Stacey Wallace

Stacey Wallace

Columnist

Stacey is a writer for The Observer

Stacey Wallace's Latest

Making the Grade – Tavern on the Traxs

Making the Grade – Tavern on the Traxs

OPINION — Remember back in the 1970s when your favorite college football team might be on television once or twice in a whole season? To this day, I still can’t believe that in 1972, the classic “Punt, Bama, Punt,” between Auburn and Alabama was...

Read More
Making the Grade | Pepper Tree Steaks N’ Wines

Making the Grade | Pepper Tree Steaks N’ Wines

BY STACEY WALLACE As I’ve mentioned numerous times in this column, my husband Mike and I love to eat but intensely dislike cooking. Now, we have family and friends who love to cook; we don’t understand them, but we really love and appreciate them....

Read More
Making the Grade | On the Road to Slocomb, Alabama

Making the Grade | On the Road to Slocomb, Alabama

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — When I was growing up in Alexander City (“Eleck” City to the locals), Tom Patton, my sweet Daddy, grew the best tomatoes in his garden. He used Better Boy and Celebrity plants, and they produced the reddest, ripest...

Read More
Making the Grade | Tart and Tartan

Making the Grade | Tart and Tartan

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION As I’ve mentioned before in this column, I love to eat, but I really dislike cooking of any kind, and that includes baking. Now, I can cook a few entrees, sides and desserts, at least enough to take to church and family...

Read More
Making the Grade | Don Miguel Mexican Bar & Grill

Making the Grade | Don Miguel Mexican Bar & Gr …

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — In our almost 10 years of living in Lee County, Mike and I have been to some really good Mexican restaurants. One in particular served my favorite dish: fajita quesadillas, a combination of the two Mexican meals I love...

Read More
Making the Grade | Beignets & Brew

Making the Grade | Beignets & Brew

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — Way back in 1992, when I was beginning my third year of teaching in LaGrange, I met a young woman named Ashley. She had begun substitute teaching at Lee’s Crossing Middle School, where I was teaching sixth grade language...

Read More
Making the Grade | On the road to Dadeville

Making the Grade | On the road to Dadeville

OPINION — It’s hard to believe that 35 years ago this month, I began my 30-year teaching career in LaGrange, Georgia, and so did Mike, my then future husband. I’ve always heard that the older you become, the faster time passes; now I know that this...

Read More
Making the Grade | Casa Maria’s Bar & Grill

Making the Grade | Casa Maria’s Bar & Grill

OPINION — When I was growing up, I took Spanish I at Alexander City Junior High School and Spanish II at Benjamin Russell High School. I also studied Spanish at Alexander City State Junior College. I really enjoyed learning Spanish. In fact, I used...

Read More
Making the Grade | Lost Pizza Co.

Making the Grade | Lost Pizza Co.

OPINION — It’s funny that as you age, your eating habits may change drastically. For example, in our teens and 20s, my then-future husband Mike and I could eat anything we wanted, at any time of the day or night. Both of us could eat pizza at...

Read More
Making the Grade | On the road to Greenville

Making the Grade | On the road to Greenville

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — In previous columns, I have written about the adventures of the Fearsome Foursome: my Daddy, Mama and Daddy’s two older sisters, Aunt Jenny and Aunt Betty. These sensational senior citizens kept us on our toes. For about...

Read More
Making the Grade | Angus Steak House

Making the Grade | Angus Steak House

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — Sometimes, I am in the mood for a really good steak. Now, that particular food made the Patton family laugh many years ago. In the early ‘70s, my Daddy, Mama, my two much older brothers Jim and Mike and I traveled to the...

Read More
Making the Grade | Como en Casa

Making the Grade | Como en Casa

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — A week or so ago was Teacher Appreciation Week, and I certainly appreciate many of my wonderful teachers. Also, I appreciate them for putting up with me, which was no easy task.Señor Hitson, my Spanish teacher at...

Read More
Making the Grade | Insomnia Steak & Grill

Making the Grade | Insomnia Steak & Grill

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — As I’ve mentioned before in this column, when I transferred to Auburn University as a juniorin 1983, when Fred Flintstone pedaled to work, there weren’t that many restaurants in Auburn.The nearest restaurant was miles...

Read More
Making the Grade | Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar

Making the Grade | Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — One of the really great perks of writing this column, besides eating wonderful food, is meeting interesting people. A few years ago, Mike and I went on an overnight trip to Montgomery for our anniversary. At night, we...

Read More
Making the Grade – Tavern on the Traxs

Making the Grade | Durango Mexican Grill

OPINION — When Mike and I decided to move to Auburn in November of 2015, the next important decision after finding a house was to find the church God wanted us to join. We visited various churches in Lee County for about a year. Finally, in 2016,...

Read More
Making the Grade | Stinson Breads

Making the Grade | Stinson Breads

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — As I’ve mentioned many times in this column, my husband and I have fallen in love with the city of Opelika, while living in Auburn.Mike’s love of Opelika began 60 years ago when he was a kindergartener at West Point...

Read More
Making the Grade | Krave Korner Kitchen

Making the Grade | Krave Korner Kitchen

BY STACEY WALLACE It’s hard to believe that Mike and I are now in our fifth year of retirement after teaching for 30 years. When Covid-19 shut down our teaching careers one nine weeks early, as it did the world, retirement was quite boring.Our week...

Read More
Making the Grade | Acre

Making the Grade | Acre

BY STACEY WALLACE OPINION — As I’ve mentioned many times in this column, my husband Mike and I taught for 30 years in LaGrange, Georgia. For 29 of those years, I had the dubious pleasure of escorting three classes of 8th graders and 26 classes of...

Read More
Making the Grade | Jan. 23, 2025

Making the Grade | Jan. 23, 2025

Butcher Paper BBQ OPINION —As I’ve mentioned before in this column, fall is my favorite season of the year.Although spring in Alabama is beautiful, my allergies are in bloom. And summer in Alabama is brutal; it’s not fun sweating on the way to the...

Read More
Making the grade – On the road to Caffe Amici

Making the grade - On the road to Caffe Amici

Long ago on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1968, I entered Avondale Kindergarten in my hometown of Alexander City (“Eleck” City to the locals). In those days, school began the day after Labor Day. Also, after a snack of soda crackers and milk, we went home at...

Read More