14 • Thursday, August 12, 2021
FOOD
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
FOODIE NEWS Caterer Opens Cafe in Homewood
Journal photos by Jordan Wald
This month, Sorelle Catering owner and chef Joy Smith has a lot on her plate. Smith will be opening the company’s first storefront, Sorelle Cafe, in the coming weeks in the heart of Homewood’s business district, at 903 Broadway St. She teamed up with Daniel Roy, a veteran chef whose resume includes Galley & Garden, to serve as Sorelle’s executive sous chef. “My dream for Sorelle Cafe is to become a neighborhood staple — a place where people feel like they’re walking into a friend’s home, and a place where kids will recall coming to eat after they grow up,” Smith said. The cafe will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will feature a mix of Sorelle Catering dishes as well as new offerings. Sorelle’s acclaimed cheesecake will be sold by the slice along with pre-prepared dishes such as pork tenderloin with mustard sage sauce and grilled ginger lime chicken at a grab-and-go cafe and pie counter. Once in operation, the cafe will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
At the Unless U Scoops grand opening last week were, from left, Ford Balogh, Paula Heath, Marye Grace Browning, Lindy Cleveland, Meredith Binkley and Hannah Bishop. Below, Rene Alderson and Susan Rutledge enjoy an ice cream treat after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
GOOD SCOOP
Unless U Scoops Support Adults With Special Needs While Scooping Up Ice Cream By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
U
nless U opened an ice cream shop on its campus Aug. 6 staffed by and serving its special needs students. Unless U Scoops, with its wallpaper decorated using student drawings of whimsical ice cream in cones, bows and sundaes, serves Big Spoon Creamery products to the public at Unless U’s campus in Vestavia Hills. “Unless U Scoops is an ice cream shop where students will have the opportunity to
‘It’s so much bigger than ice cream. It’s watching our students gain confidence and pride in themselves as they learn a new skill and excel.’ UNLESS U SCOOPS MANAGER MEREDITH BINKLEY
receive job training, and we will be selling ice cream to the public,” founder and Executive Director Lindy Cleveland said, in a video celebrating the new shop. “We also wanted to create a space where the students would be employed, because we know that jobs provide purpose and we wanted to create the opportunity for our students to wake up and feel purposeful every day.” A 2013 study commissioned by the Special
Olympics and conducted by the Center for Social Development and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston found that only 44% of working-age adults with intellectual disabilities are in the labor force, with 21% unemployed and 28% having never held a job. While Unless U has been offering academic, social, physical and spiritual programming to support students’ independence, the ice cream shop gives students vocational support. Students began receiving their food handler certificates from the Jefferson County Department of Health in late July. “It’s so much bigger than ice cream,” Unless U Scoops Manager Meredith Binkley said, in a released statement. “It’s watching our students gain confidence and pride in themselves as they learn a new skill and excel. It’s fostering an environment of inclusivity and understanding as we welcome those who may
have never had the privilege of working with those like our students before. It’s learning to love others who are different than you and showing Jesus to every person who walks through those doors.” After breaking ground on the Unless U Campus in 2018, the organization announced that the facility would include an ice cream shop about a year later. According to a release, the idea for the shop was inspired by Cleveland’s older brother, Jordan Williamson, and his experiences living with Down syndrome. Cleveland’s first choice for a partner was Big Spoon Creamery because of the quality of their product and the way their missions in the community align. “Everything Unless U does aligns so well with what we value as a company,” said Ryan O’Hara, owner of Big Spoon Creamery along with his wife, Gerri-Martha O’Hara. The couple started Big Spoon in 2014 serving artisanal, small-batch ice cream out of an ice cream trike. They set out to use ice cream as a vehicle to make positive change in the community. Before meeting Cleveland, the couple had little knowledge about Unless U, O’Hara said, “but it was something I knew we had to be a part of as soon as she pitched the idea.” The idea for Unless U Scoops sounded similar to a national coffee company with which O’Hara was familiar, Biddy & Beau’s Coffee. Biddy & Beau’s was established in 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina, by Amy Wright, See SCOOP, page 15
Melt to Open New Location at Lane Parke in 2022
Birmingham-based restaurant Melt will open its fourth location, at Lane Parke, in 2022, Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors announced in late July. According to a release, what drew founders Paget Pizitz and Harriet Reis to open a location in Lane Parke was the atmosphere. Reis is a Mountain Brook resident and said she is thrilled to be bringing their business to her community. Melt Avondale, which started as a food truck, has been open since 2012 with two franchised locations, in Hoover and Huntsville. The menu features artisan grilled sandwiches, burgers and salads and serves vegetarian, veganfriendly and gluten-free options. While much of the menu at the new location will remain the same, there will be some additions created specifically for the area. “It’s been a big year for Lane Parke, and we’re happy to welcome Melt as a new tenant in our Phase II addition,” said Sam Heide, CEO of Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors. “We’ve been diligent about seeking out tenants who are a great fit for the area, and this announcement is one of many exciting new things coming to Lane Parke in the near future.” Melt will be joining new Lane Parke tenants Jeni’s ice Cream, Basecoat on Fifth and Ignite in 2022.
Birmingham Restaurant Week Set for Aug. 12-29
Birmingham Restaurant Week, presented by Spire, will return Aug. 12-29. The event will feature more than 70 participating Birmingham restaurants offering to-go and dine-in menus. “Birmingham Restaurant Week 2021 is a bright spot for everyone,” said Bill Stoeffhass, co-founder of BRW and owner of Style Advertising, in a released statement. “This 18-day culinary affair provides an opportunity for the public to revisit old favorites or to experience new restaurants while allowing local chefs to showcase the delicious recipes that put Birmingham on the foodie road map.
See FOOD NEWS, page 15
