If you are a beginner sushi eater like myself, you may think that California rolls are gourmet, but if you want to expand your sushi palate, you need to stop in a new spot in Hoover called Ooka Japanese and Chinese. They specialize in hibachi, Chinese & Japanese meals. Unlike most habachi restaurants the meal is cooked before you on the table. Ooka does all of their tricks in the back, but the food is magical. In fact, when it comes to sushi, their chef is top notch. They have the most beautiful decorated plate that lights up when you get your meal. Another item that is my top fav is the fried tempura bananas drizzled in chocolate. When you visit Ooka, mention Comedienne Joy for 10% off you

My dream finally came true last year as I had the opportunity to be one of the hosts for the biggest food competition in America, World Food Championships which is held in November in Orange Beach, Alabama. The taped piece is Food, "Fame & Fortune" which is airing in select markets features myself, Jay Ducote & Suzane Kosnick. We are responsible for following chefs in 3 different food categories each to see who will win the grand prize of $100k in cash and prizes. We did have 1 Alabamian to place in the top 10 for the sandwich category. Brandon Burleson from Montgomery, AL won with his cornbread BLT that was inspired by his grandmothers cornbread recipe. Luckily this year Jonathan Tucker the

Who says you can't have your breakfast and your burger too? When you stop at "Our Place" in Ozark, Alabama you can. The popular retro diner has been around for a while serving up amazing local food, but now it's under the ownership of Tyler Wright who believes every successful restaurant needs two ingredients to survive: well seasoned food & great customer service. I was surprised to see he walked around and greeted all of the customers. He really made you feel like you belonged to Our Place. Since it was just before lunch when I arrived, I thought I needed to see what all the hoopla was about the Bacon Egg Cheese Burger. You can get any side with it. My server asked if I wanted grits which

2 things that makes people nice #InTheSouth is football and good food. That's why I've teamed up with my friends at Sprouts to help your tailgating be a BIG win. The same fresh, high quality foods you find in each Sprouts store is what they use to make their party trays which is perfect for all your gameday eats. It doesn't matter if you are vegan or a meatarian like myself, Sprouts has a party tray just right for you. You can choose from pinwheels, to wraps, cold cuts and veggie or cheese trays. To make it even easier, you can place your order right off the Sprouts website or call your closest location and they will have it ready for you. So #RollTide or #WarEagle and make it a win every ti

Some of the best foods are found in a small, no frills, old school restaurant. Hamburger King located on S. Decatur Street downtown Montgomery has been cooking on the same grill longer than I've been on the earth. You can always find owner Hunter Harrison behind the grill flipping burgers Monday through Friday. They're opened 7 am-2:30 pm serving only breakfast and lunch, but I tried to beat the lunch rush for a burger, but many customers had the same idea I had. Hamburger King uses fresh meat that is hand rolled cooked on the grill. It's a no-frills burgers that come with lettuce, tomato, onions, ketchup, cheese & mayo. So there's no bacon unless you come during breakfast. No other fancy s

The newest trend in food is meals-to-go! It's convenient, no dishes to wash, no grocery shopping. What's even better about Fit Five Meals is all their meals are under 500 calories and taste GREAT! You can get meals that includes steak to fajita wraps and turkey meatballs and pasta. You can pick up your Fit Five Meals to go in any Elite Nutrition in Birmingham or Overtime Grill in Homewood off Lakeshore Parkway. Now make plans to attend this year's Middle Eastern Food Festival. It is 3 days of eating delicious, authentic Middle Eastern dishes like kibbee, meat pies and even spinach pies. I even got a chance to make my own spinach pie for the event. Plus, There will be dancing and church tours