Chef Andrea Foster has been plugging away for a long time in developing her concept restaurant, The Preservery, which opened this summer as a brick and mortar in Birmingham’s historic Five Points South district. The chef’s dream has come true.
The Preservery began in 2018 at the Pizitz Food Hall as a part of the REVeal Kitchen, a rotating incubator for up and coming restaurants in Birmingham. The ambitious Foster marketed her restaurant using food demos, pop-ups, and catering to showcase her culinary abilities and test menus.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) alum is from Temecula, CA, and a former bank underwriter. She uses a mix of flavors from her California upbringing and diverse southern cuisines to complete her “elevated” soul food menu that includes field pea fondue and fried red and green tomato appetizers, and entrées like jerk duck breast and spinach ravioli. The Sunday brunch menu is where the “soul” is creative with a salmon croquette eggs benedict dish and a rib-eye and egg soufflé. The dessert menu has a sweet potato cheesecake that looks absolutely wonderful. There is a great salad and soup menu.
The mission of The Preservery is to preserve southern food traditions. She sources food from Alabama farmers, farmers’ markets, and food artisans “to create a menu that changes with the seasons.”
A strong believer in community and economic development, Foster extends her use of locally and regionally sourced product to The Preservery’s bar program that includes wines from family-owned vineyards as well as local craft brews and spirits. The drink menu has a pre-Prohibition focus.
The Preservery’s presence in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood is also about preserving the history of the area, a known hub for “bohemian” activity and the city’s central business district now in the National Register of Historic Places. Five Points is filled with landmark buildings, and known for its architectural interest.
Visit The Preservery at 2005 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday | 5 PM – 8 PM, Sunday Brunch | 11 AM – 3PM. Follow their social profiles: Instagram @thepreserverybham and Facebook @thepreserverybham. Call 205.201.4147 or email thepreserverybham@gmail.com for more information.
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Robin Caldwell is the blogger behind freshandfriedhard.com and a public historian and researcher focusing on Black culinary traditions and foodways.
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