Monday, October 31, 2011

Second Helpings

Ever wonder where the leftovers go after Saturday’s Peachtree Road Farmers Market? Don’t worry, none of those delicious market-fresh foods go to waste—each week, PRFM partners with Second Helpings to share the bounty of our farmers’ harvest. During our two year partnership, PRFM farmers and vendors have donated over 2,000 lbs of food to food pantries and shelters in metro Atlanta.

PRFM’s work with Second Helpings is the perfect complement to our partnership with the Wholesome Wave Program, which doubles EBT/SNAP (food stamp) and WIC benefits at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Making healthy local food accessible to all is part of PRFM’s mission and we are proud to see Second Helpings grow! With the addition of its first refrigerated truck, Second Helpings Atlanta greatly expands its perishable food pick up and distribution capabilities. Second Helpings volunteers deliver donated food every day of the week to food pantries and shelters in downtown Atlanta and the northern suburbs.

Please contact Myron Smith by phone at 404-256-4359 (h) / 404-358-6867 (c) or via email at donor@secondhelpings.info to learn more about Second Helpings Atlanta or to arrange for Second Helpings Atlanta to pick up food that you wish to donate.


- Jennifer Maley

Friday, October 28, 2011

Market Monster (S)mash!


This week at PRFM…

Halloween Parade & Farm Burger
At the October 15 Mash-up, Peachtree Road Farmers Market raised $5,877 of our $6,000 fundraising goal. To raise the remaining funds the PRFM needs to pay yearly city fees, Farm Burger Buckhead will sell market-inspired sliders this Saturday at the Market’s third annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest! A portion of the proceeds will go to support PRFM, so don’t miss this fun-fest (details below).

The parade and costume contest is open to kids of all ages (and dogs, too!) and steps off at 11:00 a.m. at the info tent. The parade will be led by super-hero Captain Planet and costume prizes will be awarded to pets and people (doggie prizes from Taj-Ma Hound and people prizes from Cookie Studio); doggie categories are Best Duet (for a dog & its person), Most Creative, and Most Farmers Market Inspired; people categories are Most Green/Eco-Friendly, Most Farmers Market Inspired, and “I'm too young to protest” (best costumed baby under 18 months).

Kids Learning Patch Activity
All Saturday Morning
Before or after the parade, be sure to stop by the Kids Learning Patch tent so the kids can learn all about the lifecycle of a pumpkin and paint their own fall gourd to enjoy! The Kids Learning Patch series is sponsored by The Captain Planet Foundation.


- Jennifer Maley

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fired Up


This week at PRFM…

Chef Demo with E.J. Hodgkinson
of
Woodfire Grill
10:00 a.m. on 10/22
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market
Remember our friend Kevin Gillespie and a little outfit known as Woodfire Grill? Thought so. Then you won’t want to miss this week’s demo with Kevin’s right-hand-man (sous chef, for you industry folk), E.J. Hodgkinson. A native Californian, E.J. knows the value of organic local foods and the importance of sustainable agriculture. His previous work at Idaho’s prestigious Sun Valley Resort, California’s Tomei restaurant, and Austin’s 34th St. Café prepared him well to join Woodfire in 2008, just after moving to our fair city. There, he and Chef Gillespie work together in creating the daily menu and promoting locally-sourced, ingredient-driven cuisine. The result, as Woodfire fans know well, is locally-sourced, Woodfire-driven diners.

PRFM supports Food Day
Saturday, October 22
Food Day is a national program (similar to Earth Day) dedicated to uniting consumers, farmers, chefs, and more to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable way. Food Day Georgia is organizing an “I Eat Real” social media campaign to spread awareness, and PRFM is excited to partner with them on this exciting project! Stop by the Food Day tent this Saturday where you can write your own poster listing your favorite healthy food, have your photo taken with it, and a volunteer will post your photo to the Food Day Georgia Facebook page in support of Food Day 2011 (October 24th). Bringing a whole new meaning to say cheese!

Thanks and save the date…

Market (S)mash!
Thanks to each and every shopper who supported last week’s Mash-up! PRFM raised $5,877 of our $6,000 goal. The judges’ favorite Mash-up dish was Quick Pickled Turnips by Lisa Rochon, Heirloom Gardens, Greenleaf Farm, and Fairywood Thicket; and shoppers’ favorite was the Savory Tart from The Spotted Trotter, Red Queen Tarts, and Indian Ridge Farm.

To raise the remaining funds PRFM needs to pay yearly city fees, Farm Burger Buckhead will sell market-inspired sliders on October 29th at Peachtree Road Farmers Market’s annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest! A portion of the proceeds will go to support PRFM, so don’t miss this fun-fest. The parade and costume contest is open to kids of all ages (and dogs, too!), and steps off at 11:00 a.m. at the October 29 PRFM.


- Jennifer Maley

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Market Mash-up THIS SATURDAY


Market Mash-up
Saturday, October 15th
Silent Auction: 9:00–11:15 a.m.
Tasting: 10:00–11:00 a.m. (vote for your favorite!)
Remember how fun last year’s mash-up was? Excited to see what new creations our Market vendors have in store for this year? Don’t miss PRFM this Saturday, including your favorite vendors working together on delicious dishes plus a new Silent Auction featuring more than 55 items from market goodies to restaurant certificates and events to trips, art, and more! Judges for this year’s Mash-up include Atlanta bureau chief for the New York Times Kim Severson, Dining Critic for Atlanta Magazine and Knife & Fork Christiane Lauterbach, Editor for Eater Atlanta, Blissful Glutton Jennifer Zyman, and CNN Eatocracy contributor Emily Smith. $5 tickets to taste all 10 dishes go on sale at 9:00 a.m. Celebrity food judges offer their comments plus shoppers’ and judges’ favorites announced at 11:00 a.m. After the silent auction closes at 11:15 a.m., PRFM will accept cash, check, debit card and Visa/MC for silent auction item payments.

The Market will be open as usual during the Mash-up, so come ready to shop, taste, and to bid on great auction items!


Later this season at PRFM…

Halloween Parade: October 29th
Holiday Artist Market: November 26th & December 17th


- Jennifer Maley


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

A More Perfect [Food] Union


This week at PRFM

Chef Demo with Steven Satterfield
of
Miller Union — 10:00 a.m. on 10/8
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market

If you care about the local food movement in Atlanta, you care deeply about Miller Union. There, Executive Chef and Co-Owner Steven Satterfield brings his 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry to bear in a meaningfully delicious way, with a menu that takes root from his strong relationships with local farmers. A Georgia native who spent his childhood in Savannah, Satterfield creates his dishes around the week’s Southern harvest; he is careful to prepare foods with rustic preparations that highlight those beautiful flavors that come from ingredients at their peak. His eye for design led him to the architecture program at Georgia Tech, with a final year studying abroad in Paris, but after graduation he found himself working in kitchens and discovered a new passion: cooking. As any diner who’s visited Chef Satterfield during his time at Floataway Café, Watershed, and now at Miller Union can attest, his cooking is a true art form. Satterfield’s commitment to the good food movement goes beyond the diner’s experience, though; he’s also an active member of Slow Food Atlanta, Georgia Organics and the Southern Foodways Alliance. And his great work has not gone unnoticed—in 2011, he was nominated for Food & Wine and CNN Eatocracy’s “People’s Best New Chef,” following Miller Union’s placement on the “Best New Restaurants in America” lists from Bon Appetit and Esquire, as well as its being named Atlanta magazine’s “Restaurant of the Year” in 2010. Also, a little group called the James Beard Foundation recognized Miller Union as a semifinalist for the national award of best new restaurant in 2010. When the celebrated chef isn’t in the kitchen, he’s cycling, exploring the Georgia coast, listening to new music, and researching cocktails with the bartenders of Miller Union. Oh, and one other thing—teaching people to cook (that’s YOU this Saturday)!
Photo © Kelly Blackmon

Coming SOON: Market Mash-up
Saturday, October 15th
Silent Auction: 9:00–12:00 p.m.
Tasting: 10:00–11:00 a.m. (vote for your favorite!)
Remember how fun last year’s mash-up was? Excited to see what new creations our Market vendors will create this year? You won’t want to miss PRFM on October 15th, including your favorite vendors working together plus a new Silent Auction featuring more than 50 items including market goodies, restaurant certificates and events, trips, art, and more! Judges for this year’s Mash-up include Atlanta bureau chief for the New York Times Kim Severson, Dining Critic for Atlanta Magazine and Knife & Fork Christiane Lauterbach, Editor for Eater Atlanta, Blissful Glutton Jennifer Zyman, and CNN Eatocracy contributor Emily Smith. 250 Mash-up taste tickets will be available ($5 to taste all 10 dishes).

Later this season at PRFM…

Halloween Parade: October 29th
Holiday Artist Market: November 26th & December 17th


- Jennifer Maley

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Right at home with The Shed


This Week at PRFM

Fall hours begin this Saturday when the market opens at 9:00 a.m.

Chef Demo with
Lance Gummere

of
The Shed at Glenwood
10:00 a.m. on 10/1

Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market

If you haven’t had the pleasure of a leisurely brunch at The Shed or visited the fine folks there for Wednesday’s $3 Slider Night (not your usual sliders, y’all), get out your pin, paper, or techno gadget and jot this down: check out The Shed at Glenwood! You’ll feel right at home in the cozy neighborhood spot and, with Executive Chef Lance Gummere at the helm of the open kitchen, you’ll want to stay a while. His extensive culinary experience includes over 15 years working with Chef Shaun Doty and he carries his love for simply prepared, market fresh menus to his dishes at The Shed. His outlook is casual, but his food is something serious—the perfect combination which results in dishes like Braised Suckling Pig with Heirloom Corn Grits and Collards, Baked Cedar Plank North Carolina Trout with Mushrooms, Scallions, and Fennel Salad, and a Shepherd's Pie made with Smoked Beef Brisket and Yukon Gold Mash. And don’t get us started on the sliders (seriously, mark your calendar). With a variety of large and small plates and creative cocktails, it’s no wonder Lance has built a following of regulars. Stop by his demo this Saturday and find out for yourself!

Also this weekend


Last chance for tickets: Field of Greens
Sunday, October 2

The sixth annual festival will be held at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm (in Covington) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 2. Tickets are $20 in advance (available at PRFM this Saturday or online at www.fieldofgreensfestival.com), $25 at the gate. Admission includes unlimited tastings from the Chef's Tent. Children 12 and under enter for free. Event proceeds benefit the local farming culture through Slow Food Atlanta, supporting Truly Living Well's Wheat Street Garden project.

Save that date!


Coming Soon: Market Mash-up
Saturday, October 15th

Silent Auction: 9:00–12:00 p.m.
Tasting: 10:00–11:00 a.m.
(vote for your favorite!)
Remember how fun last year’s mash-up was? Excited to see what new creations our Market vendors will create this year? You won’t want to miss PRFM on October 15th, including your favorite vendors working together plus a new Silent Auction featuring more than 50 items including market goodies, restaurant certificates and events, trips, art, and more! Judges for this year’s Mash-up include Atlanta bureau chief for the New York Times Kim Severson, Dining Critic for Atlanta Magazine and Knife & Fork Christiane Lauterbach, Editor for Eater Atlanta, Blissful Glutton Jennifer Zyman, and CNN Eatocracy contributor Emily Smith. 250 Mash-up taste tickets will be available ($5 to taste all 10 dishes).

In the news…PRFM love!


Winner of Creative Loafing’s “Best Farmers Market”


Buckhead Patch video—check it out to see what’s coming in season this fall!


- Jennifer Maley

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Perfect Cup

Check out this week’s PRFM demo to learn how to brew the perfect cup of coffee. And next week, enjoy that cup a little longer—fall hours begin on October 1 when the market opens at 9:00 a.m.

Brewmaster Demo with Jason Dominy
of
Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters
Brew the Perfect Cup — 10:00 a.m. on 9/24

Chef Demos are sponsored by Whole Foods Market
Coffee-lovin’ PRFM shoppers know that Batdorf & Bronson makes a luscious cup of Joe. Maybe that’s because the beans are roasted just down the way by folks who really care about their craft and your cup. One of those folks is Jason Dominy, Community Outreach and Customer Support Coordinator, who’s joining us this Saturday to answer the question, “How do you get the perfect cup of coffee?” Like all of our demo stars, Jason knows his stuff. He’s been working in the coffee industry for fourteen years and has been a barista, coffeehouse manager, and coffee roaster. Jason’s passion is teaching about great coffee. He sips the sip and walks the walk by serving as chair of the Barista Guild of America; as an espresso expert for the Specialty Coffee Association of America; and he took second place in the Southeast Regional Brewer’s Cup Competition. Whether you’re looking to improve your morning or impress your guests, get ready for competition-ready brew!

The Birds and the Beans
What’s sustainably grown coffee got to do with protecting bird habitats? Atlanta Audubon's Shade-Grown Coffee Campaign has been working since 1996 to increase public awareness of the connection between neotropical migratory birds and traditional coffee farms. The campaign aims to educate consumers about the positive role that shade-grown, fair-trade coffee (like Batdorf & Bronson’s) plays in conserving bird habitats in coffee-producing countries. Come learn more about the issue at PRFM this Saturday and then pick up some “bird-friendly” coffee from Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters.

The Market Mash-Up is getting real, y’all. Check out our swanky poster (click to
enlarge) and save the date for fall foods and a mighty fine silent auction!



- Jennifer Maley