Satterfield’s

Our fondest memories often come from gatherings among family and friends. Growing up in Tuscaloosa, Becky Satterfield remembers helping in the kitchen and enjoying the company of her family while making food. 

“I started washing dishes on a chair when I was about four. [I would go] back to the table and listen to my aunt, grandmother and whomever else talk,” Satterfield said. “Eventually, I graduated to making cornbread.”

Now the owner of Satterfield’s in Cahaba Heights, Satterfield wants her guests to feel like part of the family. It’s a philosophy that she and Executive Chef Patrick Horn share. Horn said it is why he has stuck with the restaurant from the beginning. After starting at Satterfield’s as a grill cook when it opened in 2005, Horn worked his way up to the title of sous chef before becoming the executive chef in early 2014. 

“We have our staples that [Satterfield] always wants us to keep on, but she basically gives us the freedom to do anything and everything,” Horn said. “There’s nothing we can’t do.”

 After she married in 1977, Satterfield and her husband moved to Houston, where they lived for 20 years. While there, Satterfield saw an opportunity to expand her culinary horizons. Houston’s diverse restaurants and fresh market options allowed her to challenge herself with more difficult recipes. After her children left for college, Satterfield turned her empty nest into an experimental kitchen.

Satterfield enrolled in culinary school once she returned to Alabama. There, she, an instructor and a fellow classmate decided to open their own catering business for the Birmingham area. The business was run from Satterfield’s home until its success required it to have a commercial kitchen. Satterfield and her husband decided to use the opportunity to open a restaurant.

 “I was excited about what was here in this area,” Satterfield said. “[But,] I kept yearning for another fine dining place over here.” 

Satterfield’s menu mixes international influences with Southern classics. Menu items often change daily to include the freshest, in-season ingredients. The restaurant buys from local farmers to ensure the quality of its dishes. While versions of some favorites, such as the Fritto Misto and the coddled egg and artisanal cheese plate, are always on the menu, Horn and Satterfield are constantly adding new creations.

“My favorite thing to do is just pour a glass of wine and look up seasonal ingredients and then build a menu item around that,” Horn said. “Within a day or two, it’s usually on the menu. After a few nights, it’s dialed in.”

In the winter, Satterfield’s adds heartier dishes to the menu featuring ingredients such as braised meats and root vegetables. 

“[We make food] that kind of sticks to your ribs,” Horn said. “That’s something we’ve always stuck with [in winter months].”

Throughout the seasons, Satterfield and Horn hope to continue to provide quality food to Cahaba Heights. Working as a team with every member of the staff, they said, will continue to help them meet that goal. 

“It’s not accomplished by one person,” Satterfield said. “It’s a team concept [and a] team delivery.”