GREAT GOODS

goodsgreat

PRODUCTS, PLACES & THINGS WE LOVE

PINK YOUR RIDE

FRESH STYLE: IT’S IN THE BAG

What’s better than a hot, buttered biscuit? Not much, but Becky Stayner’s hand-cut and hand-stitched artisan leather goods come pretty darn close to beating one of the South’s favorite things with designs that boast a fresh but warm, authentic look. The soft, buttery feel of her bags, belts and other products led Stayner to name her Birmingham-based business Biscuit Leather Company when she began it three years ago. And it all started with a case of purse envy. “I spied this bucket bag hanging on a bannister in a friend’s house. It was a coppery brown with a simple stitch,” she said. She liked it so much, she decided she wanted to learn the leatherworking craft and reached out to that bag’s creator. “I bartered with them, trading photography for leather lessons,” she said. The ideas for her works come straight from her life and strike at any time. “Once I’ve got the idea, I can’t wait to start figuring out how it will come together, what its purpose will be, how will I make it to serve its user,” she said. “I also love working with my hands.” She also loves the material she’s working with. “I love leather’s rich, earthy smell and the soft, buttery touch. It’s timeless and real, and it gets better with age, just like us.”

biscuitleathercompany.com

BRIT BASIC IN BHAM

Chutney is as common in the British refrigerator as ketchup is in America, and while spending two years in England, pursuing culinary studies at the famed Le Couron Bleu in London, Rebecca Williamson came to deeply appreciate the savory, flavorful sauce. When she got back stateside, she had a hard time finding good chutney and started making her own. “I used it with cheese, meat, fish and vegetables,” she said. “It’s so versatile.” She began to think others in the South might like her chutney too, so with her culinary school background to help, she started her chutney company Holmsted Fine Foods in Birmingham in 2013. Today, she turns out Green Tomato Chutney, Peach Chutney (a nod to her Georgia roots), Balsamic Red Onion Chutney and spicy Apple Jalapeno Chutney for those who like the heat. And be on the look out for a Fig and Port Chutney soon. Sticking close to traditional chutneys, Holmsted Fine Foods chutneys have fruit, not sugar, as their main ingredient. Find Holmsted Fine Foods chutneys at grocery stores around Alabama.

holmsteadfines.com

Oh, yeah.

Add a little STG flavor to your oysters.

GO GREEN

The thoughtful mix of ingredients gives ingredients Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauces balanced flavor that kicks it up above the standard stuff. STG’s “Original” sauce’s Serrano pepper base leaves it sweet on the front end with a pop of wellrounded heat in the middle and a finishing blast of vinegar and makes it a zippy complement for vegetables, chicken, pork and seafood. The sauce’s namesake and mascot, a Southern hero named Super Turnip Green (STG) has as much personal-GO GREEN ity as his spicy concoctions. And STG now has two other options that also add a fiery yet multi-layered punch to any dish: STG Sriracha and Super Turnip Green Presents Country Music Star “Colt Ford” Chipotle Pepper Sauce. Find STG sauces in select Winn Dixie, Piggly Wiggly and Western Supermarkets in Central Alabama and Birmingham, Publix locations in and around Birmingham, Andy’s Farm Markets, Priester’s Pecans and Burris Farm Market in Orange Beach. Check your local store too; STG is currently expanding distribution. xxxx.com A thoughtful mix of ingredients gives Super Turnip Green Pepper Sauces a balanced flavor that kicks them up above the standard stuff. The Serrano pepper base of STG’s “Original” sauce leaves it sweet on the front end with a pop of well-rounded heat in the middle and a finishing blast of vinegar making it a zippy complement for vegetables, chicken, pork and seafood. The sauce’s namesake and mascot, a Southern hero named Super Turnip Green (STG), has as much personality as his spicy concoctions. And STG now has two other options that also add a fiery yet multi-layered punch to any dish: STG Sriracha and Super Turnip Green Presents Country Music Star “Colt Ford” Chipotle Pepper Sauce. Find STG sauces in select Winn Dixie, Piggly Wiggly and Western Supermarkets in Central Alabama and Birmingham, Publix locations in and around Birmingham, Andy’s Farm Markets, Priester’s Pecans and Burris Farm Market in Orange Beach. Check your local store too; STG is currently expanding distribution.

EAT YOUR OYSTERS

The Alabama Coast hosts two great seafood-centric events each fall: The National Shrimp Festival (see page 18), and the Hangout Oyster Cook-Off & Craft Beer Weekend, also in Gulf Shores. This year’s event on November 2-3 invites you to eat your fill of oysters with beautiful beaches as the backdrop. Raw oysters, roasted oysters, stewed oysters, grilled oysters, oysters topped with sausage, oysters basted in hot sauce, oysters with garlic: The long list of bivalve bites up for eating at the annual event is a long one, but that’s not all it offers. Friday night features the Craft Beer Festival with a bevy of Southern breweries pouring tastes, plus live music. On Saturday, more than 60 chefs, including local stars, serve their best interpretations of Gulf oysters and offer them for sampling. There’s also a large raw bar with oysters from all over North America and even an oyster-shucking contest.

hangoutcookoff.com

A D V E R T I S E

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