Photo by Erin Nelson.
Kamali Creole Kitchen, located on the second story of The Village at Lee Branch above Hammer and Stain.
For those looking for a taste of New Orleans-style cuisine, there’s a new restaurant at The Village at Lee Branch: Kamali Creole Kitchen.
The restaurant is owned by Ryan Emery and his wife, Qiana, who started their culinary adventure out of a food truck in 2019. They made stops at a variety of locations around Birmingham and were also requested for special events.
After two years, Ryan said he wanted to turn his focus to a brick-and-mortar location.
“We were looking at other locations on Southside around Lakeview, and then our friend’s real estate agent called and told us there was a place she wanted us to look at,” Ryan said.
Kamali Creole Kitchen
WHERE: 611 Doug Baker Blvd. at The Village at Lee Branch
WEB: kamalicreole.net
After seeing the former Pablo’s location, which includes an outdoor patio, Ryan said he decided that was the right space. The 5,600 square feet is much larger than he anticipated, Ryan said, but thought that God blessed them with it, so they were going to make it work.
Everything on the menu is comprised of the Emerys’ family recipes, dating back to Ryan’s great-grandmother.
“My mom was a cook, [and] my wife is also a chef along with my sister,” he said. “It runs in the family.”
Ryan said his parents owned a small sports bar and grill in New Orleans, where he was born and raised. The Emerys moved to Birmingham in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina. When his mom had to have a tumor removed on her brain, Ryan moved to Los Angeles from Birmingham to be with his family in 2007.
Before becoming a restaurateur, Ryan worked for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department before transferring to the Birmingham Police Department. He worked there for 13 years and was a sergeant at the time he took an early retirement to focus on his business. He stopped running the Kamali food truck in January to focus on his new restaurant plan.
“I wanted to do something. I always like to challenge myself to do something bigger and greater,” he said. “I thought, ‘What can I start that will be a foundation for my family to create generational wealth?’ I said people always have to eat, so I thought I’d bring New Orleans to Birmingham.”
Kamali Creole Kitchen menu will feature different types of oysters (raw, baked, charbroiled and grilled), shrimp stew, different styles of po’boys, a seafood bowl, crawfish etouffée, shrimp etouffée. Other favorites will include jambalaya, gumbo and red beans and rice. Featured appetizers will be crabcakes and plantains, seafood french fries and crab and spinach dip.
“Our gumbo will be made with the exact family recipe,” Ryan said. “It will have blue crab, shrimp stew meat, chicken, smoked hot sausage and everything we make at home. It’s something I’ve never seen any restaurant offer in Birmingham.”
The dessert menu will offer beignets, bananas foster, ooey gooey cake and bread pudding.
Sunday brunch will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature live jazz music on the outdoor patio.
The inside of the restaurant will have a black and gold theme in honor of the New Orleans Saints football team. An area inside, along with the outdoor patio, will have a Garden District theme. One of Emery’s daughters created artwork for the interior of the restaurant. There will be a Bourbon Street-themed area, and the front entrance will feature a selfie wall.
Kamali Creole Kitchen will be a family affair. While Ryan has hired several new employees, the majority of his staff will be family, including his wife, children, parents, sister and niece, with his oldest son being the operations manager.
The Emerys have lived in Calera for about four years. He and Qiana have six children ranging in age from 14 to 24.
For more information on Kamali Creole Kitchen, visit kamalicreole.net or find them on social media at facebook.com/kamalicreole and Instagram at @kamalis_creole_kitchen.
