeners, we should let the land speak for itself rather than impose our own thoughts and preferences upon it… I have always preferred to listen than to dictate. By listening to this unspoiled piece of Alabama woodland, I’ve learned to nurture and protect its unique nature.”

The book is part garden memoir, part garden guide book and part Mountain Brook history memoir. Louise had first seen the Beechwood Road property when she was 6, riding a pony from the Mountain Brook Riding Academy along a 12mile trail that followed Watkins Brook and Shades Creek to Mountain Brook Club. At that time, in 1938, to Louise it was “The Jungle” overgrown with honeysuckle, poison ivy and weed trees. Today that jungle is her garden, ripe with dogwoods, pines, tulip poplars, Southern magnolias and other Southern woodland species.

In her earliest memories the garden was a “natural playground” for Louise and her sister, Kitty. Their father, “an avid naturalist and early environmentalist,” took them on walks and taught them the common names of trees. Spendthe-night parties took place in a log cabin that was given to her dad after the Boy Scouts National Jamboree was held in Birmingham in the late 1930s. The cabin is now long since

The shape of these steps follows the natural contour of the land in Louise’s garden.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 47

EVERY BOOK HAS ITS OWN STORY The roots of Louise Agee Wrinkle’s Listen to the Land go back to a request by a well known British garden photographer for her to write a book and let him take the photos. Very few people stay in one place for 30 years, and she was coming up on that milestone. Maybe it was time to write a book, though she’d never considered herself a writer.

(It seems she could keep tapping long-hidden talents for decades, between taking up gardening in her late 50s and writing in her late 80s.) What came into being was two years of her own labor, eloquently telling the tale of her life and her garden, and sharing a wealth of the horticultural knowledge she’s amassed over the years.

These words—honed with assistance from her daughter Margaret, who has written a historical novel, and longtime friend and former Southern Living editor John Floyd, along with Birmingham Botanical Garden executive director Fred Spicer—paired with a compilation of old and new, professional and nonprofessional photographs in a picturesque coffee table volume released last fall. Since the book has come out, she’s started getting more requests for garden tours, and she’s continued to welcome garden clubs from all over and to speak at book signings at Garden Club of America meetings, book festivals and botanical gardens.

Listen to the Land can be purchased online or at Bromberg’s, The Dande Lion, Henhouse Antiques, Leaf & Petal at the Gardens, Little Hardware, Village Poodle, Smith’s Variety and select other local retailers. For more information, visit louisewrinkle.com.

48 MountainBrookMagazine.com

gone, but Louise did run into a man recently who said her first cousin Ted Agee and he used to camp out in there. Today a cutting garden stands in its place, with spring blooms making way for zinnias and dahlias in summer and fall.

But in Louise’s words, she “never set out to be a plant nut.” In fact, until age 57, horses were her passion, but when her two daughters went off to college, the “plant bug bit.” And when her parents passed away in 1985 and 1986, she and her husband took on their Beechwood Road garden, and their home, and made it their own.

A portrait of Louise It’s she, of course, who Wrinkle’s father, best articulates the garden’s Rucker Agee vision: “I wanted this place to be a personal oasis of calm and serenity, protected from the outside, where it could nurture the treasures I am fortunate enough to have here. I want to be in a world apart when I’m here in my garden; I want to see my house, my trees, my grass, not my neighbors. You can call this snobbery, but I want to be left alone to enjoy

my garden.”

But Louise’s vision evolved too. At first she thought she wanted exclusively native Southeastern plants, and then she discovered the parallel between U.S. Southeastern natives and “the Orient”: Korea, Japan and China. Today varietals from both regions stand side by side.

Take a garden tour with her at the end of March, and you’ll get a peek at the garden as spring starts to show its vibrant colors. At one stop, you’ll marvel at the brilliant yellowishorangish-reddish native azaleas, kept separate from the pink ones since Louise doesn’t like the colors to mix. At another stop she points out the mondo grass, which she has just had cut for the fourth time in 30 years. At another an evergreen dogwood that did so well that she has two younger ones elsewhere—with blooms that are “just spectacular.” At another, pink camellia blooms are just finishing up. At still another she enumerates one, two, three Japanese maple trees, each

MountainBrookMagazine.com 49

ABOVE: Louise works with seeds and cuttings in a potting shed that’s tucked into a hill in her family garden. BELOW: A drawing of the Agee family home hangs in its interior.

with a look so distinct you wouldn’t guess they were related.

And indeed everyone who walks through the garden will see different things. “Something is going on most of the time if you know what to look for,” Louise says. There’s Carolina silverbell, yellow magnolia, andromeda between steps, English bluebells…the list goes on and on. Each species is nestled amongst the natural slope of the land around a constantly flowing stream sourced at a spring two houses up the street. In the late 1980s Louise had a rock wall built lining a then newly constructed paved path that provides for easy walking access to all parts of the garden. In all of it, of course, she’s looked to “what’s dictated by the land” instead of imposing her own plan. As just one of many examples, a rock path 50 MountainBrookMagazine.com

FAMILY MEMBERS VERIFIED THAT SHE ONCE TALKED NON-STOP DURING A 5-HOUR ROAD TRIP TO FLORIDA.

CHILDREN A M A Z E U S E V E R Y D AY

winds to follow the contour of the land, instead of cascading straight down.

People often ask Louise what her favorite plant is. “It’s usually what I have been working on most recently.” On this particular spring day, the answer is Alexandrian laurel. It’s impervious to extra water, bugs, sun, shade, she notes, although she does have to cut it back. Another favorite? The native crabapple. She likes that it’s a four-season plant. “It blooms and has fruit in the fall,” she says. “In the winter it drops its leaves and everything but it’s very twiggy and has a lot of texture.”

Likewise, it’s no surprise that Louise treasures all seasons in the garden equally: “A lot of people are wedded to flowers and color

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MountainBrookMagazine.com 51 Talked Non-Stop - 3.5 x 9.75 - Hwood&MtnBrookMags.indd 1

3/26/18 11:17 AM

Louse Wrinkle shows our photographer around her woodland garden using the paths she had built in the 1980s.

“

I have always preferred to listen than to dictate. By listening to this unspoiled piece of Alabama woodland, I’ve learned to nurture and protect its unique nature.

-Louise Agee Wrinkle

52 MountainBrookMagazine.com

”

and dramatic things, and I am more interested in subtle things that develop through the years. I like winter too. The air is crisp and clean, and a lot of times its damp and cold and clear. You can see the liken on the trees and the bark. You see the bones so much better than with all the flowers.”

As Louise will tell you, gardening deals not only in length width and depth but also in time. It’s constantly changing. It must always look forward, always be prepared. As she chronicles in her new book, 1989 proved that with its straight line winds. The Blizzard of 1993 proved that, even taking down a Yoshino cherry Louise’s mother had planted 15 years earlier. 1995 proved that when Hurricane Opal left many downed trees in its path. On this spring particular day, she points out a bare area where the ground cover didn’t do well in one spot, so she’s putting Asiatic jasmine in its place. “You’ve got to keep working on it,” she says.

At age 86, today Louise delegates most of the garden work out, but she’s still the mastermind behind it. She’s ever trying new things. Some work. Some don’t. Most are detailed in her book, no matter their story. “If you don’t see something growing around here or your friends’ gardens, it usually doesn’t grow very well around here,” she explains. But perhaps her statement is more nuanced when applied to her own garden. If a plant isn’t there, it’s simply because Louise listened to the land and nurtured it accordingly.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 53

Endless Summer IN STYLE

By Kayley Coggins Photos by Lauren Ustad

FOR MOM

3 1

1. FLORAL RUFFLE DRESS

BY LOVE SHACK FANCY This dress’s high-low trim is flirty and pairs perfectly with your favorite summer heel for a night out or a casual wedding.

M. Lavender | $395

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2. GOLD METALLIC CLUTCH BY VASE Dress up any outfit with this gold metallic pattern.

Elle | $125

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3. GOLD METALLIC STATEMENT STUDS These fun stud earrings create more interest in the outfit. Dress them down with a neutral blouse and your favorite jeans for a weekend look.

M. Lavender | $125

4. BLUE STONED BRACELET

BY JULIE VOS This statement bracelet plays off cool tones flawlessly for any summer event.

George Crestline at Snoozy’s Kids | $375

5. NUDE WEDGES

BY CORDANI Wedges are both stlylish and practical for outdoor weddings.

Plus, these have such a fun tassel detail.

Elle | $199

54 MountainBrookMagazine.com

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1. OFF-THE-SHOULDER MAXI DRESS BY KIDDO BY KATIE

FOR DAUGHTER

Embroidery on a fun summer dress brings out so much interest for any girl.

Snap Girls | $52

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2. BLUE STONE NECKLACE BY SHIRA MELODY JEWELRY Add a pop of color to any outfit with this piece.

Snap Girls | $58

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3. BROWN LEATHER CLUTCH The handle of this clutch makes it unique and easy to wear for weddings or special events.

M. Lavender | $230

4. METALLIC GOLD STRAW HAT Pairing a great wide brim hat with metallic gold thread brings shine to any outfit, whether it’s paired with a sundress or jeans and your favorite top.

Elle | $29

3

22 Kayley Coggins is a wardrobe consultant and stylist who believes that fashion is a tool to help you feel beautiful in every season.

SUMMER MUST-HAVES 1. RED ONE SHOULDER BIKINI BY CHERYL KIDS CREATIONS

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This on-shoulder vibrant red bathing suit is one of many at Snap that’s both fun and modest for tweens.

Snap Girls | $45 for the set

2. BAG BY HELLO 3AM Pull out this bag for all the essentials of the summer season.

Snoozy’s Kids | $49.99

MountainBrookMagazine.com 55

56 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Promises

Kept

How a network of churches welcomes families who have fallen on hard times into their homes.

O

BY TRACEY RECTOR PHOTOS BY JENNIFER JONES

On a spring Sunday evening at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, worshippers bow their heads to the strains of choral music filtering from the sanctuary. At the opposite end of the building, teens attending the Episcopal Youth Fellowship program play spirited games and devour Mafiaoza’s pizza. And in a newly refurbished room in between these two extremes, Helen and Chris Harmon pull out portable beds and make them up with soft mattress covers, fluffy pillows and freshly laundered linens.

The Harmons, along with other volunteers at St. Luke’s, are preparing to welcome visitors that the church hosts as part of the Family Promise program. The family of four—mom Shannon and three children, Caleb, Kyla and Aries—will “live” at the church for a week.

They family arrives ready to go. While Shannon unloads their belongings onto a cart that a volunteer will take upstairs to their living quarters, Caleb proudly shows off his new watch to Helen.

Kyla holds the door open for the adults and then bounds up the stairs to check out the living arrangements. As toddler Aries evaluates his ability to manage the massive staircase on his own, Kyla returns, calling excitedly, “Caleb! Come up! There’s new stuff up here!”

A PROMISE TO KEEP Family Promise of Birmingham is a network of churches and synagogues throughout the city whose mission is to provide MountainBrookMagazine.com 57

St. Luke’s member Kim Kimberlin welcomes a family who is staying at the church for the week through Family Promise.

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support and safe lodging for families who’ve fallen on tough times. In addition to St. Luke’s, other Mountain Brook congregations that participate include Canterbury United Methodist, Mountain Brook Baptist, Saint Peter’s Anglican and Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The partnership fills a critical niche in social services in this area by keeping families intact and working to help them regain their independence.

Back to St. Luke’s this particular week, each morning Shannon drops the kids off at school before she goes to work.

They come “home” each night to a meal prepared or donated by church members, a relaxing environment for homework or family time, and a safe place to get a good night’s sleep.

Kim Kimberlin, coordinator of the program at St. Luke’s since 2006, has seen it all during her tenure. “Love and flexibility—that’s our motto,” she says. “Things pop up.” And the volunteers have to be ready.

She remembers a Friday evening when one of the girls staying at the church arrived upset because she couldn’t go to her school’s dance that night. “Her mom told her, ‘You don’t have a dress, you don’t have a way to get there, you just can’t go to that dance,’” Kim says. The volunteers saw an opportunity to play fairy godmother and jumped into action.

“We found her a dress that belonged to one of our daughters and a ride to and from the dance.” A true Cinderella story if ever there was one.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 59

ALL IN THE FAMILY The emphasis on family is a key component for the program. This is true not just for the families it serves, but for those who volunteer as well. Bill Carroll, coordinator of the Family Promise program at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, says his enthusiasm and involvement stem from seeing his own parents open up their home to struggling individuals who needed “a hand up, not a handout.”

“I remember when I was a boy my parents took in a young student from the Tennessee School for the Blind,” he says. “It made an impression on me.

Church members play with the family who has made the building home for the week.

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We encourage our parishioners to bring their children so they can learn what helping others looks like.”

Kim echoes the sentiment: “I keep doing it because of the impact on my family. For my son to come here, bring his football, and go play with a teenage boy who’s just sitting in his room with nothing to do is special to see.”

Shannon has nothing but praise for the program.

They were previously in a shelter in Ensley, but she heard about the program and contacted Rana Cowan, the executive director of Family Promise.

After completing an intake process that included a

background check and drug testing, the family became part of Family Promise. As Aries chases a ball around the Founders’ Room at St. Luke’s, Shannon says simply, “It’s been one positive thing after another.”

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE … AND FLEXIBILITY According to Kim, for each week that the church hosts, which is generally once a quarter, it takes approximately 40 volunteers to make it happen.

Jobs range from greeters to those who prepare and bring meals to those who spend each night in the church with the families present. It’s a labor of love and of service, and while the parishioners at St. Luke’s pretty much have it down to a science, occasionally things don’t go as planned.

Kim recalls that during last December’s surprise snowfall they were hosting two families at the church. Schools were cancelled, and most of the scheduled volunteers were unable to make it in for their shift. Kim admits she was initially a bit frustrated at having to stay so much longer than she had planned, but it ended up being a magical day for all involved.

“It was the birthday for one of the girls. We had ordered a cake from a bakery, but it didn’t get delivered because of the snow.” Ever resourceful, Kim asked the birthday girl if she would like to make a cake from a mix. “Her eyes lit up and she said, ‘I would love to make a cake!’ It struck me how much of a treat it was for this girl to get in a kitchen and make a cake from a box.”

While the snow fell outside, the volunteers who were there asked around and located enough gloves and hats for the guests. With everyone suitably bundled up against the cold, the kids threw snowballs and made a snowman with folks from the surrounding neighborhood. When it was time for the birthday party, they returned inside to a “homemade” cake.

But no party is complete without presents. Kim says that the only thing the girl wanted for her birthday was a copy of the book Wonder. “Thank goodness I had gone earlier in the week and purchased it. The look on her face when she opened it was priceless.”

A day of unexpected memories for all involved.

Proof once again for the Family Promise volunteers at St. Luke’s that opening doors to serve others results in blessings for everyone.

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BY SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR. PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA ATHLETICS & CONTRIBUTED

Tom Lovelady was back home in Mountain Brook during the week of the Masters, golf’s major event that welcomes the best of the game to Augusta, Georgia. Most of the time, though, Lovelady lives in Jupiter, Florida, sharing a house with fellow PGA Tour golfers Bud Cauley and Justin Thomas, the 2017 PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Justin was among the top performers after the first round of the Masters and wound up tied for 17th. Lovelady was not there but he’s not exactly lounging, either.

“He’s playing golf right now,” his mother Kitty says of her son, who arrived Tuesday night of Masters week and drove to Tuscaloosa to workout with the Alabama golf team. “Today he’s playing golf with Smylie Kaufman. Tomorrow, he’s got a group playing. Saturday, he’s got a group playing.

“Every day, it’s work for him,” she

continues. “But it’s work that he loves, and what a blessing that is.”

Tom is in his first season on the PGA Tour as a rookie who earned his initial tour card after just one year on the Web.com Tour. But he is not content to just be there.

His aim is to make himself at home on the tour next season, and beyond.

Golf has always been part of the Lovelady household. Tom was about 3 when his parents—mainly his father, Tim—took him onto the course.

“We belonged to Vestavia Country Club,” Kitty recounts. “We lived around the corner from the club. We would go after work or on weekendays. They would go up to the driving range or to the par 3.”

Tom was in the fourth or fifth grade before he started playing in tournaments.

By the time he was in junior high, the son could beat his father, who had been a junior golfer in his youth.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 63

These images mark Tom Lovelady’s early golf years.

COURTESY OF KITTY LOVELADY & MOUNTAIN BROOK HIGH SCHOOL

Scanned with CamScanner

64 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Stewart Jolly remembers being close friends with Tom but also being very, very competitive with him. Like Tom, he played at Vestavia Country Club.

“Mainly every afternoon, it was just me and Tom,” Stewart says. “At a really early age, like about seventh grade or so, I picked up golf and Tom was so much better than I was. I practiced so hard to try and get better so I could at least give him a match. We definitely wanted to beat each other so bad that that pushed us to get better.”

Tom’s prowess increased when he reached the high school level, by which point his family had moved to Mountain Brook.

Benny Eaves, the Spartans’ athletic director and golf coach, remembers Tom being No. 1 on the high school golf team from the time he stepped on the course as a ninth-grader.

The coach says Tom was 1A and Jolly was 1B. Jolly wound up going to LSU and helping the Bengal Tigers to a national championship.

“He was on (Tom’s) heels,” Eaves says, “but Tom was our No. 1 player.”

Eaves also recounts taking his Spartans to Ol’ Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa when the Tide was heavily recruiting Tom. His ace golfer had such an incredible round that a quadruple bogey on No. 18 still left him with a jaw-dropping 68.

“I (was) excited,” Eaves recalls of Tom’s showing, “and he wanted to dwell on (how he) he didn’t finish. That was his competitive nature.”

Tom was low medalist in the state tournament as a freshman and a senior. His 12th-grade effort gave Mountain Brook its first team state title on Eaves’ watch. He outshot Jolly for the individual crown.

Through it all, it was Tom’s competitive drive that set him apart.

“Tom wants to win,” Eaves says. “Some people have that, but they have some fear. They play not to lose instead of playing to win. Tom had the drive, but he also had the fearless factor. Tom is fearless.”

Tom continued his success on the links as a golfer at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a pair of NCAA national championships. But his senior season would be his most challenging as he lost his father and mentor, Tim Lovelady, on Aug. 10, 2015.

“It was a long process of soul searching, a lot of depression … and it sucked,” Tom told Golfweek. “But you know, there were two ways to look at it: just let that affect me and let my golf go down, or just keep playing hard and do what would make him proud. I feel like I’ve done a good job of that.”

His mother Kitty agrees. “The philosophy of our family since Tim has died is you could either sink or swim,” she says of herself, Tom and his sister, Annie. “You have a choice of how you want to live your life. I just kept telling my kids, ‘We’re gonna get through this. We’re gonna get through this. We’re gonna swim.’”

After finishing at Alabama, Tom thrust himself into golf, MountainBrookMagazine.com 65

BELOW: Tom Lovelady helped the Crimson Tide to a pair of NCAA national championships.

RIGHT: “Tom Lovelady displays the perfect follow through,” a caption in the MBHS yearbook for this photo reads.

playing in local amateur tournaments and finding success. Coincidentally, the day his diploma came in the mail is the day he got his first paycheck from playing golf.

“There’s something to winning money as opposed to winning a trophy,” Kitty says. “When he started getting a paycheck for playing golf, he knew this is what he wants do and he was going to give it his all.”

Tom played in golf’s version of the minor leagues,

competing in a number of mini tours. After just one year on the Web.com Tour, he earned his PGA Tour card. He had five top-10 finishes there and ended the season third in driving distance and the leader in putting average and birdie average.

Appearing in a PGA Tour Video, Tom said he learned a lot from his play in the fall and was looking forward to the 2018 season.

“I learned that you don’t have to play perfect golf to

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win,” he says. “I kind of caught myself trying to play too perfect instead of just being myself. Just trying to be consistent in what I’m doing is my main key.”

In another video, Tom was a gracious host as he welcomed the cameras of Inside the PGA Tour to the residence in Jupiter, Florida, he shares with Thomas and Cauley, each a PGA Tour player who is also a University of Alabama alumnus.

“We always have fun,” Tom says. “If we’re not playing golf, we’re definitely hanging out.

You’re just free to hang out in the pool and just absolutely do nothing. That time’s crucial.”

Kitty laughs as she is reminded of the video of her son guiding the tour.

“They’re slumming it, aren’t they?” she jokes of the lavish accommodations. “Luckily, Justin has made a little bit of money to where they can live in a nice house with a pool. It’s really terrific.”

As he strolls through the house in the video, Tom is quick to point out the Crimson Tide theme that can be found throughout. There’s the Bama cornhole

game, the architect’s rendering of Bryant-Denny Stadium and the crimson-felted pool table with the signature script A in the man cave upstairs.

“Unfortunately, I’m the cook and the cleaner and take out the trash,” Tom says in the video. “Bud is good about cleaning, but Justin’s more of a supervisor.”

Kitty says moving to Jupiter was the best decision of her son’s life. He’s living with seasoned professionals and has a perfect view of their work ethic and how they live.

Back in Alabama, Kitty watches her son reach for his goal. And even when he has done well, hers has not always been a comfortable seat.

“You pray constantly he’ll play well,” she says. “I still am that way today. Now my worry is I hope he can stay on the Tour next year. I hope he makes the top 125. There’s never a time as a parent that you don’t worry.”

But, she adds, there is solace.

“To make a living at what you love? I don’t know many people who can say that.”

MountainBrookMagazine.com 67

MOUNTAIN BROOK’S BEST WINNERS 2018 Who’s the best? We asked, and you answered.

Thousands of votes were cast in Mountain Brook Magazine’s inaugural Best contest. Read on to find out our readers’ favorite shops, restaurants and more in Mountain Brook.

Photos by Rebecca Wise

68 MountainBrookMagazine.com

FOOD & DRINK MOST FRIENDLY SERVICE Root to Tail 2031 Cahaba Road English Village 205-730-1699 roottotail.com Finalists: Otey’s Tavern, Taco Mama, Gilchrist MOST KID FRIENDLY DINING Davenport’s Pizza Palace 2837 Cahaba Road Mountain Brook Village 205-879-8603 davenportspizza.com Finalists: Taco Mama, Gilchrist BEST CASUAL DINING Taco Mama 63 Church Street

Crestline Village 205-414-9314 tacomamaonline.com Finalists: Otey’s Tavern, Billy’s Sports Grill BEST DATE NIGHT Dyron’s Lowcountry 121 Oak Street Crestline Village 205-834-8257 dyronslowcountry.com Finalists: Avo & Dram, Ollie Irene BEST LADIES LUNCH Olexa’s 2838 Culver Road Mountain Brook Village 205-871-2060 olexas.com Finalists: Brick & Tin, Chez Lulu

BEST DATE NIGHT Dyron’s Lowcountry

MountainBrookMagazine.com 69

BEST COFFEE Church Street Coffee & Books 81 Church Street Crestline Village 205-870-1117 churchstreetshop.com

BEST DRINKS/COCKTAILS Avo & Dram

BEST VILLAGE Crestline Village The clock tower marks the spot of not just some of our favorite shops and restaurants but also our city hub—with city hall, the library and more.

Finalists: Crestline Bagel Company, Starbucks BEST SWEET TREATS Olexa’s 2838 Culver Road Mountain Brook Village 205-871-2060 olexas.com

Finalists: Mountain Brook Village, English Village BEST LOCAL CAUSE Mitchell’s Place Two decades ago Nancy and Allen Meisler were looking for resources for their son Mitchell after his autism diagnosis. Today the center they started is more than they ever dreamed of. mitchells-place.com

Finalists: Mountain Brook Creamery, Magic Muffins, Continental Bakery BEST PIZZA Davenport’s Pizza Palace 2837 Cahaba Road Mountain Brook Village 205-879-8603 davenportspizza.com Finalists: Mafiaoza’s Pizzeria & Neighborhood Pub, Basil BEST DRINKS/COCKTAILS Avo & Dram 2721 Cahaba Road Mountain Brook Village 205-871-8212 avorestaurant.com

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Finalists: Mystics of Mountain Brook Parade, Otey’s Fest, Taste of Mountain Brook

PHOTO BY PATRICK MCGOUGH

Finalists: Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook, Vino/ Gallery Bar BEST CHEF Ben Vaughn/Root to Tail 2031 Cahaba Road English Village 205-730-1699 Finalists: Randall Baldwin/ Dyron’s Lowcountry, Rodney Davis/Otey’s Tavern

COMMUNITY BEST COMMUNITY EVENT Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off Because you can eat chili for days while hanging out with awesome people and supporting an even better cause.

Finalists: Magic Moments, Junior League of Birmingham, Sid Strong Foundation BEST OUTDOOR SPOT Jemison Park Could there be better place to run, walk, fish or play creekside under an Alabama canopy?

Finalists: Overton Park, Cahaba River Walk

BEST CHURCH CHOIR Canterbury United Methodist Church Each Sunday morning voices fill the Canterbury sanctuary in song.

350 Overbook Road canterburyumc.org Finalist: Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church BEST LOCAL PERSONALITY George Jones Snoozy’s Kids Owner A stop into this bright and friendly Crestline kids store isn’t complete without a chat with the vivacious George Jones.

Finalists: Mayor Stewart Welch, Michael Gee, Jack

Royer, Sara Evans, Will Haver

HEALTH & BEAUTY BEST DENTAL/ ORTHODONTICS PRACTICE Hufham Orthodontics 120 Euclid Avenue Crestline Village 205-871-8881 hufhamortho.com Finalists: Kevin J. Alexander, Crestline Village Dentistry BEST PHARMACY Crestline Pharmacy 60 Church Street Crestline Village 205-871-0317

MOST FRIENDLY SERVICE Root to Tail

PHOTO BY MARY FEHR

MountainBrookMagazine.com 71

Finalists: Harbin Discount Pharmacy, CVS, Ritch’s Pharmacy

BEST CHURCH CHOIR Canterbury United Methodist Church

PHOTO BY JACKSON ROSS

BEST HAIR SALON Tonya Jones SalonSpa 2410 Fairway Drive English Village 205-870-4247 // 2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 280 Cahaba Village 205-870-4247 tonyajonessalon.com Finalists: Oak Tree Hair Group, Angel Hair Family Hair Care BEST NAIL SALON Nail Tek Salon 600 Olde English Lane, Suite 120 English Village 205-879-3377 nailteksalon.com Finalists: Canterbury Nails, Envy Nails BEST SPA Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook 2655 Lane Park Road Mountain Brook Village 205-414-0505 kesslercollection.com/ bohemian-mountain-brook/ Finalists: Tonya Jones

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SalonSpa, Village Dermatology Aesthetic and Laser Center BEST FITNESS CENTER The Country Club of Birmingham 3325 Country Club Road 205-879-4611 ccbham.org Finalists: Mountain Brook YMCA, MPower Pilates+Cyle, Levite Jewish Community Center

SHOPPING & SERVICES

BEST NEW BUSINESS Holland Williams Photography Holland recently moved her business to Mountain Brook

BEST DENTAL/ ORTHODONTICS PRACTICE Hufham Orthodontics

from Montgomery.

850-384-6709 hollandwilliamsphotography. com

BEST SWEET TREATS Olexa’s

THAN K YOU!

Finalists: Root to Tail, Speed Spa, Trifusion, Tulipano, Ice House BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Snoozy’s Kids 228 Country Club Park Crestline Village 205-871-2662 Finalists: The Pants Store, Please Reply, Lamb’s Ears, Ltd. BEST BOUTIQUE/ CLOTHING The Pants Store 233 Country Club Park Crestline Village 205-868-1616 pantsstore.com Finalists: Stella Blu, Elle BEST STORE FOR GIFTS

TIE BETWEEN: Lamb’s Ears, Ltd. 70 Church Street Crestline Village 205-802-5700 lambsearsltd.com A’mano 281 Rele Street Mountain Brook Village 205-871-9093 amanogifts.com Finalists: Please Reply, Smith’s Variety, Lucky Duck Gifts & More BEST STORE FOR HOME Furnishings/Décor/ Kitchens Table Matters 2402 Montevallo Road Mountain Brook Village 205-879-0125 table-matters.com

VOTED BEST SALON IN MOUNTAIN BROOK

CAHABA VILLAGE 2800 CAHABA VILLAGE PLAZA SUITE 280 ENGLISH VILLAGE 2410 FAIRWAY DRIVE WWW.TONYAJONESSALON.COM 205.870.4247 MountainBrookMagazine.com 73

BEST STORE FOR KIDS Snoozy’s Kids

Finalists: Lamb’s Ears, Little Hardware, The Cook Store BEST STORE FOR KIDS Snoozy’s Kids 228 Country Club Park Crestline Village 205-871-2662 Finalists: Smith’s Variety, Once Upon a Time BEST FLORIST/GARDEN

3810 River Run Drive, Birmingham

205-970-0411 • www.libertyah.com 74 MountainBrookMagazine.com

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT Shelley Clark Ray & Poynor Properties 205-222-2868 raypoynor.com/agent/ shelley-clark/ Finalists: Stephanie Robinson/RealtySouth, Kathryn Dorlon/Ray & Poynor Properties, Betty Coe/ RealtySouth

SHOP Leaf & Petal 2817 Cahaba Road Mountain Brook Village 205-871-3832 leafnpetal.com

BEST INSURANCE AGENT Doug Corey Crutchfield & Graves Insurance Agency 205-988-5099 crutchfieldandgraves.com

Finalists: Oak Street Garden Shop, Mountain Brook Flower Shop

Finalist: Kelly Byrne/JH Berry Risk Services

BEST BANK BEST ANIMAL CARE/CLINIC Regions Bank 35 Church Street Liberty Animal Hospital Crestline Village // 3810 River Run Drive 2721 Culver Road 205-970-0411 Mountain Brook Village libertyah.com 800-734-4667 regions.com Finalists: Montclair Animal Clinic, Pet Vet Express, Finalists: BBVA Compass, Hollywood Feed Wells Fargo, Oakworth Capital Bank

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Dr. Carlo is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon treating complex problems of the hand and upper extremity. He earned his bachelor's and medical degree from Harvard University before finishing his internship in surgery and residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He went on to complete his fellowship in hand and upper extremity from the University of Florida. Dr. Carlo is a bilingual physician, speaking both English and Spanish to better serve our patients.

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Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce C O N N E C T I O N S

New Member Spotlight Total Skin & Beauty Dermatology Center Greybox Investments Total Care Providers of Alabama TriFusion Resumes by Randi About Town Floss Family Dentistry Birmingham Barons Colliers International Morris Construction Shades Valley Presbyterian Church Foundations Early Learning & Family Center Tulipano Adelaide Matte Designs LLC

Happenings Around Town Village 2 Village Run | March 10

Welcome, New Gold Members BBVA Compass

Crestline Egg Roll | March 31 Outklick

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Happenings Around Town Trifusion Ribbon Cutting | April 6

Save the Date May 5

Cinco de Mayo Party Lapaz, Crestline 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

May 8

Celebrate May Mountain Brook Village Shops 10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

June 6

Chamber Go & Grow Featuring Business Practices from Local Experts Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce 8:30 a.m.

Oakworth Ribbon Cutting | April 4

June 12

Freedom from Addiction Coalition hosted by Over the Mountain Mayors Canterbury United Methodist Church 8:00 a.m.

Greenhalgh Insurance Eggs & Issues | April 4 Ribbon Cutting | April 6

June 14

Hampton Inn Grand Re-Opening Hampton Inn, Mountain Brook Plaza 4:00 p.m.

It’s not too late to hop on the Restaurant Trail!

For more information, visit mtnbrook chamber.org/ restaurant-trail.

205 - 871 - 3779

WWW.MTNBROOKCHAMBER.ORG MountainBrookMagazine.com 77

OUT & ABOUT

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

Runners finished a 10K (or new 7.5K) run to find mimosas and more at an after party in Lane Parke on March 10.

1. Denise Moss and Jeremiah Jarrad 2. Kara Reid, Jennefer Parkey and Rebecca Vernazza 3. Ann and Sarah Inskeep, and Caley Record 4. Sara Higginbotham, Avery Cooper and Rawdy Bressner 5. Tricia Felgner and Betsy Rabolli 6. Tim and Gina Mouser 7. Mollie Everitt, Amelia Spardello, and Hawley Schneider 8. Niki Marsh, Kalai Livingston and Sara Muneher 9. Jennifer Courtney and Nathan Allendorf 10. Kathleen Wilson, Elizabeth Robertson and Mary Allison Anderson 11. Meghan Handley and Katelyn Greer 12. Beth and Avery Harris, and Jenny Mizzell 13. Meg Wilson and Annie Drennan 14. Hannah Bartles and Alexis Kennedy 15. Cooper and Margie Cashio

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OUT & ABOUT

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OVERTON PARK EASTER EGG HUNT

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Egg hunting, face painting, photo booths, a cake walk and the Easter Bunny of course took over Overton Park for this annual event on March 17 hosted by Off Shoots Garden Club and Overton Park Garden Club.

1. The Drummonds and The Rices 2. Elizabeth and Emma Kate Cantrell 3. Lydia and Luke White 4. Ryan, Anna and Mae Brooks 5. Grayson Barragan 6. Ellie Halpern and Elizabeth Powell 7. Laura Woodry, Caroline Harrison, Addison Hardee, Samantha Wedell and Julia Graves 8. Laila Sofia Mays and Magali Mays 9. Conlee Devening, Lalah Peagler and Sara Clark Powell 10. Ann Marie and Ginny Harrison 11. Sterling and Lyla Lombo 12. Charlie Peagler 13. April Kirksey, Samantha Eberts and Margaret Anne Schilder

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OUT & ABOUT

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COLOR4FRIENDSHIP COLOR RUN

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Runners started in white shirts and ended plastered in color. Team Friendship planned the March 18 event to raise awareness for individuals with special needs.

1. Parker and Rowan Williams 2. Jan and Anna Ewens 3. Julie and Camille Rediker

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4. Jack Weinrib and Benny Friedman 5. Miles McMillan 6. Hannah Halpern, Maddie Usdan, Rachel Estreicher, Sam Estreicher and Marlie Thompson 7. William and Hastings Bromberg 8. The Thornton Family 9. Hannah and Ellie Halpern, and Gili Weintraub 10. Ella, Mia and Lia Davdevani 11. Sari Menakez and Children 12. Mushka and Menny Weinbaum

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EASTER EGG ROLL

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PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

The Easter Bunny entered the Easter Egg Roll in Crestline on a fire truck on March 31 before making his way to his photo spot.

1. Kate and Annie Allen 2. Lucy Rosenthal 3. Mary Ella Thrasher and Adelaide Carter 4. Shep and Helen Ray 5. Hobbs and Charlotte Wahl 6. Mary Allison and James Bradford Han 7. Sam and Jack Donald 8. Ford, Sutton, Elizabeth and Whit Macklem 9. Molly and Susie Wykle 10. Caroline and Mary Virginia Rushing 11. James Patrick Laire and Virginia Campbell

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SHADES CREEK FEST

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

The first Shades Creek Fest brought bluegrass music, wildlife demonstrations and more to Jemison Park on April 7.

1. The Odrezins 2. Mary Andrews and Baynes Carlisle 3. Sim and Courtney Johnson and Maureen Gleysteen 4. Eleanor and Molly Van Zandt 5. Dr. Robert Levin and Emma Levin 6. Jean and Sarah Gillespie 7. John Clark and Ford Newman 8. Kathryn, Jason, Ellie, and Tripp Jones, and Chris Boles 9. Olivia Sproule, Mary Mac Coppedge and Ellen Alandy 10. Davis, Kathryn and William Rives 11. Mary Pitts and Lily Hughes

205-447-3275 • cezelle@realtysouth.com

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Mother’s Day Brunch May 13th Father’s Day Brunch June 17th 9

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MARKETPLACE

Marketplace Mountain Brook Magazine • 205.669.3131

INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES $17.68 hour + production & safety $$$ incentives.

Grocery order selection using electric pallet jacks & voice activated headsets.

PART-TIME TRUCK DRIVERCLASS A Average $0.53 per mile deliver palletized loads to grocery stores within 300 mile radius. Work available 7 days/week. Can lead to full-time employment. Clean MVR and 2 years minimum tractor-trailer experience required. Paid vacation & holidays. Blue Cross health & dental insurance. Matching 401k plan. Apply online at AGSOUTH.COM or call Charlie Seagle at (205) 8084833 Pre-employment drug test required.

Automation Personnel Services Hiring IMMEDIATELY For: Automotive Assembly, General Labor, Production, Clerical, Machine Operator, Quality, Carpentry, Welder, Foundry. Positions In: Calera, Clanton, Pelham, Bessemer, McCalla. Walk-in applications accepted.

Clanton (205)280-0002.

Pelham (205)444-9774.

B & J Metal Fabricators Offering more than roofing!

•Metal roofing •Portable metal buildings •Custom sizes available Customize your own!! Montevallo (205)665-4687 (205)2969988 Bama Concrete Now Hiring: Diesel Mechanic 4 Years Minimum Experience.

CDL Preferred. Competitive Pay. Great Benefits. Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Bent Creek Apartments.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom. On-site Manager.

On-site Maintenance. 3001 7th Street. North Canton, AL 35045. TDD#s: 800-5482547(V) 800-548-2546(T/A) bentcreek@morrowapts.com Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am4pm. Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer

BEST CARS, INC in Clanton, AL. Double your Tax Refund • Up to $1,000 on purchase of select vehicles. Offer good through February 28, 2018. 1674 7th Street South, Clanton AL 35045 205-755-3737 **Bring in this ad to qualify for Tax Refund offer!** Class-A CDL Truck Driver needed. Great pay with health benefits, holiday and vacation pay. Home every night. Contact Cahaba Veneer office at 205-9269797.

Birmingham Hide & Tallow Immediate position for CLASS-B ROUTE DRIVERS FOR LOCAL ROUTE. WELLESTABLISHED 100+ YEAR COMPANY NOW HIRING ROUTE DRIVERS. HOME NIGHTS/WEEKENDS. LOOKING FOR HARD WORKING DRIVERS TO JOIN OUR TEAM. CLEAN MVR/BG CHECK REQUIRED. COMPETITIVE PAY & BENEFITS: BCBC, 401K, PAID HOLIDAYS/VACATION, COMPANY FURNISHED UNIFORMS. CALL 205425-1711 OR EMAIL: adria. lupien@bhtonline.com Boise Cascade Now Hiring for Utility Positions. Starting pay $13/hour. Must be able to pass background screen.

Please apply at www.bc.com BRIARWOOD APARTMENTS Now Leasing! Beautiful 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments. Mon & Wed 8:30am-4pm. 535-A Hicks St. Montevallo • 205665-2257 • TDD #’s: (V)1800-548-2547 • (T/A)1-800548-2546. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Overthe-road positions available.

Dry vans. No hazmat. Must have one year over-the-road.

Experience and a clean MVR. Competitive pay and bonus package. Good home time. Call 800-633-9710 ext. 2 Chase Learning Center & Day Care in Pelham is Now Hiring • PT Nursery • PT After-school. $8/hr. 5 days/ week. Great for college students! 205-620-1616

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Seeking two qualified individuals to fill two part time driver vacancies for Chilton County Transit. Applicants must meet the following qualifications: must possess a valid Alabama driver’s license, a high school diploma, extensive knowledge of Chilton County Roads, clean driving record, and good math skills.

No phone calls, please.

Applications are available at the Transit office at 508 Enterprise Road, Clanton between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. Applicants should send application or resume to: Employment Opportunity P. O. Box 1245 Clanton, AL 35046 Coosa Valley Medical Center NOW HIRING! •RN Med/Surg, 7am-7pm •RN Labor & Delivery, 11pm-7am 7-on/7-off •LPN CVMC Nursing Home, 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7am •RN ICU, 7am-7pm Email resume to: Blaine.Green@cvhealth.net or to apply, go to www.cvhealth.net Full Time and Part Time RN’s Needed for home health in Bibb, Shelby and Chilton counties. Excellent Salary and Benefits. Please send resumes to jobs@rubic. com or call 866-273-3984

DCH Health System Caring. For Life. $5,000 *Sign-on Bonus for full time RNs *For More Info Contact Annie.Miller@dchsystem. com. Apply online at: www. dchsystem.com

good driving record, 1 yr verifiable tractor trailer experience. Good pay and benefits. Apply in person at 8278 Hwy 25 South, Calera, AL, or call for info 205-668-3316.

Homewood Area Package Store. Day Shift (10am-6pm) Clerk/Stocker. Must be 21, have retail experience, be able to multi-task, able to work any shift. Good pay.

Call (205)585-8900

Evergreen Transport, LLC has immediate openings in the Maintenance Department at its Calera Terminal for the following positions: Diesel Mechanics (Both day and night shifts): Repairing, maintaining, overhauling of heavy duty fleet trucks and any other duties as requested. Tire Technician: Repairing/ replacing flat, leaking, mismatched or damaged tires. Finding and replacing missing lugs and damaged rims and any other duties requested. If interested, please call Jason Bentley @ 205-668-3316 or apply in person at 8278 Hwy 25, Calera, AL 35040.

Edgar’s Bakery Interviewing candidates for cake decorators, front counter associates, bakery production workers, packagers, and drivers.

Apply online: edgarsbakery. com or at your nearest Edgar’s location.

Job Posting: Human Resource Manager FullTime File Clerk/Data Entry Clerk Part-Time Please email resume: Oacinc5@ yahoo.com Or mail to: Post Office Drawer 559 Clanton, Alabama 35045 Certified Welders & Tank Fitters needed for field erected tanks. Work done in Southeast. Good pay and benefits. Call 800-728-8265 ext 224 Email resume to c.bradley@esptank.com ERP Compliant Coke is now accepting applications for experienced BOILER / POWER PLANT OPERATOR $20.56/hr +excellent benefits Apply at local Career Center or email resume to pmay@erpcoke. com EOE/M/F/VET/DIS Welder Training. Short Term Licensing . Call for Details .

866-432-0430 ESDschool. com $2000 SIGN ON BONUS NEW PAY SCALE TO QUALIFYING DRIVERS EVERGREEN TRANSPORT, is accepting applications for local drivers in the Calera and Leeds, AL, area.

Must have Class A CDL,

Taking applications for experienced part-time bartender for growing business in Clanton. Call Teresa: 334-235-0228 or call the restaurant between 4-10pm: 205-280-4949 ONLINE AUCTIONS www.GTAOnlineAuctions. com 205-326-0833 Granger, Thagard & Assoc.

Jack F. Granger #873 DRIVERS Hanna Truck Lines is seeking Professional Flatbed Drivers. 53 cpm No surprises: Starting pay (all miles): 51 cpm, 52 cpm at 6 months, 53 cpm at 1 year. 100% Outbounds loads Pre-loaded & Tarped. 75% Inbound No Tarp. Late Model Peterbilt Trucks. Air Ride Trailers. Home weekends.

Low cost BCBS Health & Dental Ins. Matching 401K. Qualifications: 18 months Class A CDL driving experience with 6 months flatbed; Applicants must meet all D.O.T. requirements. Contact

MARKETPLACE recruiting at 1-800-634-7315 or come by HTL office at 1700 Boone Blvd, Northport.

EOE LPN’s, RN’s, CNA’s Full-time & part-time • 2nd & 3rd Shift Apply in person: Hatley Health Care 300 Medical Ctr Dr Clanton, AL 35045 Looking for a wonderful place to live? NEW Meadow View Village Apartments. Columbiana, AL. Now Pre-leasing 2&3 Bedrooms. Great Amenities Provided. Call 256-5600821. 99 Eagle Lane. info@ hollyhand.com. Equal Housing Opportunity.

CDL TRUCK DRIVER For Tree Service. Also hiring for other full-time and part-time jobs. Drug Test Required.

205-836-2038 or 205-2297144 Kelly Educational Staffing® We’re hiring! •Substitute teachers •Aides •Cafeteria •Clerical •Custodial positions Shelby County School District & Alabaster City Schools.

Please call 205-8707154 -Equal Opportunity EmployerOwner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com Service Technician. Top Pay, Benefits & Commission!

Mainline Heating & Air. 400 Hillwood Park S, Alabaster, AL. Or email resume to: ashley@mainlineheating.com (205)664-4751 Marble Valley Manor.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments for Elderly & Disabled. Many on-site services! 2115 Motes Rd, Sylacauga. 256-245-6500 •TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) •800-548-2546(T/A). Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.

Equal Opportunity Provider/ Employer

Are you a motivated professional? Are you looking for a dynamic career? Are you ready to control your own level of success? See why McKinnons’ is an exciting place to work and grow.

Now accepting applications for Sales, Service, and Detail Shop. Apply with the receptionist. 205-755-3430 Shake up your career!!!

Are you looking for something new and FUN? Milo’s is always looking for great managers to come join our growing and dynamic team. Apply online at miloshamburgers.com 280 Location Opening Now Hiring 3 shift Managers.

Pay Rate $9-$11. 20-25 Employees. Pay Rate $7.75-$8.50. Must have own transportation and flexible schedule. Apply at recruiting.talentreef.com/ momma-goldbergs-deli (205)503-6190

Diploma or GED. • Are at least 18 years old. Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com Odyssey Early Schools.

Birmingham’s Best Daycare/ Preschool is Seeking Experienced Teachers. 4 Year Degree Preferred.

Full-Time. BEST Pay. FULL Benefits (Insurance, Leave, Holidays). Call Annie Fine 205-991-0039.

Oxford Healthcare in Montgomery currently hiring certified CNA’s and/ or Home Health aides in the Clanton, Marbury and Maplesville areas. Must be able to pass complete background check, have reliable transportation and have a strong work ethic. Serious inquires only. Call 334-409-0035 or apply on-line at www.

Oxfordhealthcare.com

Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657

Class A CDL Drivers Needed Immediately for Dump Trailer Hauling • $2000 Retention Bonus • Local Hauling • Home Nights APPLY ONLINE: www.perdidotrucking.com Perdido Trucking Service, LLC 251-470-0355

Production Jobs. Willing to Train. AAM in Columbiana is HIRING for multiple shifts.

Email resume to dcurtis@ grede.com or apply in person: 130 Industrial Pkwy, Columbiana, AL 35051

Move in Special! 3/2 Garden Home w/garage.

Dishwasher, Fenced backyard, Great Room w/ vaulted Ceiling. Calera Schools. Rent $1150. FLAT SCREEN TV!! (205)433-9811

NOW HIRING Class-A CDL Driver Must have clean driving record, two years experience Will train drivers on tank Drivers home nightly Contact Keith at: 205-4384959

The Salvation Army, Alabaster, is hiring (Seasonal) Angel Tree Coordinator • Kettle Coordinator • Required Skills: Driver, databases, computer, physical abilities. Email resumes to: Rufus.McDowell@uss. salvationarmy.org 205-6637105

INDUSTRIAL CLEANING IN VANCE Requirements: •18 Years Old •HS Diploma/GED •Able to work variable shifts/ weekends/holidays •Able to lift up to 50lbs constantly, stand on your feet for 8hrs •Able to pass drug screen/ background check Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com Production / Manufacturing Vance, Alabama Starting pay: $12.00 – $14.50 /hr. • Have 2 years+ Production/ Manufacturing experience.

• Have Recently Lived in Alabama at least 2 years.

• Have A High School

Soon the Mark of the Beast Will Be Enforced.

Free Book & Bible Study.

PO Box 171 • Samantha, AL 35482 205-339-4837 Order Selectors Food Dist. Center in Pelham Day-Shift: Mon-Fri. 40+ hours/week 10:00AM until finished (varies). Salary: $16-20/hr after training.

Benefits: Medical, vision, dental, vacation & 401k.

Requirements: •Reading & math skills •Lift 40 lbs.

repetitively •Work in -10 Temperature Apply in person: 8:30AM-5:00PM Southeastern Food 201 Parker Drive Pelham, Alabama 35124 resume@ southeasternfood.com

capstonedentalassisting.com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

Immediate Positions!!!!

Positions needed: Warehouse • Sales Reps • Assistant Manager • Delivery Drivers • Customer Service.

Laid back atmosphere, good pay, plenty of hours available! Company vehicles to qualified individuals!

Call Andrew 9am-7pm • Mon-Sat at (205)490-1003 or (205)243-6337 CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock. Alabaster/ Pelham. Call Stephen (205)663-2822 Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham. Must be willing to learn & work hard.

Go to: supremeelectric-al. com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-453-9327.

TARGET AUCTION Advanced Real Estate Marketing 800-476-3939 www.targetauction.com TaylorMade Transportation Hiring CDL Drivers for Flatbed Regional Division!

BCBS Insurance After 30 Days. To apply call: (334)366-2269 or email: s.smith@taylormadeinc.com Learn a Skill & Begin your Career! Earn $50,000 & More First Year. Hiring Hard Working Insulation & Afterpaint Installers!

•Immediate Openings •We Train you to Succeed.

Requirements: •Valid DL •Drug Test •MVR •Background Check. www. truteam.com/careers or 205.428.9381 The Painting Company of Birmingham Immediate openings for professional residential and commercial painters. Must be able to speak English.

Call 205-995-5559

WCA • Roll Off Drivers needed for our Alpine, AL location. Class A or B CDL is required along with one (1) year of verifiable equivalent commercial truck driving experience. Must have a valid and safe driving record.

We offer competitive wages & a comprehensive benefits package which includes: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, Life Insurance, Short & Long Term Disability, Paid Holidays and PTO. Please apply through our website at www.wcawaste.com EOE M/F/D/V WARRIOR MET COAL NOW HIRING Located in Brookwood, AL Immediate need for experienced: •Underground Miners •Electricians •Maintenance Foreman •Supervisors Apply online: www.warriormetcoal.com Tree Nursery Worker Needed Responsible w/ mechanical skills, to operate forklift/farm tractors/ equipment/welding/ ground maintenance/ service equipment/check fluid levels/clean after use.

Maintain safe/clean area.

Requires valid-DL/reliable transportation. 334-3652488 Wiregrass Construction Company is seeking experienced asphalt CDL TRUCK DRIVERS. Must be dependable. Excellent benefits. Interested applicants may apply: 951 Dow Street. Pelham, AL 35124.(205)620-4132 or 151 Piper Lane. Alabaster, AL 35007 (205)605-0753.

8AM to 5PM, M-F. WCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Opies Transport, Inc. NOW HIRING Class A Truck Drivers. Needing to find a home? We are it. Apply today! 800-341-9963 or opiestransport.com

Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website

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MY MOUNTAIN BROOK CAL DODSON

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce 2018 President + Internal Medicine Doctor

The #i8mb Way

Restaurant Trail Whether it’s my lifelong memories of enjoying Davenport’s for a Jim Special or the somewhat healthier choice of Chicken Larb, Shrimp Pad Woon Sen or Thai Noodle from Surin, we’ve got plenty of choices for great dining. From my office in Office Park, I can be at any of these in 10 minutes!

Early Risers Club

Get Outside

Walking Trails I like the ways Robert Jemison and our early developers envisioned a city basically built around parks, golf courses and green-spaces with natural landscapes tied together by abundant walking trails. My family really enjoys walking our dog, Mabel, on the Jemison Trail where all of our children have logged many miles running.

PHOTO BY REBECCA WISE

Learning Done Right

My Canterbury Small Group I’ve been blessed to be a part of two men’s small groups meeting in the same room at Canterbury UMC early every Tuesday and Wednesday morning for over a dozen years, the Emmaus group and the Ragamuffins. Together with our Sunday School Class, these men have helped me explore my faith and they’ve strengthened me in times I’ve needed strength and held me accountable when I frequently go off the path.

Mountain Brook Schools My wife and I were drawn to Mountain Brook by the best school system in our state and the promise it would afford our four children to get the best public education possible. As our youngest daughter prepares to graduate this May, I know more than ever how they have helped our children to succeed in college and given them the foundation to succeed in life.

Cut to Order

Grocery Store Selection At our selection of local stores, I’ve discovered great butchers who will peel a tenderloin at the Crestline Pig and give you the best chopped steak ever, or hand carve a perfect porterhouse at the Western for a Bistecca allá Fiorentina cooked on my Green Egg for our Italian Supper Club (pictured). The variety of fresh seafood at Whole Foods has enabled us to create new dishes we previously thought we could only find at restaurants.

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PHOTO BY JACKSON ROSS

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