FARMER GRANDMA BROCK

Grandma Brock’s Country Farm is a 13-acre farm situated between Atlanta and Athens providing locally and naturally grown produce in Franklin County, Georgia. We grow on land which is Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) using biodynamic, natural and sustainable methods. We specialize in heirloom organic tomatoes and vegetables along with medicinal/culinary herbs and flowers. Our produce and herbs are …See More
General Information
The growing season has begun and our 2013 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is now open for registration:

** More share varieties – We’ve become a multi-farm CSA. Adding a grower enables us to provide you more variety in weekly produce share. Your produce share will include fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and apples.

** More share types – In addition to our produce share, we’ve added milk and egg shares in both full and half share options.

** More products – We’ve added artisan products such as goat cheese, grass-fed beef, baked bread, gourmet mushrooms, honey, and coffee. These products are from local GA growers. We’ve added these products in response to our customers need for a complete shopping experience. Products are available each week for purchase and pick up with your weekly share.

** More pick-up locations – We’ve added additional pick up location in Buckhead and Athens. As well a “Door-to-Door Group Delivery” option in Atlanta area.

Contact Debbie for registration details at csa@GrandmaBrocks.com

Q & A with CHEF COSTANZO ASTARITA

Why is sustainability important to you & your restaurant?
Conservation is important to us, without sustainability we couldn’t survive as humans. Generations to come will benefit from out conservation and our future businesses.
If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow?
Tomatoes. Our family has a strong history and affinity with tomatoes. On the Isle of Capri, there is a strong connection to
what little land we have. Cherry tomatoes are my families favorite. The real ones too, not gassed or genetically enhanced.
When you taste a real tomato, you can never go back.
What one seasoning can you not live without? Garlic. It goes with everything and enhance and lends a nice heat to your dishes.
What should every kitchen not be without? Real Salt! Also a variety of different salts. Salts are not created equal, based on where they are from and how
they are harvested.
What chef, person and or book inspired you to enter the culinary world? The men of my family. They were all chefs and traditions and stories were passed down from the recipes they gave me.
What are some can’t miss items on the menu? Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu and Kimchi Wings
What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to? Leonardo DaVinci
Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ? The Isle of Capri overlooking the Faragliglioni. My Wife. I would eat a pasta with fresh local seafood and listening to Pepino

Chef Costanzo Astarita was born into a family of chefs on the Isle of Capri.  Shortly after, his family immigrated to Bermuda where he trained at the Bermuda Culinary School.  He then moved to the United Kingdom to finish his Hotel Restaurant Management Degree.  WIth all of his culinary education and experience, his greatest influence was his father, where he worked and trained under extensively.  This true Italian training developed his mantra of using the best and freshest ingredients that are in season.  “Keep the recipes simple and let the ingredients shine in the dish.”  After moving to Atlanta, Astarita spent some time at Chateau Elan, as director of food operations, and then set out to open his own restaurant group, which involves Ciao Bella, Baraonda, PDH (Publik Draft House) and Fig Jam.

What prepared you to be a farmer?  I have lived in Decatur all of my life. My dad sold vegetables from the family garden off the back of his pickup truck for years. As kids we always helped dad. By 16, I started taking gardening more seriously. I was pretty excited about the new rototiller. Ever since then I grew the size of that family garden until it got to be 1/4 acre, then 1/2 acre, then 1 acre….and in 2011 it’s almost 3 acres. In 2005, BesMaid Garden Essentials became my full-time career. The name came from an ice cream business where my father worked for almost 20 years.
What is a unique feature and how many acres do you farm? With a special piece of equipment on the back of my tractor,  I have been really happy with my raised beds which are now 285 to 300 foot long and is a benefit to the plant for water and to the soil.  Most of my soil is leaf compote but can’t give away all my secrets[wink].  In early 2000 I decided to go completely  organic and follow standard organic practices.. All the fertilizers used on the farm are Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI) approved. I use certified organic fish emulsion and seaweed for fertilizer. In addition to the compost I make on the property, I also supplement with animal manure from local farms. I regularly use cover crops for “green manure” such as rye as a winter cover crop and Hairy Vetch, buckwheat, soy beans, and Sudan grass as summer cover crops.
Tell us about your main crops and how you chose the varieties.  Like most small farmers are now planting, we bring you heirloom varieties of vegetables that have never been seen in grocery stores. These varieties have not been genetically modified and were in common use in the southeast prior to War.Fall/Winter vegetables you can expect: Broccoli (Green Magic, Pac Man, Arcadia, Blue Wind), Cauliflower (Cheddar, Purple Graffitti, Romanesca, White Cloud, Green Panther), Brussel Sprouts (Bubbles), Collard, Turnip, and Mustard Greens,Pac Choi (Black Summer, Joy Choi, Red Choi),Red Koma Suna, Hon Tsai Tai (Japanese Spinach),Carrots (Nelson),Onions (Yellow Granix, White, Red, Shallots),Arugula, All-Star Mix Lettuce,Romaine Lettuce,Rainbow Chard,Herbs (Cilantro, Rosemary, Basil, Garlic)
How much of food goes to farmers markets and or restaurants? It use to be 50 to 50 but now I’m selling more to restaurants
What challenges do you have as a farmer?  Insects and weeds such kudzoo beetle.  This beetle was just introduced to Georgia 2 years ago and it sucks the water out of my bean plants. I use pyganic insect spray.
Where would be your ideal location for your last supper, what would be your meal & music and who would join you ? Scallops and grouper with a medley rock and roll bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Green Day, Collective Soul and Lincoln park.

BesMaid Garden and Bobby Britt can be reached at www.BesMaidGarden.com or 404.288.6972

Q&A with Chef Evan Cordes
Why is sustainability important to you & your restaurant? This really just boils down to doing the “right” thing. Supporting the local economy is essential, the more we can support the farms that surround the city, the more jobs can be be created; which, as we all know, is the ultimate driving force for the economy. Supporting businesses like organic farms that support their local community is also essential to healthy happy families, that live and work in their community.

If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow? Chicken and Hops. A small family of goats, eggplant (i love the eggplant), and some really spicy arugula.

What one seasoning can you not live without? Thyme, but really hot sauce.

What should every kitchen not be without?  A good sharp knife that the kitcheneer feels comfortable with. Brown pan liner paper, makes clean-up a breeze. A cast iron braising dish, I have a 5 quart Staub that I love.

What chef,  person and or book inspired you to enter the culinary world? Juan Esparza, Chef de Cuisine at Poole’s Diner in Raleigh, North Carolina. I met Juan seven or eight years ago, he inspired me then and he inspires me now. He has a fantastic sense of humor and an even better palate.

What are some can’t miss items on the menu? Chicken Livers hot wing style; Braised Bacon and Shrimp with Shiitake Relish; Skirt Steak with Arugula, Crisp Potatoes and Smoked Peanut Picililli.

What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to?  Abe Lincoln, he seemed like a pretty reasonable fellow. If Abe Lincoln was unavailable, Joel Nathaniel Cummins.

Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ? I would eat dinner with my wonderful wife in the bite of Cape Lookout on the NC coast. We would eat deviled eggs, white anchovies, chunks of hot calabrese sausage, and roast chunks of foie gras over a campfire like marshmallows. We would enjoy a couple of bottles: Falanghina, Duvall Leroy, a nice smokey Malbec. I would have Matthew Bettinger make white whiskey cocktails all night with little umbrellas in them and Wilco would play live from about fifty feet away. When the meal was over, we would dance.

 Having etched out a niche in the Atlanta market as a destination for classic cocktails, H Harper Station is now furthering their commitment to local, seasonal and sustainable food with the addition of Executive Chef, Evan Cordes.  “We have always been focused on sustainable meats and local produce, and with Evan’s natural affinity for those things it’s just getting better and better” states Jerry Slater, Harper’s owner. 

Evan Cordes, born and raised in North Carolina, and most recently of Cakes & Ale and Serpas True Food, is excited about crafting menus in H. Harper Station’s relaxed, yet still elegant atmosphere.  “I believe that a delicious meal, crafted from local ingredients should not be out of reach for anyone” states Cordes. 

Guests can expect the menu to change more frequently as items come in and out of season.  Making a summer debut on the menu is a locally harvested eggplant carpaccio with tomatoes and marinated peppers, a summer bean salad featuring green beans, sunflower sprouts and black cherry tomatoes and a ribeye with smoked potato salad and roasted okra. Cordes and Slater have partnered with local farms like Bes’ Maid Garden Essentials, D & A  Farms and Gaia Gardens to ensure a frequent supply of high quality, organically grown local produce.

by Amanda Trevelino of Full Dishclosure

Oakland Cemetery

A chilly October mist settles over us the minute we step
into the graveyard, making us a little unsure about having
agreed to dine with the dead, but Esther Andrew and
Chef Evan Cordes are about to shift our way of thinking.
Photos by Kitty Ray Swain.

In the three years since Andrew founded For Foods Sake supper club she’s treated invitation-only members to culinary experiences at secret locations from rooftops to farms; private homes to hidden gardens. But her October destination redefined underground eateries, considering many of the hosts had been dead and buried at Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery since the 1800′s. What could entice us here on a cold dreary night? Only the wizardry of Chef Evan Cordes of nearby H. Harper Station, paired with the promise of end-of-season organic produce from D&A Farms.

Garden and Gun Magazine singles out Cordes (a North Carolina native who formerly brought acclaim to Cakes & Ale and Serpas True Food) for his creative revival of classic southern cocktails. So we were sure he’d bring similar creativity to a meal in an historically significant location. After all, we were surrounded by Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, golf great Bobby Jones, former mayors and dignitaries and no less than 40,000 civil war soldiers.

In town less than 24-hours after his honeymoon, Cordes put together a layered menu that incorporated summer-time veggies we’d given up hope of enjoying until next year: roast okra to start, and sweet corn to finish, thanks to D&A’s hoop tunnel farming system that enables soil to maintain warmth.

Nestled under ancient oaks and magnolias, an appreciative audience of 50 foodies and friends felt quite alive savoring the first and second courses. Most seemed to agree the olive oil poached turnips paired with smoked trout couldn’t be topped. But when the entree was passed family style, the warm field peas and butter beans proved to be the perfect comfort food. There was a poignant awareness of past, present and future as we honored those no longer with us and focused on For Foods Sake’s mission of supporting 180 Degree Kitchen, a project of City of Refuge. Executive Director Bruce Deel reminded us of the extraordinary crime rate in a particular part of our city where the 180 Degree Kitchen offers a potential culinary arts solution to 18 to 25-year-olds. By learning the building blocks of a culinary career, students can find work with participating restaurants, meanwhile the food they prepare goes to feed the hungry and homeless, and money earned through the Kitchen’s outside catering services helps fund the program.

The Menu:
Amuse-pork rillette with espillette-cocoa mustard  and  pickled mushroom toasts  Wine: MontAsolo Merlot, Veneto
1st salad of pea shoots, broccoli and sunflower sprouts, D & A greens and okra with spiced pomegranate kernels and roast okra. pumpkinseed viniagrette.

2nd pickled shrimp and smoked trout on olive oil poached turnips with carrot gribiche and wood roast mussels Wine: Tiamo Chianti, Tuscany

3rd roast pork shoulder served family style with warm field peas, butterbeans, and roast pepper creme fraiche; butternut squash salad with proscuitto and cranberries; collard greens with sticky farro Wine: Pietra Majella, Montepulciano D’Abruzzo

4th fig sorghum buchon with sweet corn and local honey

D&A Farm:
Family owned an operated by Dave and Alan Bentoski, D&A grows more than 80 varieties of certified organic fruits, vegetables, melons, and vegetable transplants. The produce is raised on roughly 15 acres of cultivated ground which counts 1 heated greenhouse and 9 unheated high tunnels used for season extension. Certified organic since 2007, D&A’s premium produce is available direct to consumers through its CSA program and at Morningside Farmers Market.

Historic Oakland Cemetery:
This garden cemetery, founded in 1850, is the final resting place of many of Atlanta’s settlers, builders, and most noted citizens like Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and Maynard Jackson. It is also a showplace of sculpture and architecture, and a botanical preserve. Cemetery photo by Joel Silverman 2008.

Oakland Cemetery

]]> https://forfoodssake.org/2011/09/26/harvest/feed/ 0 https://forfoodssake.org/2011/02/15/the-idea/ https://forfoodssake.org/2011/02/15/the-idea/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:24:05 +0000 Esther https://forfoodssake.org/wordpress/?p=1624

The idea for For Foods Sake evolved from a simple question I was asking in 2009: “Isn’t there a way to make going out to dinner more enriching and personally rewarding?

After a few discussions with friends and inspirations from Outstanding in the Field and other underground clubs, I answered that question by creating a monthly “secret experience” event to bring a farmer and chef together in an “alternative” dining venue. The events served not only to raise awareness about our food choices, but allowed the community to become personally involved in the farmer’s mission while discovering and supporting the emerging and established chefs. Our events have raised awareness of City of Refuge’s 180 Degree Kitchen for students who wouldn’t traditionally have the means to enter a culinary career. 

From shared enthusiasm, the membership has grown and the launch of For Food’s Sake Society was created to offer the ultimate in foodie experiences including exclusive Society gatherings, advance access to FFS events and discounts to events, travel, food and retail stores.  Additionally, the SecretIngredientShop.com gift store launched with items significatly reduced for Society members. Most recently, For Wine Sake was created to give our members access to wine experts for their wine selection at prices unbeatable in the state of Georgia. 

I hope to continue to bridge the relationship with foodies, farmers and chefs with more unusual experiences in the coming year. And remember, For Food’s Sake is as much about our community as it is for food! I look forward to sharing and collecting the very best in food experiences this year.
Thanks to all who have attended to celebrate food for food’s sake.

Sincerely yours,
Esther McMaster Andrew
Founder
info@forfoodssake.org

Pod To Chocolate
Thursday, February 17 at 7PM
Kristen Hard of Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co
PHOTOS AT BOTTOM
Luc Clairmont: [at confession] Each time I tell myself it’s the last time, but then I get a whiff of her hot chocolate, or… 
Madame Audel: …Seashells. Chocolate seashells, so small, so plain, so *innocent*. I thought, oh, just one little taste, it can’t do any harm. But it turned out they were filled with rich, sinful… 
Yvette Marceau: …And it *melts*, God forgive me, it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure. From the movie, Chocolat

I don’t know if it was the full moon, or the wine, or those delicate little discs of chocolate – actually, I do know – it was all three, combined, that made February 17^th one of For Food Sakes’ most memorable events. Chocolatier/Chocolate Maker Kristen Hard took us on a journey from Venezuelan cacao farms- machetes in hand, chopping purple (!) chocolate pods- to the Caribbean, where she pried secret recipes out of a trio of bewitching women. Along the way, we sampled her hand-made, exquisite chocolates, and sipped wines supplied by Michael Doerfler (For Wine Sake).

 The guests arrived at the lovely home of Dean and Amanda Trevelino, following the candlelit path past their pool to a sleek, modern terrace, where we enjoyed charcuterie and our first glass of wine. Their house – with its top hung pocket doors, wooden slat bathroom floors, white Barcelona chairs and sinks that double as sculpture – could easily be found on the pages of Architectural Digest. It’s that fabulous.

 Here we all mixed and mingled – biding our time really in anticipation of the Real Reason we were there – the chocolate – until Esther introduced the Trevelinos, Michael from For Wine Sake, and Caline Jarudi (Director of Operations and Marketing) and Kristen Hard from Cacao Atlanta. Kristen invited us to take a piece of brie and move upstairs to the kitchen for the chocolate tasting. Hurray! I, for one, could not click my heels fast enough up the spiral metal staircase to the main level.

 Upstairs at last, the minimalist kitchen with its espresso cabinets and white quartz counters served as the perfect backdrop to Ms. Hard’s clever concoctions. We began the tasting with a piece of chocolate trompe l’oeil: salami (Salami di Cioccolato), a chocolate “log” wrapped in plastic then cased in a white netting. Each round, thick slab is composed of dark chocolate with bits of all butter shortbread and amaretto biscotti, which combine to form a grainy (but not gritty) texture, mildly sweet and altogether yummy.

 This clever bit of chocolate was Founder Society Member Ansley Colby’s favorite. Pair it with some subtle cheese, like brie, and Ansley says it would be the “perfect thing to end a great evening.”

 In our case, of course, it was just the start of a great evening. Michael explained that there is no good way to pair wine and chocolate. For instance, champagne’s acidity can ruin the chocolate texture in the mouth. That seems terribly unfair, doesn’t it? He encouraged us to sample the different wines he brought in whatever order moved us. (See below for the full list of wines we tasted.) The guests seemed particularly smitten with the Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, whose vanilla-mocha flavor combination would go equally as well with your favorite steak as it did with our chocolates. No easy feat for a wine to be so good and also versatile, but then again, there was a full moon that night so maybe it only works when the lunar cycle is just right.

 Back to the chocolate. Our second “course” was a simple little chocolate square, the Hispaniola Dominican Republic Varietal. Well, simple, until the dense dark chocolate melts in your mouth and you get just the vaguest hint of an orange note deep in the back of your throat. This was followed by another “simple” square, the Patanemo Venezuelan Varietal. This was milder, creamier and slightly sweeter than the Hispaniola, and is made from one of the most expensive chocolates in the world because it all comes from one tree and one type of bean. This is very rare in the chocolate world – a world utterly without regulations or standards (unlike wine). Kristen likens the chocolate trade to dealing in “drugs and diamonds.”

 Kristen takes all her chocolates from “bean to the bar.” She travels the world, traipsing through cacao farms, to find the best variety of beans. She is tiny – 5’5” but she has been known to grab a machete and hack away at the chocolate trees to remove their pods. She brings them to her factory in Inman Park where they are roasted, hand-sorted, cracked and winnowed before she grinds the nibs to form a paste, finally refining and kneading the chocolate to bend to her will. Chocolate is temperamental, she explained.

 She is a chocolate maker. A chocolatier takes the chocolate made by artisans such as Kristen and turns them into chocolate confections. (Kristen is also a Chocolatier.) There are many chocolatiers, but very few chocolate makers – only about 20 in the U.S. – and she was the first woman.

 Our fourth chocolate was the Aztec Aphrodisiac Truffle. Here was a dark chocolate truffle with a creamy filling that was not thick or waxy. Smooth, light, then suddenly – wow – what was THAT? That slight tingle in the back of your throat is a blend of six different chilis and spices – a secret recipe Kristen picked up in the Caribbean that she has not shared with anyone and vows she never will. Ah, such a sweet mystery.

 We had one chocolate left to taste, the Peanut Butter Meltaway. Small, round balls dusted with powdered sugar that are 100% vegan and made with locally sourced peanuts. You could really smell and taste the peanuts. As with all her chocolates, one bite and you want more, but you are also completely satisfied with just that one bite.

 And perhaps that is the lesson here. Her chocolates aren’t sweet, yet they’re sweet enough. Unlike commercial chocolate, there were no sugar bombs exploding in our mouth that night. Instead, we tasted real chocolate, deep, dark, bitter but somehow NOT bitter, sweet, but somehow NOT sweet, mysterious, complex and utterly delicious.

Kristen Hard is the founder/chocolate maker of Cacao Atlanta. Her factory and shop are located at 312 C N. Highland Ave. in Atlanta. She is opening a second shop in Buckhead this week in the Garden Hills area at 2817 Peachtree Rd NE. Stop by on Saturdays for freshly made chocolate croissants and stop by any time for a variety of hot chocolate in addition to her fiendish little chocolate delights.

Wine Menu
Antinori Campogrande Orvietto 2009
Pezzi King, Dry Creek Zinfandel 2008
Salentein Malbec 2007
Earthquake Cabernet Sauvig
on 2006
Gruet Demi-Sec. N.V.        Contact Michael Doerfler at (404) 872-0904 to order any of the wines.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KITTY RAY SWAIN

Why is sourcing local and or organic produce important to you & your restaurant? Being a good chef starts with giving people the freshest food possible. The closer it is to home, the less time it takes getting in our doors. That insures a quality, fresh product. Local, usually smaller farmers, take more pride in their work, a personal vested interest, and can achieve some different flavor characteristics in the food.
If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow?Pigs. I love everything about them.
What one seasoning can you not live without? Garlic
What should every kitchen not be without? [ie: type of knife, pan, olive oil, etc] Salt
What chef or person inspired you to enter the culinary world? I don’t think there was a celebrity chef that I followed before going to culinary school. I just knew I liked to eat, and cooking was very enjoyable to me. I learned a lot watching my mother.
What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to? George Will
Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to ?In the Bahamas with my wife.  I would eat anything with conch in it, especially conch fritters and stew.  Appleton Estate rum and great wine.  Jack Johnson playing in the background.

 Known for his sophisticated and seasonally-driven cuisine, renowned chef and Atlanta native Shane Touhy has built his career on years of experience, hard work and personal flair.  Upon the opening of Dogwood, his new restaurant located in the heart of Atlanta, patrons will have the opportunity to indulge in Touhy’s one-of-a-kind dishes.  As executive chef, Touhy is responsible for menu development, food production and kitchen operations.

Touhy’s passion for food and entertaining came early in life by observing his mother, an ideal Southern hostess, who filled their home with uniquely-styled dishes created with warmth and simplicity.  He then went on to formalize his culinary education at Johnson and Wales in Charleston, South Carolina.  Touhy achieved early success as chef at Primo on Hilton Head Island, becoming partner at the enterprise in his mid-twenties.  Following his time at Primo, he returned to Charleston in order to further sharpen his culinary skills by working with master chef James Burns, who is known for his work at the famous Tavern on the Green in New York.  Touhy was promoted to chef de cuisine at Burns’ restaurant, J. Bistro.

After five years of working with Burns, Touhy decided to try a new market with a different style.  At Mickey and Mooch in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, he updated the traditional “steak and potatoes” menu by incorporating more seasonal, coastal-style dishes.  This combination proved successful and led to the opening of a second location in downtown Charlotte.  In 2001, Touhy returned to Atlanta to join Blue Ridge Grill as the executive chef where he quickly became known for his unique and stylish cuisine made with the freshest Georgia ingredients.

Now, Touhy is at the helm of his first solo venture, Dogwood, housed in the bottom of the Reynolds condominium building in Midtown.  The menu at Dogwood will include American dishes that incorporate Touhy’s regional influences and the use of local products.  Dogwood is a warm and inviting, city-centered gathering place with an elegant Southern setting.

 FOR FOODS SAKE’s Christmas Party
An evenining of chefs, farmers and members joined for cocktails and heavy apps.
The wines were brown bagged and the judges tasted for favorite wine
The judges were Chef Drew Belline, Shaun Doty of Shauns and Yeah! Burger
Stephen Herman of Haven, Matt Swickerath of Valenza, Andrew Norman of Noring Farms  and Jeff Collins of Farmer Jeff
They swirled, smelled and tasted for the winning bottle and dessert! And the winners were Allen Richardson for the wine and Andrea Pratt for dessert. Photos provided by Kitty Ray below

PHOTOS provided by Kitty Ray Swain