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.

 

PHOTOS provided by Kitty Ray Swain

What prepared you to be a farmer? Not sure I am prepared, though I was born on a farm in rural Limestone County, AL in 1941 and grew up absorbing by osmosis, the lesson that if one is to farm, certain tasks must be performed using certain methods at certain times, or things don’t work.  And if you are a subsistence farmer —- you and your family get hungry.  I think that lesson has stood me in good stead all of my life.  I have not farmed continually all of my life —-got sidetracked for a while and  have had a couple of other careers —- but that understanding works in most every venue.  City kids can and often do learn the lesson, but they have to learn it.  Most do, at some point in life, but until it is learned, they are disadvantaged.
What is a unique feature and how many acres do you farm? I suppose the most unique feature about the place is its’ location.  It is at the very top of a watershed so no pollutants (except rain and airborne ones) arrive on it.  If there is damage, I have to accept responsibility for it.  The place is 200 acres, but we have only about 20 percent of it in “cultivation”  Mostly it is deciduous woodland.  It grows timber well enough and would do little else on most of the land.  It lies atop and down the sides of what passes locally for a “mountain”.  It’s highest point is approximately 1600 feet above sea level.  Not much of a mountain actually, more of a molehill.  Most of the parts on the side of the “mountain” are very steep and not well adaptable for growing crops other than timber.  The very top is somewhat rolling terrain, so we have to be quite careful about erosion.  We plant with the contours and make sure that the swales (drainage watercourses) are planted to sod at all times.  These methods along with the fact that we never plow it up combine to improve it rather than cause damage.  The portions where we plant food crops are narrow strips, perhaps two feet wide.  Those we till (again on contour) and once the crops are planted and out of the ground, we mulch to help maintain moisture and keep down unwanted  vegetation. The areas between the rows are rapidly, regularly cut with a lawn mower.  This actually serves to kill many insects, and is far less energy intensive than tilling it all.  The method yields another side benefit, in that the whole is aesthetically pleasing and low maintenance.  If it has just rained, and there is work in the field to be done, one is not working in mud.
Tell us about your main crops and how you chose the varieties.  If you have livestock, tell us about your feed and how they live on your farm. Mainly, we grow vegetables and mushrooms.  I have an assistant who has many years experience at veggie growing,  and he is rapidly adapting to our methodology.  We do have some livestock —- most at the moment owned by my assistant.  There is a herd of alpacas,  Maybe eight or ten, there are a few goats, a few pigs, a donkey, a mule and some dogs and cats.  We plan soon to add a few cows and calves.  Every animal has a specific purpose, ( except the mule) so far, he is for entertainment.  Waste veggies are fed to the animals  and they  graze in their pastures and are supplementally fed as needed, and their droppings collected and composted along with the waste product from the mushroom growing for use as fertilizer. Varieties of veggies we grow are mostly Heirloom types, selected for quality of product rather than other criteria. How much of food goes to farmers markets and or restaurants? Virtually all of our production is sold to restaurants or fed to the animals or consumed by us, (or given to others).
What challenges do you have as a farmer?
Weather and other forces of nature — insects etc.  We do not use conventional pesticides.
Second challenge is making enough money to stay in business.
Third through 50 ‘th is trying to figure out how to improve production while improving the land.

Where do you see farming in the future? There are moves afoot, sponsored by Corporate agriculture to destroy small holder producers.  Silly laws are being written by people who are being lobbied by Corporate Organizations and who could not identify a garden hoe if they stepped on it.  I plan to live out my life doing what I am doing, and if I am made an outlaw for sustainably producing on a small scale, so be it.  I hope that when I am gone, someone will step in and take up my mantle.  Climate change may make this all irrelevant —- at least in this latitude.  The heat the last few summers has made production difficult.
Where would be your ideal location for your last supper, what would be your meal & music and who would join you ? I think it would be under a wild cherry tree on my farm —- probably a cookout —- with my children and grandchildren, many of my friends from the rest of my life and from the Restaurant Industry in attendance —- Probably cook some pork ribs on a grille, and have the traditional things that go with them – a fine green salad with chopped romaine and heirloom tomatoes–  some grill roasted sweet corn —- perhaps some al dente haricot vert, and some fine potato salad, deviled eggs  and baked beans.  Music would probably be rousing classical —- Maybe Beethoven’s Fifth — or Wagner’s Ride of the Valkries —- or the 1812 Overture—-.
Don Hardiman is age 69 and counting who’s previous career has been engineering assistant and photographer — technical representative, designer and manufacturer of fine custom jewelry and final career: Farmer and he hopes —inventor. Don Hardiman   — “The Geezer’s Garden” PO Box 278 — Gurley, AL 35748 , 256 603 0417

Cory Mosser started farming as an afterthought. After graduating from college, he hiked from Maine to Georgia on the Appalachian Trail and broke bread with several friendly farmers along the way. Upon his return, he was hooked and convinced that the secret ingredient to reinvigorate our communities was the sharing of food- produced and eaten locally!

Over the years, Mosser garnered many lessons of the whole food system. From managing a restaurant that sourced regularly from local farmers to managing Farmers Fresh Food Network, a co-op of sustainable growers in West Georgia and East Alabama and a stint at Destiny Organics, a wholesale distributor located at the State Farmers’ Market in Forest Park, Georgia.  All the knowledge he gained was put into practice in Savannah at Harvest Lake Farm, a project begun by Farmer D at Hampton Island Preserve.  He grew citrus, sugar cane, rice and even olives.

After two years at Harvest Lake, the opportunity to return to Atlanta was realized in the management of  an organic farm outside of Atlanta where he presently resides.

In July, Mosser welcomed his third daughter to the world, which completed his family’s all-female cast of 2 dogs, a cat, 30 chickens, and several thousand honeybees.  He is considering adding some billy goats next year just for the company.

What prepared you to be a farmer?I bumped my head a lot, and tried to learn lessons along the way. Being a parent has taught me patience, hiking the Appalachian Trail taught me resilience; a degree in history taught me context, and being married has taught me not to take myself so seriously…

What is a unique feature and how many acres do you farm? The farm currently consists of 16 cultivated acres that are certified USDA Organic. The most interesting aspect of this farm is that it is a true heritage farm- it has been in the same family since 1809. There are agricultural records that go back to pre-Civil War, so I can go back and look when the first planting of corn was done 150 years ago. That’s quite a tool to have as a farmer.

Tell us about your main crops and how you chose the varieties.  If you have livestock, tell us about your feed and how they live on your farm. We try to highlight the tradition of the plantation by growing heirloom and open-pollinated varieties whenever possible. Our 3-acre orchard contains Blackberries, Figs, Plums, Paw-paws, Persimmons, Pears and Blueberries. One notable crop is our heirloom Elephant Garlic- It was found growing wild near a long abandoned homestead on the property and we were able to cultivate it this past year. Some of the heads are the size of a tennis ball. It’s Fantastic!

How much of food goes to farmers markets and or restaurants? About 80%

What challenges do you have as a farmer?  I could write a book on this. Time is the big one. Learning to prioritize dozens of independent projects all occurring simultaneously within a small window of time takes a tremendous amount of organization, skill, and even more luck. Operating a truly diversified farm spread out over several square miles is kind of like juggling bars of soap in the rain- if it rains…

Where do you see farming in the future? On a global scale, the developing world will continue to adopt environmentally damaging methods of industrial farming as private businesses buy up huge chunks of land in Africa, South America and Asia. Farms of several thousand acres will be the norm.  Stateside the prospects are a little better, but there is the real danger of the local farm movement being co-opted just as the term ‘organic’ has been. The future viability of small independently-run farms rests solely on the ability of consumers to demand and differentiate the real thing from marketing-hype. Not that it would necessarily be a terrible thing, but I see in the not-too-distant future a Wal-Mart sponsored local farmer.

Where would be your ideal location for your last supper, what would be your meal & music and who would join you ?  Mountains, nothing fancy over coals paired with creek-chilled beer, crickets and frogs with some banjo accompaniment, close friends and family with guest appearances by John Muir, Thomas Jefferson, Wendell Berry, and Paolo Conte.