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Summer 2026—February 2027
2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Birmingham’s Central Business District

ORAL HISTORY

Josh Schaff

Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant

Born in Marietta, Georgia, Josh Schaff grew up in Alabama attending schools in Childersburg and Oak Mountain before studying business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While in college, Schaff worked first as a line cook at Milo’s and later as a server at Johnny Rockets and Macaroni Grill. He went on to work at Satterfield’s under Becky and Tommy Satterfield before joining the staff at The Collins Bar where he honed his mixology skills. Schaff and Andrew Collins teamed up in 2019 to renovate a space in Founders Station on First Avenue North and open the Cuban–inspired Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant.

Date of interview:
2021-11-12

Interviewer:
Michelle Little

Photographer:
Cary Norton

Download Transcript

“

“Downtown is lively, it's bustling. Birmingham, people are always saying we're on the cusp of something greater. I love this city because we're not too packed yet, right? It's still very easy to travel around and walk around and find these eclectic hole-in the-walls. And people who have envisioned taking a space, an old architectural building, and maybe putting their own spin on it and seeing what was there and what it's become. And that vision came from romanticizing an idea, which is where we came from here at Cayo.” - Josh Schaff

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The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

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