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2026 SFA Film Residency, with multi-city in-person experiences and monthly virtual workshops ⟶
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Renew
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

Rob McDaniel

Helen

Born in 1978 in Florence, Alabama, Rob McDaniel grew up in Haleyville, a small town in north Alabama. He studied hotel and restaurant management at Auburn University before attending the New England Culinary Institute. He returned to Alabama to work at Hot and Hot and Jim ‘N Nicks in Birmingham and later moved to Lake Martin to run SpringHouse. In 2020, McDaniel and his wife Emily renovated the Meelheim Building on Second Avenue North and opened their restaurant, Helen.

Date of interview:
2021-12-06

Interviewer:
Michelle Little

Photographer:
Cary Norton

Download Transcript

“

“...just being part of everything that's going on down here right now, there's so much energy and there's just this good vibe. There's a lot of people coming down here right now, even at night. And during the day you've got all the business that's down here. There's a lot more people living down here, which is amazing. It's just fun to be part of the "Magic City" coming alive again. And growing up, I always remember Birmingham being called the "Magic City," but it's magical to be part of that fabric that is making up what's going on right now.” - Rob McDaniel

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Bryan Stanfield is the owner of Trattoria ZaZa in Birmingham, AL.

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Kathy D’Agostino

Kathy D'Agostino owns and operates Chocolatá, a chocolate shop in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Kristen Hall & Victor King

Victor King and Kristen Hall own Feast & Forest, The Essential, and other successful ventures in Birmingham, AL.

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Andrew Collins

Long-time restauranteur, Andrew Collins owns The Collins Bar in downtown Birmingham, AL.

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Chris Dupont

Chris Dupont owns and operates Café Dupont.

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Jesus Mendez

Jesus Mendez co-owns and manages The Louis Bar and Unos Tacos in The Pizitz Food Hall.

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Michael Pizitz

Michael Pizitz ran his family's department store Pizitz Department Store in Birmingham, AL and now heads Pizitz Management Group with his brothers.

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Tom Saab

Tom Saab owns Bistro Two Eighteen, which he opened in a historic building in Birmingham, Alabama.

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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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