Urban Cookhouse
When David and Andrea Snyder decided to open a restaurant, they didn’t think twice about its location.
“We love Homewood and love that most of the shops up and down 18th Street are locally owned and managed,” David Snyder said. “It just feels like there’s an energy in Homewood, and we wanted to be part of that area.”
Since then, they have opened a location at The Summit in 2011 and one in Crestline last fall.
They credit how being in Homewood draws in people from all over the city for their initial success.
“As we looked to expand, we found land owners were already familiar with us,” Snyder said. “We actually got recruited by a few landlords, so that made our transition to The Summit an easy one. It gave the landlords a certain amount of comfort knowing we would do well.”
Infused with Latin flavor, the menu features roasted jalapeno vinaigrette on the Pepper Patch Salad, cilantro in their rice pilaf and chipotle flavoring on their braised pork.
Much of their seasonal produce comes from Owl’s Hollow Farm in Gadsden.
In the summer they gather hundreds of gallons of strawberries from Harvest Farm in Cullman to puree and save year-round for their strawberry lemonade, made from fresh lemons (no syrup) daily.
As delicious as salads like the Berry Good (greens, tomatoes, spiced pecans, feta and a citrus vinaigrette) are, it’s the warm orange roll that accompanies them that stands out the most. There’s no doubt that the decadent Alabama-based Milly Ray rolls are made from scratch.
Salad varieties are also served as wraps with a choice of one side such as hot cheddar pasta, fruit, garden salad or roasted vegetables. The menu offers a selection of sandwiches and “fork and knife” plates with meats and sides as well.
Urban Cookhouse’s kamado-style cookers (think The Big Green Egg: lots of taste, no added fat) are to blame for meat as flavorful as lime-marinated steak that tops the Urban Cowboy sandwich along with caramelized onions and peppers, pepper jack and aioli.
For catered orders, The Down Home is a popular choice with smoked turkey and pineapple ham, hot cheddar pasta, broccoli salad and a warm orange roll.
With selections like Piggy Mac and Grilled Peanut Butter Fluff, kids are more than welcome. Plus, you’ll find small containers of Goldfish near the drink dispenser in the restaurant.
Take Home Dinners for four include a meat, two sides and orange rolls for $22.95. You can call in advance to order one, or it can be ready in 5 minutes if you order at the restaurant.
Since establishing their initial menu, the soups and some mixes of vegetables and salads have changed seasonally based on produce they can get from farmers, but not much else has. Still, Snyder said they are looking to add more entrees and appetizer items to the menu in the near future.
The Snyders’ focus on local produce extends beyond the menu as well, as is evident on Saturday mornings in the summer. Since the first summer they opened, they have run a farmer’s market in SoHo. Each year their number of farmers and other vendors has grown, and this year they expect to have more than 20 plus face painters and balloon animals for kids.
“It’s fun to see people who come out every Saturday and treat it like a grocery store,” Snyder said. “We want to provide something for the community at the same time we provide an outlet for the farmers who work so hard to be able to sell their produce at retail prices to the general public.”
The Snyder have donated food for the athletic department at Homewood High School, and they like to focus their charitable work in the area where they are located. Most recently, you might have seen Girl Scouts selling cookies on their patio.
“My wife and I have been living in Birmingham for close to 15 years, but we really love Homewood and want to be a part of the community,” Snyder said.