Mountain Brook Magazine, March/April 2018

MEET COOKS ON A MISSION • PAT DUPRÉ’S ROAD TO WIMBLEDON • MBHS CLASS OF 1968 REUNION

THE BROOK & THE BLUFF TAKES THE STAGE

OPEN & AIRY

THE HOLTS’ RENOVATION

BACK FROM

THE GULF COME TASTE DYRON’S CHEF-DRIVEN MENU

MARCH/APRIL 2018 MountainBrookMagazine.com Volume Two| Issue Two $4.95

MountainBrookMagazine.com 1

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The best memories are made at

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FEATURES

52

THOSE GREEN AND GOLD TIES THAT BIND Mountain Brook High School’s first graduating class looks back at the magical years they spent paving the way for future generations of Spartans.

60

COOKS ON A MISSION

68

BREAK POINT The road to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open for hall of famer Pat DuPré started as a Spartan.

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PHOTO BY LEAH GRACE ENGLEHART

There’s a tapestry of relationships at the heart of this Mountain Brook Baptist casserole-cooking operation.

41 PHOTO BY LAUREN USTAD

arts & culture

17 From Otey’s to LA: The Brook and The Bluff on Stage

schools & sports

23 Virtual Study Abroad: MBHS’s Pioneering Virtual Classroom Setup 30 Five Questions For: Foundation Director Stephanie Maxwell

food

& drink

31 Back at the Helm: Chef Randall’s Return to Dyron’s Lowcountry 40 Five Questions For: Western Wine Director Scott Atkinson

home

& style

in every issue 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 8 MountainBrookMagazine.com 9 #MountainBrookMag 10 The Question 11 The Guide 74 Chamber Connection 76 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Mountain Brook

41 Open & Airy: The Holts’ Home Renovation 50 In Style: Aztec Boho Chic

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MOUNTAIN BROOK

contributors

MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

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

Eleanor Kerr, Photographer

Eleanor is a junior at Mountain Brook High School. She is on the girls varsity golf team and enjoys babysitting, hanging out with friends and doing photography in her free time.

CONTRIBUTORS

Kayley Coggins Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Rachel Crisson James Culver Mary Fehr Jennifer Jones Eleanor Kerr Patrick McGough Tracey Rector Jackson Ross Christiana Roussel Ryan Scott Lauren Ustad Rebecca Wise

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Kate Sullivan

Rebecca Wise, Photographer

Rebecca is a photographer living in Mountain Brook with her husband, Chase, their three sons, Raughley (8), Liam (6) and Marshall(3), and their two dogs. She specializes in family and children’s photography as well as sports and movement photography such as yoga, pilates and ballet. When she doesn’t have a camera in hand, she loves to read and spend time with her family.

Ryan Scott, Writer

Ryan Scott moved to Mountain Brook when he was 2 and has spent the rest of his life here, minus a few years back in Virginia for college and work. After graduating from Washington & Lee, he wrote for Weld: Birmingham’s Newspaper, where he spent much of his time trying to convince the rest of the staff to adopt the Oxford comma.

MARKETING

Kristy Brown Kari George Matthew Gibson Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Ashley Murphy Kerrie Thompson

Solomon Crenshaw Jr., Writer

A native of Birmingham, Solomon has developed a long-standing reputation as a writer who is adept at telling a story that is both enlightening and entertaining. While sports has long been a staple of his work, Solomon has now established himself as a communicator who is also comfortable addressing entertainment, general features and a myriad of other matters. Reach him at screnshawjr@solcrenjr.com.

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

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

O

ON THE COVER

Back in Town

Chef Randall Baldwin has returned to Dyron’s Lowcountry in Crestline after a stint working at the Gulf.

Photo by Rebecca Wise Design by Kate Sullivan

On vacation last month, a cousin who particularly enjoys well thought-out questions (just as I do) posed this hypothetical one to me: “If you were to get offered an exceptional professional opportunity in, say, Dallas, would you take it?” My response was something to the effect of: “Well, it would depend on the offer, but overall it would have to be amazing to make me even consider it. After being in a city for eight years of adulthood, I have built eight years’ worth of relationships, and it would be really hard to start over.” Because I think that’s been the biggest thing I have learned in adulthood—that relationships are really what matter in life, and that the longer you share day-to-day life with someone, the more irreplaceable that bond becomes.

And as we put together this issue, relational ties seemed to be the theme that knit everything together. After spending hours in the kitchen and over the table with Mountain Brook Baptist’s Cooks on a Mission, I found myself summing up what they are about with the phrase “a tapestry of relationships.” When photographer Patrick McGough and I met some members of the MBHS Class of 1968 at the school for a photoshoot, they chatted on and on about memories they built there 50+ years ago, all rooted in their ties to classmates. (And I got serious grief from one of them when I confessed that I didn’t go to my 10-year high school reunion, and vowed I go to my 20-year.)

I always say that no matter what story we write, be it about food or music or whatnot, it’s really about the people. And fittingly, what stood out most in talking with Jordan and Alex Holt about their home renovation, stunning though it may look, was that the flow of their house now allows them to spend better time together as a family. And what about Christiana Roussel’s story on Dyron’s? Well, her shoe polish opening is pretty amazing. But really what it’s about is Chef Randall Baldwin’s relationships: with his mother’s cooking, with Chef Frank Stitt, with Dyron’s in Crestline, with sous chef James Habshey—and also about Dyron Powell, and his family reordering his professional life in the best way.

And that’s not even mentioning our stories on The Brook and The Bluff (give it a read, and pull out your phone to give them a listen), the stellar virtual classroom setup at Mountain Brook High School and more. I’m pretty excited about how stunning this issue turned out visually (shout out to our amazing photographers!), but more than anything I hope its pages deepen your own ties to this place and its people, both the ones in these pages and the ones you cultivate as you share in life from day to day to day.

Thanks for reading,

madoline.markham@mountainbrookmagazine.com

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VOTE TODAY! MOUNTAIN BROOK’S

BEST M

OU

NT

2018

AIN

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B R O OK M A G A Z

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INE

CO

VOTING OPEN MARCH 1-15 Winners will be announced in the May/June 2018 issue of MOUNTAIN BROOK MAGAZINE.

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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.

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Fun night kicking off the 2018 Mountain Brook Restaurant Trail!!! #i8mb #i8mbambassador #jointhei8mbtrail

@rebeccawisephotography We may but have gotten a lot here in the ‘Ham, but it sure is beautiful. Especially up close. #macrophotography #macro #snowflakes #bhamsnowday

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“ ” THE QUESTION

What’s your favorite way that this community “gives back”?

Ribbons on mailboxes. It raises money and shows support, thus encouraging others to learn about the cause and want to participate.

-Anne Henderson Mancer

For Smack Out Cancer, people in the community smack magnets on cars, lockers and mailboxes to bring awareness to local research conducted at Children’s Hospital in the area of pediatric cancer and blood disorders.

Kids who recognize a need and step up to help others - my daughter started a nonprofit last year to support kids like her - kids who have special needs siblings!

-Jenny Marie McInerney

Quietly. It’s the people who see a need a meet it.

It’s the small groups that take on specific projects without a whole lot of recognition.

-Anna Smith Holmes

-Heather Zevator Lebensburger

I donate the proceeds from my cookbook Greater Health God’s Way (available on Amazon) and my Juice Plus business to Coastal Pet Rescue!! :) -Melanie Marie Hardy

Circle of Friends week at MBHS! The club allows students to learn and grow while supporting not only our special education students, but also their families and the entire department!

-Ellie Lipp

Go to Holland and Birch Jewelry. Suzanne Jones is using her business to give back. She is currently doing several fundraisers, one along with a special retreat for young widows!

-Camille Adams Latimer

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May not be local to Mountain Brook, but several volunteers are from Mountain Brook. “Hand in Paw” is an amazing nonprofit. Therapy dogs seem to cheer and content most everyone.

-Noah Holtkamp

THE GUIDE

JAZZ WITH CIVITAS APRIL 19 5-8 P.M. ENGLISH VILLAGE Take in some jazz music in and around English Village’s favorite statue. Fun fact: Civitas was inspired by Carolyn Cortner Smith, a self-taught architect who designed homes around English Village in the 1910s and 1920s.

Also save the date for English Village’s Tent Sales April 19-21 and Spring-A-Ling-A-Ding-Dong on April 21. It’s going to be quite the festive English Village weekend!

PHOTO BY BOB TEDROW MountainBrookMagazine.com 13

THE GUIDE MARCH 31

MARCH 17

10 A.M. FIELD IN FRONT OF THE EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY

12 P.M. OVERTON PARK

EASTER EGG ROLL

It’s not Easter without eggs.

Bring your kids for this annual event of fun and hunting.

BYOB…bring your own basket, that is.

OVERTON PARK EASTER EGG HUNT It’s not just about the egg hunt (although, what’s Easter without a hunt?). Come for face painting, photo booths, a cake walk, the Easter Bunny and more too. The event is hosted by Off Shoots Garden Club and Overton Park Garden Club.

MARCH 18

Color4Friendship Color Run 1:30 P.M. LEVITE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

Can running get more fun than getting doused from head to toe in different colors? There are just two rules for this event: One, wear white at the starting line, and two, finish plastered in color.

Children must be age 6 or older to participate.

Plus, Team Friendship plans the run to raise awareness for individuals with special needs.

Register at color4friendship.rallybound.org.

FEB. 14-MARCH 30

ADVENT LENTEN LUNCHES WEEKDAYS AT 12:05 P.M. CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE ADVENT

Lunch is served! Or it will be during the six weeks of Lent leading up to Easter at Cathedral Church of the Advent. Each weekday the church hosts a preaching service at 12:05 p.m. as well as a homemade meal (and desserts!), just as it has since 1908. Find the full preaching schedule at adventbirmingham.org.

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WHAT TO DO IN MOUNTAIN BROOK MARCH 1 Spencer Lecture Laura Dowling Author of A White House Christmas 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 3 Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off Brookwood Village 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

MARCH 4 Move Toward a Cure Benefiting Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation Levite Jewish Community Center 9 am.-noon MARCH 7 What is Bitcoin? Panel Discussion Emmet O’Neal Library 5 p.m.

MARCH 13 Family Night: Arthur Atsma’s AtsMagic Emmet O’Neal Library 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 16 Emmet O’Neal Library Teen Movie Night 6:30-10 p.m.

MARCH 17 Kiwanis Pancake Day Event and Silent Auction The Exceptional Foundation 7 a.m. - noon MARCH 20 Documentaries After Dark Presents “Art and Craft” Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 23 Standing Room Only Presents a Beer & Cheese Tasting Ages 21+ Only Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 26-30 Spring Break

THE GUIDE Mountain Brook City Schools APRIL 4 Eggs & Issues Multi-Chamber Event with Congressman Gary Palmer 7:30-9 a.m.

APRIL 10 Family Night Emmet O’Neal Library 5:30 p.m.

APRIL 16 Teen Self Defense Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30-8 p.m.

APRIL 17 Documentaries After Dark Emmet O’Neal Library 6:30 p.m.

APRIL 19-21 Tent Sales English Village APRIL 20 Teen Gaming Night Emmet O’Neal Library 6-10 p.m.

APRIL 21 Steeple to Steeple Run Trinity United Methodist Church APRIL 23 Mountain Brook Schools Student Showcase Mountain Brook City Hall 5-7 p.m.

APRIL 26 Chamber Luncheon Featuring a Restaurant Panel Birmingham Botanical Gardens 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

APRIL 26-29 Spring Musical Mountain Brook High School MAY 13 Mountain Brook Art Association Art in the Village Crestline Sports Field

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.

APRIL 13-15

SPRING PLANT SALE

FRIDAY 9-7 P.M., SATURDAY 9-5 P.M., SUNDAY 11-3 P.M. BROOKWOOD VILLAGE MACY’S UPPER PARKING LOT Get your green thumb on and choose from more than 100,000 plants, most of which have been nurtured by volunteers at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Plant experts will be on-site and proceeds benefit The Gardens’ educational goals.

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THE GUIDE

AROUND TOWN

MARCH 10

Village 2 Village Run

MARCH 1-4 STARS Presents: The Wizard of Oz Virginia Samford Theatre

7:30 a.m.

MOUNTAIN BROOK VILLAGE Run through your favorite villages and neighborhoods with around 1,000 of your neighbors and friends. Along the course you’ll find iHeartRadio music vans and local families competing to see which home can provide the loudest and largest cheer station. Plus, there will be food and more at the after party in Lake Parke. Not feeling the 10K? You can also choose the 7.5K option (4.6 miles). Register at runsignup.com.

MARCH 2-4 Alabama Ballet Presents: Swan Lake BJCC Concert Hall MARCH 2-4 Cottontail’s Village Arts, Crafts & Gifts Show BJCC MARCH 8-11 Maggie’s Perfect Match Virginia Samford Theatre

GRACE BITTICK

MARCH 10 Gershwin in Hollywood Alabama Symphony Orchestra Alys Stephens Center MARCH 16-APRIL 1 Disney’s The Lion King BJCC SAM HODNETT

WILL NICHOLS

NONPROFITS

Run for the Kids The new BHM26.2 marathon on April 15 will be a particularly special day for four Mountain Brook students who will serve as Mile Marker Kids that day to cheer on runners and connect them back with the reason for the run. Sean Fredella will be at mile 25, Sam Hodnett at mile 6, Will Nichols at mile 18 and Grace Bittick at mile 5. All of them have received Magic Moments, and all race entry fees from that day will allow for more wishes for children in Alabama with chronic life-threatening illnesses. It all kicks off at Railroad Park. Runners can pick their race of choice—full marathon, half marathon, team relay or fun run—and sign up at bhm262.com.

APRIL 28

CITIZEN APPRECIATION DAY 11 A.M.-2 P.M. MOUNTAIN BROOK CITY HALL

Never heard of this event? That’s because it’s its first year.

Employees of Mountain Brook will be teaching about the departments that run the city and all the services they have to offer. A free lunch will be provided, and there will be a Kid’s Zone with face painting, a slide, touch-a-truck and more fun.

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MARCH 16 Ron White, Alabama Theatre 8 p.m.

MARCH 17 Marc Broussard Alys Stephens Center MARCH 17 Restoration Run 5K, 15K, 1-Mile Fun Run Red Mountain Park MARCH 24 Rumpshaker 5K Regions Field 8 a.m.

MARCH 24 2018 Spring Walking Tour Series: Historic Loft District VisitVulcan.com for Tickets 9 a.m.

MARCH 25 The Jerusalem Quartet Alys Stephens Center MARCH 30 Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn Lyric Theatre

THE GUIDE APRIL 3 Chrissy Metz: This Is Me Tour Lyric Theatre APRIL 6 Taylor Hicks – Night Moves – Playing the Hits of Bob Seger Lyric Theatre APRIL 6-8 Alabama Ballet Presents: La Fille Mal Gardée BJCC Concert Hall APRIL 7 Service Guild Gala Benefitting The Bell Center The Club 6 p.m.

FUNDRAISER

St. Jude Field of Dreams

Sophia Schefano and Slade Anderson know St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis well from their treatments, and now their families and others in Alabama are wanting to give back to the hospital. Join them for the fourth annual St. Jude Field of Dreams on May 12 at the Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook 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. Pictured are Sophia (far left) and Slade (second from right) with other Alabama St. Jude patients: Evie Frith, St. Jude Field of Dreams Honoree Thompson Wagoner, and Cole Tanner.

APRIL 12-15 2018 Alabama Auto Show BJCC Exhibition Halls APRIL 13-22 13 The Musical Red Mountain Cabaret Theatre APRIL 13-14 Lebanese Food and Culture Festival St. Elias Maronite Church APRIL 19-29 Ain’t Misbehavin’ Virginia Samford Theatre

PHOTO BY KALAI KENNEDY-LYNAM

APRIL 20-22 Motown The Musical BJCC Concert Hall APRIL 20-22 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park APRIL 22 Hollywood Home Tour Tickets at eventbrite.com 1-4 p.m.

APRIL 25 Rockin’ Road to Dublin Lyric Theatre APRIL 28 Perseverance 5K Dawson Memorial Baptist Church APRIL 27-29 Magic City Art Connection Linn Park

APRIL 7

SHADES CREEK FEST 10 A.M.-1 P.M. JEMISON PARK

How do fly fishing demonstrations, a tree giveaway and live music sound?

All the better if you bring them to Jemison Park. Join the mayor, Board of Landscape Design, Friends of Jemison Park and other officials from both Mountain Brook and Homewood for the inaugural event.

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

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&CULTURE

ARTS

FROM OTEY’S TO LA The Brook and the Bluff takes a taste of Birmingham nationwide—on stage and on Spotify.

BY RYAN SCOTT PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR AND CONTRIBUTED

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Lead guitarist Alec Bolton grew up with the band's bassist Fred Lankford in Crestline, and they jammed together as teens.

I

In some ways, it all started at Otey’s Tavern. It was December of 2016, and a then-fledgling The Brook and the Bluff had spent all year trying to figure out how to be an original band and book gigs, all of that. And then came their first all-original show. “Otey’s…isn’t really an original show place, but we got all of our friends out there and played original songs. And the response was awesome,” drummer John Canada recalls.

If the band spent 2016 finding their footing, they hit the ground running in 2017. They played more than 40 shows from Auburn to New York City, including the National Association of Music Merchants’ Nashville summer festival, and added a new bassist to their ranks. And 2018 is shaping up to be even busier. They’ve already toured across the Southwest and played in Los Angeles, are in the process of moving to Nashville, and are now putting the finishing touches on their first album.

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Lead singer Joseph Settine and guitarist Alec Bolton came together as The Brook and The Bluff while attending Auburn University in 2014. They named the band after their respective hometowns—Alec is from Mountain Brook, while Joseph hails from Bluff Park. Although they spent their initial year performing acoustic covers at local venues, they were already writing their own pieces with a full four-member rock band in mind.

What you might not guess is that every member of the band has a background in choir music, which you can hear in their songs’ vocal harmonies and arrangements. Joseph and Alec said they wrote their tracks with the intention that every member of the band would be able to sing—a relatively rare trait among rock groups.

“We approach a lot of things vocally first. If we’re doing something, we want to make sure that we leave a good amount of space so that we can put voices into it,” Joseph

Fred Lankford Bass

John Canada Drums

Joseph Settine Lead Singer

Alec Bolton Lead Guitarist

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HOW TO MAKE IT AS A BAND ON AND OFFLINE You’re releasing your first album soon, but you have already released most of the songs over the last two years as singles. Why did you choose to release the music in that way?

Alec: We recorded the full eight tracks, and then decided to release them individually rather than release them all at one time because in today’s musical world, if you’re a relatively unknown band, there’s a good chance they’ll never be heard.

Fred: No one has the attention span to listen to a full album.

John: Strategically it’s much more advantageous for you to try to put a lot of attention on just one song at a time because there is so much content out there. There is no shortage.

Alec: And most people don’t listen to a full album, especially if they don’t know your band already. They’re not going to listen to the whole album multiple times through.

John: The big thing is playlists, streaming services, Spotify.

You’ve been featured on Noisetrade and in Spotify’s viral playlist. How do you best leverage those kinds of platforms?

John: It’s been hugely beneficial, just because it gives you a kind of instant credibility. When you’re booking shows or trying to get features in certain things, you can say, “Hey, our song went number 22 on the US Viral hits charts from Spotify, which is the largest streaming platform in the world.” It’s really about trying to capitalize on those opportunities that you have, so we’ve used that stat for a lot of things that we’ve applied for and gotten some awesome things.

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PHOTO BY MACK MCCOLLUM

explains. “It’s always really important that there is a good bit of vocal in everything that you do, whether that be stacking harmonies or three melodies going on at the same time, everybody getting a chance to sing.”

After graduating from Auburn in 2015, Joseph and Alec moved back to Birmingham and continued to play cover shows as well as record a three-track demo of their original tracks titled “The Rough Cuts.” In the fall of that year, John attended one of the duo’s performances in Auburn and volunteered his skills as a drummer and vocalist.

Shortly after joining the band, however, John was offered an accounting job in Nashville. While he initially considered making the move, John, along with Alec and Joseph, instead decided to fully commit to The Brook and the Bluff.

“Starting in May 2016, we took another dive into it because we all said we want to do this full-time,” John recalls. “We planned for more full band/trio cover gigs as well, kept doing that all summer, and ended up going into the studio and recording our first song ‘Masks’ in Bates Brothers [Recording Studio]. That was awesome.”

The band headed into 2017 with the goal of

playing 52 live performances, and ended up playing 44 all-original shows all across the South and East Coast. The trio tried out two different bassists before Fred Lankford officially joined the band in the fall. Fred grew up on the same street in Crestline as Alec, and as adolescents, they had jammed together in Alec’s basement.

The band is planning to release their first album in early 2018, though they have been selling an early version of the album at their concerts since last summer. The CD features eight tracks Alec and Joseph wrote when they first came together in Auburn.

“These songs specifically were written acoustically but always with a full band in mind,” Joseph says of the songwriting process. “They’re not necessarily my influences now, but my influences at the time were Alabama Shakes and the [other] bands I saw that were getting big from Alabama. I tried to do that with my own spin on it.”

“It came pretty naturally, just us two sitting in a room bouncing ideas off of each other,” Alec adds.

“A lot of times, when you hear it in your head, you hear everything. You may only be able to sit there and play it with an acoustic guitar, but when we

MountainBrookMagazine.com 23

FINDART

PHOTO BY KEELI FAITH BERMAN

April 27-29, 2018

Linn Park, downtown Birmingham, Alabama Platinum City of Birmingham Kinetic Communications Starnes Media Gold Birmingham Magazine Hoover’s Magazine Joe Piper, Inc. This is Alabama Silver Bell Media Birmingham Mountain Radio Royal Cup Coffee Bronze Alabama Power BBVA Compass BlueCross and Blue Shield of Alabama HealthSouth Corporation Over the Mountain Journal Publix Super Markets Charities Shelby Living

Steel Alabama Baby & Child Magazine Alabama State Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency Bancography Bham Now BJCC & The Westin Birmingham Business Journal Birmingham Coca Cola Bottling B-Metro Excursions by CityVision Event Rentals Unlimited Forecast Salon Gallery Services Homewood Life Jefferson County McDowell Security Miller Communications Mountain Brook Magazine Shelby Living StyleBlueprint Vestavia Hills Magazine WBHM Public Radio 90.3fm Yarbrough Festival Foodservice

www.magiccityart.com

Image: Lisa Krannichfeld, Hackles Up

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were writing these things it was always with a bigger sound in mind, because I never wanted to be just an acoustic player,” Joseph says.

When asked about what non-Alabama musicians had influenced his songwriting, Joseph cites John Mayer “and always the Beatles. Everything I’ve ever done—it’s like a backdrop . . . The Beatles have always been the foundation of wanting to create.”

Among those who appreciated the band’s style were members of the National Association of Music Merchants, who invited The Brook and the Bluff to play at their summer 2017 showcase in Nashville and then again at the Association’s January show in Los Angeles. The band took the opportunity of their excursion to California to put together “a DIY tour,” says John, who as the band’s designated booking agent and manager got them shows in Jackson, Baton Rogue, Austin, Malibu, and Phoenix on the way to and from the NAMM showcase.

After the tour ended, the band headed back to Nashville – this time for the long haul. The band is hoping that living in the selfproclaimed “Songwriting Capital of the World” will allow them to make vital connections with music industry insiders.

Nonetheless, their name and their music will always reflect their roots.

“We’re pretty proud to be from Birmingham, that’s for damn sure,” Fred says.

SCHOOL

&SPORTS

VIRTUAL STUDY ABROAD Spanish students take trips around the globe without leaving Jessie Creech’s classroom thanks to a pioneering virtual classroom setup.

BY RACHEL CRISSON PHOTOS BY JENNIFER JONES

MountainBrookMagazine.com 25

MBHS teacher Jessie Creech, far left, "travels" all over the world with her Spanish classes using virtual classroom technology.

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I

Imagine walking into an interior space that transports you to the Spanish shore. Across the Strait of Gibraltar, northern Africa is in sight. Imagine having this experience with your entire Spanish class without ever having to leave the classroom. That is what Jessie Creech has achieved with the Virtual Classroom at MBHS. Using blank walls, a computer and four projectors, the Spanish teacher can transport her classes anywhere across the globe. This surprisingly simple setup creates experiences that cement complex concepts far better than merely reading about them in a book.

As the class travels along virtual routes in Google Earth, programmed by Jessie and others, photo and 360-degree icons pop up to click on to view photos uploaded to the site. Students can stand on the top of the Eiffel Tower to take in that view of Paris. They can use Street View to walk around the streets of Barcelona.

They have taken virtual tours of Frida Kahlo’s house, and the Spanish V class planned their five-year reunion in a Spanish speaking country, developing their own tours and showing detail down to possible restaurants and their menus.

“I wanted to be able to surround my students with different environments and help them see different places to enhance readings that we did,” Jessie says. “I felt like [what I had been doing] wasn’t enough, I wasn’t really taking them there or surrounding them in that space. I wanted to take my class somewhere else.”

Prior to setting up the Virtual Classroom, Jessie would regularly decorate, play music and use PowerPoint presentations to aid in topic comprehension.

Wanting more context for her students, in early 2015 she reached out to the MBHS administration for help, and Principal Amanda Hood and Assistant Principal Jeremy Crigger encouraged her to apply to the Institute for Innovation, which helps fund MBHS teachers’ ideas to further their impact in the classroom.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 27

SCHOOLS & SPORTS “Because this project was so technical, [Chief Technology Officer] Donna Williamson and [MBHS Technology Coordinator] Joani Kay were there with us every step of the way, and [Director of Instruction] Missy Brooks was interested with where it would go curriculum-wise,” Jessie says.

At last they landed on an idea when a video from the University of Ohio showed a virtual lab used the way Jessie wanted her classroom work. The university’s setup is smaller and uses specialized hand controls and foot controls, while the MBHS setup uses only a computer, the Internet and projectors.

“The Virtual Classroom is just a new use for old technology. There’s nothing fancy about it,” Jessie explains, saying even the walls are shower boards

AP Spanish students Anne Mitchell Welch and Jack Smith T

28 MountainBrookMagazine.com

that cost $13 per sheet. “Anybody can do this, there’s no special software. All you need is a computer with a graphics card that can run multiple screens, because the computer thinks that the projectors are extra screens.”

Today, Jessie is able to seamlessly use the screens in every class period with no problems.

“I’ve had to think about class from a visual standpoint,” she says. “There are days when I don’t, and I get here and start teaching and immediately realize that there is something that would enhance what we’re talking about and I’m able to throw it up there. I wouldn’t have been able to take [the students] anywhere. I would have just been able to show them images. But with [the Virtual Classroom], we can go anywhere and do anything.”

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

A CHAT WITH AP SPANISH STUDENTS ANNE MITCHELL WELCH & JACK SMITH T ON CURRENT EVENTS JS: We actually went and looked at the square where [the terrorist attack in Barcelona happened earlier this year]. We’re also keeping up with current events, not just in the United States but also abroad, which is super important.

AMW: Taking the square where the attack occurred and putting it on three sides of the classroom, being able to see what they could see, to see how big of an impact it could have made on our lives and how big an impact it did make there—without the Virtual Classroom, we couldn’t have that.

CULTURAL EXPOSURE JS: A lot of times to get a better understanding of a story, and to understand the gravity behind the culture that is present in the story, we’ll watch videos of people speaking about that topic.

On Halloween, we read the ghost story of La Llorona and watched videos of people in New Mexico talking about its prevalence even in the United States.

AMW: This board and this class help us become more culturally sensitive and open to different perspectives from around the world. We see how their climate or their environment

l

shapes their views of the world, shapes what they value and what they believe, versus just sitting here and reading something from someone else. We’re able to develop our own ideas and opinions about these places and get more of an in-depth experience to broaden our perspectives.

AP PREP AMW: The AP test at the end of the year includes a cultural presentation, and before, I could’ve been able to spit out facts just from researching a country. But now I can say I have a deeper understanding of these topics and more connection with them. We can put more of our personalities and our own life experiences into the test.

FAVORITE LESSON JS: Reading about El Lago de Atitlán, a lake in Guatemala that’s a big tourist destination. We were studying why the culture in that place specifically is so different, very Americanized, focusing on hamburgers and pizza while the rest of the nation is focusing on the traditional culture of Guatemala.

We used [the Virtual Classroom] to walk right up to the edge of the lake, and we looked at a cafe with a sign for pizza. It was interesting to see the culture there just by ‘walking’ around for a few minutes on Google Maps.

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SCHOOLS & SPORTS

After her AP Spanish class reads The Motorcycle Diaries each year, they watch the movie in the classroom and trace the route on an automated journey Jessie herself made on Google Earth. When they reach the Strait of Magellan, students see firsthand how treacherous it is for travelers.

Even when she isn’t transporting her students around the globe, Jessie can truly surround her students in the culture, with a reading on one wall, a picture of the author on another, questions they will cover on another and a video of the setting on the fourth. The room features a surround sound system, which Jessie puts to use in class when playing music or watching videos on the walls to make the experience that much more immersive.

“It’s become part of what we do every day. It’s very 30 MountainBrookMagazine.com

special, and I’m just so grateful to have it!” Jessie says.

“But at the same time, we’ve integrated it into what we do. It’s just another part of the classroom.”

Spanish classes are not the only ones who have used this technology. Latin classes have taken a virtual trip to the Colosseum, and librarians bring in special education students for reading lessons on a wall-sized storybook. Jessie is also talking with the history teachers about giving students a virtual tour of Gettysburg. Many museums now allow you to log onto their websites and put together a tour with a motorized docent going through the museum in real time, another option for MBHS classes. Jessie gave a talk at the 2017 MBS Summer Learning Conference where she shared resources other teachers can use to find virtual classroom applications for different subjects,

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like virtual dissections or tours.

Moving forward, Jessie would love to have a Skype session with another classroom somewhere across the world. She has a bracelet that lets her control PowerPoint presentations, and the school is moving toward the same hand and foot controls the University of Ohio uses in their lab.

In November, Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation also set up a virtual classroom at the Board of Education so the tech department can work out any quirks to enable them to put more classrooms like this in other schools in the future to replicate the communal learning experience.

“If you gave me a choice right now, between the virtual reality equipment that is available and this, I would keep this, because this is a communal experience,” Jessie says.

“I like the fact that we are together doing this.”

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SCHOOLS & SPORTS

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Stephanie Maxwell

Executive Director, Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation PHOTO BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Every year Stephanie’s board members say the same thing about Institute for Innovation grants: “I want to go back to school. I wish I had teachers that were that excited and that creative.” That’s a big part of why she’s so passionate to fundraise for the schools foundation. Here we chatted with Stephanie about what you should know about the foundation’s work.

fundraising for the foundation, it’s a networking tool for our alums. But yes, we think donations will come from it.

Your kids attended private schools in cities where you lived in the past. How does Mountain Brook compare?

You have some basic differences like Can you talk about the importance of uniforms. For our kids, they had to step it the foundation’s endowment? up for the education here coming in at the Since I came on board we work to add junior high level. When I first took the job money back to the endowment over our and met Dr. Charles Mason, we both operating expenses to be able to award gifts agreed it’s higher than the private school back to the school system each year. The education; the expectations here are so first year we were able to transfer $50,000 high. The average cost of private schools is back to the endowment. The next year we more than $23,000, so even though we were able to transfer $100,000. This year pay higher property taxes, we still don’t What’s new and exciting this year?

This year we kicked off a grandparents we set a goal to transfer $130,000, and we pay near what we’d have to for private appeal with Mimi and Fred Rennecker as are already at that and the fiscal year ends schools. our chair couple. It started off as a small April 30. The endowment itself is now at project that hoped to raise $10,000- $9.5 million, and this year that spins off What’s the story behind the piece of art 20,000, and we are now at over $90,000 $410,000 interest for the school year. The behind your desk?

Katie Caughran is one of our teachers at with 105 grandparents. That was very more we grow that corpus of the exciting, and it was awesome to work with endowment, the more we will have to spin Brookwood Forest Elementary. She’s an Mimi and Fred. This year we made the off each year. We have also awarded back enrichment gifted specialist and does a lot switch to have an online alumni directory, $6.7 million to the school system since the with TedX and technology. She has been which can be reached through our newly mid-‘90s. When you add that all up, that’s a making paintings and jewelry as side designed website. We want to use it to lot of support that comes from the thing. I saw one of her paintings and asked network for reunions and alumni news. community. We work with Jim Underwood if she could do it in green, gold and white.

This way alumni can log in and update their at Welch Hornsby, and we’re pleased with I get more compliments on it, and I can say, “That’s one of our own.” own information. It’s not necessarily a what they are doing.

What are some misconceptions about the foundation?

We have so many generous organizations in Mountain Brook, so people say, “I gave to PTO” or “I gave to Mountain Brook Sports Corporation, or All In” and they think that’s the same. All of these organizations do amazing things, but we are different. We don’t fund bricks and mortar, we fund only in the areas of technology, teacher development and library enhancements.

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&DRINK

FOOD

BACK AT THE HELM

Chef Randall Baldwin has returned from the Gulf, and Dyron’s Lowcountry is the better for it.

BY CHRISTIANA ROUSSEL PHOTOS BY REBECCA WISE

MountainBrookMagazine.com 33

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Shoe polish.

It is an unusual “ingredient” to find in a restaurant kitchen. But once you get to know the story behind that shoe polish, you’ll want to know if every chef has some in their work pantry.

To understand why the shoe polish is there or why it is important to note at all, you need to first learn the history of that chef, Randall Baldwin, and the kitchen he runs at Dyron’s Lowcountry.

Sonya and Dyron Powell opened their Crestline eatery back in May 2009, offering local diners a taste of the cuisine that has always spoken to the couple: fresh fish and shrimp entrees, complemented by regional ingredients like Carolina Gold rice or pink-eyed peas. And every dish—from Manchester Farms Carolina Quail to Pan Seared Greg Abram’s Red Snapper—is teeming with fresh seasonal produce. On the menu in winter months, you’ll find lots of braised Cullman collard greens, wild mushrooms and bright citrus flavors.

Spring menus feature the requisite tender first peas and asparagus, while summer brings in still-warm berries from nearby Petals from the Past in Jemison.

These menu selections are second nature to Chef Randall now, but that was not always the case.

When he first started at Dyron’s Lowcountry several years ago, he was coming off a long stint under the coveted tutelage of Chef Frank Stitt (Highlands Bar & Grill, Chez FonFon, Bottega, Bottega Café). Baldwin grew up cooking by his mother’s side, learning her techniques and tastes. (“She grew up poor in Creole, Alabama, catching

bream to cook for her little brother and sister.”) As a high-schooler on a trip to Birmingham with her, they dined at Highlands Bar & Grill where Randall swooned over every course, vowing to one day cook under Chef Stitt. A few years later, he took that pledge to heart, enrolling at the venerable Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.

Halfway through his studies there, his mother became ill, and he flew home to South Alabama to be with her. On her deathbed, Randall’s mother made him swear to finish what he’d started and pursue his dream of fine cooking.

It is that pact he made with his mother that governs every action Randall takes today.

In the early days of helming the kitchen at Dyron’s Lowcountry, Randall produced the type of fine dining entrees that he’d mastered at Highlands Bar & Grill. He worried over every ingredient and how they would come together on the plate and if diners would warm to his cooking. He often wondered what Chef Stitt would think about the way a particular dish was executed. And while the food Randall was turning out wowed the front of the house, he wondered if he was in the right place, doing the right thing.

When Lucy Buffett came calling in 2014, with an offer to run a kitchen at the beach, the saltwater in the Saraland-raised chef’s veins urged him to hang MountainBrookMagazine.com 35

Dyron’s Mississippi Rabbit & Orecchiette Pasta is simmered in marsala with three kinds of mushrooms and Parmesan.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR DYRON’S LOWCOUNTRY?

The move to Cullman was great for Sonya and Dyron Powell, as well as for their children. The family lives on Lake George and can enjoy a more relaxed pace of life there. Dyron is a graduate of Saint Bernard Preparatory School and wanted his children to experience that same private, Roman Catholic education, which he says they’ve embraced. He and Sonya have plans to open a restaurant in Cullman later this year.

Conceptually, it will be a smaller version of Dyron’s Lowcountry, offering some of the same best-selling menu items. Chef Randall Baldwin will oversee that venture with the Powells, and they all look forward to the challenge. It is probably a good bet that there will be shoe polish in that kitchen, too.

up his chef’s whites and head south. He stayed there for about a year, but his absence at Dyron’s Lowcountry in Crestline left a serious void. Another chef took over the kitchen where he tried to replicate Randall’s dishes and Dyron and Sonya’s vision. But that chef’s inattention to detail and lack of passion forced Powell to make a run to the beach and implore Randall to return to Crestline.

And for all of us, we’re lucky Dyron’s offer was one Randall could not refuse. Moreover, the chef who returned to Crestline had mellowed a bit and matured a lot. He had a newfound confidence in his tastes and predilections that were immediately felt in the dining room. Dyron notes, “The best thing that could have happened to Randall was to go spend a year at the beach. He finally found his rhythm. When people started responding to his food, he really got comfortable. A fried seafood platter with a baked potato is all Randall. He is not spending time trying to be something other than his truest self. It is not hoity-toity food. It is just food that is well executed.”

Dyron’s has always been the type of restaurant that prided itself on being local and comfortable. “We are busy all the time!” Dyron says. “But to get here, I had to listen to what my guests were asking for. They wanted a very high quality meal at a reasonable price in a relaxed atmosphere. And that sums up exactly what we offer. It’s a sweet spot.”

And with Randall back at the helm, it is even more so. The

Chef Randall Baldwin and his kitchen staff plan for that night’s dinner.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 37

FOOD & DRINK chef has changed how he operates the kitchen, choosing to come in early for the tasks like braising and making sauces. He has a trusted crew, some of whom have been with the restaurant since its inception, while others are newer, like his sous chef James Habshey, who is as passionate about the food they produce as Randall is. During dinner service, the chef will man the expediting position, ensuring each dish that goes out is perfect and meets his exacting standards. It is a process that took time to develop but it is one that works.

“Randall is that rare breed of chef that pulls his own weight in the kitchen, which lets me learn a whole lot,” James says. “He expects me to manage my station but carry out his attributes and maintain the kitchen the way it should be done.”

And that is where that shoe polish comes in.

James shares that Chef Randall makes a point of polishing his chef’s Danskos before and after every shift. Which, when you think about it, says everything you want to know about his passion and his drive, his attention to detail and high standards.

It is an outward sign of the promise he made to his mother on her deathbed, that he’d finish what he started: being the best chef he could be. During a typical night of service, he might never leave the

38 MountainBrookMagazine.com

kitchen for the dining room, but he makes darn sure that his chef’s coat is pressed and his shoes are shined. It is just who he is and how he operates. He expects the same level of engagement from everyone around him. “He gets woken up in the middle of the night by dreams of concepts he wants to execute, plates he wants to put together,” James says. “He has to write them all down. Also, he hates short cuts and can’t tolerate those who try and take them.” Dyron nods, adding, “He feels that way about the front of the house too.“ There is a smooth humming rhythm to the dining room, too. Part of this vibe can be attributed to Randall’s return, but mostly it is just that Sonya and Dyron have found their sweet spot as well. The couple moved to Cullman with their two young children a little over two and a half years ago. They split their time at the restaurant, which is only 45 minutes, door-to-door. Sonya is on site Tuesdays and Fridays while Dyron oversees things on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Sundays and Mondays are pure family time, which has provided them with much-needed personal balance.

Asked how this move has affected their restaurant business, Dyron notes, “The best advice for anyone

“My goal for Dyron’s Lowcountry was to have a restaurant where people could come and eat and it would feel like they were sitting in my dining room at home. I think we’ve finally done that.”

-Dyron Powell

The Iron Skillet Seared Gulf Red Snapper is served with Coosa Valley grits, green beans, Louisiana crawfish, and a lemon and white wine butter sauce.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 39

The West Indies Salad here is prepared Caribbean Style with lobster, and it can also be ordered Old Mobile Style with Gulf blue crab.

40 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Dyron’s Sous Chef James Habshey

in business is: hire the right people and get out of their way.

I’ve done that. Now, I am not getting on Randall’s back about the daily menu. I mean, if he is going to do something crazy, he’ll talk to me but I trust him. As far as having a general manager, I have two folks, Daniel and Keri, who split these duties. Keri handles the floor while Daniel manages the bar.

And Daniel does other basic general manager things. Keri knows everyone in Mountain Brook now and knows what to look for in a great server, and how people like to be treated.“ The Powells are always looking for new ways to delight their guests and will be making a few improvements to the restaurant—new draperies for the main dining room, more comfortable chairs for the patio. They will also be changing their Point of Sale program soon which will give them the flexibility to better note their guests’ tastes (“wants two olives in his dry martini,” “likes lime, not lemon, in her water,” “birthday is June 30 and he LOVES our bread pudding”— things like that.) “People tell me all the time that they call us the ‘country club with good food’!” Dyron says. “We’re going to start a loyalty program soon and plan to call it Dyron’s Lowcountry Club.”

This thought circles Dyron back to where it all began: “My goal for Dyron’s Lowcountry was to have a restaurant where people could come and eat and it would feel like they were sitting in my dining room at home. I think we’ve finally done that.”

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www.magiccityart.com MountainBrookMagazine.com 41

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Scott Atkinson Wine Director Western Market

PHOTO BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

After nearly a decade working in the Western Wine Department, Scott Atkinson has learned to specialize in questions.

What do you like? What’s your price range? Have you been anywhere that you really loved? What kind of food are you pairing it with? How many folks are going to be there? There’s no need for pretention—his goal is simply to find a bottle you’ll enjoy. “No matter what discipline you studied in school, wine can bring it in if you want it to,” he says. “There’s history, there’s art, there’s hard science, there’s geography, there’s geology.” Here are some highlights from our chat with him.

How did you get into the wine business?

This is going to sound strange, but I got kicked off the debate team in high school.

My uncle was good friends with a guy who owned a wine distributor in town. I started working in the warehouse then, and I have been in the wine business ever since. Wine is the world’s greatest condiment. If you do it right, it can elevate everything. The cliché is it’s like an explosion in your mouth, and it can be.

What do you offer in this new space that people might not know about?

This is a much, much better layout. Our wine cellar, which is a climate controlled room, holds bottles generally over $50 and other rarities, and all our true French champagne. We also offer “sip and shop.”

We have 12 wines we can do by the glass. We had some special cup holders crafted for our grocery store so you can rest a proper crystal Reidel wine glass in the grocery cart, so that’s kind of amazing. We try to put things in there that people might not normally have access to, and we price them aggressively.

42 MountainBrookMagazine.com

What are some highlights of your selection?

We have over 300 different bottles of Chardonnay, 400 over the course of the year.

We have probably the best Oregon Pinot Noir selection in town. Our staff all has our little favorite passions. Jerome is great at Bordeux. Jaleesa loves champagne. The very first wine trip I ever took was to South Africa.

I am very clear eyed in my bias. But I also think that for how we eat in the South—we grill a lot—the wines work very well with the Southern cuisine. Southern cuisine has strong flavors but fresh flavors that South African wines can hold up to.

What has changed in wine in the 10 years you have been at Western?

Millennials get a bad rap sometimes but they are also much more adventurous. We all get stuck in our ways a bit, myself included, but I think the younger consumer is more willing to take a risk on something. If a customer comes in, we’ll ask five or six questions to get a feel for what they like. My literal favorite thing of this business is the

customer that comes in the next day or the next week and says, “That was great.” Or “that didn’t quite work” and we’ll figure it out. Negative feedback helps us work better with the consumer.

What are your go-to recs for bottles?

I think up-and-coming things that are exciting are in Sicily. I’ll get some salmon with an Oregon Pinot Noir, or I’ll get a ribeye with something Spanish. To me it’s all about the time and the type of food you’re having.

With Oregon Pinot Noir, Eyrie Vineyard—I am a huge fan of what those guys do. In Spain there’s an area called Rivera del Duero, and I loved that for grilled meats. I love Chianti with Italian food. My grandmother makes a homemade Vichyssoise, and there’s a particular line from France called Savennieres. I put a little bit of sherry on top.

I can almost guarantee you that whatever dinner party you have, the table will go quiet because everyone is tasting and no one is talking. That’s the greatest compliment you can give the wine and the food and the chef is that nobody is talking.

&STYLE

HOME

OPEN & AIRY

Knock down some walls, enrich your family’s interaction. That’s what the Holts have found with their home renovation.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD

MountainBrookMagazine.com 43

T

To appreciate a good before and after story, you have to have a full picture of the before. This one starts with a 1960s brick home on Rockhill Road, beloved by its original owners for five decades. But in came new life in 2011 when Jordan and Alex Holt bought the home for their growing young family. (Fun fact: Jordan lived on this street a block away, until age 3 before moving to a home off Mountain Brook Parkway.)

Like many homes built in the 1960s, each living area was very separate from the other, with four walls boxing in the formal living room, den, dining room and kitchen. But with the assistance of architect Joe Ellis, the Holts were able to reconfigure the space to be more open and better fit the needs of their family.

It had been five years—and two more daughters later—since move-in day when they hit “play” on updating the home from its original ‘60s style. “We had a lot of time to think about what would work, and I think living in it first was helpful because we knew what we envisioned,” Jordan says.

So what did that look like? They knocked down the wall between the kitchen and the den, opening up the flow there, and added archway openings between the den and the now dining room. They converted the previous dining room space into a spacious laundry room, a mudroom at the entryway, and a butler’s

44 MountainBrookMagazine.com

pantry. What had been an underused formal living room became the new dining room just off the butler’s pantry. Outside, they painted the original red brick white and added custom-built doors and lighting—all giving it a fresh, new feel.

In the living room, they raised the ceilings and added pitch with white oak beams lining them, making the overall space more open and airy in a way that felt original to the house. They also got rid of the paneled walls and put sheet rock in their place.

And it wasn’t without character. Jordan worked with interior designer Caitie Morgan, who came recommended by a friend. “I like the colors she uses—they are very light and airy,” Jordan says. “I like creams and grays and golds.” Caitie brought in signature design details, including the statementmaking range hood in the kitchen and two leaded glass oval windows.

More than anything, though, the renovation has created more rich family time for the Holt five— including girls now ages 8, 6 and 4. Often before Jordan or Alex would be in the kitchen cooking or doing dishes facing the wall, and their kids were playing in their rooms. But not today. “I feel like we are together more, which I have loved,” Jordan says.

“It seems like it’s the way it should have always been.”

Dining Room Previously a formal living room that got little use, the spacious now-dining room boasts an ornamental fireplace that was there before the renovations. They simply moved their chandelier and furniture from one room to the next, and new archway openings allow for easy flow from this space to the living room on the other side of the fireplace. The room also shows off the Holt daughters’ portraits by Nashville artist Mary Flora through Portraits Inc.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 45

Butler’s Pantry Caitie describes this space as a “nook pocket surprise walking from the dining room into the kitchen.” Open shelving and glass-front cabinets allow the Holts to show off their entertaining piece and glassware, and beneath those Caitie designed plenty of cabinet storage space, along with an ice machine and fridge they use for their kids’ drinks.

Kitchen Caitie designed the kitchen to have a casual elegant yet comfortable feel, one that was at once child friendly and really pretty. “They love to cook, so I wanted it to feel like a special thing for them,” she says. The kitchen’s statement maker is its built-in hood with a lightly stained white oak accent beam. But the biggest dream come true for the Holts is the marble island with three stools for their three girls, perfect for snack time or coloring while their mom or dad do dishes. The brass faucet and pot filler along with the grey square backsplash tile round out the style of the space.

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Breakfast Nook This eating area is now open to the kitchen behind it, and they added a banquet to go with their existing table and chairs and covered it and its pillows with an indooroutdoor fabric that’s easy to wipe down with any kid spills. Adjacent to the table is a desk area (previously a pantry) with easy computer access for their kids to use.

And on the other side of the room you’ll find a leaded glass oval window that corresponds to one in the butler’s pantry—an architectural element that was an idea of Caitie’s.

MountainBrookMagazine.com 47

Master Bathroom What was once a dark space with a bathtub/shower with a green patterned curtain became light and airy with marble and cabinets to match the others in the main living spaces of the house.

48 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Mudroom Shiplap carries over from the laundry room just off the mudroom into this convenient storage spot.

Jordan loves having a place for their girls to put their backpacks and bags when they get home.

Laundry Room After years without a separate laundry room, this space is easily Jordan’s favorite part of the renovation, with a farmhouse sink and shiplap walls to boot.

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Living Room Previously a small red brick fireplace became the room’s focal point when they bricked all three sides around it and painted it all white.

It now showcases a painting by Wellon Bridgers, a friend of Jordan’s, more prominently than it had before the renovation. The living room also has a new set of built-in bookcases on the wall facing the kitchen that have a similar modern look to their other cabinets.

50 MountainBrookMagazine.com

BEHIND THE SCENES ARCHITECT: Joe Ellis, Dwelling Architecture

CONTRACTOR: Slate Barganier Building

INTERIOR DESIGN: Caitie Morgan

CABINETS: Deep Fried Southern Cabinetry

APPLIANCES: Ferguson

EXTERIOR LIGHTING: Bevolo

AUDIO VISUAL: Steve Key, Home Theater Visions TILE: Fixtures & Finishes

CABINET HARDWARE: Brandino Brass SELECT ART: Wellon Bridgers

Alex and Jordan Holt with their three daughters.

205-447-3275 • cezelle@realtysouth.com

MountainBrookMagazine.com 51

A ztec Boho Chic IN STYLE

The ABCs of Spring

By Kayley Coggins Photos by Lauren Ustad

1

LOOK 1

3

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Those Green and Gold Ties That Bind MOUNTAIN BROOK HIGH SCHOOL’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS LOOKS BACK AT THE MAGICAL YEARS THEY SPENT PAVING THE WAY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF SPARTANS.

BY TRACEY RECTOR PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCGOUGH

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A few of the Class of 1968 Reunion Committee members gathered at MBHS as they were planning their April reunion. Pictured are Bill Houseal, Ted Crockett, Debby Crow McCullough, Mac McCullough and Jeff Fowlkes.

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Get together 1968 Mountain Brook High School graduates, and their stories will fly and their laughter ring out. They’ll discuss everything from favorite teachers to the talent presentations at the Miss Olympian pageant to the personal risks involved with the senior prank. It’s been 50 years since those idealistic and fun-loving teenagers walked across the football field to receive the first diplomas awarded by the school, but the legacy those students created is firmly entrenched in the community spirit that has a way of drawing folks back to Mountain Brook so that their kids can be Spartans, too. They might be planning their reunion for April now, but the graduates knew little about what they were getting into 50 years ago—including, according to some, how to get to their brand new school.

WITH MAP AND COMPASS IN HAND “There was nothing out there!”

This was class of ’68 alum John McCullough’s

response when the conversation turned to the students’ initial thoughts about their new school.

In the mid-’60s, Bethune Drive was “the edge of nowhere.” Bill Houseal recalls that “Mountain Brook at that time essentially ended at Brookwood Road,” and the school’s location on almost 60 acres a few miles away from that boundary had students wondering how they would ever find it.

It took a little work, but they were successful. An article that appeared in the inaugural issue of the student newspaper the Sword and Shield, reported that until the facility opened in 1966, curious students eager to see their new school had to rely on a map and a compass to locate it.

The wide welcoming doors opened to students on Sept. 8 of that year, and those first MBHS Spartans never looked back.

While the vast majority of students chose to move to the brand new school rather than remain at Shades Valley High School, there were challenges to be faced. Resourceful students turned those challenges into opportunities. With MountainBrookMagazine.com 57

1968 MBHS graduate Jeff Fowlkes flips through old copies of the Sword & Shield that are archived in the school library.

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no established systems in place, the students were given free rein to create the traditions that continue to this day. Debby Crow McCullough remembers asking Mountain Brook High’s first principal, Dr. Harold D. Patterson, if they could have cheerleaders. “His response was something like, ‘Well, if you want to have cheerleaders, you had better get busy!’” She appreciates the confidence the administrator placed in the students. “What a great gift he gave to us!” she says. “He put us first. He said, ‘Work hard and we will support you.’”

TRADITIONS START HERE With that opportunity to pave the way for future students, the class of ’68 voted on school symbols, choosing green and gold as colors and Spartans as the mascot. Class member Peggy Farlow Lee says the choice of the mascot seemed ironic to some of their former classmates from Shades Valley: “We got teased about calling ourselves ‘the Spartans’ since we were one of the only schools at that time that had air conditioning!” They also took a little goodnatured ribbing about the choice of green and

ABOUT THAT SENIOR PRANK

High school rivalries: bringing out the most ingenious (or foolhardy, depending on how you look at it) ideas for generations.

It was only natural that a big rivalry would develop after a large percentage of Shades Valley students left to go to Mountain Brook.

MBHS students tweaked the noses of their former classmates with a stunt that required equal amounts of imaginative engineering and callous disregard for human life.

“Shades Valley had a clock tower,” Peggy Farlow Lee explains.

“The hands were painted Shades Valley colors, red and black.”

Mountain Brook students decided those clock hands would look better if they were green and gold.

“We climbed up three or four stories to the roof, tied a rope around a tire, and lowered someone down to paint the clock hands,” Jeff Fowlkes says, laughing. But in the interest of safety, “We also tied a rope around his waist.”

And as expected, SVHS retaliated, splashing red and black paint all around MBHS. To this day, the classmates agree: “Ours was artwork, theirs was vandalism!”

MountainBrookMagazine.com 59

gold. Some felt like the students may have wanted that combination because it represented the color of money. It’s a charge all class members vehemently deny.

The class of ’68 didn’t just stop with colors and a mascot in establishing the traditions that successive classes have built upon. Before they graduated, they had crowned the first Miss Olympian, performed the first theatrical production (Bye Bye Birdie), assembled a marching band complete with a drill team called the Dorians, appeared in the state Final Four in basketball, and produced state champions in both men’s and women’s tennis.

To today’s teens, 50 years is an eternity, but a number of common threads still run between the students of yesterday and today. Free periods in the mall were as popular among those first Mountain Brook students then as they are now.

And the dress code then, as now, was a source of constant controversy and debate. Lisa Thompson

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Venables says the rules regarding appropriate dress were strict. “Girls could not wear pants,” she emphasized. She thought a moment. “Or culottes. Or short skirts, either.” Being noncompliant meant a trip home to change. Peggy recalls that skirts were actually measured by the administrators if there was any question about the length. “Dr. Patterson had a ruler. Girls had to kneel on the floor, and if the bottom of the skirt was more than two inches from the floor, you were sent home to change clothes.” Quite a challenge for the tall girls, added Lisa.

HERE’S TO YOU, OH MOUNTAIN BROOK! Ask any resident of Mountain Brook who’s lived here a few years, and they can almost certainly tell you their own favorite way to share in the Spartan spirit that energizes the community.

Whether it’s cheering on the football team at

Spartan Stadium on chilly Friday nights, or attending a choir concert in the Fine Arts Center, the locals find a way to engage in the life of their high school. It’s not uncommon around Mountain Brook to hear someone say they never miss the spring musical at the high school or that they still love going to Spartan basketball games. And if you’ve watched the students, arm in arm, sway and sing the Alma Mater, then the depth of the enthusiasm they feel for the school stands out.

The rousing way in which they sing “Here’s to you, Oh Mountain Brook!” speaks volumes about the pride felt in the Green and Gold.

And it all began with the class of 1968—a group of crazy teenage kids who had little idea that their big dreams were the start of something that would become such an important part of the Mountain Brook community. For their part, they were just happy to be there. As Debby Crow McCullough writes at the conclusion of the written history that will be presented at the 50th reunion in April: “Now, after 50 years and an understanding of the monumental effort given by students, parents, and faculty, we can say ‘Thank you! We were blessed to have the opportunity!’”

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COOKS ON A MISSION

THERE’S A TAPESTRY OF RELATIONSHIPS AT THE HEART OF THIS MOUNTAIN BROOK BAPTIST CASSEROLE-COOKING OPERATION.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY JACKSON ROSS MountainBrookMagazine.com 63

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Edna Israel

Aimee Turner

Jane Hauth

Kim Hardwick

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group, is the “muscle of the team” and gets called on to help get things off tall shelves and lift heavy stockpots.

Frances, a nurse by trade, makes the scones for the group: bacon cheddar chive scones, orange cranberry scones, apple cinnamon scones, and more—all delicious. Another baker, Sale, bakes hundreds of loaves of sourdough bread from a 100-year-old starter from Wales.

Jane, a retired attorney, is the chief organizer and official filer of recipes and labels. She also makes cakes with her secret five-ingredient recipe, and has begun a sub-ministry of caring for first responders in the community.

No matter their role, all the cooks are serious about their food. They pride themselves on making MEET THE COOKS everything from scratch, with fresh vegetables, fresh The first two Fridays of each month Cooks on a herbs, real butter and milk. Whether it’s cooking Mission taks over Mountain Brook Baptist Church’s roux for 45 minutes to get depth of flavor in their kitchen and fill it with laughter and conversation. gumbo or grating cheese by hand, they take pains to You’ll find several college students, a great make sure everything is top quality. On any given day grandmother and lots of ladies of all ages in between, they will be making 50 to 125 batches of a recipe. And all talking as much as they cook. After all, it’s the yes, that requires a lot of math.

Along the way, the cooks have developed a rotating “fellowship” they come for just as much as the cooking and the opportunity for service. “You’ll hear repertoire of dishes. Kim and Aimee aren’t quite sure all kinds of laughter in there, sometimes you’ll even why a dish as easy to make as Poppy Seed Chicken is hear singing,” Kim says. “When one of us has a prayer so popular with church members, but it ranks up request or a family crisis, this is the group we turn to there along with the more labor-intensive Beef first. Our group text is an incredible link. Not only Bourguignon, kid-friendly Baked Ziti and singlehave we grown in our cooking skills, we have grown serving French Market Sandwiches (ham and cheese on a croissant with a buttery poppy seed spread). All in our faith too.”

The Cooks on a Mission are not just pretty good casseroles are available in three sizes, and soups amateur cooks, but also close friends, despite the come in two sizes, with the smallest containers diversity within the group. “We all bring something serving just two people—ideal for college students, different to the table,” cook Aimee Turner says. “We seniors and empty nesters.

And then there are the tasting days. When the have meticulous ones and more laid back ones, sentimental ones and more stoic ones. God really put cooks want to add a new item to their menu, they together a remarkable group of believers, and we cook several different versions of the dish and hold a taste test in the church conference room. The staff need each one.”

While it’s all hands on deck for most of each and anyone else who is in the building at that time is cooking day, each cook has their preferred job. Edna invited to taste and then vote for their favorite.

Many of the dishes are family favorites. For is the head dishwasher. The other cooks will tell you she makes everything sparkle, and that “Edna clean” example, the Over the Top Mac and Cheese was is the gold standard. Puerto Rico native Joann not Aimee’s sister-in-law’s recipe but got its got its name only brings her famous Black Beans and Rice recipe “because the four cheeses and cream in the dish to the table, but she also is the prayer warrior of the make it decadently good,” Kim says. When one taste group and frequently leads the group prayer time. tester sampled a new ground beef-and-pasta Chris, a college student and the only male of the casserole, she said, “I don’t know what you call it but When Kim Hardwick shops for 450 pounds of sweet potatoes, she gets noticed. Last November another shopper couldn’t help but ask what they were for.

“We’re making casseroles to support local missions,” Kim told him. “We’re from Mountain Brook Baptist Church, we’re Cooks on a Mission.” And before she knew it, Kim and the man were sharing recipes, and she was answering lots of questions about what Cooks on a Mission is and who it supports.

“I told him we cook two days a month, put casseroles, soups and more in the freezer, and then offer them to our congregation in exchange for donations,” she says. “We volunteer our time, so all of the money goes straight back to local missions.”

MountainBrookMagazine.com 65

The Cooks on a Mission were preparing a large batch of Chicken Wild Rice Soup on the day our photographer visited.

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it’s heavenly.” And just like that, it had a name: Heavenly Delight.

ON A MISSION As much as these cooks love to, well, cook, their biggest heart is for the mission behind it. In fact, their roots go back to 2009 with a “Christmas house” that acted as a lunch and dinner venue for two weeks to raise money for MBBC’s annual family mission trip. After three years of that they switched to serving a monthly Sunday lunch, but the lightbulb moment came when they made and froze traditional side dishes for Thanksgiving. They reasoned that lots of people would like the homemade dishes, but without all of the work, and they were right. Their Thanksgiving food sale is now their largest month, by far. In addition to dressing, sweet potato casserole, squash casserole and Over the Top Mac ’n Cheese, they also offer fresh-baked layer cakes and pies. In 2017 they took orders for almost 60 cakes and pies.

All of the money they make from food “sales” goes straight back to the community. “We call it a sale because that just makes sense,” says Sherrie, “but it’s

really a donation for the ministry, and 100 percent of the money goes to support local organizations.”

“Ultimately, we want to share the love of Christ with others,” says Sherrie, “but it’s really hard to be receptive to that if you are hungry, so lots of our activities involve feeding others, including students at three area elementary schools who are at risk of being hungry over the weekend.” The group delivers bags with a weekend’s worth of child-friendly food items for students each week.

They provide meals for families with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UAB/Children’s Hospital and for the pediatric oncology parent support group at Children’s of Alabama. They’ve helped fund tablet computers and breakfasts for the GED program at M-Power, and as other needs arise, they have the flexibility to address them, such as for a missionary family from Liberia who had to unexpectedly stay in Birmingham through the winter months and needed winter clothing and coats.

Lately the cooking and mission parts of their name have become even more closely integrated too. For the past two years the cooks have been joined by ladies from the WellHouse, a rescue and recovery

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organization for women who are victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. It started as a way to provide job training for the ladies, but has grown into much more.

“We were nervous when we went to meet the WellHouse ladies for the first time,” Aimee recounts.

“We knew they’d been trafficked, that they had histories. We couldn’t even begin to imagine the horrors they had endured. And we thought, ‘How are we going to connect with these women who have such different backgrounds from ours?’

“But the Lord opened our hearts to them and gave us the words. Eventually, the walls began to come down. It was a miracle. I think the girls realized we are real, we have our own challenges, so they have begun to let us in. We just love them for who they are.

Sometimes we hear terrible stories, and we don’t always know what to say, but we always listen and love. A hug goes a long way.”

BETTER TOGETHER On Fridays the cooks and WellHouse ladies alike all share in life, over the stove and over the table. The WellHouse ladies and the cooks sit down for a familystyle lunch and share what’s on their hearts. Over

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time, trust is built and the cooks share the good, the bad and ugly of their own lives too. “They haven’t had many people they can trust,” Kim says. “But we work hard to make sure they can trust us.”

With the funds they raise, the cooks provide food to the WellHouse ladies and frequently help the ladies who graduate from the program stock their pantries when they start out on their own. Sometimes they pay for various expenses the graduates encounter, even basics like a suitcase or scrubs for a job training program.

Even after the ladies leave the WellHouse, the bonds forged on the Friday cooking days continue. WellHouse graduates are now in Chicago, Florida, Kentucky and many other places in the US. Social media helps the cooks keep up with the ladies and continue to minister to them. The cooks can recount story after story of women they have built friendships with. One was originally not comfortable in a church because she had been trafficked at a ministry convention. Now she’s driving an 18 wheeler all over the country, all five feet tall of her, and blogging about her adventures as she goes. Another is a welder, another is in the Navy, and still another is recently engaged.

One of Kim’s closest friends is a graduate of the WellHouse. A while back, Kim helped her get her driver’s license, car tag and insurance. “The day she got her license, I was as proud of her as I was of my own daughter,” Kim says, beaming, “because I knew what it represented to her.

It’s another step to freedom.”

But the endings aren’t always happy. Sometimes the women find themselves back in the life they came from.

Kim and Sherrie recall a day when they set out for a truck stop on Finley Boulevard to pick up one of the former WellHouse residents who had gone back to her trafficker.

“Addiction is really hard,” Sherrie says. “We had no idea how hard. She ended up not coming with us that day, but she knows we love her, and we would go again in a heartbeat.”

These relationships have also enabled the cooks to become better advocates for getting people out of trafficking.

Aimee recently saw a girl at her neighborhood CVS who caught her eye. “I would have never given it a second thought before, but it triggered something and I thought, ‘That girl is being trafficked,’” she says. “I knew by the way she looked and her demeanor.” The girl wasn’t open to Aimee’s offer to help, but she also knows it won’t be the last time she’ll encounter something like that.

The cooks bubble over talking about all the learning and loving on cooking days and beyond, and their gratitude to their church congregation for supporting what they do. “It’s a blessing all the way around,” Aimee says. “Our personal relationships are so special, and we are so blessed to know the WellHouse women. Our faith grows every day. It’s taught me to keep my eyes open and to be watching for God’s hand.”

JOIN COOKS ON A MISSION STOCK YOUR FREEZER Anyone in the community is welcome to come to Mountain Brook Baptist on the third Wednesday of the month 2-6:30 p.m. to pick up casseroles, breakfast items and soups. Save them for your family, or to take them to a friend or neighbor. Note that they take off June and July.

COOK WITH THE COOKS Cooks on a Mission prepare food all day on the first two Fridays of the month and welcome anyone in the community to join them. Email cooksonamission@yahoo.com for in-

formation, or follow them on social media at facebook.com/CooksOnAMission/ or @cooksonamission on Instagram.

PASS IT ON The Cooks on a Mission ladies would love to see other churches or groups in the community form their own version of Cooks On A Mission to raise money for local causes, and they’d be happy to share what they do with anyone who is interested.

“We do all of this for the glory of the Lord,” Sherrie says. “We would love to see other groups take this idea and make it their own.”

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BREAK POINT The road to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open for this hall of famer started as a Spartan.

BY SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR. PHOTOS BY SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR. AND CONTRIBUTED

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ALABAMA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

MountainBrookMagazine.com 71

Genevieve DuPré didn’t want the tennis racket her parents bought her as a child, but little brother Pat did.

“It wasn’t even a question of her even using it,” recalls Pat DuPré. “They bought three tennis rackets and (the third one) was basically for her. She didn’t use it one time so I got on the court with it right away.” So began a life on the court that continues to this day.

Born in Belgium and raised in Mountain Brook, Pat became one of the greatest tennis players this state has produced, a player who rose to a world No. 14 ranking while knocking off the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Guillermo Vilas and stepping into multiple halls of fame.

His father, Jules DuPré, was his first hitting partner. Rumor has it they played so much that young Pat would go through a pair of tennis shoes in a week. “That’s probably an urban legend but there’s no question I was going through equipment pretty quick,” says Pat, now a 63-year-old living in Savannah, Georgia. “I did play a lot. I went to school and right after school it was tennis until dinner time, and then we would repeat, and repeat and repeat.”

Pat DuPré now lives in Savannah but visits his mom regularly in Anniston, where this photo was shot.

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The two played virtually every day, even after the son got really good. Sometimes his father and younger brother Frankie would be on the one end of the court and he on the other. “My younger brother was a pretty good tennis player too,” Pat says. “My success was based upon the help I got from my dad.

I got additional help from others but the foundation of everything I did came from playing with my dad.”

Jules DuPré was also Pat’s first coach. The eventual pro calls himself a patient serve-and-volleyer. He says his father was a great athlete who played ice hockey in the Olympics and in world championships.

But the father’s style as a tennis player didn’t match that of his son. “If you were to watch him play tennis and watch me play tennis, you would say: ‘How in the world did I come from that?’” Pat says with a laugh. “He was the consummate hacker. I got the (athletic) gene pool to compete at that level from him. It was a lot of coaching, but it was also hitting ball after ball after ball.”

Tennis became a family affair as his mother

Lisette—“a pretty good athlete too”—also played.

“I honestly don’t know how it progressed but I got good pretty fast,” he recalls. “There was never a question that I was going to continue doing this. By the time I was in high school, I was beating every player in the state of Alabama—adult or child, it didn’t matter. I already knew at that point what I was going to do with the rest of my life.”

As Pat developed as a player, father and son took a “next guy” approach to his playing schedule.

“Growing up in Birmingham, I’ve got to beat this guy in Anniston,” he recalls. “Or I’ve got to beat this kid down in Pensacola or Mobile.”

John Callen was one of the players on Pat’s list.

“We were friends but I was a year ahead of him,” John recalls. “I would say our rivalry was first but he was certainly a friend coming up and a heck of a rival.”

“He (John) went to Ramsay High School (and) I went to Mountain Brook,” Pat recalls. “We played each other in state high school tournaments and he was always one of the tougher guys for me to beat in the metropolitan Birmingham area.

“I don’t remember at what point I started winning most of the time, or all of the time,” the eventual pro player says. “He was clearly the strongest competition

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Pat DuPré was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

for me at a younger age. He was probably the guy I Pat is in the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame and the had to beat to win the high school state tennis Southern Tennis Hall of Fame. “But you also dread the fact that he’s on the other side of the net. You tournament.”

Pat was a three-time Alabama state singles know he’s going to give it his best and that’s going champion while playing at Mountain Brook High to be tough to beat.”

Pat was the first tennis School. He ranked second in player enshrined in the the United States in boys 18 By the time I was in high Alabama Sports Hall of singles in 1971. Before long school, I was beating Fame, and is in the his pursuit of the “next guy” International Collegiate expanded beyond Alabama, every player in the state Tennis Hall of Fame. “He to tournaments in St. Louis, of Alabama—adult or was always just tough as Louisville, Cincinnati, Ohio, child, it didn’t matter. I nails and was getting better and Kalamazoo, Michigan. already knew at that point every year,” John says.

As his mother drove him to what I was going to do “Certainly, when he went to tournaments throughout with the rest of my life.

Stanford everything just the region and beyond, he – Pat DuPré exploded for him.” and his father made a deal.

Pat was an All-American for four years in “If I made the semifinal of the tournament, my dad would drive up after work on Friday to see me college. In 1973 and 1974, he helped lead Stanford play on Saturday,” he recalls of his father, an to a pair of National Collegiate Athletics engineer who ran a pipe manufacturing company Association national championships. When he in Anniston. “He did that four years in a row, every moved on from the Cardinal, Pat took his gritty play to the pros, where he notched one singles title year, because I always made it that far.”

John says Pat was a player you relished—and on the ATP Tour at the 1982 Hong Kong Open and dreaded—playing. “You certainly get up for a snared four doubles crowns.

The former Mountain Brook Spartan was a match for somebody like Pat,” says John, who like

“

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”

semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1979 and a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open. Along the way, he notched wins against nearly every opponent.

Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg were the exceptions. “Borg used to beat the crap out of me,” Pat says. “Whatever I tried just didn’t do any good.

Connors, on the other hand, we had a lot of very close matches. Unfortunately, I never won one, but there were a lot of real close ones. I didn’t cross the finish line, but I always felt like there was a chance there.”

Pat still enjoys playing tennis and gleans nearly as much pleasure out of teaching and coaching the game. He has developed a tennis business in Savannah with about 200 clients, teaching them on private courts and in public parks.

“I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to say he doesn’t have to work a day in his life, which is a lot of fun,” he says. “I do enjoy coaching, I really do.

Whether it’s a 5-year-old kid hitting the ball for the first time or teaching a group of elderly ladies how to win at doubles or teaching a kid to a national junior championship. They’re all very satisfying.

“It’s not work to me at all. It’s a heck of a lot of fun.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF USTA SOUTHERN

MountainBrookMagazine.com 75

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

Save the Date

March 31

Easter Egg Roll in front of Emmet O’Neal Library 10:00 a.m.

April 4

Eggs & Issues Multi-Chamber Event with Congressman Gary Palmer 7:30-9:00

April 7

Shades Creek Fest in Jemison Park 10:00-1:00

April 19-21

Tent Sales in English Village Jazz with Civitas April 19, 5:00-8:00 Spring A Ling A Ding Dong April 21, 9:00-3:00

April 28

Citizens Appreciation Day at City Hall 11:00-2:00

April 26

Restaurant Panel Chamber Luncheon Register at mtnbrookchamber.org.

11:00-1:00

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Welcome, 2018 Board of Directors!

Dr. Kevin Alexander, Deb Bearden, Joseph Braswell, Ricky Bromberg, Dan Bundy, Frank Caley, Terry Chapman, Tanya Cooper, Walter Crye, Melinda Curtis, Paul DeMarco, Dr. Cal Dodson, Suzan Doidge, Kaye Emack, John Evans, Representative David Faulkner, Sam Gaston, Martha Gorham, Paul Graham, Gina Harris, Will Haver, Krista Hughes, Laura Hydinger, Steven Hydinger, Amy Jackson, Tonya Jones, Kari Kampakis, Brian Lett, Lauren Nichols, Avani Patel, Lynn Ritchie, Kristin Ritter, John Rucker, Millie Rudder, Ann Sanders, Vince Schilleci, Dr. Lori Smith, Parker Stringfellow, Ladd Tucker, Teresa Vick, Molly Wallace, John Wilson, Alice Womack

Thank you, 2018 Village 2 Village 10k Sponsors!

Alex Morrow, Resolute Running; Paul Graham, Grandview Medical Center; Dr. Cal Dodson, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Mark Schaeffer, Schaeffer Eye Center Presented by Schaeffer Eye Center Sponsored By Grandview Medical Center, MDVIP, and Southern States Bank.

March 10, 2018 www.Village2Village10k.com

MTN. BROOK, ALABAMA 35213

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PHOTOS BY CANVAS BAG MEDIA

Eleven bands of students, ages 10-18, took the Saturn stage for Mason Music’s Fall 2017 Rock Band League final concert and Battle of the Bands, presented by Otey’s and Taco Mama.

1. Miriam Hodges and Jaislyn Bishop

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2. Emily Watson 3. Carlton Wallwork, Madeline Stephens, Reid Ramsbacher, Tanner Hutson, Austin Evans and Chip Cowin (Ridiculous Six) 4. Jason Thompson 5. Lauren Lanier 6. Jack Fischer and Hudson Jones 7. Halle Beasley 8. Hayden Green, Luke Black, Drury Anderson and Nick Blackwell (Rug Monkey) 9. Kate Lauterbach and Bay Matthews 10. Claire Lauterbach

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PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Neal Berte was awarded the Jemison Visionary Award, longtime Emmet O’Neal Library Director Sue DeBrect the Tynes Award, and Ro Burrough the City Employee of the Year Award at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Luncheon at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

1. Police Captain Greg Haygood, City Employee of the Year Office Ro Burrough, and Police Chief Ted Cook

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2. James Camp and Liz Clecker 3. Mayor Stewart Welch, Chamber President Cal Dodson, Outgoing President Lori Smith and Jemison Award Winner Neal Berte 4. Paul Graham and Scott Berte 5. John Lacey, Virginia Markstein O’Hara and Chad Richey 6. Millie Redder, Warren Smith, Anne Sanders and Terry Chapman 7. Sophie Brown and Michael Odom 8. Leslie Nilges, Jim Shannon, Patrick Coryell and Teresa Vick 9. Sherri Weissman, Melinda Curtis and Jeannie Dodson 10. Claire Smith, Maddie Usdah and Virginia Williams

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MBHS VS. VESTAVIA HILLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

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The Spartans defeated the Rebels 46-42 on their home court on Jan. 5.

1. Carter Brown and Claire Kimberlin 2. Ella Lukens and Ellen Dulin 3. Ella Grace Bowers, Greer Kelly and Sibley Cotton

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4. Lily Cochrane and Lillie Young 5. Grace Turner and Lizzie Jeffcoat 6. John Fletcher Brown and David Dixon 7. Olivia Robinson, Margo Belden, Betsy Lambert, Forest Ann Watson, Claire Dennis, Caroline Savage and Mary Ashley Meadows 8. Emily Henderson, Jill Gaylard and Brooks Gaylard

Helping parents Character in kids CULTIVATE

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Greystone • Homewood • Pelham Trace Crossings • Valleydale ®

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LIBRARY FAMILY NIGHT

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PHOTOS BY ELEANOR KERR

Kids gathered at the Emmet O’Neal Library for Family Night on Jan. 9.

1. Leary and Price Ray 2. Eden and Zoe Schneider 3. Brooks Reed and William Fava 4. Calla Rose Edmonds and Hudson Edmonds 5. Eden and Zoe Schneider, Calla Rose and Madeline Edmonds 6. Marin and Caroline Carter, and Sinclair Hey

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7. Caleb, Julie, Anne Violet and Rosemary Tucker

Trendy and contemporary styles for tweens, juniors, and ladies!

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PHOTOS BY JAMES CULVER

The Beaux Arts Krewe presented 35 princesses at the annual ball at Boutwell Auditorium on Feb. 9.

1. Queen Alli Vogtle, with Laura and Jesse Vogtle 2. Trainbearer 3. Kate Harmon, Charles Hoyt and Chris Harmon 4. Queens’s Guards: Matt Parker, Lee Edwards, Tony Gaede, Billy Reed and Mitch Bruhn

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5. Jay and Kathy Skinner 6. Lucy Gardner and Carson Brown 7. Logan Morris, Carolyn McCalley, Meg McCalley and Ben Jackson 8. Mary Boyd Crosier and Ashwanth Samuel 9. Ellen and Houston Gillespy 10. Carol and Jorge de la Torre 11. Anna Catherine Gillespy, Mary Seldon Andrews, Anne Pickering and Lucy Gardner 12. King Harold Goings with trainbearers Miner Harrell, Jane Briggs Harrell, Harper Goings and Bella Goings

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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 DRIVER- CLASS 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) 808-4833 Pre-employment drug test required.

A to RN In Home Care Office Locations • Alabaster • Columbiana • Hoover • Birmingham Elizabeth Cruce C.E.O 205-789-4355 Staff Bonded For your in home care needs: • Sitters • Aides • Nurses • Caregivers • Daycare • Live-in services • No minimum hours • No long term contracts • Lowest staffing prices around!

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)296-9988 NOW HIRING DRIVERS •Dump Truck Driver needed for utility contractor. Also needed: •Fuel Truck Driver, HAZ-MAT required. Apply in person: 276 Snow Drive Birmingham, AL 35209 Call: (205)942-1095 Bent Creek Apartments.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom.

On-site Manager. On-site Maintenance. 3001 7th Street.

North Clanton, AL 35045.

TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) 800-548-2546(T/A) bentcreek@morrowapts.com Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.

Equal Opportunity Provider/ Employer Bama Concrete Now Hiring: Diesel Mechanic 4 Years Minimum Experience. CDL Preferred. Competitive Pay. Great Benefits. Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Birmingham Hide & Tallow Immediate position for CLASS-B ROUTE DRIVERS FOR LOCAL ROUTE. WELL-ESTABLISHED 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 205-425-1711 OR EMAIL: adria.lupien@bhtonline.com Bob Clayton The Ultimate in Janitorial Service • Since 1987 205-281-3188 bobclaytonujs@gmail.com Commercial Services: •Construction Cleanup •Emergency Cleanup •Floor Care/Buffing/Mopping •Stripping/Waxing•General Cleaning •Parking-Lot Cleanup •Pressure Washing •Trash Removal •Window Cleaning 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 • 205-665-2257 • TDD #’s: (V)1-800-548-2547 • (T/A)1-800-548-2546. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Chase Learning Center & Day Care is Pelham is Now Hiring • PT Nursery • PT After-school. $8/hr. 5 days/week. Great for college students! 205-620-1616

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Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Over-theroad 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

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 Comfort Caregivers • Now Hiring Caregivers New Positions Available Full-time & Part-time •Non-medical Care •Companion/ Sitter Services •Personal Care •Homemaker Services View jobs and apply online: www.comfortcarehomehealth. com 205.730.2358 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 WE NEED YOU..... Foster parents wanted for therapeutic foster care. Become a part of a team while nurturing and teaching a child/teen who needs help adjusting to life. Call now and ask for Sabrina Underwood at 1-888-875-0608. or email cmstinson@cscalabama.org Welder Training. Short Term Licensing . Call for Details .

866-432-0430 ESDschool.com

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 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 D & G Plumbing Service 2003 4th Ave South Irondale, AL 35210 •Plumbing •Drain Cleaning •Gas Lines 10% Senior Citizen Discount 10% off any service call Call Us Now!!

•205-603-7768 •205-503-6000 •205-531-8519 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 Full-Time File Clerk/ Data Entry Clerk Part-Time Please email resume: Oacinc5@yahoo.com Or mail to: Post Office Drawer 559 Clanton, Alabama 35045 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 Local Company in Childersburg, Alabama is looking for local drivers, home daily and off most weekends For more information please contact Chad at: 256-404-7478 ONLINE AUCTIONS www.GTAOnlineAuctions.com 205-326-0833 Granger, Thagard & Assoc.

Jack F. Granger #873

$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, 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.

RN’s, LPN’s and CNA’s for Private Duty Flexible Day/Night Shift Hours 7 Days a Week For Qualifications Please call 205-870-8855 or Email: dawna@family privatecarellc.com www.familyprivatecarellc.com 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 First Heritage Credit of Alabama, LLC has come to town!

Come meet your local agents, Leigh Warren, Ashley Traywick, and Karly Reinhardt for loans of all types; •Personal Loans - Consolidation Loans •Auto Loans - Consumer Retail Loans “Excellence is our Standard” Located at 8919 Hwy 119, Suite 109, Alabaster AL 35007 Call or Apply Online @ 205-620-0664 1stheritagecredit.com •All loans are subject to our normal credit criteria 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 Preloaded & 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 recruiting at 1-800-634-7315 or come by HTL office at 1700 Boone Blvd, Northport. EOE

MARKETPLACE 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 256-560-0821.

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 205-229-7144 Kelly Educational Staffing® We’re hiring! •Substitute teachers •Aides •Cafeteria •Clerical •Custodial positions Shelby County School District & Alabaster City Schools.

Please call 205-870-7154 -Equal Opportunity EmployerPosition available for local Pickup and Delivery Driver 25-35 hours per week, Vehicle Provided, Clean driving record a MUST! Call 205-663-6500 Monday-Friday for more info Owner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com NOW HIRING Haul Truck Drivers with 3-5 years experience in medium to heavy duty diesel trucks, 50 hour work week, Competitive bonus structure, Plus benefits Email or Call Nick at: 607-972-3205 ngregg@stny.rr.com M&D Mechanical Contractors Inc. • Hiring Craft Professionals: •Commercial Plumbers •Sheet Metal Workers •Helpers Hours: Monday-Thursday (4/10s) Apply Now: mdmechanical.com/ careers Location: Birmingham, AL. Competitive Pay, Robust Benefits, Pre-Employment Drug Screen Required. Questions?

Call HR @ 256.350.6568 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: 800-5482547(V) •800-548-2546(T/A).

Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm. Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer $Cash Paid For Used RV’s!$ Motor Homes, Travel/Enclosed trailers, consignment welcome, Cars and Trucks, Pick up available, Mccluskey Auto and RV Sales, LLC 205-833-4575 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/mommagoldbergs-deli (205)503-6190 Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205-389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657 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 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: 205-438-4959 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 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.

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 Diploma or GED. • Are at least 18 years old. Complete your application on line at www.naonsite.com 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 online at www.Oxfordhealthcare. com Parts / Warranty Clerk Needed. Peach Automotive & Outdoor in Clanton is a thriving company in need of an individual able to process parts orders and warranty claims for farm equipment. Knowledge in the farm equipment industry is a plus. Excellent pay, BC/ BS Insurance, paid vacation.

Please send resume to: peachautomotive@gmail.com We are a Christian faith based private duty care -Up to 24 hours- Looking for someone to care & give lots of love to your loved ones? You have just been blessed! I am the one! 10 years experience, UAB graduate, Certified CNA Will clean, cook, shop, travel with you on vacations and etc. References Available Owner: Robin Co-owner:Pearl (646)770-7859 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 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 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 205-663-7105 Soom 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 Speedy Tire & Service NOW HIRING •Auto Technicians •Tire & Lube Technicians Apply in person at: 3149 Pelham Parkway Pelham, Al 35214 205-664-0810 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 Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham.

Must be willing to learn & work hard. Go to: supremeelectrical.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 Terrace Oaks Care & Rehab in Besemer is hiring 3pm-11pm LPN Charge Nurse & Staff Education Coordinator RN Please contact: Letetia Whitt, RN,DON at 205-428-3249 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

Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedentalassisting. com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

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. 334-365-2488 Wiley Sanders Truck Lines Inc $1,000 SIGN-ON-BONUS DRIVER PAY RAISE EFFECTIVE JUNE 2017! Longevity-Bonus.

Quarterly Safe-Driving AWARD. Competitive Pay Package.

PAID Orientation. NEW Fleet of Trucks. Call 1-855-777-9785 & ask for Dale or Brandy. Nights/ weekends, call Jeffrey: 334-372-5049 Ron: 1-850-454-4276 Richard: 334-492-0803 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.

NOW HIRING Cook/Food Service Workers Part-Time, Day and Evening Shifts YMCA Hargis Retreat in Chelsea Complete application at: www.ymcabham. org/careers CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock. Alabaster/ Pelham. Call Stephen (205)663-2822

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MY MOUNTAIN BROOK LUCIE CHRISTIAN

2018 Miss Olympian + MBHS Senior + Dorian

For a Taste of France

Chez Lulu Stepping into Chez Lulu feels like being transported to an eclectic cafe in the South of France. They serve lunch and dinner, but Chez Lulu ranks #1 for Sunday brunch in Mountain Brook. Hello, fresh crepes!

My Go-To Study Spot

Church Street Coffee and Books For solo studying, I love sitting upstairs in the little nook in the back that overlooks some of Crestline Village. They have the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten!

For a Sweet Treat

Mountain Brook Creamery Known as “MB Cream” to me and my friends, this is definitely one of my favorite places to go after Mountain Brook sporting events or any occasion, big or small. I always get Stellar Coffee in the afternoon or Moose Tracks if I’m not up for caffeine.

On the Field

Friday Night MBHS Football As a dancer on Dorians, football season is one of my favorite times of the year. Dancing on the field with the band is such a coveted and exciting experience. I can’t think of an atmosphere that is more enthusiastic than the Spartan Stadium on Hoover night!

PHOTO BY CAROLANNE BERTE

For a Walk with Friends

Jemison Trail This is my favorite place to catch up with friends on sunny days. We’ll usually start by the creek and walk all the way down into Mountain Brook Village to grab lunch or just window shop.

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Stock & Trade Design Co. 3048 Independence Drive Birmingham, Alabama 35209 205.783.1350 92 MountainBrookMagazine.com

Stockandtrade.com

Stock & Trade Design Co. 11111 Emerald Coast Pkwy Destin, Florida 32550 850.460.8990