The smell of hickory smoke drifting down Stemley Bridge Road, the hum of an espresso machine before sunrise in Lincoln, and the clink of glasses during happy hour near Blue Eye Creek all have something in common: they’re powered by Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative and connected by Coosa Valley Technologies.
These three locally loved food and drink destinations prove that dependable service helps them thrive and great food and drinks often are best close to home.
Powered by Coosa Valley: CVEC & CVT
Ask any restaurant owner what keeps them up at night, and many of them will say “power, connectivity and reliability.” For The Shack Barbecue, Lincoln Brewhouse and Blue i Bistro, that peace of mind comes from CVEC and CVT.
“We’re dedicated Coosa Valley customers,” said Rickey Frieze of The Shack. “They’ve always been good to us. When Hurricane Zeta hit, they made sure we were one of the first places with power so we could cook meals for storm-affected communities.”
At Lincoln Brewhouse, dependable service matters just as much as good coffee beans.
“We absolutely love it,” owner Lacey Stephens said. “No complaints at all.”
Blue i Bistro owner Loren Peters echoed the sentiment. “They’re efficient, affordable and easy to work with. We’ve been very happy,” he said. “And the employees are great customers. They eat here a lot.”
The Shack Barbecue
Long before barbecue became big business, it was simply what Dot Hann slow-cooked for the people she loved. When customers at her husband’s bait and tackle shop began following the rich scent of hickory smoke to its source, they urged Dot to sell the meat. She agreed, and the popularity of the tender pork quickly grew into the idea of opening a restaurant.
Built with crossties and heart, Dot and Haskell Hann opened “Hack’s Shack” on July 1, 1983. After Haskell passed away the next year, the restaurant became known as The Shack, a name now synonymous with Talladega barbecue tradition. Over the decades, that tradition has earned recognition well beyond the local community with The Shack recently being named one of “10 unsung Alabama restaurants with great food” by AL.com and one of “11 low-key BBQ joints in Alabama that keep long-time regulars coming back” by the Family Vacations U.S. website.
Sharon Frieze, the Hanns’ daughter, and her husband Rickey bought the restaurant in 1990.
“We haven’t changed the way we cook in all these years,” Sharon said. “We still cook our meat outside for 12 to 15 hours over hickory. We won’t change our ways just to make it easier.”
Their son Michael, who joined the staff full-time three years ago after a decade as a health inspector, keeps the tradition alive by smoking up to 200 pork shoulders a week with ribs often selling out by mid-afternoon.
“We begged him to come work with us,” Sharon said of Michael. “We’re not getting any younger, and we can’t do this forever. We need family to carry on the tradition.”
The Shack feels less like a business and more like a family reunion. Their daughter Heather waits tables on weekends; a waitress has been there since she was 15; and longtime cook Gloria White has been employed for 32 years.
“We really are one big family at the Shack,” Rickey said. “We really stand by one another.”
Famous guests from Dale Earnhardt to Billy Ray Cyrus dot the walls in autographed photos hanging on the Shack’s walls, but it’s the generations of local families that mean the most to the Friezes and their employees.
“We love seeing parents bring their kids, then those kids come back as adults,” Sharon said. “If it wasn’t for family, I don’t think we would have done this for so long.”
Lincoln Brewhouse
While most of Lincoln is still asleep, Lacey Stephens is already baking. By 3:30 a.m., the ovens are on and the scent of blueberry cheesecake muffins, her most requested item, fills Lincoln Brewhouse. Everything is made from scratch, from croissants and scones to cinnamon rolls and cake pops.
“Owning a coffee shop is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “It truly has been a dream come true.”
She and her husband Daniel opened the shop in March 2024 and have enjoyed a steady stream of customers. Lacey said it’s the connection with their customers that set them apart.
“We try to make every visit a personal experience,” Lacey said. “We pay attention to what our customers order,
so we already know what they want when they walk in the door.”
The menu is as creative as the space is Instagram-friendly: caramel chocolate chip coffee (their top seller), lattes, macchiatos, sassy sodas, Red Bull-infused drinks and over 40 flavor options.
Their reach now goes beyond brick and mortar. A coffee trailer travels to festivals and football games, and a second location, Valley Brewhouse, is set to open soon in Alexandria.
“People will drive 30 minutes just to get here,” Lacey said. “We want to be where our customers are, so we are expanding. It really is an exciting time.”
Blue i Bistro
Blue i Bistro wasn’t supposed to exist — at least not this way. Loren and Tracy Peters originally opened Blue i Eatery on Lake Logan Martin last February only to lose it to a devastating fire just weeks later.
“We cried for a week,” Tracy said. “Then we made a Plan B.”
That plan led them to a cozy spot in downtown Lincoln at the end of Blue Eye Creek. One symbolic survivor of the fire made the journey with them: a hand-blown glass “i” crafted in Venice, Italy. Cracked but standing, it now anchors the bistro’s story of resilience.
“It’s a symbol of our comeback in the new location,” said Loren of the bistro that opened in October. “It’s a symbol that we are trying to keep the dream alive.”
The menu shifted to match the lack of storage and smaller kitchen, focusing on fresh, made-to-order dishes dreamed up by Tracy and executive chef Beau Haywood.
“We’re just different than other restaurants," Haywood said. "Everything is cooked from scratch."
His Guinness Glaze, a slightly sweet, deeply savory sauce, has become a house signature. Tracy’s made-from-scratch cupcakes, baklava, cookies and candies as well as specialty coffees round out an impressive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
Beyond the food, Blue i is a gathering place. Trivia nights, live music, bingo and a lively bar program keep the bistro buzzing.
“People don’t just come here to eat,” said Jennifer Peterson, the bar manager. “They come to connect. We host events where people find their best friends.”
From smoke pits to espresso bars to bustling bistro tables, these businesses share more than great food and drinks. They share a commitment to community and local partnership. With CVEC and CVT behind the scenes, they have the reliable power and connectivity needed to keep serving their customers and their communities.