Photo courtesy of Hoover Restaurant Alliance
Christina Eubanks of S.A. Eubanks Bartending will be among eight competitors vying to be named Hoover's Bartender of the Year.
The Hoover Restaurant Alliance is gearing up for its 2024 Hoover Bartender Challenge.
The event kicks off on Monday, July 15, with four bartenders on the western side of town competing for the western division title at The Electric in Bluff Park Village. Those bartenders include:
- Randalll Chimento of The Casual Pint
- Justin Coley of The Electric
- Blake Thomas of Farrelly’s Southern Bar & Kitchen
- Brooke Thomas of Beef’s at the Grove
Judges on the west side will be state Rep. Leigh Hulsey, Joseph LaPorta of Hendrick Subaru Hoover and Paul Dangel of the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel.
Then on Tuesday, July 16, four more bartenders will compete for the eastern division at The Anvil Pub & Grill at The Village at Lee Branch. Those bartenders include:
- Uriah Price (a past winner) of The Anvil Pub & Grill
- Molli Register of Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill
- Christina Eubanks of S.A. Eubanks Bartending
Judges for the eastern division are scheduled to be state Rep. Mike Shaw, Hoover Councilman Steve McClinton and Joseph Mitchell, the recently retired director of the Jefferson State Community College Culinary & Hospitality Institute.
The winners of the east and west divisions will come together for the citywide championship at Farrelly’s Southern Bar & Kitchen on Thursday, July 18. Judges for the citywide championship will include McClinton and WBRC news anchor Clare Huddleston and one other judge yet to be determined.
All three of the competitions are set for 5 p.m., and the public is invited to come watch and cheer on their favorite bartender, said David Cohen, founder of the Hoover Restaurant Alliance. In addition to champions being selected for the east and west divisions by judges, the public will get to vote on a People’s Choice winner for each side of town as well, Cohen said.
The Hoover Bartender Challenge will be followed by Hoover Restaurant Week, which goes from Friday, July 19 through Saturday, July 27. See more about Hoover Restaurant Week soon here on the Hoover Sun website.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:40 a.m. to reflect a change in the bartender lineup.
