First of all, thank you to everyone that stopped by our food blogger bake sale on Friday! It was wonderful seeing familiar faces and many new faces as well. Despite the rain, we had a fun environment indoors at the Cook’s Warehouse at Ansley Mall, who were gracious enough to let us take over their cooking demonstration area and give out coupons to bake sale shoppers. If you were unable to come in person, please consider an online donation!
Chef Nick Melvin
I ducked out of the bake sale for a little bit to head over to the nearby Morningside Farmers Market on Saturday. I’ve been meaning to check out Chef Nick Melvin’s new business, Doux South Pickles since it launched and this was my first opportunity to do so. I’ve heard rave reviews about his honey kissed turnips and I bought a jar to take home. They’ve come right out of the gate with a number of tantalizing options including drunken tomatoes, angry cukes, chow chow, little rock caviar & bread & butter tomatoes. As required by all vendors at Morningside, the product is local and certified organic. You can find more information about the products ( and much better photos than my iPhone can produce!) as well as other markets where you can purchase them, at DouxSouth.com.
While at the market, I had a chance to pick up a number of items for the week, including beets, arugula and strawberries from Woodland Gardens, near Athens. I’ve always enjoyed their produce and I’m in love with their signage at the market. I had a delicious meal recently at Farm 255, and Chef Whitney Otawka was raving about the tomatoes & strawberries she’d been receiving recently. In fact, the turnips in Doux South’s Pickles are procured through Woodland.
Woodland Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Last but not least, I picked up some beautiful radishes from D & A Farms. I love them in salads and of course with a bit of good butter & salt. For a comprehensive list of Atlanta area farmer’s markets, Atlanta Magazine has a great resource available. Outside of Atlanta? Check out the USDA’s site for locations nationwide.
D&A Farms
Safehouse Coffee in Griffin, GA
In January 2012, a well-loved coffee shop & roaster on the southern edge of the metro area was heavily damaged by fire and was forced to close temporarily. Members of the specialty coffee community came together to support the nonprofit entity during this time and they were able to set up pop-up shops around town until they were able to get back on their feet and start the rebuilding effort. Thankfully they’ve reopened and have big plans for the future. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out Hill Street Market and Bank Street Cafe nearby.
Housemade caramel and Askinosie chocolate sauces
SAFEHOUSE COFFEE ROASTERS
109 South Hill Street
Griffin, GA 30223
678-603-1462
The boys at Steady Hand Pour House have vacated their Emory Village digs and have taken their quirky brand of caffeinated energy down the road to Decatur Square. While on the hunt for a permanent space for their coffee shop and roastery, they’ve set up shop at the Iberian Pig in Downtown Decatur to provide Intelligentsia espresso drinks and a small lunch menu.
Food offerings will vary depending on what’s available from farmers and will be tweaked once they figure out what their new neighborhood has a taste for. They’ve recruited Jarrett Stieber, formerly of Empire State South who served up a delicious beet soup w/ sherry, cilantro & textured milk that I devoured yesterday. They’ll be open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. ’til 2pm and keep a look out on twitter (@steadyhandatl) for details on more pop-ups down the road, they’re just getting started.
STEADY HAND @ IBERIAN PIG
121 Sycamore Street
Decatur, GA 30030
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Posted in Event, food
Dessert spread at Lobby restaurant
I love dessert – ranging from petite macarons to towering chocolate cake. There was a mandarin cream cake baked by Eric Wolitzky for an Atlanta Food & Wine event that I may still have dreams about. The Cypress Street burger, sandwiched between two glazed Sublime Doughnuts is just that, sublime. A delightful lunch at Lobby in Atlantic Station was taken to the next level when the assortment of desserts you see at the top of this page was presented to the table. If you’ve ever seen Top Chef, you’ve no doubt seen incredibly talented individuals falter when it comes producing excellent pastry dishes, there’s definitely an art to it.
I’m not a baker myself, but for the past few years I’ve jumped at the chance to help out with the annual No Kid Hungry bake sale spearheaded by Tami Hardeman of Running with Tweezers, with friend and fellow blogger Christina Arpante of Mele Cotte. It amazes me each year that while juggling photo shoots & running a successful business, that Tami has the time and energy to focus on a bake sale that’s the envy of others, and I was so proud when I heard that she’s being recognized by Share Our Strength for her efforts.
My parents weren’t rich going up, but thankfully I’ve never had to worry if there would be food at the kitchen table. We had a grocery store just two blocks away with a bounty of fresh produce, meats & staples. In the summer, my mother would grow callaloo (similar to spinach) and tomatoes. We even had a cherry tree in the front yard. My parents would drag my sister and I to the West Side Market in Cleveland. Some days I hated it, and other days I marveled at the rows of fruits & vegetables, meat & seafood coming from all around the world.
Sadly, there are children across the country who are worried about when they’ll receive their next meal. I can’t imagine having the pressure of going to school, passing standardized tests, trying to get ahead, and at the same time go hungry at night. Share Our Strength has taken this challenge head on and I’m excited to be a small part in that effort with this year’s bake sale which will again be hosted at Cook’s Warehouse in Ansley Mall, from 9am – 1pm.
I’d love to see you there, and if your schedule doesn’t allow – please consider donating online. If you follow me on twitter, you know that I’m in full-on promotion mode, but it’s for a great cause. Our Atlanta bake sale has been #1 in no small part to our online donation efforts. If you do make it out, I promise that you’ll have a choice of delicious desserts baked by local bloggers and generous businesses.If you’d like a taste of what you’ll find on the bake sale table online, follow our facebook page and check for updates from Tami on twitter.
See you there!
ATLANTA BAKE SALE FOR NO KID HUNGRY
9am-1pm
Cook’s Warehouse
1544 Piedmont Road
Atlanta, GA 30324
404-815-4993
Monday, April 29, 2013 Posted in Event
Fiesta Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park
Event and festival season is in full effect and this weekend’s no different. Similar St. Patrick’s Day, everyone seems to find an ounce of Mexican blood in them and desires to celebrate Cinco de Mayo – just please don’t fall into the trap of calling it Mexican Independence Day.
courtesy, W Hotels
My friend Vincent will again be hosting a fun event that combines fashion, lovable pooches & charity with the annual Doggies on the Catwalk event at the W Hotel in Buckhead. Local celebrities and canines will be strutting down the catwalk to benefit the 1873 society at the Atlanta Humane Society. The event takes place on Friday, May 3 and details can be found on Fashionado.
Delightful treats from CamiCakes
The crowds have spoken and my friend Shameeka, better known as The Broke Socialite, is once again hosting her dessert extravaganza, The Sugar Coma Festival. She’s tapped baking blogger and best seller Bakerella, of Cake Pops fame to join in the fun, who will greet fans and sign cookbooks — get there early! Throughout the years, I’ve met many fantastic bakers who I’ve met through the various iterations of the Sugar Coma tours and festivals. I first met Taria Camerino there years ago who now runs the pastry program a Ford Fry’s Rocket Farm restaurants, became intimate with the many flavors of High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet (recently featured in the Dean & Deluca catalog and Oprah magazine) among others. Tickets for the afternoon event on May 5th are going fast, pick one up at the festival’s site.
Beer! Photo taken at Hotoberfest
Last year, I had hoped to attend an event celebrating items I love – high gravity beer and hip hop, but sadly it wasn’t in the cards. I’m happy to report that High Gravity Hip Hop is back again this year with a Cinco de Mayo themed event and I’m looking forward to dropping by. If you want a taste of the high energy event, be sure to check out last year’s video. The event kicks off on May 5th at 3pm and includes music, the aforementioned craft beer, and even wine & margaritas if beer isn’t your thing. The tastings are all included, so I’d certainly hope that you give a few beers a taste – you might surprise yourself. They’ve added a live salsa band to the mix, salsa lessons, food and even a mechanical bull to the mix this year, tickets can be purchased over at HGHH.
Fiesta Atlanta
If you’d prefer to stick to the traditional – mariachi bands & authentic Mexican food in a family friendly environment, give Fiesta Atlanta a try. It’s held on May 5th downtown at Centennial Olympic Park. You’ll find a fair share of corporations pushing their brands, but it keeps the event free and its chock full of entertainment all day long. Check out the Fiesta Atlanta site for the full run down. Whatever you choose to do, please drink responsibly!
by Broderick Smylie
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