By Wesley Walter, Managing editor 

Several changes to the culinary landscape of Montevallo Main Street occurred during December 2023. While Baba Java Coffee closed its location at 620 Main Street on Dec. 9, two new restaurants have opened up on Montevallo’s main drag.  

Main Street’s newest restaurant, Indigo Café and Bar, officially opened to the public on Dec. 12. 

Located at 629 Main Street, Indigo Café and Bar marks chef Indigo Aulbach’s reentry into the culinary world after 10 years of absence.  

Aulbach graduated from culinary school in San Francisco in 1995, and has worked in catering and restaurants across the country since he was a teenager. His experience includes working as the Executive Sous Chef of Parasole, a chain of restaurants in the Minneapolis area where he moved in 2004.  

Aulbach, however, has spent the last 10 years working various nursing positions, leaving his position at Parasole after the birth of his daughter Bennett Aulbach in hopes of spending more time with her.  

Aulbach moved to the Montevallo area to be closer to Bennett, who currently attends the University of Montevallo. This led to him discovering the over 100-year-old vacant location on Main Street. 

In an interview with the Shelby County Reporter, Aulbach described wanting to create a space in Montevallo that provided fine dining at an affordable price.  

Aulbach said, “My daughter goes to the University of Montevallo. She and her fiancé deserve to go have a nice meal, a nice home-cooked meal and not break the bank and be able to do that on a regular basis.” 

Indigo Café and Bar’s website describes the menu as, “classic American food… comfortable, recognizable, affordable.”  

The website also describes Indigo Café as being, “Inspired by the great American artists, adventurers, and misfits of the 20th century.” According to Aulbach, these inspirations include some of his favorite creatives such as Billie Holiday, Anthony Bourdain and the Ramones. 

Indigo Café held a soft opening Dec. 12, serving over 50 members of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and continued to host private holiday parties until it’s public opening on Dec. 18.  

According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, Indigo Café will be open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Indigo Café is not the only newly-opened restaurant on Montevallo Main Street, with Soul Spot Soul Food making a return to its location at 728 Main Street on Dec. 5.  

While this marks the return of Soul Spot’s permanent location, the company has remained active in the Montevallo culinary scene after its original closure with its catering and food truck services. 

Originally opened as Soul Spot Wings on Oct. 9, 2021, the location on Main Street will now feature a more general soul food and meat-and-three menu.