A conversation between two flames about their passions and aspirations began. It hit them both like wildfire, a mutual dream. Brilliant ideas were bounced back and forth that day and written down in an already worn notebook.
It was a pipedream, as more than a decade had passed since the inception, but through those years, the desire continued to gain traction and the concept they dreamed of continued to grow. The dream may have been put on the back burner, but it was turned to low.
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For more than two decades, Chef Drew has been crafting bold, creative dishes that leave a lasting impression. His culinary journey began in the fast food industry and evolved into working alongside James Beard Award-winning chefs - a testament to his drive, skill, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Over the years, he’s lent his talents to some of Birmingham’s most celebrated kitchens, including Galley & Garden, Fancy’s on Fifth, and Ovenbird.
There is one specific cuisine that he still holds near and dear to his heart that he learned through his culinary adventures, which is Italian. Classically trained in Neapolitan style cuisine, he found his true passion in the culinary arts while working beside famed Chef John Mattiello at the Dove III in Melbourne, FL. The teachings of Chef Mattiello are what makes him strive to be the best Chef and man that he can be.
Chef Drew has the knowledge, ability, and dedication to do anything that needs to get done in order to make a restaurant run. Job titles never stopped him, and nothing is ever beneath him. He moves through a kitchen with a precision and efficiency that is difficult to teach. Quick, calculated, and always thinking three steps ahead. He has a way of cutting through chaos and getting to exactly what needs to be done and doing it better and faster than most. So much so, he was given the nickname “Battle Axe” by a former coworker, Ben. He's sharp, decisive, and relentless. The name fit, and it stuck.
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Sierra was always interested in culinary arts. As well as photography, art, music, nature, and many, many other things. A multipotentialite. She always found it difficult to narrow down just what she wanted to do in her life. She refused to settle and just wanted to enjoy the so-called simple things in life.
When she was a child, she would turn her family’s dining room into a restaurant. A sheet was used to separate the dining room from the kitchen. Menus that she crafted herself lay perfectly on a properly set table. It was never just a simple dinner that she would create. It was always a well thought out, creative, multi-course experience for her “customers”. It was a feast. She played the chef, waitress, and busboy. She did it all.
Besides all of her other interests, there was always an extra spark of joy when she cooked and baked for her family. Although her first dream as a child was to own her own restaurant, self-doubt was always a hindrance. A quiet but persistent voice that told her she wasn’t quite enough - not skilled enough, not bold enough, not worthy enough to take up that kind of space.
All of that doubt began to fade when a new friend, Cameron, tried one of her desserts. The instant smile that followed the first bite along with the words “you should sell this” immediately made her believe her dream was possible. That moment was never forgotten.
But it was Birmingham that finished what had started. This city has a way of showing you who you are. Every event, every window, every customer who came back and brought someone new with them. Birmingham has been a mirror that Sierra didn’t know she needed. The community that rallied behind a tent, behind a trailer, behind a dream that hadn’t even fully found its footing yet, showed her something she had struggled to see in herself for a long time. That she was enough. That what she had to offer mattered, and that it was wanted and crave-worthy, and that the little girl setting tables in her family’s dining room had every right to be exactly where she is.
Shortly after, Drew and Sierra pulled out that old, tattered notebook and got to work. It was time.
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The original concept grew through the years as they pulled ideas from life experiences that inspired them. It was 12 years in the making and it was time to take a risk. It wasn’t a pipedream, and they were going to make it happen.
They began in a small tent doing pop-ups around town. A food truck was the goal, but they wanted to ensure that their concept was going to be well-received by the community before going all in. It was. Within 8 months of backbreaking work, they took the plunge and ordered a food trailer. During the build time, they immersed themselves in the world of Battle Axe and created what you all have come to know and love, Battle Axe’s Feast.
With Chef Drew’s culinary skills and Sierra’s creativity and imagination, this is just the beginning. There is still a version of Battle Axe’s Feast that Birmingham hasn’t seen yet. It lives in Chef Drew’s hands and in Sierra’s imagination. It has been building for years, long before the tent, long before the trailer, long before any of this had a name. Dishes that were dreamed up in conversations and scribbled into notebooks and refined quietly over time.
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The food truck gave this dream a home, and we are endlessly grateful for that. But it also gave us walls, and walls have limits. What we can offer you today is real, it is intentional, and it is made with everything we have. It is also only a fraction of what we have to give.
One day we will have the space to show this city our full range. The full vision. The Feast the way it is truly meant to be experienced. Until then, we’ll keep showing up, and we promise, it will be worth the wait.
