The Front Porch Revival: "Art and industry are alive and well in the cultural kitchen of Alabama."

My latest Montgomery find is so awesome that I'm struggling to capture it in words.  As a native of Southern California, I tend to revert to the word "awesome" when words fail me.  So, please bear with me as I try to describe an emerging movement in Alabama food and culture that is probably the most "awesome" thing I've discovered since moving to the South:  The Front Porch Revival. 

After coming across a somewhat obscure facebook post the other day about a festival featuring local chefs and craft brews, held at one of my favorite locations in the Gump, the A&P Lofts, I emailed a few friends in a flurry and managed to rope my new friend Laura into joining me for the Front Porch Revival's friday evening locavore showcase.

As I walked behind Pine Bar into the A&P courtyard, which was shaded with trees and pleasantly adorned with four or five canopied booths featuring local chefs and an artist, I was first welcomed by an ebullient young woman named Caroline who enthusiastically took my $25 and pointed me toward the beer cooler.  Next, I was handed a bottle of tasty Brown Ale from Back Forty Beer Co. (based in Gadsden; also the brewmasters behind Montgomery's forthcoming Railyard Brewing Co.).  After running into some work buddies and meeting up with Laura (as well as my amazingly well-connected friend Hannah, who is always introducing me to new people), we proceeded to enjoy some of the best "Southern" fare I've tasted:  Pimento cheese mini burgers from Railyard Brewing Co., a few different dishes featuring Gulf-caught shrimp (I should have taken notes), and mouthwatering jambalaya from Roux's new chef Wesley True, washed down with "Naked Pig" Pale Ale.

This photo doesn't do it justice.  I hope a professional was snapping pics.

The organziers gave a few remarks about the chefs and the philosophy behind Front Porch, which you must read for yourself on their facebook page (authentic, organic, fun and inspiring).  Then, they introduced the head of the Carver High School culinary program, which the event benefitted.  All in all, I felt like I had encountered a bit of Portland, Oregon here in Montgomery, Alabama (or what Portland used to be before it began to take itself too seriously).  When I use the word "organic" to describe Front Porch, I mean it in its truest form: unpretentious, from the earth, and from the heart.  That was the vibe that the crowd, each of the friendly chefs, the brewmasters, the organizers (indeed, everyone!) gave off at the event. 

As I walked home, I couldn't help but smile (and wave to my neighbors, who were - YES! - sitting on their front porches).  The Front Porch Revival's low-key, high-quality event was probably the best $25 I've spent all year: and it supported a good cause!  I was pleasantly full and still drooling over the food and craft beers that I had the pleasure of tasting.  I can't wait to get more involved and help bring more heartfelt, enjoyable evenings of great local fare and good conversation to the Gump. 

I'll leave you with a few words from the Front Porch Revival's manifesto:  "Forged in the fires of progress in the Deep South, we are a collective of cultural voices committed to our crafts and unified in our purpose to spread the word that art and industry are alive and well in the cultural kitchen of Alabama."  But don't let their grandiose statements fool ya: the folks behind the Front Porch Revival also embody a sense of humor and lightness that I have found indigenous to the South.  The final line of their mission statement: "also, we like to party."