Catching the Wholesome Wave

I have been encouraging you to attend this year’s Southern Chefs Potluck on August 5, benefitting Wholesome Wave Georgia, and there’s more to the story than just the delicious food, fun fellowship, and over-the-top auction items.  It’s important to share the broader story of the good this organization is doing in our great state and in states across the country.

Rows of organic produce at Serenbe Farms

Wholesome Wave programs, in 28 states and the District of Columbia, improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables. 

Because they say it so well, following are the mission and vision statements from the national Wholesome Wave website. 

Wholesome Wave’s mission is to improve access and affordability of fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to historically underserved communities. Doing so creates economic viability through local food commerce that can rebuild our nation’s food system.

Our vision is to help lead the way in developing a more vibrant and equitable food system for everyone by fostering stronger relationships between local and regional agriculture and under-served individuals from both urban and rural communities.

Closer to home, “Wholesome Wave Georgia (WWG) believes that all Georgians should have access to good, wholesome and locally grown food.  Our goal is to increase access to good food for all Georgians while contributing to the local food economy.  By doubling each federal or state nutrition benefit (SNAP, WIC, SFMNP) dollar spent at our partner markets, we leverage existing government food nutrition programs to encourage shopping at local farmers markets.

Fresh-from-the-farm tomatoes

The execution of the Wholesome Wave Georgia program is very simple: Every nutrition benefit dollar spent at a WWG partner market becomes two dollars for the shopper and for the farmer.  This means more money for farmers and that more Georgians gain access to good, wholesome and locally grown food.”

Perhaps armed with this information, you now have a better understanding of why the Southern Chefs Potluck is an important event for our state.  I hope you’ll join me on August 5.  Together, we can do great things for all Georgians. 

Purchase your ticket today for the Southern Chefs Potluck 

Chef Linton Hopkins and me

Tune in to CBS during the 9:00 a.m. hour this Friday, August 3, to Better Mornings Atlanta.  Chef Linton Hopkins and I will be doing a segment on Sunday’s Southern Chefs Potluck.

Southern Chefs Potluck to Host Live Auction

The 3rd Annual Southern Chefs Potluck is just around the corner, and I hope you’re joining us for the premiere event benefiting Wholesome Wave Georgia.  The potluck will take place on Sunday, August 5, 3 to 6 p.m. in Serenbe.  Guests will dine family style with the chefs and their families on the grounds at the Inn at Serenbe.  The line up of participating chefs and restaurants is impressive.   

View the list of chefs and their dishes online, and while at the site, go ahead and purchase your tickets because you won’t want to miss this event! Seating is limited, so don't delay.

In addition to a great meal and beverages served by members of the Atlanta chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild, patrons will have the opportunity to bid on four outstanding chefs’ packages during the event’s live auction.  


Bidders will vie for these packages:

• Cocktail party for 30 friends at my and Steve’s house, featuring tasty bites by Steven Satterfield of Miller Union and exciting libations by Miles Macquarrie of Leon’s Full Service   
• Cooking class and dinner for you and 19 of your friends with Season 6 Top Chef finalist Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill at the Bosch Experience Center in Serenbe
• An overnight stay for 14 guests at the Inn at Serenbe, including a private dinner prepared by Restaurant Eugene’s Linton Hopkins and Michel Nischan of Dressing Room (Westport, CT) and a midnight pool party with beverages mixed and served by the Atlanta Bartenders Guild
• Sunday afternoon BBQ for 50 of your closest friends at the Pavilion at the Inn at Serenbe, featuring Jim N’ Nicks Bar-B-Q truck, with beef provided by White Oak Pastures; side dishes from Bacchanalia’s Anne Quatrano, Hugh Atcheson of Empire State South, and me from my restaurant The Farmhouse; and desserts from the Blue Eyed Daisy. 

Telephone bids will be accepted.  If you are interested in placing a telephone bid, please email me at Marie@Serenbe.com before the day of the event to make arrangements. 

All proceeds from the potluck go to Wholesome Wave Georgia.  Founded in 2009 by Gina Hopkins and Judith Winfrey, Wholesome Wave Georgia’s mission is to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown food at producer-only farmers markets in Georgia.  The organization creates financial incentives for low-income shoppers by doubling the value of state and federal nutrition benefits spent at local farmers markets. 

See you at the potluck!

To see what we're serving for dinner this week at the Farmhouse, click on the Farmhouse Menu photo (upper right).  The menu changes weekly to highlight what's fresh from the garden for that week.  


And, don't forget to sign up to receive email alerts when I post a new entry.  

Martha Stewart Living Names The Farmhouse the Best Fried Chicken

The buzz during a recent weekend was that Martha Stewart Living magazine, in its August issue, named my fried chicken at The Farmhouse the best!  We went to the newsstand to pick up a copy, but the new issue wasn’t on the newsstands yet; only subscribers had it.  In the meantime, we ran into our neighbor Faye at the Blue Eyed Daisy who mentioned she subscribed to the magazine and would drop off her issue for us to have.  Lo and behold, there it was on page 28 in the magazine’s “Our Finds, the Best List.” 

It is an honor to be named the “best of” something.  Having the best fried chicken though is surreal.  As the daughter of the “Queen of Dixie Cuisine,” the last food I ever intended to prepare was fried chicken because my mother, the late Margaret Lupo of Mary Mac’s Tearoom, was famous for her fried chicken.  I couldn’t imagine going up against her reputation. My prior reluctance to “compete” in this area is best stated in a quote from the movie Chasing Liberty, “The things you’re scared of are usually the most worthwhile.”

As fate would have it, some years ago I started offering a fried chicken lunch on Saturdays and Sundays at The Farmhouse.  It caught on, and I have a legion of fans.  So, while I still think my mother was the best fried chicken cook ever, I am pleased for the accolade from Martha Stewart Living and bet my mother is smiling down on me. 

Visit us at The Farmhouse for a Southern fried chicken lunch Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

Beauty and Good Food at the Botanical Garden

For the 2^nd year, I was asked to be a presenter at the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Well-Seasoned Chef Series and sold out my segment prior to the event. 

The Botanical Garden puts on an amazing series from May through October, featuring 18 of the area’s farm-to-table chefs.  Each of us has one evening during which we prepare a four-part tasting menu with food freshly harvested from the site’s Edible Garden.  

My evening was May 15, a day that brought rain, but I didn’t mind. Good things happen to me in the rain, so I welcome weather that others may scorn.

My youngest daughter Quinn attended to lend her hand as my sous chef for the evening. And, friend and Quivira Vineyards proprietress Terri Kight joined me for this fun event, sharing her winery’s delicious sauvignon blanc and pinot noir and helping us as needed. 

The Edible Garden provided beautiful radishes, which guests enjoyed rolled in creamy butter and sea salt.  It was deliciously crunchy, salty, and peppery.  We then prepared sorrel soup (see my post from June 14 for the recipe).  Sorrel is a wonderfully spring-like herb, with a lemony flavor, that I used to prepare a refreshing soup.  To enhance the citrus flavor, I garnished the soup with Meyer lemon olive oil. 

I had fun with my shrimp and grits recipe for the evening, improvising with what was available and tempting – fresh spring onions (because most everything savory is better with onions) and Quivira sauvignon blanc.  The evening’s patrons seemed more than satisfied with the additions to this signature low country dish and saved room for fresh strawberries with mint over slices of homemade pound cake and topped with sweetened whipped cream.  Continuing with the theme of improvisation for the evening, I thought the prosecco on hand in the Garden’s outdoor kitchen would be a lovely addition to the strawberries, and it was!

The colors and flavors of the dishes that night were evocative of the transition from the bright greens of spring into the sultry nights of summer. 

There are still tickets available for other Well-Seasoned Chef Series evenings.  Visit the Botanical Garden's website for more information. You’ll be glad you did.

You’ll want to attend this year’s Southern Chefs Potluck

I’m not sure I’ve been quite this excited about an event since, well, I don’t remember when.  Serenbe will be the host location for the 3^rd annual Southern Chefs Potluck to benefit Wholesome Wave Georgia.  This event gets bigger and better every year.

Courtesy of WholesomeWaveGeorgia.org

The Southern Chefs Potluck will take place on Sunday, August 5 at 3 p.m. in Serenbe.  Guests will dine family style with the chefs and their families on the grounds at the Inn at Serenbe.  Along with the fabulous fare, guests will enjoy local beer, wine, and cocktails created by area mixologists and served by members of the Atlanta chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild.  Rounding out this fabulous event will be a live auction for one-of-a-kind chef experiences. 

Foodies unite. This event is made for you!  To purchase your tickets and read the list of participating chefs and their dishes, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/251283.  If you plan to attend only one food event or auction this summer, make this the one! 

The auction items are over-the-top, and the dishes, anchored by fried chicken legs from my restaurant - the Farmhouse at Serenbe - and White Oaks Pastures meats from Jim N’ Nicks Bar-B-Q, will tantalize your tongue.

Founded in 2009 by Gina Hopkins and Judith Winfrey, Wholesome Wave Georgia’s mission is to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown food at producer-only farmers markets in Georgia.  The organization creates financial incentives for low-income shoppers by doubling the value of state and federal nutrition benefits spent at local farmers markets. 

Purchase your ticket now!  You’ll be delighted by the list of participating chefs.  They represent the Who’s Who of the South. 

Have you visited Serenbe lately?

Spend the weekend at Serenbe. Friday and Saturday, see "Alice in Wonderland" and Friday through Sunday don't miss the last weekend of "A Midsummer Nights Dream," both productions by Serenbe Playhouse.  

Serenbe Farmers and Artists Market is planning to have another packed weekend with a large tomato crop, live music by the Sean L. McMorris Group, and much more. Don't forget to visit all the retail stores, dine in one of our fabulous restaurants, and tour the Bosch Model Home while you are here.

With so much to see and do, plan to spend your day in the country.

See you in Serenbe.

Food Network Names Blue Eyed Daisy This Season’s Cupcake Wars Winner!

Who doesn’t love a good cupcake?  We know the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars judges do, and they especially loved the Blue Eyed Daisy’s.  On Sunday, June 17, the Food Network aired an episode showing the bakers of the Daisy being crowned winners of this season’s Cupcake Wars and taking home the $10,000 prize. 

What a thrill to see the Blue Eyed Daisy on national television!  

To make the night even sweeter for Candi Pittman, our resident baker, Serenbe hosted a viewing party for residents, Daisy staff, and Candi’s family.  The cheers were loud, the smiles wide, and the applause enthusiastic when the judges announced their decision. 

Since the show aired, the Daisy staff has been kept busy baking, decorating, and filling orders for the now famous flavors, which you can purchase to enjoy. 

Peanut Butter and Banana – a banana oat cupcake with peanut butter frosting and topped with the Daisy’s homemade peanut butter granola (also available for purchase).

Orange and Apricot – an orange-scented vanilla cupcake filled with apricot curd and topped with orange-scented cream cheese frosting.

Espresso and Cinnamon – A spiced espresso cupcake topped with cinnamon espresso frosting and sprinkled with chocolate covered espresso beans.

Chocolate and Beer – a chocolate beer cupcake topped with a beer-flavored chocolate ganache and chocolate beer frosting.

Stop by and try a four-pack today!