GREAT GOODS

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PRODUCTS, PLACES & THINGS WE LOVE

MADE LOCAL HOW SWEET IT IS

MODERATION IS IMPORTANT TO MASTER FOR GOOD HEALTH, BUT INDULGING IN A LITTLE TREAT SOMETIMES IS GOOD FOR YOU TOO. CHECK OUT THESE ALABAMA MAKERS JOY MAG IS SWEET ON.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY TIEDT

Meredieth Reaves

BEAUTIFUL BITES

When the pandemic put parties and other gatherings on pause, Meredith Reaves started missing the charcuterie boards she’d create for entertaining at home or to take over to a friend’s house. She decided to continue the tradition, even it was just for her and her husband’s at-home date nights. “I started thinking, if we were still enjoying these treats, so could everyone else,” she said. And so her business, Graze, was born. Graze brings highly customizable boxes packed with a mixture of cheeses, meats, fruits, nuts and sweets right to you door, with free delivery inside Montgomery city limits (or for a small fee outside the city’s borders).

The nutritious and delicious nibbles add a little something special to a more ordinary occasion, something Reaves finds rewarding. “I’ve really enjoyed giving our customers a bit of happiness and a way to still celebrate,” she said. All the bits and bites in each Graze box look as good as they taste, especially when artfully arranged, but Reaves admits she plays favorites. She usually gobbles up slices of cheddar with dollops of pepper jelly first, if she’s not reaching for the sweets.

@grazemgm or grazemgm@gmail.com

LAYERS OF LOVE

BY JENNY ENSLEN STUBBS

Considering the multi-layered decadence of cheesecake, the simple story of the Cheesecake Empori-Yum’s start may surprise you. Owner Monique Williams has always enjoyed baking, but when she needed some extra cash for her dream wedding, she started selling cupcakes. The effort worked, but after the wedding, the extra income wasn’t necessary, so she stuck to her job as a bartender.

However, when she found herself divorced sometime later, Williams knew she was at a crossroads. “I’ve always enjoyed making something beautiful out of nothing, but after my divorce, it also became my therapy,” she said. Because she’d always enjoyed working in the food industry, Williams used her divorce as motivation to do something she loved and that made other people happy.

In 2016, Williams devoted her time to a weekly pop-up shop selling her cupcakes and cheesecakes. It became incredibly successful, and she knew she needed her own space. She located in the heart of Montgomery on Mulberry Street, and today, she offers more than 45 handmade flavors of cheesecake and experiments to create a wide variety of tastes, like cinnamon roll, peanut butter, maple bacon, peach cobbler and even fried cheesecake and cheesecake nachos.

Cheesecake Empori-Yum has always been a takeout style eatery, and that has allowed the dessert shop to continue relatively unscathed during COVID-19. And Williams’ dedication to keeping cheesecake exciting should help the business continue to flourish. She sums it up best. “It is my love and my passion to create desserts that wake me up every day, and I hope that you taste that love and passion!”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIKA ROWE TRACY

Monique Williams

SWEET STUFF:

Williams’ mom is a breast cancer survivor who supports the Joy to Life Foundation by participating in the annual Walk of Life!

(ALMOST) TOO PRETTY TO EAT

Birmingham-based Ginger Lily Southern Teacakes’ creations are not your average cookie. With intricate designs, a unique brownie-like texture and a more subtle sweetness, the tea cakes (a specific type called springerle) are what baker Cherri Jones calls a “grown-up” cookie.

They’re also the result of cross-cultural pollination, based on European traditions but stirring in some Southern influences too. Jones began baking at her grandmother Lily’s side as a child and also soaked up knowledge from her other grandmother’s Russian heritage. “I love combining what I have learned from them both to create a slightly Southern version of a traditional European springerle,” she said. Others love the combo too, leading her to found her company in 2018 and share her treats with a larger audience.

Even as Jones works to incorporate Southern flare in these old-world cookies, she’s faithful to the historic recipe that originated in Switzerland in the 1500s — she has to be. “Traditionally these cookies have always been made with vanilla, anise or almond, but I enjoy finding new ways to add Southern flavors,” she said. “But, this is a very technical recipe, so adding ingredients for my Pecan Praline, for example, can be tricky.”

And the taste is only part of the cookies’ appeal. Each is a work of art, their whimsical shapes, delicate flowers and detailed scenes made using molds, which themselves are considered art in Europe, fashioned by master carvers and featured in museums. TRUE ART:

Ginger Lily Southern Teacakes uses molds, which themselves are considered art in Europe, fashioned by master carvers and featured in museums.

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