On May 9, 2019, Leadership Birmingham came to Pepper Place for a panel made up of industry mavens Cathy Sloss Jones, Chris Hastings and Jorge Castro. The topic of discussion was inspired by the theme of the day- “Quality of Life.” Cathy, Chris and Jorge spoke about the past, present and future of Pepper Place, the revitalization of the city core and the exploding food scene in Birmingham, and Pepper Place in particular.
Pepper Place has long been a prime example of what sensible and sustainable development can do to enhance the quality of life in a city. While Pepper Place and the Market at Pepper Place have long been examples of a vibrant urban community, it’s been in recent years that food has played a more and more prominent role in the reinvention of Birmingham.
The panel discussion covered many topics, but with two chefs and Cathy on the panel, you can imagine that the impact of food, the culinary scene and the Farmers Market were all hot topics. Food has truly been integral to Pepper Place’s success. Restaurants serve as tenants for Sloss Real Estate, but it is something more than that. They act as a draw for people who may never come to this part of the city and service the businesses that office within Pepper Place. The Farmers Market exposes different people to the charms of Pepper Place while celebrating food and our local economy. When you wrap all of these together, you get a really enhanced quality of life for people from all over the area.
All in all, it was a fun and informative Thursday in May that helped the Leadership Birmingham Class of 2019 gain a deeper and more well-rounded understanding of everything happening in the city.
