Ashley Mac’s

The dynamic duo behind Ashley Mac’s has combined family recipes with business-savvy minds to create a fresh restaurant concept.

Ashley McMakin and husband Andy met in college at the University of Alabama where they received business degrees in marketing and accounting. Andy worked as a CPA in Mountain Brook until the food service business Ashley started in Bluff Park in 2006 boomed, and they opened a Cahaba Heights café.

McMakin said the best part about working with her husband is the amount of trust they have in each other, something other business partners might not have. The two feed off each other well and have similar visions because both have backgrounds are in business, she said.

Keeping up with the demand is the most challenging part of running Ashley Mac’s, McMakin said. The two locations grew regulars so fast that adding another café was the best choice going forward.

McMakin did all the cooking when Bluff Park was the only Ashley Mac’s location. Instead of going to culinary school, she taught herself and used family recipes from her mom.

“When I started in 2006, I was the cook and we had one employee,” she said. “Since adding the two locations, we’ve grown to more than 50 employees helping with my dream.”

Ashley Mac’s has been so successful due to the amount of time Andy and Ashley put into their employees, she said.

“We’re very picky about who we hire, meaning we have high standards,” McMakin said. “Good attitude, picking up on things and being easily trainable are qualities you have to have to work here.”

The Inverness location opened in January and is the largest of the three Ashley Mac’s. It seats more than 70 inside and has a 24-seat patio that will open this spring.

“We have a lot of tennis players and outdoors lovers that eat here,” McMakin said. “We’re really excited for spring and summer to get here because a lot of our food is just meant to be eaten outside in the warm Birmingham weather.”

McMakin described her café as a lunch place for ladies. Salads and sandwiches made with local fresh ingredients from the Birmingham market make up most of the Ashley Mac’s menu.

The chicken salad is the most popular choice. It’s made from scratch and available on the café, catering and gourmet to-go menus. Strawberry cake is the biggest hit on the dessert menu.

The gourmet to-go portion of Ashley Mac’s offers frozen dinners with casseroles, pasta dishes and sides.

Ashley Mac’s also reaches out to the Birmingham community. The restaurant’s food has been donated to Lifeline Children’s Service, the American Cancer Society and various churches. McMakin said she has catered for Inverness and Mountain Brook school events, too.