Pastured Poultry Week is here, meaning it’s time to leave
the hen house and fly over to one of the many participating Atlanta restaurants.
If you’re asking, “Where should I go? What are the benefits? Pastured what?” well, we have answers! No need to
get your feathers in a ruffle because our Atlanta Dish blog has all the
information on this flavorful week, including links to restaurants and
dad-approved presents.
Atlanta restaurants are never too chicken to try something
new, and this week is no exception. Pastured Poultry Week is upon us, and ATL’s
hottest spots are cooking up dishes that will make mouths water from June 10-16. Diners have the chance to taste the difference that pastured poultry offers, including
enhanced flavor, health and environmental benefits. The entire city, including
restaurants like Seven Lamps and No. 246, is clucking with excitement! Check
out the list of participating restaurants and learn more about pastured poultry
at Compassion in World Farming.
Wouldn't be folksy without some socializing and food, and that's what the Atlanta History Center Folklife Fest Kickoff
is all about this Friday, September 21 from 7-10 p.m. Select Atlanta
restaurants devoted to using local and sustainably raised and produced
ingredients will be in charge of the food, includingBantam + Biddy. Shaun Doty supportsGeorgians for Pastured Poultry
and crows that regional, all-natural pastured chicken will star on the
menu when he opens Bantam + Biddy in Ansley Mall next month. Folklife
Fest Kick-Off tickets are $60 for Atlanta History Center members, $75
for nonmembers and include food and beverage. Save $20 by using promo code "FOOD" during checkout. More participant and mixologist fodder here.
Seasoned Chef Shaun Doty is using his dash of time between
Pastured Poultry Week and the opening of Bantam and Biddy this fall in Ansley
mall to provide plenty of fodder in the think-and-learn department. The chef
will lead a demo at 11 a.m. at this Sunday’s Grant Park Farmers Market (GPFM).
Those who saw his Pastured Poultry Week demos know his passion for farm-fresh
topics is contagious, and he is generous with useful information. The GPFM, at
the corner of Cherokee and Milledge avenues, is open Sundays from 9:30 a.m. -
1:30 p.m. through December 16.
The omnivore chicken's dilemma: seed, bug, plant or all of the above? A chicken feed diet nixes such decisions for factory farmed birds. While pastured poultry commute across pasture land each day, factory farms allot each bird about as much space as a sheet of notebook paper. Georgians for Pastured Poultry (GPP) is crying "fowl" and taking action! It's Pastured Poultry Week -- an opportune week to feather your cap with pastured poultry facts gathered by GPP and taste the difference in dishes featuring pastured poultry at Ecco, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246, Woodfire Grill and others. The sustainable method of raising poultry yields better tasting birds, and Atlanta chefs are leading farmers market demos this summer to show you how to use the whole bird. At this Saturday's Morningside Farmers Market, Shaun Doty will be sure shoppers learn where and how their chickens were raised. Take notes as he passes on kitchen tips he'll use at his own soon-to-open Bantam & Biddy restaurant where free-range and pastured poultry will rule the roost. White Oak Pastures, already a leader in the pastured poultry profession, is providing most of the chickens for restaurants and summer farmers market demos; purchase your own bird at Atlanta-area Whole Foods Markets. As Chef Doty explains, these birds have a slower growth period than factory farm-raised chickens (12 weeks versus six weeks), which leads to richer flavor and a higher cost. Doty feels each bite is worth it, and he's posted a YouTube video (above) showing how to roast them, make chicken stock and an easy chicken miso soup so you'll savor every morsel.
