Ward 1 City Council position open

City Council Ward 1 Representative Anthony Smith

At last night’s council meeting, Ward 1 City Council representative Anthony Smith has announced his resignation effective Feb. 29 .

“It has been an honor and privilege to represent Ward 1 on the Homewood City Council for the past 7.5 years,” Smith wrote in an email.  “However, as most of you know, Shirley and I have been trying to sell our home for several months now.  Although we have not yet been able to do so, we went forward with our purchase of a new home last month that is located in Ward 4.  We have spent the past few weeks slowly transitioning to our new home.  While we have not yet completed that process, we are now closer to the end of it than we are to the beginning.”

Smith encouraged others in Ward 1 to apply for his vacancy. Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Linda Cook, the City Clerk, at Linda.Cook@homewoodal.org beginning March 1.

A ward map is available on the City of Homewood’s website.

Remembering Jake Monte

By RICK WATSON

Editor’s note: We were grieved to learn that Jake Monte passed away Feb. 11, only a few days after we published his and his wife’s seven-decade-long love story.

As a writer for The Homewood Star, I have an opportunity to interview the most interesting and extraordinary people. A few months ago, my editor asked me to interview Jake and Margaret Monte. Jake was 98 and Margaret was 92.

As I got ready for the interview, Margaret fetched me a cup of coffee, and I settled in.

Some interviews are more difficult than others, but with Jake and Margaret, I simply asked them to tell me their story.

Jake, who had some difficulty hearing at times, would ask Margaret to repeat what she’d said. Then he’s smile and nod his head.

The story was set to run in The Homewood Star in the February edition to coincide with Valentine’s Day.

Taste of Homewood set for Feb. 23

By MADOLINE MARKHAM

Ruth Chris Steakhouse serves a taste of their menu at last year’s Taste of Homewood at Rosewood Hall in SOHO.

Love for Homewood can usually only be rivaled by love for a a Pastry Art baby bite, Demitri’s barbecue, a Pinches taco, a Nabeel’s gyro, an O’Henry’s coffee, a Jackson’s Cookie Dough Egg Roll, an Urban Cookhouse orange roll, or whatever your favorite Homewood dish may be. Fortunately, we can get a taste of all Homewood’s dining scene in one place once a year.

The annual Taste of Homewood event will take place Thursday, Feb. 23, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Rosewood Hall in SOHO.

There will be food and drinks from around 50 vendors. Entertainment will be provided by Alan Barlow.

“Taste of Homewood gives you the opportunity to experience Homewood’s best in food service and catering vendors and an opportunity to socialize with other folks from Homewood,” said former Homewood Chamber of Commerce president Phillip Poole. “It’s a wonderful showcase for what our city is all about.”

A love that lasts: Jake and Margaret Monte (Plus their chili recipe)

By RICK WATSON

Margaret and Jake Monte have been married for 71 years and have lived in Homewood for 54 years. Photo by Rick Watson.

The seven-decade-long love story of Jake and Margaret Monte fills volumes.

Margaret keeps the letters and love poems Jake wrote to her while he was abroad in the Army during World War II in a box and re-reads them from time to time.

The two, who have lived in Homewood since 1954, celebrated their 71st anniversary on Jan. 30.

The couple married January 30, 1941 and welcomed their first daughter, Concetta, the following year before Jake went off to war.

Some of the words in his letters were cut out by Army censors who feared the information might fall into enemy hands.

When Margaret told Jake about the omissions, he started making up code words whose meaning she quickly caught on to. His letters stopped being censored.

When Jake returned from the war, the two wasted no time getting back to the family life. They had two more daughters, Josephine and Marguerite. They also had their only son, Dominic.

Blogger Virginia Jones shares the world through her lens

By ASHLEY BERKERY

Blogger and photographer Virginia Jones in Paris at the Eiffel Tower.Virginia Jones loves shooting kids picking out cookies at Savages. Photos courtesy of Virginia Jones.

Virginia Jones started posting a photo a day to her Birmingham blog in June 2008 and quickly made friends all over the world.

“My blogger friends were amazed at how beautiful Birmingham is,” said the retired Shades Cahaba Elementary third grade teacher. “They had preconceived notions of Alabama until they saw my photos. They said they always thought it was just an old steel town.”

Today her Birmingham Alabama Daily Photo blog has 1200 readers a week, where Jones adds her own flavor and voice to each shot she shares of her city and of Homewood.

Where to find king cake in Homewood

Homewood Gourmet owner Chris Zapalowski with a king cake. Photo by Brooke Boucek.

Traditional New Orleans king cakes are available around Homewood.
The cake is traditionally  eaten forthe Feast of Epiphany in January through the Mardi Gras Day, the day before Ash Wednesday. The hollow, circular shaped cakes represent a crown and are decorated with purple, green and gold colored sugar. These classic carnival colors represent justice, faith and power.

Inside each cake, a small prize is hidden, usually a plastic baby, pecan half or a dried bean. According to tradition, the person who finds the small prize is to provide the king cake at the next party.

Homewood Gourmet sells authentic King Cakes with an older Creole tradition prize of a half pecan. The plain cakes with cinnamon brown sugar are $25, while the cream cheese cakes are $30. The cakes are 16 inches and should serve about 15 to 20 people. Call 871-1620 to place an order.

Savages Bakery sells king cakes for $17.95 that should serve 6 to 8 people.  The cake comes in cream cheese or cinnamon with the baby and decorative beading on top. Call 871-4901 to place your order.

Publix on Green Springs will be selling two different sized king cakes. The large ($7.49) serves about 15 people, and the smaller cake ($5.49) should serve 8 to 10 people. For more information, call 944-1101.

Sweaty Moms Running Club

By ASHLEY BERKERY

Sweaty moms Julie Croushorn, Jennifer Andress, Mary Ben Fitts, Jen Jackson, Marian Dill. Photo courtesy of Wynter Davis.

It’s ironic how an off-handed comment can sometimes fuel a brilliant idea, even a new business endeavor. That is exactly how it all began for the Homewood moms of “Sweaty Moms Running Club.”

Five women, four of whom are Homewood residents, began their “club” with the original goal of simply running faster. Their quest brought them together once a week on the track where they focused on intense speed training.

“We are serious runners who don’t take ourselves too serious,” founder Mary Ben Fitts said. “Being moms we all wear many hats, one of which is now a runner. In the process of multi-tasking, sometimes running has to be squeezed in between the kids’ school, sports and after-school activities.”

GianMarco’s: Restaurant Showcase

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Giani Respinto (left) owns Edgewood’s GianMarco’s with his brother, Marco, and father, Giovanni (right). Photo by Madoline Markham.

There’s a reason you have to call GianMarco’s at least two weeks in advance to get a dinner reservation and that it filled up for Valentine’s Day around the first of the year.

The white tablecloth restaurant, hidden among Edgewood homes on Broadway, is known for its lively, energetic atmosphere as well as its upscale authentic yet innovative cuisine.

“It’s Italian-based, but it’s not your typical Italian restaurant,” owner Giani Respinto said. “We do Asian dishes. We do whatever we feel like doing. You can have spaghetti or lasagna, or you can have olive oil-poached sea bass.”

The menu is always evolving but is always guaranteed to have some favorites such as pan-roasted grouper, lunch pizzas and fettucine alfredo with gulf shrimp.

Homewood Family and Cosmetic Dentistry: Business Spotlight

BY ANNA CATE LITTLE

Julie Webb, DMD and Deanne Vail, DMD of Homewood Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. Photo by Anna Cate Little.

Customers age two to 98 come to Homewood Family & Cosmetic Dentistry for everything from routine cleanings to veneers, whitening and implants. Homewood resident and mom-of-four Deanne Vail, DMD and her partner, Hoover resident Julie Webb, DMD have been in practice on Oxmoor Road since 2006. While February is officially “National Children’s Dental Health Month,” this Homewood business is dedicated to children’s (and adults’) oral health each and every month.

“February is an optimal time to reinforce the importance of good oral health,” said Vail. “We always stress to our patients that regular dental cleanings and checkups every six months are vital to maintaining the health of one’s mouth.”

Each February, the staff visits local elementary schools and preschools to educate kids on proper brushing and flossing in both technique and frequency. They also discuss the importance of a balanced diet in minimizing the effects of dental decay.

Citizen’s Police Academy: New session starts March 6

The next session of the Homewood Citizen Police Academy will begin on March 6 and run for seven consecutive Tuesdays nights. Food will be provided each night by some of Homewood’s finest restaurants.  Through presentations and demonstrations by the officers themselves, you will learn some of the techniques and resources officers use to train for duty, from traffic stops to drug enforcement.

Topics covered include departmental overview; budget; officer selection; tour of headquarters, patrol, communications, corrections, jail, traffic stops, arrests, investigations, narcotics; tactical team demonstration; and a range day where participates will be able to shoot various police department weapons.

For an application and class schedule contact Sergeant Greg Brundage at 332-6864, greg.brundage@homewoodal.org.