Mobile Bay THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES
TWENTY-FIVE
FARMERS, FOODIES & CHEFS TO KNOW
November 2021
THE FOOD ISSUE TOP 50 HOT SPOTS
TO DINE OUT! FEEDING THE GULF COAST TURNS 40 KARL BRANTLEY Local Appetite Growers
+ HAND-PICKED HOLIDAY GIFTS 85 CURATED IDEAS
THE BOLD FLAVORS OF INDIAN ICE CREAM
2 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 3
4 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVII / ISSUE 11
NOVEMBER 2021 28
Dig In Meet 25 visionaries who are changing the way we think about Lower Alabama’s food and drink scene
49
Gift Guide
FRIED LOBSTER DEVILED EGGS AT SOCU SOUTHERN KITCHEN AND OYSTER BAR. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Satisfy everyone on your list this holiday season while shopping local with this annual guide
63
50 Best Restaurants Warning: It might be dangerous to read this collection of the Bay area’s most beloved eateries on an empty stomach
Karl Brantley and Will Mastin of Local Appetite Growers in Silverhill harvest 2,000 heads of lettuce a week on their three-and-ahalf-acre farm. Learn more about this hyper-local farming operation and 24 other food champions of the Mobile Bay area on page 28.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 5
CONTENTS | VOLUME XXXVII / ISSUE 11
NOVEMBER 2021 80
16
ON OUR COVER Karl Brantley of Local Appetite Growers in Silverhill takes a load off among the long bean vines with his Labrador, Si. PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN
20 “A VIEW OF PENSACOLA IN WEST FLORIDA” PAINTING BY GEORGE GAULD / COURTESY HISTORIC PENSACOLA PEGGY LYLES AND LAVERN SEWELL / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU A SELECTION FROM KWALITY ICE CREAM / PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
9
EDITOR’S NOTE
10 REACTION 12 ODDS & ENDS 15 THE DISH 16 TASTINGS Expand your frozen-treat horizons at Mobile’s Kwality Ice Cream
20 SPOTLIGHT Meet two smiling faces behind the nonprofit Feeding the Gulf Coast 24 SPOTLIGHT Minor League Football was once a popular feature of the Port City 76 NOVEMBER CALENDAR
18 ARTISTS Fairhope’s Little Art Mart is a shopper’s dream and a haven for female artists
80 LEGENDS Read the tale of a Scottish cartographer’s 18th-century visit to Mobile Bay
88 ASK MCGEHEE Tom McGehee answers the question, ‘Where was Mobile’s first movie theatre?’
84 LITERATURE Writer Audrey McDonald Atkins never knows what meat she’ll find on her Thanksgiving plate
90 BACK STORY A 1937 photograph of a Baldwin County potato farmer opens the door to our agricultural legacy
86 ARCHIVES A pastel rendering of the Bankhead Tunnel represents an era of progress
In 1897, the first “movie” ever shown in Mobile was at the Mobile Theatre on the corner of Royal and Conti streets. The “moving pictures” were images of Monte Carlo. Learn more about Mobile’s first movie theatre on page 88.
6 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 7
Mobile Bay VOLUME XXXVII
No11
PUBLISHER ASSISTANT PUBLISHER EDITORIAL CONSULTANT EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR/WEB EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
NOV 2021
T. J. Potts Stephen Potts Judy Culbreth Maggie Lacey Abby Parrott Amanda Hartin Laurie Kilpatrick
ADVERTISING SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE SALES AND MARKETING
Joseph A. Hyland Jennifer Ray Joe Tetro Carolina Groom
ADMINISTRATION CIRCULATION
Anita Miller
ACCOUNTING
Keith Crabtree
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Audrey McDonald Atkins, Mark Newell, Tom McGehee, Breck Pappas, John Sledge, Michael V. R. Thomason CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Matthew Coughlin, Fernando Decillis, Richard Dollison, Chad Edwards, Elizabeth Gelineau, Mark Newell, Chad Riley, Laura Rowe 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 © 2021 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 .
8 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
EXTRAS | EDITOR’S NOTE
Stir Faster, Mama
HOMEMADE SEAFOOD GUMBO IN MY MOM’S CHINA. SILVER GUMBO SPOONS ARE A MUST! PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
T
Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR
maggie@pmtpublishing.com
LOVE THIS ISSUE SHOPPING SPREE I WAS IN HEAVEN PERUSING THE SHELVES OF FOOD PAK INTERNATIONAL MARKET. I FILLED MY BASKET WITH HOUSEMADE FETA DIP, ZA’ATAR SPICES AND A FEW INTERNATIONAL SWEETS. THESE APRICOT KERNELS CAUGHT MY EYE, TOO. PAGE 30
PHOTO BY MATTHEW COUGHLIN
here is nothing like a big pot of gumbo. I remember my mother making her seafood gumbo when I was a kid and how important it was to get that roux just right. If you have never done it yourself or seen it done by someone with skills, you melt butter in a big pot and stir in an equal amount of flour. You then stir — for no short amount of time — until the flour browns and becomes rich and flavorful. While the flour cooks, you must stir constantly. Not occasionally or just sometimes, but the entire time. There is but one split second between a perfectly cooked roux and a burned one. The former becomes a coastal mélange of seafood, okra and spices. The latter goes in the trash. We would circle around Mom like flies while she stirred, asking for snacks or help with our homework or some other unimportant favor that could certainly have waited. When the phone rang, she would make us run to grab the receiver and stretch the coiled cord across the kitchen to her ear so she could answer while still stirring. The vent hood was on high as the steam and smoke inundated the kitchen. Her message to whoever was on the other end of the line was always, “I can’t talk right now, I’m stirring my roux.” A few weeks ago, when South Alabama enjoyed a small snap of cool weather, I decided to give Mom’s recipe a try. Gumbo is by no means in my repertoire. I make it maybe once a year, if that. Undeterred, I gathered all the ingredients and waited until our toddler went down for a nap. With my oldest child looking on intently, I began to stir that roux. I stirred and stirred with a metal spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan so none of the flour burned. Is it done? Does it need more time? Exactly what color is “the color of chocolate”? Of course, the toddler woke up and started screaming and my daughter wanted a snack. I had to turn off the roux and abandon ship, returning to it once everyone was settled, which I have no doubt is a mortal sin in the world of gumbo. I was cussing kids under my breath for interrupting my stirring, just as Mom had done 30 years ago. I was cussing my husband under my breath for using all the Worcestershire sauce without telling me, thus requiring an unexpected trip to the store. And in the end … the whole family got the stomach bug and no one wanted seafood gumbo. It sits in my freezer to this day, and I’m not sure if we should eat it or not. When it comes to these quintessential local recipes, though, you’ve just got to keep stirring, come hell or high water. Our Gulf Coast culture is so special, and our food is a huge part of that. I just hope your roux doesn’t burn and all the toddlers stay asleep.
GOODBYE GLUTEN I’VE BEEN EATING THE GLUTEN-FREE TREATS FROM GUNCLE’S SINCE THEIR DAYS AT THE FAIRHOPE FARMERS MARKET! THE BIZ IS ALL GROWN UP NOW AND TOTALLY INSPIRING. PAGE 44
FLAVOR BLAST I MUST HAVE TRIED TWO DOZEN EXCITING FLAVORS OF INDIAN ICE CREAM AT KWALITY ICE CREAM FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT ROSE PETAL WAS MY FAVORITE. PAGE 16
DEEP DIVE LOOKING FOR THE ULTIMATE FOOD PROJECT? TRACK DOWN A (REPRINTED) COPY OF THE 1878 GULF CITY COOK BOOK, AND GIVE THESE CLASSIC MOBILE RECIPES A TRY. PAGE 32
BIVALVES I’M SO EXCITED THAT HURRICANE SEASON IS BEHIND US AND WE ARE SOLIDLY INTO THE MONTHS ENDING IN “R.” CHECK OUR COMPLETE LIST OF LOCAL OYSTER FARMS, AND ASK FOR THEM BY NAME! PAGE 47
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 9
EXTRAS | REACTION
Tell us how you really feel ... THE DAY THE MUSIC ARRIVED On “Jake Peavy’s Second Act,” as featured in MB’s September issue
THE FEARN-SYSON HOUSE / PHOTO BY SUMMER ENNIS ANSLEY
Jake is doing amazing things for the music industry and much more in Mobile, and we are very grateful. - Pamela Arata Pittman What a gift to our city. He has already made a huge contribution to Mobile, and it seems he will continue to do so. We’re very fortunate to have him here. - Cathy Collins
FEELING ARTSY On MB’s September issue The September Arts issue is fabulous! It’s exciting to read about the new artists in town and the music that’s happening on lower Dauphin Street. Bravo!
WHAT’S OLD IS NEW
- Tut Riddick
CREATIVE CARTOGRAPHER On September’s Spotlight of fanciful map maker Marian Acker Macpherson
On September’s feature of Bryant Olson and Cole Tonklongchan’s renovation of the Fearn-Syson House in Midtown, seen above
Bryant, the fountain looks so beautiful. My dad loved that fountain and enjoyed meeting y’all. Before he passed away, I showed him the pictures you posted and he was happy. Makes me thankful for you.
Beautiful home! Bryant Olson is such an asset to Mobile.
- Gwyn Richards Gordon
Great article by Breck Pappas! We have one of her maps from 1971.
- Kathy Beasley Graham
It’s been amazing watching this beautiful home being restored.
- Mark Allison Williams
I’ve always loved this house and am so happy it was lovingly restored.
- Sheri Westbrook
I love the book [“Glimpses of Old Mobile”].
- Donna Ramer
THIS STORY WAS EN POINTE
- Maria T. Calvillo
Such a beauty! Great story.
On September’s Amazing Life, a tribute to professional dancer Don Prosch
- Leslie Anne Tarabella
I love the attention her work is getting.
Wow, just WOW! Fascinating career. - Charlotte Austin Ball
Wonderful article on an inspirational Alabamian.
What a treat to read the article on the Fearn-Syson house. In the ’50s and ’60s, my best friend Joel Davis lived there with his grandparents, the Coffins. I have so many wonderful memories of my time spent in this lovely old home. I can still picture Mrs. Coffin there in the living room reading her newspapers.
- Karen Porter
- Robert Williams
- Kimberly Willamson Lang
- Ritchie Prince
DASH OF FLAVOR On September’s feature, “Creole Right Now, Honey!” on painter Andrew LaMar Hopkins I love his work. I met him years ago!
Want to share your thoughts and reactions to this issue? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com.
10 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
EXTRAS | ON THE WEB
More Ways to Connect We’re not just in print. Find us online, on social media and in your inbox. text by ABBY PARROTT
mobilebaymag.com
GIVE THANKS Shake up your traditional Turkey Day menu with some of our favorite holiday recipes from local chefs and home cooks. This year’s menu features Tarragon & Apple Glazed Turkey, Fall Vegetable Gratin, Corn Pudding, Spiced Cider, Oyster Stew, Spiced Sweet Potato Cake and more festive dishes the whole family will love.
WAIT, THERE’S MORE Cocktails, seafood and so much more! Scan the QR code on page 28 for a collection of recipes from our 25 food innovators. JUST ENGAGED? Share your proposal story with us, and we’ll feature your engagement announcement online and on social media.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS There’s a lot happening this time of year, but we’ve rounded up the 10 local events you must not miss. Go online for our Top 10 Things to Do in November, including the Fairhope Film Festival, Christmas Jubilee, the annual tree lighting celebrations, Magic Christmas in Lights and more.
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH Thanksgiving Rum Punch: This cognac, rum and ginger beer concoction will make for a thankful crowd. Find this recipe and more online. TARRAGON & APPLE GLAZED TURKEY PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU MAGIC CHRISTMAS IN LIGHTS PHOTO BY DOUGLAS ANDERSON THANKSGIVING RUM PUNCH PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Cyber Monday Deals ALL MONTH LONG
THE GIFT OF MOBILE BAY
MOBILE BAY SHOP
A subscription to Mobile Bay Magazine is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year. Purchase a 1-year gift subscription for $15 and each additional gift subscription will cost just $10. Scan the QR code above to purchase!
Our online store is stocked for the holidays with new arrivals and customer favorites. Scan the QR code above to start shopping today! (And make sure you join our email list to receive exclusive offers and special deals on select items.)
FOLLOW US!
MOBILEBAYMAGAZINE
@MOBILEBAYMAG
@MOBILEBAYMAGAZINE
MOBILEBAY
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 11
12 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
EXTRAS | ODDS & ENDS
Flying High text by MB EDITORIAL STAFF
3-0 The final score of the lowestscoring Iron Bowl in history, an Alabama victory, in 1960. The rivalry is renewed on November 27.
33 MILLION MEALS Served to Bay-area families in 2020 by local nonprofit Feeding the Gulf Coast.
5 MILLION GALLONS The amount of jellied cranberry sauce eaten by Americans every Thanksgiving. That’s almost eight Olympic-sized pools.
1878 The oldest written recipe for jambalaya, as designated by the Library of Congress, comes from Mobile’s own Gulf City Cook Book, published by the St. Francis Street Methodist Church in 1878. Listed as Jam Bolaya, it is thought to have been derived from traditional African recipes brought to the South by enslaved Africans.
THESAURUS THOUGHTS
IT’S A GAS 95TH MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE Because of their Thanksgiving Day balloons, Macy’s is the world’s second-largest helium consumer. Only the U.S. government consumes more, thanks to NASA and the Department of Defense. No helium shortage here.
A person exhibiting a particular interest in food could be called: a foodie, a bon vivant, a gastronome, an epicure, a gourmet or a gourmand. At MB, we call them for lunch.
On page 28, read about 25 culture on both sides of Mobile Bay.
“A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.” – Pat Conroy
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 13
14 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
FOOD | THE DISH
Bite of the Bay MB’s contributing food fanatics share their go-to local dishes.
DANA FOSTER-ALLEN, Director of Finance, Mobile County Commission
BANANAS FOSTER AT BRICK & SPOON “I have a Saturday morning ritual. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so most Saturdays I head out to have a full breakfast. My new guilty pleasure is bananas foster French toast from Brick & Spoon. The brioche is crisp and filled with banana heaven. Partner it with a mimosa, and you will have the perfect start to a Saturday — or any other day.” BRICK & SPOON • 24705 CANAL ROAD, ORANGE BEACH; 3662 AIRPORT BLVD.; 7765 AIRPORT BLVD. 378-8378 • BRICKANDSPOONRESTAURANT.COM
SEARED DIVER SCALLOPS AT KITCHEN ON MAIN
DOUGLAS B. KEARLEY SR., AIA D.B. Kearley Architects, Inc.
BACON CHEESEBURGER COMBO AT LARRY’S DRIVE-IN “I had the bacon cheeseburger combo platter, which came with the best crinkle-cut French fries I have ever had — crispy on the outside with a moist but not soggy interior. The huge, juicy, perfectly cooked burger came topped with plenty of fried bacon and melted cheddar. The toasted bun could barely contain it; I ended up finishing it with a knife and fork.” LARRY’S DRIVE-IN • 5 CAMDEN BYPASS, CAMDEN • 334-682-4069
CHRIS HALEY, Owner, Haley Development, LLC
MALLORY MELT AT RAE’S KITCHEN “Fairhope locals have long known about this great local restaurant / caterer / foodto-go spot despite its hidden location. Now Rae’s Kitchen is in a beautiful new spot in downtown Fairhope and is serving an extensive menu. Their Mallory melt is a wonderful hot sandwich served on oat nut bread. It includes fresh sliced turkey and avocado, warm Brie, homemade thicksliced bacon and a jalapeno jelly with just the right kick.”
CINDY McCRORY, Photographer and Studio Owner, Blue Room Photography
SEARED SCALLOPS AT KITCHEN ON MAIN “Chefs Dorothy Overstreet and Tara Morris have curated a beautiful menu at Kitchen on Main in Daphne. My favorite dish is the seared diver scallops with red grapefruit citrus gastrique over an outstanding Parmesan risotto, sprinkled with edible flowers. The sauteed vegetable of the week was crisp buttered green beans. Diver scallops (I had to look this up) are not harvested with a net but instead are hand-selected by professional scuba divers, and they are perfect!”
RAE’S KITCHEN • 460 N SECTION ST., FAIRHOPE
KITCHEN ON MAIN • 1716 MAIN ST., DAPHNE
210-6135 • RAESFAIRHOPE.COM
307-5350 • KITCHENONMAINDAPHNE.COM
What dishes made you drool and left you hungry for more? Share them on our Facebook page! november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 15
FOOD | TASTINGS
Kwality Ice Cream text by AMANDA HARTIN • photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
I
scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream and … kulfi? Yes. At least that’s the goal of Dhanraj and Dhaval Patel, brothers-in-law and co-owners of Mobile’s first traditional Indian ice cream parlor. There’s nothing vanilla about this sweet spot located on Government Street in the Skyland Shopping Center (although vanilla is on the menu). Everything from the decor to the tubs of frozen cream is a jewel-toned smorgasbord for the eyes. As for the palate, nothing compares to the rich, natural flavors that await. If the idea of trying to choose between exotic scoops feels intimidating, don’t fret. Dhaval’s wife, Gayatri Patel, above left, and niece, Jhanvi Joshi, above right, are eager to take you on a tour de flavor — many of the tasty stops are flavors you’ve probably had before. “The salted caramel is our best seller,” Gayatri says while excitedly handing out mini taste-testing spoons and explaining that all of the options are eggless. Butter pecan is a close runner-up and is just the tip of the ice(cream)berg when it comes to the parlor’s more “traditional” Western flavors, which also includes
mint chocolate chip, coffee bean, strawberry and the ever-soindulgent Ferrero Rocher. These familiar flavors are accentuated with an excitingly unfamiliar dense, creamy texture. Back to the kulfi for which we will all be screaming. What is it, and how does it differ from ice cream? Both concoctions begin with a base of milk and sugar. But for kulfi, pronounced “kool-fee,” the milk mixture is cooked down to about a third of its original volume, leaving a thickened sweet cream. Instead of being whipped and aerated as done with ice cream, kulfi is taken directly from the stove, poured into molds and frozen slowly, reducing the formation of ice crystals. The result: a smooth, velvety bite in every spoonful. Shakes, sundaes and decorated kulfi cakes are also available, as is a myriad of ready-to-go ice cream in pints and quarts, some flavors of which are hard to find, like Sitafel, made with sugarapples grown in India. Sample aplenty, making sure not to skip the rose petals, paan masala and thandi. Then enjoy a cone topped with your new favorite ice cream while planning your inevitable return. MB
Kwality Ice Cream • 3990 Government Blvd., Unit A • 219-6694 • kwalityfoods.com 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. T - Sa; Noon - 9 p.m. Su; closed Mondays
16 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
2 1 FOOD | TASTINGS
3
[ ON THE MENU]
1. THANDI This treat, often associated with festivals, is a textured mix of almonds, fennel seeds, watermelon kernels, rose petals, pepper, poppy seeds, cardamom, saffron, milk and sugar.
4 2. KULFI FALOODA A luscious combination of rose, malai kulfi (the most basic Indian ice cream) and tukmaria (basil seeds).
3. LYCHEE TROPEE Perfect proportions of sweet cream, lychee pulp and lychee juice result in an enticingly sweet yet tart ice cream.
5
4. PAAN MASALA
6
A delightful blend of betel leaves (a type of palm), fennel seeds, rose petals, tropical fruit and cardamom. (It’s a great after-dinner breath-fresher.)
5. ALPHONSO KING MANGO Known as the king of mangoes, the Alphonso mango, with its sweet and non-fibrous flesh, is blended to tropical, golden yellow perfection.
6. ROSE PETALS Indulge in this floral ice cream made with Gulkand, a sugary sweet rose petal preserve.
7
7. KESAR PISTACHIO This light and nutty-flavored ice cream is made with the ancient, earthy-tasting spice kesar (also known as saffron) and finely ground pistachios.
GOOD STUFF | ARTISTS SHANNON NOBLE 8” X 8” ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
Creativity in Numbers A group of Fairhope artists created a new way to get their work to market and discovered the joys of camaraderie along the way. text by MAGGIE LACEY • portrait by LAUR A ROWE
MARY FOY EARRINGS
WHY WE LOVE IT 98 Percent Handmade Almost everything in the or created by local hands. experience!
One of a Kind The items are unique, so you
DOROTHY WADE INK STATIONARY
anywhere else — perfect when shopping for that hard-to-buy-for someone on your list.
I
n the summer of 2018, artist and designer Elisabeth Hays was forming a plan. She had recently sold her interior design store in downtown Fairhope to focus her energies full-time on fine art, and she was looking for a way to get her work in front of potential buyers. She decided to plan a pop-up art festival, timed just right for holiday shopping, and invited one or two artist friends to participate. They each asked a few makers they knew, and before long, she had a roster of 12 women ready to set up tables at event space Little Point Clear for a three-day shopping experience. The crew of artists hoped 50 shoppers would come … maybe 100. Over the three-day popup, the little space instead welcomed more than 500. After the smashing success of the first festival, dubbed “Little Art
18 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Mart,” the group of artists went on to host three more exhibition weekends over the next year and a half, eventually growing to 25 artists. Many would sell out of their work the first day. COVID-19, however, brought all of the fun to a crashing halt. “There was no way we could cram 500 people safely in one room and a tent, so we had to cancel the show,” Hays remembers of summer 2020. The artists regrouped and, undeterred, decided to open a brick-andmortar pop-up so customers could shop the same handmade art and gifts, but over an extended period of time in small numbers and with social distancing. The store would stay open for the fall of 2020, filling an otherwise vacant storefront in downtown Fairhope with colorful offerings and curbside pickup for those uncomfortable shopping in person.
Boutique Experience SUSAN HANNER POTTERY ORNAMENTS
Women Building Up Women The encouragement among spurring each of them to step out of her comfort zone and grow.
Meet the Artist Each of the women take turns working the shop, so on any given day you will ent maker about what you see on the walls and shelves.
“MOST OF US NEVER WANTED A STORE, BUT THE ART MART ALLOWS US TO EXPERIMENT OUTSIDE OF OUR REGULAR BODIES OF WORK. IT GIVES US A SPACE TO LET OUR HAIR DOWN A BIT.” – ARTIST ELISABETH HAYS
“Most of us never wanted a store,” Hays remembers, but the ability to use the pop-up as a place for experimentation proved enticing. Artists who normally produce bodies of work for galleries could use Little Art Mart as a place to flesh out new ideas, pursue fun side projects and make crafty things that just sparked joy. “[The Art Mart] gives us a space to let our hair down a bit,” laughs Hays. “When we’re inspired to make Christmas ornaments, make a flower pot or [like Kelley Ogburn] write a book, we have a space for that now.” It’s the camaraderie between artists that has given this project longevity, however. Artist Kelly Adger explains that Little Art Mart is a place for artists to grow as a group. “We all openly share techniques, suppliers and ideas without hesitation, feeling that we are all in this together. We celebrate our successes both individually and as a group.” The camaraderie that these 11 creative people share is evident when you walk in the door, and the one-ofa-kind treasure you walk out with is something special, too. MB
Pictured opposite (lett to right) Brooke Chamblee - Interiors Mollie Robinson - Artisan Jojo Healy - Plant Designs Kelley Ogburn - Artist Emily Chappell - Stationer, Calligrapher & Artist Carrie Jackson - Collage Artist Shannon Noble - Artist & Teacher Elisabeth Hays - Founder & Artist Kelly Adger - Artist Susan Hanner - Potter Sarah Anderson - Jeweler, Mary Foy Designs
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 19
PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT
FRIENDS FEEDING FRIENDS Two women have made fighting hunger their daily mission for nearly three decades. text by AMANDA HARTIN photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
A
pick-up truck maneuvers in reverse, inching its tailgate toward the loading dock, the bed weighed down with bags of food and paper products. From inside the cab, a voice asks, “You work here?” I answer with the negative but add that I’m here to talk with people who do. He hops out of the 4-by-4, and we head toward the entrance, passing a woman from a local church who’s already eyed the gentleman’s donations. “You have toilet paper!” she squeals, not hiding her excitement. The stranger and I trade smiles — he, knowing his Friday morning delivery is helping people in need; me, because I am privy to this sobering moment. The world just feels different here. Amidst the whir of forklifts and box trucks, there’s a cheerful din, a sense of camaraderie and hope, a unified resolve. It’s actionable passion with a purpose, and it’s demonstrated by every employee and volunteer on site. No two people understand this innate drive better than Feeding the Gulf Coast’s longest continuous employees, Peggy Lyles and Lavern Sewell. “We are the originals!” Peggy says, sidling up to Lavern and throwing an arm around her. “People think we are sisters.” It’s no wonder why, as both sport million-dollar smiles and a sense of humor befitting would-be siblings. “I’ve thought about retiring,” Peggy begins. “But she doesn’t want to leave me,” Lavern finishes, shoot-
ing her coworker of 29 years a playful glare. As true as that may be, the duo knows there’s more to it than that. “I fell in love with the mission,” Peggy says, turning pensive. “Helping people who are having a hard time, it’s my ministry. This is my praying ground.” With that, she spreads her arms wide to showcase her mission field, the food bank’s 40,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. The facility, located in Theodore, serves 24 counties across southern Mississippi, south Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. It’s the third location of the formerly named Bay Area Food Bank, with the first being at Brookley Field in the early 1980s, and the second on Western Drive in Crichton. Peggy remembers, “At our old facility we had no heat or air, and the lights were dim.” A stark contrast to the cavernous, brightly lit building in which the three of us stand today, dwarfed by walls of boxes and shelving four bins high. “When I first started, we didn’t even have a computer; everything was pencil and paper.” With nearly three decades’ of knowledge, Peggy and Lavern have seen what works and what doesn’t, in terms of the food bank’s ability to efficiently and effectively provide for communities in need. They served as consultants in the design of the current warehouse, which opened in 2000. “It’s set up like a store,” Peggy explains, pointing to shelf signs and labels. “Agency representatives can come in, grab a cart, go up and down the aisles, and take what they need.” Childcare centers, churches and soup kitchens are but a few facilities that rely on the food bank. On average, about 30 agencies come “shop” each week, and when they arrive, Lavern’s is the first face they see. “The Lord put me here,” Lavern says, adding this is the only job she’s ever had, though she’s worn several hats since 1992. She first came to the food bank as part of a welfare-to-work program. It
Opening portrait Left to right, Lavern Sewell and Peggy Lyles Left Smiles and laughter come easy for the two longest continuous employees of Feeding the Gulf Coast.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 21
wasn’t long before her stellar work ethic was noticed, which led to her being offered a permanent position in the reclamation department. Reclamations, or “rescued foods,” are safe-to-eat, dented boxed or canned products or unspoiled, fresh produce that appears less than perfect. “The Lord put me here,” reiterates Lavern, now a distribution center associate, “and I’ve been here ever since.” Peggy looks at her friend and smiles. The inventory procurement manager nods, adding, “We are servants. At the end of the day, it’s about knowing we helped keep someone from spending their last dollar on food when they need to spend it on medicine.” According to Feeding the Gulf Coast, one out of every five of our neighbors is facing hunger; a third of those are children. Peggy points out the child nutrition aisle, filled with grab-and-go snacks, juices and cereals. The clank of a roll-up door and an 18-wheeler’s warning beep draws our attention to the delivery bay. Food comes in by the truckload, and in this case, it’s 26,000 pounds of Honey Nut Cheerios. Peggy says that a portion of the food bank’s commodities come from the government and some are purchased through grant money or operating dollars. “But we can’t do without our volunteers and food drives,” Lavern insists. In the short time we’ve been in the warehouse, two groups have shown up to work, sorting food and packing boxes and bags, some of which will find its way into kids’ bookbags as part of the food bank’s backpack program. Once the packages are delivered to schools, teachers can discretely disseminate food to atrisk students. In a recent Feeding the Gulf Coast newsletter, a teacher shared, “I have an 8-year-old student who is homeless. She has a 4-year-old sister. They have stayed many nights in their car. The food that Feeding the Gulf Coast provides my school has helped this family eat meals in their car.” The same teacher went on to say that these children reported using can lids as spoons because they had none. Unfortunately, hunger along the Gulf Coast isn’t diminishing. Fortunately, neither
22 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
is the food bank’s ability to help — disbursement has grown exponentially. In 1990, 2 million pounds of food were distributed; in 2020, 38 million — that’s 33 million meals. “Oftentimes, if you are comfortable, you think everyone else is,” Peggy says, now entering the commercial kitchen space. “That is not the case. Hunger does not have a face. You can’t look at what I drive or where I live to tell if I’m having a hard time.” Hard times like struggling with the death of a spouse or the loss of a job due to government shutdowns or a pandemic.
“HUNGER DOES NOT HAVE A FACE. YOU CAN’T LOOK AT WHAT I DRIVE OR WHERE I LIVE TO TELL IF I’M HAVING A HARD TIME.” – Peggy Lyles We walk further into the warehouse where cold air from the refrigerated room is replaced by icier temperatures in the freezer, snapping us into a playful mood. I take quick stock of the fresh produce, dairy, eggs, meats and entrees while trying to keep up with the two women who are going tit-fortat with each other. “She’s a caring person, but she’s crazy,” Peggy says of Lavern. “She’s the one who’s really crazy,” Lavern retorts. “You can ask anyone here.” Everyone within earshot laughs. It’s clear that through their 29 years of service, the two coworkers-turned-friends have made a positive impact on this place, in each other’s lives and in the lives of many they will never meet. As Feeding the Gulf Coast celebrates its 40th anniversary, its two most devoted employees vow to keep the mission going. “Until hunger ends, we won’t stop what we’re doing,” Peggy sums. “I pray that we have been as much a blessing to Feeding the Gulf Coast as they have been to us.” MB
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 23
PEOPLE | SPOTLIGHT
Pro Football’s Silver Kings Explore the glory days of minor league football and the little-known story of the 1965 Mobile Tarpons.
text by MARK NEWELL
M
onte Lee had a tough decision to make. The former University of Texas all-conference linebacker had always dreamed of starring in the NFL, but after being cut by the Detroit Lions, Lee was at a crossroads. Don Shinnick, starting linebacker for the Baltimore Colts, had broken his arm in a game, and the Colts wanted Lee to replace him. But Lee was under contract with the Mobile Tarpons of the North American Football League (NAFL), and their final game of the season was Saturday night against the Florida Brahmans, led by former University of Florida star Larry Libertore. The winner went to the NAFL Championship game, the loser’s season was over. For Lee, it was, “Do I stay, or do I go?” Fortunately, Lee did both. Tarpon General Manager Bill Menton negotiated a deal with the Colts whereby Lee would play in the Tarps’ key game, then get on a plane in time for the Colts’ kickoff on Sunday. The story made national newspapers, and on Saturday night, in front of 6,700 fans, Lee watched Tarps’ quarterback John Torok find league leading receiver Hugh McInnis open in the end zone for the game clinching score. Lee had the distinction of playing for two different winners in less than 24 hours. The Tarps had qualified for the NAFL Championship game, to be played at Ladd Stadium the following week.
The Golden Age The 1960s has been called the “Golden Age of Minor League Football.” Pro football’s popularity was exploding. The NFL and AFL were at war, not only for the best players, but national TV ratings. Today, most
24 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Above The Mobile Tarpons take on their archrival, the Annapolis Sailors, during the heyday of Minor League Football, 1965.
people think of minor league football as semipro sandlots and ragtag teams, but it was different in the 1960s. To borrow the SEC’s marketing phrase, it “meant more,” mainly more opportunity to play in the big leagues. In those days, there were only 14 NFL teams and eight AFL teams, each with 43-man roster limits and no practice squads. By contrast, today there are 32 NFL teams, each with 53-man roster limits, and five-player practice squads. A lot of good football talent, such as Lee and others, were simply caught up in a numbers game. In order to stockpile reserves, NFL and AFL teams entered into “affiliations” or farm team arrangements with minor leagues like the Continental Football League and the Atlantic Coast Football League, but there were not enough teams to go around. Enter the NAFL. In 1964, 10 owners met in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the purpose of forming a new minor league to provide experience and assistance to parent NFL and AFL teams. Initially, the teams included the Annapolis Sailors, Pennsylvania Mustangs, and Wilmington Comets in the Northern Division, and the Baltimore Broncos, Florida (Lakeland) Brahmans, and the Miami Stars in the Southern Division. Miami ran into financial difficulties and sold their franchise to a group of Mobile investors, who included Dr. Adrian Bodet, City Attorney Fred Collins and Richard Cunningham. Mobile’s home games would be played at the league’s largest venue — Ladd Memorial Stadium. It was determined that the winner of the Southern Division, in which Mobile was placed, would host the championship game. Said AFL commissioner Joe Foss of the new NAFL, “There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a definite need for this level of football in our country.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 25
The 1965 Season The exhibition preseason began with a doubleheader in Annapolis. To save money, the Tarps and the Florida Brahmans shared a charter plane to Maryland. Brahmans’ player/coach Larry Libertore, a former Florida Gator great, had invited a prospective player from Louisiana to meet them at the airport to sign his contract and receive his uniform. During the game, Libertore was surprised to see the player he recruited playing against him — in a Tarpons’ uniform! One Florida newspaper referred to the incident as “grid napping.” Karma is a beast; the Tarps would be a victim of a similar incident two months later. After the exhibition season, Mobile opened at Ladd Stadium with a team many considered to be the best in the league, Philadelphia Eagles’ affiliate Wilmington Comets. The Comets were coached by former Auburn star Tex Warrington and led by former New York Jet and NC State All-American Dick Christy. Mobile Press Register sports editor Dennis Smitherman implored Mobilians to turn out and support their Tarpons. Mobile gained respect by drawing to a 14-14 tie. The next week, Mobile hosted the Baltimore Broncos and earned their first win. The loss must have been devastating to the Chesapeake Bay city; they folded immediately after the game and were replaced by the league office with the Huntsville Rockets, an independent team. Crowds grew. There were 4,800 in attendance for a home “close” loss to the Annapolis Sailors, which was the Washington Redskins’ farm club. Approximately 8,400 attended a two-point win against Wilmington. Five thousand showed up for a hard-fought win against former Ole Miss quarterback Glynn Griffing and the Pennsylvania Mustangs, who were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Standing at 4-4-1, that win set up the all-important final regular season game against the Brahmans for the Southern Division title.
26 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
What is a Tarpon? A tarpon, nicknamed “silver king,” is a fighting game fish that must be played to boat. The football Tarpons fought and played, as well. Former Ladd Stadium manager and Tarpon game referee Paul Christopher said he nearly passed out from the smell of alcohol coming from the Tarpons’ bench. Yet, it did not seem to affect their play. The Tarps were coached by University Military School (UMS) legend Ed Baker, a nominee to the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame. General Manager Bill Menton was a sports broadcaster who later became a Mobile County commissioner and Alabama state senator. For signal caller, Menton brought in John Torok, a New York Giant castoff who once owned alltime total offense records for college football at Arizona State. The top receiving threat was Mobile native Hugh McInnis, former St. Louis Cardinal and Detroit Lions tight end, listed for many years in the AFA Minor League Record Book as having the most catches in a season. (Yes, there is a minor league record book and also a hall of fame!) In the home win against Pennsylvania, McInnis was a one-man show, hauling in 14 passes for 176 yards, kicking a 24-yard field goal, and
Cheeks, Strahan and tackle Bobby Evans were called up by the Tarps’ “Parent Club,” the Houston Oilers, due to injuries, which had depleted the Oilers’ roster. Cheeks returned only to be met by karma and another grid-napping incident. This story made national news and involved the grid-napping of Cheeks by the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. Menton described the incident as a “cloak and dagger operation,” having told the Lions that Cheeks was not available. Menton demanded Cheeks’ return from Canada, and he made it back to Mobile in time for the championship game against the Annapolis Sailors.
The Championship Game and Aftermath Cheeks’ return was the good news. That, and the almost 10,000 fans on hand at Ladd Stadium to cheer on the team. The bad news was that the Annapolis Sailors, a 10-point favorite, were the class of the league. Following Baltimore’s demise, the Sailors, already loaded with Washington Redskins’ prospects, took in the best of the former Broncos, most notably running back Hezekiah Braxton. Braxton was once called the “best running back east of the Mississippi regardless of league.” The Sailors were ably quarterbacked by former Sewanee Little College All-American M.L. Agnew, who threw a touchdown pass in route to the 40-13 win. There certainly was no shame in losing to this juggernaut; following their
A TARPON, NICKNAMED “SILVER KING,” IS A FIGHTING GAME FISH THAT MUST BE PLAYED TO BOAT. THE FOOTBALL TARPONS FOUGHT AND PLAYED, AS WELL. booting four extra points. Art Strahan, uncle of former New York Giant and current morning television host Michael Strahan, anchored the defensive line, before moving on to a successful career with the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons. It should not be overlooked that the Tarpons were an integrated football team in 1965, a rarity in the Deep South. It would be five years before an integrated team took the field for Bear Bryant and the University of Alabama. Minor leagues in the ‘60s were not only useful for training and stockpiling NFL talent but also instrumental in providing experience for area high school coaches. The Tarps were no exception. Starting for the Tarps were guard Joe Dean, who went on to fame coaching UMS, McGill Institute, and Fairhope High School, winning the Chuck Maxime Memorial Award for lifetime achievement posthumously in 2014, and end Don Jennings, a veteran of more than 50 years of high school coaching in the Mobile area. Jennings finished his career as defensive coordinator for UMS-Wright, winning five state championships along the way. Most of the Tarps’ rushing yards were provided by B.W. Cheeks from HBCU Texas Southern. Cheeks almost did not make the championship game. On November 27,
championship victory, the Sailors seceded from the NAFL, moved to Virginia, and joined the more established Atlantic Coast Football League, winning the next two championships in that league. Mobile’s Rich Koeper, McInnis, Cheeks, Evans, Lee and safety Dick Compton were named to the All-League team. All good things must come to an end. After Annapolis sailed out of the NAFL, they were followed by all the other teams in the Northern Division. The league replaced them with Chattanooga, Knoxville and Savannah. Unless your idea of North America is somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line, from all appearances, the NAFL had lost its national scope. The big name players moved on, Mobile dropped out midway through 1966, and the NAFL folded. Minor league football lost its relevance after the NFL-AFL merger and expansion. Good players no longer had a place to showcase their talent. Left behind were some great memories, future high school coaching legends, and the legacy of an integrated and successful football team, representative of its city and its time. MB
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 27
text by BRECK PAPPAS and AMANDA HARTIN portraits by MATTHEW COUGHLIN
DIG IN
STORIES OF 25 CULINARY LEADERS WHO ARE SHAPING THE FOOD WE EAT ALONG THE BAY
T
here’s an undeniable swagger about town these days, a growing confidence about our coordinates on the culinary map. From the produce we buy, to the seafood we champion, to the way we think about our place in food history, the past decade represents a remarkable transformation for the food and drink scene on both sides of the Bay. Simply drive down Dauphin Street. According to the Downtown Mobile Alliance, 23 downtown buildings have been renovated for restaurant use over the past 10 years, and almost all of them were previously vacant. Over that
same time period, the number of downtown’s nonfranchise restaurants and breweries has grown from roughly 34 to 53. And the excitement isn’t confined to Lower Alabama; just last month, The New York Times included Southern National on its 2021 Restaurant List, recognizing the Dauphin Street establishment as one of “the 50 places in America we’re most excited about right now.” There are often many faces to a movement. Here, pull up a seat to the table, and meet the visionaries who have defined, and continue to shape, our culinary identity.
For a selection of recipes from the foodies, farmers and suppliers within this story, hover your phone’s camera over the QR code above.
28 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
FARMERS WITH A MISSION
Local Appetite Growers This Silverhill farm is putting the spotlight back on locally grown produce. Karl Brantley usually arrives at the three-and-a-half-acre farm in Silverhill around 6:30 a.m. He begins his morning walkthrough, first checking the pH and temperature of the water that continually flows past the roots of his various lettuce varieties. Brantley and co-owner Will Mastin have grown about 12 different types of lettuces, including green and red butter, green and red oak, and summer crisp. “The available selection on any given day depends on the time of year,” Brantley explains. It’s clear that the pair have mastered the art of growing hydroponic lettuces. Though they employ three greenhouses for the leafy greens, Brantley and Mastin have made sure that the size of their operation is still small enough for them to guarantee the quality of each individual plant. On a walk through the greenhouses, Brantley explains the process; lettuces in various stages of maturity are grown in rows pitched at a slight angle, allowing water to flow into a reservoir, then back through the system. “So that’s pretty efficient for us,” he says. Brantley and Mastin formed Local Appetite Growers in 2013 after the Baldwin County residents and longtime friends bemoaned the inaccessibly of local produce, particularly lettuces.
Both came equipped with a background in landscaping, but the journey has been one of learning and discovery. For example, the pair found that no-till garden beds (in which plants are grown in compost and mulch on top of untilled soil) were the most efficient option for growing their endless list of garden vegetables. “It seems easier,” Brantley explains of the no-till method. “Weeds are less prevalent, the plants are healthier and the produce coming out of these beds is wonderful.” The farm produces a vast selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables (such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, eggplants, radishes, carrots, turnips, kale, onions, garlic, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, figs, herbs), all of which is sold within 50 miles of the farm. Aside from supplying markets and some of your favorite restaurants, Local Appetite Growers offers a subscription-based produce delivery service, which became a hot ticket item during the pandemic. “As Baldwin and Mobile counties continue to grow,” the pair explains, “Local Appetite Growers will be there, too, growing to provide the finest lettuces and produce available in south Alabama.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 29
BRINGING THE WORLD TO MOBILE’S DOORSTEP
Food Pak International Over the past 30 years, the international market on Old Shell Road has quietly become one of the city’s most beloved — and wonderfully fragrant — food marts. It’s hard to believe that Reza Hejazi opened his market in 1991 as a typical convenience store. These days, as customers pass through the doors of Food Pak International in Spring Hill, the word “typical” vanishes into the air, replaced by the lingering scent of housemade hummus and hand-rolled grape leaves. “Over the years, we gradually found our identity and became who we are today,” says Mehran Hejazi, Reza’s 37-year-old son. “There’s a lot to look at. Usually, it kind of takes customers around the world, and they see things that they might not be familiar with.” Mehran began dusting and stocking the shelves of the family store at the age of 7. Now, he helps run the store with his father, who im-
migrated to America from Iran. The two, both graduates of the University of South Alabama, take a lot of pride in the vast selection of products they carry, which includes 80 alphabetized spices and herbs. “You name a country, and we have some sort of product from that place,” Mehran says. “It’s a revolving door of goods.” The in-house deli is where the pair truly shines; Reza’s muffaletta features his made-from-scratch olive salad, and Mehran makes stuffed grape leaves every Friday. Homemade feta dip, couscous salad, hummus, tabouli salad and eggplant salad all threaten to steal the show. “Every day is something new and different,” Mehran says. In other words, far, far, from typical.
Reza, left, and Mehran Hejazi
30 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
“The Bahri dates are from California. They only come into the market in late August and are usually gone by September, so you’ll have to wait until 2022. They have a crunchy exterior, like a pear or apple, and are bittersweet when they arrive. Then as they ripen, they brown and sweeten quickly.” - Mehran Hejazi
“Piecing together Mobile’s food history is like a puzzle in a lot of ways. But it’s an important puzzle because it adds to the story we tell ourselves about who we are and where we come from.” William Peebles in his downtown Mobile kitchen
32 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
EXPLORING MOBILE’S FOODWAYS
William Peebles
Even William Peebles isn’t sure what to call his love for 140-year-old dog-eared cookbooks and antiquated Mobile recipes. “You never want to call it a hobby that’s turned into an obsession, because then you sort of sound less than stable,” he jokes. “And you don’t want to call it ‘research’ or anything because then you sound like a fraud.” Suffice it to say that the perfect Saturday for Peebles would be to track down a recipe that your great-grandmother might’ve served to dinner guests during Mardi Gras in 1938 — then he’d cook the dish for himself and deliver the leftovers to friends’ doorsteps. Peebles, who works as a sales and leasing associate for CRE Mobile, credits one cookbook in particular for igniting his passion for the food of old. “‘The Gulf City Cook Book’ from St. Francis Street Methodist Church in Mobile was the first old cookbook I flipped through and found things that I was very interested in,” he says. A recipe for “Jam Bolaya” in the 1878 publication really grabbed his attention; the Library of Congress recognizes this entry as the first jambalaya recipe ever recorded in America. “Researching Mobile’s connection to jambalaya is one of those things that’s essentially bottomless, and you get as much as you put into it,” Peebles says. “That’s kind of the motivating factor for a lot of those types of projects — especially this one, because it’s explicitly about the part of the world where we’re from.”
As Peebles followed his interests down a series of culinary rabbit holes, he began sharing his food creations and discoveries on his Instagram account, The Crichton Review. “The strangest thing to me was when people started responding to it,” he says. “I started doing this for me, but then I began getting messages saying, ‘I want to buy that,’ or, ‘Tell me more.’ And it’s offered me some interesting opportunities to actually go and cook for people.” The opportunities continue; Peebles is currently at work helping a friend create a menu for a new downtown Mobile restaurant concept, and he’s been tapped to co-curate an exhibit at the Mobile Carnival Museum on the food of Mardi Gras. And the rabbit holes multiply.
PHOTO BY RICHARD DOLLISON
One spark, in the form of a local 1878 cookbook, was all it took to ignite William Peebles’ passion for the foods of a bygone Mobile.
RAISING THE BAR
Julianna Crenshaw Although Julianna Crenshaw, bar manager of The Merry Widow, was raised in Mobile, her passion for cocktailing can actually be traced to South Korea. “When I started teaching English over there, I went to some bars where I could meet other English speakers and ended up picking up bar-backing shifts,” she says. Extra work at a green tea farm and Soju distilleries “just kind of threw me into that world, and I’ve never looked back.” Now, Crenshaw is crafting thoughtful drink menus that take inspiration from classic cocktails, the arts and local storytelling. For example, the Crybaby Bridge cocktail (Cajun rum, hibiscus-thyme, lemon pineapple, egg white and Hellfire Bitters) is a nod to a littleknown piece of Saraland lore. “I like being creative. There’s nothing like mindfully crafting a cocktail and then seeing someone enjoy it and make it their own.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 33
ENTREPRENEUR
Matt LeMond the Dauphin Street bar scene. Now, he wants to feed you at The Insider food hall. Since O’Daly’s Irish Pub slid its first Guinness across the bar in 2010, owner Matt LeMond has noticed a kind of rhythm to his entrepreneurial tendencies. “I haven’t done it on purpose, but I seem to have developed this system where I open one business, run it for a year, then start the development of something else,” he explains. “I’m not really forcing these new ideas, but when I have the opportunity, I just want to take advantage of it.” With the help of his ever-present orange composition notebook, where his infant ideas reach adulthood, LeMond has been the wizard behind the curtain for a handful of Dauphin Street watering holes over the past decade. The New Orleans native and Spring Hill College alum has since added Dauphin Street Blues Company, Draft Picks Tap Room, POST Crafted Cocktails & Wine Bar and Cedar Street Social Club to his resume. The last two establishments on that list were brought to life in partnership with Jake Peavy, who shares LeMond’s vibrant vision for downtown Mobile. “Jake’s a dreamer, and it’s awesome,” LeMond says. The dream continues, as the pair is working to develop The Insider food hall in an old furniture store on Dauphin Street. LeMond hopes that the hall, which will feature six vendors, will serve as an incubator for aspiring restaurateurs. “The goal is to work with them to get established in downtown Mobile, so they can eventually have their own brick-andmortar locations and fill in some of these vacant buildings we have.” If you want to raise a drink to that, we know a guy.
34 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
“I haven’t done it on purpose, but I seem to have developed this system where I open one business, run it for a year, then start the development of something else. I’m not really forcing these new ideas, but when I have the opportunity, I just want to take advantage of it.” Matt LeMond at POST Crafted Cocktails & Wine Bar
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 35
KEEP IT COOL WITH SOME OF OUR FAVORITE FROZEN TREATS
Ice Ice Baby
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
When college student Harper Wise was forced home to Fairhope during the pandemic, she turned proverbial lemons into Sno-Balls, shaved ice drenched in flavored syrups and served from the coolest food truck on the Bay. Pick from a near-endless selection of flavors on the corner of S. Mobile and Pier streets in Fairhope.
Ice Box
USING FOOD TO TELL STORIES OF ALABAMA
Emily Blejwas It’s something of a coincidence that Emily Blejwas, food writer and director of the Alabama Folklife Association, found her way to Mobile. Though her grandparents met at an ice cream parlor on Dauphin Street 80 years ago, Blejwas was raised in Minnesota — although nobody told her stomach. Unlike many of her peers, who ate traditional Swedish dishes, Blejwas was raised in a household that ate fried chicken and ribs, often in the company of a grandfather who was known to carry a bottle “I like having of Tabasco in his shirt pocket. “He thought all the food he encountered up there those moments was so bland,” she remembers with amusement. So when Blejwas and her husband followed in my own life their careers to Alabama, it was a homecoming when my world of sorts for the long-distance daughter of the expands, and South. After earning her master’s degree in rural I like bringing sociology from Auburn, Blejwas published “The Story of Alabama in Fourteen Foods,” a stomachthat to the rumbling journey “using food as a kind of lens” page also.” through which to examine the state’s history. As
36 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Pandemic restrictions in 2020 forced co-owners Taylor Atchison and Stoney Boatman to flex their creative muscles, and the resulting half-gallon frozen cocktails to-go became the must-drink of the summer. Now, the Monroe Street watering hole, located in the freezer room of the historic Crystal Ice Factory, has added the frozen cocktails to its full-time menu.
a contributing writer for The Encyclopedia of Alabama, Alabama Heritage Magazine and, of course, Mobile Bay, Blejwas uses food to tell true stories of hardship, injustice and resilience. “I like to find and write stories that are a little surprising,” Blejwas says. “I like having those moments in my own life when my world expands, and I like bringing that to the page also.”
SPOTLIGHTING SOME OF THE AREA’S NATURAL RESOURCES
PHOTO BY CHAD RILEY
Fairhope Fish House
CREATING RESTAURANTS WITH A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE
David J. Cooper Sr. No one, perhaps, has had a greater influence on the way Mobilians have eaten over the past two decades than David J. Cooper Sr. “Hospitality is my passion,” he says, noting that it’s a passion that was recognized by Ruth Fertel of Ruth’s Chris Steak House 24 years ago. When Cooper traveled to New Orleans to convince Fertel not to close her struggling steak house franchise in Mobile, she suggested he buy the Ruth’s Chris location, Cooper’s favorite restaurant. “I said, ‘I don’t know anything about the restaurant business!’ And she said, ‘Well, you know hospitality. I’ve known you long enough, and you know hospitality.’” Fertel sure was right. Upon purchasing the steak house and establishing Cooper Restaurants alongside his brother Angus R. Cooper II, David Cooper set out to make the restaurant distinctive to Mobile. “We have embraced Ruth’s culinary vision here in Mobile, with the addition of a few Mobile favorites, such as West Indies salad, crab claws and of course, the Chrissie,” he says, referring to the restaurant’s classic signature cocktail. Cooper Restaurants has since added two Causeway mainstays to its resume, Felix’s Fish Camp and “I love people, The Bluegill Restaurant. “Our attention to detail and I love to and being customer-driven rather than chef-driven has made Felix’s one of the most popular seafood make people restaurants in Alabama,” Cooper says. “Now the happy. I can’t relaxed, uninhibited atmosphere of The Bluegill think of a better gives our loyal Cooper Restaurant followers a third choice of experiencing what we like to call Mobile way to do that restaurant magic.” than to offer Mobilians know their food, Cooper says, and he loves being the one to provide it for them. “I love them the culinary people, and I love to make people happy. I can’t experience that think of a better way to do that than to offer them they want.” the culinary experience that they want.”
Proprietors Jake Pose and Dustin Bedgood set out with a three-pronged mission: supply area restaurants with local seafood, show people how good fresh-caught swordfish can be and teach fishermen the best ways to handle and process fish. For individual buyers, Pose and Bedgood usually deliver fresh fish to customers’ doorsteps on the day it was caught, (or the next morning, depending on the time of day they return to the dock). The duo uses the Japanese-inspired method Ikejime to ensure a high-quality product.
Kittrell’s Daydream Apiary “We keep the bees, and the bees keep us,” is the motto of beekeepers Jon Kittrell and wife Cheryl. The south Baldwin County bee farm is located near Weeks Bay amidst a variety of pollen and nectar sources. The couple uses mindful, organic standards when harvesting honey and beeswax to make their award-winning soap, candle and honey products, which are available for purchase at the Fairhope Farmers Market, Greer’s St. Louis Market and the Fairhope Piggly Wiggly.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 37
FAMILY TRADITIONS, NEW AND OLD
Bayou Cora Farms Bayou Cora Farms’ heirloom corn products, including grits, corn flour and cornmeal, are a direct tribute to James Phillip Lipscomb, the man who brought the crop to Baldwin County six generations ago. Today, his family is still growing their past to harvest their future.
Forland Family Market At the helm is Aliscia Forland, passionate about bringing seasonal fruits and vegetables, yard eggs and locally made sustainable products to Bay-area families at affordable prices. She, along with daughter Michelle, a fourthgeneration farmer, work the fields and then offer their bounty at the farmers market in Loxley.
The Hope Farm Owner Bentley Evans created a culinary playground at his Fairhope restaurant, cofounded with dad Robert Evans. Thanks to hydroponic urban farming, chefs can harvest mushrooms and produce grown on-site, whether “in season” or not. With a controlled environment, Bentley can grow whatever, whenever.
38 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
ELEVATING THE DINING SCENE
Reggie Washington
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
The bar at Southern Natiional
Upon meeting the gracious and eversmiling Reggie Washington, general manager of Mobile’s celebrated restaurant, Southern National, you’d have a hard time believing that his career began with an act of rebellion. At least, that’s what he calls his decision to break away from his family’s fourthgeneration horticulture business, Shore Acres Plant Farm, in Theodore. But perhaps he didn’t break away entirely. “Reg the Veg,” as he was known in culinary school, maintains a vegetable garden behind the Dauphin Street restaurant. The garden, and its seasonal produce, is just one example of Southern National’s meticulous attention to the details of dining — and the details all fall to Washington. In 2017, Washington returned to his hometown to open Southern National with chef Duane Nutter after the success of the pair’s One Flew South restaurant in the Atlanta Airport. Washington, who directs the daily operations from personnel to the music playing overhead, thrives in the minutia. “As Chef Nutter always says, ‘We’re not just selling food, we’re selling to our customers a lifestyle,’” he quotes. “And that lifestyle consists of things like proper service, proper glassware, proper ice — just the full dining experience.” In October, Southern National was one of just 50 restaurants on the New York Times’ 2021 Restaurant List. More locally, Washington says he undoubtedly sees the ripple effects that Southern National has had on the Mobile dining scene, from interior aesthetics to the dishes being served. “It’s a form of flattery,” he says. “So I’d say that, quietly, we have moved the city’s dining scene.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 39
“We use as many local products as we can in all of our establishments. Being in Alabama, there’s a lot of great stuff that lends itself to the restaurant business.” Bob Baumhower Vidalia Onion Cornbread by at Las Floriditas in Camille Brewster first appeared in downtown Mobile our January 2009 issue, and can be found in the first edition of the Bay Appétit cookbook.
40 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
HEAD FRY COOK
Bob Baumhower The Crimson Tide standout and Miami Dolphin has found a home and a calling among the people and food producers of Lower Alabama. Anyone who’s ever met Bob Baumhower has realized two things. One: For a former football star, he sure has hands like baseball mitts. And two: He’s a natural-born storyteller. Luckily for those who spend a lot of time around him, the restaurateur has plenty of good stories to tell. There’s the story of his first encounter with a chicken wing in 1980, when his Miami Dolphins teammate Steve Towle dragged him to a Buffalo wings restaurant in South Florida. Though it’s hard to believe now, restaurants devoted to chicken wings were extremely rare at the time, and the nose tackle with a big appetite wasn’t sure this small part of the bird was up to the challenge. Skepticism turned to awe, however, when Baumhower saw the line of people out the door and tasted the offerings for himself. “I fell in love with the concept and opened a restaurant in Tuscaloosa called Wings and Whiskers in 1981,” he says. It was the first restaurant in the state to serve Buffalo chicken wings. From the very start, Baumhower placed an emphasis on supporting local farmers and producers, before “farm-to-table” was a term. Observant drivers in 1980s-Tuscaloosa would have seen the NFL star driving his truck across the campus of his alma mater, toting chicken he picked up from nearby poultry farmers. As his culinary resume (which today includes Dauphin’s, Las Floriditas, two Wingfingers locations and 9 Baumhower’s Victory Grille restaurants) expanded
beyond his dreams, his reliance on local producers has only grown. “We use as much local product as we can,” he says, listing off the virtues of Alabama Gulf seafood, local honey and Baldwin County grains. Whether its local finfish at Dauphin’s, Ceviche Havana made with Gulf shrimp at Las Floriditas or a Conecuh biscuit at Wingfingers, a Baumhower restaurant is one rooted in authenticity and place. The Virginia native moved to Lower Alabama in 1998 and has firmly established himself as a pillar of the hospitality industry, though the “head fry cook” maintains there’s always room for improvement. “I’m still trying to figure out the business,” he says, with genuine modestly. “I guess you could say I’m a student of the game.”
A GLOBAL SAMPLING CLOSE TO HOME
Happy Olive The Mediterranean is a whole lot closer to Fairhope, thanks to Happy Olive owner Sue Rusyniak. Inside the culinary emporium are Veronica Foods Ultra Premium olive oils, as well as balsamic vinegars from Italy and small batches of handcrafted mustards — Happy Olive is but one of a handful of sommelierrated mustard makers in the nation.
Alec Naman When Alec Naman’s family emigrated from Lebanon, in 1899, they brought with them old family recipes, many of which a young Alec learned to cook. The name “Naman” soon became synonymous with food, whether it was markets or gourmet shops bearing the moniker. For nearly 30 years, Alec has carried on his family’s flair for hospitality and cooking through his business, Naman’s Catering.
Maritza & Nader Salibi With the collision of Lebanese and Ecuadorean cultures came the resulting Sage Lebanese Cuisine & Cafe and the adjacent La Martina Tapas Lounge. Owners Maritza and Nader Salibi held no bars when creating Sage’s delectable Mediterranean menu (many items inspired by Nader’s grandmother) and La Martina’s Latin-inspired bites.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 41
ANSWERING THE CALL
Central Presbyterian Food Pantry Every Tuesday, distribution day, the cars begin lining up at 7 a.m, two hours before the first box of food will be dispensed. By noon, about 800 local families will have passed through the parking lot behind the Alabama School of Math and Science, each taking home roughly 50 pounds of provisions. As mind-boggling as those numbers are, it’s just another Tuesday for Mobile County’s largest food pantry. The story of the Central Presbyterian Food Pantry in midtown Mobile is a story of continually answering the call. After starting as a small church pantry, with nothing more than a few shelves of staple goods kept in a closet, church leaders recognized there existed a far greater need than anticipated. Money was raised, volunteers were recruited and the pantry was able to support about 100 families per week, in-person, at the church. Then, COVID-19 arrived. “At the start of the pandemic, we decided that we would meet that challenge by switching to a drive-thru operation,” says Connie Guggenbiller, food pantry director. “What we found once we started the drive-thru was that we were really just at the tip of the iceberg for people in need.” Shutdowns and layoffs related to the pandemic added to the financial burden of countless local families and, once again, the food pantry was ready to answer the call. It takes about 80 volunteers to make the pantry run smoothly every week, some stocking shelves and others packing up the food boxes, which include everything from pasta and bread to cheese, frozen meats, nonperishables and fresh vegetables. Food partners such as Feeding the Gulf Coast, Publix and community gardens help make the food pantry possible, as do fundraisers and private donations. Visit presbyteryofsa.org/food-pantry.html to learn how you can contribute. 42 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
WHERE NUTRITION MEETS FITNESS
Nonie Taul
Nonie Taul
When it comes to Nonie Taul, the term “high-energy” doesn’t do the Fairhope mother of two justice. Whether leading early-morning high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the Fairhope Pier or cardio dance at her Naturally Strong Studio, Taul is a tornado of motion and enthusiasm. The nutrition advisor and fitness instructor will be the first to tell you that hers is an active lifestyle only made possible by the right fuel — and she can help you with that, too. Taul created Naturally Strong with Nonie Meal Plans + Classes in 2014. Since then, the two-part business (half meal planning, half fitness training) has attracted hundreds of clients looking to crack the code of healthy living. For those who sign up for meal plans, Taul provides a weekly shopping list and recipes suited for a busy lifestyle. “I try to make things as easy as possible,” she says. “We’ve all come across recipes that require a quarter teaspoon of oregano, a half teaspoon of this … I’m like, you don’t need all that. That’s just going to make you frustrated. If you’ve got a baby screaming and pulling at your leg, you don’t have time to be measuring a quarter teaspoon of something. Just toss a tablespoon of Italian seasoning in there.” Don’t think for a second, however, that Taul sacrifices flavor on the altar of simplicity. This week, she explains, subscribers are whipping up spicy pork balls with chili paste and soy sauce, served atop cauliflower rice. For clients who opt out of the meal plan, Taul directs them to “Naturally Strong-approved” meals at local shops and food trucks. “The idea is to give people options to make healthy eating as convenient as possible for them, and it’s a win-win-win for me, my subscribers and these wonderful local businesses. And that’s been an awesome development — to be able to help so many great restaurants — because everybody needs a little help.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 43
John Edward McGee, left, and Demetrius James at Guncles Gluten-Free Bakery 44 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
EXPANDING OUR PASTRY HORIZONS
Guncles Gluten-Free Bakery When John Edward McGee, far left, was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Wheat Dependent Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis, he and partner Demetrius James were forced to begin a new gluten-free lifestyle. Living in San Francisco at the time, they came across a gluten-free cupcake and thought it’d be fun to give it a try. “It was the most God-awful thing,” James says with a laugh. “That’s when we were like, ‘We’ve got to figure out how to make this taste great.’” The Mobile natives moved back to the Port City, and Guncles Gluten-Free Bakery was born. McGee and James explain that their mission isn’t simply to make desserts that are as good as their
“People drive hours to get here because they say our products taste better than their closest gluten-free bakery.” - John Edward McGee
glutenous counterparts; they want desserts that taste better. It helps that the two are perfectionists. “I can’t even tell, with some of these cakes, how long it took for us to get them to the point where we were happy with them,” James says. McGee adds, “A customer will come here and say, ‘I have not eaten a cinnamon roll in 10 years,’ and then they take a bite and tear up because it brings back such wonderful memories ... that makes standing on our feet all day long and washing dishes all worth it.”
Greer’s St. Louis Street Market
REIMAGINING COMMUNITY MARKETS
Lucy Greer Cheriogotis At the new Greer’s St. Louis Street Market, Lucy Greer Cheriogotis can’t help but smile when she sees customers buying a scoop of Old Dutch Ice Cream, sitting down to enjoy a local craft beer or grabbing a meal made to order. “We’ve created a specialty grocery store that’s kind of a new concept for Greer’s and for Downtown,” says Cheriogotis, who serves as corporate spokesperson and VP of deli and bakery operations. “Our goal was to create a store that gives residents, workers and visitors to the area a place where they can have their
full shopping experience.” The market, just five blocks to the west of her great-great-grandfather’s first store, is a sleek one-stop grocery, complete with a coffee shop, bakery, salad bar, meals to go, butcher and rooftop patio. “It certainly makes me proud,” Cheriogotis says. “This is a challenging business, but I think what’s made us successful over the years is changing with the times. Each generation has its challenges and adapts the best it can. But just having that attitude of ‘We can do it’ is something that runs in the family.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 45
PHOTO BY CHAD EDWARDS
LESSONS IN FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP
Kristin Alpine When Kristin Alpine of Wildflowers & Fresh Food finishes teaching a cooking class, she sends her pupils to a big farm table to eat their dinner creations and enjoy one another’s company. “I don’t join them for that part, although they often invite me to,” Alpine says. “People have said, ‘You’re kind of like Mary Poppins. You bring us together, you show us the way and then you pop back out.’ And I like that. That’s exactly what I want to do.” A nurse by day, Alpine sees food as a way to continue her mission “to help people feel better and to live longer.” Wildflowers & Fresh Food evolved when the Fairhope mother of three was encouraged by her children to share her fresh and colorful food creations on Instagram. The positive reception has allowed Alpine to become an influential advocate for local businesses and for a deeper connection to the food we eat. “The best compliment I can receive after a lesson is, ‘I’m so full, but I feel great,’” she says. Aside from her two-hour classes, Alpine shares her recipes for free on her website wildflowersandfreshfood.com.
46 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
HOMEGROWN ON THE HALF-SHELL
Local Oyster Farms In recent years, the local oyster industry has been transformed by a slew of innovative farmers who are harvesting the tried-and-true local staple with a modern approach. Farming oysters in baskets off-bottom protects them from predators, while periodic tumbling shapes the shells to create that ideal cup, perfect for holding a one-bite oyster and plenty of salty brine. These days, Alabama oysters are on menus all down the Gulf Coast and across the country. Ask for them by name. Crackers optional.
The nutrient-rich waters of Mobile Bay, just south of Fowl River, provide an ideal environment for oysters with a clean shell and an amazing taste.
Double D Oyster Farm (Theodore) This Mobile Bay farm harvests two delicious
They supply premium oyster seed, also.
Massacre Island Oyster Ranch (Dauphin Island)
Murder Point Oyster Company (Bayou La Batre)
Growing in the briny waters
Perhaps the most popular
these oysters feature a sturdy shell with plump, pearly meat
Alabama, these “oysters worth
Mobile Oyster Company (Dauphin Island) The salty, rich waters of Dauphin Island’s west end produce the popular Isle Dauphine Oysters. In fact, these oysters are only harvested to order.
This “truly organic oyster a dozen cages. Almost eight
Gulf oysters.
Point aux Pins Oyster (Grand Bay)
oysters for a decade now.
Navy Cove Oyster Company (Fort Morgan)
treat. They even feature a sigthe shell.
Portersville Bay Oyster Company (Coden) This company harvests wild Alabama reef oysters as well, but their farm-raised outstanding. And they’re MB
PHOTO BY FERNANDO DECILLIS
Bama Bay Oyster Farm (Coden)
New Reef Oyster Company (Mobile)
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 47
48 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
2021
HOLIDAY GIFTS MB MAKES LOCAL HOLIDAY SHOPPING EASIER WITH DOZENS OF UNIQUE IDEAS FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST.
Visions of sugarplums dance through their heads. ASSORTED GUMMY CANDIES BY CANDY CLUB • $6-8 EACH • FANTASY ISLAND TOYS
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 49
Make bedtime memories with these story cards, offering the first paragraph to an exciting tale that you and your child create together. AND THEN... STORY STARTERS • $28 CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
Grab a flashlight and project the pages of this fanciful book on bedroom walls. WHOO’S
Her mermaid tail slips off to reveal ballet shoes for on-land play.
THERE? A BEDTIME SHADOW BOOK $17 • ASHLAND GALLERY
MATILDA MERMAID DOLL BY MERI MERI • $71 THE GARAGE STUDIO
WATERMELON ROPE SWING • $89 THE GARAGE STUDIO
PIRATE IN A SUITCASE BY MERI MERI • $33 THE GARAGE STUDIO
LITTLE TYKES WRAP UP THESE PRECIOUS TOYS AND TREATS FOR SWEET PLAY.
VINTAGE CIRCUS PUZZLE $25 • WILDFLOWERS
TENDERLEAF WOODEN CHICKEN COOP SET $32 • CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
50 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
MISCHIEF MAKER SLINGSHOT SET $20 • FANTASY ISLAND TOYS
PAPER-MACHE UNICORN ORNAMENT $20 • GIGI & JAY’S
Make your backyard battles eco-friendly with biodegradable felt and paper wildflower seed ammo. SLINGSHOT AMMO $6-10 • RED BEARD’S OUTFITTER
Shoppers are clamoring for vintage-inspired toys, puzzles and games this year. These paper dolls are totally nostalgic. DUDE RANCH PAPER DOLLS $13 • WILDFLOWERS BRUDER DUMP TRUCK $75 • FANTASY ISLAND TOYS
WOODEN DINOSAUR BY TENDER LEAF TOYS $4 EACH, ASSORTED SPECIES • CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
TOY SOLDIER COAT HANGERS • $7 FOR 2 THE VISITATION
FABRIC ADVENT CALENDAR WITH VELCRO CHARACTERS • $43 • THE VISITATION
Gifts pulled from Gulf waters, now sold in Mobile Bay Magazine’s new online store!
RAINING RAINBOWS OVERNIGHT BAG $40 • GIGI & JAY’S
CRAB PJS • $29 MOBILE BAY SHOP
T. REX STUFFED ANIMAL • $23 FANTASY ISLAND TOYS
HO HO HO PJ’S BY KISSY KISSY • $51 THE HOLIDAY
RAINBOW SPARKLE HEADBAND • $30 GIGI & JAY’S
A school of fish to make schoolwork more fun! FISH PENS • $6 EACH • THE HOLIDAY
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 51
52 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
COOL KIDS Larger than life chess pieces (6 inches tall!) will keep them captivated. OVERSIZED WOODEN CHESS BOARD • $296 • THE GARAGE STUDIO
YOUNG TEENS AND THE YOUNG AT HEART WILL LOVE THESE FANCIFUL OMBRE BEADED CROSSBODY BAG $135 • 7 SOUTH
SNAKE PRINT CARD WALLET $26 EACH CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
AMAHI UKULELE $60 FANTASY ISLAND THE QUEEN POCKET WISDOM • $10 THE HOLIDAY
A light-up net and glow-in-the dark paddles make game time exciting no matter the hour.
UGG SLIPPERS • $150 CK COLLECTION
LED TABLE TENNIS • $50 • FANTASY ISLAND
STARLINK COSMIC-THEMED PARTY GAME • $35 RED BEARD’S OUTFITTER
P448 TENNIS SHOES WITH SHIMMER LACES $298 • 7 SOUTH
FILSON CAMO TRAVEL PACK $55 • MCCOY OUTDOOR CO.
The bounty of the Bay inspired the redfish and gumbo belts in Mobile Bay Magazine’s new online store. NOLA COUTURE BELTS • $52 • MOBILE BAY SHOP
Nylon pouches and travel bags can be customized with words and patches for a look that’s as cool as she is. STONEY CLOVER LANE TRAVEL POUCH $58 • THE MIX
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 53
JOLLY HOSTS POUR A SENSATIONAL CUP AT YOUR HOLIDAY SOIREE, OR WRAP UP BITTERS, TOPPINGS AND TRIMS FOR THE PERFECT BARKEEP ON YOUR LIST.
Craft-cocktail makers, rejoice! You’ll be the toast of the party with festive cocktails. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SMOKED HONEY WHISKEY MIX BY BITTERMILK • $15 • PROVISION BLUE CHEESE STUFFED OLIVES BY DIVINA • $9 • PROVISION HONEY SOUR COCKTAIL MIXER BY WITHCO • $23 • WILDFLOWERS BOURBON CHERRIES BY JACK RUDY • $15 • PROVISION SMOLDERER BITTERS BY PINK HOUSE ALCHEMY • $23 PROVISION COCKTAIL SALT BY DICKINSON $8 • PROVISION BELIEVE EMBROIDERED RIBBON $17 • WILDFLOWERS
PEA POD SPREADER WITH PEARL DETAIL BY MICHAEL MICHAUD $79 FOR SET OF 4 • THE IVY COTTAGE
Hand-thrown and just waiting for those holiday cheese straws or salted pecans. HANDMADE POTTERY BOWL BY SUSIE SPICED GOJI TAROCCO ORANGE CANDLE BY VOLUSPA • $40 • THE HOLIDAY
BOWMAN • $34 EACH • MOBILE BAY SHOP
POTTERY SNOWMAN CANDLE HOLDER • $23 CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
MAGNETIC STAR TREES • $15 AND UP • CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
Add a touch of humor and devilishness to the “oh holy night.” HOLIDAY HEADBANDS BY FESTIVE GAL • $17 EACH WILDFLOWERS
STAGHEAD BOTTLE OPENER • $23 WILDFLOWERS
When the packaging is as perfect as its contents. LA CHATELAINE PURE VEGETABLE TRAVEL SOAP TINS • $10 EACH • WILDFLOWERS
LA CULTIVADA ORGANIC OLIVE OIL $17 • PROVISION MR. SPICE GUY OVEN MITT • $15 • ASHLAND GALLERY
JOY TO THE WORLD TEA LIGHT HOLDER BY BLUE SKY CLAYWORKS • $37 WILDFLOWERS
Delight the perfect local host with custom cocktail napkins from Mobile Bay Magazine’s new online store. MIDDLE BAY LIGHT LINEN COCKTAIL NAPKINS • $88 FOR SET OF 4 • MOBILE BAY SHOP
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 55
GIFTSLOCAL for menGALS Add a pop of red to your luxurious holiday dinner table. DINNER NAPKINS BY BODRUM • $120 FOR SET OF 4 WILDFLOWERS
GIFTS THAT SPARKLE AND SHINE AS MUCH AS SHE DOES, WITH A LITTLE LUXURY THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE.
FELT FLOPPY HAT BY FOUR BUTTONS • $35 THE HOLIDAY
GEODE STARBURST EARRINGS • $64 CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
CATALINA HINGE BANGLE BY JULIE VOSS • $285 CK COLLECTION
The editors and historians of Mobile Bay Magazine came together to design a line of candles inspired by stories of great women of Mobile: Tallulah Bankhead, Octavia Le Vert, Augusta Evans, Bettie Hunter and the Pelican Girls. They make an ideal gift for the local gal. DOYENNES OF THE BAY
HOSTA SERVERS BY MICHAEL MICHAUD • $84 FOR PAIR • THE IVY COTTAGE
HAND POURED SOY CANDLES • $38 EACH MOBILE BAY SHOP
SILVER AND PEARL BRACELET WITH FOUR-WAY CROSS BY ANDREA BARNETT $147 • THE VISITATION
CASHMERE BEANIE WITH POM POM BY WHITE + WARREN $165 • THE HOLIDAY
Each of these glass objects alone is a work of art, but we love them displayed as a grouping. BLOWN GLASS CANDLESTICKS AND VASES $31-35 EACH • PROVISION
56 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
HOOP AND GEMSTONE EARRINGS BY CATHERINE PAGE $162 • CK COLLECTION
PATAGONIA BLACK HOLE TOTE BAG 61L IN ABALONE BLUE $99 • MCCOY OUTDOOR CO.
This smokeless firepit burns wood or charcoal for hibachi cooking. The innovative mesh grill sides help radiate heat outward. BIOLITE FIREPIT+ $250 • RED BEARD’S OUTFITTER
DAUPHIN ISLAND BOTTLE OPENER BY CHART WORKS $50 • ASHLAND GALLERY
RECHARGABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTER • $23
OYSTER OR BLUE CRAB TIE BY NOLA COUTURE • $65 EACH • MOBILE BAY SHOP
MEN’S ORGANIC SKINCARE BY JACK BLACK • $10-35 EASTBAY CLOTHIERS
PROVISION
European design comes to south Alabama. QUILTED VEST WITH LEATHER TRIM BY LAKSEN SPORTING $265 • MCCOY OUTDOOR CO.
MERRY MEN NUTCRACKER MUG BY VIETRI • $54 CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION
PORTABLE FIREPIT BY UCO • $15 RED BEARD’S OUTFITTER
WHETHER HE’S THE OUTDOORSY TYPE OR LOVES THE CHIC CITY LIFE, THESE GIFTS WILL SPARK HIS SENSE OF ADVENTURE. BULLET BOTTLE OPENER AND WINE STOPPER $27 EACH WILDFLOWERS
BRACELETS HANDMADE IN AMSTERDAM BY PIG & HEN • $80-90 EACH EAST BAY CLOTHIERS
Show some local love right down to your toes with socks from Mobile Bay Magazine’s new online store. OYSTER SOCKS BY BON FOLKS • $20 • MOBILE BAY SHOP
LEATHER AND CLOTH BELT WITH CROC TABS BY W. KLEINBERG $195 • CK COLLECTION
WILDSAM’S GUIDE TO BARBECUE IN THE SOUTH $18 • PROVISION
PREMIUM SHAVING CREAM WITH BUILT IN BRUSH BY LEGACY SHAVE • $30 THE GARAGE STUDIO
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 57
58 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
OVERSIZED PALE PINK COW HIDE CLUTCH BY PARKER & HYDE • $125 7 SOUTH
A skinnny scarf perfect for tying around your wrist, your bag or your hair. EQUINE SCARF • $20
PALE PINK AND GOLD EARRINGS $60 • THE GARAGE STUDIO
THE GARAGE STUDIO
Make the holidays bright! PAPER WRAPPED SPARKLERS • $17 EACH THE GARAGE STUDIO
LUCITE AND GEMSTONE COASTERS • $24 EACH THE GARAGE STUDIO
LOVE TO SHOP LOCAL RESOURCES 7 SOUTH 7 S. SECTION ST., FAIRHOPE. 270-7298. ASHLAND GALLERY 2321 OLD SHELL ROAD. 479-3548. CHAPEL FARM COLLECTION 19130 SCENIC HIGHWAY 98, FAIRHOPE. 929-1630. CK COLLECTION 320 FAIRHOPE AVE., FAIRHOPE. 990-9001.
EAST BAY CLOTHIERS 39 N. SECTION ST., FAIRHOPE. 928-6848. FANTASY ISLAND TOYS 335 FAIRHOPE AVE., FAIRHOPE. 928-1720. THE GARAGE STUDIO 17070 SCENIC HIGHWAY 98, POINT CLEAR. 928-3474. GIGI & JAY’S 400 FAIRHOPE AVE., FAIRHOPE. 928-2011.
THE HOLIDAY 4513 OLD SHELL ROAD. 342-4911. THE IVY COTTAGE 9 DU RHU DRIVE. 345-1731. MCCOY OUTDOOR COMPANY 3498 SPRINGHILL AVE. 473-1080. THE MIX 9 DU RHU DRIVE. 298-9137. MOBILE BAY MAGAZINE SHOP MOBILEBAYSHOP.COM. 473-6269.
PROVISION 100 N SECTION ST., FAIRHOPE. 850-5004. RED BEARD’S OUTFITTER 4354 OLD SHELL ROAD. 217-7466. THE VISITATION SHOP 2300 SPRINGHILL AVE. 471-4106. WILDFLOWERS 50 S. CHURCH ST., FAIRHOPE. 928-6200.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 59
62 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
50
BEST RESTAURANTS MB EDITORS DISH OUT THE BAY AREA’S BEST DINING OPTIONS
GREEK BURGER FROM OX KTCHEN PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 63
be historic, the atmosphere
Camellia Cafe
-
-
HUMMINGBIRD WAY
Hope Farm in Fairhope, combining their passion for -
Fairhope Inn Hummingbird Way NEW!
tare, fresh-from-the-boat
casino with bacon, herbs Restaurant aims to maintain -
Chuck’s Fish
FIVE -
Jesse’s ing out, with a menu that
Dauphin’s
A bit out of the way for
Guidos -
The Noble South
Dumbwaiter
The Hope Farm NEW! -
64 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
-
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 65
THE HOPE FARM
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
66 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
NoJa
SOCU
NEW!
sweet potatoes
Southwood Kitchen
-
potatoes bites, such as foie gras,
-
Ruth’s Chris
Southern National cream sauce
Thyme on Section
-
SOUTHWOOD KITCHEN
with menu items ranging
The Wash House
-
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 67
Bluegill Restaurant -
Guests come for the fresh items such as tomato pie
The Gulf -
Oso at Bear Point
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Felix’s Fish Camp
NEW!
OSO AT BEAR POINT
Fisher’s Orange Beach Sunset Pointe
PLAYA
-
-
Playa
with a restaurant that -
grouper with sweet corn near the Fairhope Yacht -
ensure there’s something
Grand Hotel: Southern Roots grouper with sweet pea -
68 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 69
Butch Cassidy’s Cafe
Dragonfly Foodbar PROVISION
Meat Boss The Cheese Cottage
-
to open this charming on a brown paper bag
-
Mediterranean Sandwich Co.
ROOSTERS
shawarma pita with house-
access to other eateries
Dew Drop Inn -
Panini Pete’s panini with baby greens,
boursin
Ox Kitchen
The restaurant’s signature
sauce on brioche -
70 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
PHOTO BY ELISE POCHÉ
-
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
THE DEW DROP
Provision NEW!
Roosters
Warehouse
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 71
Callaghan’s
-
Las Floriditas NEW!
-
-
Red or White
in, but some of the best
Debris Po Boys & Drinks NEW!
-
Moe’s BBQ
POST COCKTAIL & WINE BAR
barbecue sauce -
-
POST Cocktail & Wine Bar -
The Haberdasher
-
Pour Baby
-
mushroom ragout DEBRIS PO BOYS & DRINKS
72 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
LoDa Bier Garten
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 73
74 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
El Papi
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Master Joe’s Sushi
Sage Lebanese EL PAPI
-
-
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GELINEAU
Squid Ink NEW!
-
SQUID INK
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 75
EXTRAS | CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Nuts for November NOVEMBER 5 - 7 ALABAMA PECAN FESTIVAL 5 - 9 p.m. F. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sa. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Su. The family-friendly festival features rides, music and more. Admission and parking are free. W.C. GRIGGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALABAMAPECANFESTIVAL.COM
NOVEMBER 6
ALABAMA PECAN FESTIVAL
DOC’S HOT TROT FOR ARC 8 a.m. Lace up for this 5K and 1-mile fun walk benefitting ARC Baldwin County.
THROUGH NOVEMBER 7
NOVEMBER 3
GREATER GULF STATE FAIR 4 - 9 p.m. M - Th. 4 - 11 p.m. F. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sa. Noon - 9 p.m. Su. Stroll the midway and take in a view from atop the Ferris wheel. Ticket prices vary.
AN EVENING WITH BRUCE HORNSBY 7 p.m. An intimate evening with only the three-time GRAMMY award winner and his piano as the stars of the show. Tickets: $42 - $82.
THE GROUNDS • THEGROUNDSMOBILE.COM
SAENGER THEATRE • MOBILESAENGER.COM
SATURDAYS THROUGH NOVEMBER 20
NOVEMBER 4 - 14
FALL MARKET IN THE PARK 7:30 a.m. - Noon. Shop produce, plants, jams, baked goods, honey and more. CATHEDRAL SQUARE • CITYOFMOBILE.ORG
FRANK BROWN INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS’ FESTIVAL The 37th annual festival will feature more than 200 nationally acclaimed songwriters in venues along the Gulf Coast. VARIOUS LOCATIONS FRANKBROWNSONGWRITERS.COM
NOVEMBER 1 - 30 CASCADING CHRYSANTHEMUMS 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Daily. Head to Bellingrath Gardens and Home for the 58th annual — and nation’s largest — outdoor display of mums. Regular admission applies. BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
NOVEMBER 5 NEWSBOYS 7 p.m. Special guests join the Christian music band as part of their “Step Into the Light” tour. Tickets: $20 - $50. MOBILE CIVIC CENTER MOBILECIVICCTR.COM
LULU’S AT HOMEPORT MARINA, GULF SHORES LULUBUFFETT.COM
NOVEMBER 6 MAGNOLIA RUN 6:30 a.m. Hit the streets for this 5K run, run/walk and 1-mile fun run through oak-shaded Magnolia Springs. JESSE’S RESTAURANT, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS VISITFOLEY.COM/PLAY/EVENTS
NOVEMBER 6 & 7 BATTLESHIP RUGBY FALL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Bring your chairs and coolers (no alcohol, please), and watch teams from across the country vie for the trophy. Admission: Free. Parking fee: $4. USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK ALABAMAPECANFESTIVAL.COM
NOVEMBER 10 MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS LUNCHEON An acknowledgement of those who have made outstanding contributions to marine environmental sustainability in the Alabama Gulf Coast Region. Tickets: $50. MOONLIGHT BALLROOM, BATTLE HOUSE RENAISSANCE MOBILE HOTEL & SPA DISL.EDU
To have your event included in the online or print edition of Mobile Bay Magazine, email calendar@pmtpublishing.com. 76 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
NOVEMBER 11 VETERANS DAY CONCERT 7 p.m. The Mobile Pops performs in honor of the nation’s veterans. Free. USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK THEMOBILEPOPS.COM
NOVEMBER 11 - 14 FAIRHOPE FILM FESTIVAL Times vary. The annual festival features the best national and international films from the past year. VARIOUS LOCATIONS, DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE FAIRHOPEFILMFESTIVAL.ORG
NOVEMBER 12 - 14 CHRISTMAS JUBILEE 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. F. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sa. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Su. Stock up on gifts for everyone on your list. Admission: $30 VIP; $10, advance; $12 at the door. MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER JUNIORLEAGUEMOBILE.ORG
NOVEMBER 12 - 21 “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” 7:30 p.m. F. Sa. 2 p.m. Su. A brilliant comedy capturing the struggle of four passionate lovers. Tickets: $15 - $18. CHICKASAW CIVIC THEATRE • CCTSHOW.COM
NOVEMBER 13 CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE FESTIVAL 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Indulge your craving for cheese and chocolate. Admission: $5, adults; free, ages 12 and under. HERITAGE PARK, FOLEY FACEBOOK: CHOCOLATE & CHEESE FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 13 28TH ANNUAL OYSTER RUN 7 a.m. - Noon. Support the Foley Rotary Club with this 5K and 1-mile fun run. ORANGE BLOSSOM SQUARE, FOLEY VISITFOLEY.COM/PLAY/EVENTS
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 77
NOVEMBER 13 & 14 BELLA MUSICA Acclaimed violinist Bella Hristova performs. Tickets: $20 - $89. SAENGER THEATRE • MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG
NOVEMBER 16 & 17 LIVING AUTISM’S TRADE SHOW A trade expo for everything to enhance the quality of life for all. Tickets: $10. DAPHNE CIVIC CENTER STAYHAPPENING.COM
NOVEMBER 18 TREE LIGHTING CELEBRATION 5:30 p.m. Have a jolly good time as the City of Fairhope lights its Christmas tree. DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE • COFAIRHOPE.COM
NOVEMBER 18 GATHERING OF EAGLES 6 - 8 p.m. The marquis event for Eagle Scouts, ages 21 and up, to come together for fellowship and networking. THE ATHLESTAN CLUB • BSAMAC.ORG
NOVEMBER 19 FORTUNE FEIMSTER 7 p.m. The comedian, writer and actor brings her “2 Sweet, 2 Salty” tour to the Eastern Shore. Tickets: $30 - $60. DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE • COFAIRHOPE.COM
NOVEMBER 19 MAGIC CHRISTMAS IN LIGHTS GALA 6:30 - 9 p.m. Be among the first to view a brand-new lights scene while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, drinks and entertainment on the Live Oak Plaza. Ticketed event. BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
NOVEMBER 20 MOBILE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Cuisine, crafts and entertainment from around the world. Admission: $12, adults; 12 and under, free. THE GROUNDS MOBILEINTERNATIONALFESTIVAL.ORG
* Check event websites for most current status. 78 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
TURKEY TROT FOR HOPE
NOVEMBER 20 THE FAB FOUR 8 p.m. The Emmy Award-Winning group performs the best Beatles tribute ever. Tickets: $25 - $55. SANGER THEATRE • MOBILESAENGER.COM
NOVEMBER 20 FAMILY FARM DAY 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Learn about alpacas, watch demonstrations and shop items by local artisans. Admission: $5 per vehicle. HUMMING STAR ALPACAS, SILVERHILL FACEBOOK.COM/HUMMINGSTARALPACAS
NOVEMBER 20 DAPHNE CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. A variety of unique gift items for the person who has everything. Admission: $5, ages 6 and up. DAPHNE CIVIC CENTER • FACEBOOK.COM/ CHRISTMASSHOWSGULFCOAST
NOVEMBER 21 BOURBON BY THE BAY 3 - 6 p.m. Sample premium bourbons and whiskeys, heavy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, wine and brews. Tickets: $75 and up. 38 5TH STREET, MOBILE BOURBONBYTHEBAY.COM
NOVEMBER 25 TURKEY TROT FOR HOPE 8 - 10 a.m. Lace up in support of Rapahope, the local nonprofit that beings joy to families on the childhood cancer journey. USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK RAPAHOPE.ORG
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 79
HISTORY | LEGENDS
A Man of Ability Maritime historian John S. Sledge recounts the story of a Scottish cartographer’s 18th-century visit to Mobile Bay and the stunning map it yielded.
text by JOHN SLEDGE
H
e arrived on the northern Gulf Coast during the summer of 1764, his orders to chart “with great care and attention, the hitherto unknown Coast of that extensive country.” England had just acquired the area by the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Years’ War, and formed it into a new colony called West Florida. All of the European powers expected another war soon, and the British Admiralty considered the colony’s existing Spanish and French maps woefully inadequate to the challenges that would likely impose. By any measure, George Gauld was an excellent choice to remedy the situation. He was Scottish-born and educated at King’s College in Aberdeen, where he had studied mathematics, Greek, natural history and astronomy. He joined the Royal Navy at 25 in 1757 as a schoolmaster and was assigned the unenviable task of teaching the navigational arts to boisterous
80 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
midshipmen. Gauld’s superiors soon appreciated his geographical genius and assigned him to conduct trials of John Harrison’s newly invented chronometer, which made it possible to measure longitude at sea, a major navigational improvement. Thus, by the time he sailed into Pensacola Bay in 1764, Gauld was an experienced cartographer equipped with the finest tools of the trade, from surveying chains to theodolites, compasses, quadrants and “Mr. Harrison’s timepiece.” Gauld’s first priority was to chart Pensacola Bay, the location of the new colony’s capital, but by the winter of 1768, he had moved west to Mobile Bay. His survey vessel was the armed light draught schooner Sir Edward Hawke, Lt. Charles Warburton commanding. Gauld’s preferred methodology was to have Warburton anchor the Hawke in a safe place and then probe the coasts and inlets on board a longboat crewed by a
dozen hardy Jack Tars, their compensation for the tedious duty a double rum ration. Gauld sketched the land forms and made frequent soundings with a lead line to determine the locations and depths of shoals, as well as deeper water where ships might safely maneuver. The work involved discomfort aplenty and sometimes genuine peril. On one occasion, a barreling norther swept the longboat well out of the Bay, and the men spent hours at the oars to regain the schooner. Throughout his survey, Gauld kept a journal describing locales familiar to anyone who has visited the area in more recent times. Of Dauphin Island, where the Hawke sat snugly in what is now Pelican Bay, Gauld wrote that it was “covered with thick pines” at the east end. He noted a few semi-ruinous French houses on the island’s north side, “near which are large hillocks of oyster shells now covered with dwarf cedar and live oak.” Modern residents will instantly recognize this description of what is currently Indian Shell Mound Park at 2 N. Iberville Drive, a marvelous bird-watching spot. Gauld was alert to the coast’s long human history, writing, “There are many such vestiges of the ancient inhabitants.” Mobile Bay’s three-and-a-half-mile-wide mouth exhibits a complicated bathymetry, and Gauld crisscrossed it repeatedly in order to precisely chart its dangers. He found the bar, or entrance, to be only 15 feet deep but with a fall-off seaward to 50 feet, which “occasions a constant swell with a heavy sea when it blows from southward,” something to which local mariners can attest. Inside the Bay proper, Gauld reported a “tolerable good anchorage” some 30 feet deep but considered its broad sweep daunting. “It is at best an open roadstead,” he remarked, “the bay being too large to afford much shelter.”
“OF A PRETTY REGULAR OBLONG FIGURE” WITH “A SMALL REGULAR FORT NOW CALLED FORT CHARLOTTE BUILT OF BRICK, AND A NEAT SQUARE OF BARRACKS FOR THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS.” - George Gauld on Mobile
On March 20, Gauld returned to Pensacola so the schooner could provision. Wharf side, Warburton took on “936 pounds of bread, 168 pieces of Beef, 224 pieces of Pork, 125 pounds Butter & 8 bushels Pease” for the hard-working crew and had the Hawke back in Mobile Bay by the first of April. Gauld carefully studied the Bay’s eastern shore on this trip, penetrating the Bon Secour, Fish and Magnolia Rivers and skirting “Point humide,” as he called Mullet Point, and the “Red Cliff,” or Montrose, where there were several small plantations. Next, he crossed the Bay and had Warburton anchor the Hawke at the mouth of the Mobile River. The proximity to town encouraged a little misbehavior among the men, but navy discipline held sway, and Warburton flogged two sailors, one for theft and another for “Mutiny and impertinence.” Ashore, Gauld rambled the riverbank and wrote that Mobile was “of a pretty regular oblong figure” with “a small regular fort now called Fort Charlotte built of brick, and a neat square of barracks for the officers and soldiers.” Despite its small size, Below The final result of Gauld’s careful survey work, eventually published in London in 1823, is a more than 10-foot stretch of folded paper representing state-of-the-art technology from the late 18th century.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 81
Mobile’s Indian trade was considerable. Gauld claimed that the town exported “skins and furs” worth 15,000 pounds sterling annually to the London market but that this constituted the extent of its economy. He was leery of the Delta’s broad marshes and swamps, which he declared subjected the populace to “fevers and agues in the hot seasons,” an observation amply justified by the area’s frightful colonial mortality statistics. By early May, Gauld had covered every inch of Mobile Bay and jogged farther west into the Mississippi Sound. During the Hawke’s Pensacola returns, he refined his drawings, eventually sending them off to London. Everyone who viewed the charts was impressed. The colony’s governor enthused that they were “really worth seeing, being surveyed with great accuracy, and neatly drawn,” and the American Philosophical Society, with Benjamin Franklin as its president, elected Gauld to its membership in 1770. Unfortunately, Gauld did not live to see his completed survey published. He died in England in 1782, shortly after his capture during the Spanish Siege of Pensacola. He was buried at the Whitefield’s Tabernacle cemetery off Tottenham Court Road,
82 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Above “A View of Pensacola in West Florida.” Gauld sketched this view of British Pensacola with representations of the various ships he had served on in the foreground. The Sir Edward Hawke is the second vessel from left. COURTESY HISTORIC PENSACOLA.
London. His grieving friends provided a simple gravestone chiseled with a pithy and accurate tribute: “A man of real abilities without ostentation, a sincere friend without flattery, and religious without hypocrisy or superstition.” Finally, 21 years after Gauld’s death, the London geographer and printer William Fadden posthumously published “An Accurate Chart of the Coast of West Florida, and the Coast of Louisiana,” consisting of four large, handsomely engraved sheets stitched together. When fully opened out, the chart measures over 10 feet long and details 850 nautical miles of the northern Gulf Coast, including Mobile Bay. It represents a stunning achievement and a worthy legacy for the intrepid Scottish surveyor who knew these waters so well. MB
John S. Sledge is the author of “The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History.”
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 83
THE ARTS | LITERATURE
Have You Got Game? Figuring out what’s on her plate is part of the Thanksgiving fun for writer Audrey McDonald Atkins. excerpt from the book THEY CALL ME OR ANGE JUICE by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINS
“
T
aste this and guess what it is!” Aunt Lois says to me one Thanksgiving morning while jabbing at me with a carving fork, a piece of grayish meat dangling from the tines. “Go on; taste it!” Now I don’t know about you, but I want to be able to readily identify my food. Even at a young age, I didn’t think I should have to guess what exactly it was that I was about to ingest. Plus, Aunt Lois had a history of cooking things that were, uh, a little too “organic” for my taste. For instance, I was at her house one day near lunchtime and naturally the talk turned to what we should fix to eat. Unable to decide, we did what every self-respecting Southerner might do when on the horns of such a dilemma — we went out to the garage to plunder through the deep freeze, that enormous coffin-like receptacle for all things blanched and frozen, fishy or gamey, or just plain too unwieldy for your normal Frigidaire. Aunt Lois dug past the fish fillets, the venison steaks, and even some frog legs and pulled out a freezer bag. “Let’s eat this!” she said, holding up a bag with something near glee in her eyes. Before me dangled two little carcasses pressed flat in the plastic, nekkid, arms and legs akimbo almost like they were shocked to death and then flash frozen in their surprise. “Squirrel!” She exclaimed, and off she went in search of the chicken fryer. Squirrel. Oh my. Couldn’t we just have a tomato sandwich instead? Flash forward to Thanksgiving. Aunt Lois shows up at Mama’s house with a huge roasting pan containing an un-
naturally large roast smiggling around in some sort of au jus with just a few onions and mushrooms. Once in the kitchen, she sets upon it with a vengeance, wildly hacking at it with a carving fork and a large blade akin to a machete. “Taste it! Guess!” I thought it better to guess before eating. Just in case. You never know with Aunt Lois. Hmmm, I thought to myself, what lives around here? “Goat?” “No.” “Wild hog?” “No.” “Deer?” Please let it be deer. I’m running out of options. “No.” I’d seen what I thought was a bear track once. Lord, I hope not. “Bear?” “No.” “It’s moose!” she finally exclaimed. “A gift from a friend of mine who went hunting out West!”
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 folkwaysnowadays.com.
84 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Moose. Have mercy. No wonder it was so dang big! For the record, if any of you, my dear readers, perchance go out West and think to bring me a gift, I’d much prefer something that either makes me look good (like jewelry) or smell good (like perfume). I would just as soon not to be remembered with a hunk of dead animal flesh, thank you very much. But the same can’t be said for Aunt Lois, once an ace hunter her own self. Aunt Lois, who has a room full of mounted heads from deer she felled. Aunt Lois, sweet, flirty, mischievous. Aunt Lois, who can gut a fish or a squirrel or a deer without ever so much as chipping her frosty pink nail polish. Aunt Lois, who doesn’t take no for an answer. So taste I did. Gray, dense, gamey, a little too chewy. But if you slog it through some gravy, like most notquite-palatable things, it wasn’t half bad. In “The Maine Woods,” Henry David Thoreau likened moose to “tender beef, with perhaps more flavour; sometimes like veal.” I don’t know if I would go that far, but after a good deal of mastication it did, ultimately, go down. Thanks to Aunt Lois, I have had to be game (pun intended) to try any number of things that I probably would not have without her insistence. Among other things, I have picked shot off my place, learned to ignore the fact that supper looked like Kermit from the waist down, and been educated as to the best way to pull the skin off a catfish. And I am a better person for it. So here’s to mystery. Here’s to culinary adventure. And here’s to knowing what’s on your plate before the blessing is said. MB
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 85
HISTORY | ARCHIVES
A History of Mobile in 22 Objects A vibrant pastel showing construction on the Bankhead Tunnel illustrates an era of progress — and tradition.
BETWEEN THE WARS: RODERICK MACKENZIE’S PAINTING
“BANKHEAD TUNNEL,” c. 1938 text by MICHAEL V. R. THOMASON
M
obile entered the interwar years in a far stronger economic position than even a decade earlier. The city’s economy was more diverse, and Mobile’s business and political leaders were determined to expand even more using the profits made during the Great War. The growth they produced did certainly expand the city’s economic base, while leaving its social and cultural life surprisingly undisturbed. It would remain a languid, Old South port city. Underneath its sense of continuity, though, powerful economic change was underway. English-born Roderick MacKenzie (1865 – 1941), Alabama’s premier early 20th-century artist, made Mobile his home for many years. His pastels depicting the construction of the Bankhead Tunnel at the end of the interwar years are emblematic of Mobile’s reaction to the important changes coming to the old town. The vivid colors of his pastels are reminiscent of his images of Mardi Gras and
86 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
19th-century Mobile. The subject, though, is consummately modern: This work shows the tunnel’s assembly at ADDSCO, from which point the completed tubes were floated into the river and sunk. A major priority in the early 1920s was the construction of a modern, publically owned state docks system. That the state’s constitution forbade “internal improvements” made it an uphill battle, but Mayor Harry Hartwell finally succeeded with the help of George Crawford, head of Birmingham’s US Steel. The $10 million facility was up and running north of Downtown in 1927 and officially dedicated the next year. The Tombigbee-Black Warrior canal, completed in 1915, meant growing exports of coal and iron could be barged from Birmingham through the port of Mobile. At the same time, Hartwell, John T. Cochrane and a host of others raised the money locally to build a motor route across the headwaters of Mobile Bay. The Causeway,
which opened June of 1927, was a centerpiece of efforts to develop a tourist industry along the adjacent Gulf Coast. Other enduring cultural fixtures began shortly thereafter: Local booster Sam Lackland launched the Azalea Trail in 1928 and the Dauphin Island Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in 1929. All of this attracted automobile tourists, but the “jewel in the crown” was Bellingrath Gardens, which opened to the public in 1932. In 1928, International Paper, lured by the Chamber of Commerce’s purchase and donation of land on the Mobile River, built a massive mill there which employed hundreds and continued to expand throughout the Great Depression. Merchants Bank began construction of the city’s first skyscraper, all the while the Army Corps of Engineers constantly dredged the 35-mile ship channel deeper so larger ships could reach the port. If the 1920s were the decade of local
leadership, the decade that followed would be the era of the Great Depression, the New Deal and the run-up to World War II. Because Mobile was not an industrial town like Birmingham, but a commercial city, it survived the Depression better than its neighbor to the north. Exports of cotton, coal, iron, lumber and other forest products continued. The local impact of the Depression was not evenly shared, however. Black Mobilians, bound down by rigid segregation, were the first to lose their jobs, and the jobs they lost were the lowest paying. Even those who kept employment endured sharp pay cuts. The old city saw an influx of unemployed people who had nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Locals helped with food such as sweet potatoes, biscuits and coffee if they had extra, but many did not. The election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was widely supported in Mobile, which had voted Democratic since the Civil War. Roosevelt seemed intent on fighting the Depression, and as his New Deal programs became a reality, the WPA, the PWD, the CCC and many other programs certainly provided jobs. Some projects were small, such as the murals that still adorn the History Museum of Mobile’s lobby, and others were larger endeavors, such as the Federal Building on St. Joseph Street or Fort Whiting, on the edge of what would soon become Brookley Field. The biggest project, of course, was the construction of the Bankhead Tunnel, which began in 1938. In the last years of the prewar period, new corporations like Alcoa came to Mobile, preparing for war and hiring local workers. Mobile retained its Old South character despite the economic changes the interwar period brought. Mardi Gras flourished in the 1920s and survived surprisingly well during the Depression. Mobile’s social structure weathered these interwar years largely intact. Local artists such as Edmund DeCelle and writers including William March (Campbell) did some of their best work. Even the dean of the local artistic community, Roderick MacKenzie, despite nearly constant
financial difficulties, did wonderful work, especially using pastels as he recorded both buildings and people in Mobile. He had studied in Paris, painted for years in India, then completed the historic scenes which still hang in the rotunda of the state capitol in Montgomery. Other pastels depict the iron and steel industry of the Birmingham region. He was an artist trained in the 19th century who finally told the story of a 20thcentury tunnel construction project. Like Mobile, he saw things from a 19th-century perspective. He died in 1941 and would not see the changes the next decade would bring, but Mobile certainly would. MB Michael V. R. Thomason, Ph.D., is an emeritus professor of history at the University of South Alabama. He founded the USA Archives, now the McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and has written extensively on the history of Mobile. Above Workers assembled the Bankhead Tunnel on land, then floated the tunnel into the river and sank it. IMAGE COURTESY THE MCCALL
“A History of Mobile in 22 Objects” by various authors. Available for purchase at the History Museum of Mobile and at mobilebayshop.com. Released in conjunction with the History Museum of Mobile exhibit, this photo-heavy compendium delves into the city’s history through the analysis of 22 artifacts by Mobile’s leading researchers.
LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA
Opposite “Bankhead Tunnel,” c. 1938, by Roderick MacKenzie. IMAGE COURTESY HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE
Stay tuned each month as we continue to delve into the history of objects from this fascinating exhibit.
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 87
HISTORY | ASK MCGEHEE
Where was Mobile’s first movie theatre? text by TOM MCGEHEE
Mobilians may recall Downtown movie theatres, such as the Crown or the Crescent, but the first “moving picture” was presented more than a decade before their arrival. In fact, the first moving picture was shown in the Mobile Theatre in 1897. That theatre stood on the southeast corner of South Royal and Conti streets within a building dating to 1859. It had been constructed using remnants of the Mansion House, a famed Mobile hotel lost to fire. The loss of the Mansion House contributed to the building of the original Battle House in 1852.
The Mobile Theatre The Mobile Theatre was the city’s only theatre for decades and occupied the southern end of the building. It had been remodeled in 1880 to accommodate an audience of 750, and in an era when fire was a major concern, management advertised that the structure could be “emptied within one minute.” An 1893 redecoration was extensively covered in the Mobile Register and described the exterior as having been painted in “pretty contrasting colors of pearl and brown,” while its interiors had been papered in panels with maroon borders. The faces of the galleries featured “a design of cream and gold ornamented on the bottom with cardinal red fringe.” The large theatre curtain had been painted with an image of “the ruined castle of Heidelberg” and new gas light fixtures were also installed. So, it was into this grand interior that the first motion picture in Mobile was shown four years later by an electrician named Frank M. Taylor.
An Edison Invention Although images had been projected before, using a “magic lantern” and glass slides, the idea of moving pictures had eluded inventors on both sides of the Atlantic for years. Thomas Edison began searching for a solution in 1888, and by 1892, his assistant, William Dickson, had unveiled the Kinetograph to film movies and an apparatus on which to view them. The projection of those images on a screen followed. Taylor was fascinated by the idea and traveled to New Jersey to lease films and a projector. A fireproof projection booth had to be built in the back of the theatre’s orchestra pit, and, reportedly, a full house of curious Mobilians sat back and watched images of Monte Carlo flicker before them. Apparently the film was shown at the Mobile Theatre until regular theatrical performances returned. Taylor briefly rented
88 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Above The first moving picture in Mobile was shown at the Mobile Theatre, which stood at the southern end of this building standing on the southeast corner of Royal and Conti streets. The theatre was rebuilt in 1900 but was lost to fire in 1913. The rest of the building was destroyed to make way for a Sears-Roebuck in 1941. Today, the block is filled by the Riverview office complex. PHOTO COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY
space to show the films around downtown Mobile before being hired to install and operate the outdoor movie theatre at Monroe Park.
The Theatorium Arrives The first listing for “moving pictures” in Mobile city directories came in 1907 at a “Theatorium” at 125 Dauphin Street, just east of St. Emanuel. By that time, movies had evolved to tell a story but only lasted a few minutes. Their popularity led to four more businesses offering moving pictures by 1909. As Hollywood began producing ever longer and grander films, Mobile’s movie houses grew in number and in size. By 1920, Mobile had seven theatres in downtown Mobile, including the Crown and the Crescent. The arrival of Mobile’s palatial air-conditioned Saenger in 1927 would certainly be in stark contrast to Taylor’s showing 30 years earlier. MB
november 2021 | mobilebaymag.com 89
END PIECE | BACKSTORY
Let it Grow Photo courtesy S. Blake McNeely Collection, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama
“Now our farming and cattle raising were fast expanding, and new crops such as watermelons and Irish potatoes were added. The melons were shipped by boat from Marlow to New Orleans where they were sold by a commission man. The potatoes were hauled to sheds in Summerdale, Robertsdale or Foley where they were graded and sold.” – excerpt from "People, Places, Things" by Gertrude J. Stephens as published in The Baldwin County Historical Society's "Quarterly," about 1920s farming in Sonora, a small community off Baldwin County Road 32
COTTON MAY HAVE BEEN KING, but during the first half of the 20th century, the Irish potato ruled Baldwin County — it even had its own queen, a young woman chosen during the yearly Potato Queen contest, the winner of which was awarded the tuber title and $25. In its heyday, the crop yielded the county $4 million annually, the success due to the area's naturally fine soil and then-adequate railroad facilities, which were required for quickly moving crops to northern markets. Below, a photo from 1937 shows a farmer and three boys, presumably heading to a potato processing and packing shed. Sheds were located along the Bay Minette to Fort Morgan Railroad, a supporting line for L&N Railroad. (Despite the name, the track never reached Fort Morgan; the hurricane of 1906 disrupted construction, terminating the line in Foley.) According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Employment Security, one-third of shed workers were high school kids, ages 16 and older. Jobs included washing, sorting and inspecting potatoes, and satisfactory spuds were packed in burlap sacks and the bags stitched closed. Once sewn shut, the bags became interstate commerce, which meant only those 18 or older could load the bags into train cars. THE CORTE FAMILY In 1939, Baldwin County had more
O Farmer, Where Art Thou? Potato sheds were located in Stapleton, Loxley, Robertsdale, Summerdale and Foley. Could this farmer have been in Summerdale, near the old W.I. Cleverdon
other county in Alabama. Included
Arturo Angelo (A.A.) Corte. home in the village of Valle de Cordo
helped work the farmland and were
Queen corn.
Corte land.
110
Pounds of potatoes a burlap gunnysack can hold; Idaho farmers use the term "sack" as a
$1
Price per acre at which Baldwin County land was
23.4k
Acres in which Irish potatoes were harvested in
471
Are you a relative of the family pictured? Let us know! Email ahartin@pmtpublishing.com. 90 mobilebaymag.com | november 2021
Number of Alabama high school boys enlisted to help process
92 mobilebaymag.com | march 2021