[August 31, 2011] A kitchen divided Tweet Aug 31, 2011 (Montgomery Advertiser - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Missy and Browne Mercer of Montgomery are best known as the owners of Cloverdale eateries Tomatino's Pizza and Bake Shop, Cafe Louisa and Louisa's Bakery. But they're also some seriously devoted college football fans, and like many a "house divided" throughout the state, the two don't root for the same team. Browne, a University of Alabama alum, and Missy, an Auburn grad, remain true to their schools throughout football season. In this case, the in-house rivalry hasn't caused rifts. In fact, it may have brought them closer. The Mercers have come out with two new cookbooks -- "The University of Alabama Cookbook," by Browne, and "The Auburn University Cookbook," by Missy -- just in time for football season, with culinary delights custom created for fans of both the Tide and the Tigers. The just-released books from Gibbs Smith Publishing are $14.99 each. If you thought last year's season was a nail-biter for many a college football fan in Alabama, consider this -- at the peak of it, the couple was hard at work composing team-themed entrees, side dishes, appetizers and desserts. All that in addition to operating their midtown hotspots and working outside of them: Missy, who studied finance at Auburn before heading to the California Culinary Academy, is also a culinary instructor at Williams-Sonoma, and Browne, a self-taught chef with a family lineage of top-notch cooks, frequently caters events for the Delta Water Fowl Committee. Come tailgatin' time (as if anyone didn't know, that means Saturday, y'all) both sides can lay claim to their own signature spreads, thanks to the Mercers. That means digging into some "Give 'em Hell Alabama, Deviled Eggs," "Sis Boom Bah! Sausage Balls," "Rammer Jammer Baked Beans," "War Damn ... That's Good Banana Pudding!" and other season's eatings. ___ (c)2011 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) Visit the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]