After a long day touring the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta with friends from Tuscaloosa last week, we were tired and hungry. Luckily, we had planned and made reservations at Char 32 Restaurant and Bar located at the Point Clear Swim and Tennis Club. It is such a popular dining spot that reservations are required.

Tim Thompson and Ellis O’Neal, Pensacola natives, met playing disc golf. They both worked in the food industry; Tim was a line cook for Global Grill and Peg Leg Pete’s while Ellis worked in kitchen and equipment sales for restaurants. They tossed around the idea of opening a food truck business while playing disc golf together.

Several of my foodie friends have recommended a small, neighborhood establishment called KItchen on Main in Daphne; the Main being Main Street across from Manci’s Antique Club. It was my daughter’s birthday, so we made reservations and had a wonderful dining experience!

Linda and I had the pleasure of a quick, mid-week trip to Birmingham to see Bonnie Raitt in concert last Wednesday. We had early dinner reservations at Automatic Seafood and Oysters before heading to the Birmingham Civic Center Theater for the show.

What brings Jessica Alford, General Manager of the Avenue Pub from Cincinnati, Ohio to Orange Beach, Alabama? Two things. First, she says that in 2015, both she and her mom had a bit of a mid-life crisis, and second, it coincided with the cold weather in Cincinnati. They moved to Pensacola and fell in love with the area.

Tamara Wintzell has been a staple in the Fairhope restaurant industry for over four decades. Think about that. From experience, I can tell you that 40 years ago, Fairhope’s restaurant offerings were sparse, to say the least. And yet Tamara has started, sold, and started again more establishments than you can shake a stick at. She’s an institution unto herself!

You may not know that in 1955, the Dallas Cowboys selected L. G. Dupre in the third round of the NFL Draft. He was a 5' 11” 190 lb. running back who played opposite Alabama’s famous linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. L. G. and Lee Roy became fast friends during their playing days and their “Cowboy wives,” Biddie and Sissy did too.

William and Elisabeth Hanes knew they wanted to be in the hospitality business after a weekend at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco with Elisabeth’s parents. The Ritz was a stark contrast to living with eight housemates on meager wages in Redding, California where they lived at the time. “It showed us how impactful hospitality can be,” says William.