Taking Flight

Chef Bill Briand returns to the kitchen, delivering his mother's legacy on the plate

- BY JENNIFER KORNEGAY

Growing up, chef Bill Briand accompanied his mom Virginia “Ginny” Eileen as she searched for the perfect ingredients. Once procured, he'd join her in the kitchen, eating up every morsel of knowledge and culinary wisdom she dished out. The lessons learned at her side mix into every bite Briand makes at Little Bird, the downtown Fairhope, Alabama, restaurant that launched in June of 2025 in collaboration with The Hope Farm.

The concept honors his mother: Her portrait greets guests in the entry hall; her worn cookbooks fill shelves. Even the former Victorian-era house's dining spaces carry her name—there's the Virginia Eileen Dining Room, Ginny Bar, and the Blackbird Room (named for her favorite Beatles song). And while Briand relies on the small coastal town's agriculture-rich surroundings plus fresh Gulf seafood to build Little Bird's coastal-focused menu, multiple dishes feature Ginny's favorite flavors or are Briand's takes on her recipes, like her brown butter ice cream and sweet cornbread with chive butter, a dish they often made together.