(Orange Beach)

ZEN restaurant in Orange Beach presents a December Wine Dinner by Chef Brody Olive Tuesday December 6th.  Check out this great menu and make your reservations today.

(Gulf Shores)

Once again The Hangout is is hosting another great national touring act when OAR takes the stage October 20th.

GULF SHORES, Ala. ­— Almost everyone along the Alabama Gulf Coast has a favorite shrimp dish, and the best way to prepare the tasty crustacean is always a matter of taste and often leads to a heated debate. Last week, chefs Levi Proffitt and Tony Luna of The Hangout put an end to the debate – at least for the next year.

The duo took part in the 4th Annual Zatarain’s National Shrimp Festival Chef’s Challenge. The Challenge is part of the 40th Annual National Shrimp Festival presented by Zatarain’s and produced by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s festival will take place Oct. 13 – 16 in Gulf Shores where Ala. Hwy. 59 meets the Gulf.

Chefs from 13 other top area restaurants did their best to make Proffitt and Luna work hard to earn the top prize. The rules for the challenge were simple. The winning dish had to feature Alabama Wild Shrimp and at least one of the more than 200 Zatarain’s New Orleans-style food products. Zatarain’s is the presenting sponsor of this year’s festival and Alabama Wild Shrimp is a major sponsor as well.

The winning dish prepared by Proffit and Luna was Fiery Irie Island Shrimp atop Zatarain’s Caribe Cakes. The recipe consisted of mango and chile glazed shrimp infused with dark rum served on top of Zatarain’s Caribbean rice. The dish was served with arugula, pea tendrils and mint tossed in lime vinaigrette and topped with sweet potato hay.

“It was incredible,” Chamber Special Events Director Jan Umphrey said. “To watch them take all of those individual ingredients and make something truly cohesive and delicious was nothing short of art.”

The dishes were rated by a panel of three judges whose identities remain a secret except to Chamber staff members. The event was held Sept. 7 – 9 at The Gulf Coast Culinary Institute at Faulkner State Community College.

Along with taking home the Chef’s Challenge trophy, which will be displayed in The Hangout, the winning chefs took home $1,000 and a set of Royal Prestige cookware.

The unusual name for the dish was a collaborative effort between the two chefs and The Hangout Marketing Director Tara McMeans. “It was the brainchild of all three of us,” Luna said.

The inspiration for the dish, according to Proffitt and Luna, was simple. “We just thought about what would taste good on shrimp,” Luna said. “I love mango and chipotle together.”

Proffitt said the Zatarain’s product they decided to use was Caribbean Rice. “We looked for a Zatarain’s product that we thought would be different than what the other teams were using,” he said.

Shucker’s Oyster Bar in Orange Beach took home $500 and the second-place trophy with their Chicken-Fried Blue Grits with Jalapeno Smoked Sausage and Shrimp Cheddar Cream Sauce prepared by Chef Robbie Redd. Big Fish Restaurant and Bar in Orange Beach took home $250 and the third-place trophy with its Kaffir Blackened Demi over Paneed Gulf Shrimp prepared by Chef Leck Labron Lilayuva.

Umphrey said something new this year for the Challenge winners is a date to prepare their dishes on television. “We have dates during the weeks leading up to the festival for our three top chefs to prepare their dishes on Fox 10 television’s Studio 10 morning show,” she said. “So, if you want to find out how to make some of the best shrimp dishes anywhere, tune in and watch on Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Oct. 13. It’s exciting to know that these chefs and their restaurants will gain some notoriety outside our immediate area for all their hard work.”

Umphrey said the winners will be presented with their checks and trophies during the festival on Oct. 14. “The dishes these chefs came up with were amazing,” she said. “It just goes to show you what great ingredients like Zatarain’s and Alabama Wild Shrimp coupled with great culinary minds can create – the best shrimp dishes anywhere.”

In an unprecedented coming together of media, retail and corporate partners, the Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) is flourishing.  Recently, BARC! had the honor of recognizing Southern Chevrolet of Foley as a corporate partner.   They have provided the means to increase the number of dogs that can be rescued, rehabilitated then rehomed.

Pet adoption is critical to ending the tragedy of euthanasia – a tragedy that claims the lives of thousands of homeless pets every year in Baldwin County. Mike Werneth, co-owner of Southern Chevrolet of Foley, has a goal to cover boarding and medical expenses for 40 dogs who will be pulled from local kill shelters within 12 months.

At pet adoptions, the dogs wear blue jackets with "I was rescued by Southern Chevrolet of Foley" embroidered on it.  Visit www.BaldwinHumane.org for a photo gallery of dogs sponsored by them; notice they’re  named Chevy, Tahoe, Cammie Camaro, Blazer and Malibu after the vehicles.

“We would like to thank our corporate partner, and we ask that you do the same by giving them your business the next time you need some services” remarked Donna Burns, BARC! Board Member.  When she presented the plaque to Rick Carlisle, New Car Sales Manager, she continued  “We could not do this without  Southern Chevrolet’s help.”

The Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) is a no-kill adoption agency (rather than a shelter). They are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit established in 1979; they were the first and remain the only county-wide animal welfare agency. Its goal is to eliminate the number of abused and abandoned pets through spay/neuter, education, rescue and adoption.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPHEN SAVAGE.

Rick Carlisle, New Car Sales Manager, accepted the Corporate Partner Award for Southern Chevrolet of Foley from Sonja Presley, BARC! Executive Director and Donna Burns, BARC! Board Member.  Photo courtesy of Stephen Savage.

ATLANTA, Ga., (July 20, 2011) – Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism today announced it has become an official corporate sponsor of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

By entering into this non-exclusive sponsorship with the SEC, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism will receive official corporate sponsor status including use of conference logos, marketing rights, SEC television and web presence, event signage, and merchandise. Additionally, the company will have an interactive presence at the Dr Pepper SEC FanFare during the Conference’s annual football championship weekend and men’s basketball tournament. These two events, held in conjunction with the respective SEC Championships, draw more than 60,000 SEC fans each year. The sponsorship will also include a football kickoff weekend, which is set to take place in August 2012.

“We are pleased to welcome Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism as a new Conference sponsor,” said Mike Slive, Commissioner, Southeastern Conference. “We are confident in the tourism bureau’s ability to make a positive impact on our fans and anticipate a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

The unique sponsorship initiative, which was created as a result of the efforts to overcome the 2010 oil spill, will allow the Tourism bureau to use the SEC as vehicle to restore the region to a prominent vacation destination for families across the southeast.

“This Official SEC Corporate Sponsorship is an exciting new avenue for us to begin engaging our core market of potential and repeat guests,” said Herb Malone, President/CEO of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. “We are extremely grateful and humbled to have our family-oriented beach destination mentioned alongside such a strong and well recognized institution, especially as we continue to make positive steps for our destination. This sponsorship solidifies our position as a vacation and beach destination for SEC fans.”

The agreement, which will run through June 2014, was negotiated by IMG College, the SEC’s multimedia rights partner, in conjunction with Atlanta-based MELT (Marketing Entertainment Lifestyle and Trends), Fishbait Marketing, and Shaul Zislin, a prominent local business leader in Gulf Shores.

“This is a great program for everyone involved and one that will have tremendous impact for a region whose natural beauty has never been in doubt,” said Vince Thompson, President/CEO of MELT. “The opportunity to shoot a groundbreaking ad campaign with SEC football legends and to host the 2012 kickoff weekend, will help bring positive exposure to a truly pristine region.”

“We are grateful for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism’s decision to join the SEC Sponsorship program in what is a ground-breaking opportunity,” said Ben May, General Manager, IMG-SEC Sports Marketing. “We look forward to working with the bureau to connect SEC fans to the many available recreation options in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area.”

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism’s sponsorship marks the seventh new agreement in nine months for the SEC through its partnership with IMG College.

About the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 and consists of 12 member institutions: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The league currently sanctions championship play in nine men's sports and 11 women's sports. Its headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Ala., since 1948. For more on the conference, visit secsports.

About Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism serves as the official destination marketing organization for the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in addition to the unincorporated area of Fort Morgan. To learn more about Alabama’s 32 miles of sugar white sand, visit either gulfshores or orangebeach. The convention and visitors bureau is an accredited Destination Marketing Organization, 2008-2012.

June 18 Big Beautiful Cats of BARC! Adoption

A 19-pound Cameo Tabby cat is one of the abandoned animals left recently in the middle of the night at the Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!).  The owner left a handwritten note explaining because of the economy and BP issues, she couldn’t afford to keep him and two other cats.

“Animal shelters are full, foreclosures are still prevalent and pet parents are having to make tough, heart-breaking decisions they never thought they would have to make” remarked Sonja Presley, BARC! Executive Director.   “Owner surrenders are at an all-time high; our need has never been greater.”

BARC! currently has 113 adoptable dogs and cats seeking their fur-ever home; annually they rescue, rehabilitate and rehome 300.

A “Big Beautiful Cats of BARC!” adoption will be held  Saturday, June 18 from 11am to 2pm at Eastern Shore Pet Hospital at 910 Plantation Blvd in Fairhope behind Brunos.

BARC! has a diverse variety of kittens and grown cats:  Diluted Torti, Marble Tabby, Bobtail, Maine Coon, Tuxedo, Calico, Manx, Flame Point Siamese, Gray/White Tabby, Russian Blue, Cameo Tabby, Seal Point, Swirl, long haired Orange Tabby, Gray/Black Smoke and Irish cats.

For a printable gallery of all adoptables, visit www.BaldwinHumane.org.  Cat adoption fee of $55 covers spay/neuter, deworming, vaccinations,  and basic medical pre-adoptive care.  They test negative for Feline HIV /Leukemia, intestinal diseases, ringworm and skin problems.

BARC! is a no-kill adoption agency (rather than a shelter).  They are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit established in 1979; they were the first and remain the only county-wide animal welfare agency.  Its goal is to eliminate the number of abused and abandoned pets through spay/neuter, education, rescue and adoption.  For more information, call 251.928.4585.

Submitted by

Sonja Presley
Executive Director

Cell/Text/Email 251.233.1979