CHEF SPOTLIGHT
In celebration of Birmingham’s Southbound Food Festival we wanted to highlight a few of our favorite culinary experts and their personal connection with our great home state, Alabama.
Rob McDaniel of Helen
Having grown up in Northern Alabama, Billy quickly bonded with Rob and was asked to cook for our Shindigs. The state’s influence is clear in Rob’s approach to food and hospitality. Plus, he makes a mean steak. Possibly inspired by his favorite childhood dish: Nanny Helen’s ribeye.
José Medina Camacho of Adiós
As the Beverage Director, José often pulls inspiration from Southern dishes and seasonal fruit for his Alabama-inspired cocktails. Although he describes his bartending style as easygoing, we’re always impressed by his curation of Mexican-made spirits and ingredients.
Jesús Méndez of Salud Taqueria
This Chef and Restaurateur loves supporting locally—even getting all of his fresh produce from the Farmers Market on Finley Ave and meat from Evans Meats and Seafood. That’s because he focuses on only having the highest-quality ingredients for his tacos.
Tim Hontzas of Johnny's Restaurant
Since meeting Billy at an in-shop event, we’ve admired how Tim honors his Greek roots and inspires comfort and connection through food. With Southern ingredients and Greek influences (think local veggies alongside house-cultured tzatziki), everything tastes right at home.
Kristen Hall of La Fête
Deeply inspired by her travels in France, Kristen marries that influence with Southern ingredients (like produce from the Saturday farmers market) to create unique bites. You can taste it in everything from the fish en papillote to the potato gratin—the first dish she really aced.
Frank Stitt of Chez Fonfon
20 years ago Billy met Frank at a Southern Foodways Alliance party and admired the chef’s passion for sustainable agriculture. Frank’s Humane animal husbandry goes back to his Granddaddy White’s respect for his Jersey milk cow and is evident in all his dishes.
Pat Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
Martin pulls on his deep Southern roots for culinary and cultural inspiration. Specifically specializing in the tradition of old-school West Tennessee whole hog barbequing—a passion that was ignited while in college.
Adam Evans of Automatic Seafood & Oysters
Growing up in the Shoals, it was destined that Adam would eventually meet Billy through a mutual friend. They both share a passion for Gulf seafood, which influences Adam’s expertly prepared dishes.
