Appetizing Aperture: Chicken and the Egg

Only the tipsiest bananas will do for banana pudding ($5) on the “After Supper” menu at Chicken and the Egg in Marietta. Woodford Reserve imbues a bit of Southern spirit, along with ‘nilla wafers and Chantilly cream for a bit more sweetness and light. Makes you wonder, why not indulge before instead of waiting until “After Supper.”

Summer Reading: Soak Up Good Stuff in “The Potlikker Papers” by John T. Edge

What’s in your Southern summer reading bag? A real page turner, we hope, like “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South,” newly released from John T. Edge. Garden & Gun magazine surmises, “In the South, Edge notes, food and eating intertwine inextricably with politics and social history, and he deftly traces these connections from the civil rights movement to today’s Southern eclectic cultural cuisine.” Publisher’s Weekly calls it “one of the ten best summer reads.” Order the paper, electronic or audio book online. Traveling this summer? So is Edge, promoting his new book. Glance at his schedule to see if he’s passing through the same towns as you. 

Big Green Egg Smoked Wings and More Land on New Menu at Atkins Park Virginia-Highland

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland has summer fun in mind and on its new menu. Don’t panic, favorites are still there. But think how wonderful it will be to share “Always Available” dishes that shout “Summer!” such as Big Green Egg smoked wings ($11) and Guinness-dipped pretzels with pimento cheese and stout mustard ($6). Or, hoist a spicy Texas chicken sandwich or wrap ($11), salmon BLT with house-smoked bacon ($12), Big Green Egg pulled pork on a jalapeño bun ($9), smoked prime rib French dip ($13) or wild mushroom and spinach on toasted multigrain bread ($11). For lunch, try power-packed grilled salmon or steak salads ($12), beef short rib sliders with Vidalia onion jam ($7), “Flatbread of the South” ($12) or “The Local Vegetable Plate” ($12). Appetizers, entrées and small plates load up the dinner menu. Think meat and cheese board ($15), cornbread-crusted Georgia trout ($19), braised short ribs with sweet potato gnocchi ($20) or Louisiana BBQ shrimp lettuce wraps ($11). It’s easy to linger over weekend brunch to savor a fried chicken pancake sandwich ($12), Big Green Egg smoked wagyu beef brisket and eggs ($14) or a chorizo skillet ($10). Cocktails, beer, wine -- Atkins Park accessorizes perfectly with these liquid refreshers. 

Drafting Home Brewers to Hop into Taco Mac Southern Home Brewer’s Challenge

Home brewers, Atlanta-based Taco Mac and Woodstock’s own Reformation Brewery have your talents in mind, partnering to produce the fifth annual Southern Home Brewer’s Challenge, an exciting pro-am competition where one winning home brew recipe will be produced by a commercial brewery and sold at Taco Mac restaurants across the Southeast. Home brewers can turn in beer submissions at various Georgia Taco Mac restaurants during June and July according to the date/location schedule found here. First drop off is at Taco Mac Woodstock on Tuesday, June 6. The Southern Home Brewer’s Challenge panel of judges (Taco Mac and Reformation reps) will judge submissions throughout the month of July and announce a winner on July 22. Reformation will then fine tune the recipe to work in its brew system for commercial production, aiming for a release date during Reformation’s Beer of the Month slot in November. Read all of the rules regarding submissions here. Brew-sers, step away from your browsers and hop to it. Looking forward to tasting the winning brew in November!

Melissa Libby & Associates is Searching for Fall 2017 Interns!

Are you a student who is passionate about good food and drinks, restaurant culture and public relations? We want to meet you! Melissa Libby & Associates is currently seeking interns for the fall 2017 semester. Interns who join the MLA team will work with and learn directly from all agency functions, including media communications, social media, special events and client services. Creativity, positive energy, great writing skills and a strong work ethic are important traits for this internship.

Internships require 15-22 office hours per week from August to December. Schedules are fairly flexible, although Monday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m. are required for our weekly team meeting. Local candidates only please! The ideal candidate will also receive school credit for his or her experience with MLA. Interns will be paid a $500 stipend at the completion of the program.

To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page. If you are interested, please email your resume, cover letter, writing samples and availability to brandon@melissalibbypr.com. We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Get to Know One in 10,000 – Shingo Gokan, the Internationally Recognized Cocktail Maestro behind Himitsu’s Bar Program

Competing in – and winning -- the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail competition against 10,000 bartenders representing 26 countries is enough to make even the strongest cocktail crafter nervous. Unless you’re Shingo Gokan. He wasn’t shaken. He was stirred -- into pouring himself into the art of classic Japanese bartending. Gokan, who started his career in Tokyo in 2001, became the first guest bartender ever to be invited to the Savoy Hotel in London, going on to teach a master class and guest bartend at historically celebrated venues around the world. His cocktail crafting travels have taken him to more than 30 countries, leading him to open the speakeasy Speak Low in Shanghai in 2014 followed by founding Sober Company, also in Shanghai, in 2017. He’s recently been nominated for the 2017 Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Award: International Bartender of the Year for having the most influence and impact on the cocktail culture this year. So you’re asking, “Where can I experience Gokan’s sensational cocktail maestro skills? Shanghai is no “Waze” near my daily commute?” Cheers! Gokan is the creative director behind the bar and beverage program at Himitsu, giving libations at Buckhead’s by-reservation-only cocktail lounge a distinct modern vibe you won’t find anywhere else in Atlanta…or perhaps, in the world. Find him on Instagram @soberspeaker.

5Church Atlanta Welcomes Scotley Innis as Executive Chef

Owner Ayman Kamel and his team at 5Church Atlanta are excited to welcome new executive chef Scotley Innis, who was formerly sous chef at South City Kitchen in Midtown and executive chef at Ormsby’s in West Midtown. Innis brings a more “up-tempo” Southern feel to the menu, drawing upon a personal pantry of ingredients: Caribbean heritage, a knack for applying unorthodox techniques to traditional dishes, a penchant for proving to locals that modernizing Southern staples yields extraordinary results and a wealth of culinary experiences. Innis began his culinary career working in local Jamaican-style restaurants in New York before heading south and earning his culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu. He moved up through kitchens at Marriott Hotels and Au Pied de Cochon at the InterContinental Hotel, immersed himself in the role of executive chef at Cajun/Creole Mudcatz Bayou Bar and Grill in Dunwoody and honed skills in fine dining cuisine at Tom Collichio’s Craftbar in Buckhead. Innis moved to Ormsby’s in 2009 and became executive chef in 2011, building a menu of from-scratch comfort food and fresh pub favorites that relied heavily on local produce and herbs. Joining the team at South City Kitchen furthered his knowledge of Southern cuisine. Now, Innis is excited about joining the 5Church Atlanta family and providing guests with a dining experience they’ll rave about.

Explore Wines of Oregon’s Famed Willamette Valley at Drift Wine Dinner June 15

Is touring Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley, wine glass in hand, on your bucket list? First, book a ticket to the Tour of Willamette Valley, Oregon Wine Dinner at Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar “taking off” Thursday, June 15. Drift executive chef Brendan Keenan plans an outstanding five-course menu paired with some of the best Willamette Valley wines selected by general manager/sommelier Jason Raymond. Guests will nibble gougères when arriving for the 6:30 p.m. dinner at the restaurant located at The Avenue in Marietta. Courses and Willamette Valley wine pairings progress through scallop tartar with UGA caviar and Meyer lemon sabayon paired with NV Sparkling rosé, Maysara, (McMinnville); gnocchi-cacio e pepe with peas, mint, king crab, Pecorino Romano and black pepper tuile served with 2015 Gruner Veltliner, Illahe (West Salem); halibut cheek and braised veal cheek with sunchoke, morels and beurre rouge served with 2015 pinot noir, Beaux Freres (Ribbon Ridge, Chehalem Valley); tuna Wellington with spring onion soubise and bordelaise paired with 2014 syrah, Bergstrom “Gargantua” (Dundee Hills); and dessert of local strawberry panna cotta, aged balsamic and marcona almond brittle with NV rosé, Domaine Serene “R” (Yamhill County). Buy tickets in advance through Eventbrite, $119 per guest (plus service fee; tax and gratuity is included).

FN’s New “Incredible Edible America with the Dunhams” Brakes for Sublime Doughnuts Stopover on First Episode June 5

You bet your A-Town Cream Sublime Doughnuts and its special SweetWater doughnut are on our radar for National Doughnut Day, this Friday, June 2…which leads us to crave seeing Sublime on the first episode of Food Network’s new ”Incredible Edible America with the Dunhams,” premiering Monday, June 5 at 10 p.m. Comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, food-blogging wife Audrey and some of Jeff’s beloved characters set out on a culinary road trip of a lifetime to learn firsthand how America’s chefs are putting their creativity to work in taste bud-tantalizing ways. Right off the bat in episode 1, (or batter, as the case may be), they’ll stop by Sublime Doughnuts to roll with chef Kamal Grant. Appropriately, the Sublime vignette comes on the heels of National Doughnut Day, June 2. Advance filming means the Dunhams may miss out on the special SweetWater doughnut Sublime is crafting for National Doughnut Day or the latest Saturday Cereal doughnut, but since Sublime whips up 30 different chef-inspired doughnut flavors on any given day, we’re certain there’s a sweet ending. Pick up a dozen doughnuts from the Midtown or Druid Hills Sublime Doughnut shop locations and invite some friends over for a scrumptious viewing party.

Foodie Flag: Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Swizzles & Stirs Midtown June 1-4

The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival spreads its richness across Midtown like avocado on toast with a side of champagne over the Thursday-Sunday weekend of June 1-4. The four-day bacchanalia of all-you-can-indulge-in food, wine, beer and spirit tastings and classes features the region’s top food and drink products; local, regional and international chefs and their creations; and industry experts. Saturday morning, you’ll find an assortment of Sublime Doughnuts accompanying Sublime founder Kamal Grant, who will be making a guest appearance at the decadent Beer for Breakfast class. Repping Gunshow are chef Joey Ward, who’ll be speaking at the Saturday afternoon seminar, "Down the Southern Street: Food Stories of the South," and “Cocktail Cart Conductor” Mercedes O’Brien shaking the Coca-Cola tent. Guests will find Scotley Innis from 5Church Atlanta in the tasting tents. Another reason this festival’s fab -- Aria chef/owner Gerry Klaskala is on the advisory council. The event menu includes general and tasting passes as well as individual dinner, lunch and brunch events, Masterclasses and Connoisseur weekend packages. Choose the ticket package ($55-$1,800) that best suits you and start drooling about this easy-eating weekend.

Give $5, Receive $5 and Help Willy’s Raise $22K in 22 Days for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta June 1-22

Even though school’s out, Willy’s Mexicana Grill is helping teens learn topics hotter than salsa this June. Willy’s $22K in 22 Days promotion sets sights on raising $22K for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta Workforce Development Program that gives high school students volunteer and leadership opportunities to prep them for successful careers. From June 1-22, each Willy’s guest who donates $5 to the program will receive a $5 Willy’s coupon to redeem on his or her next visit. Willy’s likes to turn its birthday month into an opportunity to give back to the community. Way to win, all around, opening doors to brighter futures for teens and $5 savings to put toward some of summer’s favorite foods -- Willy’s signature fresh-made burritos, tacos and bowls. Coupon valid at all Willy’s locations except Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

What’s New on Pinterest: National Biscuit Day

Bless your heart and butter me a biscuit. There Better be a Biscuit in the forecast for May 29 or you’ll be in a jam -- because it’s National Biscuit Day. Buttermilk chicken biscuit with blackberry habanero sauce, country ham biscuits, and holy fried chicken biscuits require two hands. Forks and spoons are handy for catching gravy-soaked morsels of biscuits topped with hot chicken and Mama’s white gravy or fried steak, sausage gravy and a fried egg. Pop those pimento cheese biscuits and sausage and cream cheese biscuit bites but don’t talk with your mouth full -- we don’t want anyone but you to know we have copycat Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits.

#Foodgram: ATL Bucket List

Fill the must-do food trough with suggestions from the ATL Bucket List, a jackpot of eatables, do-ables and explorations around Atlanta. Perfect timing, finding this local road trip list right after the swift I-85 bridge repair. Our knees are shaky with excitement over discovering where to find fried chicken and red velvet waffles on a stick topped with Fruity Pebbles.