September 22, 2010
Chef Betsy Pitts & Farmer Colleen Dudley
Botanical Edible Gardens
Appetizer
Chickpea hummus with roasted red peppers, basil oil and grilled pita bread
Montasolo Pinot Grigio
First course
Georgia peaches, local heirloom tomatoes, grilled Vidalia     onions and basil with  organic apple cider vinaigrette
Montasolo Pinot Grigio
Second course
Local farm greens, medjool dates, local Gala apples,
walnuts, Udderly Cool Fromage Blanc
and herbs with garlic vinaigrette
Astica Chardonnay
Third course
Pan-seared Diver scallops with local butter beans, sweet corn and oven roasted tomatoes
Ca Donini Pinot Noir
Fourth course
Grilled local seasonal fruit with local honey
marscapone and bruschetta

Photos  by Kitty Ray Swain

Why is sourcing local and or organic produce important to you & your restaurant? I’m a huge proponent of living a healthy lifestyle and what we eat is the cornerstone. The quality of product consumed affects the mind, body, and spirit. If I’m going to ingest something into my body for strength, nutrition, and health…I want to be know what I’m eating, what’s in it and on it, where it came from, who grew it, what’s the nutritional value, etc.  Buying local and organic make this possible and I try to share this philosophy with the customers through my food. And…it’s absolutely beautiful and delicious and helps out other small businesses.

If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow? Chickens and vegetables

What one seasoning can you not live without? Peppers…I love spicy food!

What should every kitchen not be without? [ie: type of knife, pan, olive oil, etc] A heavy, sturdy butcher block cutting board.

What chef or person inspired you to enter the culinary world? Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison…I remember reading the Food & Wine Best New Chefs issue that they were in. I was intrigued by their farm, the old Bacchanalia in the house on Piedmont, and the FOOD. I thought it would really be awesome to work with them…and I did several years later. I learned so much from them…their dedication to product, consistency, and passion for food and dining.

What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to?Julia Childs

Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ?
I would sail with my closest friends and family to a small island off the coast of Maine. I would eat lobster, mussels, roasted corn, whipped sweet potatoes, Brillat Savarin triple cream cheese, peaches, and French bread, Michel Cluziel French chocolate, and Fiuggi sparkling water with agave nectar and lime. I would listen to the waves as they splashed against the rocks.

The farmers I use are: Moore’s Farm and Friends distributed by The Turnip Truck, These include Serenbe Organics, Georgia’s finest, Osage Farms, Johnson Family Farms, Hometown Honey, Oakview Granary, Beech Creak Farms. Oakview Farms, Featherwise Farms, Sparkman’s

URBAN PL8 is about quality and affordability- “high quality,affordable food in a casual, cool, friendly atmosphere…an everyday kind of place with exceptional food and service” says Chef and owner, Betsy Pitts. URBAN PL8 will be Betsy Pitts’s first restaurant, an endeavor she’s passionate about and has been wanting to do for a long time. She states, “It’s about better food and healthier options. It’s also about affordability. I’ve tried to strip away the overhead that doesn’t have anything to do with thequality of the food. i.e. expensive stemware, linens, big menu, having counter service instead of a full wait staff, prestigious location, etc… to make what I cook the best it can be at reasonable prices. It’s all about ‘everyday’ food…where it comes from, how it’s prepared, how to make it better and more accessible, healthier, more convenient, it’s a service almost as well as a dining experience.”

Chef and owner, Betsy Pitts, has been a part of the Atlanta restaurant scene for many years. She apprenticed under Jean Banchett who was heralded as “the epitome of a chef” by Jacques Pepin and considered one of the most influential chefs of all time, having racked up every four-star review and comparable accolade imaginable; his restaurant was touted by Bon Appetit magazine as the best restaurant in America. She has worked with Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison as sous chef at Bacchanalia and Floataway Cafe (which she also helped open), at Watershed with Scott Peacock, acknowledged in 2007 as the “Best Chef in the Southeast” by the James Beard Foundation and featured on Martha Stewart, the Early Show, and the Today Show, to name a few, at Mumbo Jumbo with Shaun Doty; RJ’s Wine Bar as sous chef for Kelly Courtney, Food & Wine Best New chef 2001, was Executive Chef at Nickimotos Buckhead and helped develop and write the menu for Nickimotos Midtown. Betsy also went on to build a successful catering business specializing in high quality catering, for corporate events, cocktail parties, dinner parties, real estate caravans, luncheons, and commercial shoots for Monarch Productions.

URBAN PL8 is located in Westside Atlanta’s old industrial and design district – an area of urban revival that’s evolving into the newest hot, hip area for dining and shopping – on 1082 Huff Rd, between Howell Mill and Marietta St – down the street from White Provisions. The restaurant occupies a corner loft with plenty of free parking and seats 82. With its high ceilings, open kitchen, and savvy modern design, incorporating woods and fabrics, it gives off an open, airy feel. It has a great covered patio and green space – in fact, almost half of its capacity is reserved for patio seating.

What’s notable and different about URBAN PL8:
* Large patio and green space * High quality, fresh food, at affordable prices – healthy food that’s not “health food”.* Wine at retail prices – what you’d pay at your local grocery store – all you pay is a $5 cork fee. No outrageous mark-ups.* Catering Services – business catering, real estate caravans.* Take-out available.* Varying, diverse menu – can change daily depending on what’s fresh and available.* Environmentally sustainable methods and products.* Kid and family friendly – there’s food for them that they’ll like (prepared in a healthy way – shhhhh…).* Counter service – faster, more economical service.