Sunday May 15
Sip and Swallow

FREE to FFS Members
12 to 1PM:  Exclusive to FFS members
1pm to 4pm: Open to the public
Enjoy this industry styled tasting and sample as much as you like of over 100 wines & beer
Acclaimed sommeliers to answer all of your wine questions.Bites are included. Tasting form and glass to purchase your favorite at great prices!
Email info@forfoodssake.org if you plan to attend

An incredible night by all–details and photos coming soon for Chef Suzanne Vizethann of The Hungry Peach and Farmer Jimmy Franks of Southern Swiss Dairy dinner with a slightly different twist.

An afternoon with author, Kathryn Stockett of The Help, Chef & cofounder of Serenbe, Marie Nygren and Farmer William Hennessy

Southern Sunday at Serenbe
Ducking under the wisteria to find a spot on the porch at Serenbe’s Farmhouse, you know you’re in for a true taste of  what the good ole South has every right to brag about. The For Foods Sake salute to spring March 27 was one of those warmly relaxed gatherings where everything just comes together. You catch fascinating people in their unscripted moments, you gather up with friends new and treasured, and the food  – well it takes  you on a culinary journey that gives your tongue something fit to wag about -  right down to the pickled okra garnish in your dadgum good Bloody Mary.

From the steps of the Farmhouse porch, proprietress Marie Nygren greeted guests along with her daughter Garnie Nygren. The pair represent four generations of prized Southern cooking genius. Marie’s mother was Margaret Lupo, the famed founder and face of Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta. And it turns out that Marie’s grandmother was one of the first dieticians in the country. Now Garnie, a graduate of hospitality and operations at Cornell University, has freshened the roots of her heritage by joining her mother in the kitchen and taking over operations at the wildly popular Serenbe community just outside Atlanta. After cooking for her own family for so many years, Marie made the leap two years ago to stand over the ovens at the Farmhouse, carrying on the beloved tradition of Southern cooking – but with her own handy twist.  “My mother’s cooking was the Southern food you drink with sweet tea. Mine is the Southern food you drink with a glass of wine,” said Marie, describing how her mother’s collard greens often simmered for hours, while hers are a quicker fix, coated with a savory lemon butter. It’s clear the family ties are strong ones. Marie turned a little misty as her daughter proudly told the family’s tale before turning the floor over to her beaming mother. Perhaps the greatest Southern tradition is hospitality, Marie explained. And the South can’t be touched when it comes to the fresh variety of ingredients that create its legendary recipes. “I love the cornucopia of vegetables,” she said. The beans, squash, collard greens and the list goes on. Serenbe is unique in that it is also a farm – a place Marie said she hopes people come not just to visit, but to experience farm-to-table dining and good Southern food that is also healthy and delicious. Marie – who is married to Atlanta hospitality icon Steve Nygren of Peasant restaurant chain fame – maintains an all-female staff of cooks that has mothered over the creation of a New South menu dotted with deviled eggs and pimiento cheese fit for even the most gracious of banquets. Surprisingly, one of the South’s most prized recipes – fried chicken – is a new one to Marie, who decided that after witnessing her mother’s sheer mastery of the dish, she didn’t plan to touch it with a ten foot pole. She finally gave in, but brings to her tables a skillet-fried, lightly breaded version, versus a deep-fried soul food style. You can catch it most Sundays at the Farmhouse. Between Marie’s zesty descriptions, tempting aromas were drifting across the crowd, cueing the assembled For Foods Sake guests that a feast was upon them.

Giving a lesson in what goes into creating artfully fresh-grown dishes, local farmer William Hennessy was on hand to talk about the emerging modern age of farming.  Just down the road from Serenbe, the budding agrarian nurtures a picturesque slice of his family’s land, bringing everything from garden vegetables, to muscadine grapes and shiitake mushrooms up out of the ripe ground. It’s refreshing to see a 20-something farmer coming into his own, since the average age of a farmer is closer to 55, Marie explained. It’s a trend she said she hopes Serenbe can help grow by enticing other farmers to move into the area with the idea of turning the surrounding Chattahoochee Hill Country into a kind of Napa Valley for modern farms that grow and sell a host of healthy offerings. It’s been a learning experience for Hennessy, who laughingly described the first time he got an order from a big-time Atlanta restaurant. They wanted 40 pounds of beets and Hennessy had to dash over to the Nygren’s doorstep just to make sure he had what the restaurant was looking for. Not much of a beet eater, Hennessy obligingly accepted a little 101 training in not only what a ripe beet looks like, but how scrumptious they can taste. Since then, he’s branched out, growing heirloom rattlesnake beans, Asian pears and hops for a brewery in Atlanta. Hennessy now cultivates about three acres of his family’s land, part of a much larger farm and wildlife habitat. There are no animals on his part of the farm yet, save for his yellow Lab pal Delk, but there are preparations underway for the introduction of chickens.  Hennessy said he hopes that people see local and sustainable agriculture as a necessity for the long-term well-being of our environment and the generations to follow.  With the hopeful and earnest spirit of Hennessy’s words still ringing, guests shuffled onto an expansive, wrap-around porch, picking seats around a generously and elegantly set table. And if you didn’t know why the porch ceiling was painted sky blue, others were happy to explain that it’s a time-honored tradition that keeps the wasps from nesting – or keeps the haints away, depending on where your Southern is coming from. Peering in at the spread, served buffet style inside what was once the Nygrens’ country home, it was hard not to snatch a plate and cut in line.  Guests stuffed their plates to overflowing with Marie’s skillet-friend chicken, her buttery collards, fried green tomatoes, rice onion casserole and a host of other delectable choices. And just as the caramel cake (natch) was being served alongside fresh cobbler and a moist, semi-sweet chocolate cake, out from behind her corner of the banquet came none other than best-selling author Kathryn Stockett, the beguiling scribe behind list-topping Southern tell-all “The Help.”

Primed for an intimate chat, there wasn’t a question Jackson, Mississippi-born Stockett wouldn’t answer as she perched herself lightly on a stool at the head of the table. Charmingly shy and humorously grounded about her success as a novelist, Stockett said she, indeed, drew from a collage of her own experiences when telling the 1960s story of growing up in a traditional Southern household managed by black help. Though she isn’t really Skeeter, she certainly identifies with the book’s lead character, having perpetrated her own rebellious escapades as a young Southern belle – like the time she got all dolled  up and played hooky from high school, heading down to New Orleans to wile away the day drinking Hurricanes.  The kind of book that may make some Southerners blush over its only-too-true revelations, it has delivered to Stockett her share of curious, and sometimes angry, followers. She has taken it in patient stride, finding some interpretations of the book – now translated into many languages all over the world – downright funny.  Like the UK’s interest in the novel. Ever enthusiastic about pointing out less flattering images of America, the country was quick to snap up the book for British audiences, even changing the book’s cover to a candid picture of two black maids with a white baby in a stroller. Of all things, when asked for permission to use the picture, Stockett was shocked to find the photograph credited to a town in Mississippi. She rather easily traced the picture down and was able to name the maids pictured – something she found fairly hilarious since popular opinion of Southerners has them either all related, or all bumping into each other at the grocery store.  Perhaps even funnier have been the various thoughts about a possible secret meaning behind the cover photo on the American version of the book, which shows three birds resting on a wire against a simple backdrop of warm yellow and purple.  Stockett received a hasty message one day from a college professor who claimed to have cracked the code, happily announcing that her class had determined that the birds represented certain characters in the novel. Not so.  Turns out the cover was the result of one of those exhaustive back-and-forth efforts that ends with a resounding ‘…Oh, fine. That will do.’ In fact, Stockett said, all she really requested of her publishers was that the cover please not be yellow or purple. So much for that.  As coffee cups were being filled and the last bites of dessert were proving irresistible, Stockett turned to talk of the Big Screen. The screenplay for her novel, written by her dear childhood friend Tate Taylor, has become a major motion picture due out in August.  Having turned this chapter over to a trusted friend, she has been all too happy to relinquish control and stay out of the mix – making only the single request that the screenplay writer be from Mississippi, of course. Taylor also directs the movie.  She said she’s pleased with the cast of actors chosen to play the characters in the book, especially Sissy Spacek, who will play what Stockett called a “s*&t-bird crazy” Mrs. Walters. Emma Stone plays Skeeter.  Now working on her next book about a group of women who come together during the Great Depression, Stockett said she can almost promise she “…is going to get into a lot of trouble over this one.”  Stockett stayed behind to sign a few autographs as guests drifted away from the morning’s repast, having reconnected with the soul of  great dining, reminded again of why it’s so good to be in the South.  For Foods Sake member- Julie Bryant Fisher

Photos Provided by Kitty Ray Swain

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

Ode to Olive Oil
January 19 at 6PM
Olive Tasting, Dinner and Wine flight
Chef Shane Touhy of  Dogwood Restaurant
Producer Lorenzo Fasola Bologna of Monte Vibiano vineyards
Tim and Alice Mills of Mills Farms
joined for an olive oil tasting, medley of amuse-bouches, four course dinner and 5 flight wine tasting at Millennium Gate and Museum. Details, menu and photos below.

For the first dining event of 2011 For Foods Sake upped the ante and treated its members to an electrifying evening of food, wine, and a parade of talent dedicated to its cause. The event was held at The Millennium Gate monument at Atlantic Station and it was a first visit for nearly every member present. The Millennium Gate monument foundation is devoted to the preservation of Atlanta and Georgia history and served as a natural pairing with the local mission of FFS. The 13,000 square foot museum is a visual menagerie of carefully selected photos, documents, and relics of Georgian past, but for the night of January 19 the cases were rolled away as FFS united chef and farmer under the crisp glitter of a midwinter Midtown.

The evening burst open with the debut of For Wines Sake. This new program seeks to deliver hand selected wines by acclaimed wine experts at a discounted price to FFS members.  As guests rode the elevator to the sophisticated rooftop workspace of Rodney Cook ‘s The Millennium Gate.   Michael Doerfler of For Wines Sake poured the first beverage of the evening. Members sipped, nibbled, and ogled as they took in the trifecta of the Gruet Brut Rose, Corn Cakes with UGA caviar, and the nearly 360˚ view of Midtown.

As the early evening hunger edged off and the first wine pairing settled in, Esther Andrew introduced us to the star chef of the evening, Shane Touhy of Dogwood. Touhy is as Southern bred as they come, and his affable manner and quick smile might leave a newcomer to mistakenly not take him as seriously as his skills command. He directs the open kitchen of his elegant Midtown restaurant as a master helmsman, and one needs only to taste his unique whisper to regional ingredients to know why his food stands as a spotlight of Southern cuisine. After Touhy shared some hints as to what the evening held to come he introduced to us to farmers Ann and Tim Mills of Mills Farms and their Georgia grown grits worthy of myth.

From here the concept of underground dining went literal as members wound their way into the belly of The Millennium Gate and settled into the welcoming site of airy museum turned shimmering dining room. Here Rodney Cook shared more of the history housed within the walls of the monument and members soaked in another helping of Georgia history. As servers from 180˚Kitchen began to march the first course into the dining room guests were served their second pairing from For Wines Sake.

At first glance Chef Touhy’s chicken and rice soup looked a humble dish, but it was just as members began wagering bets on what made it taste of silken gold that Lorenzo Fasola Bologna of Monte Vibiano Vineyards took the stage. The furthest traveled contributor of the evening, Fasola Bologna’s warm Italian demeanor made fast friends with the FFS crowd. As members enjoyed the For Wines Sake cold Japanese Sake he shared his story that nestled somewhere between a rich family history and a life long pledge to excellence in farming and food production. As head of his family’s agricultural estate that first took roots more than a thousand years ago in the heart of the Umbrian countryside Fasola Bologna brought to the evening his contagious passion for his land and the fruits of his family’s centuries of hard work. His polished demeanor as he shared video footage of his estate was complimented by his exuberance for his product. The Monte Vibiano Estate olive oil flavor was so pure and smooth some members were noted swigging straight from the mini bottles as though they were relishing cocktails at a Sunday bar.

Dish after dish there was nary a disappointed palate. From the micro green salad with cornmeal crouton and sorghum cured bacon to the maple brined pork loin au poivre served over collards, red mule grits, and a hint of pomegranate molasses the surprises were both welcome and pleasant. The For Wines Sake pairings did not skip a beat as Michael and Todd introduced members to new vintages of Austrian and Italian wines.

Courses flowed and bellies filled as members settled into the comfortable creak of the familiar FFS chairs. The final course surprised with a rosemary scented polenta cupcake topped with tangerine butter cream and finished with a vanilla sauternes syrup.  A German Riesling kept the dessert course bright, and left many members feeling that For Wines Sake pairings of the evening were a positive new twist in the ever surprising FFS underground dining events.

As old and new friends chattered about grits, olive oil, wine, and travel the atmosphere took the tone of a new year properly launched. In the way life is best lived FFS brought together passionate artisans stretching their techniques to provide better sustenance to the world around them. At closing members wrapped up in their coats and gloves before emerging into brisk night air. As they hugged goodnight, gave thanks for another magical FFS evening, and made promises to see one another at the next event there was the unmistakable accent of a jubilant young Italian man inviting every member present to visit him at his estate in Umbria. Molto Bene!

Amuse Bouche
NV Gruet Brut Rose (Albequerqu, New Mexico)
First course
Springer Mountain and Carolina gold rice soup
Junmai Daiginjo “Divine Droplets” Sake
Ginga Shizuku (Japan)
Second course
Ashland Farm mixed micro salad, Red Mule cornmeal
crouton, Sorghum cured bacon, scrambled quail egg,
sweet sherry vinaigrette
2009 Gruner Veltliner “Kaptaler Terrassas”
Willi Brundlmayer (Kremstal, Austria)
Third course
Maple brined Riverview Farm pork loin “Au Poivre”, Creamy Red Mule grits, braised collards, pomegranate molasses
2004 Lacrima Cristi del Vesuvio Rosso, Terradora di Paolo (Montalcino, Italy)
2007 Salice Salentino Riserva, Ca’ntele (Puglia, Italy)
Dessert course
Rosemary scented olive oil-polenta cupcake,
tangerine butter cream, vanilla sauternes syrup
2005 Niederhauser Hemann Riesling Auslese, Hermann Donnhoff (Nahe, Germany)

PHOTOS by Blogger, Dana Nahai of One Haute Plate

 

PHOTOS provided by Kitty Ray Swain

 

Mushroom Foraging

 

Tuesday, October 5^th – The Oakland Cemetery with Drew VanLeuvan of One Midtown Kitchen and Farmer Don Hardiman of Geezer Gardens

Dining with the Deceased

Yet another successful (and delicious) meal from For Food’s Sake, on Tuesday, October 5^th, FFS members and several new guests gathered at Atlanta’s historic Oakland Cemetery for a feast never to forget. Guests followed a trail of luminaries from the gated entrance to the Visitor’s Center, where wine was poured and an Amuse Bouche of handmade sausage and pickled beans was passed around to eager palates. Once the sun set, everyone found their seat along a grand estate table, set with white linens and majestic candelabras—a stark contrast to the mystic monuments surrounding it. The subtle streamlined glow created a perfect autumn ambiance, with just a little October spook, knowing those graves were resting just beyond your line of sight.

The evening was hosted by ONE.midtown kitchen Executive Chef Drew VanLeuvan and Farmer Don Hardimann of Geezer Farms. They started out by serving beef carpaccio, preserved acorn squash, crisp farmstead cheese, all accented with fresh lemon aioli. Across the table were exclamations of “I didn’t even know I liked beef carpaccio” or “are you going to finish yours?” Clearly, Chef Drew knew how to get the appetites running.

The second course came as a warm butternut squash soup, topped with warm brown butter, leaving not a dry bowl on the table. The third course quickly followed, bringing plates heaped with russet potato gnocchi garnished with the biggest, meatiest chanterelle mushrooms you’ve ever seen, and topped with wild arugula and fresh Greek feta.

Our last entrée was a smoked magret duck, more tender and flavorful than you could imagine, topped with marinated ruby beets, oj fennel and charred red onion. The flavor combination brought another round of sound bites from the table, this time asking for chef’s secrets, proving this was certainly not a meal to be ignored.

Chef Drew topped off his performance with a truly southern dessert—a huckleberry and semolina cake (think sweet blueberry cornbread biscuits) with a lemon glaze and chantilly topping. Again, no plate was left unclean and several eyes darted across the table, practicing powerful self-control to resist licking up the crumbs.

Overall, the meal left everyone holding his or her bellies, but left no one with any regret for refusing to simply dabble in each course. Chef Drew and Farmer Don exceeded member expectations, clearly exemplifying that the use of local, fresh fruits and vegetables has perks beyond our hungriest appetites and most sophisticated palates. –Jenni Williams

ONE.midtown kitchen is located in Midtown, Atlanta at 559 Dutch Valley Road. Geezer Farms is in Limestone County, Alabama
October 5, 2010
Chef Drew VanLeuvan & Farmer
Don Hardimann of Geezer Farms

Amuse Bouche
First course
Beef carpaccio, preserved acorn squash,crisp farmstead cheese, lemon aioli
Willm Cremant d’Alsace
Second course
Butternut squash soup, warm brown butter
Willm Cremant d’Alsace
Third course
Russet potato gnocchi, chanterelle mushrooms, wild arugula, feta
Valcome Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc
Fourth course
Smoked magret duck, marinated ruby beets,oj fennel, charred red onion
Becquer Rioja
Dessert course
Huckleberry and semolina cake, lemon glaze, chantilly
Ormella Moscato

 

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

Event Photos
Pickled Pink with Veggies and Pork Belly

The August heat subsided for just a few hours at Burge Plantation on Sunday, August 15^th. Rich in history from the 1800s and passed from generation to generation, Burge Plantation was the perfect site for a true For Food’s Sake farm-to-table dinner. Since 1809, Burge has been owned by the Morehouse Family.   Forty For Food’s Sake members, who were chartered 45 minutes from Atlanta to Social Circle, were greeted with ice cold Georgia peach tea with lemon grass and pears, served in old fashioned mason jars. As soon as the jars were filled, everyone was invited to pile on the tractor for a hayride through the plantation.

Driven by plantation owner Sandy Morehouse and narrated by Farmer Cory Mosser, members were enlightened to several of the crops growing on the farm, as well given insight into farming tips and techniques that explain how organic farming is maintaining its success. We learned that before WWII, chemically-derived nitrogen was unheard of, as all farmers used crop dusting to nourish the soil. But, at Burge, they’re cultivating the soil with legumes, which “fix” nitrogen into the soil as they grow.

Together, Sandy and Cory are reviving the organic farming heritage at Burge, now selling produce to both chefs and consumers. (Find them at the Peachtree Farmer’s Market every Saturday!) Harvests include tomatoes, potatoes, onions, broccoli, asparagus, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers, garlic, lettuces, beans, okra and corn, and it changes yearly and seasonally, as they learn what works in the soil.
…Getting hungry yet?
At the conclusion of the hayride, Chef Andrew Featherstone served appetizers while guests toured the historical main house and story cottage, both filled with artifacts found on property dating back to 8000 BC. Guests munched on fried quail from the plantation, fresh okra with bacon and mozzarella, and fried green tomatoes topped with okra caviar and crawfish mayonnaise.

Dinner started with a self-serve She Crab Soup, topped with Georgia-caught shrimp. Creamy and delicious, it was the perfect perk to begin a 6-course meal. We sampled pickled okra and beets, quail eggs, fresh goat cheese, garlic chips made from the rare and indigenous garlic growing on the plantation. It didn’t stop there… the food kept coming, with soft Johnston dairy buttermilk sorbet, pickled watermelon rind, tender pork belly and a fresh fig topped panna cotta. Six courses down, everyone had full bellies and new inspiration to start their own gardens at home.

Aside from indulging our appetites, we expanded our minds, learning a little something with each course. For example, overgrown okra is too hard to eat, but you can use the seeds and serve “okra caviar” (thus exemplified in the appetizers) instead. Chef created the evening’s garlic chips after a long process of figuring out just how to cook them. His experiment led to some crisp and delicious chips he sliced right off the garlic, boiling and drying them 3 times over, and then deep-frying. He served them with fresh goat cheese alongside a medley of pickled veggies.

Currently, Burge Plantation is a private hunting club and fully working farm. In the course of its existence, it’s gone from crop farming to cattle operations, hay production and back to crop production.  They’ve discovered indigenous garlic growing on the property which they’re naming Burge heirloom garlic. It’s elephant garlic related to leek, showing off beautiful blooms around mid May.  Currently, they’re storing over 100 pounds and selling it at The Farmers Market.

Passed hors d’oeuvres
Chilled Mason Jar of Georgia peach tea with lemongrass
Fried Green Tomatoes & Crawfish Mayo & Okra Caviar
Gum Creek Bacon, Okra & Smoked Mozzarella
Cornmeal Fried Quail Roasted Eggplant & Red Curry
1st Course
Charleston she crab soup, Calypso Hoppin’ John with Georgia shrimp and lobster oil
2nd Course
Pickled Salad: Quail egg, beet & Okra – Coles Lake goat cheese & Garlic Chips,
Sun Gold Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
3rd Course
Chilled Winter Squash Puree with Yogurt & Local Honey
4th Course
Johnston dairy Buttermilk sorbet &  Pickled Watermelon Rind
5th Course
Crispy Pork Belly –  star anise and cinnamon, Fennel , Arugula & Cucumber Slaw
6th Course
Panna Cotta & Sun drenched Burge Figs

Photos provided by Kitty Ray Swain

BBQ, BREWS & BLUEGRASS
July 25, 2010
Dunaway Gardens

Hor d’oevres
Smoked trout canapé
Deviled eggs with bacon jam
Country ham wrapped figs with whipped sorghum
Beer pairing: Venus Belgian White
First course
Farm Salad
Vegetables, greens, bacon bread crumbs & buttermilk dressing
Beer pairing: Watermelon Wheat Beer
Second course
Potlikker soup braised greens, field peas, sweet corn, cornbread puree
Beer pairing: Red Rye Saison
Third course
Whole Hog Barbecue Terminus City Style
Local cabbage slaw, granny’s potato salad & white bread
Beer pairing: Plan B IPA
Fourth course
Heirloom peach shortcake
Beer pairing: Nouveau Thor

Photos provided by Kitty Ray Swain