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St. Clair Business Review February 2023

Eissmann announces $3.4 million expansion, creating 79 new jobs

German automotive supplier Eissmann Automotive, N.A., has announced an expansion to its Pell City facility. It includes a $3.4 million investment in new advanced manufacturing equipment for their new production line. They expect to hire an additional 79 employees to support the production necessary for their new orders.

Eissmann Automotive has 13 locations on three continents. The company specializes in car interiors, built-to-print trim components, shifter modules and many other parts for German and Domestic auto makers, such as Mercedes, Audi, Jeep, Tesla, Porsche, Volkswagen and others. Their commitment to high quality and 100% customer satisfaction has been a key to their success.

“Eissmann Automotive Group’s decision to expand their facility in St. Clair County is wonderful for our citizens and community,” said Stan Batemon, St. Clair County Commission chairman. “It is always beneficial to both our community and the company when higher paying jobs with more advanced technology are announced. This is a testament both to the company’s ability to produce a great product and the faith they have in St. Clair County’s workforce.”

“We have been very pleased with our experience working with the City of Pell City, the St. Clair County Commission and Alabama’s Department of Commerce,” said Tracy Breeding, plant director for Eissmann. “They have been wonderful partners as we continue to invest in Pell City to provide quality service and products to our valued customers.”

“Pell City is excited to be home to quality companies like Eissmann Automotive Group,” said Pell City Mayor Bill Pruitt. “They have always been a great partner in the community, and this expansion is great news. We are looking forward to their continued success and the new jobs that will soon be available in our city.”

“St. Clair County and the State of Alabama are very fortunate to have Eissmann Automotive Group expand in our community,” noted Alabama Senator Lance Bell, (R-Pell City). “We applaud them for their success in capturing the business necessary for this expansion, and we are excited that they are growing as an important part of the state’s automotive supply chain.”

St. Clair Economic Development Council Chairman Joe Kelly said, “Eissmann Automotive is a great company who has experienced much growth and success here in St. Clair County. We are excited to learn that they are making this new investment in their Pell City facility. We congratulate Eissmann and wish them continued success.”

Moody breaks ground on Starbucks development

Commuters and coffee drinkers will soon have a new choice. A project to bring Starbucks to one of Moody’s busiest gateways broke ground in December. The site is located at Moody Parkway and Blue Ridge Drive.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Will Roark, Brice Johnston and Chris McCoy with RJ Development thanked all the stakeholders involved in the project, saying the project was coming up on about the one-and-a-half-year mark. “We’re excited to see this project come to fruition and want to thank all those involved in the process. We have enjoyed working with the city and county on this project” McCoy said.

The 2,500 square foot Starbucks is scheduled to open in June 2023 and will create approximately 20 jobs. Customers will have the option of indoor and patio seating, as well as a drive-through. The project brings a multi-million-dollar investment to the City of Moody.

“The City Council and I listen to our neighbors about the different retailers we would all like to see in Moody,” said Mayor Joe Lee.

“Most times this involves our team connecting the right developer, who has a relationship with the retailers we want, with a property owner who is willing to work with them. I am happy we were able make this happen on this project. I know this project will be a tremendous success because this is a brand many have talked about, and Chris McCoy’s team has worked hard to make it happen. It’s all about working as a team.”

“We are happy to once again be able to partner with Mayor Lee and his team on another great project,” said St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon.

“Chris and his development team have been wonderful to work with, and I believe this is just the first of many of their investments in Moody and other parts of our community.”

RJ Development specializes in all aspects of commercial real estate with a primary focus on the development of new retail shopping centers. The company has developed more than 2 million square feet of retail space.

Entertainment Center on horizon for Moody

Moody City Council cleared the way for a 60,000 square foot entertainment center for the city, an answer to a much-requested type of development in input from the community for quite some time.

The council is entering into an agreement with Signature Developments, LLC and Starz events, LLC to construct and operate a new family entertainment center near the I-20 interchange.

The new facility is expected to be approximately 60,000 square feet and will be built on roughly 6.7 acres with interstate visibility. The project site is owned by the city’s commercial development authority (CDA), and the agreement allows the transfer of the property to the developer with certain personal and business guarantees to repay the city the appraised value of the property over 10 years.

The family entertainment center will offer popular activities like a bowling alley of approximately 10-16 bowling lanes, a trampoline park, a soft play recreation facility designed and intended for use as an area for young children, a snack bar/concessions area and other attractions in high demand.

“We are looking forward to opening a state-of-the-art entertainment center customized to the interest of the local citizens, said Shafiq Samji, the project’s developer and operator. “Moody is a fast-growing community with incredible potential, and we believe this project is a perfect fit. We have enjoyed working with the City of Moody, Chamber of Commerce and County Commission on this project.”

The agreement allows the developer 24 months to open the facility. “We would like to open the facility today, but much of the equipment is specialized and will require a number of months to receive and have installed after the building is constructed. We would like to be open before Thanksgiving of 2024,” Samji said.

“Most times private retailers and developers choose where they are going to locate,” Mayor Joe Lee noted. “On this occasion, the city’s CDA owns the property, which gave us a say in what would locate on the site.

“This is a project both the citizens and our council have wanted to see in our community. People expressed a desire to see more family entertainment options during our recent community input session for city’s comprehensive plan, Moody at the Crossroads. We listened and hope this will be the anchor for a larger, master planned entertainment district.”

St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon expressed confidence in the project.

“Mr. Samji has a number of successful business ventures in St. Clair County and Shelby County. He also has experience in the family entertainment sector, and we look forward to supporting the city in another successful project.”

Coosa Pines FCU gives $500,000 in Bonus, Refund to members

Coosa Pines Federal Credit Union announced that its members in November received over $500,000 as a bonus dividend and loan interest refund for 2022. This is the eighth consecutive year that Coosa Pines members have received a bonus and refund, for a total of over $2.7 million.

The Board of Directors made the decision to issue the bonus and refund based on the success of the credit union in 2022. “This year has been one of the most successful for Coosa Pines, and the outlook for next year is positive,” said CEO Don Carden. “While the purpose of a bank is to make money for its shareholders, as members of a financial cooperative, we all share in the success of our credit union.”

The dividend bonus was figured using 7.25% of dividends earned on the member’s share savings account from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2022. The loan interest refund amount is determined by 7.25% of the loan interest paid for the same period. Certain exclusions applied, but qualifying members saw a deposit in their share savings accounts.

The bonus dividend and interest refund are based on the current year’s results and projections for the following year. Therefore, any future bonus or refund are not guaranteed. “Every member is an owner of Coosa Pines,” said Carden. “Every decision we make is with their financial success in mind. We are elated when we can save them money, reduce financial stress, or share with them a bonus and refund like this.”

Coosa Pines FCU was chartered in 1950 and has a field of membership that includes Talladega, Shelby, St. Clair, Jefferson, Coosa and Clay counties.

Douglas Manufacturing invests $2 million in technology

Douglas Manufacturing closed out 2022 with an announcement about its future. The company, established in 1978 in Pell City, is investing more than $2 million in growth and automation.

Over the next two years, the investment will go toward new manufacturing technologies, such as new CNC equipment and automation, as well as expanding its physical plant. The company estimates that this investment and expansion will create more than 20 new positions in Pell City and increase the plant by roughly 15,000 square feet.

Once complete, the company plans to add a second shift, thus allowing the business to more than double the production capacity of key components so that the company can keep up with an increase in demand for its core component lines: pulleys, lagging, idlers, magnetics, impact beds and take-ups.

The investments will spur economic growth with increased purchases from local and national suppliers.

“The significant new investment Douglas is making to expand its Pell City manufacturing plant illustrates our strong commitment to the conveyor industry, to Alabama and our local community,” said Paul Ross, company president. “We would like to thank St. Clair County, the City of Pell City and the St. Clair County EDC for their support in helping to make this new investment possible.”

For 45 years, Douglas has established its legacy as a leader and innovator in the conveyor industry.

The plant expansion represents the latest chapter in the Made in Alabama success story that has been written over the past four and a half decades. To learn more about the Alabama-made products Douglas produces, visit www.douglasmanufacturing.com.

Carden opens new Classic Home Mortgage office

Mortgage Specialist Teresa Carden of Classic Home Mortgage celebrated the opening of her new office with an open house for the community. The office is located at 2600 Mays Drive, Suite B, in Pell City.

A Pell City native, Carden began her career in finance in 1996 and insurance in 1989. She worked as an in-house bank loan processor, transferring quickly to mortgage loan processor. She rose to Mortgage Department Head and has 20 years of experience in home loans.

She opened the local branch of Classic Home Mortgage in September 2022, building on her experience and passion for helping people achieve home ownership. “It is the largest investment most people will ever make,” she said.

Carden is a Home for Heroes Mortgage Specialist, which gives EMS, educator, healthcare professional and military service personnel a Heroes Thank You Reward.

I wish we could inherit memories

The same way we inherit our grandfather’s eyes or our mother’s mannerisms, I wish we could recall memories of our loved ones as they once were … back when they existed without us.

I wish I could remember the first time my mother fell in love or how my grandad felt the day he arrived home from war. I wish I could close my eyes and recall my great grandmother’s childhood home and the way her momma looked in the morning light of their farmhouse kitchen window or the rush of emotions my grandfather felt the day my father was born.

I wish that “family inheritance” consisted not of money or things, but instead, we were gifted our ancestors most treasured memories, their most carefully curated moment – wrapped up just waiting to be untied.

This kind of inheritance anchors us. It offers us some insight into who we are and where we came from. We are by no means defined by them. Our lives are still wholly our own. But, in a way, we are all still conceived a bit by these memories from long ago. These memories helped make us. They are a part of us … poured into the very foundation of our existence.

(The above image is a digital copy of a slide taken in 1953 by my grandfather, Maxie L. Black.

Featuring my grandmother, Betty Lou Black, and aunt, Patricia)

– Mackenzie Free –

Wife, mother, photographer & current resident of the unassumingly magical town of Steele, Alabama

Ashville, Alabama

A time to celebrate 200 years of history

Story by Robert Debter
Photos by Becky Staples
Submitted Photos

It is 1822 in Alabama: statehood is still a recent memory – achieved in 1819 following two years under a territorial government after separating from the State of Mississippi. There are 32 counties, the state capital is located in Cahaba, near Selma, Israel Pickens is the newly elected governor, and the population is over 125,000.

These were the days when great men and leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, still walked and wrote, and those who would become great leaders and better men, like John C. Calhoun, learned from them.

In St. Clair County, established in 1818, many of the distinguished and proud names, their descendants still living here, have created new lives and started families in this virgin land, hewn from the wilderness by the hands of heroes.

The Alabama Fever Land Rush and the War of 1812 had brought them here. From Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia they came: Ash, Battles, Beason, Chandler, Cobb, Cox, Cunningham, Green, Hodges, Jones, Looney, Newton, Phillips, Thomason, Yarbrough and more.

These families and others settled in and around the center of the young county, which was known then as “St. Clairsville.”

On Nov. 28, 1822, this thriving town was incorporated, and on Dec. 12, it was made the county seat. Shortly after these events, the name was changed to “Ashville” in honor of John Ash, a pioneer, early settler, and leader who became St. Clair County’s first elected judge and would later serve in the state legislature.

Celebrating 200 years

These stories of struggle and sacrifice, journeys and new life, muskets and covered wagons, and the triumphs of resting one’s boots and putting down roots in a fresh, new God-given land, were celebrated by citizens of Ashville, descendants and friends from near and far on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in an impressive bicentennial event.

Great care in preparation was evident. Ashville Mayor Derrick Mostella took charge and established a bicentennial committee, co-chaired by Ashville City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tempore Sue Price and Becky Staples.

Working with Ashville City Clerk Chrystal St. John, they made sure the day of celebration would be nothing short of the honor deserved by those who paved this path 200 years ago. Joining them were members of the Bicentennial Committee: Robin Bowlin, Rena Brown, Jeanna Gossett, Susan Kell, Billy Price, Janice Price, Nancy Sansing, Ricky Saruse, Chad and Esther Smith, Rick and Liz Sorrell, Dr. Jay Stewart, Renna Turner, Denise Williams and Nick Wilson.

Other events became part of the celebration. In the weeks leading up to the day, a 5-K run was held, and Ashville High School seniors Joe Stevens and Rachel St. John earned the titles of “Mr. and Miss Ashville Bicentennial,” awarded to them by the Bicentennial Committee for winning the high school essay contest.

The events of the city’s celebration began at ten o’clock on the steps of the oldest working courthouse in the state of Alabama. Mostella welcomed the crowd by thanking everyone for coming out to the “greatest city in the greatest county in the greatest state.” William “Bill” Watkins, a naval veteran who served during the Korean War and is commander of St. Clair SCV Camp 308, who led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Newly elected St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon offered prayer, followed by commencement speech by director of the Ashville Museum & Archives, who began by asking all veterans from all branches of the U.S. Military to be recognized.

Guest of honor and grand marshal James Spann

A concise history of the founding and naming of Ashville followed with a recognition of several other historic and noteworthy family names: Ashcraft, Bothwell, Box, Byers, Cason, Crow, Hood, Inzer, Montgomery, Nunnally, Partlow, Robinson, Sheffield, Teague and dozens more.

“Ashville is the type of town that Americans treasure,” he quoted from author, historian and leader Mattie Lou (Teague) Crow. “Our old homes are beautifully kept. The courthouse, built in 1844 to replace the original log building, serves well the people of St. Clair County. The natural beauty of the location of our churches and other old buildings that here for a century give the town the looks of a safe place to live, a place where people share in meaningful work and play.”

Others joined the celebration with performances by saxophonist Kevin Moore playing the Star Spangled Banner, and Chris Cash singing America the Beautiful.

Bunting adorned buildings and streets throughout the city. Patrons toured its three museums: the Ashville Museum & Archives, the John W. Inzer Museum and the Historic Ashville Masonic Lodge and Mattie Lou Teague (Crow) Museum. Reenactors gathered between the Inzer Museum and the Historic Masonic Lodge, joined by a historic fife and drum band from Rome, Georgia.

The county seat’s historic courthouse square was alive with activity, from hand forged knives display to face painting for the children to special offerings by the St. Clair Historical Society, Springville VFW Post 3229, Ashville Masonic Lodge 186, Ashville High School and Pine Forest Baptist Church.

Carriage rides and a petting zoo highlighted the day’s events as did live music performed by the Martini Shakers, and Berritt Hayne, a native of St. Clair County who contended as a finalist on The Voice.

Guest of honor and grand marshal for a grand parade had historic ties himself. James Spann, the noted broadcast meteorologist, is a grandson of former St. Clair County political leader and businessman, Judge Curtis Adkins. His uncle, Joe Adkins, followed his father into the banking world and also served as mayor of Ashville.

Features

In the beginning

Fats and the flag man: Two pioneers with St. Clair ties helped plant the seeds for modern stock car racing

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

Before Bill France Sr. saw his dream of big-time, big money stock car racing take root in little towns like Daytona Beach, Darlington and Talladega and big cities like Atlanta and Charlotte, seeds were being planted.

Two men – Perry Edgar “Fats” Layfield and Johnny Garrison Sr., both hard working, blue-collar husbands and fathers who made a living with their hands, were two of those planters.

Layfield, the patriarch of a racing clan that drove dirt and asphalt tracks for three generations, and Garrison, who became a respected official as a flagman, didn’t know it then. But they, like the more famous Allisons, Pettys, Earnhardts and Waltrips, helped build the glitz and glamor of modern stock car racing.

“Fats” Layfield’s son, James, himself a short track driver, said it best. “All the little tracks are what made NASCAR.”

A brief history

In the beginning, bootleggers and their sons ran booze through the mountains, hills and hollows of Appalachia, from West Virginia to Alabama. Trying to outrun Prohibition and feed their families, the daring drivers tried to satisfy thirsty customers.

Then, after World War II, a booming American middle class – freed from the shackles of gas and tire rationing – pulled their old jalopies from barns and sheds and off blocks and souped them up.

The vets who returned home from war were hungry for excitement. Automakers transitioned from a war footing to a consumer culture. America became a car culture that spilled over into movies like Rebel Without A Cause and songs that went like this:

“Son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’

if you don’t stop driving that hot rod Lincoln.”

To satisfy the public’s need for speed, dirt and asphalt tracks sprung up – Iron Bowl between Roebuck and Tarrant City, east of Birmingham, Birmingham International Raceway at the State Fairgrounds, Sayre Speedway and Dixie Speedway in Midfield.

At Sayre, James Layfield remembered, “Go up there and fight and hope a car race would break out.”

In black and white photos, the multitudes surrounded the tracks despite the blistering sun. There were farmers in overalls and straw hats, men in heat-wilted white shirts and sweaty felt fedoras, wives and children and seemingly enough picnic baskets to feed the 5,000.

Layfield and Garrison were there in the center of it.

James Layfield never saw his Dad race. He was a big man who looked like “Hoss” Cartwright from the TV series, Bonanza. After his son came into the world, “Fats” raffled off his race car, the Number 13 “Black Cat” Ford. When he tried to give the proceeds to a local church for a new floor, he was turned away.

“They said it was like gambling. He gave it to the preacher and told him to buy himself a new suit,” James recalled.

Tears come quickly when he talks about his Dad. He still remembers that once he took up the sport, his Dad never missed a race, even after work-related back injuries confined “Fats” to a wheelchair.

“He worked hard all his life, and age just caught up with him,” the younger Layfield remembered.

The elder Layfield could tell if an engine was right just by the sound. “I’d be out there working, and he’d yell from the house, ‘You better go back to where you was at. It sounded better before.’ He was my pit crew and my crew chief.”

“Fats” was a big man with a big heart, his son recalled. He checked on his neighbors, giving rides when needed.

“If there was somebody broke down on the side of the road, he’d stop to help them,” James said. “He’d either help ‘em fix it or tell them how to fix it. Or, if they could get it pulled to the house, he’d have the car waiting on me, so I could fix it for the folks.”

His voice quivered as he talked about his Dad. “He could be kind, and he could be rough,” James said. “He was at the race track every time I went. He was crippled up, but every time I’d go to the track, he was there. He’d say, ‘Boy, you need to quit this. But he was always there.

“After he passed away, and my son started racing, I’d look up to see (Dad’s) truck, and it wasn’t there. It just wasn’t the same.”

Racing was in the family’s blood. Before Fats’ grandson, Eric, was old enough for a driver’s license, he started working on his Dad’s race car. Soon, Eric Layfield was behind the wheel. Eric and James Layfield worked on each other’s cars.

“He was 15 on a Saturday night and turned 16 on a Sunday and ran his first race,” James said of his son. Needless to say, the Layfields were nervous.

“He had a little trouble getting his mother (Peggy) to sign the release form for him. But he had a level head on him and knew what he was doing. I think he finished third in his first race. The next year, he won the (season) championship.”

Peggy Layfield was a racing veteran of a sort. For years, as many as four race cars were worked on in the family shop at one time.

“We’d have the engines going, and the windows and dishes would rattle,” James said. “Peggy put up with that for 45 years, and we’ve been married 52.”

And when she was 15 or 16, James Layfield recalls, even his daughter Keri got into the driver’s seat – sort of.

At the Talladega short track, she joined her Dad in a specially created, two-driver cruiser class. James steered and handled the brakes and Keri, the gas pedal.

“We were three or four laps in, and she got the stiff leg and had the gas on the floor,” James says. “We spun out between turns one and two and blew the engine. I was done.”

As for what drew him to racing, James, who also built his own engines, wanted to show the other drivers what he could do. He raced dirt and asphalt. And he had a favorite: “Asphalt is for getting there; dirt is for racing.”

He always remembered his Dad’s advice. “I’d get out in front, and he’d tell me to slow down,” James recalled. “He wanted me to let them pass, then me pass ‘em back to put on a show. But I worked hard to get in front, and I wanted to stay in front.”

James had stretches when he was out in front often. “You get out in front, and you win every weekend there for six or eight weekends, it makes you feel good to know that you’re the one they hate the most or get cussed the most. But you just keep on going.”

The flagman

John Garrison Sr. kept racers going – safely – through hundreds of races. A veteran of World War II who served on Okinawa as part of the Army Air Corps, Garrison flagged his first race after volunteering on a dare at a California short track after the war. He had flagged informal drag races on Okinawa after the allies took the island from the Japanese.

He was a master of the flags – every color was racing’s code. But Garrison brought a color all his own to the track, waving each flag with a flourish, like a ballet against the roar of an eight-cylinder symphony. One photo shows him dressed all in white, smiling and clutching a checkered flag and wearing a tam that matched the flag.

And the fans loved it.

“It was a big thing back then,” John Garrison Jr., said. “Dad saw life as an adventure. My Dad and that generation of people were just unique in the way that they were raised. My Dad was the 13^th and youngest kid in his family … In the early days, they didn’t have much. Dad was a colorful character all of his life. He didn’t take life very seriously. He always found a reason to laugh.”

Many like Garrison, had never left their hometowns before they went off to war. Survivors returned home “full of vim and vigor” and looking for excitement.

“By and large, that was the fuel for the sport of racing,” Garrison said. “Those guys were daredevils. They were adventurers. Some were pilots, many were infantry. You had a generation that didn’t want to sit on the front porch in abject safety. They lived by risk, and they wanted adventure.”

The elder Garrison, a mechanic, taught his son to work hard and risk as well. Lessons were learned not by talking, but by doing. And though he loved to laugh, flagging was serious business for his father. It could be the difference between life and death on the track.

“As a boy, I remember walking the track with my Dad at BIR (Birmingham International Raceway). Two hours before the race, he would walk the entire track, looking for pieces of metal that had come off the cars or were lying on the track. His concern was a piece of metal flying up. A lot of these cars didn’t have windshields. He didn’t want the drivers to be injured.”

Garrison Jr., who started his own structural steel firm at 40, remembered when at 16, his Dad gave him a crash course in flagging at Dixie Speedway. “Dad said, ‘Get up here. You’re going to flag this race.’

When his son pleaded that he didn’t know how. His Dad responded, “You’ll learn how. That’s the thing that he did that gave me confidence in myself. He didn’t spend a lot of time instructing me. But when he was involved, it was like that time at Dixie Speedway. Without knowing it, he was teaching me independence.”

Garrison Sr. is a member the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers (aarpinc.org) Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Bobby, Donnie, Davey and Clifford Allison, Neil Bonnett, “Red” Farmer, Hut Stricklin, Don Naman and legendary racing writer, Clyde Bolton. In the future, “Fats” Layfield should join them.

Life’s lessons learned

The lessons learned from their fathers was like a gift handed down from generation to generation. While walking the track with his Dad looking for shards of metal may have quietly taught John Garrison Jr. independence and attention to detail so important in his future business efforts, “Fats” Layfield taught his son the power of possibility.

James Layfield was stricken with polio as a toddler. While a patient at the old Crippled Children’s Clinic in Birmingham, he would clutch his Dad’s finger and walk with him up and down the long tables where young patients were eating.

“The nurse would say, ‘You can’t do that,’” James remembered. My Dad would say, “My boy’s gonna walk out of here.”

And he did. No checkered flag win was as sweet.

Features

Chef T’s

A hometown secret of the best kind

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free

Family truly is the foundation for the success of Chef T’s Restaurant in Ragland. Chef Anthony Soles’s mother loved cooking, and that passion inspired him to work his way up through the food industry and spend more than a decade as an executive chef at a major hotel chain.

Their family kitchen stories and experiences influenced Chef Anthony’s son, Cordelro, to attend culinary school and become a chef. Several other family members work in the food business as well.

Chef T’s, named for Anthony (Tony), is a family affair – kin or not. His business partner, Carl Byers, also grew up cooking for his family and friends, and his son and daughter help out in the business as needed.

Restaurant and catering manager Melissa Burnette credits her passion for food and home fries for her dedication to the southern cooking offerings at Chef T’s. One of Melissa’s favorite menu items is the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. She recommends pairing that with the home fries or onion rings.

This restaurant is the quintessential, unassuming “hole-in-the-wall,” in a building that was originally built as a convenience store.

It’s a hometown secret of the best kind. Their mainstay is the barbeque pork, and they offer a small-chopped pork sandwich for the budget-friendly price of just $1.25. The barbecue sauce is homemade and is described by Carl as a “sneaky heat, but not overpowering.” The signature Chef T’s burger is remarkable and is served with a steak knife holding it all together.

“The home fries got me,” says Melissa. “As a customer, I just kept coming in and loving them and one day Chef (Anthony) said I should come to work for him.” So, she started out as a server at their Alexandria location before moving up to her current role in Ragland. She’s one of a staff of 10 who consider themselves a family.

There’s a lot of teasing and bantering among the crew, as there is in many family kitchens.

Byers and Soles opened the Ragland restaurant in 2010, building on the success of their original Alexandria location. They purchased the building on Ragland’s Main Street that had, most recently, been a Mexican restaurant and completely reinvented it as a Southern home-style eatery with a simple hometown atmosphere. Its following has grown so much that they are waiting for the opportunity to expand into adjacent space.

They made it through the early COVID pandemic days by converting to curbside pickup only, then adding outdoor seating in the parking lot. Now they’re even talking about opening a restaurant in a third location.

Long-time customer, Kay Carroll, is a huge fan. After she orders a blackened pork chop with home fries and a chicken salad to go, she chats with the wait staff and the manager like old friends. “You can do no wrong coming here,” she says. “You won’t find a friendlier place.”

Her husband comes in at least once a week. Even though they live 15 minutes away in Ashville, it’s “definitely worth the drive,” she says.

“When people finally discover us, they always tell us they’ll be back,” says Carl. “It’s just like Ragland, though,” he says. “It’s a hidden gem. You don’t go through it. You go to it.”

Carl, a longtime city councilman, is a strong supporter of his hometown. They are firmly committed to giving back to the community that has supported them. They frequently feed the football team for in-town games, as well as help to sponsor little league teams.

Since they opened 10 years ago, they’ve fed emergency workers several times when tornadoes came through nearby towns. Chef Anthony and Carl also make it a point to work with local churches to help feed “shut-ins,” or those who aren’t able to drive to get their own food.

“They’re good neighbors,” says Ragland Mayor Richard Bunt. “As a small-town restaurant, they always jump in and help when they can. They work with the town in situations where we have to feed workers.”

“Greet ‘em, seat ‘em and feed the people” is their unofficial rally cry. In this town of 2,000 people, they’re one of only two places to eat (the other one is a convenience store deli). They take that charge seriously, opening seven days a week to prove it. From the moment a customer enters the door, the staff makes it their mission to be friendly and accommodating.

The menu variety ensures that just about anyone can find something they’re happy to eat at Chef T’s. The mayor’s favorite, he says, varies with the daily special. “They’re known for the barbecue, but I love the hamburger steak meal,” he says. “They also make great burgers.”

Catering is another aspect of their business and is supported by two food trucks. They cater for many of the large corporations and businesses in the surrounding areas.

They’ve even sent a small contingent to cater a gathering in Alaska. Obviously, that’s not the usual delivery area.

Features

At one special home, it’s always Christmas in St. Clair

Story by Scottie Vickery
Photos by Kelsey Bain

When Christmas comes to the Logan Martin Lake home of Sandra Mullinax and Randy Royster, it comes in a mighty big way.

The halls are decked with at least five Christmas trees, and some years there have been as many as 13. Factor in all the other decorations, including snow globes, quilts, whimsical Santa figurines and stuffed animals, and there’s a whole lot of jolly happening there.

“When I was young, my mother did a lot of decorating, and I always thought it was magical,” Sandra said. “It gives me a lot of pleasure.”

For her, the joy begins in mid-November when she first heads for the room devoted entirely to her decorations, a space that’s filled to overflowing. Despite the thrill she gets when she opens each box, she starts slowly and doesn’t get into full Christmas mode for at least a few more weeks.

“Randy doesn’t want me to rush Thanksgiving, so I start in the rooms he doesn’t see much,” she said. “It usually takes three to four weeks to get it all decorated, so we’re a few weeks into December before I call a halt to it. I tell myself, ‘Don’t forget you’ve got to take it all down.’”

Although she’s always been full of holiday cheer, Sandra didn’t necessarily set out to have Christmas in every corner. “A lot of things have been given to me by family and friends who know how much I love Christmas,” she said. “Most people would think it’s out of control, but it’s all special to me.”

It started fairly innocently. Sandra has always loved Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, so in the late 1970s or early ‘80s she decided to devote a tree to them. Although she had a few ornaments she’d gotten while visiting her mother, who lived near Disney World at the time, she needed more to make it work.

“There weren’t that many Mickey ornaments available,” she said. “This was before people started spending more on Christmas.” Instead of giving up, Sandra got busy instead. She found some wrapping paper featuring the famous mouse, cut out his face and made lots of Mickey ornaments with inexpensive gold frames. She also cross-stitched ornaments featuring several of the characters, including Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck.

Many years and themed trees later, the Mickey tree remains her favorite. Now her whole den is devoted to the crew, with stuffed animals and figurines adorning the mantle and other areas while a display of snow globes has a place of honor on the coffee table. “It just makes you smile and gives you a lighthearted feeling,” she said of the collection.

That’s the same reaction she had when she saw her first David Frykman figurine. Sandra, a retired account executive for Levi Strauss, traveled a lot for work and was at a hotel gift shop in Arizona when she fell in love with a whimsical resin Santa. “I just loved his sweet face,” she said.

Since then, she’s collected more than 100 Frykman ornaments and figurines, many of which are signed by the artist. In addition to the tree devoted to them, there’s an assortment of mischievous Santas, as well as reindeer, polar bears and other creatures.

“I have two nieces, and every year for Christmas I would get them a Frykman,” she said. Although the girls, who were young children when she started the tradition, weren’t always thrilled with the gift, they love having a collection of their own now. “They’re older now and both have a child, so now they appreciate them,” Sandra said. “It’s fun to see them in their homes and see how proud they are of them.”

Chances are, they love the memories as much as they love the figurines, a sentiment Sandra knows well. Many of her decorations are touching reminders of trips they’ve taken or the friends and family members who have added to her collection, including Randy’s mother, Betty.

“She loved Christmas, as well, and she was generous to a fault,” Sandra said. “Anytime she’d go somewhere she’d buy something for one of my themed trees.”

There’s the white and silver tree in the dining room that features 25 or 30 Waterford crystal ornaments, a perfect complement to the table’s centerpiece of crystal Christmas trees and Lenox silver bells. A tree on the screened porch may be a salute to America one year and decorated with birds and nests the next. She’s also had a nutcracker tree and a Dalmatian-themed tree in honor of a dog they once had.

Perhaps the most special tree, though, is a “half tree,” which is flat on one side, hangs on the wall of the guest bath and is adorned with handmade felt ornaments that she and her mother, Mignon, crafted. “I made them many years ago when I was living in an apartment in New Orleans,” Sandra said. “I talked my mother into making some, and she signed the backs of them. Those ornaments are old and precious.”

Although Randy doesn’t want Thanksgiving to get lost in the shuffle, he loves the Christmas decorations – and the memories they hold – as much as Sandra does. He bought a farm in Clairmont Springs near Ashland not long after retiring and selling his trucking company, and that’s where they head the day after Thanksgiving.

“We always go there and cut two or three fresh trees,” Sandra said. “The more trees that are up, the more Randy enjoys it.” Not surprisingly, the farmhouse is decorated, as well. “The whole house is done in snowmen there.”

Although it takes weeks to set up her displays and just as long to take them down, Sandra and Randy love celebrating big. “There’s just something about Christmas,” she said. “It makes you feel younger and puts a smile on your face. Everyone has a nicer spirit, I think, this time of year.”

That’s why they will keep on decorating, despite the time and energy it takes. “We love sharing the holiday with family and friends, and they seem to enjoy the atmosphere and like looking at everything,” she said. “When we have younger children here, there’s just awe. So yes, it’s worth it.”