Rodney Scott Is Still at the Pit — Just Not Where You'd Expect

Food & Industry

If you've been following the Rodney Scott story, you already know about the restaurant collapse. I covered it here — so I won't rehash all of that. The short version: his business partner's restaurant group imploded in May 2026, and Rodney found out his locations were closing while he was working an event at the Kentucky Derby. That's a rough way to get the news.

But here's the thing about people who have been cooking since they were eleven years old — they don't stop cooking.

Dirt Fresh: Your Guide to Local Food in the Rocket City

I'll be honest — I didn't set out to write a guide. I just got curious.

I've always cared where food comes from. But somewhere along the way I assumed that Huntsville and Madison were kind of limited on that front. A couple of farmers markets, maybe a farm stand out on 72, and that was about it. In all honesty that was years ago. So I started poking around and doing some research — and I was genuinely surprised at what I found.

There is a real local food ecosystem here now. Farmers markets in multiple parts of the city. U-pick operations running from April through October. CSA programs that will deliver a box to your door. An online marketplace that aggregates over thirty local farms into one storefront. It's not what I expected, and I wanted to put it all in one place — both for my own reference and for anyone else who's been eating local without knowing all their options.

C3: The Food Industry Has Lost the Plot — June 2026

The food industry spent the last stretch doing two things at once: launching products so bizarre they read like satire, and watching its own business models come apart under the pressure of the internet, labor costs, and a customer base that has run out of patience. Both stories are worth telling. Let's get into it.

Quick note before we start: a lot of what's circulating right now as "new" food news is actually 2023 and 2024 material being recycled for clicks. I went back to primary sources on everything in this post. Dates and details below are verified.

Something Broke in Food Service — And It Wasn't Just the Dishwasher

Why the restaurant industry is a dumpster fire — and why it's complicated.

So when I say the food service industry is in trouble right now — I'm not reading that off a press release. I'm living it. And so is everybody else who's ever tied on an apron for a paycheck.

Here's the thing, though. This isn't a simple story. It's not "workers are lazy now" and it's not "owners are greedy monsters." It's messier than that. It's a full-blown, multi-car pileup on the interstate and somehow every driver has a point about whose fault it is.

Let's talk about it. And yes — we're going to laugh a little. Because if you don't laugh, you cry, and then the health inspector shows up and asks why there's moisture near the equipment.

C3: Feet Pics, Franchise Failures, and Caviar McNuggets — May 2026

Tyrone B. Cookin · C3 Series

Curated Culinary Curiosities

May 2026 Edition

The food world is having a moment. Several moments, actually. None of them normal. Here's what caught my eye this month — verified, fact-checked, and served with a side of chef's perspective.