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Viva Vestavia brings new food experiences

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Photo courtesy of Katie Woodruff, Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce.

Thirteen years ago, Lisa Christopher was mulling over a name for a new event in Vestavia Hills. The Chamber of Commerce Foundation had just met to create a new fundraiser, and suddenly, on the way to Tallahassee to visit her parents, the name hit her – Viva Vestavia.

“I was so excited,” she said.

Christopher is the membership and marketing consultant for the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, and the Foundation is still excited to host Viva Vestavia every year. 

This year, the event will be on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Hollywood Pools, where it has taken place since its second year of inception. Karen Odle, president and CEO of the chamber, said the event was created to highlight the restaurants located in Vestavia Hills and chamber members outside of Vestavia Hills.

“Guests are welcomed to the event and visit the restaurants where they will get a ‘taste’ of the signature fare of the restaurant,” she said. “We also have wine and beer tastings from area vendors.”

Viva Vestavia spotlights around 24 restaurants, and Odle said that guests get to enjoy tasting food from restaurants they might not know about or have not had an opportunity to visit yet.

“They generally leave raving about the food and have marked a new favorite and a must-visit on their nights out,” she said.  

At the end of the night, guests are asked to vote on their favorite food and the best presentation of food, Odle said. The winners of these two categories get a feature article in the next issue of Vestavia Hills Living magazine.

“This past year Newk’s Eatery won best food and Klingler’s won for best presentation,” Odle said. “They go all out in decorating.”

Odle said 300 tickets are available for the event, “and when they are sold, that’s it.” Because wine and beer are served, guests must be over 21. A full list of participating restaurants will be released in mid-October.

Tickets were $40 last year and Odle expects that price to hold this year. Since Viva Vestavia is scheduled right before Halloween, guests are encouraged to dress in costume, and a prize will be awarded for the best one.

The Foundation uses the proceeds for a variety of projects: economic development projects, capital improvements for the chamber and funding a scholarship for a Vestavia Hills High School student who will be majoring in a business discipline, Odle said. Last year’s Viva Vestavia netted the Foundation enough money to add signage around Vestavia Hills.

“We will be presenting a check to the city at the Sept. 9 chamber luncheon for $11,084 to help pay for new signage that will help folks with entry signage into Vestavia Hills as well as directional signage for business districts,” Odle said.

Linda Parker, chair of this year’s event and owner of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream in Vestavia Hills, said there will be a silent auction at Viva Vestavia as well.

“The silent auction in the past has had a wide variety of items ranging from jewelry to event tickets to signed prints to mini-Green Eggs and more,” she said.

Parker also said that every guest receives a commemorative wine glass. When the event was being created 13 years ago, Kim Barelare, a former chamber board member, created a contest at Vestavia Hills High School where art students submitted logo ideas for the event. 

“Designs were submitted to our committee and we judged and decided which design best depicted the event and could be carried forward year after year,” Barelare said.

The logo from the first year remains on the wine glass.

“We’ve used it ever since and simply update the year with Roman numerals in the form of wine glasses and waiters to depict the number of years we’ve hosted it,” Christopher said.

“Viva Vestavia has become the social event of the year and is a must attend event,” Odle said. “We have had many folks that have been to every one and don’t want to miss it.”

It’s these people, Odle said, that bring to life the city’s motto “A Life Above.” 

“You could search the world over and not find better, more passionate people that love their community and are willing to do and give back to their community to make it a better place,” she said. 

Viva Vestavia

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