Little Savannah Restaurant & Bar
Little Savannah Restaurant & Bar was a restaurant and bar located at 3811 Clairmont Avenue in Forest Park Village. It was opened in September 2003 by Clif and Maureen Holt as a "white tablecloth" restaurant. The name of the restaurant honored Clif's oldest daughter, Savannah.
In 2006 the Holts purchased the adjacent La Reunion coffee house. They initially continued to operate it as a separate entity, but used the space for extra seating or for special events as required by the restaurant. The Holts hired a pastry chef to provide fresh-baked pastries for both operations. Later the restaurant absorbed the café entirely.
Maureen Holt took leave from the restaurant for part of 2014 to attend the San Francisco Cooking School and complete externships at two San Francisco restaurants. In 2015 Clif left the restaurant in order to take the position of executive chef at the newly-opened Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. Maureen took over sole operation of Little Savannah.
In 2016 the Holts divorced. Clif Holt returned as sole operator of Little Savannah in July of that year. He and partner Stephanie Rogers remodeled the interior and revamped the menu to give the restaurant a more casual, neighborhood feel.
The restaurant closed in August 2020 due to the impact of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. Holt and Rogers hoped to be able to reopen at a different location in the future.
References
- O'Hara, Jo Ellen (July 21, 2006) "Little Savannah gets bigger and adds La Reunion." The Birmingham News
- McAlister, Laura (December 9, 2014) "After 10 years at Little Savannah, Maureen Holt sharpens her skills at cooking school." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (September 28, 2015) "Birmingham chef Clif Holt leaving Little Savannah restaurant to join Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (July 5, 2016) "Birmingham chef Clif Holt returns to Little Savannah restaurant." The Birmingham News
- Velasco, Eric (July 2018) "Little Savannah broadens scope after 15 years in business." Birmingham magazine
- Rebman, Stephanie (August 3, 2020) "Longtime Forest Park restaurant Little Savannah closing." Birmingham Business Journal