Simply Buckhead May/June 2011

FREEMAY/JUNE 2011

Issue #04

Summer Guide

7 vacations within 7 hours of Buckhead

*Plus: The best local festivals!

Eat FreshWhere to

find country produce in

the city

Whiz Kids

Babies can read at the Buckhead

Library

The event will be held in Chastain Park on Park Drive. Please check our website regularly for updates and parking information.

w w w . b u c k h e a d a r t s f e s t i v a l . c o m

The festival will help support the Chastain Dog Park Campaign.

MAY 14-15 2011C H A S TA I N P A R K B U C K H E A D

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4 May/June 2011 | Simply Buckhead

S I M P L Y BUC K H E A D | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 1

Contents/// COVER STORY

/// FEATURES

44ROAD TRIP 2011We’ve crisscrossed the region to find the most exciting destinations within an easy drive of Atlanta. Your only job? Pack your bags.

18STYLISH SETTLEMENTA Buckhead townhome combines the differing styles—and opinions—of a dynamic bipartisan couple

28THE ART OF INSTRUCTIONFor more than 30 years, Chastain Arts Center’s Philip Carpenter has fostered creativity in students

/// DEPARTMENTS

9 LETTERS

11 SIMPLY NOW

17 SIMPLY STYLISH

May/June 2011 | Simply Buckhead 5

From artsy neighborhood shindigs to events boasting gourmet food and top-notch entertainment, there is something for every Buckhead resident to enjoy. — “Festival Fever,” page 50

Escape with your family to the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, page 44. Mark Wieland

35BIRD IS THE WORDA look at Café at Pharr’s new Peachtree perch

43VIVE LA FRANCEAn interview with Bordeaux and Burgundy wine enthusiast Mark Taylor

23 SIMPLY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

33 SIMPLY DELICIOUS

51 SIMPLY HAPPENING

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P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355www.simplybuckhead.com

For advertising rates call: 404-538-9895

We welcome all contributions, but we assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. No portion of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission.

Copyright © 2011 by Simply Buckhead. All rights reserved. Printed by Walton Press, Inc. Distributed by Distributech, Network Communications, Inc., and Distribution Services Group.

Simply Buckhead is a member of the Buckhead Business Association and the Georgia Restaurant Association.

PublisherJoanne Hayes

EditorAllison Weiss Entrekin

Creative DirectorOmar Vega

Account ExecutiveJessica Ferguson

Contributing WritersJennifer BradleyWendell BrockH.M. CauleyBret LoveGregory D. McCluneyKirsten Ott PalladinoElsa K. Simcik Giannina SmithMargaret Watters

Contributing PhotographersRenee BrockT.J. HartAlli Royce SobleSara Speert

Graphic DesignersEllen R. Harden/El DesignGrayce E. Clark

Copy EditorEllen Glass

Editorial AssistantsOlivia BattyAileen Peachman

/// CONTRIBUTOR

Elsa K. Simcik Contributing writer Elsa K. Simcik started her writing career as a relationship columnist about 10 years ago, covering love, breakups and the world of online dating. But after marrying her husband Frank in 2003, she realized that the old saying, “Write what you know,” was true. Since dating was no longer her expertise, she segued into other lifestyle topics like health and fitness, travel and human-interest sto-ries. Originally from Texas, her work has appeared in The Dallas Morning News and Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. After moving to Atlanta four years ago, Elsa started contributing to local publi-cations like The Atlanta Journal-Consti-tution and now Simply Buckhead (“Take Another Look at Asheville,” page 45). She loves living in the Southeast and was thrilled to visit Asheville to write about its laid-back, fun and delicious finds in this issue of Simply Buckhead.

MAY/JUNE 2011 | ISSUE #04


S i m p l y B u c k h e a d

O N L I N E

Facebookfacebook.com“Like” or “Friend” us at Simply Buckhead Magazine

///Proud sponsor of:

Twitter twitter.com/SimplyBuckheadFollow us @simplybuckhead

Read Simply Buckhead online at www.SimplyBuckhead.com/tour.html with click-through capability

Issuu issuu.com/simplybuckheadRead an onine digital version of the magazine.

BUCKHEAD BUSINESS

aTasteof

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2011 Gold Sponsor

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Tickets$10 General Admission

Purchase advance tickets online at

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In this issue of Simply Buck-head, we’ve packed our pages with drivable destinations you and your family will love. North Georgia wineries, Asheville bed and break-fasts, Amelia Island escapes … and many more. We hope these stories will inspire you to hit the road with your favorite people and return with fantastic tales and tips of your own. If you take an especially memorable trip, send me an email—we may share your experience in an upcom-ing issue.

Also in these pages, we break down the top Atlanta festivals of the summer, explore the cool-est Buckhead consignment shops, introduce you to Chastain Art Cen-ter’s living legend and much more. Happy reading, and enjoy your summer. I’ll see you on the road!

Allison Weiss Entrekin

/// EDITOR’S LETTER

Road trips are one of my top-10 joys in life. I love piling suitcases into the car (somehow my husband always makes them fit), popping

in a good CD, opening the sunroof and hitting the highway. My mood is especially light if my entire family—including my toddler and dog—are coming too. Yes, it means more stops (have to find gas stations with large patches of grass for our pooch) and more noise (Baby Einstein isn’t exactly a mellow vacation soundtrack), but it also means we’re all headed in the same direction instead of a million different ones. And really, isn’t that the whole point?


/// CORRECTIONS ///

In our March/April issue, photography of Always Saturday should have been credited to Michele Reed Photography (www.michelereedphotography.com).

Also in that issue, the photos from the Pets and the Sit-y fundraiser at Nancy G’s should have been credited to Sherry Conklin Photography.

We regret the errors.

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/// LETTER BOX ///

Tell us what you think! Send your comments, compliments and criticisms to [email protected]. All letters will be considered for publication and may be edited for length and clarity.


LettersS I M P L Y BUC K H E A D | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 1

As the owner of two Vizslas, I very much enjoyed the last issue of Simply Buckhead. But I enjoyed it even more because of the feature on Buckhead Heritage. I am glad to see a publication on the scene that puts a highlight on Buckhead’s charitable organizations. So many publications put emphasis on the parties but give short shrift to the underlying mission of the organizations. Your magazine is a welcome change. Keep up the good work!

—Wright Mitchell, Buckhead Heritage Society

Kudos on great articles and a hot new publication.

—Paige Dohoney, Woof Gang Bakery

You do a great job with this publica-tion. I find it very visually appealing.

—Dr. Gedaliah Genin, Gedaliah Healing Arts

What a great March/April 2011 issue. I am an avid “hold-it-and-read-it reader.” Keep up the valuable work you and your team do. The community loves their own local newspapers and periodicals.

—Toni Moceri Knopf, Moceri Management

Thank you again for the feature [on me]. I got a few more calls. One woman is now coming for polarity sessions and joined my yoga class. Turned out she works in the building next door to me and never knew I was there! How crazy is that…

—Eleanora Lipton, Atlanta Polarity Center

I love the look and feel of your maga-zine! Here is a funny thing—last week my wife and I got a new 12-week-old

Labradoodle puppy, and last night we were looking for pet-friendly places to eat and bring him. Sadly, our options were Chipotle and … I think that is really all we found. Then, I am thumb-ing through your magazine to find pet-friendly places in Buckhead! You saved the day! Now the wife is happy and the puppy is happy and I doubt we will ever eat anywhere else for the first year of this little dog’s life. Ha!

—Eric Rader, Mighty 8th Media

Hi Joanne, I look forward to meeting you! I met with Jessica recently and she is fabulous! Looking forward to meeting you soon and promoting Simply Buckhead; it’s a great publication. You should be very proud of all your efforts! Great team!

—Patricia McGoldrick, Millionaires Concierge

So exciting to hear that the magazine is doing well and continuing to expand, especially in this day and age! … I am really looking forward to reading

through hard copies of the magazine (especially after glancing through the current issue digitally!) and sharing with the rest of our office.

—Tim Monaghan, Alice Marshall Public Relations

FROM OUR “TWEET”HEARTS!Follow us @SimplyBuckhead

Just checked out the latest issue of @SimplyBuckhead & I love the layout and articles. So chic and fresh. Thanks for sharing.

—katiefarnan Congrats on the new issue. It is

awesome! Keep up the great work.—TreyWill959

Via @BlayneBeacham: The

@SimplyBuckhead article looks great! I love our neighborhood!

—sstreettcook I love Allison’s interview with her

pooch, Dexter!—dwellensteinart

Where I shop is in here! CityDog

Market! —BigManLittleBoy

I was disappointed that you left Peachtree Hills Wine Merchant out of pets/kids issue @SimplyBuckhead. Would’ve fit in your wine feature!

—TARAMICHELLE

We are so excited for our director of marketing @BlayneBeacham. Her home is featured in this month’s @SimplyBuckhead.

—BeachamREALTORS

FREEMARCH/APRIL 2011

Issue #03

p e t s & k i d s

Local bloggers share the city’s best for your

two- and four-legged babies. Page 42

the issue

Plus

Frugal fitness:

places to get

healthy free

Raise your glass to Buckhead’s

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Simply NowE V E N T S | L O C A L M U S I C | L O C A L S A L U T E

The Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival takes place in Chastain Park. Chieu Lee Photography

Culture close to home

Page 13

Now in its second year, the Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival May 14 and 15 showcases the works of

mostly local artists.


Simply Atlanta’s Best Place to PLAY!

Explorer Camp – June & JulyParty Celebrations – All Year Long!

Feature ExhibitsFrom Here to Timbuktu:A Journey Through West AfricaOpen for Play through May 30

TEAM Up! Explore Science & SportsJune 11 – September 11, 2011

Once Upon a Time...Exploring the World of Fairy TalesComing October 2, 2011

www.childrensmuseumatlanta.org


Patrick Dennis’ experiences as both a festival attendee and an artist have taught him that some-times the best thing to do is keep it simple. May 14 and 15, the Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festi-val promises just that—a summer weekend full of eye-catching, thought-provoking art but ix-nay on a circus-sized event. Now in its second year, this free festival boasts fine arts and crafts from 150 vendors, helpful volunteers (they’re artists too!) and activities for the kiddos, including inflatable fun.

Dennis, the founder and director of the festival and an artist and gallery owner himself, brings a fresh perspective to organizing an arts festival in Atlanta. “There are so many festivals where local artists can’t get in,” he says. “There’s nothing more disturbing

to me. …We have extraordinary Georgia artists to show.” Dennis says last year more than 50 percent of their artists were local, but this year they’re ex-pecting to hit 80 or 90 percent. Other changes from last year include live acoustic music from Atlanta strummers and drummers and an iPhone app that boasts a searchable artist index (because honestly, who can keep track of all those cards?). This year’s proceeds will benefit the Chastain Dog Park cam-paign, which raises funds to establish a leash-free area within Chastain Park.

Look for the festival at Chastain Park, near the am-phitheatre, horse barn and golf course. The festival encourages attendees to park in the red and blue lots. — Margaret Watters

BUCKHEAD SPRING ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL AT CHASTAIN PARK

May 14-15

4469 Stella Drive NW Atlanta 30327

404.845.0793

www.buckhead-artsfestival.com

We all have them—the slow drum days when you stare at the blank wall…and need an escape. Maybe you Google flights or pledge to do more out-of-the-box explor-ing in town. Start with an art es-cape at the Bennett Street galler-ies. One of these galleries, Anne Irwin Fine Art, opens “Tale of Two Cities” June 17 at 6 p.m. The show will explore both Paris and Atlanta from the canvases of artists like Danny McCaw, Barbara Flowers and Brian Blood, among others. Sybil Wornall of Anne Irwin says the idea for the show was rooted in practicality—their clients love Paris and Atlanta. And really now, what’s not to love? Make a night of it and continue down Bennett Street for an expanded view of the city; many galleries keep ex-tended hours during the summer. — Margaret Watters

Escape to Bennett Street

/// FEATURED EVENT ///

The Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival boasts local artists, live music, kids’ activities, and food and drink vendors. Chieu Lee Photography

/// FREE EVENT ///

“TALE OF TWO CITIES”

June 17-July 6

Anne Irwin Fine Art

25-D Bennett Street NW Atlanta 30309

404.352.1855

www.anneirwinfineart.com

Detail from Barbara Flowers, “Paris Colors on a Cold Day.” Anne Irwin Fine Art

Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival Local artists bring new flavor to Atlanta’s summer sene

Because some good gallery hopping can cure any attitude

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This year is Gone with the Wind’s 75th year in print; what classics could be mulling in your little one’s head? Photos courtesy of Margaret Mitchell House

SIMPLY NOW EVENTS

If your preteen loves scribbling tall tales about the strict math teacher’s demise by vampire attack, you may have a cre-ative writer on your hands. Cultivate your tween’s talent and drop off your budding author (ages 10 to 14) at the At-lanta History Center’s Margaret Mitchell House Summer Camp, where he or she will receive individualized creative writ-ing coaching with 10 to 15 like-minded students. For one week (from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday), kids will learn techniques like stream-

of-consciousness, journaling and free-verse poetry in a fun atmosphere that’s less desk, more explore. Camp season kicks off June 6 with the “Mystery in the

City: On the Case” camp, where kids are given clues to a case that takes them on morning field trips to spark inspiration for their tales of intrigue. Other session themes include character development, playwriting, art criticism and sci-fi. Each session wraps with a writer’s showcase on the last day of camp—be sure to have them autograph their work. (It might be worth something one day!) Camp is $325 per week for Atlanta History Cen-ter members, $375 for nonmembers.

— Margaret Watters

MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE CREATIVE WRITING SUMMER CAMPS

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Your little wordsmith/// FAMILY-FRIENDLY ///

Hone your kid’s creative writing skills at the Margaret Mitchell House

By Bret Love

When R.E.M. released its 15th studio album in March, nationwide attention was drawn to the musical mecca that is Athens, Ga. Now, two of the Classic City’s brightest young bands are descending on the Buck-head Theatre, reminding Atlanta fans of the eclectic artistry that makes Ath-

ens unique.The Modern Skirts have been earn-

ing critical accolades since 2005, gain-ing praise from outlets like Paste and NPR. After R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills cited them as his favorite Ath-ens band, he went on to produce their second album, 2008’s All Of Us In Our Night.

Now, in support of their new CD, Gramahawk, the band is touring with Of Montreal, the Athens indie-rock icons known for incorporating every-thing from Vaudeville influences to Afrobeat into their sound. Modern

Skirts pianist/guitarist/vocalist JoJo Glidewell says he couldn’t be happier. “My roommate plays in Of Montreal, so I’ve gotten to know them, and it’s inspiring to see the way they work to-gether,” he says. “It’s a bunch of really talented, creative people pouring ev-erything into making something really remarkable.”

The same could be said of Athens it-self, and Glidewell is obviously proud to call the city home. “I believe that, per capita, it’s the most vibrant and fertile creative community in the world,” he says. “There are just an unimaginable


/// LOCAL MUSIC ///

Modern Skirts & Of MontrealMODERN SKIRTS & OF MONTREAL

May 20, 2011; 8 p.m.

The Buckhead Theatre

3110 Roswell Road Atlanta 30305

404.843.2825

www.thebuckheadtheatre.com

Two of Athens’ best bands bound for Buckhead

Members of the band Modern Skirt. Jacquelyne Pierson

number of brilliant, bizarre, original, inspired ideas happening all around you. There are many more truly great bands still to come out of Athens.”


///LOCAL SALUTE///

Local

businessman

helps sustain

and promote

innovative

inner-city

program

Buckhead businessman Craig Vi-ergever has long volunteered with a number of Atlanta charities, but noth-ing ever really stuck until he encoun-tered Bright Futures. “I met [Bright Futures founder] Philip Ross, and we just clicked,” says Viergever, a found-ing partner with Lee & Associates commercial real estate firm. “All you have to do is meet him and see the fa-cility, and the kids sell themselves.”

Bright Futures is a nonprofit in At-lanta’s Westside. Graduation rates in the area lag at 43.5 percent, and as a result of the continuing poverty cycle, many kids struggle both academically and socially. Ross and his wife, Gail, started the organization in 2005 after seeing the lack of resources available to these youth. The Christian-based af-terschool program continues through-out the weekend and on holiday breaks with field trips and getaways. The cen-ter offers tutoring, mentorship, college counseling and SAT prep and recently expanded to include a school, Bright Futures Academy.

Viergever acts as a volunteer Chair-man of the Board. In the job, he works to raise both awareness of the orga-nization and money to support its efforts. With the addition of Bright Futures Academy, he is now putting his 23 years of commercial real estate expertise into practice as he scouts locations for the school. For Vier-gever, who has a daughter the same age as many of the kids, the academy is a very real necessity. “I can tell you, from her public school to theirs, these kids are at least two grades behind,” he says. He acts with a business brain for the organization, helping it grow but with calculated choices that allow the Rosses to continue doing what they do best—taking care of the Bright Futures family. “The effect Craig has had is incredible,” Ross says. For more information, visit www.bfatl.org. — Margaret Watters

SIMPLY NOW

From real estate to the real world

“Are you familiar with the area where Mountain Way goes under 400?” Livable Buckhead Execu-tive Director Denise Starling asks. “Well, that’s owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and that’s going to be a park.” Sterling’s organization has the teeth to make it happen—Livable Buckhead is a five-month-old organization com-missioned by the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Asso-ciation to find unused land and make it useful. Its mission is to integrate community with sustainability while tackling two major issues for Buck-head—creating a unified recycling program and fulfilling the 166-acre green space initiative.

To understand the need for Liv-able Buckhead, one must under-stand the area’s past. Thirty years ago, Buckhead was a suburb, but it has since exploded into an urban com-munity. The change happened so quickly, Starling says, that a lot of

urban infrastructure and planning got left behind in the building race. In fact, the entire Buckhead popula-tion shares less greenspace than one city of Atlanta resident has (when you divide the city’s greenspace by its number of residents).

“We’re looking to make the com-munity a better place to live and work,” Starling says. “That’s all root-ed in sustainability.” And she’s not just talking about environmental sus-tainability—she’s talking about eco-nomic sustainability, too. Things like parks (and the festivals and concert series that come with them) aren’t just good for the earth; they’re good for business. “These are things that make the community sustainable but turn into dollars,” Starling says. “They’ll turn Buckhead into something that’s attractive to the next generation, the 20-somethings, when they look for a place to live.” For more informa-tion, visit www.livablebuckhead.com. — Margaret Watters

In 2006, Buckhead resident Lara Hodgson was at Hartsfield, juggling her bags and a hungry, shrieking baby boy. While begging him for silence, she balanced his baby bottle in her arm and struggled to open a water bottle while tearing open a packet of baby formula with her teeth. Hearing her retell the story, perhaps all too familiar to many mothers, is enough to make your own chest tense with stress. “When babies get hungry, it’s not like, ‘Hey mom, I’m going to be

hungry in about 15 minutes, you should probably start the assem-bly process,’” Hodgson laughs. “No, no. It’s fast and it’s loud.”

An idea sparked and four years later, Nourish was born. Hodgson and her business partner Stacey Abrams began distributing their

formula-ready (exactly 8-ounce) fil-tered baby-water bottles in airports and small boutiques across the coun-

try. The Buckhead-based company filled a void in the market and later expanded to include a line of tod-dler-size, spill-proof, dirt-blocking water bottles. From day one, the company was based on giving back. “We weren’t just going to wait until we were profitable,” Hodgson says. They started by giving locally, dis-tributing water to Genesis Shelter downtown and to flood victims in Cobb County. But then the earth-quake shook Haiti and the world that watched. The idea to send the bottles to Haiti came from a cus-tomer who wanted to buy a few cases and send them along. Nourish found a partner, Childspring International, and has sent more than 5,000 bottles of clean, filtered water to Haiti since.

“We were thinking little; our customers started to think big-ger,” Hodgson says. “We’ve said our dream would be to send a million bottles. Not necessarily all to Haiti; there are disasters everywhere and children that lack access to clean water. It may take us 10 years to do it, but we’ll do it.” For more infor-mation, visit www.nourish-inc.com. — Margaret Watters

Buckhead resident Lara Hodgson says her company, Nourish, isn’t just selling water; it’s selling peace of mind. Its tagline? “Nourish your most precious resources—your chil-dren, time, health and our world.” Courtesy of Nourish

Craig Viergever

Local start-

up launches

mom-friendly

product

and doesn’t

wait to start

giving back

The greening of Buckhead

Nourishing disaster zones

Livable

Buckhead

works to

make the

neighborhood

a better place

to live, work

and play


Simply StylishH O M E | F A S H I O N | W E L L N E S S

An antique footstool and chair from Ernest Gaspard & Associates decorate Molly Dye and George Franklin’s den.. Photos by TJ Hart/hartografie.com

“We enjoy each other so much, just being around each

other, that there are things you can

give in on.”— Republican Molly Dye on her home and life with Democrat George Franklin, story on page 18


SIMPLY STYLISH HOME

Stylish settlementA Buckhead townhome

combines the differing styles—

and opinions—of a dynamic

bipartisan coupleBy Giannina Smith

Molly Dye and George Franklin are a great ex-ample of how opposites attract. Dye, a loyal Republican with a Southern accent, and Frank-

lin, a dedicated Democrat who grew up in both Chicago and Tampa, overlooked their dueling political allegiances when they got married. And when it came to renovating their Buckhead townhome, they also found a happy me-dium between Franklin’s more casual, whimsical style and Dye’s traditional Southern tastes. For example, although Franklin “detests” the tradition of hanging plates on the wall for decoration, he gave Dye the green light to deco-rate the dining room with two Eva Gordon ceramic fruit plates from her collection.

Painted in powder blue, the dining room features two Eva Gordon ceramic fruit plates and an antique silver tea service given to Molly Dye’s parents as a wedding gift. Photos by TJ Hart/hartografie.com


This kind of compromise continued throughout the renovation process and resulted in a home that combines fam-ily antiques and contemporary décor with fanciful touches that hint at the couple’s happy-go-lucky attitudes and respect for one another. Whether they are deciding what to hang on the walls or discussing the state of the union, this rare pair finds a way to voice their differing opinions without letting it affect their happy home. “It’s not some huge peace treaty with us,” Dye says. “We enjoy each other so much, just being around each other, that there are things you can give in on.”

Dye, 52, and Franklin, 59, met for the first time in 1997 in Washington, D.C., while Franklin was a lobbyist with the Kellogg Co. and Dye served as chief of staff to Georgia’s late Sen. Paul Coverdell. Franklin says he no-ticed Dye’s Southern drawl—much like his mother’s—and they connected on the fact that both their families were from Augusta. “We had this very animated conversation about family—I’d been to high school with his first cousins and knew his family,” says Dye, now a self-employed govern-ment-relations consultant. “George was happily married and there was no follow-up at the time.”

After Franklin’s wife passed away unexpectedly in 2002, he reconnected with Dye in April 2004 while passing through Atlanta. Less than two years after their first date, they were married and currently split their time between Atlanta and Michigan, where Franklin runs a public-affairs company and has a radio show called “Ask the Lobbyist” on 95.3 WBCK-FM.

When setting up their Atlanta home, they decided to stay in Howell Mill Plantation, a townhome commu-nity in Buckhead where Dye had lived for many years, and move into a larger unit across the street. “We wanted something bigger and we thought, let’s start over instead of living in her past or living in my past,” Franklin says.

Upon closing on the three-bedroom, three-bath home in August 2008, they hired Esther McMaster Andrew of Esther Ashe Designs, whose home they had seen on the Cathedral of St. Philips Tour of Homes in 2007. They admired Andrew’s ability to combine sophisticated antiques with fun, trendy accents and wanted her to translate that into their own home. “When I went into their home, the house was dated and it was dark,” Andrew recalls. “They wanted something fresh and a little more transitional.”

In November 2008, the renova-tion team began by completely gut-ting the home. Dye and Franklin re-placed the yellowish oak floors with a dark chocolate wood and converted the downstairs bedroom into an open den. They also transformed the down-stairs bathroom into a quaint powder room by concealing the tub with a seat cushion and throw pillows and add-ing an antique sink from J. Tribble and antique sconces from Jerry Pair Antiques. The most notable aspect of the powder room, however, is the wall of old, black-and-white family photos in antique frames. “Both of them really have a strong affection for the legacy of their families,” Andrew says. “That was a nice thing to give it a touch of who they are.”

Dye and Franklin (with Andrew’s help) also completely redid the kitchen, exchanging the 1970s-style, dark cabinets with prefabricated ones painted in Farrow and Ball’s Hardwick White. To make the best use of light, they also broke out a wall and added stylish double arches leading to the dining room, as well as a coffered ceil-ing above the breakfast table. The table itself was brought down from Frank-lin’s lake house in Michigan—much to Dye’s chagrin. In the end, the couple leaned on their designer for the final word in many decorating decisions. “[The breakfast table] was the one thing she didn’t want brought in from the lake house,” Franklin says with a smirk. “There was room for it and it was the first thing that came off the moving truck. Esther said, unprompt-ed, ‘That table will work.’”

The dining room was also an im-portant aspect of the redesign. Painted in a fanciful Farrow and Ball Powder Blue, the room contains traditional furniture pieces—Dye’s mother’s table and chairs—to create an ideal space for entertaining. Other adornments include a silver tea service and cande-labras that were given to Dye’s parents as a wedding gift. “I am of the era and the ilk where you save all your antiques and you pass your antiques down, so I really wanted to use my mother’s and grandmother’s things,” Dye says.

Although Andrew and Dye influ-enced many of the decorating deci-sions, Franklin had complete veto power over the décor of the converted front den, which was designated as his “man cave.” “George got to choose and approve anything that went into the den,” Dye says. “My grandmother

A desk in the living room showcases crystal candlesticks and a sculpture called “The Pas-sion,” which George gave Molly as a Christmas present. TJ Hart/hartografie.comContinued >>

George Franklin and Molly Dye cook in their kitchen, which was redone in cabinets painted in Farrow and Ball’s Hardwick White. TJ Hart/hartografie.com


Molly Dye and George Franklin give their top tips for home renovations

• “Check out the experience of a contractor,” Dye says. “Talk to people who’ve worked with them and make sure they’ve worked at the caliber you’re expecting them to work at.”

• “When choosing a decorator, consider their people skills and what they are like to work with,” Franklin says. “They may be wonderful decorators, but if they are difficult to work with, it takes all the fun out of it. That is what we enjoyed so much with Esther—because we all got along so well it made the job fun.”

• “Paint big poster boards or foam boards with your possible paint colors and put them up on the wall,” Dye says. “Don’t just do a small sample. See how the painted poster paper looks in different lighting throughout the day … this is some-thing Esther taught us.”

SIMPLY STYLISH HOME

taught me that every man needs his own room and space in any home.” Furnished in a plush chair from Ernest Gaspard & Associates and an antique footstool that was a wedding present to Dye’s grandmother in 1931, the den is adorned with Franklin’s family memorabilia. A 1949 photo of the Au-gusta National Golf Club’s Jamboree features Franklin’s Uncle Jerome, one of the original founders of the Au-gusta National Golf Club, and famous golfer Bobby Jones.

The overhaul wasn’t all fun and games, however. Dye describes the ex-perience of working with her chosen contractor—who is now out of busi-ness—as “frustrating” after the remod-el took almost a year to complete. “We did not know contractors in this area.

We asked for bids from two and took the low bid and got the low bid,” Dye says.

After working through all the tri-als and tribulations, Dye and Franklin finally moved into their home in July 2008. Today, they love hosting dinner parties and spend most of their time in Franklin’s den, the breakfast room or the kitchen. Avid readers, they also enjoy sitting by the living room fire-place during the winter months with a book or the newspaper—many times discussing the actions of their respec-tive political parties. But in both poli-tics and home décor, Dye and Frank-lin are able to find a happy medium. While most of Dye’s beloved decora-tive plates are still hidden in the cabi-net, two remain on the wall—and the couple’s renovated home stands as a place where they both feel they have a presence and an opinion.

Continued from page 19

Antique sconces and black-and-white photos of Molly Dye and George Franklin’s family members adorn the walls of the powder room. TJ Hart/hartografie.com

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By Jennifer Bradley

It’s no secret that most of the pro-duce found at the grocery store hails from thousands of miles

away—which means you’ll never know who grew it or what kind of farming practices they use. But if finding local-ly grown items on supermarket shelves feels like a wild-goose chase, it’s time to develop a relationship with a local farmer. Enter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, which allow you to invest in a nearby farm; in return, you’ll receive a share of food each week in a mutually beneficial re-lationship. By receiving funds up front to invest in the land, the farmer is able to implement labor-intensive organic farming practices, and you can rest in the knowledge that your food is fresh, seasonal and environmentally sustain-able. Simply Buckhead rounded up just a few of the farms bringing produce to town:

Riverview Farms Riverview Farms in Ranger, Ga., (an

hour northeast of Buckhead) grows certified organic vegetables like corn, cucumbers, peas, peppers, tomatoes,

melons and blue-berries. It also offers Berkshire pork and grass-fed beef; grass-fed cows have 75 per-cent more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than their grain-fed coun-terparts. Farmer Charlotte Swancy says that being a part of a CSA can

help you live spontaneously. “There is an element of surprise each week, and fun in the kitchen experimenting with new veggies you won’t find in a typi-cal grocery store,” she explains, citing pattypan summer squash, garlic scapes and kohlrabi as examples. Meat shares starting at 10 pounds per month (six-month minimum) are available for $68 per month; produce shares are $25-$30 a week.

Fresh from the farmCommunity Supported Agriculture brings locally produced food to your table

Serenbe Farms sells a variety of fruits and vegetables through its CSA program, with a pickup location in Morningside. Photos courtesy of Serenbe

SIMPLY STYLISH WELLNESS

Did you know? n According to a recent report by the USDA, less than 20 cents of every dollar spent on food goes to the farm that grew it. n In the United States, produce in the average supermarket travels at least 1,500 miles. n The transportation of food is one of the biggest drains of fossil fuel in the United States. Eating food that’s in season near your home alleviates the need for food to travel far to reach your table. n Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) is an organization that connects communities with their local farmers.

Serenbe Just south of Atlanta, tucked into an

idyllic community in Palmetto, Seren-be offers an upscale getaway from the city. A lesser-known fact is that this inn and residential community operates a thriving farm and a CSA program, now in its sixth year. Farm manager Paige Witherington extols the benefits of eating locally, saying,

“Aside from sup-porting the local economy and be-ing environmen-tally conscious, there’s a notice-able difference in the flavor and variety of produce that you just can’t get at the super-

market.” Full shares with weekly pick-ups ($25.50 per week) are perfect for families who cook regularly, and half shares with pickups every other week ($30 per pickup), are recommended for families on the go or who travel frequently. Share boxes can be up to 22 pounds per week (filled with peppers, okra, radishes, herbs, lettuce, greens, squash, blueberries and more), with a minimum five-week commitment, and CSA members have access to fresh weekly recipes on the Serenbe blog.

Farmer Jeff’s Heirloom Produce

Nestled on three acres of land in Orchard Hill, Ga. (50 miles south of Atlanta), farmer Jeff Collins’ farm combines the practices of organics, permaculture (which models farming

after relationships found in natural ecologies) and biodynamics (which focuses on developing healthy soil to eliminate the need for chemical ad-ditives). Heirloom varieties of fruits,

vegetables, mush-rooms, herbs and flowers are his specialty, and the result is often a product that looks different from what you might find on the super-market shelves. “I grow eggplant, but you won’t find in your box some-thing big, purple and tasteless,” says Collins. “Expect a

mix of great-tasting fruit or vegetables and a few with unusual shapes or col-or.” The cost is $18.50 per week for the 20-week season, and members receive a box of five to six items of the freshest produce available from the farm, ideal for a family of two or three.

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Reduce, reuse and refashion

Exploring Buckhead’s consignment boutiques

By Jennifer Bradley

If bargain hunting is your sport of choice, Buckhead’s array of terrific consignment shops offers the ideal

playing field. Whether you’re looking to score a new wardrobe on a budget or bag a vintage trophy piece, here are Simply Buckhead’s consignment store picks, brimming with good-as-new finds to fill the gaps in your closet.

For Bargain HuntersWhen Nancy Scalera left a lucra-

tive corporate marketing job to open B Chic Atlanta in 2007, she wanted to offer women an opportunity to dress well on a budget. “I chose con-signment because I learned early on that you can buy designer clothing at very affordable prices,” she says. “And I have a good eye for a well-made piece.” Tucked in a tiny shopping cen-ter on Roswell Road, the store regu-larly carries clothes and accessories from brands like Theory, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Prada and more, all carefully curated by Scalera. Recently found: a St. John jacket on B. Chic’s racks selling for $299, with an original retail price of $1,200.

B Chic Atlanta3277 Roswell Road NE, Suite AAtlanta 30305404.844.2442www.bchicatlanta.com

For Pint-Sized Fashion PlatesIf your little ones seem to outgrow

their clothes as soon as you buy them, consignment shopping might be just the ticket. Gap, Carter’s, Tommy Hilfiger and The Children’s Place are just a few of the brands represented at Sweet Repeats in Miami Circle, and savvy moms can pick up deals at roughly half the retail price. The store carries everything from newborn sizes to size 16 for girls and 20 for boys, with many pieces barely worn or even

SIMPLY STYLISH FASHION

Quick-Start Guide to Turning Your Discards into Cash

• Plan ahead: Call to find out when a local consignment shop is accept-ing pieces for an upcoming season. Many stores have set times to take clothes that will be weather-appropriate.

• Call ahead to make an appointment, if required.• Have clothes on hangers and in “sale-ready” condition.• Know the policy on items that have not sold. Some shops require you to

pick up unsold items, while others are happy to donate them to a local thrift shop.

with tags still on. Lilly Pulitzer items are some of the most in-demand and can be purchased for as low as $25 apiece at Sweet Repeats.

Sweet Repeats800 Miami Circle NE #120

Atlanta 30324404.261.7519www.sweetrepeatsatlanta.com

For the BrideLe Dress, on Piedmont at the in-

tersection of Peachtree, specializes in

high-end bridal and special-occasion wear. The staff takes pride in handling dresses with care, giving each one the white-glove treatment. Rivini, Monique Lhuillier, Anne Barge, Casablanca, Melissa Sweet, Priscilla of Boston and Lazaro are among the popular brands available at Le Dress, some of them overstock and others shipped directly from the designers. Owner Linda Morado also accepts “once-loved” dresses (worn one time), as long as they’re in pristine condi-tion. She recently had a stunning once-loved $10,000 Carolina Herrera lace gown available for $3,000. As a general rule, brand-new gowns tend to be about 40 percent off retail and once-loved dresses up to 70 percent off, which is nothing to sneeze at for a bride on a budget.

Le Dress Boutique3255 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 6Atlanta 30305404.842.1955www.ledressboutique.com

For the Designer JunkieBackstreet Boutique is tucked

away in a cozy old home on a quaint side street in Buckhead. Proprietress Joey McCraw only accepts high-end designer women’s wear, with the lion’s share of her stock Chanel and St. John clothing. McCraw also sells Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin heels, as well as Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags. Most items are offered for about 10 percent of the original retail price, so an Armani suit that retailed for $3,000 at a depart-ment store will likely set you back only $300.

Backstreet3140 East Shadowlawn AvenueAtlanta 30305404.262.7783

Left: Le Dress Boutique offers “once-loved” wedding dresses for as much as 70 percent off the original price; right: Nancy Scalera, owner of B Chic Atlanta.


A R T V I E W | O N S T A G E | L I T E R A R Y

SimplyArts&Entertainment

Philip Carpenter, an oil-painting instructor at Chastain Arts Center, assists student Carolyn Wade. Photo by Alli Royce Soble

“His classes are always the first to fill up, and then there’s usually a

waiting list.”— Chastain Arts Center Director Karen Comer Lowe, speaking

about oil-painting instructor Philip Carpenter. Page 28

Art View


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Bookhead babiesStorytime at the Buckhead Library delights children and parents alike

By Kirsten Ott Palladino

Bright-eyed babies and curious tots soak in the tales told dur-ing storytimes at the Children’s

Center in the Buckhead Library. Held four times a week for different

age groups, these reading sessions are the highlights of Children’s Librar-ian Eileen Slough’s job. “Moms, dads and nannies bring the babies in,” says Slough, who has been a children’s li-brarian for more than 20 years and has spent the last three at the Buckhead Library. “We do simple stories with very colorful illustration, so even if they don’t understand the story, they’re seeing the bright colors and getting used to reading.”

This concept is called “reading readiness,” Slough explains. “We think [children] should start very early; we’ve had [children] as young as 3 months come to our storytime. My theory is that fostering reading readi-ness promotes a quicker maturity in

the child—it helps in their ability to listen and absorb information.” Ap-parently, parents agree; an average of

70 children attend the sessions each week.

Storytime isn’t just about reading,

SIMPLY A&E LITERARY

BUCKHEAD LIBRARY (Ida Williams Branch)

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404.814.3500

Storytime Schedule:

n Babies 3 months to 1 year: Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

n 1-year-olds: Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m.

n 2-year-olds: Tuesdays at 11 a.m.

n 3- to 5-year-olds: Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m.

Eileen Slough, children’s librarian at the Buckhead Library, reads to toddlers. Sara Speert Photography/www.saraphotography.com

though. Slough utilizes songs, scarves, plastic letters and puppets to illus-trate the books she’s introducing to her young guests. Each storytime is followed by about half an hour of so-cializing. All the storytime programs are free, but, of course, the library en-courages caregivers to get a free library card, and children can have their own, too.

Reading Recommendations from Eileen Slough, children’s librarian at the Buckhead Library

Up to 2 years old:• Brown Bear, Brown

Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle. “It has great illustrations that grab the attention of the very young children – the restless ones.”

• The Very Hungry Cat-erpillar by Eric Carle. “This is a classic with great illustrations.”

• Spot the Dog series by Eric Hill. “They’re what we call toy books. It in-vites participation, and I add my own repeti-tion by asking, ‘Where is Spot?’”

Ages 2 to 3:• Planting a Rainbow

by Lois Ehlert. “They learn about gardening in a very simple but wonderful story.”

• Five Little Chicks by Nancy Tafuri. “All of her books, and this one especially, have big, beautiful illustra-tions and very simple text for the very young children.”

• Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri. “Even though the illustrations are big and beautiful, they are realistic.”

Ages 3 to 5:• My Chincoteague Pony

by Susan Jeffers. “It’s wonderful and touch-ing and based on a true story.”

Kindergarteners beginning to read on their own:

• Biscuit Storybook Collection by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Schories. “This has an engaging character with simple text—good for the beginning reader.”

• Henry and Mudge se-ries by Cynthia Rylant. “The storylines are excellent: touching and cute.”

*Worth NotingA few Atlanta names in the

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N Calvin A. Ramsey, author

of Ruth and the Green Book.

N Carmen Deedy, author of

The Library Dragon and The

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The art of instructionFor more than 30 years, Chastain Arts Center’s

Philip Carpenter has fostered creativity in students

By H.M. Cauley

“I remembering clearly going to these classes in the artist’s backyard, and she started us with pastels,” recalls Carpenter, 61, who grew up in Alabama. “By the time I got to college, I knew that art was what I did best.”

Carpenter graduated in 1972 from Au-burn with an art degree, and went on to grad school at the University of Alabama. But instead of embarking on an artist’s

life, Carpenter taught college art classes for several years. He didn’t give it up until 1978, when he and his partner headed to Atlanta without jobs or prospects but with an undeniable passion for art.

“I burned my bridge to college teach-ing,” says Carpenter with a laugh, “yet I’ve taught ever since.”

Most of that instruction has taken place at the city’s arts center next to Chastain

Philip Carpenter’s love affair with art goes back to his childhood, when his mother first took him to an artist’s studio every

Saturday morning for lessons. From those genteel beginnings, Carpenter’s fondness for art grew into a passion that he’s shared with students at the Chastain Arts Center in Buckhead for more than 30 years.

Philip Carpenter, a longtime painting instructor at Chastain Arts Center, works with student Leigh Slingluff. Photo by Alli Royce Soble

SIMPLY A&E ART VIEW


Park, where Carpenter has been on the staff since 1980. “I didn’t know anyone when I first went over there and just asked if I could teach,” he says. “And I’ve been there ever since. I even have one student with me now who was in my first class—and that was more than 30 years ago.”

Carpenter works with more than 70 students in the seven classes he leads each week. The age and skill levels of his pupils vary, from those in their early 20s who have never held a brush to seniors in their 90s who have been painting for years. Among some of his former students are names art lovers may recognize, in-cluding Virginia Parker, Gary Bodner and portrait painter Leah Henry.

“I’ve grown to like it as much as art,” says Carpenter of instructing. “When they’re young, many artists resent the time they have to spend teaching, but as you get older, you realize that’s what you really like. I like being with people and being appreciated; I’d be lost with-out that.”

Carpenter’s eye for detail and ex-ecution, coupled with an approachable style, makes him one of the center’s most sought-after instructors. “He’s extremely talented,” says center direc-tor Karen Comer Lowe, who has a

Carpenter pencil drawing in her office. “The students love that they can learn so much from him and really see their work progressing. His classes are al-ways the first to fill up, and then there’s usually a waiting list.”

Yet Carpenter is modest about his abilities. “Frankly, I don’t think I’m a great, inspiring teacher,” he says. “I’ve had some of those and I’m not one of them. But I am very accommodating; when I’m with a student, I’m with that person. My interaction is one-on-one, and people really appreciate that.”

Outside the classroom, Carpenter’s own work revolves around painting “ordinary” objects—flowers, tools and most recently, toys. “I’ve even done a series of paintings of people hold-ing paintings,” he says. “I like putting things together like that. I love copy-ing and always want to include other works in my own. I think I have a knack for mimicking other artists.”

A sampling of Carpenter’s works is on display at Marcia Wood Gallery in Atlanta’s Castleberry Hill neighbor-hood. But don’t look for a vast collec-tion. “As a result of teaching painting,” Carpenter says, “you don’t really want to paint!”

CHASTAIN ARTS CENTER

135 W. Wieuca Road Atlanta 30342

404.252.2927

www.ocaatlanta.com/chastain-arts-center


Philip Carpenter poses with one of his oils, a portrait of Savannah artist Betsy Cain, which he painted in 1986. Alli Royce Soble

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Summer enchantment

A sneak peek at Georgia Shakespeare’s summer lineup, featuring plenty of plum female roles

By Wendell Brock

In 1997, Georgia Shakespeare moved from a tent on the grounds of Oglethorpe University to the

newly constructed Conant Performing Arts Center. The inaugural production, “The Tempest,” was a celebration of new beginnings and the transforma-tive power of art. In a bit of inspired casting, Atlanta actress Janice Ak-ers played Prospero, the exiled—and male—Duke of Milan.

Fast forward to this summer. When Producing Artistic Director Richard Garner decided to open the theater’s 26th season with the Bard’s storm-tossed romance, he had no plans to repeat his Prospero trick.

Until Atlanta actor Carolyn Cook came to audition, that is.

Cook—a veteran actress who speaks French, founded Théâtre du Rêve and looks a little like the Francophone British film star Kristen Scott Thom-as—caught the attention of guest director Sharon Ott, who is staging “The Tempest.” Ott, a prominent West Coast director who now teaches at the Savannah College of Art and Design, was so smitten with Cook’s emotion-

ally devastating Prospero that she per-suaded Garner to change his mind. Now Georgia Shakespeare’s summer repertoire is shaping up to be a big year for women.

Tess Malis Kincaid—who recently appeared in the Alliance Theatre pro-duction of Tracy Lett’s “August: Osage County” along with Cook—will play the doomed Egyptian queen in Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” And Cook will return as Dotty Otley, the doofus, sardine-slinging British housekeeper who wreaks havoc in the Michael Frayn farce “Noises Off!”

Over breakfast one recent morn-ing, Garner walked Simply Buckhead through his female-powered summer line-up:

n “The Tempest.” June 8-July 23 “We launched the building with

SIMPLY A&E ON STAGE

In a nifty feat of casting, Atlanta actress Carolyn Cook plays the role of Prospero in “The Tempest,” which opens Georgia Shakespeare’s summer season June 8. (Cook is shown here as Beatrice in the theater’s 2007 production of “The Servant of Two Masters.”)Bill DeLoach

GEORGIA SHAKESPEARE

4484 Peachtree Road NE Atlanta 30319

404.264.0020

www.gashakespeare.org

Continued >>

Sharon Bailey (left) and Alice Murray (right), longtime Georgia Shakespeare subscribers, enjoy the outdoor revelry before a summer show. Donna Weber


The Georgia Shakespeare ExperienceGEORGIA SHAKESPEARE USED TO BE the Georgia Shakespeare Festi-val. Though it shortened its name a few years ago in an effort to shed its seasonal status, the outdoor merriment continues each summer. In a tradition unique to Atlanta theaters, revelers picnic on the grounds be-fore show time, often with elaborate table settings, themed menus and libations that riff on the plays. (How about hummus and stuffed grape leaves for “Antony and Cleopatra,” pasta and vino for “The Tempest?”)

“It’s a wonderful way to entertain friends, and the shows are reliably spectacular,” says Alice Murray, a longtime subscriber who attends with friend Sharon Bailey. “Decorating [our table] is one of our traditions. Sharon often spends hours thinking of something appropriate to reflect the plot of the play.”

Grounds open 90 minutes before curtain, and tables are available under the theater’s covered terrace. If you don’t want to bother with a move-able feast in traffic, meals may be ordered in advance from Georgia Shakes’ catering partner, Carol Parks Catering, and picked up at the theater. (Go to www.cparkscatering.com/cuisines.html.) Tables are first-come, first-served, though reservations are accepted for large groups. You may buy soft drinks, coffee and freshly squeezed lemonade at the concession stand, but it’s BYOB on this college campus.

Thirty minutes before each show, you can tune in to “Terrace Talk,” a behind-the-scenes look at the performance led by an artistic staff mem-ber. And a few minutes before curtain, glide into your reserved seat and continue the party. Just remember: Drinks only and quiet, please. Stacey Colosa Lucas, director of marketing and development, advises: “Don’t forget plastic cups for inside the theater.” Murray says she and her friends often return to the terrace for wine at intermission. Still got questions? Call the box office at 404.264.0020. — WB

‘The Tempest,’ and it sort of seems symbolically a show, a Shakespeare show, that’s about the power of art,” Garner says. Ott, who runs the di-recting program at SCAD’s Savannah campus, will bring in a scenic designer and lighting designer from the college. Chris Kayser, known to Atlanta audi-ences as the Alliance’s Scrooge, will portray the fairy Ariel.

n “Antony and Cleopatra.” June 23-July 22

Garner always thought this juicy tale of the lusty queen who triggered the fall of Rome had some structural problems—what he calls “false end-ings.” Amlin Gray, a playwright and dramaturge, patched up the script to Garner’s liking and also suggested Kincaid. “He said, ‘You’ve got the best Cleopatra on the planet right here in your company,’” Garner recalls. Kin-

caid, a company regular known for her fierce dramatic chops and biting comedic zing, plays opposite Kayser’s Antony.

n “The Jungle Book.” July 5-22 Created by Orlando Shakespeare

Theater, this musical version of the Kipling classic will feature some in-terns and members of Georgia Shakes’ touring group, the Will Power En-semble. “They all did ‘Shrew: The Mu-sical’ last year, so some of them are re-ally good singers,” Garner says. “It will be great for a family gig.”

n “Noises Off!” July 28-Aug. 14 Garner directs this mad, door-slam-

ming Valentine to thespian vanity and backstage drama. After weathering a financially tough 2010, he knew he wanted to program one piece that “is nothing but just silly fun.” But don’t be fooled by the raucous comedy. Frayn is “brilliant,” Garner says.

SIMPLY A&E ON STAGE

Continued from page 31Drive 2Survive

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Simply Delicious

R E V I E W | F O O D I E J O U R N A L | W I N E | T A S T E M A K E R | R E S T A U R A N T S

A Shrimp salad sandwich on white at Café at Pharr. Renee Brock


Pharrout

Page 35

A taste of Café at Pharr’s new Buckhead location


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Bird is the wordA look at Café at Pharr’s new Peachtree perch

By Wendell Brock

Me, I just zip over to Café at Pharr and ask for a $4 cup of the walnut vari-ety and a plastic fork. Since my friend Anna got me hooked on this stuff, it’s

become a pleasure as giddy and guilty as ice cream. And thanks to the entre-preneurial zeal of 31-year-old Johnny Liu—whose Taiwanese immigrant

parents opened the original Pharr Road location in 1993—this comfort food has become a new fast food.

Though there are three locations and two others planned for Brookhav-en and the West Side, for the first time since its inception, there is no Café at Pharr on Pharr. Instead, the old shoe-box-size Mom and Pop with nonex-istent parking has been swapped for a gleaming new establishment at 3145 Peachtree Road, in the shopping strip that houses Atlanta Beach. (The loca-tion opened in March.) The no-frills setting, paper napkins, soft drinks and iced tea don’t look all that different from a Quiznos. But the straightfor-ward menu of mostly salads and sand-wiches—featuring the Holy Trinity of walnut, celery and curry chicken

Clockwise from left: A cup of Café at Pharr’s signature walnut chicken salad; a curry chicken salad sandwich on a croissant served with grapes; Café at Pharr owner Johnny Liu in his new Buckhead location. Photos by Renee Brock

SIMPLY DELICIOUS REVIEW


Continued >>

New Orleans owns the po’ boy. Philadelphia has its cheese steaks. Maine gave us the lobster roll. So … what about Buckhead? I’d have to say that the

neighborhood’s defining dish is chicken salad, the clas-sic bird-and-mayo spread that can be crammed in your mouth between slices of bread or eaten daintily with a fork. Nanny, my Southern grandmother, used to mound it atop an iceberg doily on her pink Depression glass plates every summer. To this day, the dish remains the star at-traction at the Swan Coach House, where it’s plated with the restaurant’s “famous creamy frozen fruit salad” and cheese straws—an iconic repast for the ladies who lunch.

salad—has survived the journey deli-ciously intact.

Bird may be the word at Café at Pharr, but it takes good fixings to make it fly. As it happens, bread is part of the company legacy. When Johnny’s father, Mike, first opened shop, he planned to specialize in deca-dent pastries and cakes but soon dis-covered there was a greater need for lighter lunch options. Still, the bak-ing goes on, beginning every day at 5 a.m., when white, wheat, multigrain, baguettes and croissants are prepared for sandwiches.

As for that storied chicken salad, the trick is in the consistency—no chunky bites, no unnecessary condiments, no fancy frills. The finely chopped white meat holds together without vats of mayo, so that the creamy, almost-but-tery chicken flavor is never obscured. The celery chicken salad is simplic-ity itself—just a touch of mayo and tiny bits of crunchy green. The curry is gently spicy and looks fab on a croissant. The walnut—my personal jones—is studded with golden raisins and crushed walnuts, a stellar balance of savory and sweet.

There’s also egg salad, which has the plainness of old-fashioned egg spread, except that a little boiled po-tato is stirred in, presumably for cho-

lesterol counters. For my money, this ovo/tater mash could use a little more seasoning, but I appreciate its honesty and integrity. A Southern boy, I adore the shrimp salad on white bread. (It’s better than the heavily dressed ver-sion that Scott Peacock used to serve at Watershed.) Plump, pristine crus-taceans are tossed with mayo, salt and pepper, and that’s about it. Watch out, walnut!

These spreadable edibles can also be ordered Granny-style on a plate with chopped romaine, tomatoes, shredded carrots, seedless red grapes and a cou-ple of soft baguette slices. The house dressing, a zingy-sweet ginger vin-aigrette, is also mildly addictive. The only thing missing is a salad sampler — Johnny, say you will.

If mayo isn’t your thing, Café at Pharr offers a healthy teriyaki chick-en doused in a sweet soy-and-mirin-scented sauce. You can have the teri-yaki on a sandwich, with salad greens or on a rice plate. The only other rice

plate is curry chicken—big chunks of breast meat, carrots and onions bathed in a rich Indian-style yellow curry sauce and paired with steamed white rice and baguette slices. It’s an appeal-ing dish, but you don’t come to Café at Pharr for chicken curry. Or for a turkey, ham, roast beef or vegetarian sandwich, for that matter, though they are on the menu.

Finally, no visit is complete without Mike’s signature “yogurt rolls,” which he created in the café’s infancy from leftover croissant dough he didn’t want to toss. From the design of this snack, you can tell that Mike has a back-ground in sushi. Looking like a cross between a sliced cream puff and a Cal-ifornia roll made from flaky pastry in-stead of rice, the tangy-sweet, yogurt-filled discs come with every salad and sandwich. They are kind of weird and kind of irresistible—a good excuse to eat your dessert (if that’s what this is) before it melts.

You have to love the story of Café at Pharr. An enterprising Asian family comes up with a formula that charms and beguiles the locals: Fresh food served in an accessible and unfussy en-vironment that never loses its friendly neighborhood feel. Johnny says he’s had franchise offers but would never sell out.

Let’s hope that’s true. In a city of chicken-salad connoisseurs, Café at Pharr has hatched a winner.


A yogurt roll accompanies each of the salad and sandwich plates at Café at Pharr. Renee Brock

SIMPLY DELICIOUS REVIEW


CAFÉ AT PHARR3145 Peachtree Road Atlanta 30305 (Also at 4225 Roswell Road and 699 Miami Circle)404.238.9288www.cafeatpharr.comEntrée sandwiches and salads: $7.50-$9.50.Bottom line: Chicken salad to squawk about.

The advent of secret culinary events like Atlanta Underground Market (www.atlantaundergroundmarket.com) and

Blu Gorilla Supper Club (404.641.0453) on the Beltline has ushered in a burgeoning under-ground food scene in Atlanta.

One of the most successful and widely fol-lowed of these secretive gatherings—if chatter on Twitter is any indication—is Spice Route Supper Club, led by Asha Gomez and focusing on the flavors of India’s coastal Kerala region.

“At the Neem Tree Spa, which I ran on Atlan-ta’s Westside, I would frequently cook meals for clients after their ayurvedic treatments,” Gomez says. “Some eventually came just for the food! After the spa closed [at the end of 2008], I found what I missed most was sharing the dishes I grew up cooking. The supper club seemed a person-alized way for me to begin sharing these foods

with a wider audience.”Gomez says she’s most excited about the

sense of community the events create, with guests bonding over a shared love of food, wine and exotic culture. Meals are five courses with wine, beer and tea pairings and typically have a maximum of 20 guests (though Gomez’s largest event, held in February at the 200 Peachtree event space, served 180 hungry foodies).

At $75-$85 per person, Spice Route events aren’t cheap, but the fact that they transport guests to another land with flavors of ginger, garlic, chilies, mustard seeds and seafood curries almost makes them a bargain. (A recent search for a flight from Atlanta to the Kerala region turned up a minimum cost of $1,475.)

Locations are disclosed 48 hours before the event to confirmed guests, and can pop up anywhere around our fair city. Learn more at www.spiceroutesupperclub.com or request an invitation by emailing [email protected].

Foodie Journal | Culinary News & Notes

Spice up your

life

At a recent gathering of Spice Route Supper Club, founder Asha Gomez served rice-and-coconut cake in a cardamom cream sauce. Bhavini Patel

A different spin on fast foodEmpire State South, the first Atlanta outpost for Athens-based (and James Beard Award-winning) chef Hugh Acheson, is quickly becoming a destination for upscale Southern comfort fare, particularly at lunch. What if you can’t escape the clutches of the office for a midday meal? Acheson comes to the rescue, offering “Tiffins”—multi-course lunches stacked in reusable con-tainers, imagined after Acheson read an article about popular lunch deliveries to workers in Mumbai, India. Each tiffin (the name is derived from an English slang word meaning “to take a little sip,” but ironically, it doesn’t necessarily mean a small amount when it relates to food) contains a snack, first course, second course and a sweet treat. “A lot of people in the mod-ern work sphere do not have time to eat in a healthy, balanced and interesting way; tiffins answer that,” says Acheson, who notes that he’s excited about incorporat-ing locally-farmed ingredients such as Woodland Gar-dens tomatoes, pickled okra from Red Mule and Anson Mills grains. Place an order by phone (404.541.1105) no later than 10:30 a.m., pay the $15 charge by credit card and pick up at noon with no wait. Check out the daily offerings at www.empirestatesouth.com/lunch-boxes.

Fresh and tastyNorcross-based AtlantaFresh Artisan Creamery is already a favorite of locavores for its unusual, bright and intense yogurt flavors. (“Tropical Sweet Heat,” fea-turing pineapple and habañero, anyone?) The company, which produces 100 percent of its offerings from milk sourced within a 40-mile radius of Atlanta, introduces a bold new taste—“Chocolate Rocket” with flavors of cinnamon, chocolate and chili blended into the fat-free yogurt base (though the addition of cocoa butter makes the final product 2%). With 12 grams of protein and just 200 calories per serving, it packs a healthy punch. Look for it at the Buckhead Whole Foods and Buckhead Kroger locations. For more information, visit www.atlantafresh.com.

SIMPLY DELICIOUS


At Empire State South, four-course “tiffin” lunches like this one are the new in-and-out meal. Rinne Allen

At Spice Route Supper Club gatherings, attendees may sample dishes like Kerala shrimp stir fry with black coconut rice. Bhavini Patel

Underground supper club brings flavors of India

to Atlantans

By Jennifer Bradley


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n Antica Posta519 East Paces Ferry Road NEAtlanta 30305404.262.7112www.anticaposta.com

Hailing from Florence, the Betti brothers oversee this au-thentic Tuscan kitchen nestled on a tree-lined side street in Buckhead. The diverse menu features beloved, centuries-old dishes from their family archives, like la Coppa dei Betti (air-dried cured Italian salami) and cappesante con passata di ceci (seared sea scallops atop chickpea purée). An evening spent noshing at this cozy terracotta house is a treasured celebration of la famiglia.

n Baroni Casual Italian1745 Peachtree Street NE, Suite HAtlanta 30309 404.724.9100www.baroniatl.com

From the folks at Baraonda in Midtown comes Baroni, an easy-on-the-wallet Italian eatery in the space that once belonged to Wolfgang Puck Express. But just because it’s cheaper than its fine-dining cousin, don’t assume it skimps on service. The genuinely nice staff waits on its guests with the same graciousness that can be expected at its other property. Fun bites inspired by the boot-shaped country include a mozzarella bar, oh-so-creamy risotto with a variety of add-ins and wood-fire pizza.

n The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill3279 Roswell RoadAtlanta 30305404.474.9508www.thebigketch.com

Steer your boat over to this relatively new eatery for either lunch or dinner. It’s easy to imagine a salty breeze hitting your face while you’re chowing down on a blackened scal-lop dipped in Georgia peach sauce. As a rule, the chefs opt for healthy ingredients like oil and wine instead of mayo or butter. The fresh-daily fish sandwiches are delicious (we like the hot buttered lobster rolls); the flavorful grouper

sandwich has the management team beaming with pride.

n Bistro Niko3344 Peachtree Road NEAtlanta 30326404.261.6456www.buckheadrestaurants.com/bistro-niko

Atlanta might not be hurt-ing for French brasseries, but its latest hits the jackpot for us. From the marbled floors to the authentic fare (such as velvety rillette spreads, Gruyère cheese puffs, salmon croque-monsieur and steak frites), we’re transported to the Champs-Elysées without the outrageous airfare. Franco-philes will delight in habit-forming boeuf bourguignon and crisp duck confit.

n Buckhead Pizza Co.3324 Peachtree Road Atlanta 30326 404.869.0678 www.buckheadpizzaco.com/buckhead

This late-night dining destina-tion stays open until 2 a.m. on the weekends, so any partygoers craving delicious pies post-raucousness will be amply rewarded here. Of course, that’s not all you’ll find at this nicely appointed joint featuring indoor and outdoor seating and flat-screen TVs. The offerings range from tender fried ravioli smothered in fresh tomato sauces and cheese to flatbread.

n Coast Seafood & Raw Bar111 West Paces Ferry Road NWAtlanta 30305404.869.0777www.h2sr.com/coast

Deep-sea devotees set sail often for Coast’s signature oversized dishes. Although you’ll find the usual suspects of shrimp and grits and lobster tail, this restaurant boasts some original creations like shrimp-and-bacon mac ’n’ cheese. Be sure to hook either the seafood boil or the seafood tower. More casual captains should try the fried baskets overflowing with battered shrimp, scallops or oysters. Let crab-and-corn

hushpuppies play second mate to any order.

n Corner Café3070 Piedmont RoadAtlanta 30305404.240.1978www.buckheadrestaurants.com/corner-cafe

A perfect spot to meet friends or business associates for breakfast, lunch or brunch, Corner Café caters to a myriad of cravings. From the hefty corned beef and hash over farm-poached eggs to the dainty low-fat flavored yogurt over mixed berries, every hungry Atlantan will find something on the menu to sat-isfy early-in-the-day stomach growls. The European-style Buckhead Bakery is nestled in the side of the dining room for those who just want to run in and grab a baked-on-site carb fix.

n EVOS5590 Roswell Road, Suite 140Atlanta 30342404.252.4022www.evos.com

Unlike most burger joints,

EVOS breaks the mold with healthy options—and we’re not just talking about the option of ordering a salad. You really can feel good about chowing down here. The steak burger (430 calories) is hormone- and antibiotic-free. Fries (230 calo-ries) are air-baked, not fried. Nothing comes off a greasy grill in this tasty burger joint. Vegetarians will feel the love with items like a reduced-fat soy taco wrap with long-grain rice and organic field greens. Finish it all off with a creamy shake made from hormone-free milk and ice cream.

n Holeman & Finch Public House2277 Peachtree Road, Suite BAtlanta 30309404.948.1175 www.holeman-finch.com

Linton Hopkins is one dedi-cated chef, and the James Beard-recognized culinary art-ist and restaurateur is a whiz when it comes to meat. Wit-ness his ground, stuffed, cured, fermented and tied versions of duck, lamb, beef and pork. The burger steals the show, though. Every night at 9:30,

the mad rush for it begins when the bullhorn announces, “It’s burger time!” There are only 24 patties. That’s it. No more, no less. They usually go in under a minute. Put this burger on your bucket list.

n Pizzeria Venti2770 Lenox RoadAtlanta 30324404.228.2013www.pizzeriaventi-atlanta.com

Most of us love Italian cuisine, but not the waistline that comes with it. Luckily, the 300 Calorie Club at Pizzeria Venti makes it easy to indulge in this tasty fare without going for bust. Club rules are simple: Just show up and know that you have three full lunch choices for less than 300 calories, plus a drink. Choose from Pasta e’ Fagioli soup with a contorno of apple slices and bleu cheese crumbles; or a large apple salad with Vidalia onion dressing over field greens; or a generous slice of cheese pizza with tomato slices, lemon and fresh basil.

n Ruth’s Chris Steak HouseEmbassy Suites 3285 Peachtree Road NEAtlanta 30305404.365.0660www.ruthschris.com

Red-meat lovers converge at Ruth’s Chris Steak House Buckhead, where USDA Prime steaks shine as the superstars that they are. They can be heard as the server approaches with them; they sizzle in their own hot juices and butter after being seared to perfection at 1800 degrees. Family-sized sharable sides like the shrimp sautéed New Orleans-style in reduced white wine, butter, garlic and spices will have you coming back to sample more.

n Seasons 523050 Peachtree Road NWAtlanta 30305404.846.1552www.seasons52.com

At Seasons 52, every plate gets a seasonal reworking when the calendar page turns.

Featured Restaurants | A sampling of great eats in and around Buckhead

By Kirsten Ott Palladino

SIMPLY DELICIOUS

SPOTLIGHT10 Degrees South4183 Roswell Road NEAtlanta 30342404.705.8870www.10degreessouth.com

Atlanta gets a taste of the exotic with the only fine-dining South African restaurant in the coun-try. Situated in a swanky building, this established dining destination is a family affair, run by husband-and-wife team Derek and Diane Anthony and their son, Justin. South African cuisine is a fusion of a number of dif-ferent cultures, ranging from French, Dutch, Portuguese and German to Malaysian, Mediterranean and Indian, so a meal here is your portal to multiple countries—sans the airport frisking. Best-bet menu items include Bobotie spring rolls (sweet ground beef curry) and crab pastries (stuffed with peri-peri crab meat). To really amp up your experience, visit Wednesday through Saturday, when live acoustic music is played in the bar area.

Lollipop lamb chops at 10 Degrees South. Sara Hanna

Continued >>


SIMPLY DELICIOUS FEATURED RESTAURANT

But no matter the month or weather outside, every item remains under 475 calories all year long. Begin with one of their savory flatbreads and close with a Mini Indulgence (single-serving des-sert) and you can’t go amiss.

n Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft1745 Peachtree StreetAtlanta 30309678.539.6181www.tuktukatl.com

Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft brings inven-tive Eastern street food to the heart of the city, as evidenced by the “tuk tuk” (street food cart) on display in the foyer. The second-level restaurant is owned by Executive Chef Nanthavadee “Deedee” Niyomkul (daughter of the woman who launched the esteemed Nan Thai Fine Dining in Midtown) and her husband, Thaddeus Keefe. The young duo serves eclectic Thai selec-tions in a space that combines Ameri-can modernity with Asian elements.


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Pastry chef Taria Camerino doesn’t handle authority gently and doesn’t care to repeat her-

self in her work. This means executing tray after tray of identical baked goods can be a problem. Still, the Gainesville, Fla., native has managed to build an impressive résumé at some of Atlanta’s top restaurants, starting as a mixer at Alon’s in the early ’90s, then kneading her way around the kitchens of Hole-man & Finch, Top Flr, Highland Bak-ery and the short-lived Sweet Revolu-tion in Little Five Points, where she acquired a cult following with her decadent, hand-crafted confections. But for the gypsy-like sweet-monger with the quirky personal style and pro-gressive politics, it was go independent or go mad. So last December, she hung out her own shingle as a chocolatier.

At Sugar-Coated Radical, a small ragamuffin shop on a dead-end Virginia-Highland street, Camerino has clever and ambitious plans for her extensive, ever-evolving palette of exotic flavor profiles. Like some trippy alchemist in stiletto pumps, harlequin socks and brightly colored jumpers, Camerino pairs pure chocolate from Africa, Asia and South America with exotic massaman curry and coco-nut, Tasmanian leatherwood honey or infusions of blood orange and wasabi, topping them with a perfect sugar-coated basil leaf or a sprinkle of Hawaiian black-lava salt. “There is no box,” she says of her esoteric approach, “and if there is, I guarantee you I am going to smash it up. And what’s wonderful is I can, because I make delicious chocolates and when people eat them, their hearts soften. They become open to possibility.”

With creative partner Joshua

Meiseman (late of Highland Bakery), Camerino recently started exclusive weekend dessert seatings. They want to experiment with tobacco and wood notes; they dream of creating dishes based on their “urban foraging” for things like crabapples. Already, Camerino has introduced “Bakery Sundays,” a weekly event in which she lays out a dazzling array of pastries and invites her coffee-geek buddies from Rattletrap ATL Street Cof-fee to park their truck outside. Over a steaming mug at Emory Village’s Steady Hand Pour House one recent morning, she talked about her confec-tionary career.

How did you get into food?When I was in about the sixth grade, my mom got a job in the African and Asian languages department at the University of Florida. She was an administrator. We met people from all over Africa and Asia, China, Japan, the Congo, Palestine, Saudi Arabia. … The first time I had couscous, I was 12. I had never experienced anything so beautiful. There was a big mound of couscous, and on one side there was a stew. And on the other side, there was yogurt, honey, raisins and nuts. I said, ‘You mean you can eat this for dinner and dessert?’ That was it! It just opened my eyes to the pos-sibility of food.

Why did you want to specialize in sweets?I wanted to make something that was this big [she makes the shape of a piece of candy with her hands] that could transform someone’s experi-ence, even if just for a moment, that could just wake them up. … It’s like a

Above: Sugar-Coated Radical Owner Taria Camerino outside her store; below: An assortment of Camerino’s chocolates. Photos by Alli Royce Soble

SIMPLY DELICIOUS TASTEMAKER

Chocolate revolutionary

This pastry chef refuses to be boxed in

SUGAR-COATED RADICAL680 Drewry Street Atlanta 30306404.587.4912www.sugarcoat-edradical.org

Continued >>



SIMPLY DELICIOUS TASTEMAKER

way to lure them to something new, to show them the potential that they have, that we all have, that life has, the potential for greatness, the potential for connection. I love chocolate. But I have to have an emotional and intel-lectual response to it. I’m not satisfied with just any chocolate. It has to be an amazing quality for me to enjoy it. I love its capabilities. I love smelling it. I love the way it looks when I am tempering.

Tell us about “Bakery Sundays.”Because I am classically French-trained, I have been doing lamina-tions, which is croissants, like layered dough. I have been doing that for 17 years. So we do croissants and brioches. This past week, we did goat-cheese-and-beet tarte tatin. I did Irish

cheddar, apple and caramelized onion croissants; Gruyère croissants with Mirabelle plum preserves that I make. I do a pan de coco, which is Mexican bread … I believe we had close to 25 different items. Fresh persimmon tarts and cookies. Once I get going, I run.

And the dessert nights?On Fridays and Saturdays, we are doing dessert seatings. Two seatings a night, 12 people. That’s it. There’s no menu. It’s a course tasting. It’s where we do what we want. Joshua will be heading that up, and I will be his as-sistant. We won’t have a liquor license, so it’s BYOB, but we tell you what to bring. We make suggestions, based on the menu. …We have people chomp-ing at the bit for the desserts. They are so ready. Because I think Atlanta needs something that’s pushing the boundaries.

At Sugar-Coated Radical, life is like a groovy box of chocolates. Two of the specialty chocolates at Sugar-Coated Radical—each contains 70 percent Venezuelan ganache and anise. Photos by Alli Royce Soble


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Vive la France

SIMPLY DELICIOUS WINE FEATURE

By Gregory D. McCluney

Mark Taylor’s Park Avenue condo is stocked with more than 2,000 bottles of fine

wine—more than half of them French. Taylor, a retired businessman, became interested in fine French wines in 1959 while tasting with the late Jim Sanders at his retail wine shop, Sanders’ Wines, in Buckhead. At the time, there were few outlets for French wines in the entire city. Taylor developed a French style and flavor preference, patiently waiting for his French bottles to age until they reached the perfect time for sipping.

Taylor is a longtime High Museum board member and member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux (French Wine Society). Wine and food are important to his whole family—his wife Judith is a Dame of the Chaine des Rotisseurs (a gourmet group), and his son Chuck is active in the Con-frérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (the Burgundy wine enthusiasts’ group in Atlanta).

How did you get started in wine collect-ing and tasting? My very good friends, Jim Sanders [deceased] and Yves Du-rand, with much help from Parks Red-wine and all the other “winos” in town.

We know you enjoy French wines, but are there some New World areas or va-rieties you are interested in? The larger portion [of our cellar] is French, Bor-deaux and Burgundy, with some Cali-fornia and the necessary champagnes, ports, etc. You may know a group of Atlanta guys, some from Buckhead, own an interest in the California win-ery Arcadian. The majority interest is owned by its winemaker Joe Davis, who is married to the sister of the manager of the Buckhead Club, Jef-frey Goldworn.

Do you have a favorite Buckhead re-tailer? I know you work with some of the wine auction houses. Yes, Cellar 13 ( John Passman) and, of course, Ansley Wines.

What are some of your favorite Buck-head restaurants? Aria, Kyma, Bone’s, La Fourchette and, for informal, BrickTops.

An interview with Bordeaux and Burgundy wine enthusiast Mark Taylor

Do you usually bring some or all of your own wines? Yes. I always call ahead just to be sure. There are still a few places that don’t permit or encourage corkage. If a given wine is on their list, they may ask that you buy it from them, which I find perfectly reason-able.

We know you are part of the group that designed the Durand specialty cork-screw. Can you tell us how that came about? I invented, designed and pat-ented the Durand. Before the Durand, there was no device or combination of devices that would reliably remove a really old and fragile wine cork whole. The beauty of the Durand is both its simplicity and its efficacy. The web site, www.thedurand.com describes the Durand in detail and is the primary source for purchase.

Describe the area’s wine-club scene. Atlanta has two main wine groups: La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin [the Burgundy group] and the Com-manderie de Bordeaux [Bordeaux group]. There are also two chapters of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, whose in-terest is food and wine. There is a sub-group, the Société Mondiale du Vin, whose primary interest is wine. All of the above have numerous members in Buckhead and elsewhere around At-lanta.

Approximately how many bottles are in your collection, and where are they stored? Two thousand, which is about the limit here in the wine cellar of our Park Avenue condominium. I do try to share with my three children in Atlan-ta, each of whom appreciates fine wine and has an excellent cellar.

Are you planning for additional stor-age? At my age, I will do well to share and drink what I have here.

Wine enthusiast Mark Taylor is shown here in his Buckhead home with a few uniquely labeled bottles from his collection. Photo by Renee Brock

Cover StoryM A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 1 | S I M P L Y B U C K H E A D

Photo illustration by Omar Vega



Carolina Bed & Breakfast offers a cheery place to stay in Asheville. Courtesy of Carolina Bed and Breakfast

Continued >>

Summer Guide{

Road Trip 2011

By Elsa K. Simcik

It’s no secret that plenty of At-lantans head to Asheville, N.C., for weekend getaways. What is a secret, though, are some of Asheville’s most delicious restaurants, amazing outdoor experiences and quaint bed and break-fasts. The truth is, there’s more to this mountain town than the Biltmore.

Cucina24, for instance, is a down-town Italian restaurant with unexpect-ed menu items like a pizza with spicy lamb sausage, rapini and aged pecori-no. The ambiance is elegant without being pretentious, a lot like Asheville itself. For a real off-the-beaten-path food experience, head to Admiral in West Asheville. What the unassum-ing restaurant lacks in curb appeal, it makes up for in creative food offerings. They cook as seasonally as possible so the menu may have fried dorade one day and wild mushroom bolognese the next.

On a hot summer day, you can tube down the French Broad River. Ashe-ville Outdoor Center offers a one-hour, one-mile trip that takes visitors right by the Biltmore. And adventure-seekers, take note: Lots of tourists make the drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but for a more thrilling jour-ney, you should try zip line canopy tours by Navitat.

The Montford Historic District has loads of B&Bs—but not all of them are created equal. For charm, hospital-

Take another look at AshevilleGo beyond the Biltmore to find the city’s hidden gems

Make this your best summer ever. We’ve crisscrossed the region to find the most

exciting destinations within an easy drive of Atlanta. Your only job? Pack your bags.

n The Admiral www.theadmiralnc.com

n Asheville Outdoor Center www.paddlewithus.com

n Carolina Bed & Breakfast www.carolinabb.com

n Cucina24 www.cucina24restaurant.com

n Navitat Canopy Adventures www.navitat.com

ity and comfort, you can’t beat Caro-lina Bed & Breakfast. It’s been under new ownership for about a year and a half and the innkeepers are eager to please. They not only serve a gourmet breakfast each morning, they also put out wine and appetizers each evening and a dessert in your room every night.

SIMPLY BUCKHEAD COVER STORY


By Jennifer Bradley

Do you dream of running away to someplace where the crush of Atlanta traffic and the web of mobile connec-tivity doesn’t reach? The 150-acre Ed-isto River Refuge, stewarded by Scott and Anne Kennedy, is the perfect an-swer. Just five hours from Atlanta and brimming with otherworldly rustic charm, the South Carolina refuge of-fers a chance to commune with nature from the comfort of your very own treehouse, towering above the Edisto River.

Upon arriving at the “put in” at Carolina Heritage Outfitters (owned by the Kennedys), you’ll be issued a canoe—the only way to reach your ac-commodations. From there, you’ll pad-dle four hours downriver on a 12-mile stretch of the sparkling Edisto River. The carefully protected river is gentle enough for canoe novices to navigate, and the boats have ample space to tote your sleeping bag, food and towels—the only provisions not included in the $125 per person nightly fee (ca-noe rental included; Saturdays are $25 more).

The Kennedys have spent 18 years

By Allison Weiss Entrekin

Each April, the eyes of the world turn to Augusta, Ga., home of the Masters Golf Tournament. But all year long, this charming riverside city is alive with art, history and the soul-ful tunes of its late resident, James Brown. Drive two hours east of Buck-head and you’ll arrive at The Partridge Inn, Augusta’s century-old hotel and an excellent lodging choice because of its modern amenities and convenient location to downtown. If you’re a Civil War buff, you’ll want to head straight

from the inn to check out the boyhood home of Woodrow Wilson, where the budding president witnessed wounded soldiers seeking refuge in his father’s church across the street. Art lovers may opt to see the Morris Museum of Art, the first museum in the country devoted entirely to the art and artists of the South. And everyone should experience the James Brown exhibit at the Augusta Museum of History—the Godfather of Soul’s hometown pays worthy homage to his life and musical legacy with interactive kiosks and rare memorabilia.

A sight to seeThe Edisto River is an ecosystem teeming with wildlife, ranging from the familiar (raccoons) to the exotic (great blue herons and egrets, both water birds). For added entertainment and educational value, pick up a Lowcountry wildlife book and spy turtles, otters, wild turkeys, al-ligators, deer, bobcats and frogs along the willow- and cypress-lined waters of the Edisto.

Getting thereThe location of Carolina Heritage Outfit-ters is rural enough that it’s not tied to a specific address, so upon booking you’ll be given directions (and for the truly hard-core, GPS coordinates) to their loca-tion in Canadys, S.C. Call 843.563.5051 for reservations and visit www.canoesc.com for more information.

Above: A treehouse lodge in Edisto River; below: Each treehouse comes equipped with a nearby outdoor hammock. Courtesy Carolina Heritage Outfitters for all

Sittin’ in a TreeExploring the Edisto River Refuge Canoe & Treehouse Getaway

serving guests and contributing to the eco-conservation of the Edisto and the wildlife that calls it home. They searched for a way to allow guests to stay in nature with a few comforts and almost no impact on the natural eco-systems of the river. “We were inspired to build these treehouses through a love of camping and outdoor adven-

ture, which took us all over the world seeking eco-adventures,” Anne says. “Our emphasis is on privacy and qual-ity.” They certainly hit the mark on the bulls-eye of rustic luxury, as the houses

are outfitted with an outdoor dining deck, gas stove, outdoor hammocks, pristine drinking water from the ref-uge’s deep well, tiki torches, candles, rechargeable lanterns and a sleeping loft with comfy futons. Each treehouse can sleep up to six or eight guests, de-pending on which one you choose.

So paddle on. A charming mix of adventure and relaxation awaits.

n For more information, visit www.augustaga.org.

Master AugustaThere’s more to this north Georgia town than golf’s

most prestigious tournament

The Partridge Inn in Augusta offers a combination of history and charm. Randall Perry Photography


Continued >>

Dusk at the Villas of Grand Cypress.

Summer Guide{


In a city well known for its excellent courses, it’s difficult to top The Villas of Grand Cypress, part of the Grand Cypress Hotel in Orlando (eight hours from Buckhead). Experience 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature designed golf, including the New Course, which echoes the Old Course at St. Andrews. Enjoy dinner at Nine18, which fea-tures premium steaks and a 500-bottle wine list, and snooze in style in the Mediterranean-style villas flanking the course.


It closed for seven months after May 2010’s unprec-edented floods, but Nashville’s iconic Gaylord Opryland Resort is back and better than ever. The sprawling hotel and entertainment venue managed to turn rain into rain-bows, undergoing a massive restoration that gave its lob-bies, restaurants and guestrooms a dramatic facelift. But it still maintains the elements that have kept it on the map since 1977—lavish gardens and incredible live entertain-ment. This holiday season, don’t miss A Country Christmas, when the resort will glow beneath 2 million sparkling lights and glisten with dozens of ice sculptures. It’s an easy get-away (just four hours from Buckhead) for the whole family.


There are spas, and then there are spaaahs. The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island (located six hours from Buckhead) definitely has the latter. Its $16.4 million spa spans nearly 33,000 square feet and includes everything from private re-laxation lounges to an adults-only outdoor pool with under-water music. Spa butlers are on hand to serve refreshments or provide cool washcloths topped with cucumbers.

After a day spent vegging out, enjoy a feast for the ages with a dinner at the chef ’s table at Salt, the hotel’s acclaimed restaurant. You’ll have 10 courses served to your own private “box seat” in the gleaming kitchen. The curious can even get up from their table and observe the action from the kitchen line.

Tee offGet into the swing of

Orlando at the Villas of Grand Cypress

n For more information, visit www.grandcy-press.com

n For more information, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.

Puttin’ on the RitzThe Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island boasts a

spa-tacular experience

New and Improved Opryland

The 2010 floods didn’t dampen this Nashville resort’s spirit

n For more information, visit www.gaylordopry-land.com.

Gaylord Opryland Resort recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation.

The pool at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, which is situated next to the Atlantic. Mark Wieland

Sautee Nacoochee VineyardsYonah Mountain Vineyards

Habersham Winery


By Joanne Hayes

Who knew that there are rich grapes producing quality wines just an hour away from Buckhead? After many years

of enjoying pinot noir, shiraz, cabernet, tempranillo, carmenere, malbec, champagne, prosecco, and Chianti (to name a few favorites), my husband and I weren’t sure what to expect from north Georgia, but we were eager to learn when we set out on a two-day tour of the Georgia Wine Trail.

A tangle of vinesA journey through North Georgia’s vineyards

Day 1

With a goal of visiting five winer-ies on the first day, our start was Clay-ton, Ga., at Persimmon on the Square. Owners Mary Ann and “Sonny” Hardman’s 110-acre, solar-powered winery set along Persimmon Creek is open by appointment and boasts three guest cottages and a flock of East Friesian dairy sheep. In their wonder-ful shop, which also features artisanal cheeses, unique culinary items, glass-ware and ceramics, manager Claudia Penland had us sample three of their wines, including a Riesling, cabernet

franc and merlot. We left with a bottle of the aromatic 2006 Cabernet Franc.

We ventured next to Tiger Moun-tain Vineyards, where owners Mar-tha and John Ezzard (partnered with John and Marilyn McMullan) pride themselves on saving the five-gener-ation-old Ezzard dairy farm, planting the first grapes in 1995. They have 10 wines in their arsenal, varieties like Portuguese Touriga Nacional, the French tannat, viognier and cabernet franc—all of which are cultivated by other north Georgia vineyards as well because they are well-suited for this climate and soil, our Appalachian ter-

roir. Tiger Mountain has netted 130 awards since 2001 and is the only Georgia winery producing a malbec and a rare petit manseng. Not leav-ing empty-handed, we purchased their cabernet franc and Rabun Red!

Our plan was to get to Helen and visit all three local vineyards before the tasting rooms closed that day. Haber-sham, Sautee Nacoochee and Yonah Mountain Vineyards are within a couple of miles of one another. Easy, right? But Habersham’s beautiful tast-ing room made me want to linger and peruse their selection of wine acces-sories and gifts. I couldn’t live with-out the Georgia Wine Snob T-shirt! Manager Steve Gibson gave us a tour, and the casks were impressive, to say the least—Habersham is one of Geor-gia’s oldest and largest wineries, with annual production of 15,000 cases. We left with both Habersham Scarlett and Creekstone Cabernet—with 20 wines under three labels, it was very hard to choose!

At Sautee Nacoochee, we discovered the delightful Nacoochee Red 2007, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and mer-lot. Owners Hue and Jane Rainey are committed to making complex yet uncomplicated wines, and much like

small European family wineries, they prune and harvest all their grapes by hand. We sipped with the Rainey’s friend Pixie, who graciously shared the history of the winery in the recently opened tasting room, while appreciat-ing the presence of some of our favor-ite Bella Cucina products in the shop.

Just before closing, we arrived at Yo-nah Mountain Vineyards, where wine-maker Joe Smith is debuting several new wines this season. Smith is rela-tively new to Georgia, having moved to the mountains in 2005 with his wife to begin producing wine instead of music, after 16 years in the indus-try. Ted in the tasting room introduced us to the “Grand Challenge”-winning Genesis 2006 wine; this wine was put up against the $250 Napa Cabernet Ghost Horse and No. 1-rated restau-rant wine Jordan Cabernet, and took the prize. I couldn’t leave without it or the Serenity Cellars 2009 Tranquility, and would have carried away a deli-cious bottle of Ghirardelli-infused dessert wine, but someone had to talk some sense into me, as there were many more to visit the next day.


Wolf Mountain VineyardsTiger Mountain Vineyards

Summer Guide{Day 2

Our early start the second day brought us to Blackstock Vineyards, named a No. 1 “Up and Coming” winery in the 2008 Wine Report. The tasting room wasn’t open yet, but we certainly admired the setting, with its mountain vistas and rolling vineyards, perfect for weddings and corporate retreats. It is the first and largest vine-yard of the Dahlonega mountains, and a must-stop for our next trip. Within just a short distance was Three Sisters Vineyards, Dahlonega’s first family farm winery, where we were excited to taste and converse with owners Doug and Sharon Paul. At this vineyard, called “Best Winery in the South” by Turner South, we discovered not only the wines, but also a unique collec-tion of Georgia and Southern folk art. Sharon graciously gave us her time at the busy cherrywood tasting bar, also opening a bottle of wine not on the tasting menu, but reserved for special guests (you can imagine that came home with us too!). Here we bought 2005 Cabernet Franc, 2006 Cynthiana and Fat Boy Red, which was enjoyed several nights after this whirlwind tour. Three Sisters hosts the 10th An-niversary of the Georgia Wine Coun-try Festival this June, with events held each of the first three weekends. (www.threesistersvineyards.com)

Frogtown Cellars was next, home to more than 22,000 grapevines with 25 grape varieties, both red and white, sitting on 42 acres, with a beautiful cy-press and timber-frame wine-tasting and event facility. It boasts a massive deck and sweeping views, and on this

very busy Saturday, we did not get to enjoy the wines, which are some of the most awarded in U.S. competitions. (The hands-on owners were serving lunch guests and tourists, but we’ll be back for sure!) Just down the road a bit, we stumbled onto Dahlonega Spa Resort, high on a hill just a stone’s throw from Three Sisters, Blackstock and Frogtown. I’ve already decided I’m checking in for a two-night wellness getaway package this summer, while my family goes camping. Yoga, mas-sage, gourmet healthy cuisine, wine tasting and beautiful views—these are my idea of a girlfriends’ retreat. There are even pet-friendly cottage rooms; however, the dog will be on his own retreat at the vet for this one.

Our last Dahlonega stop was Wolf Mountain Vineyards, boasting more than 100 medals for their handcrafted estate wines in major U.S. competi-tions, and credited with introducing North Georgia’s first traditional Mé-

thode Champenoise sparkling wines. Focusing on blending French variet-ies to create complex and unique wine styles, the vineyard’s award-winning wines can be enjoyed at their café, during vineyard weddings, or at their well-known themed Sunday brunches (reservations recommended).

Unfortunately, due to the dis-tance and lateness of the first day, we weren’t able to make it to Crane Creek Vineyards in Young Harris or Sharp Mountain Vineyards in Jasper. And on the second day we couldn’t get to Montaluce Estates or Cavender Creek Vineyards (just opened in March), so we plan to get to all four of these on our next trip this summer. On our drive home to Atlanta, we stopped in at the magnificent Château Élan, but missed the tasting room here due to the hour of the day, so we added it to our list for the second round. We took the time to enjoy the breathtak-ing grounds, 3,500 acres that include a championship golf course, full pro-duction winery, European health spa, conference facilities, seven restaurants, and The Culinary Studio, for cooking classes and demos.

So many wines, so little time…well, not really, as there’s always time for a leisurely glass of wine while preparing a meal for my most appreciative audi-ence at home.

I couldn’t live without the Georgia Wine Snob T-shirt!

MORE INFO

n Blackstock Vineyardswww.bsvw.com

n Cavender Creek Vineyardshome.windstream.net/ccvw

n Château Élanwww.chateauelan.com

n Crane Creek Vineyardswww.cranecreekvineyards.com

n Dahlonega Spa Resortwww.rrresorts.com/f.html#/dahlonega/spa

n Frogtown Cellarswww.frogtownwine.com

n Habersham Winerywww.habershamwinery.com

n Montaluce Winery and Estateswww.montaluce.com

n Sautee Nacoochee Vineyardswww.sauteenacoocheevineyards.com

n Sharp Mountain Vineyardswww.sharpmountainvineyards.net

n Three Sisters Vineyardswww.threesistersvineyards.com

n Tiger Mountain Vineyardswww.tigerwine.com

n Wolf Mountain Vineyardswww.wolfmountainvineyards.com

n Yonah Mountain Vineyardswww.yonahmountainvineyards.com




By Giannina Smith

Budding flowers and blue skies can only

mean one thing—it’s time to don some shorts and head for one of Atlanta’s outdoor festivals. From artsy neighborhood shindigs to events boasting gourmet food and top-notch entertainment, there is something for every Buckhead resident to enjoy.

Buckhead Spring Arts and Crafts Festival (May 14-15)

Attracting more than 25,000 visitors in 2010—its debut year—the Buck-head Spring Arts and Crafts Festival will once again be held in the heart of Buckhead at Chastain Park. Enjoy the crisp spring air while strolling through Buckhead’s popular green space and perusing the creations of artists and craftsmen—more than 90 percent of them from Georgia. Along with nearly 200 artists, the 2011 event will feature an “antiques alley,” children’s play area, live acoustic music and regional foods and beverages. For more information, visit www.buckheadartsfestival.com.

Atlanta Food and Wine Festival (May 19-22)

The ultimate gastronomic weekend experience, the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival makes its debut in Midtown in 2011 with three days of cooking, eating and learning about Southern food and drink from some of the region’s best chefs. Based on the three themes of

“Old Traditions,” “New Traditions” and “Imports & Inspirations,” the epicurean event brings together food gurus from around the South to share their crafts. Barbecue pitmasters, award-winning chefs and mixologists, master somme-liers, fry cooks and local growers will all take part in this homage to Southern culture. For more information, visit www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com.

Decatur Arts Festival (May 28-29)

In its 23rd year, the Decatur Arts Festival is a month-long celebration culminating in a market highlighting the masterpieces of 160 artists from around the nation as they descend on the neighborhood’s downtown square. Live blues, funk and gypsy jazz will provide an upbeat soundtrack for the artsy event, and storytellers and improvisational comedy acts will keep festival-goers amused throughout the day. A Kids and Teens Arts Festival will also take place on May 28 and feature hands-on art projects, a rock climbing wall and a children’s parade led by the city fire department. For more informa-tion, visit www.decaturartsfestival.com.

Virginia-Highland Summerfest (June 4-5)

One of Atlanta’s liveliest outdoor events, Virginia-Highland Summerfest attracts a crowd as colorful as the original art displayed in the tents on tree-lined Virginia Avenue. Kicking off with a 5K race on Saturday morning, Summerfest continues throughout the day and well into the summer night with live musical performances from celebrated local musicians and tunes played by radio station 92.9 Dave FM. A KidFest area in John Howell Park keeps the little tykes busy, while the

adults can take in the wide array of artistic creations—from painting and photography to printmaking and mixed media—of more than 220 artists. For more information, visit www.vahi.org/summerfest.html.

Fourth of July at Lenox Square (July 4)

Watch fireworks light up the Buckhead sky at the historic Fourth of July cel-ebration at Lenox Square. Celebrating its 52nd year, the family-friendly event includes musical entertainment on the mall’s outdoor stage and a Kids Zone with slides, games and obstacle cours-es. The fun and games conclude with more than 4,000 fireworks bursting in the air, accompanied by patriotic tunes. Drawing close to 300,000 people each year, this true-blue American event touts itself as the largest fireworks display in the Southeast. For map and location information, visit www.lenox-square.com.

Summer Shade Festival, Grant Park (Aug. 27-28)

Taking over Atlanta’s oldest public park, the Ninth Annual Summer Shade Festival in Grant Park combines art, music and a children’s fun center with the gourmet Corks & Forks—A Fine Food & Wine Event. Boasting dishes prepared by some of Atlanta’s top chefs, Corks & Forks features wines and craft beers with sit-down workshops on tasting and selection. Although the Summer Shade Festival is free, Corks & Forks requires a ticket purchase ($35 in advance and $45 at the door if tickets are still available). Proceeds benefit the Grant Park Conservancy. For more information, visit www.gpconservancy.org.

Festival fever

Summer Shade Festival. Jerry Burns

Virginia Highland Summerfest. Ben Rose Photography

Summer Guide{

Simply Happening

S I M P L Y B U Z Z | S I M P L Y C H A R I T A B L E | S I M P L Y S C E N E

SpotlightMonday Night Rides with Peachtree Bikes

Peachtree Bikes2825 Peachtree Road NEAtlanta 30305404.262.9853www.peachtreebikes.com

If you’ve been inside all day under the fluorescent glow, you may be anxious to shake off those after-work blues and get moving. Join Peachtree Bikes in Buckhead for their free Monday night ride through the Buckhead hills. This 13-mile trek drives by beautiful Buckhead mansions while winding along roads like Peachtree Battle, Powers Ferry, Valley Road and Haber-sham. Owner Mike Wagaman

suggests this ride for begin-ners to intermediate riders because of the slow pace. “It may be difficult at first for new riders, but you’ll be able to keep up,” he says. It’s a good ride for the summer months—the neighborhood’s tree-lined streets keep you cool and help protect from sunburn. Meet in the shop’s parking lot at 6 p.m. every Monday to start spinning.

Explore the neighborhood with a fun and challenging ride organized by Peachtree Bikes. Patrick MarciglianoMay/June 2011 | Simply Buckhead 51


The Ladies of the Lake Garden Club’s Annual Garden PartyMay 1The Duck Pond, Peachtree HillsLocated at the corner of Parkside Drive and Demorest Avenue www.ladiesofthelake.org

Join the Ladies of the Lake, a Peachtree Heights East women’s group focused on gardening and horticulture, for their annual garden party benefiting the Duck Pond on the corner of Parkside Drive and Demorest Avenue. From 4 to 7 p.m., enjoy cocktails, live music and shopping the silent auction. Don’t forget to don your best hat with your garden party attire for the May Day hat contest. Ad-vance tickets are $35/person, $40 on event day.

The American Lung Association’s Fight for Air ClimbMay 14The Equitable Building100 Peachtree Street NWAtlanta 30303770.544.0532www.lungusa.org

The American Lung Asso-ciation’s Fight for Air Climb challenges participants to huff it and puff it up The Equitable Building’s 35 stories to raise awareness about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Get climbing at 10 a.m. and if you need some entertainment after you’re through, stick around—the event also challenges lo-cal firemen and women to compete against each other while toting more than 40 pounds of gear. Registration fees are $25- $35 with a $100 fundraising minimum.

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HDMay 14AMC Fork and Screen Buckhead3340 Peachtree Road NE Atlanta 30326404.467.9619www.amctheatres.com

Go see the Metropolitan Opera without hailing a NYC cab at AMC Buckhead Fork and Screen. The Met: Live in HD series presents Robert Lepage’s new production Die Walküre, conducted by James Levine. The event starts at noon and lasts five and a half hours (thank God they serve food!). Tickets are $9.

A Taste of Buckhead Business ExpoMay 23Marriott Atlanta Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center3405 Lenox Road NE Atlanta 30326404.233.4888www.buckheadbusiness.org

From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., rub shoulders with some of Buck-head’s latest and greatest businesses and restaurants at the Seventh Annual A Taste of Buckhead Business Expo. The event, hosted by the

Buckhead Business Associa-tion, will boast 50-plus local businesses and 20 of the best restaurants in Buckhead. Tickets are $10 for general admission.

34th Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival May 28-30Piedmont ParkGates at the intersection of Pied-mont Avenue and 12th Street404.546.6820www.atlantafestivals.com

For jazz lovers and new-bies alike, the Atlanta Jazz Festival promises a great time in Piedmont Park. Be sure to check out free shows from established artists like Audrey Shakir and the Warren Wolf Quintet and promising new sounds from the JC Young Middle School Jazz Ensemble. Take a look at the schedule for the festival’s other 29 days of activities, education and celebration.

Premiere of Margaret Georgia Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”June 8-July 23Georgia Shakespeare at Oglethorpe University

4484 Peachtree Road NEAtlanta 30319404.264.0020 www.gashakespeare.org

Join Georgia Shakespeare for their first play of the summer. Kicking off with a preview June 8 at 8 p.m., “The Tempest” is led by nationally acclaimed director Sharon Ott and will feature Atlanta actors Carolyn Cook and Chris Kayser. The show is held at Oglethorpe Univer-sity’s Conant Performing Arts Center and is appropriate for ages 8 and up. Tickets start at $15.

Premiere of Margaret Mitchell: American RebelJune 9Georgian Terrace Hotel659 Peachtree Street NEAtlanta 30308404.897.1991www.gpb.org/margaret-mitchell

Be sure to catch the premiere of Georgia Public Broadcast-ing’s (GPB) documentary film on Atlanta’s most famous author, Margaret Mitchell. The sneak peak will be held at The Georgian Terrace Hotel June 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $250 and include cocktails, dinner and entertainment

from the Atlanta Ballet and a local choir. All proceeds go to GPB. Can’t make the premiere? Catch the doc Thursday, June 30, at 8 p.m. on GPB.

Atlanta Botanical Garden Summer CampJune 13-17, June 20-24Atlanta Botanical Garden1345 Piedmont Avenue NE Atlanta 30309404.876.5859www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org

Move past your child’s inex-plicable distaste for greens with the Botanical Garden’s Sprouting Chefs summer camp at the Edible Garden Outdoor Kitchen. Kiddos will learn where their food comes from and how to cook freshly harvested produce. In addi-tion to whipping up healthy snacks, campers create artwork with edible products and play games. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $259 per child ($239 per child for Botanical Garden members).

Sheri Castle book signingJune 18Peachtree Road Farmers MarketCathedral of St. Philip2744 Peachtree Road NWAtlanta 30305404.365.1078www.sheri-inc.com

It may be early…but it’s worth it. At 8:30 a.m., join South-ern food writer and cooking instructor Sheri Castle for a discussion and signing of her cookbook, The New Southern Garden Cookbook. Take your new knowledge shopping afterward—Castle will give tips on preparing Southern classics with seasonal, locally grown produce.

Simply Buzz | Events, exhibits, galas and more

By Margaret Watters

SIMPLY HAPPENING

Sheri Castle’s new cookbook promotes healthy living through locally sourced, seasonal produce. UNC Press


Yappy Hour at East Andrews Terrace

Buckhead’s most pampered pooches came out for a Yappy Hour at East Andrews Terrace.

The event, hosted by Pets and the Sit-y Owner January Fowler, raised funds for Daffy’s Pet Food Kitchen, which gives kibbles to pet owners during seasons of financial hardship so they can afford to keep their pets.

Host dogs Dita and Dexter await their treats.

Four-legged at-tendees enjoyed complimentary dog treats.

Kyle Shiplett and Karen Dillon with their dog, Scheyer.

Maria Losito and Prada chat with Katy Colvin and Hoosier.

Cooper and Lucy play around.

Alvin Owusu holds Tokin’ while Daniel Amodio holds Dita (owned by January Fowler).

Yappy Hour Host January Fowler with her pugs, Dita and Dexter.

Stephanie Ivy brought her dog, Cleopatra, along for the fun.

SIMPLY HAPPENING CHARITABLE

Photos by Renee Brock

A posh dog named Prada.

Kara Koplan and Ruby with Alison Ratner and Ellis.


Let there be lunchCafé at Pharr’s new Buckhead location offers food on the fly.

Photo by Renee Brock

SIMPLY HAPPENING SIMPLY SCENE

GeorgiaWine.comP.O Box 808 Helen • Georgia 30545 • 706-878-9463

In the 1800s there were many vineyards and wineries thriving in Geor-gia in a golden age of little regulation and no taxation.Records show that in 1900, Georgia ranked sixth among grape growing states.In 1907 Georgia adopted full alcohol prohibition, 11 years ahead of national prohibition, destroying a generation of wine making traditions brought by many European immigrants to America.Today a farm winery renaissance is taking place across America. Most states have passed farm bills and all 50 states can boast at least one bonded winery. Georgia’s bill was passed in the early 1980s, which laid the groundwork for Georgia’s wine industry.The real explosion in vineyard development has been in recent years. Over a dozen wineries have opened in the last decade in North Georgia, largely based on the success of the premium European varieties thriving in the area. The critical success of this developing wine region has prompted the launch of still a dozen more projects slated to open in the next couple of years.We invite you to experience the beauty of our vineyards and taste the quality of our wines, many of which have won National and Interna-tional competitions. With so many medals won by our wineries, North Georgia is emerging as a prominent wine growing region.The Winegrowers Association of Georgia is a non-profit corporation organized to promote and market Georgia wines, to improve the market environment for Georgia wines, to increase public awareness of Georgia wines, and to facilitate research in Georgia viticultural and vinfication techniques to improve Georgia wines.Annual members must qualify with a minimum of five acres in Georgia of vinifera or French-American grapes in production or with a minimum of 1,000 cases of wine produced annually from Georgia grown vinifera or French-American grapes.

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Vineyards and Wineries 1. Wolf Mountain Vineyards Dahlonega • 706.867.9862 2. Cavender Creek Vineyards Dahlonega • 770.823.9255 3. Frogtown Cellars Dahlonega • 706.865.0687 4. Blackstock Vineyards Dahlonega • 706.219.2789 5. Habersham Winery Helen • 706.878.9463

6. Yonah Mountain Vineyards Sautee • 706.878.5522 7. Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards Sautee • 706.878.1056 8. Tiger Mountain Vineyards Tiger • 706.782.4777 9. Persimmon Creek Winery Clayton • 706.212.738010. Crane Creek Vineyards Young Harris • 706.379.1236

Visit the historic Nacoochee and Sautee Valleys to sample our

100% Georgia wines

Located at Nacoochee Crossingat the junction of

Georgia Highways 17 & 255

98 Nacoochee Way Sautee-Nacoochee, GA

706-878-1056info@sauteenacoocheevineyards.comwww.sauteenacoocheevineyards.com

Mon-Fri: 12pm-6pmSat: 11am-6pm

Sun: 12:30pm-6pm

Join members of theWinegrowers Association of Georgia

for WineFest at Habersham Winery

Saturday, May 7th 12pm-5pm

7025 S. Main Street (GA Hwy. 75) Helen, GA

770-983-1973www.habershamwinery.com

Vineyards & Winery

100% Rabun County grown & produced wines

Try our Petit MansengJefferson Cup Invitational 2010 Gold Medal winner

San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition2010 Silver Medal winner.

Tasting Room open 7 days a week Sun-Fri: 1pm-5pm | Sat: 11am-6pm

2592 Old Highway 441 Tiger, GA

706-782-4777www.tigerwine.com

Mon-Thu: 12pm-5pmFri: 12pm-6pmSat: 11am-6pmSun: 12:30pm-6pm

2454-B Highway 17 Sautee-Nacoochee, GA

www.facebook.com/yonahmountainvineyards www.twitter.com/YMVineyards

706-878-5522info@yonahmountainvineyards.comwww.yonahmountainvineyards.com

FROGTOWNRRR

Winner of 7 medals at the 2011 San Diego International

Wine Competition!

Silver: NV CompulsionSilver: 2008 Touché Gold: 2008 Bravado Gold: NV DisclosureGold: 2009 InclinationGold: 2009 MarsanneGold: 2009 Vineaux Blanc

Winery tasting room hours: Mon-Fri: 12pm-5pm

Sat: 12pm-6pmSun: 12:30pm-5pm

Panini Lunches served Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Check for Wine Taster Dinners & Brunches at

www.frogtownwine.com706-865-0687

700 Ridge Point Drive Dahlonega, GA

n

neBlanc

Georgia’s First Gold Medal in San Francisco & Los Angeles

www.wolfmountainvineyards.com

706-867-9682180 Wolf Mountain Trail

Dahlonega, GA

Wine Tastings: Thu - Sun: 12pm-5pm

No reservation required

Winemaker’s Tour:Saturday & Sunday, 2pm

No reservation required

Vineyard Luncheon Buffet:Sunday, 12:30pm & 2:30pm

Reservations required

Vineyard Cafe:Thu - Sat: 12pm-3pm

Reservations required

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLEWINE COMPETITION

Judge’s Choice!2010 Indy Int’l Wine CompetitionTraminette - Gold Medal winnerGenesis - Silver Medal winner

3404 Northside Parkway NW

Atlanta, GA 30327

Monday - Friday: 7am- 7pm Saturday: 8am- 2pm

Decatur 24 hour hospital at 217 North McDonough Street 404-371-0111Stone Mountain at 1227 Rockbridge Road, Suite 300 770-717-1650

CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:

For vaccines and services. Does not include medications or other merchandise. Offer is good for one pet only in each household. Offer is transferable and need not be presented for discount. Terms subject to change at practice discretion. Contact our offi ces for additional details.

404.844.4824

Dr. Megan Stewart & Dr. Amy Mathews

www.thevi l lagevets.com

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Simply Buckhead May/June 2011

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