Dinner Lab returns to Birmingham
April 17, 2015
Adventurous diners, steel yourselves for the second Dinner Lab experience of 2015, Summer in the City as the Lab’s crew of renegade chefs descends once again upon Birmingham Saturday, June 13.
Amy Roberts, public relations chair for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (UAB MHRC) Young Professionals board, described Dinner Lab as a “social dining platform uniting undiscovered chefs with adventurous diners in unconventional locations.”
Summer in the City will be a pop-up fundraiser once again benefitting the MHRC, whose initiatives focus on reducing health differences resulting from social, economic or environmental disadvantages as Roberts explained in an email.
Projects headed by the MHRC include researching disparities in African American men’s health, health policy and solutions for obesity in the mid-South with a focus on social determinants.
Dinner Lab itself aims to provide diversity in a culinary fashion, introducing new combinations of ethnic cuisine to a city that is hungry for change.
“Dinner Lab is predicated on two goals…giving would-be restaurateurs a platform to express themselves, and giving a unique dining experience to new markets,” reported Walter Lewellyn.
Francisco “Paco” Robert, Dinner Lab’s chief operating officer, said in April that the organization planned to have two dining events per month in Birmingham by June.
In true Dinner Lab fashion, the event will be held in an undisclosed location. Diners will find out the location days after reserving tickets. A cocktail hour will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the five-course dinner. Toia Jones, a Montgomery native who competed on NBC’s The Voice will perform during the event.
Tickets are available now and can be purchased online at dinnerlab.com. For more information about the MHRC, visit uab.edu/mhrc.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Mt. Laurel Farm Stand — Mt. Laurel Sales Center. 5 Mt. Laurel Ave. The community of Mt. Laurel offers their new weekly farm stand featuring fresh, organic produce harvested from farmers at Mt. Laurel Farm. 4–7 p.m. Free. For more information, visit mtlaurel.com.
Urban Cookhouse Summit Farmers Market Kickoff — 214 Summit Blvd. Every Thursday from May 28 to August 13th, Urban Cookhouse’s Summit location offers their farmers market from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday. For more information, visit urbancookhouse.com.
FRIDAY, MAY 29
Tragic City Rollers’ Lip Synching Competition — Black Market Bar and Grill. 2011 Highland Ave. S. The Magic City’s roller derby team is challenging the citizens of our great city to a battle of epic proportions: The Tragic City Rollers’ first lip synching competition. Competitors will lip synch their way to the top before a panel of judges to win the title of Lip-Synch Battle Champion. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places. 7–10 p.m. $5 to attend, $10 to compete. For more information, visit the Tragic City Rollers on squareup.com.
Fresh Ground Comics — Urban Standard. 2320 Second Ave. S. Urban Standard’s best local stand-up comedians have returned to perform for the “unwashed masses.” The event, held afterhours in the coffee shop’s cozy interior, experienced a brief hiatus, but has triumphantly returned to prove that Fresh Ground Comics, indeed, springs eternal. Arrive early to partake in freshly brewed Counter Culture Coffee, dinner and heralded cupcakes. 8–10 p.m. $5. For more information, visit Urban Standard on Facebook.
SATURDAY, MAY 30
Bob Sykes BBQ and Blues Festival — DeBardeleben Park. 1623 Second Ave. N., Bessemer. For the sixth consecutive year, Bob Sykes BBQ presents this food and music festival. Attendees will be able eat barbecue from Bob Sykes and purchase food and art from local vendors. Daylong blues performances begin at 12:10 p.m. and include The Alabama Blues Project with Taylor Britton, Earl “Guitar” Williams, JJ Thames and Ian Siegal. 12–8 p.m. $15 online or $20 at the gate. For more information, visit bobsykesblues.com.
TUESDAY, JUNE 2
Ten Thousand Scoops — Linn Park. 710 20th St. N. Denali Flavors and Mayfield Dairy Farms will be serving 10,000 free scoops of Moose Tracks ice cream to thousands of participants to raise money for the Salvation Army of Birmingham, as part of Denali Moose Tracks’ 10,000 Ice Cream Scoop Challenge. For each scoop of ice cream served, Moose Tracks will donate $1 to the Salvation Army of Birmingham in the hope of raising $10,000 to support its community programming and outreach. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Free. For more information, visit moosetracks.com.
Art Break — Birmingham Museum of Art. 2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. This week’s Art Break will be a discussion on Pieter Tillemans’ Chatsworth House led by assistant curator of education Kristi McMillan. Afterward, guests may enjoy a free dessert from Oscar’s Café. 12–12:30 p.m. Free. For more information, visit artsbma.org.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
Rock the Bar — Sidebar Cafe. 2929 Seventh Ave. S. The Birmingham Bar Foundation is throwing a benefit party in Lakeview’s Sidebar Cafe. There will be food, beer, wine and a silent auction. Teenage Daddy will perform live. Proceeds benefit the Birmingham Bar Foundation’s outreach programs. 5:30–10 p.m. $50. For more information, visit smartparty.org/rockthebar.
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
Magic City Brewfest — Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. 20 32nd St. N. Free the Hops presents their ninth annual weekend-long beer festival. Ticketholders can learn about craft beers from across Alabama and sample a variety of artisan brews. The Alabama Cask Garden will feature firkins from all of the Alabama breweries represented at the festival. More than 200 different beers will be available including many rare, specialty and cask ales. Friday from 7–11 p.m., and June 6th from 4–8 p.m. $37, or $15 for designated drivers. For more information, visit magiccitybrewfest.com.