Live Cooking Demonstration at The Farmers Market at Pepper Place
Schedule
Sat Aug 03 2024 at 09:00 am
Location
212 29th St S, Birmingham, AL 35233-2827, United States | Birmingham, AL
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Meet our Executive Chef Chris Ippolito and owner Andrew Collins of Cayo Coco Rum Bar and Restaurant on the Cooking Stage at The Farmers Market at Pepper Place on Saturday, August 3rd at 9am. Chef Chris will do a live cooking demo on how to create a delicious Cayo Coco fresh seasonal dish that is Sweet Grown Alabama! Come meet the food experts and enjoy free samples! Interactive Q&A Session! Take home recipes and get inspired to cook and eat seasonally. See you there! https://pepperplacemarket.com/events/aug3/
Meet Chef Chris!
As an Alabama native, Chris Ippolito has an intimate understanding and knowledge of the great state’s diverse culinary landscape. Having grown up in a Greek/American household, Ippolito’s love for food started at a young age in the kitchen with his mom and grandmothers. Chris attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing. While in college at UAB Chris worked in a number of Birmingham kitchens. After College, Chris moved to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina where he got a job at The Admiral. While living and working in Asheville, Chris found his true calling to be a chef. Working with local farmers and cooking with the seasons made sense for the kid who grew up eating tomato sandwiches in the summer with his Paw Paw. Returning to his Birmingham roots, Chris joined Cayo Coco as Executive Chef. He has brought a farm to table approach to their New Caribbean cuisine. Chris creates fun seasonal dishes that are familiar yet unique.
Meet Owner-Andrew Collins!
Andrew Collins is the son of well-known Greek immigrant parents who helmed one of Birmingham’s most famous and oldest hot dogs stands-Lyric Hot Dog and Grill which opened in 1957. Andrew started working there at thirteen, joined full time at twenty-two. Andrew officially took over after his father retired in the 1980s and ran the restaurant until 2013 when renovation of the neighboring Lyric Theatre forced their closure. In 2012, he created one of the first craft cocktail bars in Birmingham called The Collins Bar, located on Second Avenue North. Considered the city’s premier cocktail bar, it has no drink menu. Bartenders create drinks after quizzing customers for their preferences. In 2017, Collins added Lyric hot dogs to the bar’s food menu. In 2019, Andrew teamed up with Josh Schaff to renovate a space in Founders Station on First Avenue North and opened Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant inspired by Modern Caribbean cuisine and tropical craft cocktails in a vibrant tropical ambiance. Andrew says one of his favorite designs in Cayo Coco is the enlarged black and white photo on the wall showing Collins’ parents on their honeymoon in Cuba in 1935. Collins relishes his personal interaction with customers, some of whom he's known his entire life. "If we don't already know you, before you leave, we know your name.”
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Where is it happening?
212 29th St S, Birmingham, AL 35233-2827, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays: