The St. Clair County Culinary Team will have the opportunity to cook and serve the meal for the Moody Area Chamber of Commerce at their luncheon next Thursday, April 14, at Moody City Hall. This culinary group, under the direction of Chef Melissa Allphin, won first place in the state competition and is headed to nationals to represent the state of Alabama at The National ProStart Invitational® in Grapevine, Texas from April 29-May 1. 

The National ProStart Invitational® is the country’s premier high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts. During the state culinary competition, the judges scored the teams on numerous factors including knife skills, cooking procedures, presentation, taste, sanitation and teamwork. Teams participating in the management competition demonstrated their knowledge by developing a restaurant concept and delivering a presentation to the judges, as if they were investors. Chef Allphin will be the guest speaker to share more information about this program, which is only in its second year of operation and has won awards for their performance both years. 

This will be a great opportunity to see your St. Clair County Culinary Team in action. If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP to Andrea Machen, Chamber Executive Director, at (205) 640-6262. With RSVP, lunch is $10 for Chamber members and $15 for nonmembers.

We have more exciting business news, according to Mayor David Miller. Melissa’s Rainbow Car Wash has committed to further investment in Leeds. The old car wash has been demolished and will be replaced with a tunnel type wash. Residents are looking forward to that!

It’s time to purchase those fresh local vegetables. Crossroads Produce is now open and located in Moody, across from Heritage South Credit Union.

The new Moody Civic Center has officially opened an onsite sales office at 200 Civic Center Drive and “Pre-opening Memberships” may be purchased. Pre-opening membership pricing will be valid from April 4, until July 6, only and beginning, July 7, rates will be regular published rates. Membership applications are now available online and at the onsite sales office. Annual Memberships will include use of the Indoor Walking Track, Fitness Equipment Room (equipped with cardio, weight and strength equipment), Racquetball Courts, Basketball Courts, Group Fitness Classes and the opportunity to rent on-site meeting space and rooms for events and functions. The City of Moody Civic Center is currently under construction and target date for opening is August. For more information, please contact Kim Bridges at kbridges@moodyalabama.gov or visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/moodyciviccenter.

Please remember that Coffee Cup Connect – for Ladies Only kicks off at 8:30 a.m. this Thursday, April 7, at the Leeds River Campus, which is an eight-week Ladies event to connect with other ladies for fellowship and Bible study. Please RSVP to Dona at (256) 345-3993. Also, RESTLESS – BECAUSE YOU WERE MADE FOR MORE! Women’s Evening Bible Study kicks off this Friday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. – a Practical Plan to Identify the Threads of Your Life and Intentionally Weave Them Together for God’s Glory & Purposes. Please RSVP to Brenda Weimer at (205) 306-6058. The River Campus of Eden Westside Baptist Church is located in Leeds on Highway 78 just past the Shops of Grand River.

Shop the consignment sale for missions at Community Presbyterian Church in Moody this Thursday-Saturday, April 7-9. Email communitykidscloset@gmail.com for more information.

Moody High School Band is hosting their 1st Annual Moody Band Program Mattress Fundraiser this Saturday, April 9, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Moody High School Gym. For more information, please visit the event’s Facebook page.

The Leeds Arts Council presents NOEL COWARD’S PRIVATE LIVES Friday-Sunday, April 8-10 and 15-17, at the Leeds Theatre and Arts Center. Cliff Keen, Jr. will direct the play. Join the fun for a comedy that explores love in all its chaotic, irrational unpredictability and manages to make sense out of something senseless. For more information, please call (205) 699-1892.

The Blessing Swap at Cedar Grove is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. until noon. Early item drop-off is Friday, April 8, from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. The clothing and accessories are free, but the Cedar Grove Baptist Church Children’s Department will have all kinds of yummy treats available for purchase during The Swap. All proceeds will go toward their Kid’s Camp Fund. For more information, please call (205) 699-8446.

Moody City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 11, at Moody City Hall.

The Central Parliamentary Unit is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, April 13, in the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please contact Grady Sue Saxon at (205) 699-2440 for more information.

Job Openings in the greater Leeds/Moody area: Our new Coyote Drive-In will be holding a job fair this month to hire new employees for the facility. The job fair will be this Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, at the Shops of Grand River, Suite 662 adjacent to the Drive-in location. The Theater and Canteen is Seeking 100 team members for the Leeds location, which will be opening in May. To schedule interviews, please contact Panorama Life & Style PR – Jennifer Daniel at (864) 985-8478 or Jennifer at jennifer@prview.com – or Darlene Rotch at (205) 531-5181 or Darlene@prview.com.

Also, Handyman Specialist, LLC has openings for a few extra people experienced in construction for commercial restaurant maintenance and repairs. Must be able to work nights 10-14 hour shifts. For more information, please contact Roger Shirley at (205) 505-9994.

Our quote for the Week: “Life isn’t about finding yourself…it’s about creating yourself…” ~Unknown

I truly appreciate each of you who read my column and I really love sharing news so please remember to send your Leeds and Moody news to me at leedsmoodynews@gmail.com. See you next week!