Mobile Bay Magazine - February 2020

Mobile Bay THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES

February 2020

ENTERTAINING ISSUE

Cook Like a Chef

Jeremiah Matthews brings the great outdoors into his kitchen

MPD MOUNTIES

GRANDE BATTURE OYSTERS GET THE ROYAL TREATMENT pg. 36

READY FOR ACTION THIS MARDI GRAS

DINING ROOM ENVY POOLING RESOURCES

IMPACT 100

+

1857 MANSION

RESCUED BY MOBILE MYSTIC SOCIETY

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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVI / ISSUE 2

THE HISTORIC JOSHUA KENNEDY JR. RESIDENCE ON GOVERNMENT STREET. PHOTO BY SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY

FEBRUARY 2020

45

Mystic Restoration A look inside the wonderfully renovated Joshua Kennedy Jr. residence, brought back to life by a mystic order.

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Boot to Boot Canter down Dauphin Street with Mobile’s Mounted Police Unit as they prepare for another Carnival season.

 The London Bow Street Horse Patrol, established in 1758, was the first recorded mounted police force.

Take a trip to the stables of the Mobile Mounted Unit, the state’s only full-time equine patrol unit, on page 52.

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CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVI / ISSUE 2

FEBRUARY 2020 34

29

ON OUR COVER Roasted Grande Batture oysters with butternut squash and Conecuh sausage at Southwood Kitchen in Daphne.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 REACTION

36

12 INSPIRATION HOME 17 SPOTLIGHT A local nonprofit encour- ages women to take a beautifully simple approach to giving 21 ODDS & ENDS 23 THE DISH 24 TASTINGS Downtown Fairhope says “aloha” to Ohana Poke’s Pacific vibe 27 MIXOLOGY Trust us — you’ll want to double, or triple, this fizzy Creole 75 recipe

29 GOOD STUFF Designer Caitlyn Waite helps mother and daughter find dining room bliss 34 ARCHIVES A look at the history and artifacts surrounding a 1913 presidential visit from Woodrow Wilson 36 BAY TABLES Chef Jeremiah Matthews prepares field (and skiff) to table fare fireside at Southwood Kitchen

IMPACT100 MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY A CAITLYN WAITE-DESIGNED DINING ROOM / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU A FEAST OF GRANDE BATTURE OYSTERS / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

60 FEBRUARY CALENDAR 66

LITERATURE In his first children’s book, local author Frye Gaillard celebrates a state hero

71 TRADITIONS Writer Emily Blejwas compares gumbo and race

76 LITERATURE According to Author Audrey McDonald Atkins, love and collards go hand in hand

78 PARADE SCHEDULE Don’t miss a single parade with this ultimate 2020 Carnival calendar 80 ASK MCGEHEE What’s the history of the old Providence Hospital being demolished on Spring Hill Avenue?

82 IN LIVING COLOR Wipe away the dust from this photograph of two royal pages from the year 1907

 After reading about President Woodrow Wilson’s 1913 visit to the Port City on page 34, visit mobilebaymag.com to see rare footage of the historic occasion.

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Mobile Bay VOLUME XXXVI

No2

FEB 2020

PUBLISHER T. J. Potts Stephen Potts Judy Culbreth

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maggie Lacey MANAGING EDITOR/WEB Abby Parrott

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amanda Hartin PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Virginia Mathers

ART DIRECTOR Laurie Kilpatrick

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

ADVERTISING S R. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Joseph A. Hyland Anna Pavao ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Ray

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

ADMINISTRATION CIRCULATION Anita Miller ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Audrey McDonald Atkins, Eleanor Inge Baker, Emily Blejwas, Mallory Boykin, Meg McCrummen Fowler, Jill Clair Gentry, Hallie King, Tom McGehee, Breck Pappas CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Summer Ennis Ansley, Matthew Coughlin, Daniel Curtis, Elizabeth Gelineau, Meggan Haller / Keyhole Photo, Chad Riley ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

3729 Cottage Hill Road, Suite H Mobile, AL 36609-6500 251-473-6269 Subscription inquiries and all remittances should be sent to: Mobile Bay P.O. Box 43 Congers, NY 10920-9922 1-833-454-5060 MOVING? Please note: U.S. Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through their bulk mail unit.

Please send old label along with your new address four to six weeks prior to moving.

Mobile Bay is published 12 times per year for the Gulf Coast area. All contents © 2020 by PMT Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. This magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style.

PUBLISHED BY PMT PUBLISHING INC .

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EXTRAS | EDITOR’S NOTE

Bon Temps

M

obile has always had a love affair with a good party.

Famous hostess extraordinaire Octavia Le Vert was known to throw smashing events at her palatial home on Government Street, and the balls at the Battle House back in the day were something to write home about. The menus for Mardi Gras soirees from the 1800s read like the menu board at Joe Patti’s. And as I strolled through the halls of the newly renovated Kennedy House on Government Street while putting this issue together, I could feel the spirits lingering from the extravagant merrymaking that took place in the massive double parlor.

Though historical references abound to our ancestral bon temps, I am glad to announce that in this neck of the woods, entertaining is NOT a lost art.

From the perfectly decorated dining rooms of the homes of Spring Hill to the rustic and warm fireplace hearth of one local chef to the opening of the MB Inspiration Home, we are sharing the stories of a craft that we Mobilians seem to have perfected.

After living in historic homes in and around Mobile for most of my life, they hold a special place in my heart. So it is no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Eleanor Baker’s walk-through of the Kennedy House in this month’s issue! Have you ever driven past a home and wondered why it was in such disrepair, who owned it and what could be done to save it? I am sure many of us wondered and worried about the Kennedy House, whether you knew it was called that or not, with its soaring columns and delightfully arched windows. I am pleased to say that it is back to its former glory, having been saved by the friends of a local mystic organization who plan to use the home for meetings and parties. Now what could be more MOBILE than that? Masked revelers and their families holding court on the front porch of one of Government Street’s grande dames during Mardi Gras feels like the perfect ending to a good long book.

It’s time to let the good times … well, you know.

SHELL GAME WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE OYSTER BED PAN USED BY CHEF JEREMIAH MATTHEWS IN THIS MONTH’S BAY TABLES — PERFECT FOR PUTTING FRESH SEAFOOD ON THE GRILL! DON’T FORGET THE CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD! AVAILABLE AT THE GARAGE IN POINT CLEAR.

LOVE THIS ISSUE FINDING YOUR ROOTS WE ALL SWOONED OVER THIS INGREDIENT PHOTO SNAPPED BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU WHILE AT SOUTHWOOD KITCHEN. FRESH WINTER CARROTS AND BABY TURNIPS

BY LOCAL APPETITE GROWERS IN SILVERHILL IS SO PERFECTLY SIMPLE.

BIRDS IN PARADISE LOVING THESE ROYAL CROWN DERBY DINNER PLATES WE SPOTTED AT ZUNDEL’S WHILE SHOPPING FOR THIS MONTH’S GOOD STUFF STORY. I’M PICTURING A MARDI GRAS-THEMED DINNER TABLE WITH THESE BEAUTIES!

Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR

ONE SWEET RIDE This month I scratched something off my (very long) list of dreams when the MPD Mounted Patrol let me ride along. When I say ride, I mean literally. I have loved horses my entire life, so riding a gorgeous Percheron mare through the streets of downtown Mobile was a thrill. Despite all the important work that these officers do for our city, their mode of transportation is a heck of a lot of fun. One officer told me I might have missed my calling, but horses aside, I think I’ll leave all the law enforcement to them!

PHOTO BY MEGGAN HALLER

maggie@pmtpublishing.com

POKE LOVE DYING TO TRY THE NEWEST DINING SPOT IN DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE, OHANA POKE. FRESH TUNA AND ALL THE FIXIN’S, COMING RIGHT UP!

GET BOOTED WHEN I SADDLED UP TO RIDE, I REALIZED I AM STILL WEARING MY RIDING BOOTS FROM WHEN I WAS JUST 15! TIME TO UPGRADE — THESE CUSTOM BEAUTIES FROM E. VOGEL BESPOKE ARE ON THE WISH LIST.

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EXTRAS | REACTION

CECIL CHRISTENBERRY PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN

Tell us how you really feel ...

SPREAD HAPPY

FEELING CAMPY

On December’s feature, “Joy to the World,” about seven locals who radiate cheer

On December’s spotlight, “Into the Woods,” about Girl Scout camp, Scoutshire Woods

Mobile Bay, you nailed it on this article. Cecil is pure joy to everyone he meets in Fairhope.

Awesome shop and awesome man! And Michael Steber is a face I look forward to at the Infirmary. He’s made me smile when I wanted to burst into tears. Excellent article on people who bless others every day. Well done!

- Anita Hunter Ten years ago when I was receiving radiation, Michael Steber was a positive, bright spot at the door.

He always smiled and knew just what to say; a “day brightener“ for sure!

- Debbie Walker Definitely “yes” to Mr. Claude Thomas. My daughter LOVES seeing him at BackFlash Antiques.

- Starlett Franklin What a wonderful surprise for me to read that we have two “Stebers” projecting their “feel good” on patients and visitors at Mobile Infirmary. I only previously knew about part of this duo (Michael) because of his “one-man” welcoming committee into the Cancer Radiation Center. He was able to make my sister, Eleanor Hoffman, feel very special during a difficult and painful time. It’s obvious to me now that many, many more patients have benefited from Michael and Ora. What a blessing! Thank you, MB, for choosing to recognize them. They are perfect choices for your article.

- Linda Iley

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I remember my first summer camp there for horseback riding in fourth grade. My horse’s name was Haze.

- Lesley Hamblet Amazing memories — camper, CIT, counselor, lifeguard, then waterfront director. Loved my summers there!

- Deborah Calagaz Lukas

COOKING UP MEMORIES On November’s spotlight of local catering legend, Wimberly Hory

[MORE ONLINE]

Find additional local stories on mobilebaymag.com.

Here’s what’s new on the website!

Get the Look Love the dining rooms featured on page 29? Visit our online gallery to see additional photos from these inspired spaces designed by Caitlyn Waite.

Feelin’ the Love Did he pop the question this Valentine’s Day? We want to hear about it! Go online to share your proposal story with us, and we’ll post your engagement online and on social media — for free!

My mother was one of her regulars.

- Jolene Schmitt Loved Wimberly — she was a very sweet, genuinely caring person. Her cheese straws were a gift to look forward to, and she would send them for no reason but that she cared.

- Sally L. Wilkinson I love my “Wimberly Cooks” book!

Beautiful tribute to a beautiful lady.

- Georgia Gwin Sewell

NOT JUST HORSIN’ AROUND On December’s spotlight, “Trail to Recovery,” about veterans and the benefits of equine therapy Great article about an even greater program.

- Pat Murphy Cannedy

 Want to share your thoughts and reactions? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com.

Let’s Party!

Save all of the delicious recipes and entertaining ideas from this issue directly to your Pinterest boards!

Simply open the app, click the camera button and hover over the image above.

Join Our Email List Finally, an email you actually want.

Get the latest in fashion, food, art, homes, history and events delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for our email list at mobilebaymag.com.

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PEOPLE | GATHERINGS

Welcome to Our Home A veritable who’s who of builders, designers and local businesses gathered to celebrate the grand opening of MB’s inaugural Inspiration Home. photos by CHAD RILEY

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9 1. Ida Ross Hicks of Swift Supply and Michelle Bowman 2. Rachel Quinn, Emily White, Katie Kirby and Cindy Meador 3. Haley Landers, Sarah Rayford and Campbell Rayford of Rayford & Assoc.

4. Jennifer Jenkins and Kelsey Davis of JJPR 5. Tuna poke appetizers provided by Will Hughes Catering 6. Savannah Starring of Vellum and Velvet and Chase Starring 7. Dr. Stephen Winston, Suzanne Winston and Courtney Malouf of Malouf Furniture 8. Mac and Gina Walcott, Architects with Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects and Developers of Van Antwerp Park 9. Courtney Malouf, Tracy Robbins and artist Rebekah Webb february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 13

PEOPLE | GATHERINGS

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1. Trish Thornhill, Tracy Robbins and Blakeley Robbins 2. Brian Britt and Mac Walcott 3. Rebekah Webb with Charles Phillips and Audrey Lapeyrouse of Charles Phillips Antiques 4. The home’s driveway and porte cochere provided ample outdoor dining space 5. Mac Walcott, architect, and Tom Bierster, builder, for the Inspiration Home 6. Alabama’s newest distillery, Dread River, provided the night’s premium spirits 7. Emily White and Katie Kirby 8. A mix of local, fresh oysters on the half shell provided by The Wandering Oyster

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INSPIRATION HOME PREVIEW PARTY Catering by Will Hughes Catering Cocktails by Dread River Oyster Bar by The Wandering Oyster Music by Emily Stuckey Rentals from Port City Rentals

MENU Charcuterie Board Maytag Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs, Choupique Caviar, Prosciutto Chips Marinated Gulf Shrimp, Homemade Boursin & Cucumber Canapes Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fig & Rosemary, Rolls, Jezebel Sauce, Chipotle Aioli, Abita Root Beer BBQ Sauce Seared Yellowfin Tuna on a Wonton with Avocado Mousse Wandering Oyster Raw Bar Mahi Poke Candied Jalapeno & Mascarpone Cheesecake Grilled Lamb & Caramelized Onion Flat Bread Pizzas Flourless Chocolate Torte with Roasted Berries Lemon-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies Raspberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Dread River Whiskey

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PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT

Strength in Numbers Impact 100, a locally founded nonprofit organization, approaches charitable giving in a way that’s brilliantly simple — and wonderfully effective. text by JILL CLAIR GENTRY

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or organizations that serve others, every penny helps keep the mission moving forward. But an injection of $100,000 all at once? A donation like that changes everything.

That’s the simple, yet incredibly effective, mission of Impact 100, a nonprofit organization that exists solely to provide funding to other nonprofit organizations in Baldwin County. It began in 2008 with a straightforward idea: What if a group of women contributed $1,000 each, pooled the money and made one large donation to a deserving group?

That year, 82 women did just that. Eleven years later, the group has over 500 members and has donated $3.6 million to nearly 40 nonprofits. In 2019, five $101,000 grants were awarded.

The Impact Those who run nonprofits are often visionaries whose dreams for their organization outpace funding — just about every one of them could immediately articulate how they’d use $100,000 to increase their organization’s effectiveness and reach. A sampling of the projects completed through Impact 100 grants over the past 11 years is a stunning illustration of what happens when community service gets a meaningful boost.

At the Fairhope/Point Clear Rotary Youth Program, a dilapidated, ABOVE From left to right: Judy Thompson, Sandy Stephan, President Suzanne Thornburg, Aeana Carpenter, Nancy Lambe and Anne Irving. PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

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space,” says Executive Director Mitchell Lee. “Imagine someone going over quadratic equations, a child learning to read and someone studying for a citizenship exam all crammed together in one room. It was not ideal.”

Since the completion of the Impact 100 project in October 2019, four new rooms now provide plenty of space where students and tutors can concentrate on learning.

“We have rooms devoted just to one-onone tutoring, a computer lab and a room that is only for children,” Lee says. “Our tutors and students are already reaching better outcomes because there are fewer distractions.”

How It Works Since its founding in 2008, Impact 100 has grown to include over 500 members and has contributed $3.6 million to nearly 40 Baldwin County nonprofits.

rodent-infested gym was transformed into a pristine space that now serves over 150 children daily, providing a safe space to learn and play after school.

“We couldn’t use the space because it didn’t meet the state’s minimum safety standards,” says Executive Director Tracey Miller. “Our kids were playing outside, and, as you know, it gets so hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Now, it’s comfortable and energy-efficient. We use it for recreational activities, and our library and technology rooms are housed there as well.”

At the South Baldwin Literacy Council building in Foley, youth tutoring for at-risk students, adult ESL classes, GED classes, citizenship test preparation and workforce development programs were once all run out of the same small room. Over 230 students and 40 volunteers shared the tiny space.

“Six months ago, the tutoring room was first come first serve, and multiple types of learning were happening in the same small 18 mobilebaymag.com | february 2020

In 2008, founder Irene Meehan began talking to a few friends about the Impact 100 concept — she’d heard of similar groups in other cities like Pensacola, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

The organization is solely comprised of volunteers so 100 percent of donations go directly to grantees. No building overhead.

No staff salaries.

“The way we make that work is having a diverse group of women who are willing to donate their expertise,” says President Suzanne Thornburg. “We have marketing professionals, accountants, attorneys, administrators and more. We pull from their skill sets to chair the different committees.”

Each member chooses her level of involvement. Some simply donate $1,000 and vote for the grant winners. Many commit to meeting once a week for eight weeks as part of a focus group that narrows down grant applicants to two finalists per category. Others serve on subcommittees that handle an array of essential tasks.

In addition to avoiding overhead costs, accountability and fiscal responsibility are essential to Impact 100’s success.

“We’ve never had anyone misuse the money,” says Judy Thompson, who has been a member since 2014. “When a nonprofit submits a grant, it has to give us a detailed budget and timeline. We follow through with that by being intimately involved in the process. We don’t write one big check — we pay the contractors or purchase the

equipment directly. Each of the project’s bills is paid directly by us.”

After receiving a grant, organizations have two years to complete their projects.

“They have to meet their deadline, and we are a part of the project every step of the way,” Thornburg says. “We look at contractor bids, proposals, invoices. We stay in touch.”

When the end is in sight and the vision is complete, “It’s very special for our members,” she says.

Looking Ahead For 2020, Thompson says the organization hopes to reach a membership of 600.

“There’s an emphasis on bringing in younger women this year,” she says. “We’re really trying to continue diversifying our membership and bringing in the next generation of women.”

Thornburg says intergenerational relationships are one of the biggest benefits to members.

“I’m middle-aged, but I’ve made connections and true friendships with women from all backgrounds, walks of life, ages and stages. It’s really been powerful to see those women come together across generations to continue moving this organization and our community forward.” MB Impact 100 Baldwin County awards grants in five categories: Arts & Culture Education Environment, Recreation and Preservation Family Health & Wellness Membership is open to all women over the age of 18. Membership drive ends March 31 each year. For more information, visit impact100baldwincounty.org.

opposite, top, middle Grant money provided to the Fairhope/Point Clear Rotary Youth Program allowed for a renovated gym and dedicated instruction areas. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY IMPACT 100 bottom Impact 100 Baldwin County President Suzanne Thornburg PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY

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EXTRAS | ODDS & ENDS

February Folly text by MB EDITORIAL STAFF

LEAP YEAR In the first century B.C., Julius Caesar and his astronomer Sosigenes “invented” the leap year after noticing the Roman calendar had slipped out of sync with the seasons. The new calendar was close but not perfect; in 1582, Pope Gregory XII’s team of astronomers tweaked the model upon discovering that the Julian calendar was about 11 minutes too long.

[ NOTABLE OPENING ]

MO’BAY BEIGNET CO. is set to open its doors at 451 Dauphin Street this month.

Fresh beignets and cafe au lait?

Yes, please.

[ FEBRUARY 17 ]

PRESIDENTS’ DAY Turn to page 34 for an inside look at one sitting President’s visit to the Port City in 1913.

MARDI GRAS BY THE NUMBERS

10:1

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF OFFICERS IT WOULD TAKE TO EQUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE MOBILE POLICE HORSE DURING CROWD-CONTROL

300

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS WORKING ONE MARDI GRAS PARADE

$298 THE FINE FOR JUMPING A MARDI GRAS BARRICADE

“Sooner or later, Southerners all come home, not to die, but to eat gumbo.”

—Eugene Walter, Milking the Moon: A Southerner’s Story of Life on This Planet

1883

The Excelsior Band is founded in Mobile by Creole Fire Company president John A. Pope to celebrate the birth of his son, John C. Pope.

Learn more about Creole culture starting on page on 71.

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FOOD | THE DISH

Bite of the Bay MB’s contributing food fanatics share the local dishes that made them hungry for more.

VICKIE BAILEY, Owner, The Happy Olive

BRONZED SNAPPER AT R BISTRO “We so enjoy this lovely local restaurant in the heart of Fairhope. We love this place because they receive fresh fish daily. What a treat! I dove right into the Brussels sprouts Caesar salad with shaved asiago and radishes, tossed in a wonderful black truffle dressing. The entrée of the day was the bronzed snapper over tomato, spinach and lemon couscous with a yummy beurre blanc sauce.”

R BISTRO • 334 FAIRHOPE AVE., FAIRHOPE

JOE SIMS, The Shoe Guy, McCoy Outdoor Company

LAMB LOLLIPOPS AT SOCU. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU

928-2399 • RBISTROANDPASTRY.COM

GRILLED CHEESE AT CALLAGHAN’S “My New Year’s resolution for 1975 was to quit eating meat, but I do eat seafood and dairy products. For that reason, I went to our favorite place, Callaghan’s.

Their grilled cheese sandwich on Texas toast is incredible, and I added grilled onions and tomatoes, with a side of chips and French onion dip. ” CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB • 916 CHARLESTON ST. • 433-9374 • CALLAGHANSIRISHSOCIALCLUB.COM

BO NICHOLS, Real estate agent, BHHS Nichols Real Estate

RIB-EYE AT GUIDO’S “At Guido’s in Old Town Daphne, bring your reading glasses for the chalkboard menu. You will not want to miss their ever-rotating menu of delicious food; however, the rib-eye is almost always a staple on the menu. It had a perfectly crisped exterior, a tender interior and was paired with oysters fried to perfection with a bite of Gorgonzola cream. Pick a bottle of wine from the self-serve shelf for a steak to make any ‘Bay rat’ blush.”

SHERRI BUMPERS, Senior Advertising Account Executive, Alabama Media Group

LAMB LOLLIPOPS AT SOCU “SOCU was described to me as ‘upscale Southern cuisine.’ With that in mind, I planned to order the fried chicken but quickly detoured to the lamb lollipops. These incredibly tender chops were glazed with a sweet, savory sauce that had just a hint of spice. With a side of asparagus and served over a bed of creamy mashed sweet potatoes, this dish featured a perfect blend of flavors and a beautiful presentation!”

GUIDO’S • 1709 MAIN ST., DAPHNE • 626-

SOCU SOUTHERN KITCHEN & OYSTER BAR • 455

6082 • FACEBOOK.COM/GUIDOSDAPHNE/

DAUPHIN ST. • 287-6766 • SOCUMOBILE.COM

 What dishes made you drool and left you hungry for more? Share them on our Facebook page! february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 23

FOOD | TASTINGS

Ohana Poke text by HALLIE KING • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

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ans of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” already know that “ohana” means “family.” But for the staff and owner of Ohana Poke, the first restaurant of its kind in downtown Fairhope, it means much more than that one simple definition.

In a deeper subcontext, “ohana” also means “to share.” “When the Japanese arrived in the Hawaiian islands, they had limited resources and food,” says Chris, the restaurant’s owner. “So they would bring what they had from the house to the table and cut it into small pieces to share. Poke means pieces.”

In essence, Ohana Poke combines small pieces of varying ingredients with a fusion of Hawaiian flavors and Japanese techniques. Put another way, it transforms traditional sushi into a bowl format. Their signature bowls are popular amongst regulars, but every order at the counter is completely customiz-

able. Select bases of different rices or salad are tossed together with proteins of choice, sauces and mix-ins. Toppings are added at the end to enhance flavor and add crunch.

Although most quick-service establishments emphasize speed, the Ohana team ensures quality over quantity and quickness.

Each bowl is artfully crafted to create an end result that is as beautiful as it is delicious. Specific amounts of each ingredient are portioned into every bowl, to adhere to Chris’s goal of “fulfilling without overfilling.”

And don’t brush past the more unusual of the offerings — a majority of Ohana’s ingredients, including their selection of Asian teas and specialty sodas, are sourced directly from Japan to create the most authentic experience possible. Bring the family and share in the cultural trend that, at Ohana, is prepared with heart and history.

 Ohana Poke • 561 Fairhope Avenue, Unit 102, Fairhope • 517-7760 • opfairhope.com • 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., 7 days a week 24 mobilebaymag.com | february 2020

[ ON THE MENU ]

TUNA LOVER

OHANA POKE BOWL

HAWAIIAN BOWL

Spicy tuna, mango and edamame tossed in signature poke sauce create a sweetheat sensation when paired with sushi rice, seaweed salad and vibrant roe.

Spicy tuna and spicy salmon mixed with jalapeno and chili sauce give a fiery kick, but a salad base and fresh accoutrements calm the palate.

The flavor of fresh salmon gets fresher with mango, tomato, pineapple and radish, glazed in mango sauce and finished with sesame seeds and roe.

CREATE YOUR OWN BOWL MB dished up a green bowl with cucumber, cilantro, edamame, avocado and seaweed salad on a base of brown rice and tofu – give it a try!

CREATE YOUR OWN BOWL

TUNA LOVER BOWL

OHANA POKE BOWL

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FOOD | MIXOLOGY

Bon Vivant

Creole 75 MAKES 1 COCKTAIL 1 sugar cube 1 ounce chilled Lillet Blanc 3 ounces chilled Champagne 1 twist orange peel

Place the sugar cube in a Champagne flute and add Lillet. Top with Champagne and garnish with an orange twist.

Kick off the Mardi Gras season with the celebratory fizz of ice-cold bubbly. In this New Orleans-inspired riff on a traditional French 75, where Champagne and sugar get a kick from gin (or brandy, depending on your recipe), MB instead uses a French aperitif made from wine and citrus liquors. Lillet (pronounced Lil-lay) has been in production outside of Bordeaux, France, since 1872 and has seen surges in popularity through the years as far back as the Roaring Twenties, the Swinging Sixties and again in recent years. Part of the tonic family, so called for its quinine content, it can be simply served over ice or as an ingredient in a more complex cocktail, as shown here. MB

text and recipe by MAGGIE LACEY photo by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

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GOOD STUFF | ENTERTAINING

The Family Tables Designer Caitlyn Waite brings two dining rooms to life — each with its own unique style and rivaling the other in panache. text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

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ot every grown daughter wants to live next door to her mother. But the fact that Angela Hart (mother) and Brianne Barnes (daughter) have a gate between their two backyards in Country Club Estates is a testament to how close the two women really are. Since they share so much of their lives already, it follows as no surprise that they also shared a designer when the time came to decorate their homes — Mobile’s Caitlyn Waite. “I had to pull her away from Mom’s project to work on my own dining room,” remembers Brianne.

Though the mother and daughter are close, Angela and Brianne find themselves at different stages in life and with different needs.

Angela recently downsized from a lifelong home when the house

behind her daughter went on the market. Caitlyn immediately worked to establish an upbeat, happy vibe throughout the space so Angela would feel right at home. And since Angela doesn’t entertain like she once did, a cozy space perfectly fits the bill.

Brianne, on the other hand, is just hitting her hostess stride.

A large dining table for 12 was a decorating must. As tends to happen, hosting family holidays has moved to the younger generation. Brianne also hosts charitable fundraisers and elaborate seated dinners, among other fabulous fetes, whenever the occasion arises. “I love a party!” she laughs.

Turn the page to see their fabulous dining rooms, as well as MB’s picks for tableware and accessories inspired by the two spaces.

above center Angela Hart (standing) and Brianne Barnes worked with designer Caitlyn Waite to brainstorm color palette, fabric choices, trims and furnishings to make their respective dining rooms a place for both family togetherness and formal entertaining. Caitlyn’s inspiration boards pulled the plans together. february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 29

Bright and Fun

“I WANTED TO DESIGN A REALLY FUN AND HAPPY SPACE FOR ANGELA, SETTING THE TONE FOR THE HOUSE RIGHT WHEN YOU WALK IN THE DOOR.” – Caitlyn Waite, Designer

How she got the look! Angela’s dining room started with the sunny Schumacher wallpaper (Chenonceau Buttercup). Caitlyn wanted to bring a bright pop of color to the space since it is the first room you see when you enter the front door. Angela’s own custom dining table made with a stainless steel top was paired with beautiful white upholstered French dining chairs in a white wash finish. The wooden buffet was used in Brianne’s old dining room, but it found a perfect new home here with light blue buffet lamps and a modern piece of art sourced from Living Well in Fairhope. Brass knob hardware adorns the wainscoting for an unexpected touch of whimsy.

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MB’s Picks for This Space

ROUND WE GO

These classic dinner plates would look fabulous with the yellow wallpaper and the pops of green peeking in from the adjacent breakfast room.

The traditional china pattern feels totally fresh in 2020.

SEMI-TROPICAL

This happy dining room would seem right at home in south Florida, inspiring a tablesetting with pops of bamboo on gold hurricane lamps and casual cutlery. A pair of enormous orchids carry the lush vibe.

clockwise from top left: SFERRA FESTIVAL DINNER NAPKINS IN BANANA $52 FOR 4, BOBBINS DESIGNS • ROYAL CROWN DERBY INDIAN SUMMER ACCENT PLATE $215, ZUNDEL’S JEWELRY • ANNA WEATHERLEY SCALLOPED CHARGERS IN WHITE AND GOLD $154, ZUNDEL’S JEWELRY • 31.5” PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID DROP-IN $200, THE HOLIDAY • SFERRA FESTIVAL OBLONG LINEN COCKTAIL NAPKINS IN CLOVER $24 FOR 4, BOBBINS DESIGNS • JULISKA BAMBOO FLATWARE $188 FOR 5-PIECE PLACE SETTING, ZUNDEL’S • TWO’S COMPANY GOLD BAMBOO LANTERNS LARGE $120, SMALL $75, THE HOLIDAY

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Feminine and Formal

“WITH A HOUSE FULL OF BOYS, BRIANNE WANTED ONE TRULY FEMININE ROOM.” – Caitlyn Waite, Designer

How she got the look! Brianne admired a Duncan Phyfe dining table at a friend’s home and subsequently sourced her own to seat 12 guests for dinner parties. Knowing how much Brianne loves both traditional and modern styles, Caitlyn paired the table with a white lacquered acrylic legged credenza and upholstered chairs with a midcentury vibe. The Schumacher fabric (Indian Arbre) curtains were the starting point for the room’s design, with soft blues and pops of brown and gold. The Greek key ceiling fretwork was Caitlyn’s design, drawing the eye upward to the fabulous chandelier and adding a bit of history to the space.

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MB’s Picks for This Space

CUTTING EDGE

The custom artwork by Caroline Boykin inspired the pops of lavender in these tabletop accessories. The only thing prettier than hand-cut crystal on a table is hand-cut crystal in all the shades of the rainbow!

DON’T FRET

The fretwork trim on the ceiling is the icing on the cake for this dining room. The bold geometric shapes are reminiscent of these Celtic knot placemats in easy-clean faux stingray.

clockwise from top left: ANNA WEATHERLEY SCALLOPED CHARGERS IN GREY WITH GOLD $154, ZUNDEL’S • ROBERT HAVILAND AND C. PARLON SYRACUSE DINNERPLATE IN TAUPE $230, ZUNDEL’S • MOSER CRYSTAL DOUBLE OLD FASHIONED IN ALEXANDRITE $125, ZUNDEL’S • SFERRA FESTIVAL DINNER NAPKIN IN CURRY $52 FOR 4, BOBBINS DESIGNS • TWO’S COMPANY GOLD CROSSHATCH DECANTER $39, LIVING WELL • MICHAEL MICHAUD DESIGNS SMALL WALNUT SERVING PIECES $31 FOR TWO, THE IVY COTTAGE • SKEEM DESIGN MATCH CLOCHE IN VIOLET $45, LIVING WELL • BODRUM PLACE MAT IN CELTIC GOLD AND BIRCH $29, THE IVY COTTAGE

RESOURCES: Bobbins Designs 402-3306, bobbinsdesign.com • Living Well 25 S. Section St., Fairhope, 929-3255, Facebook: livingwellfhope • The Holiday 4513 Old Shell Road, 342-4911, shoptheholiday.com • The Ivy Cottage 9 Du Rhu Drive, 345-1731, theivycottageonline.com • Zundel’s Jewelry 3670 Dauphin St., 241-5439, zundelsjewelry.com february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 33

HISTORY | ARCHIVES

A Presidential Breakfast Artifacts at the History Museum of Mobile recall President Woodrow Wilson’s morning meal at the Battle House Hotel in 1913. text by MEG MCCRUMMEN FOWLER • photos courtesy HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE

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alled “Mobile’s Living Room” since the early 20th century, the Battle House Hotel was, for some Mobilians, an extension of their homes, and with the exception of a few unfortunate decades toward the end of the century, was Mobile’s premier space for entertaining. Behind the scenes at the History Museum of Mobile are rarely-displayed Battle House artifacts that tell more than 150 years’ worth of stories about Mardi Gras revelers, murders and presidential visits.

One such notable visit was the October 27, 1913, break-

A SECURITY DETAIL Even in 1913, Secret Service routines appear to have been quite thorough: The Battle House was carefully inspected days in advance and each of the 180 attendees vetted.

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fast honoring sitting President Woodrow Wilson. Members of the Southern Commercial Congress sat down to a traditional breakfast of grapefruit, squad (pigeon) on toast, hominy grits, cornpones and coffee. Fortified by the hearty breakfast, the 28th president departed the Battle House for the Lyric Theater (once located on the southwest corner of Conti and Joachim streets), where he made one of the most oft-cited policy announcements of the century: “The United States will never again seek one added foot of territory by conquest” — a welcome assurance to the Latin American delegations in attendance.

Meg McCrummen Fowler is director of the History Museum of Mobile. She earned her M.A. in History of Art at Tulane University, where she is currently completing a Ph.D. in Art History & Society.

ITEMS FROM THE BATTLE HOUSE PRESIDENTIAL BREAKFAST TABLEWARE These two silver pieces salvaged from the original Battle House, which burned in 1905, may well have still been used in the so-called “New Battle House” and during President Wilson’s visit to Mobile.

The French knot and the manufacturer’s stamp suggest this spoon dates to the late 1880s, when it was common to mark hotel and restaurant flatware with a name or monogram.

Several collections in Mobile contain matching sugar bowls and tureens. Each engraved with “BH,” they would have graced every table.

A SEAT AT THE TABLE Descriptions of the event in the Mobile Register describe the president as occupying “a handsomely carved armchair, the finest selected from the Battle House furniture.” This photograph from the breakfast confirms that the chair is, in fact, the one now in the collection of the History Museum of Mobile.

VISITING WITH A PURPOSE Although the Panama Canal was not officially opened until 1914, President Wilson’s trip was meant to smooth over diplomatic relations and reassure the country’s Latin American partners of smooth sailing.

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WILD CUISINE Chef Jeremiah Matthews, owner of Daphne’s Southwood Kitchen, proves that dinner is best when fresh off the hook or hunt. text by MAGGIE LACEY • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU

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auling all the vegetables, meat, utensils, pots, pans and dinnerware needed for a week’s worth of gourmet meals for 10 people into the backcountry mountains of Wyoming by mule is a feat most people would never attempt. But then again, Jeremiah Matthews isn’t most people. As the head backcountry chef of the Spotted Horse Ranch in Jackson Hole, Jeremiah carried a mobile kitchen into the mountains where he prepared gourmet meals for hotel guests seeking elegance in the great outdoors. During this time under the big sky, Matthews honed his skills cooking

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wild big game like elk, bison and even bear, but this classically trained chef always felt the call back to the Gulf Coast.

Matthews has been cooking off the land since he was a child. When he moved from Maine with his father and brother to the Alabama Gulf Coast as a young boy, the inseparable trio made themselves at home along our waters. Matthews soon also found himself at home in the commercial kitchen, landing his first restaurant job at the age of 12, washing dishes at Bogart’s in Gulf Shores for three dollars an hour. “For a while I didn’t even know I was getting paid,” he laughs, remembering how his dad held his checks for him. “We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, we all needed to pull our weight.”

Despite trying his hand at numerous other jobs as a young man, Matthews found his way back to the kitchen. After four years studying the culinary arts at Paul Smith’s College near Lake Placid, New York, an externship program in France and time at Le Cordon Bleu, Matthews is as comfortable cooking in the Michelin-starred kitchen of Alain Poussard in Paris as he is cooking over the hot coals of a dusty campfire. His outdoorsy streak does not camouflage a love of fine ingredients and perfect methods.

These days, this man of few words and intense focus can be found hunting Chuckfee Bay in the Delta for wild duck, inshore fishing in the Mississippi Sound for big specks, stalking wild pigs in Monroe County, and of course, manning the pass at his restaurant in Daphne — Southwood Kitchen. MB

Matthews prepares local Grande Batture oysters from Coden in the shell to keep all of the briny, buttery liquid in tact. Propping the shells in a pan ensures nothing is lost, and for that, Matthews loves The Oyster Bed. An aluminum alloy pan that is grill and oven safe up to 1000 degrees, The Oyster Bed was designed by two ex-military brothers and Louisiana natives. The pan was created in honor of the family oyster roasts held before the brothers’ deployments. You can roast or grill your oysters, meat or other seafood and then mop some bread in the well, built to collect the succulent juices. Sold locally at Objects in Daphne, Spanish Fort and Fairhope.

ROASTED GRANDE BATTURE OYSTERS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CONECUH SAUSAGE

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ROASTED OYSTERS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CONECUH SAUSAGE MAKES 2 DOZEN

There will be extra stuffing, which can be freezed for later use.

3 cups butternut squash, small diced olive oil salt and pepper, to taste 1 1/2 cups Conecuh sausage, diced as small as you can 1/2 cup onion, small diced 1/2 cup red bell pepper, very small dice 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 4 leaves fresh sage, rolled and shaved thin 2 tablespoons chive, thin sliced 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 2 dozen oysters in shell, opened

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss squash with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in glass Pyrex sprayed with cooking spray. Roast until soft, 6 - 10 minutes.

Allow to cool.

2. Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add Conecuh and saute 1 minute, then add onion, red pepper and garlic and continue to saute until onions are translucent and the garlic aroma begins to soften.

Toss in sage and chive, stir and remove from heat.

3. Place squash in the same bowl it was tossed in and mash with a fork (doesn’t have to be mashed until smooth, it can be lumpy). Add sausage and onion mixture along with any rendered fat to the squash. Add Parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Bump the oven up to broil. Place the opened oysters on an oven-proof pan and top with 1 tablespoon of squash mixture (if the oysters are small use less and vice versa — the oyster is the star here). Broil 3 - 5 minutes until the topping begins to take color. Be careful to not overcook the oysters. Serve immediately.

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Matthews works alongside his son, Noah, in the kitchen at Southwood.

WILD BOAR MEATBALLS

MAKES 24 - 30 MEATBALLS

Matthews buys all his seafood from Billy’s Seafood in Bon Secour.

He also suggests having a few brews from Fairhope Brewery on hand.

1/2 pound bacon, diced 1/4 cup onion, finely diced 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 2 pounds ground wild boar or venison 2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups water 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet, saute bacon until rendered.

Add onion and garlic, cooking until garlic aroma softens. Allow to cool.

2. Place boar in mixing bowl with bacon mixture and all other remaining ingredients. Mix well. It should feel like soft ground beef and be a little sticky.

3. Fill a small bowl with water. Dip your hands in the bowl as you roll the meatballs to keep them from sticking to you.

4. Each ball should be about 1.5 ounces, or slightly smaller than a golf ball.

Roll meatballs in your hands until they are smooth and uniform.

Place on baking sheet or glass Pyrex pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until cooked through.

5. Once they are baked, you can sear them in the same cast-iron skillet if you want a crust.

6. Serve in a pan with Sherry Mushroom Sauce (see below).

SHERRY MUSHROOM SAUCE 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 1 shallot or 1/4 cup onion 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1/2 cup sherry wine

2 cups cream 1/4 cup Parmesan salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute mushrooms, onion and garlic in a nonreactive pan until soft. Remove from heat and add sherry. Return to heat and allow it to flame, burning off the alcohol. Add cream and bring back to a simmer. Let reduce for 4 - 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk in Parmesan and simmer 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

LEFT Four-year-old Mills Hamilton garnishes readyto-serve bowls of chowder made by chef dad, Bo.

WILD BOAR MEATBALLS WITH A SHERRY MUSHROOM SAUCE

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DUCK STRUDEL MAKES 2 STRUDELS

Matthews serves his strudel with a horseradish sour cream.

2 pounds assorted mushrooms, chopped (can be white, shiitake, crimini, etc.) olive oil few sprigs each fresh thyme, oregano and flat parsley 2 carrots, very small diced 1 cup yellow onion, small diced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon butter 2 pounds duck meat, cooked and shredded (can be wild or store-bought) 1 8-ounce log goat cheese salt and pepper, to taste Matthews’ brother, Luke, stokes the fire

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss mushrooms with a small amount of olive oil and herb sprigs, and saute over medium-high heat for 8 - 10 minutes until mushrooms are soft and slightly dry. Remove herb stems and strip the leaves back into the pan.

Allow to cool.

2. Saute carrot, onion and garlic in butter until softened. Add shredded duck meat and roasted mushrooms.

Crumble in the goat cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

FOR THE STRUDEL 2 10-by-12-inch puff pastry sheets, usually found in the freezer section 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

DUCK STRUDEL

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1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment pepper and spray with cooking spray.

Lay each sheet of pastry on its own pan. Brush borders of pastry with beaten egg. Working with the long edge facing you, sprinkle panko in a horizontal line down the middle of the pastry. Spoon half of the duck filling on top of panko, then sprinkle more panko on top. It will absorb any excess liquid. Roll the pastry tight like a burrito, and lay with the seam-side down. Brush the top with egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake 8 - 10 minutes more. Allow to cool slightly and slice before serving.

BACON-WRAPPED ELK LOIN WITH CHIMICHURRI

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REDFISH ON THE HALF SHELL

REDFISH ON THE HALF SHELL SERVES 4

“Half shell� means with the skin (and sometimes scales) still on the fillet. Cooking fish in this way keeps the meat moist. Matthews likes to serve with remoulade or rouille.

2 1-pound redfish fillets, skin and scales on 8 ounces Garlic Lemon Butter, almost melted (see below) Creole seasoning, to taste

1. Brush each fillet with the butter and season with Creole seasoning (we make ours but you can use whichever you prefer, just be careful since some are mostly salt). Place fish fillets skin-sidedown on the preheated grill and close lid.

Grill 1 - 2 minutes then open lid and brush again.

Close lid and repeat the process several more times. Fish is done after 10 - 15 minutes or once it turns opaque and begins to flake around the edges.

GARLIC LEMON BUTTER MAKES 2 CUPS 1 pound softened unsalted butter zest and juice of 2 lemons 1 tablespoon granulated garlic or 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic briefly sauteed to soften 1 tablespoon chopped flat parsley 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix all by hand or place in food processor and pulse several times.

PICKLED GARLIC CHIMICHURRI

BACON-WRAPPED ELK OR VENISON LOIN WITH CHIMICHURRI

MAKES 2 CUPS

SERVES 6

Bone-in chops make a striking impression at the table, but boneless works just fine.

8 slices bacon 1 elk or venison loin (back strap) bone-in or boneless, about 3 pounds salt and pepper, to taste

1. Lay out bacon as individual pieces and allow to come up to room temperature. Season loin with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Begin wrapping loin with bacon, starting from one end and making sure the edges of the bacon overlap.

Stick it with toothpicks where the bacon ends meet. If working bonein, just work around the bones, leaving them exposed.

3. Sear in a large cast-iron pan, then finish in oven for 15 - 18 minutes, until medium rare. Allow to rest, then slice and serve with chimichurri.

12 cloves pickled garlic, chopped 2 bunch cilantro, chopped 2 bunch parsley, chopped 1/2 red onion 1 ounce red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh oregano 1 cup olive oil Juice of 2 lemons 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine in small processor, pulse until smooth but slightly chunky. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until use.

above, from left to right Redfish fillets cook on the trusty Weber grill. Tyler Ales, sous chef at Southwood Kitchen, portions the cooked fish for ser ving. The elk chop gets a quick sear before heading into the oven.

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MYSTIC RESTORATION A partnership between the 1857 Foundation and a local, prominent mystic society allowed for the full restoration of one of downtown Mobile’s beloved architectural old dames.

text by ELEANOR INGE BAKER photos by SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY

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ast fall, the 1857 Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, completed its full restoration of the Joshua Kennedy Jr. home, located in the Church Street East historic neighborhood of downtown Mobile at 607 Government Street. Restoration efforts by the foundation began in May 2017 with a group of concerned local business professionals who collectively saw a need to save the structure from its imminent demise. Leaks, structural decay, a vagrant’s fire and general disrepair were some of the causes of the building’s perilous state.

“The Kennedy House is one of the only surviving colonnades along that section of Government Street from the first golden age of Mobile,” says James Alexander, president of the 1857 Foundation. “We quickly realized this project was bigger than we were. We felt a responsibility to properly restore and save this part of Mobile’s heritage.

Great lengths were taken not to cut corners.”

To that point, the plaster walls and crown molding were fully restored. All the windows were removed, cleaned and refurbished by Oakleigh Restoration and the home’s original glass was carefully reinstalled on the front of the house. “We were fortunate to have a talented group of local, civic-minded professionals willing to donate their time, energy and resources to ensure our restoration efforts were successful. A number of local architects, engineers, bankers, attorneys, contractors and real estate professionals used their expertise to make the restoration a

reality,” says Thad Hendrix, a local engineer and member of the foundation board.

The house, which is considered a transition between the Greek Revival and Italianate styles, features 14-foot ceilings, seven fireplaces, a beautiful bay window, arched windows and doors, and the original sweeping staircase, right, along a plaster radius wall in the grand hallway.

This restoration would not have been possible without a tenant that shared the foundation’s vision of preserving and properly maintaining this historic Mobile landmark. “With that goal in mind, we entered into a long-term lease with a prominent, local Mardi Gras society that will use the property for membership meetings and special events,” Alexander continues. “Mystic societies are a very important part of the fabric of Mobile. They make meaningful, ongoing contributions to our local culture and economy. Anyone looking for an example of this significant impact need look no further than the newly restored Kennedy House.”

The home was first listed on the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Places in Peril” list in 2003. Members of the

PHOTO BY DANIEL CURTIS

CORNICES The hand-carved wood cornices above the downstairs arched windows are original to the home. The 1857 Foundation had the foresight to remove them before construction began for safekeeping. Coincidentally, a vagrant built a fire under one of the windows just a few weeks later, and the fire destroyed much of one window.

The cornices were saved.

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PLASTER The substantial plaster crown moldings in every room were restored by hand. The plaster ceilings, however, were replaced with modernday sheetrock to prevent future cracks in the ceiling.

DENTIL WORK Nearly all of the architectural dentils are original to the house. They were removed during construction while molding was restored, then they were replaced.

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PHOTO BY DANIEL CURTIS

foundation board went to lengths personally to find fitting architectural details to replace what had, over time, been lost or destroyed. Two converted upstairs bedrooms, now called the President’s Room, are used for board and other committee meetings. The room boasts twin triple cartouche mantelpieces of pink plantation marble. “When we found them in St. Louis, they were in a million pieces and laying up against the wall of this guy’s garage. They still had mortar attached to them and looked a mess. The guy said, ‘I’ll give them both to you for $750,’ and we said, ‘sold!’ We loaded the marble up in our vehicle and drove them 700 miles back to Mobile. The shocks were never the same, and we sold the car a month later,” Alexander says.

Delta Stone restored the mantelpieces, right. Because they had numbers and letters on the back, they were put back together like a jigsaw puzzle. “They are not inconsistent with what you’d find in downtown Mobile, they’re just pink.”

Another upstairs feature is the gallery on the landing at the top of the stairs, which highlights historic collectibles of their tenant’s society. Old favors, invitations, as well as a secret ballot voting device used in the organization’s early years are showcased in the refurbished display cabinets. “These cases hold many memorabilia of the mystical underpinnings of Mardi Gras in Mobile.”

The 1857 Foundation has a close relationship with their neighbors. Last fall, representatives from Church Street East historic neighborhood reached out to the foundation and asked if they could come sing Christmas carols for their new neighbors.

MYSTIC CONNECTION The parading organization that now uses the home leaves their Queen’s train on display throughout the year.

FIREPLACE MANTELS While the pink mantels from the upstairs President’s Room were sourced out of state, the pair of white marble mantels in the downstairs parlors are new re-creations of what would have been typical in homes of the era in Mobile.

A dragon with the number 1857 is etched into the cartouche in honor of the foundation.

BRICKWORK The original basement has been converted to a speakeasy for Mardi Gras entertaining, but a glimpse of the foundation’s brickwork steals the show. The brick footings widen at the base to support the weight of the large home, and an upsidedown arch supports the base of the bay windows above it.

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PHOTO BY DANIEL CURTIS

In turn, the foundation invited their FENCING Portions of the original cast-iron board and volunteers’ families from fence were found their partnering mystic society to come off-site and then donated back to celebrate the season with their neighbors. the 1857 Foundation “It was probably the first time in 100 by the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery. years this house had been full of kids, The front facade now families, with Christmas carolers on boasts all original posts and ironwork the front steps,” Alexander says. “It was built above a new magical! We’ve been able to breathe knee wall, while a new life into this house, and we hope to very close replica of the ironwork continue to inspire other revitalization runs down the side efforts in downtown Mobile. This project elevation of the home. would not have been possible without our partnership with a prominent parading KORBELS The supports under the eaves Mardi Gras society in Mobile. I don’t think were originally wood people really appreciate the significant covered in tin. Unfortunately, most of the cultural and economic contributions that wood was rotten and mystic societies make to our community. the tin was unusable, We didn’t come up with this model of and so the 1857 Foundation made exact historical preservation, but we weren’t replicas crafted from afraid to pirate a great idea. We took it and modern-day foam and stucco. In most ran with it.” cases, however, the In February 2017, the foundation original wood finials were reinstalled. successfully acquired the property from the Lamar Y. McLeod American Legion Post 3, which occupied the house from 1948 to 2017. “One of the most unique aspects of this restoration project is the foundation’s partnership with the American Legion, which will allow them to resume use of the building for membership meetings and events for the next 10 years at no cost,” says Allan Gustin, a local commercial contractor and the chairman of the design committee that oversaw the details of the actual restoration.

“My father was a veteran, and it’s important to us as a group to support men and women who served in our armed forces.” MB

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The Joshua Kennedy Home was built in 1857 by Joshua Kennedy Jr. His father, named Joshua Kennedy Sr., was the son of a doctor who was born in Fairfield District, South Carolina, in 1775 and who settled in Mobile around 1816 with his brothers, Joseph and William. By the time Mobile came under American control, he and his brothers were some of the largest landholders in the area, owning most of what is now downtown Mobile. In the book, “The Leaves of Stockton,” volume 1, by Lynn Hastie, the elder Kennedy is credited with accelerating “the development of the City of Mobile, laying out the streets, filling in the riverfront from Royal Street, and developing the city into a commercial shipping port.”

Joshua Jr. amassed a comfortable fortune in the wholesale grocery trade. He used profits to construct the Government Street residence in 1857. The facade of the home features an unusual full height portico that has been described as reflecting a transition between the Greek Revival and Italianate. Kennedy married Mary Emanuel in 1853, and like so many of his contemporaries, fought for the Confederacy. Joshua was also rumored to have been an early member of the Cowbellion de Rakin Society, the very first mystic society in the United States, as well as having a penchant for entertaining. He supposedly received guests from all over the country and was widely known for his gracious Southern hospitality.

1857foundation.org

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HOOF BEAT TAKE A PEEK BEHIND THE BARN DOOR AS MOBILE’S MOUNTED POLICE UNIT SADDLES UP FOR ANOTHER MARDI GRAS SEASON.

text by BRECK PAPPAS photos by MEGGAN HALLER / KEYHOLE PHOTO

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Thankfully, it’s not Officer Josh Hart’s job to look tidy. Like the other three patrol officers of the Mobile Police Mounted Unit, Hart splits his time between the saddle and the patrol car.

Between the horse hair, dried drool, dust and the occasional stray straw of hay, a moderately observant citizen shouldn’t have much trouble pegging Hart for a mounted officer, even when his vehicle has tires, not hooves.

“I actually just found a piece of hay in my magazine,” he says, searching through his holster.

It’s an overcast morning at the police stables on Virginia Street, but Hart and his fellow officers are gearing up for their morning patrol down lower Dauphin. Mustached and in full uniform, Hart is the picture of a law enforcement officer. When on the beat, whether by car or horse, his uniform always remains the same from the belt up, but this morning, Hart sports riding britches and tall black boots. And if that doesn’t give away his affiliation with the mounted unit, the cross sabers pin on his uniform, the mark of a mountie, certainly removes all doubt.

For Hart and his fellow mounted officers, the day starts at 8 a.m. at the police stables, located on a 5-acre pasture adjacent to Magnolia Cemetery. Four patrol officers, one managing officer and one sergeant is a surprisingly small crew for Alabama’s only full-time mounted unit. With Mardi Gras still one month away, the barn operates this morning as it does during every month not beginning in “F-E-B” — the unit’s eight horses will each get a bucket of feed, then a few will be geared up for a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. patrol down Dauphin.

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Today, with the presence of a few magazine staffers, the officers fall behind the feeding schedule as they meet with us, and the horses let them know, tossing their heads in the air, pawing the ground and snorting their grievances from the stalls.

“Oh, relax,” says Officer Jason Martin to no horse in particular. February will mark Martin’s 16th Mardi Gras with the mounted unit, making him the veteran of the group by a long shot. Sixteen years ago, he says he never could have imagined where he’d end up.

“Do you know where the Hillsdale / Mobile Terrace community is?” he asks, referring to the neighborhoods surrounding Cody Road North. “I grew up in that area. I’d never been around a horse a day in my life until I became a police officer.”

Upon joining the police force as a regular patrol officer in 2002, Martin made frequent visits to the barn out of pure curiosity. “And when the opportunity came to join the unit, I was one of the only guys who showed interest,” he says.

Horses, like officers, cut unexpected paths to the unit. Most animals are donated (under a 90-day trial period agreement), but three of the unit’s horses were purchased from Angola, the

top Officer Josh Hart with his partner in hooves, Alazon. above From left to right: Officers Josh Hart, John Schaffer, Nicey Turton and Jason Martin are the unit’s four fulltime riders.

“I’D NEVER BEEN AROUND A HORSE A DAY IN MY LIFE UNTIL I BECAME A POLICE OFFICER.” – Officer Jason Martin

Louisiana State Penitentiary known for the longest-running prison rodeo in the country. I ask Martin to tell us about each horse and he obliges, stopping at each stall as he goes.

First, there’s Big Papa, a “big ham” who likes to stop and admire himself in storefront windows. There’s Epona, who’s terrified of the big-wheeled police segues. (“The first time she saw one, she hit a Honda Accord. I thought she tore the whole bumper off,” he says.) There’s Leo, a beautiful Strawberry roan who was once afraid of plastic Walmart bags until the officers decorated his stall from head to hoof in bags of every variety.

There’s the newest addition, Maybe, a white, full-blooded Percheron who “gets in a hurry to do nothing.” Apache, the jokester of the herd, likes to pick up 12-foot segments of PVC pipe used in training and run through the pasture, systematically whacking the other horses as he goes. (When Mayor Stimpson rides with the unit, he always chooses Apache. “The Mayor loves Apache,” Martin says.) The dapple gray Ghost is a “bit of a prima donna.” Alazon is a “laid-back” guy who only gets anxious between the barricades, where he was once attacked by a dog mid-parade. And Murphy, “a big Teddy bear,” is the escape artist of the group, requiring safety straps on his stall to break his habit of picking up the gate with his feet and strutting right

out the door.

“Murphy also gets really bad sunburn,” adds Officer John Schaffer, Murphy’s rider. “I put sunscreen on his nose, all around his lips, and he hates it.

Absolutely hates it.”

Beneath a slightly worn, white cowboy hat, Schaffer scratches Murphy behind the ears as he talks. Schaffer is a second-generation Mobile mounted officer, following in his father’s footsteps. Having been around horses his entire life, he entered the police force with the goal of joining the mounted unit but was in for a long wait due to department regulations against working with family. After nine years of street patrol, he finally got his wish at the start of 2016, and now he and Martin serve as the unit’s two lead trainers.

“Alright,” he says, looking down the length of the stable. “Let’s tack up.”

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On the Beat As the four riders clop down a wet Dauphin Street, “boot to boot” as the officers call the close formation, they form a parade unto themselves. Pedestrians stop just to watch. An aproned chef steps outside and silently stares. A black man on a bike stops and shouts, “Are y’all horsing around again?”

“Hey, Teddy!” Martin responds.

This aspect of the unit’s work is among its most important: humanizing the shield. “It’s not police-oriented when they come talk to me on a horse, versus in a patrol car,” Schaffer says. “It begins with, ‘What’s your horse’s name? How old is he?’ Then you get to open up a dialogue. ‘I go to this school, I do this for a living.’ So it’s more personal.”

Whether on day-time patrol or working a Mardi Gras parade, officers encourage the public to come pet the horses. “The only thing we don’t allow is for people to feed them anything, because we never know what someone’s going to give them,” Martin explains.

Unfortunately, this includes MoonPies.

“They frickin’ love MoonPies,” Martin

says. “Don’t get us wrong, we’ll take the “IF YOU CAN MoonPies and give them to the horses later GET A HORSE — they go crazy for them.”

On this morning, starting at Central TO TRUST YOU, Precinct on Cathedral Square, the officers trot down Dauphin, turn right on Royal, YOU CAN GET then take another right on Conti. They HIM TO DO make this highly visible loop Mondays through Thursdays. (On Fridays and ANYTHING.” Saturdays, they work lower Dauphin after – Officer John Schaffer dark: “The knuckleheads come out at night,” Martin says.)

“We really have a three-pronged mission,” Schaffer explains. “PR, crowd-control, and search and rescue.” While today would be described as a PR mission, the officers are prepared to respond to any calls in the area — tripped burglar alarms, fender benders, domestic disputes. “Anything we can get to on horseback,” Schaffer says. On a rainy day, the officers will trade the reins of a horse for the steering wheel of a patrol car. “And no one is the wiser that we’re mounted officers, except for our cross sabers pin,” Hart adds.

That ever-important connection between mounted officer and community starts with the compact between horse and rider.

“We’ll train a rider for five or six months on every horse here,” Schaffer says. “Then we’ll assign them a horse and they’ll start building a bond with that animal to the point where, if I try to get on Martin’s horse, I can do what needs to be done, but I’ll never be Martin.”

That union is crucial. In a crowd-control situation or in the throes of Mardi Gras madness, a rider needs to know that he or she can rely on that horse. “If you can get a horse to trust you, you can get him to do anything,” Schaffer says.

The relationship between officer and horse often continues beyond the animal’s tenure with the department. When a police horse retires, whoever donated the animal has first dibs to take it back. If the donor declines, the left From left to right: Officer Nicey Turton atop Leo, Officer Jason Martin atop Epona, Officer John Schaffer atop Murphy and Officer Josh Hart atop Alazon. opposite Officer Schaffer, left, and Officer Hart patrol in full-uniform, complete with body cams and bulletproof vests.

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horse is then offered to whichever officer rode it the longest, even if the officer is no longer with the unit.

“And most of the time, they say ‘yes,’” Schaffer says.

Officer Nicey Turton, the unit’s lone female, is one benefactor of the retirement policy, having adopted her long-time hoofed partner Stevie, named after fallen Mobile police officer Steven Green. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Turton says she didn’t start riding horses until joining the unit at the age of 42.

She laughs to herself at the thought of it.

Founded in 1991, the mounted unit was actually created to patrol housing projects in Mobile, “and then we ended up sort of adopting Mardi Gras,” Schaffer says. Now, Carnival is the unit’s big-ticket item; a week before Fat Tuesday, the Mobile Mounted Unit hosts Mardi Gras School, a series of training sessions designed to prepare officers from other cities to help provide crowdcontrol support. Last year, 50 riders from as far away as Texas, Tennessee, Boston and New York City converged on Mobile to participate in the school, which involved firetrucks, street sweepers, motorcycles, high school marching bands, makeshift parades and even a hovering helicopter — anything that might prepare a horse for “les bon temps.” The results are twofold: The MPD appreciates the help, and visiting riders return to their cities to patrol events that can’t hold a flambeau to the sensory overload that is Mardi Gras. “I mean, the M.O.T. parade has fire-breathing dragons,” Hart says. Point taken.

Crime Fighters There’s nothing easy about the job. A Mardi Gras day could mean 20 hours in the saddle, and a “normal” day still requires cleaning stalls, tacking up and feeding horses, maintaining the barn, mending fences and breaking a sweat — on delivery days, 600 bales of hay aren’t going to unload themselves. It certainly doesn’t help that the officers are shorthanded, each essentially doing the work of two. “It’s just the demand in the police department,” Schaffer explains. “We don’t have the manpower for it, so we do what we can.”

Hart takes on the work good-naturedly. “You have to treat everything as a learning or training experience,” he says, standing outside the unit’s 32-foot horse trailer. Though having grown up riding horses in Ohio, Hart says there was, and still is, much to be learned. One adjustment upon

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above and left At Mardi Gras School, visiting riders from across the country descend upon Mobile for unique training sessions, meant to desensitize horses to jarring experiences — such as hovering helicopters. opposite Murphy cleans his pearly whites in the fountain at Cathedral Square.

“A BIG RULE OF

joining the unit was learning how to guide a horse using just your legs; in an emergency, THUMB IS THAT a mounted officer might need full use of their IF YOU’RE PAYING hands to apprehend a suspect. Such details introduce the question, “Why use a horse at ATTENTION TO all?” Surely, in 2020, the practice of policing on WHAT A HORSE horseback is antiquated and inefficient … right?

In fact, horses were seemingly designed for IS DOING, YOU police work. From high in the saddle, an officer CAN KIND OF SEE is afforded a looming vantage point, ideal for crowd-control or scanning the street for a WHAT’S GOING suspect. Not to mention, it’s commonly said ON BEFORE IT that an officer on horseback is worth 10 officers on foot when it comes to moving a crowd HAPPENS.” of people, due to the animal’s strength and intimidating size. Furthermore, in a wilderness – Officer John Schaffer search and rescue scenario, a horse is able to cover a tremendous amount of ground, all the while providing its rider with a line of sight above the undergrowth. And boy, are they smart.

“If the crowd is very tense and there’s about to be a fight,” Schaffer says, “the horses kind of get wary. A big rule of thumb is that if you’re paying attention to what a horse is doing, you can kind of see

what’s going on before it happens.”

As the day’s riders load their horses back into the trailer, I ask Martin if they ever receive complaints from drivers stuck behind their slow, swaying patrol down Dauphin.

“Some people hate us,” he says, citing grumbles about traffic or concerns that the unit is an unnecessary expense. But Martin knows that some investments yield immeasurable returns, often well into the future. A friendly nod, wave or exchange with one child today might simply serve to brighten a day — but it also has the capability to change the tenor of a police encounter years down the road. Now that is cutting-edge police work.

So this Mardi Gras, pet a police horse.

Talk to a mounted officer. You’ll be glad you did.

Oh, and cut ‘em some slack about the horse hair. MB

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EXTRAS | CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Let the Good Times Roll!

FEBRUARY 19 AUTHOR EVENT: JOHN SLEDGE 10:30 a.m. The author and historian will discuss his new book, “The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History.”

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

FEBRUARY 25 MARDI GRAS DAY Celebrate the culmination of the Carnival season with various parades.

(See page 78 for the full parade schedule.)

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

FEBRUARY 26 CAMELLIA WAXING 10:30 a.m. Join Dr. Brenda Litchfield to learn about the fun of waxing camellias and other flowers. Please bring one or two camellias.

FEBRUARY 1

FEBRUARY 12

SUPER CHILI BOWL COOK OFF 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Participate in the competition or simply sample the goods. The event benefits the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life.

RAISING ROSES 10:30 a.m. Linda Guy, Bellingrath’s longtime Rosarian, will discuss the best varieties to choose for the Gulf Coast.

ORANGE BEACH FLORABAMA.COM

FEBRUARY 5 WINTER GARDEN WALK 10:30 a.m. Learn about the interesting winter borders and containers throughout the gardens.

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 1

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

MOBILE AREA ORCHID SOCIETY’S 43RD ANNUAL ORCHID SHOW AND SALE Noon - 5 p.m. View spectacular orchids and get advice on growing and caring for the unique plants.

FEBRUARY 15

BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG

24TH ANNUAL “BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY 5K RACE” 8:30 p.m. Lace up for this Port City Pacers race on Dauphin Island. A cannon blast starts the race.

DAUPHIN ISLAND PORTCITYPACERS.COM

FEBRUARY 8

FEBRUARY 15

MOBILE KING CAKE-OFF 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Enjoy King Cake tastings, kids’ activities, live music, a silent auction and adult beverages.

2020 SWEETHEART 5K, SEA TURTLE 1/2 MARATHON AND SWEETHEART 1-MILE FUN RUN 7:30 a.m. Get your run in then join the post-race party.

GOVERNMENT PLAZA KINGCAKEOFF.COM

THE HANGOUT REGISTER.CHRONOTRACK.COM

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 1 JURASSIC QUEST 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. F. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sa. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Su. Experience over 80 true-to-life size dinosaurs.

MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER JURASSICQUEST.COM

FEBRUARY 29 28TH ANNUAL ORANGE BEACH SEAFOOD FESTIVAL & CAR SHOW 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Enjoy food, arts and crafts, live music and more.

THE WHARF ORANGEBEACHAL.GOV

 To have your event included in the online or print edition of Mobile Bay Magazine, email calendar@pmtpublishing.com.

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february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 61

MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tu - Su. Admission: $12 adults / $10 seniors / $8 students / Free for MMofA members. mobilemuseumofart.com

FEBRUARY 6 - JULY 5 SOUTHERN MASTERS II: MARION “PINKY” BASS, RUTH MILLER AND MIRIAM N. OMURA Explore how these three female Southern artists have mastered their mediums.

FEBRUARY 7 - SEPTEMBER 6 AN ART HISTORIAN COLLECTS: THE DAVID E. BRAUER COLLECTION View the collection of art historian David E. Brauer. His collection has been divided into four categories: European, Asian, American and UK artists.

THROUGH APRIL 19 FROM FORT TO PORT AND BEYOND Delve into the city’s rich architectural history with maps, building materials, elevations, photographs, models, architectural plans and more.

THE GULF COAST EXPLOREUM 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tu - Th. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. F / Sa. Noon - 5 p.m. Su. exploreum.com

THROUGH MAY 10 DINOSAURS AROUND THE WORLD Learn about the ways volcanic activity, plate techtonics and land bridges affected the ways the dinosaurs roamed the globe.

Admission: $6 - $20.

HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. M - Sa. historymuseumofmobile.com

THROUGH APRIL 5 ANCIENT ROME: THE EMPIRE THAT SHAPED THE WORLD Take a look at some of the Roman Empire’s most memorable inventions.

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CITY STAGES Drama, musical, mysteries and movies, oh my!

FEBRUARY 5 BLIPPI LIVE! 6 p.m. The YouTube sensation brings his vivacious energy from screen to stage.

SAENGER THEATRE • MOBILESAENGER.COM

FEBRUARY 8 MOBILE OPERA WINTER GALA CONCERT 7:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening with acclaimed mezzo-soprano Suzanne Marie Lommler and Maestro Bernard McDonald.

MOBILE OPERA • MURPHY’S AUDITORIUM MOBILEOPERA.ORG

FEBRUARY 11 SHEN YUN 7:30 p.m. Experience this divine culture of the Middle Kingdom.

MOBILE CIVIC CENTER • MOBILECIVICCTR.COM

FEBRUARY 14 - 22 MIRACLE WORKER Times vary. William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker,” is based on the early life of Alabama’s own Helen Keller.

PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK PLAYHOUSEINTHEPARK.ORG

FEBRUARY 15 SCOTTY MCCREERY 7:30 p.m. Welcome the country singer back to the Port City.

SAENGER THEATRE • MOBILESAENGER.COM

FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 8 “BLACK COFFEE” 7:30 p.m. F / Sa. 2 p.m. Su. Follow along with a play from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie.

CHICKASAW CIVIC THEATER • CCTSHOWS.COM

FEBRUARY 29 AN EVENING WITH AMY GRANT 8 p.m. See the artist who put contemporary Christian music on the map.

SAENGER THEATRE • MOBILESAENGER.COM

february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 63

CELLO PRODIGY SUJARI BRITT

[MARCH HIGHLIGHTS]

MARCH 7 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CHILI COOK-OFF 11 a.m. Compete for bragging rights and other prizes. Tickets: $10 in advance; $15 at the gate.

MARDI GRAS PARK ACSMOBILE.EJOINME.ORG/ MOBILECHILICOOKOFF

MARCH 7 - 8 MOBILE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS “VIVACE” 7:30 p.m. Sa. 2:30 p.m. Su. The Mobile Symphony presents cello prodigy Sujari Britt in this performance highlighting young artists. Tickets: $15, $20, $33, $45, $65 and $80.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG

MARCH 15 JAKE OWEN “DOWN TO THE TIKI TONK” ACOUSTIC TOUR 7:30 p.m. The country superstar takes the stage. Tickets: $38, $48, $58, $88.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM

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BUDDY GUY

[MARCH HIGHLIGHTS]

MARCH 20 - APRIL 5 “SISTER ACT” 7:30 p.m. F / Sa. 2 p.m. Su. The Joe Jefferson Players present their take on the musical version of the ‘90s movie. Sing along to classic Motown hits.

Tickets: $10, $15, $20.

JOE JEFFERSON PLAYERS JOEJEFFERSONPLAYERS.COM

MARCH 24 BUDDY GUY AND KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD BAND 7:30 p.m. Watch two blues legends perform together. Tickets: $50, $70, $100.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM

MARCH 28 JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT 7:30 p.m. The talented singer-songwriter comes back to the Port City.

Tickets: $50, $60, $80, $125.

MOBILE SAENGER THEATRE MOBILESAENGER.COM

february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 65

THE ARTS | LITERATURE

The Slave Who Went to Congress Mobile author Frye Gaillard coauthors a children’s book about a little-known story in Alabama history. text by JILL CLAIR GENTRY

I

t was 1863, and the long-awaited Emancipation Proclamation had finally been signed. After spending the first 40 years of his life as a slave in Selma, Alabama, Benjamin Sterling Turner was ready. He secretly taught himself to read as a young child and had spent years managing businesses for other people — it was finally his turn.

Turner built a successful business, lost everything when Union troops invaded Selma in 1865 and rebuilt the business after the war ended. In 1870, he ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and became Alabama’s first black congressman.

Turner’s little-known story is the topic of Mobile author Frye Gaillard’s new children’s book, “The Slave Who Went to Congress,” released last month from NewSouth Books. Gaillard was raised in Mobile and now serves as writer in residence at the University of South Alabama. He has written nearly 30 books — many of which focus on Southern race relations, politics and

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culture — but children’s literature is a new niche.

“In the realm of education, we can argue that we’re making progress in conveying an understanding of slavery so people no longer think slaves were happy,” Gaillard says. “I will never forget covering a school board meeting in 1969 as a cub reporter for the Mobile Press-Register when a historian read an excerpt from a history book that was in use at the time. It said that ‘slaves showed bright rows of white teeth when they smiled’ because of how happy they were.’”

Gaillard says generations of Americans learned an incomplete or downright false history of slavery. However, the Reconstruction era, the brief period after slavery ended and before Jim Crow laws were enacted, is even less understood.

“We’ve got to start teaching this hard, sometimes complicated history,” Gaillard says. “And teaching it to children through stories of inspiration seems to be an effective way to do it.”

“WE’VE GOT TO START TEACHING THIS HARD, SOMETIMES COMPLICATED HISTORY. AND TEACHING IT TO CHILDREN THROUGH STORIES OF INSPIRATION SEEMS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO DO IT.” – Frye Gaillard

The story of Benjamin Sterling Turner When Gaillard stumbled across the largely unknown story of Turner, he sensed it would provide valuable insights to elementary-aged children learning about Alabama history.

Together with coauthor and educator Marti Rosner, Gaillard spent hours at the Selma Public Library poring through newspaper articles, voting records, photographs and Turner’s speeches to collect information for the 32-page children’s book.

Turner’s story intrigued Gaillard and Rosner, not simply because he was the first black man from Alabama elected to Congress, but also because of his nuanced opinions and powerful speeches.

“His platform, in my opinion, had overtones of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. long before the Civil Rights era,” Gaillard says. “He advocated for full and equal rights for former slaves — the right to vote, equality in the eyes of the law, integrated schools and land set aside for slaves to purchase as reparations for slavery. But the other half of his platform was racial reconciliation. He did not believe in punishing Confederates, but instead sought to bind up the wounds and move forward together.”

Unfortunately, Turner’s views were not shared by most of his fellow congressmen. He was not allowed to speak on the House floor, and he only served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1871-1873.

Soon after his defeat, white supremacists succeeded in codifying racist ideals into law, ushering in the Jim Crow era. Measures like poll taxes, literacy tests and residency requirements drastically decreased voter turnout in black and poor white communities, making it nearly impossible for black politicians to be elected into office until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished many of the tactics used to suppress black voters.

“History is largely written by the winners, and Turner didn’t win, so he and other public figures like him have been left out of much of our history,” Gaillard says. “But he held up a vision that, had it been heeded, would’ve put us 100 years ahead.”

Writing the book While Gaillard brought his experience in telling stories about race and history to the project, coauthor Rosner provided expertise in children’s literature. Rosner, who lives in Marietta, Georgia, taught first and second grades for 23 years before becoming an academic literacy and social studies coach in Title I schools. opposite and below University of Florida student Jordana Haggard created the illustrations for “The Slave Who Went to Congress,” a children’s book released in January that tells the story of Alabama’s first black congressman. “The illustrations in this book might be even more powerful than the story,” says Frye Gaillard, who wrote the book with coauthor Marti Rosner.

february 2020 | mobilebaymag.com 67

“I ask Congress to make this appropriation, and I ask it in behalf of the landless and poor people of our country. In that section of the country that I have the honor in part to represent upon this floor the people are extremely poor, having been emancipated from slavery after hundreds of years of disappointment and privation. These people have struggled longer and labored harder, and have made more of the raw material than any people in the world … They are laboring and making every effort to secure land and houses. It is next to impossible that this generation will accomplish it without such aid as I now ask from the Government.”

– Benjamin Sterling Turner, 1872, from an article published in the Congressional Globe after Turner was denied reading the words on the House floor

Rosner says the story could’ve been told in a chapter book format for older readers, but literacy research shows an increase in the popularity and effectiveness of graphic novels and other books that use illustrations alongside words to tell stories.

“I think 32- to 40-page picture books are becoming very important, especially for children learning a second language and struggling readers,” Rosner says. “It thrills me to death because I want stories like Turner’s to be available and accessible to students who might not understand it if it was written differently. Getting this book and others like it into educators’ hands and using it first as a read-aloud would be very beneficial.”

One of the aspects of the book Rosner loves is its first-person narrative style. “It just seemed like the natural thing to do,” she says. “After reading so many of his

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above Benjamin Sterling Turner, photographed sometime between 1860 and 1875. PHOTO COURTESY BRADY-HANDY PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION

speeches, I felt like I knew his voice, and I thought that telling the story through his voice and his eyes would be a great hook and make him even more interesting.”

When publisher Suzanne La Rosa of NewSouth Books in Montgomery first learned about the book, she knew it was a project she wanted to support.

“Frye and Marti have found a gem in this little-known story,” La Rosa says. “It’s an important Alabama and national story that couldn’t be in better hands. The book has been well researched and thoughtfully written, and praise is already coming in from reviewers.” MB

“The Slave Who Went to Congress” can be purchased at The Haunted Book Shop, Page & Palette and on Amazon.

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HISTORY | TRADITIONS

Gumbo: Africans and Creoles on the Gulf Coast Local author Emily Blejwas boils down the history of Creoles in Mobile. text by EMILY BLEJWAS

Excerpt from the book “The Story of Alabama in Fourteen Foods”

I

prepared through sight and taste. She cooked the roux, for n 1940, following a parade in their honor, the first instance, “’til it’s the color of me.” She held out her arm so Mobile Mardi Gras king and queen of color proceeded I could see the desired color. “Every time I cook gumbo, to the home of Dr. J. A. Franklin. A prominent citiit’s a different experience,” she said. “It comes out differzen in the black community, Franklin was well-known ent every time.” for his hospitality and often hosted black celebrities who “Everything” went into Finley’s gumbo, including shrimp, were barred from white-owned hotels, including Joe Louis, crab, oysters, baking hens, Conecuh sausage, and beef. She used Marian Anderson, Jackie Robinson, Oscar De Priest, and thyme, the Creole trinity of vegetables (onion, celery, and green Paul Robeson. At the Franklin home, the Mardi Gras court bell pepper), and okra, insisting, “You can’t enjoyed a champagne toast and gumbo, have gumbo without okra.” When all of the the enduring symbol of Creole and Afriingredients were in the pot, Finley dipped in can heritage on the Gulf Coast. Carrying a coffee cup to “see what we’re missing and on her grandfather’s tradition, Dora Finley continued to make a large pot of gumbo what we’re not.” When she took a sip, her eyes widened. “It’s pretty much dead on,” for family and friends on the day of the she said. “I can’t believe it.” As she ladled king and queen’s parade.

I visited Dora Finley in 2010, the sevgumbo into a bowl for me, I asked if this entieth anniversary of that first gumbo, was her favorite part of Mardi Gras: cooking and she stood in her kitchen just as her gumbo for scores of family and friends. grandmother Dora Franklin once did.

She replied, “I love Mardi Gras. How Family members were in town from Atcould I not? I see all of my friends and lanta, Jackson, Houston, and as far away family, the floats line up right outside my as San Francisco. When a cousin called, front door. But the part that disappoints “ EVERY TIME I me is that there are organizations that I Finley begged off the phone, telling him, can’t be a part of because of the color of my “I’m knee deep in gumbo. . . . You need to COOK GUMBO, skin. Mardi Gras is still segregated today; get down here to Mobile.”

IT’S A DIFFERENT Finley cooked gumbo in a “pass down it’s the last stronghold of segregation in EXPERIENCE ... I JUST pot” inherited from her mother. She Mobile. People skirt around the issue, they COOK IT ’TIL IT’S THE learned some of her gumbo techniques say blacks want it that way. But we don’t COLOR OF ME.” have a choice. Not that I’d run out and join from her grandmothers, some from Dora Finley, these organizations, you understand, but friends, and some through plain trial and holding out her arm to don’t tell me that I can’t.” error. She followed no written recipe but show the desired color

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A Cultural Mélange

Social Order

From its inception, gumbo was known as a Creole dish. Like The stamp of African tradition on Southern cooking is hard gumbo, Creole culture emerged from a unique relationship to understate. African slaves, who did the cooking in many between European settlers and West African slaves on the Southern households, were largely responsible for fusing AfGulf Coast. Beginning in 1719, thousands of West African rican, European, and Native American traditions to birth a slaves were brought to Mobile and other Gulf Coast settledistinct Southern food identity. ments to work on newly developing indigo, sugarcane, tobacNo dish better showcases the African backbone and co, and rice plantations. When these attempts at plantation cultural blend of Southern cooking than gumbo, a agriculture failed, however, it dramatically impacted social seafood stew that unites ingredients across continents. relations in the region.

Gumbo’s soup base is of African or Native American With their owners unable to furnish basic necessities, origin. Okra was brought from Africa, hot peppers from Gulf Coast slaves pushed for maximum autonomy and selfthe Caribbean, black pepper from Madagascar, and salt reliance and “within certain parameters, from the French and Native Americans. managed to exercise some control over their The Spanish introduced tomatoes and red “ NO DISH BETTER daily lives,” writes Southern historian Virpepper, obtained from the Canary Islands.

SHOWCASES THE ginia Gould. Relations between slaves and Native contributions include filé (ground AFRICAN BACKBONE their owners became “a constant struggle sassafras leaves) made by Choctaw Indians AND CULTURAL over who was in control.” and shrimp, crab, and oysters indigenous BLEND OF This power struggle generated a looser, to coastal waters.

SOUTHERN COOKING more nuanced social order than existed in the Gumbo as a cultural mélange is evidenced THAN GUMBO, A broader South. A Creole culture emerged that in its very name. The word gumbo stems SEAFOOD STEW was a blend of white European, West African, either from a Choctaw word for filé or an THAT UNITES and Native American traditions. On the Gulf African word for okra. Both are used as INGREDIENTS Coast, Creole originally indicated any inhabthickeners (but never in the same pot) ACROSS itant, regardless of ethnic origin, who was not and are essential to gumbo’s definition CONTINENTS.” full-blooded Native American. Creoles could and preparation.

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be white Creoles or Creoles of color (a mix of West African, European, and/or Native American descent).

Under French or Spanish rule for most of the eighteenth century, Mobile was a city dominated by European culture and Catholic tradition, both of which supported interracial relationships. The Catholic Church had a liberal conversion policy, seeking to convert all people regardless of race. There was also a shortage of white women on the Gulf Coast throughout the eighteenth century.

These conditions conspired to produce a large Creole of color population in Mobile.

A sense of common culture instilled respect between white Creoles and Creoles of color. Creoles of color enjoyed the same rights as white citizens in regard to military service, education, property, and inheritance. Creoles of color served in the military as early as 1735. These rights enabled Creoles of color to build a large, prosperous, and powerful society in Mobile.

In 1819, the Adams-Onís Treaty (or Transcontinental Treaty) between the Spanish and Americans made Mobile a permanent part of the United States.

This treaty guaranteed the rights of citizens of the formerly Spanish territory, including Creoles of color, and elevated them above the status of black people. In the same year, however, Alabama’s new statehood brought an influx of white settlers to Mobile.

These new arrivals made no distinction between Creoles of color and black people. Largely of rural, English, Protestant, and Puritan heritage, these settlers prized the nuclear family, promoted strict family morals, discouraged marrying beneath one’s social status, and denounced racial mixing.

To distinguish themselves and their way of life from the new arrivals, Gulf Coast natives increasingly identified as Creoles. Though racially mixed, Creoles “recognized that they shared a unique culture that had evolved over

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Mobile culture. The population of Creoles of color fell from 9 percent to 3 percent. By 1850, slaves represented 33 percent of the city’s population.

Holding On

above During the 1919 Mardi Gras season, these members of the Creole Fire Department and their families also celebrated their 100th anniversary as a group by dressing up and decorating, and marching in that year’s parade. ERIK OVERBEY COLLECTION, THE DOY LEALE MCCALL RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA.

generations of mutual experience.” But the new settlers saw things differently, and as the prosperity of plantation agriculture, through cotton, finally turned profitable, relations between owners and slaves changed. A stringent slave code emerged in Mobile. Owners could no longer free slaves at will, and slaves could not purchase their own freedom.

Free people of color were increasingly viewed as dangerous to the institution of slavery. When Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831, white Americans saw their fears realized. Immediately, the state of Alabama passed laws to restrict access to slaves by free black citizens. The laws prohibited educating persons of color, restricted contact and commerce between free black people and slaves, and enacted speedy trials for the accused.

Though the treaty protecting their rights was only a decade old, Creoles of color in Mobile saw their status slipping.

Now, Creoles of color convicted of crimes were whipped or branded instead of charged a fine.

The new laws intended to reduce Creoles of color to the same social category as black people, cleanly splitting the races in Mobile.

During the next twenty years, from 1830 to 1850, Mobile transformed from a leisurely European port to a bustling American metropolis. The city’s population surged from six thousand to thirty thousand, mostly from a mass influx of white immigrants from rural areas who dramatically altered

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Though 1850 marked the height of economic prosperity for Creoles of color in Mobile, they feared that the losses in social status would eventually shrink economic opportunity. They responded by emphasizing their Creole identity and seeking to distinguish themselves from black residents. They began exclusively marrying each other and joining Creole organizations, including the Creole Social Club and the Creole Fire Company. Already educated alongside white people in Catholic schools and attending mass with them at the cathedral, Creoles of color sought any opportunity to identify and associate with white people and not with black people. In 1846, members of the prestigious Creole Fire Company #1 voted to expel any member seen with a black person.

Despite these efforts, however, Creoles of color were severely stripped of their rights beginning in 1850. In Mobile, laws reducing the status of Creoles of color were passed partly out of racism and partly because new white arrivals to the city coveted the jobs held by Creoles of color. Under new legislation, Creoles of color needed white Creoles to act as “guardians” to claim their rights. These restrictions began to affect their livelihoods, as they had feared, prohibiting Creoles of color from sampling cotton and selling liquor, among other things. Humiliated, some Creoles of color abandoned the Gulf Coast for Spanish America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Haiti, and France.

Some returned to Mobile after the Civil War, when life appeared briefly hopeful. In 1868, two persons of color (one of them Creole) became the first Alabamians of color elected to the state legislature. But Reconstruction ended swiftly and was replaced by the extreme racism and total segregation of the Jim Crow era. In 1901, the new Alabama state constitution disenfranchised nearly all persons of color. In 1908, Creoles of color were barred from voting in Mobile municipal elections.

In the twentieth century, many Creoles of color in Mobile continued to hold themselves apart from black people. Vince Henderson, born in 1939, was a tenth generation Mobilian.

When he was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, Creoles of color still “didn’t want to be considered black. They wanted Creole on their driver’s licenses and birth certificates. There was an unwritten rule that when you married, your spouse

couldn’t be darker than a brown paper bag. The parents would hold your arms next to each other to see. You weren’t supposed to marry anyone darker than the family.”

It was a modern manifestation of the quadroon balls once held in Mobile to introduce white men to young Creole women of color. (A quadroon is a person with one quarter black ancestry and three quarters white).

Marked by high society and propriety, the balls were closed to Creole men of Color. Mothers who wanted the best matches for their daughters acted as chaperones. Marrying someone with lighter skin was seen as a way to move up the social and economic ladder.

But in twentieth-century Mobile, a society and government dominated by white people made no distinction between Creoles of color and black people. When Creoles of color participated in Mardi Gras, Mobile’s most significant festival, they attended events sponsored by the Colored Carnival Association, formed in 1939 to create Mardi Gras events for people of color who were shut out of white events.

The resulting celebrations were infused with multiple aspects of Creole and African American heritage, including gumbo, still inextricably linked to Mardi Gras in both communities. “Every Creole family in Mobile owns at least thirty gumbo spoons,” Henderson says, describing the silver soup spoons sometimes adorned with decorative motifs. “I could take you to any home during Mardi Gras and they would all be cooking the same four foods: red beans and sausage, baked ham, potato salad, and gumbo.” MB

Emily Blejwas is a writer and the director of the Gulf States Health Policy Center in Bayou La Batre. Stay tuned over the coming months as MB presents excerpts from her fascinating book, “The Story of Alabama in Fourteen Foods.”

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THE ARTS | LITERATURE

Love and Collards These two staples of February have more in common than meets the eye. excerpt from the book THEY CALL ME OR ANGE JUICE

by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS

F

ebruary brings two things to my mind: love and collards.

Love because of the customary celebration of St. Valentine’s Day and all things mushy, gushy, sweet and sentimental. Collards because February is the peak season for this mighty green, my personal favorite of all the greens in the green family. As I have contemplated love and collards, and believe me there has been some serious cogitation on the matter, I have come to find that the two have much in common.

Collards, like love, can sometimes be sweet and sometimes be salty. The key is to find the perfect balance. If you bring constant contention to the marital table (or the living-insin table or the mr.-right-right-now-table), you will create a completely unpalatable situation for your beloved. This is not to say, however, that you should be completely milquetoast and mooney. A dash of salt here and a pinch of sugar there

will lead to equilibrium, harmony, happiness.

Collards take a lot of work to get them just right — wash, wash, wash, rinse, rinse, rinse, cut out the stems, check for bad spots, stack the leaves , roll them up, slice, slice, slice. So too does love and marriage.

Once you get that ring on your finger, you can’t expect to just lie back, eat bonbons, and let the chips of bliss fall where they may. It is a lot of effort to maintain a happy home, and don’t let anybody tell you different. But just like a mess of greens, if you are willing to put in the time, effort, and a heaping spoonful of patience, oh, what a sweet reward in the end.

Collards are a tough green, but they can be easily bruised and damaged. You have to treat your collards gently, tenderly, compassionately. Even the biggest, toughest outside leaf is in danger of being broken if treated carelessly. Do thoughtless, irreparable damage to your collards, and you will wind up

 Born and raised in Citronelle, Atkins shares stories about growing up and living in the South in her book, “They Call Me Orange Juice,” and at her blog audreyatkinswriter.com.

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with not so much as a spoonful of potlikker.

And then where will you be? Staring at a plate of dry cornbread all by yourself.

Collards ain’t nothing but collards no matter how much you try to church them up. You can call them “braised winter greens,” you can cut them into a chiffonade, you can even try to put them in a gratin or some other such nonsense, but they will always be just plain collards. Likewise, if your honey pie was a threat to go to the store in a wife-beater and sweatpants, leave his drawers on the bathroom floor, and drink milk straight from the carton before you were married, chances are he will continue to do all those same things once you jump the broomstick. No matter how you try to dress him in Brooks Brothers and Cole Haan, no matter if you douse him in Old Spice and pomade, he’ll always be the collard you fell in love with underneath. Don’t try to turn him into swiss chard.

Collards are good for you. Collards make you healthy, they provide comfort, make you feel all warm inside, and give you strength to carry on from day to day. Collards should bring nothing but happiness. If your collards make you miserable, if your collards make you sad, if your collards are in someone else’s pot, well, you might want to consider swiss chard.

So come this Valentine’s Day, think of love. Think of collards. I’ll have a heaping helping of both, please. MB

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MARDI GRAS 2020 PARADE SCHEDULE FEBRUARY 1 DAUPHIN ISLAND PEOPLE’S PARADE

1 p.m. Dauphin Island

FEBRUARY 7 CONDE CAVALIERS

6:30 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 8 ORDER OF THE ROLLING RIVER

2 p.m. DIP BAYPORT PARADING SOCIETY

2:30 p.m. Route A MYSTIC D.J. RIDERS

3 p.m. Route A PHARAOHS MYSTIC SOCIETY

6:30 p.m. Route A ORDER OF HEBE

6:45 p.m. Route A CONDE EXPLORERS

7 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 13 ORDER OF POLKA DOTS

6:30 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 14 ORDER OF INCA

6:30 p.m. Route A APOLLO’S MYSTIC LADIES

6:45 p.m. Daphne

FEBRUARY 15 MOBILE MYSTICS

2 p.m. Route A

MOBILE MYSTICAL REVELERS

FEBRUARY 21 6:30 p.m. Route A

CORONATION OF QUEEN SELINE VAUGHAN MORRISSETTE AND KING FELIX III

3 p.m. Route A

KREWE DE SECONDLINE

6:30 p.m. Mobile Convention Center

MAIDS OF MIRTH

6:45 p.m. Route A

SHADOW BARONS

6:30 p.m. Route G

MAIDS OF JUBILEE

6:45 p.m. Daphne

KNIGHTS OF ECOR ROUGE

6:45 p.m. Fairhope

6:30 p.m. Fairhope

FEBRUARY 22

2:30 p.m. Route A MOBILE MYSTICAL FRIENDS

ORDER OF BUTTERFLY MAIDENS

7 p.m. Route A KREWE OF MARRY MATES

7:30 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 16 NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTERS

6:30 p.m. Route A OOI

7 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 17 ORDER OF VENUS

6:30 p.m. Route A ORDER OF MANY FACES

7 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 18 ORDER OF LASHE’S

6:30 p.m. Route A

FEBRUARY 20 MYSTIC STRIPERS SOCIETY

6:30 p.m. Route A

CREWE OF COLUMBUS

PRICHARD MARDI GRAS ASSOCIATION PARADE

FEBRUARY 23 FORT MORGAN PARADING SOCIETY

1 p.m. Fort Morgan

10 a.m. Prichard

ARRIVAL OF KING ELEXIS I

FOLEY PARADE

2 p.m. Route E

11 a.m. Foley KREWE OF SPARTA

LOYAL ORDER OF THE FIRETRUCK

12 p.m. Saraland

2:29 p.m. Daphne

FLORAL PARADE

JOE CAIN PARADE

12 p.m. Route A

2:30 p.m. Route A

KNIGHTS OF MOBILE

LE KREWE DE BIENVILLE

12:30 p.m. Route A JOY OF LIFE

12:45 p.m. Route A MOBILE MYSTICAL LADIES

1 p.m. Route A ORDER OF ANGELS

1:30 p.m. Route A KREWE OF MULLET MATES

2 p.m. Mullet Point MYSTICS OF TIME

5:45 p.m. Route H MYSTICS OF PLEASURE

6 p.m. Orange Beach MYSTICAL ORDER OF MIRAMS

6:15 p.m. Orange Beach

5 p.m. Route A KREWE DU CIRQUE

6 p.m. OWA, Foley CORONATION OF MAMGA QUEEN AND KING ELEXIS

7 p.m. Mobile Convention Center

FEBRUARY 24 ARRIVAL OF KING FELIX III

11 a.m. Cooper Riverside Park

MLK BUSINESS AND CIVIC ORGANIZATION PARADE

3 p.m. Route D MONDAY MYSTICS

3:30 p.m. Route D NORTHSIDE MERCHANTS

4 p.m. Route D ORDER OF MYSTIC MAGNOLIAS

6:45 p.m. Fairhope INFANT MYSTICS

7 p.m. Route F ORDER OF DOVES

7:30 p.m. Route F

FEBRUARY 25 (FAT TUESDAY) GULF SHORES MARDI GRAS ASSOCIATION

10 a.m. Gulf Shores ORDER OF ATHENA

10:30 a.m. Route A KNIGHTS OF REVELRY

12:30 p.m. Route A KING FELIX III PARADE

1 p.m. Route A COMIC COWBOYS

1:30 p.m. Route A MOBILE AREA MARDI GRAS ASSOCIATION PARADE

2 p.m. Route B ORANGE BEACH PARADE

FLORAL PARADE

2 p.m. Orange Beach

12 p.m. Route A

ORDER OF MYTHS

KING FELIX III PARADE

6 p.m. Route C

12 p.m. Route A

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HISTORY | ASK MCGEHEE

What’s the history of the old Providence Hospital being demolished on Spring Hill Avenue? text by TOM MCGEHEE

Although occupied by divisions of the University of South Alabama since the late 1980s, the original building was completed in the summer of 1952 as the third home of Providence Hospital. Fifty years earlier, the hospital was located in a Mediterranean-inspired structure in the midst of a park-like setting.

It had gotten its start on St. Anthony Street in 1854 opposite two older hospitals: City Hospital (1833) and the U. S. Marine Hospital (1839).

After the explosive growth in Mobile’s population during World War II, the 1902 structure was deemed inadequate, and funds were raised for a new facility.

By 1950, construction was underway.

Patients were moved into the adjoining Allen Memorial Home while the old hospital was demolished.

In July of 1952, the new hospital was officially dedicated. The brick E-shaped, six-story building was far closer to Springhill Avenue than its predecessor and much larger, with more than twice as many beds. Every room had a private bath, telephone, “piped oxygen,” and, according to a newspaper account, was “decorated in the most modern hues.”

Modern and Efficient Reporters described the $4 million hospital as “modern and efficient … with terrazzo floors, aluminum windows and fully air-conditioned.” There was a snack bar and dining room, general and special

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ABOVE “Modern and efficient” Providence Hospital as pictured in 1952. PHOTO COURTESY MOBILE PUBLIC LIBRARY, LOCAL HISTORY DIVISION

kitchens, and the ground floor featured an “Autopsy Room and Museum.” The sixth floor included a “Sisters’ Suite” for the Sisters of Charity who ran the facility.

The brochure for the grand opening stated that the new hospital was “to serve all people regardless of race, color, creed or financial status.” That was quite a statement for 1952 Alabama.

Less than 10 years later, the hospital was enlarged to add 72 more rooms, and in 1964, a five-story building, costing $1.4 million, was completed to the north to house 124 women enrolled in the hospital’s nursing school. Each floor featured a television lounge, and the grounds included a kidneyshaped swimming pool.

The Growth Continues Providence Hospital kept growing. In 1967, a $4.5 million addition was announced, consisting of a 140-room addition to be

built to the east above the existing parking lot. Additional office space was added in front of the building along with a covered entrance drive. More than $2 million was spent on modernization as well as an enlarged emergency room, intensive care unit and operating rooms. This brought the bed count to 400.

In the late 1970s, Providence Hospital sought the help of the city to assist with obtaining adjoining land. According to hospital officials, landowners were holding out for more than three times the appraised values, and city officials were asked to use eminent domain to acquire the properties.

The city declined.

By 1980, a $10.3 million 90,000-squarefoot expansion was announced, as well as the renovation of 105,000 square feet. A large wing facing Lafayette Street would feature a new main entrance and canopy, a boutique-style gift shop, an entrance for

admitting and more parking. On March 2, the new addition was opened to the public for a special preview with special guest Chuck E. Cheese joining the Azalea Trail Maids. A reporter described the interior as featuring “warm earth tones, coordinated carpets, laminates and innovative designs in furnishings.”

The Largest Expansion Yet The management of Providence Hospital declared 1982 as a “Year of Celebration” while boasting “our current construction program is the largest and most elaborate expansion plan that Providence has undertaken in its 125-year history.”

Once that year of celebrating ended, Providence made a startling announcement.

In May of 1983, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Airport Boulevard where the public was told a new Providence Hospital would be built at a cost of $46 million, terming it “a positive move for the future of Mobile’s medical community.” The plan also called for adjoining property to become a high-end residential development.

As construction began on Airport Boulevard, it was reported that the former site might become a new VA Hospital, but

by May of 1985, that plan had fizzled. Two years later, the University of South Alabama purchased the entire property for what the Mobile Register termed “the bargain basement price of $4.5 million,” noting that the appraised value was $24 million. A smiling university president left the closing exclaiming, “They gave us a hospital.”

Today, that hospital is eerily vacant and the wreckers are already at work. Once the site is cleared, it is hoped a good use for the space will be determined. MB

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END PIECE | IN LIVING COLOR

Pages of History, 1907 Original photo courtesy Erik Overbey Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama • Colorization by Dynamichrome Limited

Brothers LeBaron Lyons Jr. (left) and Marion Hall Lyons had the royal honor of serving as pages to Mobile Carnival Association’s 1907 majesties, King Felix II, Thomas Wilkins Sims, and Queen Virginia Allen Lyons. Although more than a century has passed since this photograph, the duties of pages, equerries and heralds in the Court remain the same. Like the Lyons brothers, pages, usually boys around the age of 6, are responsible for ensuring the king’s and queen’s trains flow correctly during the regal procession to coronation.

Of interesting note is the title “King Felix II,” which contrasts with modernday Mobile’s “King Felix III.” According to L. Craig Roberts’ book, “Mardi Gras in Mobile,” when the Mobile Carnival Association reorganized in 1927, the king became known as King Felix III. And while the colorized photo may look incomplete (notice the stillblack-and-white top right corner), it’s actually historically accurate.

Dynamichrome’s Jordan Lloyd explains: “Studio backdrops featuring plants and architectural details were actually rendered in black and white.

There was no point in the extra expense of painting a backdrop in colour when photographers had no way of actually rendering the final image in colour.”

Are you related to anyone from the 1907 Court? If so, email ahartin@pmtpublishing.com.

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