Jim Cobb

Owner, A Social Affair, operator of Oscar's

 At Oscar’s at the Museum, Jim Cobb successfully combines his passions for food, music, and historic and cultural preservation. Jim opened his first restaurant, Diamond Jim’s, at the ripe age of 22. With a turn-of-century theme and prime location on downtown Birmingham’s newly revitalized Morris Avenue, Diamond Jim’s quickly became a local hot spot in the mid-1970s. Jim soon spread that knack for creating a unique culinary experience to his port city hometown with Trinity’s of Mobile, a restaurant and jazz club, again in a historic downtown location.

Over the years, Jim has managed several celebrated restaurants in Birmingham and Mobile, but most will recognize him as the owner of the popular catering company A Social Affair, located in Mountain Brook for 24 years. “The catering business is built on trust,” Jim says. “And we’re bringing that same kind of relationship to Oscar’s at the Museum.”

Along with the decades of experience in food business that Jim brings to the Museum, he also upholds the belief that, at the end of the day, it’s about the food. “I love to cook and to eat,” he says. “I have to admit that I’m really a red meat guy. I love the grill.” Jim’s commitment to fresh, local ingredients will be reflected in every Oscar’s menu, including some fresh-smoked meats that he’ll prepare himself. “I’m excited about bringing new and different energy to the Museum,” Jim says. “There’s great momentum in downtown Birmingham right now. I started in downtown, and now I’m back.”

Lorrin Rames

Chef, Oscar's at the Museum

Lorrin Rames learned to cook from masters, beginning with his mother when he was just eight years old. His trail to culinary excellence led him to some of the finest hotel kitchens in the country before ultimately delivering him here to Oscar’s. “It’s just something I love doing,” said Lorrin, a native of Kauai, Hawaii.

Lorrin began preparing family meals when he was too little to reach the counter to mix ingredients. He had to climb on a stool and follow the written directions his mom left for him every morning. “I learned by notes from my Mom,” he said. Everyday was like learning a new dish. That’s how I started cooking.”

By the time he was 15, Lorrin was cooking at a local diner in San Diego (the family had moved to be near the Naval base where Lorrin’s brother was stationed). Over four years he learned how to make soup, then the diner’s breakfast menu, then to run the business on the weekends. “I was already in love with the business at that point. I couldn’t get enough of it.”

Going to work at a Sheraton hotel, Lorrin started as a breakfast cook. Within three months, he had filled in on every position in the kitchen, beginning with butcher. Under the tutelage of the Sheraton’s staff, he trained as a sous chef, learned fine dining, banquets, and every aspect of food service, and management. The daily training he received taught him the value of learning on the job. Like a sponge, he soaked up knowledge about the art he loved, and developed a determination to pass on not only the fruits of his skills, but his knowledge as well.

Lorrin moved to Birmingham in 1994 and has cooked at the local Sheraton, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the Birmingham Country Club, and A Social Affair. It’s the connection he built with A Social Affair owner Jim Cobb that brings Lorrin here to Oscar’s, where he will head a team of three cooks. He looks forward to being a part of something new and different at the Museum with Oscar’s. “I’m excited about being hooked up with the local farmers down here. As a chef, I won’t accept anything but fresh, quality, good products.”

Donna Bottsford

Senior Event Planner, A Social Affair Catering @ the Museum

Donna brings fifteen years of experience in the catering industry to help deliver an outstanding experience to you and your guests, no matter the type of event or the size of your guest-list. Donna is wonderfully skilled in tailoring our services to meet your needs and your vision.

During her tenure with A Social Affair catering, Donna has coordinated events of every size, for all occasions, and in every imaginable venue. She has seen and handled it all. Her attention is now devoted exclusively to the beautiful space available at the Birmingham Museum of Art and all of her experience and organizational talents are focused squarely on making your next event an unqualified success.

Attention to detail is an essential ingredient in any successful event, whether planning an important business meeting or a gathering of friends. Donna will smooth every wrinkle in your event until it’s as perfect as a fine linen tablecloth.  Friendly and knowledgeable, she provides almost instant relief to anxious party planners. Let Donna and A Social Affair owner Jim Cobb handle the details. Relax. It’s your party.

Phone:   205.254.2566 (x 3911)
Email:    dbottsford@yahoo.com