Bessemer’s Bright Star Restaurant owner receives award for impact on food culture in the South

The Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) awarded the famous Bright Star Restaurant in Bessemer with one of its annual recognitions.

One other Alabama restaurant and a market were also honored for their impact on Southern food trends. 

Based at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, SFA says its purpose is to document, study and explore the diverse food cultures of the changing American South.

This year, Alabama swept the awards since the SFA symposium was in the state this year. 

Read on to get to know these changemakers.

Nick Koikos of the Bright Star in Birmingham

Nick Koikos is the current owner of the Bright Star Restaurant, the oldest family owned restaurant in Alabama. 

It opened in 1907 as a 12-seat bar, according to their website, and reached its current location in 1915. Its roots come from feeding “meat and three” lunches to the locals working in the coal, iron ore and steelmaking industries. 

The Koikos family has been involved with the restaurant since 1925, when founder and Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris’ cousins, Peter and Bill Koikos, bought an interest in the restaurant. 

Bill, who is Nick’s father, bought out Peter in 1960. Eventually, Bill’s sons, Jimmy and Nick, got involved in the business, the website says. Jimmy remained active in the restaurant until he died in 2019, and Nick is the current owner. 

That commitment has led to Nick being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from SFA this year. 

“Jimmy was the one everybody knew, and he was the face of the Bright Star. But Jimmy would have been the first to tell you he never could have done it without his brother. His brother was the backbone. Nicky put all the systems in place that still make this place what it is today.”

Nick’s cousin Andreas Anastassakis to Bob Carlton

Nick recently turned 80 and sold his interest in the Bright Star to his cousin, Andreas Anastassakis, keeping the Alabama staple in the family for years to come. 

Pam Trowbridge of Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Bar in Florence

The Keeper of the Flame award honors “an unsung foodways tradition bearer of note” each year and “pays homage to their life and work through a documentary film,” their website says. 

Pam Trowbridge is the fourth-generation manager of Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Bar in Florence. The café started in 1917 when Paul Trowbridge fell in love with the Shoals and opened a creamery a year after first discovering Florence on the way to a dairy convention. 

It was there that Paul developed their famous orange pineapple ice cream, attracting visitors from all over. Today, Trowbridge’s also serves food like hot dogs, chili and sandwiches. 

Tap here to check out the 6-minute film. 

Erin and Erica Washington of the FreshGreens Market and Farm in Montgomery

FreshGreens Market, founded by sisters Erin and Erica Washington, is an urban farm and market that was inspired by the power of health, wellness and food. 

The two of them received the John Egerton Prize, which awards those whose “early-to-mid-stage work would benefit from greater freedom, support and exposure,” the SFA website says. 

Candidates must exhibit creativity, have potential to make a genuine difference in one or more fields and stand to truly benefit from a $5,000 investment in their work, among other requirements. 

The Washington sisters opened their market on the exact spot their great-grandfather opened a grocery store in the 1940s. They seek to make fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables easily accessible to low-income locals. 

In addition to their sales, FreshGreens Market educates the community on how to grow their own food and live a healthy life. 

Tap here to watch the 8-minute film. 

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