Courtesy of Shelby Adams
Chef Shelby Adams
All smiles even under pressure! The "Hoover Iron Chef" in his element.
Mountain Brook native Shelby Adams, who was named Hoover's Iron Chef for 2025, grew up believing he would follow his father, grandfather, and sister into the medical field, but in his sophomore year of college, his path took a definitive turn toward the kitchen.
“I was going to Baylor when I moved into a place that had a kitchen,” Adams said. “My mom was the Executive Foods Editor at Southern Living, and I went home one weekend and asked her for lessons. I joke that I wanted to be my dad, but I ended up becoming my mom.”
Adams attended the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and trained at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. He got his first job at Hot & Hot Fish Club when he was 19. Since then, he has worked at highly praised restaurants such as Bottega and Highlands Bar & Grill. For 10 years, he owned Icing on the Cookie in Homewood until he and his wife started a family. That’s when he had the idea to start a local restaurant, Hometown Fare, in 2020. Here, he puts his own creative touch on comfort dishes, like braised chicken with seasonal, local ingredients.
“My wife had a child, and then we found out we had twins on the way, so we moved to Ross Bridge. They had just started construction, and there was only one restaurant, so we knew we needed something there.”
Now with the holidays approaching, Adams is in high demand and is often asked for tips on holiday meal prepping. Enjoy Hoover asked him for his thoughts on preparing the best turkey.
“My personal favorite is fried turkey. My father fries a turkey every year and gives it a Cajun injection,” Adams said. “Fried or smoked is always best.”
Another preparation method is sous vide, a French term meaning “under pressure.” Sous vide allows for safe cooking at lower temperatures than traditional roasting, as longer cooking times help pasteurize the meat. Turkey is typically divided into breasts, legs and thighs and placed into vacuum-sealable bags with salt, pepper and herbs to keep water from entering.
Courtesy of Shelby Adams
Shelby Adams' Presentation
From fine dining to catering, every dish reflects his expertise honed at places like Commander's Palace and Hot & Hot Fish Club.
“Think of it like soaking in a hot tub,” he said. “You want to loosen all of the muscles up to get it as tender and juicy as possible.”
Adams emphasizes that proper holiday planning is essential for a stress-free experience. His biggest warnings are against common mistakes when preparing a turkey.
“A turkey takes two days to thaw,” he said. “Also, over-cooking it to the point where it’s dry is another big mistake.”
Adams said planning ahead is also key.
“Think about what keeps well, what will reheat the best, and start with that on Monday,” he said. “Then do two things on Tuesday and two things on Wednesday.”
Adams said it is also important to be mindful of guests who may have dietary restrictions. Websites like veganfoodandliving.com and delish.com are good resources for finding vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. When the main event is over, Adams has favorite ways to repurpose leftovers, including turkey and dumplings, turkey pot pie, and turkey vegetable soup.
His personal preferred holiday sides are sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, and maple-roasted Brussels sprouts, but his only real requirement for the perfect holiday meal?
“Sharing great food with the ones you love,” he said.
Those interested in having Adams handle the cooking can contact Hometown Fare for private dinners and holiday catering. Hometown Fare is located at 3623 Market Street, Suite 101 in the Ross Bridge. For more information, call (205) 957-6460 or email info@hometownfarerb.com.