By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Biscuit Belly, The Budnick Co. & James Culver
Rachel Adams was no more than 4, when she declared her love for her fellow preschool classmate (now husband) Andrew Adams. Andrew laughs as he remembers Rachel telling his mother all those years ago that she would “marry that boy” one day.
Sure enough, she was right.
“We’ve been together for almost 19 years now, and we’ve been married for 12,” Rachel says, smiling.
The Adams duo grew up in Blount County, Alabama, in a town they say where “everyone knew everyone else.” They attended J.B. Pennington High School, where Andrew was the drum major, and Rachel was on the dance line–the perfect match spun during Friday Night Lights.
Andrew and Rachel began dating at age 15, graduating not just from high school together, but also from college together later on at the University of Alabama. They both also received their Bachelor in Business Management, having worked in the restaurant industry while in school.
Andrew got his feet wet in the industry at Cypress Inn in Tuscaloosa, where he worked as a waiter and eventually on up to the dining room and catering manager.
“I worked for a guy named Gary McGee, and he was a great influence on my restaurant career,” Andrew says. “He gave me my first restaurant manager opportunity.”
Rachel, on the other hand, worked at the 15th Street Diner, and although the restaurant is no longer in operation, Rachel says her time there was integral in building her career. After graduating, the two worked in the finance industry for several years before tying the knot and moving to Birmingham.
In August 2019, Andrew and Rachel took a leap of faith, opening a Makers DIY location in Vestavia Hills–becoming entrepreneurs for the first time. While they enjoyed their business, Andrew and Rachel ended up selling it to their business partner in May 2020 to venture into other business endeavors.
Opportunity then presented itself for the duo to return to the restaurant industry. Andrew joined Will Haver and Power Brands, helping open Stadium Trace’s Taco Mama location in 2020. Rachel also started working with Milo’s Tea Co.
“We had always talked throughout college about opening a breakfast concept,” Andrew says. “It’s just something that we always knew that Tuscaloosa needed. Moving away, it was still in the back of our heads.”
Around this time, Power Brands, which is a restaurant management group that oversees several Birmingham-based establishments, was looking to open a breakfast concept in Hoover. Not long after did the group recruit Andrew and Rachel to open up Alabama’s first Biscuit Belly location in The Village at Brock’s Gap.
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Chad and Lauren Coulter, Biscuit Belly is a Kentucky-based breakfast restaurant chain that first opened in 2018. Similarly to Andrew and Rachel, Chad and Lauren both worked in the same industry (pharmacy) but switched gears to “scratch their entrepreneurial itch.”
LouVino–conceptualized from the Coulters’ first painting and drinking business idea–was created in 2014 before it was later sold. The fast-casual restaurant and wine bar has grown to include five locations in three states.
LouVino’s executive chef Tavis Rockwell and Chad then began dreaming up what a breakfast restaurant would look like; thus, Biscuit Belly was born. Now with 12 locations across the South and Midwest, Biscuit Belly has grown to become a popular spot right here in Hoover, Alabama.
“Biscuit Belly’s slogan is ‘damn good biscuits,’ so we thought anything that’s edgy like that would intrigue us,” Andrew says. “We fell in love with the menu and really fell in love with the brand.”
In February 2023, Biscuit Belly opened its doors in The Village at Brock’s Gap for the first time. Hundreds of patrons showed up, stretching the line from the door to the parking lot.
Known for its Southern-style cuisine “with a twist,” Biscuit Belly has grown famous for its menu items such as Mama’s Boy, a biscuit with buttermilk-fried-chicken breast, roasted jalapeño pimento cheese, spicy belly pickles and fried green tomatoes. Beware the fiery kick when biting into this medley of flavors.
Riding that heat is the Fire in your Belly biscuit, which layers the same, juicy buttermilk-fried-chicken with Nashville Hot Mayo, spicy belly pickles and cheddar cheese on a tender, flaky biscuit. Those wanting some spice but toned down a notch should try The G.O.A.T, which cleverly blends fried chicken, sweet pepper jelly and goat cheese–an odd but delicious pairing.
“The menu offers staples such as biscuits and gravy,” Andrew says. “It’s still very Southern at heart, but it just puts some of those other Southern staples that you wouldn’t think about on a biscuit.”
Created in honor of its namesake, The Rockwell Supreme is one of the most popular biscuits as it combines fried chicken, cheddar, Goetta sausage gravy, an over-easy egg and bacon for flavors that pack a punch.
“My favorite is the Love Shack,” Rachel says. “It’s an open-faced biscuit, and it has brie cheese on it with berry jam, which is house-made, honey, strawberries, blueberries and pralines. It’s so good.”
Even better than the food are the memories they have gotten to make with their customers and their staff over the last year, Andrew says.
From catering corporate functions to donating meals to local nonprofits, Andrew and Rachel have made it their priority to give back to the community that has made their college dream a reality for their family. To date, their business has donated several hundreds of dollars worth of food, all in the name of gratitude.
“We have a lady that has some health issues, so any time she goes to the doctor, she always wants to go to her happy place–Biscuit Belly,” Andrew says. “We enjoy welcoming her and putting a smile on her face each time.”
It is customers like her that Andrew and Rachel say makes their careers worthwhile. Their new, entrepreneurial journey is one they love navigating together, but they say it would not have come to fruition without the many believers investing in their dream.
“I credit [our success] towards our community and just the people that come out and support us,” Rachel says. “We’ve gotten to know so many awesome people. It’s been a big blessing.”
Biscuit Belly is located at 1031 Brocks Gap Parkway Suite 157 in Hoover. It is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and on Saturday-Sunday from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, visit biscuitbelly.com.
Chef Picks
For the Table
Loaded Breakfast Tots
Sausage-and-cheddar-stuffed tater tots with sweet maple mayo sauce
Biscuit Sandwiches
Biscuit Bennie
Smoked brisket, poached eggs, smoked-gouda-mornay gravy, roasted tomatoes and poblano-tomato sauce
Party Hearty
Brekkie Bowl
Bowl of home fries or cheesy grits topped with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and poblano-tomato sauce
