Bird is the Word: Local Food Expert Julia Leroy Shares Chicken Rillette Recipe

Check out this week's issue of The Sunday Paper to get tips from Chef Julia LeRoy on preparing chicken...her recipe for chicken rillette with pickled vegetable salad has been a dinner party hit and is sure to come in handy with the holidays approaching. Julia prefers humanely raised and locally procured birds, especially those from White Oak Pastures, and suggests readers use the same for their chicken dishes. You can also find other culinary tidbits from Julia on Facebook.

Farmer's Markets are the New Kitchens, for Chefs That Is!

What else are you going to do in the Georgia heat besides going to a fresh and fabulous farmer’s market! Atlanta chefs are leaving the kitchens and heading out to the farmer’s market, too.

Mark your calendar for Thursday night and watch Woodfire Grill Executive Chef and Owner Kevin Gillespie slice and dice at the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market (1231 Glenwood Avenue) on July 29. Other than his colorful tattoos, we never know what Kevin Gillespie has up his sleeve for a farmers market demo. See Kevin in action and glean kitchen pointers at 6:30 p.m. The Thursday evening market, open from 4 - 8 p.m., is timely for those of you who can't make it to a morning market. Meet friends for a summer's night of eating, learning and shopping at vendors such as Love is Love Farm, Gaia Gardens, Scharko Farms, Decimal Place Farms, H & F Bread and Hidden Springs Honey.

Over in Buckhead at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Gerry Klaskala of Aria will command the demo action at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 31. Even better, you can now take in all of the award-winning chef's tips under the soothing shade of the market's new tent. Market hours for the Saturday shopping tradition are 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in the parking lot of The Cathedral of St. Philip (2744 Peachtree Road, NW). Fill your shopping bag with local goods and garden-grown produce and pick up a couple of tickets to the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival. This all-out tomato bash will take over JCT. Kitchen & Bar from 1 - 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 8 -- tasty, harmless, fun and for Georgia Organics.

Up north at the Riverside Farmers Market in Roswell, chefs from Roswell's own Aqua blue will show guests how to roll sushi on July 31. Freshly made sushi is just one of the many items offered at Aqua blue. Watch how to make the healthy and delicious favorite at 11 a.m. This weekly Saturday morning market is held from 8 a.m. - noon at Roswell City Hall (38 Hill Street).

Chef Julia LeRoy gets the early bird demo award. Her demo at the Morningside Farmers Market starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 7 (1393 N. Highland Avenue across from Alon's Bakery) and features her working with produce from Crystal Organic Farm. The market is open from 8 - 11:30 a.m. Time it right and you can shop, watch and then stop in for a hot cup of joe or brunch at one of the nearby restaurants.

Get to know Julia LeRoy

This is Julia LeRoy. She's going to be a famous chef. You know we wouldn't steer you wrong! Why not be a real culinary insider and meet her now before she has an entourage and bouncers to keep you away? You can do just that tomorrow at the Piedmont Park Green Market.

The up 'n coming LeRoy knows Atlanta's best restaurant kitchens (she's worked in some of them), and she's equally comfy adding her own touch to an ingredient-splattered church cookbook propped up against a mixing bowl in her home kitchen. The Culinary Institute of America - NY graduate has roots in Guenter Seeger's Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton. Perhaps you heard about her "Locavore Mondays" that supported local farmers, sustainability and creative sustenance for Atlanta diners. Cooking at the Piedmont Park Green Market will be right up her garden row!

See Julia from 11 a.m. - noon under the patio at the Community Center. The Green Market is held every Saturday morning, May 1 through December 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piedmont Park's 12th Street entrance gate.