Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Spice up your Fourth!

Join us at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market this Saturday, July 2, for some sizzling music by local jazz group Jules and The Gents. And make your shopping list now for all of your hot July Fourth items: veggies, fruits, hot dogs, ground beef, fresh buns, and maybe a few cookies or a pound cake for dessert (perfect with our farmers’ fresh berries)!

Plus, you won’t want to miss this week’s Chef Demo at 10:00 a.m. with Asha Gomez, founder and chef of Spice Route Supper Club— Asha’s secret monthly dinner events have become the talk of the town, and for excellent reason! Lucky guests at Asha’s five-course dinners enjoy the experience of authentic Indian home cooking, highlighting fresh flavors and Kerala-specific cuisine. The Supper Club’s events are themed around a region, an ingredient, or Asha’s own whims (a little PRFM wisdom: the best surprises often come from a whim!). A native of Kerala, India, Gomez grew up along the spice route and was exposed to its incredible influence on her culture’s food. She honed her culinary talents through creating family meals with her mother and three aunts, inspired by the plethora of spices and the traditions of India’s cuisine. At her Supper Clubs, she shows just how delicious it is to learn about a people’s culture through a shared meal. We hope you’ll share in Asha’s demo this Saturday because it’s sure to inspire, delight, and add a little kick to your holiday weekend! Be sure to ask about Asha’s hot-off-the-presses news—her new restaurant, Cardamom Hill, coming soon to Northside Drive—just another tasty reason we can look forward to fall.

But first, let’s finish enjoying summer—and in true PRFM fashion, this holiday weekend offers fun for the whole family—Celebrate Fourth of July the healthy way with Health Starts Here Kids! Join our Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Liaison, Audrey Gámez, at the Market for a special healthy eating activity and a patriotic scavenger hunt complete with prizes. Join the fun from 8:30 a.m. with the Market's opening bell until market close at Noon. You won’t want to miss it!


- Jennifer Maley

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summertime and the living’s…YUMMY

This Week at PRFM

Chef Demo with Gerry Klaskala
10:00 a.m. on 6/25
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market
We couldn’t be happier that the Kitchen Maestro is returning for an encore performance this Saturday! If you enjoyed Chef Gerry Klaskala’s demo last year or have feasted your eyes and palates on his dishes at Aria, you know he deserves a standing ovation for his masterpieces. It was, after all, Chef Klaskala’s passion for both food and art that inspired his career and drives one of Atlanta’s finest restaurants. His goal is to leave guests both fulfilled and intrigued when they leave Aria—the fulfillment of that goal is what makes Chef Klaskala a true culinary artist. Check out his demo to see what brushstrokes he creates with the produce of summer!

Kids Learning Patch: 6/25 from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Sponsored by The Captain Planet Foundation
This week’s Learning Patch is one to grow on! Bring the kids to plant sunflower seeds in pots they’ll then decorate with paint. They can also participate in a group project decorating a cardboard sunflower to display at the Market. That’s flower power, y’all!

In Season This Week: Arugula, Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Corn, Eggs, Fennel, Garlic, Herbs, Lettuce, Onions, Radishes, Squash, and Tomatoes.

It’s that time again!
Vote Peachtree Road Farmers Market America’s Favorite
Thanks for voting us number one in last year’s poll! It’s time again to show your love for PRFM by voting for us in this year’s America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest. Cast your vote here!


- Jennifer Maley

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

This Week at the Market

Saturday, June 18 has something for everyone!

Book Signing & Chef Demo with Sheri Castle
Book Signing: 8:30-9:30 a.m. + after the Demo
Chef Demo: 10:00 a.m.
Chef Demos are sponsored by Whole Foods Market
Sheri Castle is the author of The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers' Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes, which celebrates and promotes the delicious, healthful homemade meals made possible by the diverse array of seasonal fruits and vegetables grown in the South and around the nation. She melds culinary expertise, storytelling, and humor to inspire people to cook with confidence and enthusiasm. She lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., with her husband Doug Tidwell, daughter Lily, and beloved dog Domino. Join Sheri this Saturday for a demo featuring green beans and a book signing before and afterwards!

Kids Learning Patch: Chickin Feed
Sponsored by The Captain Planet Foundation
Come visit Chickin Feed during the Market this Saturday and find out all about good FARM GRUB. We'll have lots of "fun stuff to build healthy habits" and free stickers for the little chickins! The tools from Chickin Feed will help you get the whole family eating better!

Slow Food Atlanta Ice Cream Social
12:30-2:00 p.m.
in the garden of St. Philip’s Cathedral
Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Chapter of Slow Food International and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
Taste the best frozen treats from Atlanta pro and amateur chefs participating in the Fifth Annual Slow Food Atlanta Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social fundraiser! Join us for delicious homemade, not-necessarily-traditional ice cream and sorbet flavors made from fresh ingredients. Tickets are available for purchase online for $15 each and earn Slow Food fans a taste of each flavor and a ballot to vote for his or her favorite. Children ages 5-10 are $5 and children under 5 are free. Please bring a spoon from home or purchase a compostable spoon for $1 at the social. FREE SAMPLE: Check out last year’s post about the Ice Cream Social and take a listen to the sounds of sweetness (as recorded by WABE)!


- Jennifer Maley

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Still Super, Thanks for Asking

Chef Demo with Hector Santiago
10:00 a.m. on 6/11
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market
Chef Hector Santiago has a philosophy that works: “Bueno, Bonito, Barato,” which means “Good, Attractive, Value.” And that’s just what you’ll find in his incredible dishes at Pura Vida, Burro Pollo, and Super Pan. Good food, attractive environments, and fair prices have earned Chef Hector much love from his customers as well as critics. With his appearance on Season 6 of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” and his nominations for “Best Chef Southeast” by the James Beard Foundation in 2008, 2009 and 2011, the nation is quickly learning what we Atlantans have known since the opening of Pura Vida—if you’re looking for Latino cuisine straight from the heart and beautifully presented, you’ve got to see Chef Hector. For more information, check out our post from last year’s demo!

Also this week at the Market:

In-town Premiere of GROW!
Saturday, June 11th at 1:00 p.m.
(following the Peachtree Road Farmers Market)
Inside the Cathedral of St. Philip, Child Hall
Benefiting the Emergency Farmer Fund and
the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
Join the Peachtree Road Farmers Market for the in-town Atlanta premiere of GROW!, a film produced by Anthony-Masterson. A documentary about young, sustainable and organic farmers, GROW! captures the energy of a fresh crop of farmers who have turned to the fields for a fulfilling life. The film takes a look at this brave new world of sustainable farming through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 idealistic, passionate and fiercely independent farmers. In GROW! they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land. Filmed during an entire growing season on 12 farms throughout Georgia, GROW! provides an honest and inspiring look at this next generation of farmers. Anybody who appreciates the value of good, wholesome food grown close to home, who cares about our food supply and the future of farming, will want to see GROW! Proceeds from this screening will benefit the Emergency Farmer Fund, which offers immediate aid to farmers in crisis after natural disasters, and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Georgia’s largest producer-only market. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and include refreshments by YEAH! Burger. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Tickets are available for purchase by phone at 404-365-1078 or at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on June 11th. For more information about GROW! visit http://growmovie.blogspot.com/.

Les Dames d’Escoffier Culinary Yard Sale
Saturday, June 11th from 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market
Benefiting Georgia Organics and the Les Dames d’Escoffier scholarship fund for women attending Culinary School.
Items for sale include cookbooks, linens, culinary tools/utensils and house wares in great condition from well known chefs, cookbook authors and other women from the culinary profession in Atlanta. In addition, Les Dames will be selling some fabulous home-made cakes by their well known chefs. Les Dames d’Escoffier International is a worldwide organization of professional women of high achievement in the fields of food, fine beverage, and hospitality. With active chapters throughout the world, Les Dames is dedicated to supporting and promoting the achievement of women in the culinary professions and to fostering excellence through education and charitable activities.


- Jennifer Maley

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Chef. The Brow. The Food.

Chef Demo with Hugh Acheson
10:00 am on 6/4
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Whole Foods Market

We’re never quite sure what his brow is thinking, but we know for certain what will be on your mind when you taste Chef Hugh Acheson’s food—in a word, “YUM!” Known for combining the beauty of the South and the flavors of Europe, this quirky Canadian chef proves that good southern food can, and should, be celebrated by all. And in Chef Acheson’s case, make that great southern food. As chef/partner of Five & Ten, the National, and Gosford Wine in Athens, GA and Empire State South in Atlanta, the man and his brow have garnered much due acclaim. He’s been named a Food & Wine Best New Chef (2002), received the Atlanta Journal Constitution Restaurant of the Year (2007), and been nominated five times for the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). He also keeps some cool company—Chef Mario Batali chose Hugh as one of the 100 contemporary chefs in Phaidon Press' Coco: 10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs; and, if you’ve tuned in to Bravo recently, you’ve been enjoying Chef Acheson’s adventures with fellow master chefs on Top Chef Masters: Season 3. To Hugh, though, he couldn’t keep cooler company than his wife and two young children. Ottawa can claim his birth, but Georgia claims his heart. And how lucky for us to have him! You won’t want to miss Chef Acheson’s charm or his delicious dish at this week’s Demo—maybe he’ll even share a recipe from his new cookbook, due out this fall, A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen. It’s sure to be a brow-raiser (in a good, happy kind of way)! /:)

Don’t forget: Tickets on sale Saturday for the
Premiere of GROW!
Premiering Saturday, June 11th
at 1:00 p.m. (following PRFM)
Cathedral of St. Philip, Child Hall
2744 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305
Benefiting the Emergency Farmer Fund and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market
Join the Peachtree Road Farmers Market for the in-town Atlanta premiere of GROW!, a film produced by Anthony-Masterson. A documentary about young, sustainable and organic farmers, GROW! captures the energy of a fresh crop of farmers who have turned to the fields for a fulfilling life. The film takes a look at this brave new world of sustainable farming through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 idealistic, passionate and fiercely independent farmers. In GROW! they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land. Filmed during an entire growing season on 12 farms throughout Georgia, GROW! provides an honest and inspiring look at this next generation of farmers. Anybody who appreciates the value of good, wholesome food grown close to home, who cares about our food supply and the future of farming, will want to see GROW! Proceeds from this screening will benefit the Emergency Farmer Fund, which offers immediate aid to farmers in crisis after natural disasters, and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Georgia’s largest producer-only market.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and include refreshments by YEAH! Burger. Advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Tickets are available for purchase at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on June 4th & June 11th, or by phone at 404-365-1078. For more information about GROW! visit http://growmovie.blogspot.com/.


- Jennifer Maley