Fig Tree Café

Fig Tree Café Executive Chef Jon Holland knows a few secrets behind cooking southern food that ignites the taste buds. He spent years honing his skills in the bustling kitchens of Atlanta and Birmingham restaurants.

“The best piece of advice I ever heard was in order to be a good chef, never stay at the same restaurant for more than a year,” he said.

Holland took this advice to heart working everywhere from barbecue joints to pizza parlors such as the local Yankee Pizzeria, where he remembers creating out of the ordinary dishes to surprise customers. 

Last September, he began operating Fig Tree Catering Company out of Cahaba Heights United Methodist Church. He prides his company on focusing on a customer’s specific requests.

“I don’t have a set menu.” Holland said. “I’ll sit down with you and go over what you want. I’ll come and cook everything there in front of you in your home.”

The positive response from catering clients became a catalyst for a restaurant. This past spring, he and his team opened the Fig Tree Café in what he refers to as a little shoebox located near Cahaba Heights Village. 

Holland deems his specialties “traditional southern comfort food refined.” These entrees include everything from fried green tomatoes to crab cakes to pork belly to buttermilk biscuits. 

Holland’s house salad is anything but run of the mill with its blend of kale, black eyed peas, peppers and Andouille sausage. For the truly adventurous palate, he offers dishes like grouper with jalapeño cream corn, sherry and tomato salad or a southern fried chicken sandwich with homemade Siracha pickles.

The extensive menu, which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, changes on a weekly basis depending on Holland’s mood. With his background experimenting in a variety of kitchens, customers have reason to be excited when walking through the door.

“I’m happy to be able to do what I want to,” he said. “I’d say 98 percent of everything in here is homemade. I like being able to play with fresh ingredients.”

For Holland, the Cahaba Heights community is a special place that is able to embrace small restaurants like Fig Tree Café. He already notices repeat customers stopping by for a taste of something different. When they arrive, he is known to come out of the kitchen and sit down and enjoy a glass of wine with them. 

 “I love to learn about people and talk to all that come in here,” he said. “It’s all about community. Everyone really cares about each other here in Cahaba Heights.”

Fig Tree Café is just the beginning of Holland’s long-term culinary vision for the local area. He has plans to open multiple restaurants in Birmingham, with one possibility being a downtown Cajun themed eatery. He loves watching new and old customers react to the delicacies he creates.

“I like to see that they enjoy it as much as I do,” he said.