NOW SERVING: FAMILY HISTORY

Our story begins back in 1942, when three bothers—Paul, Charlie, and John—began a wholesale grocery supply store on Morris Avenue in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Throughout the 1900s, they grew the name, both in means of business, but also by way of family. John’s wife, Ida Mae Farnetti, grew up in a poorer urban area of Birmingham, discovering her love of Southern Soul Food. Upon meeting John Molay, she realized his Sicilian heritage and her roots in Bologna offered a unique way to twist classic Italian food by fusing it with her deep love of Soul Food.

John and Ida Mae married and had three children: Marie, Julie, and my grandmother Carol (now known as “Cawkie”). All three inherited Ida Mae’s iconic style of cooking, learning how to prepare Sunday Sugo, and to make dishes people can gather for. To them, the meal was the event.

Cawkie married Michael Burke, and the two had three children: Kevin, Elaine, and my dad John. When I was born, I quickly learned that celebrations at Cawkie’s house revolved around a deep love for gathering, and an even deeper love for food. Very soon, I wanted to be a part of each celebration, assisting my grandmother with tossing salad, stirring sauce, or chopping vegetables. What I didn’t know then but what I know now, is that I have always appreciated the art of dining.

It is not just the Molay family heritage that continues to inspire all that I do today, but also the legacies on both of my parents’ sides. On my Mom’s side, much of how I perceive hospitality stems from her mother. My grandmother, Micky McClay Zielinski taught me that food is the rooms of a house, and how you treat those you are with is the brick structure of a house. Hospitality is treating each person you meet with a selfless love, and her acts of selfless love are moments I still learn from today.

While excellent hospitality and excuisite food are both un-foreign to many, they are seemingly interconnected and only work wonders when fused together. Our hope is not to write the rule book on how to be exceedingly hospitable and the world’s best chef, but rather to provide simple, genuine hospitality followed by cuisine prepared from the soul.