Gettin’ (Villar)real

We’ve got a special chef demo lined up this week plus two new vendors for your enjoyment: Korean BBQ & kimchee from Simply Seoul and mozzarella cheese from Johnston Family Farm. It’s gettin’ real in the PRFM lot.  

Chef Demo with Adrian Villarreal
of The Spence
10:00 a.m. on 4/27
Chef Demos are sponsored by 
COUNTRY Financial  
You’ve heard of Richard Blais? Check. You’ve heard of his buzzed-about restaurant The Spence? Check. Here’s the chef that cooks alongside Blais to bring Atlantans an ever-changing, whimsical menu inspired by what’s fresh now. Adrian Villarreal brings to the table family inspiration (from Mexico) and classic training (from Le Cordon Bleu Paris). Growing up he prepared large family meals with his grandmothers and great aunt, then worked part time at his uncle’s restaurant. After graduation in Paris, Villarreal gained experience at Le Doyenne and La Maree before heading to the U.S. for a show-stopping start as chef de partie with Atlanta’s much-acclaimed (and much-missed) Joël. He later worked as executive chef at TAP before joining Blais at The Spence. Check out his demo this Saturday and pick up a couple new tricks (we’ve heard he’s got a few up his sleeves).

Save the date…
Monday, May 6
From 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. the Virginia-Highlands YEAH! Burger will donate 10% of all proceeds to support PRFM! Burger + shake + doing good for your local market = Monday made.   


- Jennifer Maley

Happy Birthday to Us

Peachtree Road Farmers Market is 6 years young. Celebrate with us this Saturday—we think you’ll like how we roll—cake, animals to pat, and a good ol’ round of Happy Birthday singing. Extra points if you get the animals to sing.

Also, you won’t want to miss a chef demo with one of our PRFM favorites…

Thomas McKeown of 
Grand Hyatt Atlanta

10:00 a.m. on 4/20

Chef Demos are sponsored by

COUNTRY Financial 

Maybe you’ve joined Chef Thomas on one of his super-fun market tours at PRFM. Maybe you’ve seen those happening and thought, “That chef is pretty cool and smart.” You thought right. He’s passionate about local and sustainable, putting his talents to work as executive chef of Grand Hyatt Atlanta’s Cassis restaurant. For more on Chef Thomas, check here. And don’t forget to stop by the demo tent this Saturday after you’ve had a nibble of birthday cake. That’s the perfect time to ask Chef T about hopping on a market tour this season, we think. 

- Jennifer Maley

Reusable Bag Design Winners Revealed

COUNTRY Financial Reveals Reusable Bag
Design Contest Winner at Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Wondering how you’re going to tote your sprouts home from Peachtree Road Farmers Market? Have no fear! Thanks to Stephen Palmer, winner of the inaugural COUNTRY Financial reusable bag design contest, market shoppers will be able to carry their locally-grown goods in style.

The Benjamin E. Mays High School junior took first place and received a $1,000 scholarship from COUNTRY Financial. The design shows a peach rising over the city skyline, and according to the artist, “the peach is rising towards a better Georgia future.”

Lanier Doty, a senior at The Lovett School, and Abigail Shipps, a freshman at North Atlanta High School, were named runners-up. Each artist was awarded a $500 scholarship.

The winner and runners-up were announced at Peachtree Farmers Market kick-off event on Saturday, April 6. Shoppers can pick up this year’s limited edition reusable canvas bags at select events throughout the season.

“Our first bag design contest was a big success. This year’s theme sprouted great artistic creativity from our young designers. We were very impressed with the submissions and the talent of the Atlanta high school students,” says Dave Fisher, COUNTRY Georgia district director of agency. 

COUNTRY became a season sponsor for Peachtree Road Farmers Market  earlier this year. Atlanta high school students submitted their designs for the first annual contest.

“Local food, local artists and a local business joining forces brings new and exciting reasons to visit the market,” says Lauren Carey, Peachtree Road Farmers Market manager. “It will be fun seeing Stephen’s design carried everywhere throughout the summer.”
 
To see the winning design and other finalists, please visit www.CountryFarmersMarkets.com.  
 
About COUNTRY Financial
COUNTRY Financial (www.countryfinancial.com) serves about 1 million households and businesses throughout the United States.  Founded in 1925, COUNTRY has nearly 2,000 financial representatives in 17 Midwestern, Western and Southern states who help families build a financially secure future, no matter where they’re starting from.  COUNTRY offers a full range of financial products and services from auto, home and life insurance to retirement planning services, college savings plans and investment management.  

About Peachtree Road Farmers Market
Founded in 2007, Peachtree Road Farmers Market is the largest producer-only farmers market in Georgia. Peachtree Road Farmers Market is proud to have more GA farmers selling their own goods than anywhere else in state. Housed in the parking lot of The Cathedral of St. Philip, this centrally-located weekly market brings the community together around local food. To learn more about how Peachtree Road Farmers Market aims to grow, nourish and inspire the community, become a Twitter follower, Facebook fan, blog reader and visit www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com.

Wreck it Good

This week at PRFM...

Chef Demo with Terry Koval 
of Wrecking Bar Brewpub 
10:00 a.m. on 4/13 
Chef Demos are sponsored by 
COUNTRY Financial  
Professional skateboarder. That was Terry Koval’s first dream, one that led him to San Francisco from his home in Greenville, SC. Good thing for us he changed course in career—thanks to the California farm-to-table movement—and in location—heading back to the South and joining us here in Atlanta. He’s since worked at local favorites like Buckhead Diner, Canoe (with mentor Gary Mennie), and both Lobby and Room at TWELVE. PRFM fans of Farm Burger might be interested to know that Chef Koval was a creative force in conceptualizing those delicious grass-fed burgers—if you aren’t a fan, you just haven’t tried one yet—and was named by StarChefs.com as their 2012 Rising Star Sustainable Chef of Atlanta. He’s now bringing his love of all things local and seasonal to Wrecking Bar Brewpub, where his menu is accented by house-brewed craft beer and a revitalized historic building. He’s not just inspired at work, either—his family’s got four chickens at home (Puffy, Poppins, Snowflake, and Buttercup), so come ready with your fresh egg questions and don’t miss this Saturday’s demo! 


- Jennifer Maley

April 6 is Opening Day!

It just doesn’t feel like spring has sprung until Peachtree Road Farmers Market opens up for the season. Good thing that’s happening. This Saturday. So ready your shopping bags, y’all, cause it’s going to be a great year at the Cathedral of St. Philip. The seventh season will welcome a few new faces: The French Truck (crepes), Beautiful Briny Sea (infused salts), NaturAlmond (almond butter and flour), Doux South (pickled veg from Chef Nick Melvin), She Moves Jewelry (fine silver for sporty folk), Banner Butter (sweet and savory butters), and Ceres Metal (jewelry); plus Sun Dog Farm returns to market, back with a new biodynamic farm out of Blairsville. Check out all of our vendors here and come on by to meet them this Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Join us at 8:30 for the opening bell and blessing!

Opening Day Happenings

Market Bag Design Contest 
Winners announced at 9:30 a.m. plus bag giveaway
Over the break, COUNTRY Financial® and Peachtree Road Farmers Market launched the inaugural PRFM Reusable Bag Design Contest, where Atlanta high school students competed under the theme “Sprouts in the City.” The top three winners of the contest will be announced and the winning design revealed at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday. The winning student will receive a $1,000 scholarship and his or her artwork will be showcased on thousands of reusable canvas bags distributed to farmers market shoppers throughout the season. On opening day, 500 bags will be given out!

Chef Demo with Linton Hopkins
10:00 a.m.
Chef Demos are sponsored by 
COUNTRY Financial
We’re kicking off this season of chef demos in style as we welcome none other than our fearless founder, genius Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. What’s new since he visited with us last year? Oh, not much. Just a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. Plus, world burger domination (ok, he’s launched the H&F burger at Turner Field, but world domination has to start somewhere). For more on Chef Hopkins, check here. And stop on by the chef demo tent a little early this Saturday—our founder has quite a following.


- Jennifer Maley