Akin to broccoli yet providing a more subtle canvas for flavors (and loaded with potassium, fiber and some protein), cauliflower is finally attaining celebrity status. Prime example, the charred cauliflower small plate ($7) at Rize Artisan Pizza + Salad. Jewels of spiced walnuts and pomegranate seeds and a piquant maple sesame dressing doll up the sweetly charred florets. And, it’s good for you. Go ahead, order more than one plate the first time around.
The annual Georgia Organics Conference and Expo is a biggie (one of the largest in the Southeast), and this year’s 20th anniversary event amplifies it even more so. This year’s conference at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park takes place over the weekend of Friday, Feb. 17-Saturday, Feb. 18. More than 1,000 attendees are anticipated to connect with peers, tour farms, hear speakers, cultivate new skills, see innovative food and agriculture-related exhibits and enjoy memorable culinary experiences. Educational topics spread like kudzu, covering edible gardening, foraging in the city, “Microbial Makeover,” “Working Across Differences,” SPIN-farming, whole farm planning, “Vows and Vegetables” for couples, holistic crop rotation, urban agriculture, homestead planning, community health and so many more. Will Harris of White Oak Pastures will be on hand for Saturday’s class covering “Certified B.S. – Livestock Certifications and Consumer Confusion.” Keynote speakers are Barbara Brown Taylor and Matthew Raiford. A new mobile app keeps attendees in the know for this year’s conference. After soaking up the big “20,” Georgia Organics hopes conference goers will return home invigorated to grow the shared vision that all Georgians will be able to eat organic food from local farms, transforming health, the environment and the economy. Register for the conference and related events via cvent.com; see pricing here. Sneak a peek at “Georgia Organics Celebrates 20 Years” on YouTube.
Santa hats and elf ears go back in the box this week as ringing jingle bells morph into ringing in the new year. Polish the baubles and get ready to pop open some bubbly because Atlanta restaurants have big plans and they’d love for you to join them. Our blog rings true with celebratory dos, whether the preference is a quiet dinner, cocktails on a rooftop patio or dancing your way into 2017.
Rifle through your calendar app and mark Thursday, Dec. 29, as the bull’s-eye day to buy individual tickets to the first Gunshow “Hired Guns” dinner of 2017. For the Sunday, Jan. 29 event, chefs Kevin Gillespie and Joey Ward are crossing the border to bring in guest chefs Hakim Rahal and Pablo Rojas of Provisions in Montreal. Rahal and Rojas have garnered attention from critics and diners alike for their five-course family style menu created around the ingredients of the day from local purveyors. Prior to Dec. 29, tickets to this event were only available to those purchasing the entire “Hired Guns” series. As with the remaining five events, any tickets still available will go on sale for $95 per person one month prior to the dinner via Xorbia. Seating is limited to 100 guests at the intimate dining experience where chefs create and come out of the kitchen to mingle with guests. Next up, Jennifer Carroll of Requin in Washington, D.C. on March 12; Grae Nonas of Tullibee in Minneapolis on May 7; Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery in New Orleans on Aug. 6; Jamie Bissonnette of Toro and Coppa in Boston on Sept. 10 as well as one more surprise visitor on Nov. 5. “Hired Guns” began in 2013 as a way to lure some of the country’s most-talked-about chefs to Gunshow to share their styles and personalities alongside those of Gunshow’s own “kitchen dudes.” The Glenwood Park restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 6-9 p.m. Reservations are encouraged but not required.
Liking the mantra, “Live deliciously, one plate at a time.” Follow Claire Thomas and her appetizing adventures on KitchyKitchen. Download her podcast, “A Time and a Plate,” for audible edible, err, listening on the go.
Spoon dive into a bowl of piping hot oxtail French onion soup($10) at The Federal, Shaun Doty’s newest Midtown restaurant. Your reward? Bone-thawing, soul nourishing rich broth and luscious, melted cave-aged Gruyere cheese. Chills don’t have a chance.
