The Secret Lives of Servers
Portrait photography by Mary Fehr
Servers are more than just people who set down an entrée or bring you a glass of wine. Take a moment to ask them a question or two and you will discover that they see hospitality as a true calling. They arrive early, learn the daily menu changes, maybe sample new vintages added to the wine list, and ensure each place setting is just-so. Your enjoyment is what drives them.
When they aren’t creating memorable restaurant experiences, many of these hospitality professionals follow other passions. We’re pulling back the curtain on a few notables around town who share what they pursue in their off time. On your next visit to your favorite Birmingham dining spot, take a new look at your own server; we bet they have some stories to share.
- Sponsors -
Michael Krusinski / Chez FonFon / Five Points South
Longtime Birmingham residents are well aware of the caliber of service at all Stitt Restaurant Group concepts. For someone to receive the coveted server vest, it takes weeks of training, a true dedication to excellence, and a heart for service. Michael Krusinski of Chez FonFon, also a 2012 Auburn University hospitality program graduate, can be found at the bustling hot spot every Wednesday through Friday. Outside of work, Michael spends his time updating and improving his Irondale property, thrifting for treasures he sells at pop-up events at places like Mom’s Basem*nt, and perfecting his grandmother Honi’s treasured toffee recipe—something he hopes to bring to market later this year.
Table Service with Michael Kruskinski
Favorite menu item: If I said anything but the Hamburger FonFon, my coworkers would know I’m lying.
Home cooking: I enjoy cooking/grilling with my dad and brother on Sundays. My favorite thing to cook for myself is an entire breakfast menu. It’s good any time of day.
Best advice for other servers: Bring your authentic self to work and connect honestly with your coworkers and guests. People can sense the difference.
Best gift from a customer: Artists Tony and Tracey Mose (ESOM ART) were visiting from New Orleans. We discussed art, collecting, and life. Before leaving, Tony took a scrap paper liner and drew a piece of art for me that resembles some of his previous works.
Alexander Stern / Slim’s Pizzeria / Crestline
Sharing hot honey pizza and prosciutto-wrapped burrata might not be what Alexander Stern thought he’d be doing after earning a degree in international relations from UAB, but he could not be happier in his profession. After living in south Florida and working in various jobs outside the restaurant industry, Alexander got homesick and decided to come back to Birmingham. He landed at Slim’s Pizzeria and found a place where he feels his talents and passions are valued and developed. Alexander’s creative spirit and love of design and the visual arts has only grown as he’s become more enmeshed in Birmingham’s restaurant world and creative culture.
When he’s not at Slim’s, Alexander can be found planning or hosting pop-up dinners with friends. “I love putting designers and hospitality-industry people together to develop menus, create tablescapes, and design invitations,” he says. “You never know what might happen, but it will always be interesting.”
A Side Helping with Alexander Stern
Dining in: The kitchen enjoys making off-menu pizzas for the staff. They are always delicious and memorable.
Pay attention: I think a prerequisite to a career in the service industry is having a sincere interest in people. The more genuinely curious you are about people, the more attuned you can be to their needs.
Favorite co*cktail: My favorite summer drink is a French Gimlet Spritz. Combine 1½ ounces London Dry gin, ½ ounce St. Germain, ½ ounce rosemary simple syrup, and 1¼ ounces fresh lime juice. Shake and pour over ice in a wine glass. Top with club soda and Prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of lime.
slimspizzeria.com
IG: slimspizzeria
Sara Walker / Tre Luna Catering & Tre Luna Bar + Kitchen / The Village at Brocks Gap, Hoover
We’ve all been in restaurants that get noisy. For some patrons, that environment can create sensory overload. Sara Walker, chief operating officer of Tre Luna Catering and Tre Luna Bar + Kitchen, is keenly aware of these customer challenges. She has found a way to combine her passion for assisting adults with autism and developmental disabilities into her work life.
Before joining the Tre Luna team in 2016, Sara put her psychology degree from UAB to work at Triumph Services, a nonprofit organization that provides skills training and counseling for individuals with developmental disabilities. Once at Tre Luna, she partnered with KultureCity to help the business become the first catering company in the nation to be Sensory Inclusive Certified. “We have accommodations to support individuals with sensory needs,” she says. “We can seat them at a quieter tableand offer them access to KultureCity Sensory Bags, a package that includes items such as noise-reducing headphones and fidgets.” Taking things full circle, Tre Luna has been the catering company of choice for the annual KultureCity KultureBall, where Sara and Tre Luna owners Erin and Brian Mooney continue their mission. kulturecity.org
Service with a Smile from Sara Walker
Trust us: Planning an event or wedding can be stressful. A client’s anxiety can be very high leading up to the event. At Tre Luna, we can ease that burden. Our number one priority is to make every customer’s event the most memorable experience. To do that, we try to putourselves in their shoes and consider the details that would be important to us if we were them.
Kindness always wins: When I was younger and just starting out, I had some unexpected expenses and not enough money to cover them. I was working a smallevent, and at theend, the client gave me and the other server each a $500 tip. I almost cried. It came at the exact moment I needed it the most.
trelunabarandkitchen.com
IG: trelunabarandkitchen
Jess Bennett / Lou’s Pub & Package Store / Lakeview District
You may have never ordered an old-fashioned or a martini with a side of art, but at Lou’s Pub & Package Store, you could do just that. Jess Bennett, a Birmingham hospitality veteran who tends bar at the storied watering hole, could fill both of those wants. An ASFA graduate, Jess spent several years at Chez FonFon followed by Aviné Caviste & Sociale on Second Avenue downtown. When the opportunity at Lou’s Pub opened in 2023, she leapt at the chance to be a part of this 37-year-old bar. Many in the business see Lou’s as a seminal part of a bartender’s career. Veterans often go on to open their own bars (Continental Drift, The Church Key, Juniper). While Jess has definite plans to one day open a bar of her own, she presently appreciates the schedule at Lou’s Pub for the time it gives her to spend on her other creative endeavors, such as her mixed media art and her first novel.
Off the Clock with Jess Bennett
Winding down: After an evening of running behind the bar, I love having a civil moment with a pilsner and a pour of Fernet Branca.
Dining in: At home, I like to keep things simple with prepared food and wine pairings that are easy to execute. I love a chic French Muscadet with oysters from Sexton’s Seafood Market or an elegant Loire Sauvignon Blanc with a Valençay goat cheese. Chilled red Txakolina is the best porch wine.
Flexible schedule: Time off gives me space to absorb, integrate, and express information, which is an important part of my artistic process. I need intervals to think about what I’ve been exposed to, how I feel about things, and what I want to say.
IG: LousPubBham
Kyle Berman / Le Fresca / 2nd Avenue North
Not many Birmingham servers will tell you that less than a decade ago, they were homeless and living in a pop-up tent behind the Pep Boys in Palm Beach County, Florida. But that chapter was a key component in Kyle Berman’s ongoing journey of healing, redemption, and entrepreneurship. While he has been clean and sober for more than five years, Kyle has intimately experienced the death-by-overdose of more than 15 friends, as well as his own younger sister. After losing a coworker who had relapsed, he was overcome with a mission to help.
When he’s not at Le Fresca, Kyle is working to connect a group of developers, tech startups, and investors to create a wearable opioid overdose detection device and alert system called OD Revive.
You may be thinking, “Why not just install an app on the Apple watch that would do the same thing as OD Revive?” Kyle already has your answer: “What is the first thing an addict is going to do with an Apple watch when they relapse? They’re going to sell it for drugs. Also, most addicts cannot afford an Apple watch in the first place. Creating a device that has no value outside of its intended purpose is essential.”
While OD Revive is still in its pre-seed funding stage of development, Kyle has a full business plan through distribution and end use. “You may think that you don’t know anyone personally who would benefit from this device, but when you learn that 6 out of 10 pills purchased illegally—college kids buying off-market Xanax or Vyvanse—contain lethal levels of fentanyl, your eyes become wide open.” That was exactly how Kyle lost his sister; she purchased a pill she thought was Xanax that was laced with fentanyl.
While Kyle knows he can never replace the loved ones he’s lost to this scourge, he will have achieved his goal with every life saved by OD Revive. odrevive.com
Family Matters with Kyle Berman
Best advice: Love what you do. Some might see a job in the service industry as a temporary job, but the truth is you can make a decent living and meet some wonderful people along the way.
Tokens of appreciation: It’s so thoughtful when customers leave notes and Christmas cards (some with money tucked inside). One of our guests owns a clothing store, and he gifted me a handmade Italian suit. I’ll be wearing that to the inevitable important business meetings we will see in the near future with OD Revive.
A servant’s heart: People should know that they can restart their day at any time, and even if someone feels alone, they’re not. It’s important that we all show compassion and be more understanding of each other.
Christiana Roussel
See Full Bio
