Pepper Place Market opens for its ninth season this Saturday, May 3. The market is open 7 a.m.-noon each Saturday through Sept. 27 and features fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey, bread and other goods from local and regional producers. The market also features cooking demonstrations by Birmingham-area chefs as well as live music from local musicians.

Check out the cooking demonstration and live music lineups below:

Pepper Place Market 2008 Chef Demonstration Schedule

Demonstrations begin at 9 a.m. each Saturday.

May 3: daniel george - Daniel Briggs & George McMillan
May 10: John’s City Diner - Shannon Gober
May 17: The Homewood Gourmet - Franklin Biggs
May 24: A Social Affair - Jim Cobb
May 31: Grey House Grille - Shelby Adams
June 7: Satterfield’s - Haller Magee
June 14: Terrace Café - Jason Mezrano
June 28: Icon - Ben Leingang
July 5: Little Savannah - Clif Holt
July 12: Bitty’s Back Porch Catering - Kimberly Brock
July 19: Standard Bistro - Alan Martin
July 26: Culinary Institute of Virginia College - Antony Osborne
August 2: Brock’s at Ross Bridge - Joshua Towey
August 9: The Gardens Café - Nichole Keesey & Alan Bullen
August 16: Sol y Luna - Guillermo Castro
August 23: Table - Daniel Lasseter
August 30: Café Iz - Ken Barrett
September 6: Bottletree Café - Thomas Bagby
September 13: Veranda on Highland - Tom Robey
September 20: Ocean - George Reis
September 27: Chef Clayton’s Food Systems - Clayton Sherrod

Pepper Place Market 2008 Entertainment Schedule

Performances take place on both the Richard Tubb Stage and the Interiors Market Stage.

May 3: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Grover Sheffield
May 10: TBA/Joel Kauffman
May 17: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/Sonny Pritchett
May 24: TBA/TBA
May 31: Christ Episcopal Church/Mike Hipp
June 7: Wayne and Marvin/Ron Dometrovich
June 14: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Joel Kauffman
June 28: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/Grover Sheffield
July 5: Wayne and Marvin/TBA
July 12: The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame/Mike Hipp
July 19: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Sonny Pritchett
July 26: Donny Tomlin/Joel Kauffman
August 2: Debbie Bond and Radiator Rick/TBA
August 9: Wayne and Marvin/Ron Dometrovich
August 16: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Joel Kauffman
August 23: Flying Jenny/Iikah
August 30: Donny Tomlin/Sonny Pritchett
September 6: The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys/Grover Sheffield
September 13: Wayne and Marvin/Mike Hipp
September 20: Oxy Morons/Ron Dometrovich
September 27: Fiddlin’ in the Parlor/Sonny Pritchett

Popularity: 9% [?]

Get ready to kiss a few cooks. The Magic City Art Connection presents the 11th Annual Corks and Chefs event this Saturday and Sunday at Linn Park, located at 710 20th St. North. The event is part of the annual juried art festival featuring hundreds of works of art in a variety of mediums. From 1-5 p.m., guests can taste food from the 17 Birmingham-area restaurants and caterers listed below, as well as wine, beer and other beverages provided by local and national vendors. Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door. Learn more by calling 595-6306 or visit www.magiccityart.com, where you’ll find information about each chef, including some of their exclusive culinary secrets.

Saturday Chef Lineup

HOT AND HOT FISH CLUB
Chris Hastings will prepare Hot and Hot shrimp and grits with country ham, tomatoes, fresh thyme and ver jus.

JOHN’S CITY DINER
Shannon Gober presents South Pacific chicken salad with peanut ginger vinaigrette.

NABEEL’S CAFE & MARKET
Alan Nelson features Greek chicken skewers with Greek baked village potatoes.

ROCK HOUSE RESTAURANT
Owner and chef Paul Casey serves marinated basil shrimp with pine nuts and herbs, Asiago and Parmesan cheese on a bed of wild herb rice with feta cheese & dun-dried tomatoes.

TABLE
Owner Brian Lewis and Chef Michael Brandon prepare braised beef short ribs, roasted garlic horseradish Yukons and Cabernet jus.

THE J. CLYDE
Owner Jerry Hartley serves up local hickory roasted pork tenderloin on soft rolls with cilantro mango salsa.

THE VERANDA
Executive Chef Thomas Robey of Commander’s Palace fame prepares smoked Muscovy duck and braised greens gumbo.

V.RICHARDS
Chef Rickey Little III features his Mediterranean seafood salad.

Sunday Chef Lineup

BELLINI
Chefs Benard Tamburello and Doug Hovanec will prepare wild mushroom risotto.

CATERING BY LA’NETTA
Chef Joannetta Jarman & Chef Levi present Moroccan lamb and steamed veggies with couscous.

CHEF CLAYTON’S FOOD SYSTEMS, INC.
Chef Clayton Sherrod plates bacon wrapped stuffed chicken breast with wilted spinach.

CONTINENTAL BAKERY & CHEZ LULU
Carol Griffin features baked French breakfast doughnuts and almond bread pudding.

FRANKLIN’S HOMEWOOD GOURMET
Chef Franklin Biggs serves tortilla Espanola accompanied by romaine salad with roasted red peppers, tapenade, croutons and Asiago cheese.

ICON RESTAURANT & BAR
Chef Ben Leingang will prepare shellfish ceviche.

OCEAN and 26
Chef George Reis will serve Ocean-Dungeness crab salad and Mussels Diable.

SOL Y LUNA/CANTINA
Chef Guillermo Castro presents pork carnitas tamal with roasted tomatilla salsa.

STANDARD BISTRO
Chef Alan Martin will prepare slow roasted pork with aioli and spicy slaw.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Happily for us, the author of The Well and The Mine has had quite a few bylines in Birmingham Weekly. And as proud as we’ve been to have Gin Phillips on the masthead, it was far more thrilling to run her name on the cover last week, announcing the publication of her debut novel..

You can read an excerpt from the first chapter on the Birmingham Weekly website.

Popularity: 51% [?]

We’re taking Ginny Phillips off the masthead. Now that she’s a published author, it only seems appropriate that any future bylines in this paper match what it says on the cover of her debut novel: Gin Phillips. The excerpt of The Well & the Mine that ran as this week’s cover story ought to be enough to convince you to get your very own copy (and if it’s not, perhaps the cornbread at John’s City Diner will be – the book release party will be held there on March 13).
Far stranger than fiction is the atmosphere surrounding Magic City government. A porn star and the Pope? It sounds like the start of a bad joke. And then there’s JeffCo’s money woes – possibly the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history looming on the horizon. Good thing Mayor Larry Langford hired a guy who helped create that catastrophe as the city finance director.

“You can travel across the entire land, ain’t no place like Birmingham…”
O! For a restart of the city! For a reboot of the republic! If only a good meal – barbecue say, or lobster tails and champagne — could make this all go away.

Popularity: 49% [?]