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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

Kristen Hall & Victor King

The Essential

Kristen Hall came to Birmingham from Dalton, Georgia in the mid–1990s to attend Samford University. With a passion for science, she studied biology and started a career in public health at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. In her free time, she and her daughters baked pastries for friends and neighbors. This hobby led her to set up booths at weekend farmers markets, stage pop–up events, and eventually change careers. She met her business partner, Victor King in 2015, and the two opened Feast & Forest, the first of many successful ventures. In 2018 the duo renovated a former bank drive through on historic Morris Avenue to create The Essential, a neighborhood bistro.

Born in 1990, Victor King grew up on farm in Nolensville, Tennessee. His family loved to entertain, often hosting parties and pig roasts for friends and neighbors. He moved to Birmingham, Alabama to study at Samford University. After working in food and beverage throughout college, he trained with Frank Stitt at Highlands Bar & Grill. King met his business partner, Kristen Hall, in 2015, and the two opened Feast & Forest, the first of many successful ventures. In 2018, the duo renovated a former bank drive through on historic Morris Avenue to create The Essential, a neighborhood bistro.

Date of interview:
2021-12-08

Interviewer:
Michelle Little

Photographer:
Cary Norton

Download Transcript

“

“But I think during that time we really learned that the right thing always comes along. It always does. And so when it's not working that means it's not supposed to work there. And then we found this space, and obviously there was nothing on Morris. There are law offices and a few other places, but there was nothing else going on. And the space here has a fascinating story because it was Birmingham's first bank drive-through, and so when we looked at the space basically it was underground. So people entered the bank drive-through on Morris Avenue and basically it ramped all the way up to 1st. And so when we looked at it, it was basically still a bank drive-through, and so it definitely is living a new life for sure.” - Kristen Hall

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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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