The following is a hammorati dispatch (blog-spatch?) from Rex:

I was interviewed Friday by the folks at the public radio show Marketplace for an upcoming story regarding CEOs who blog — or, something akin to that topic. The interview went about 15-20 minutes which means I probably said a sentence of something worth keeping in the story. When I find out if and when the story is to air, I’ll post it here on Hammorati. Also, it was the first time I’ve been in the new studios of WPLN which are very nice. (Sidenote: A thank-you shout-out to Scott Smith, who has more songs on his iPod than anyone I know, for giving me a tour and being kind enough to explain to me in terminology I could understand, the digital means being used to connect me with the Marketplace producer.)

As Hammock Publishing has supported WPLN in the past and will be doing so again this year, it is great to see the facilities they have — and to recall how far they’ve come since those days in the Ben West Public Library. Come to think of it, it’s great to recall how far the library has come since those days in the Ben West facility.

Sweet tea, Alabama: As luck would have it, several folks at Hammock Publishing have connections to Alabama (does that make them Bamarati?). Such down homeness has caused a pavlovian response among this contingent to that state’s current tourism promotion, “The Year of Alabama Food.” As part of the celebration, its tourism development folks have posted a list of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die (which, frankly, could be renamed 100 Alabama dishes if you eat too often will cause an early death, but we’ll not go there).

This promotion seemed so mouth-watering, we asked Hammock’s Bamarati what dishes on the list were their personal favorites. Here are their cravings:

Jamie Roberts: Milo’s in Birmingham. My parents knew Mr. Milo, so I was weaned on this burger joint’s super-secret brown sauce. Milo’s adds an extra sliver of beef to your burger and drowns it in the heavenly sauce. (A little cup of sauce is also perfect for dipping into Milo’s cheese-dusted fries.) And don’t get me started on their sweet tea–it needs its own 12-step group. When headed south on I-65, make a detour on Montgomery Highway headed toward Vestavia. You won’t regret it. Also, Johnny Ray’s pies. My former workplace used to order these for special client lunches. I don’t miss my former workplace, but oh, Lord, I miss those pies. Also, even though I make fun of my family for eating at Lloyd’s in Birmingham almost every Sunday after church, their perfectly fried onion rings can make a convert out of anyone. And I don’t even like onions.

Shannon Scully: My all-time favorite restaurant on the list is City Cafe in Northport. Their fried okra rivals my grandmother’s recipe. In Tuscaloosa, you can’t beat Dreamland ribs with white bread. In Auburn, Toomer’s Corner lemonade hits the spot on a hot day (or after a win by the undefeated Auburn Tigers!!). (note: Shannon grew up in Tuscaloosa yet went to Auburn — something akin to zigging while other folks zag.) In Dothan (recently added to my list of ‘favorite’ cites), Peanut Pie at the Garland House, though I’m told the Peppermint Puff is their best dessert.

Rex Hammock: Wow. Two close runners-up: Lloyd’s onion rings, although I think they were better back in the old days when Highway 280 south of Birmingham was a two lane highway winding through two mountains and Lloyd’s was located on a stretch of it near Chelsea called, “the narrows.” A cheeseburger from the Dew Drop Inn in Mobile (said to be inspiration for native son Jimmy Buffett’s song, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”) is one of life’s simple pleasures. But, forgive me for drooling when I recommend the pork chop sandwich with mustard sauce at 13th Street Bar-BQ in Phenix City. (Or, on second thought, if you’re ever in Phenix City, get a barbecue sandwich (chopped, inside and out — trust me) from a restaurant not on the list, The Smokey Pig, on Opelika Highway). Face it, barbecue sauce is made with mustard. How come only folks in the Chattahoochee Valley have figured that out?

John Lavey: (note: John, while a native of northern Virginia, was lucky enough to “marry into” Alabama and has become quite the expert in the state’s delicacies.) Sadly, while I’ve been to a dozen of the establishments listed, I’ve only sampled the following “go-to” dishes: ribs and bread at Dreamland (really good, though Perk’s in Harperville and Twix and Tween in Centerville are better in my mind), Fried Catfish at Ezell’s Fish Camp (this redefines fried catfish, cooked on the bone) steak at Jesse’s in Magnolia Springs (which, by the way, is the town that matches a Yankee’s mythic version of the South: sleepy, Spanish Moss, big oaks). I will consider myself lucky to hit a high percentage of the other restaurants before being scattered in ash-form over the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Gulf Shores.

Coming soon: Dishes from other Hammorati home states that must be eaten before you die.

We were proud to learn that MyBusiness Magazine, the small business magazine we publish with our friends at NFIB for their 600,000 members, has been named a finalist in the 51st Annual Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards. Out?of the 1,168 entries, ours was one of 81 to make it to the final round. MyBusiness is one of three finalists in the category of “best department” for its recurring feature, “MyBusiness Manual.” This is the second consecutive year for “My Business Manual” to be a finalist in this category. (Who knows, maybe this year, the judges will see the light!)
Seriously, the Neals are business-to-business magazines’ most prestigious and most sought-after editorial honors. We are proud of the work we and NFIB do in publishing each issue and honored that such work has received this recognition by others. The Neals are presented at a luncheon ceremony in New York on March 16.

We’re happy to announce that Hammock Publishing (along with WKRN-TV and the Freedom Forum) is an underwriter of BlogNashville, a three-day event that will include Bloggercon Tennessee, the unique unconference-conference that has previously been held at Harvard and Stanford Universities. The May 5-7 event is being hosted by and will take place at Belmont University. We’ll be blogging lots more about the event in the coming days and weeks. Our friend and fellow Nashville Blogger, Bill Hobbs, has a press release about the event.

Here’s the latest sighting of the Hammock T-shirt, Louise’s on Bluemound Road in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Pictured from left, Lisa Kretlow, Barbara Mathieson, Angela Miller and Lisa MacCauley. Lisa, Angela and Lisa are Quad employees who work on the Hammock account. Their coworkers are all jealous of the tee.

Hardly a month goes by without Renal Care Group making an announcement like this one today concerning their growing network of outpatient dialysis centers. Such growth means the Nashville-based company now serves over 30,000 patients at more than 415 outpatient dialysis facilities, in addition to providing acute dialysis services at more than 200 hospitals. Over 8,800 associates provide services across the Company’s 33-state network. As we at Hammock Publishing work with RCG to produce bimonthly publications for both patients and associates, we greatly appreciate the opportunity to grow along with the wonderful folks at Renal Care Group. Congratulations.

We’ve received some more T-shirt shots and we’ll be adding them during the coming days, but we thought it would be nice to show-off some of the Hammock Publishing staff gear from the 2005 collection. This year, most people added something warm to their staff gear wardrobe as our Monday morning meeting is held in an office with the temperature set by its occupant to that of a “meat locker.” (That would be me.) The warm-hearted and warmly-attired Hammock folks pictured above are, from left to right: Susie Garland, Lisa Ask, Lynne Boyer, Carrie Wakeford, Jamie Roberts.

(Don’t forget: E-mail us your Hammock Publishing T-shirt shots: [email protected])