Stop at Makan for Dine Out for the Decatur Farmers Market on August 26, Learn How at EAV Farmers Market Chef Demo on August 28

Tonight’s the night! Come Dine Out for the Decatur Farmers Market to see and eat chromatic chow from Makan.  Vibrant veggies, grilled kalbi-style steak, kimchi and rice, and rice cakes with local tofu are only a few farm-fresh options that will be on the table. This is also an opportunity to get your grub on for good. A percentage of tonight’s dinner proceeds benefit the farmers market’s outreach program and doubling SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) purchase capabilities for needy families in the community. Reserve your table here.

If you already made plans for tonight, not to worry! You can also drop by the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market on Thursday, August 28 at 4:30 p.m. and see Makan executive chef George Yu leading a chef’s demo. Get inspired! 

Don’t Miss Chef Ford Fry and Executive Sous Chef Tony Ballester Cookin’ It Up At The Farmer’s Markets

While you’re shopping for fresh farm food from this week’s farmers markets you’ll have the chance to see two of Atlanta’s tastiest chefs in action. Executive Sous Chef Tony Ballester of The Optimist and Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246 and The Optimist are stepping outside their kitchens for an extra hit of vitamin D. Ballester will be stepping into the show-me-how booth at the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market on Thursday, July 19. Across town, Fry will rise early Saturday morning, July 21, to get ready for his 10 a.m. demo at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market in Buckhead. Why choose? You don’t have to miss either -- shop both farmers markets this week!

Whole Foods Market Gives You the Whole Story on Crystal Organic Farms

It’s always nice to know where your food comes from. Whole Foods Market gives you the chance to get up close and personal with the animals, faces and places behind the wholesome products found in their shelves via their Whole Story blog. A recent profile of Nicolas Donck of Crystal Organics, Georgia’s first organic farm, reveals the passion behind his certified organic Garden of Eden products. Donck began farming when he left his home in Belgium at 16 and has been a leader in organic farming practically ever since. He even started Atlanta’s first organic farmer’s market!

Check him out!

Chews Local

This past Thursday was the kick-off event for Atlanta's Local Food Initiative (ALFI) at The Glenwood in East Atlanta. This event introduced ALFI's five year plan for Atlanta as well as Georgia Organic's 2009 Local Food Guide. It started out at the East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market held in the parking lot of the local Ace Hardware. What a great market - tons of fresh produce and awesome live music.

Then, the event moved to The Glenwood for great music, organic wines and local beers, and an incredible array of appetizers made from The Glenwood and surrounding restaurants. Appetizers included bruschetta, deviled eggs, mini smoothies and cheese grit squares. The event had a huge turnout, and everyone was excited to talk local. There was a great turnout from some of Atlanta's favorite farmers - Farmer D, Love is Love Farm and so many more. It was fun to see these guys outside the weekly farmer's markets they attend.
After the cocktail reception, Georgia Organics and The Glenwood hosted a benefit dinner for GO. What an incredible experience - several nearby restaurants, all with a passion for cooking local, came together to prepare a four course feast for us. It was a great example of restaurants that have the "farm to table" mentality without the far-to-often high price tag. Our dinner started with a squash soup with ginger and cilantro from Dynamic Dish. The squash came from Gaia Gardens and Woodland Gardens. Second course was campfire Rainbow trout from Bramlett Farms with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, lemon rosemary butter, apples, leeks and red peppers prepared by The Glenwood.
Third course (my favorite course) was Asian brined pork from Riverview Farms on mashed sweet potatoes with garlic, ginger and five-spiced apples. This dish was prepared by The Graveyard. We ended the meal on a sweet note with a goat cheesecake (goat cheese from Decimal Place Farms) served with house brewed muscadine wine ice cream, candied pecans and a muscadine balsamic reduction, also prepared by The Glenwood. The ice cream was incredibly good, so good in fact I forgot to take a photo of it. Sorry!

All I can say after a meal like this is wow. The Glenwood, Georgia Organics and ALFI did an amazing job of putting together a great launch for the Local Food Guide and ALFI. I'm looking forward to seeing how ALFI affects our local food scene over the next five years.