Joy Smith of Sorelle Catering opens a take- and-bake cafe

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JOY SMITH

Finding Joy in Food

Sorelle’s Joy Smith prepares tons of grab-and-go dishes in her new space

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE

When you ask Joy Smith how long she’s been into cooking and what first piqued her interest, she’ll tell you two things: Always, even going back to pretend play in the kitchen when she was a little girl, and her mom, who cooked everything herself, from baking bread to beautiful pies and all the other dishes in between. “She was a single mom and a huge influence on me,” says Joy. “I learned a lot of things from watching her in the kitchen.”

Joy’s love for cooking never waned, and she eventually moved on from plastic play food to the real thing. “My first job was in a kitchen,” she says. “Front of the house, back of the house—it just comes natural for me to be there. I do love to cook, but I really love to feed people. When I see somebody eat something and enjoy it, well, I just love to be a part of that.”

And she was, working in various restaurants while obtaining a psychology degree from UAB and then falling into teaching. She was at Creative Montessori in Homewood for 10 years, where she continued to work as a server on the side. While at Creative Montessori, Joy had the opportunity to take on the role of food service director, and she took the opportunity to revamp the entire lunch program at the school. “I helped the students plant an organic garden—we planted, picked, and cooked the green beans we grew. We made it fun,” she says. “And then I was able to get fresh fruits, veggies, and a salad bar into the lunch program. And my reward was seeing everyone love the food.”

Even though she loved her job, she had kept a childhood memory tucked away, and it was starting to nag at her heart. “When I was 7 years old, my mom and I were driving in Michigan [where they lived at the time], and she saw a little shed and said, “Now, wouldn’t that be the cutest little restaurant! You could do pot roast on Thursday, chicken pot pie on Friday…” ,” Joy recalls. “It sounded so fabulous! But my mom was a nurse and it just never happened for her. But the fantasy stayed with me, and I had a burning passion to make it reality.”

So, exhausted from teaching and wanting to chase her dream, Joy left her job and started feeding people through catering jobs. “I didn’t

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know what to do and I didn’t have any money,” she says. “But I knew the most important thing was to feed the people. So, I went to the farmers’ market, and I started feeding people.”

Mouthwatering word spread, and in December 2020, Joy got her famous cheesecake in her first Piggly-Wiggly (River Run location). Her tangy, creamy, smoother-than-butter cheesecakes are now available at six local Pigs. Still, she couldn’t shake the idea of a storefront. “I’ve never done this before, but I love people and I love to feed them,” she says. “I heard if you feed them, they will come, and I’m just winging it.”

When a space opened up—the old JoJo’s on Broadway adjacent to Gianmarco’s—Joy finally turned her 7-year-old-girl dream into her grownup reality.

She hired a chef she’d met while working in a local fine dining restaurant, put together a menu, and prepped for the open house—and four days before she opened, the new chef quit. “I was literally pulling out paper and paint to make the open house sign,” Joy says. Undeterred, she forged ahead, doing everything herself. Almost five months ago, she hired someone new. “He’s never worked in a kitchen, but I taught him everything, and I feel so so blessed to have him.” She also has part-time serving help, a cheesecake apprentice, and—most special of all—her oldest daughter Allise, a student at UAB. “She’s sweet and fabulous and very kknowledgeable about food.” (Joy also has a son, Jacob, who attends North Alabama, and another daughter, Olivia, who is a senior at Homewood High School. She’s married to Gregory, who is the director of Creative Montessori.) Though the café is set up for mostly grab-andgo, the space does have some seating—perfect for eating a quick sandwich—and a few armchairs, which are a cozy spot to enjoy Joy’s hot chocolate service. “I wanted it to feel like you’re walking into someone’s house,” says Joy. “We have amazing coffee from a local roaster, Red Bike coffee, and our hot chocolate service is really special.” She can make a batch if you’re willing to wait a minute, but if you call ahead, Joy will prep her rich recipe and serve it to you in a teapot with house-made whipped cream and a tea cup with a teeny ice-cream cone on the side. “It’s the most adorable ice-cream cone you’ve ever seen in your life. Kids love it and so do adults.”

In the freezer, hungry customers can choose from an abundance of made-from-scratch entrees, soups, sides, salads, and, of course, cheesecake. The top-selling entrée is meatloaf with mashed potatoes, followed by the chicken parmesan and chicken with sage cream sauce. “We make our own stock, then use it as the base for the sauce and add white wine, heavy cream, and sage,” says Joy. “It’s really unique and really good.”

Popular sides include honey-roasted sweet potatoes and ginger-roasted carrots. “I’ve had quite a few people call and tell me they are the best carrots they’ve ever eaten. Who calls about carrots?” she says, noting that it’s that type of feedback that is why she cooks. “If people are happy [with the food], then I’m happy.”

People also seem to love the sliders, pesto salad, hot mushroom dip, and roasted red pepper relish. Joy is still doing plenty of boxed lunches for offices, appetizer parties, and full-service catering for weddings and graduation parties. The house chicken—grilled ginger-lime—is served on bread and salads, and the house salad comes with a homemade white-honey balsamic dressing. Oh, and seasonal soups are a big hit, too, like chicken, mushroom, and wild rice and the stuffed pepper soup, which Joy recently ate three times in one week. “I don’t usually do that,” she says, laughing and explaining that her family eats “the scraps.”

Joy says she doesn’t do favorites—”I’m not a favorites person”—food or successes. “I really try to be in the moment and appreciate the small things that add up to a life,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong, [well-known food writer] Susan Swagler interviewed me, I’m a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier Birmingham chapter—that’s really exciting. But being able to partner with FeedBHM or having someone come in and tell me their husband just had surgery and they were sick of restaurant food and wanted home cooking but didn’t want to actually cook—that’s the successful stuff for me.”

“I’m not exactly sure where we are going— I’m just winging it,” she says. “I’d love to get my liquor license and have a little wine and charcuterie for cocktail hour. But I don’t want to be a bar and stay open till midnight. So, we’ll just keep taking one tiny baby step at a time: one meal, one cheesecake, one office catering job at a time. Eventually, we’ll settle and nestle.”

Sorelle Café is located at 903 Broadway Street in Homewood. Hours are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Saturday. For more information, visit facebook.com/sorelle1000.

A Kid-Friendly Terrarium DIY

Have some gardening fun on a spring afternoon

BY CARMEN JOHNSTON

I love finding unique ways to bring plants into a home, and what better way to do that than with your kids? This adorable garden-in-a-jar can go almost anywhere in your home, in your child’s bedroom, your living room, dining room, or kitchen. If you decide to do this DIY with your kiddos, let them take control of the project—there is no wrong way to do this! But, if you get one for your kids, make sure to get an extra jar for yourself, because you are going to want to have one of your own, too.

Most of the materials listed on the following page are ones you might already have in your home, but if you don’t you can find everything you need easily at your local craft store or even on Amazon. Feel free to make the terrarium in your own style and let your kids help pick out the supplies—the more they can do to help, the more responsibility they will feel in taking care of the plants down the road. Add a fun and festive spin by including Spring or Easter themed goodies, and let it double as a fun gift. Be creative!

MATERIALS

Large glass container Lazy Susan or turntable Potting soil and mulch mix Various small rocks Colored sand (optional) Small plants like cacti, succulents, small tropical plants, or orchids Kitchen tongs Small paintbrush Moss Spray bottle of water Turkey baster Fun personal or decorative items

Start by putting your glass terrarium container on the lazy Susan. This will help you turn the container to see all sides while working. You can use any type of glass container. I chose a large glass cookie jar. Spread a very thin layer of potting soil/mulch mix on the bottom of your container. Add an inch or two of rocks on top of the potting soil. You can use any color and type of rock to make it fun. I used black, but small garden rocks come in every shape and color—even glowin-the-dark! Flatten the rocks with your hand. (You can also add colored sand at this point, too. Just sprinkle a small amount over the rocks.) Add another layer of potting soil and mulch. (I use mostly mulch mixed with a little bit of potting soil.) A terrarium is self-watering, so it needs good drainage, and the mulch helps to provide that. Without proper drainage, your plants can flood and die. Make this layer of potting soil into a large hill that fills the container about halfway. Time to add some green! I like to use 3 to 4 plants for my terrarium, because you don’t want to overstuff the container. Start with the tallest of your plants and, with the kitchen tongs, create a crater in the center of the mulch hill. Using the tongs, lower the plant into the hole. Still using the tongs, surround the plant tightly with soil and mulch.

Continue to remove your plants from their pots and place in the mulch around the center. If you are using orchids, leave them in their pots. Add more stones around the plants to create perfect drainage. Use a paintbrush to clean the dirt and debris off the sides of the container.

Adding moss to your terrarium will help to hold in moisture over time. Add it around the edge of the container and in between your plants. You can also use moss rocks or balls (found at any craft store), which are just Styrofoam wrapped with moss.

Give the whole container a misting of water. Using the turkey baster, give each plant about 1 ounce of water.

Now, add some personality! Using glitter, toys, or other decorative items, add some pizzazz to your terrarium. You can use pretty much anything here, from a toy dinosaur to a Hot Wheels car. Let your kids add their personal touch. Top the container off with its lid, and you’re done! During the next 24 hours, your terrarium will collect water on the inside of the jar due to humidity, and it will become a self-watering miniecosystem. The terrarium will water itself for the next year. Use this DIY for some great family time, and then share with me on Instagram or Facebook (@carmenjohnstongardens) so I can see your creations. Happy Gardening!