I'm taking a trip this weekend to Greenville, SC for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's 27th Annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference, a weekend-long gathering featuring some remarkable movers and shakers in the sustainable agriculture field. The conference is chock full of workshops, hands-on intensives, farm tours, blockbuster speakers and heaps of local food from around the region. 

 I have the incredible pleasure of blogging on behalf of the CFSA this weekend for their blog, The Sweet Potato, and am even more fortunate to attend a host of workshops and seminars about growing local food, food policy and how local food affects our community. 

I'll learn my full schedule when I arrive on Friday, but here are just a few of the amazing workshops that caught my eye (taken from the CFSA website): 

Hands-On Mushroom Experience
presenter Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain, LLC on-site workshop at Upstate Children’s Museum 
This outdoor class will give you a chance to get your hands dirty. Come learn about mushroom ecology and production from a top mushroom expert. Tradd will show examples of woodland mushrooms and demonstrate different types of produc- tion methods (ex. logs, wood chips, wheat straw.) Learn also about mushrooms in compost, recycling, and bio-remediation. Hands-on training at its best!

How Wildly Good Cooks Use Local Food to Fight Obesity 
presenter Linda Watson, Chief Cook & Researcher at Cook for Good 
Learn how the Wildly Good Cook certificate program mixes videos and books with local instructors and cooking demonstrations to provide affordable, customized training. Participants learn to cook delicious, healthy, local food even on a tight budget. They learn to shop with the seasons and avoid cues luring them to eat hyper-palatable food packed with sugar, salt, and fat. Watch an example cooking demonstration, learn about the first trial sessions and consider becoming an instructor or host organization.

Growing Great Garlic
presenter Pam Dawling of Twin Oaks Community
Garlic planting, harvesting, curing, storing, and the selection of planting stock will
be comprehensively covered in this workshop. We will discuss both hardneck and softneck bulb garlic. We will also cover “by-product crops” such as garlic scallions and scapes, which are ready early in the year when new crops are at a premium. Come learn about this wonderful plant from a popular expert.

Forest Farming and Cuisine in the Southeast 
presenter Zev Friedman of Living Systems Design 
Come learn about the permaculture forest agriculture model as a way to provide marketable ingredients for a true forest cuisine. This sustainable model works with the native ecologies of the Southern Appalachian bioregion and provides foods that indigenous people ate (and still eat!). Learn from the food wisdom of the Cherokees and early European settlers, as well as contemporary wild food gatherers. You can do this on your land! 

Sounds like a blast, right? I could go on and on listing the workshops that I want to attend, but I'd run out of room. If you'd like to see the full schedule of workshops, you can download it here. There are still available spots if you'd like to attend the conference too. Registration can be found right here. 

I hear Greenville has quite the vibrant nightlife and local foods scene and am looking forward to exploring the city with a camera in one hand and a fork in the other.  Look out!

Have you been? Send me your favorite dining spots and Greenville must-sees. 

I fell in love with a couple of food trucks in Denver. On our first night in the Mile High City, we met up with our lovely friends Stacey and Justin who let us crash at their place and happily indulged my need to hunt down a very specific food truck. I caught wind of the Caveman Cafeteria while still in North Carolina via my Twitter feed. You know,  doing all of my nerdy, foodie research that I do prior to landing in any city.  What's cool about The Caveman Cafeteria is that they are a paleo food truck! They serve up a host of delicious proteins and tasty vegetables for those following a diet free of grains, processed sugar and legumes. 

The Caveman Cafeteria is the brain child of Will White, an Army veteran, stand-up comedian and all-around nice guy. He joined forces with his best friend and chef, David Kenney earlier this yeart to start the Caveman Cafeteria. He even took a picture of us the night we ate there. 

That night, the Mister and I dined on a fresh tomato salad marinated with sea salt and wagyu beef sauteed with enoki mushrooms and the most slurptastic demi-glace which I called the "bistro juice."  I wanted to take a bath in it. If you meet up with the Caveman Cafeteria, be sure to give a nod to its mascot and wonderdog, Boris who is usually chillin' like a villain on the sidewalk. 

The Comida Food Truck was the main attraction at our friend's wedding, serving up some dope guacamole, handmade tortilla chips and expertly made  tacos for the masses. You can't miss it either. The Comida truck is a big and bright pink. 

I opted for Stella's Pork Carnitas over sweet potato mash with pineapple-habanero salsa and the Sirloin Situation over sweet potato mash with sauteed onions and crema. The Mister chose the Spicy Shrimp taco over jalapeno grits with pico de gallo and avocado. I heard it was fiery from a number of guests, some who could handle it and some who could not. Everything was made from scratch and prepared to order in the taco truck. Smack ya' mama good! 

I'm a big fan of food trucks and would love to travel around enjoying all the inventive cuisine made inside these matchbox kitchens. That's a culinary feat all by itself. If you're in the Denver area, I hope you hook up with these two winners. 

Did I mention I had a food truck during my wedding weekend? More on that this week! 

After a short "business" trip to Wray, Colorado , our next stop was an impromptu visit to Boulder. What a wonderful treat! 
I failed to mention in my last blog post (because I was feeling more poetic than conversational) that on our first night in  Wray, Colorado, we totally hit a deer with our rental car. It sucked. The radiator busted and we were in the middle of nowhere. But....guess who bought insurance for the first time in her adult life? I did! 

Shout out to Fox Rent A Car for replacing our Hyundai Santa Fe with a Jeep Liberty and towing it to us. We were not close. The next morning, new wheels in place, we decided to hit up Boulder, Colorado for a night and we are so glad we did. 

Boulder is gorgeous. Seated at the foot of the Rocky mountains, the city of Boulder offers incredible mountain views and hiking trails along with the charm of a small town.  It's full of an eclectic mix of creatives, college students, outdoor enthusiasts, locavores and whiz-bang entrepreneurs. Seriously, there were some wicked good conversations happening everywhere we turned. 

 I was just happy to be around like-minded people again. You know, the kind that love good coffee and local food. There were even compost bins right next to the trash cans in the coffee shops. Be still, my heart. We only had a night in Boulder so our stops were limited. 

Here's a run down...

Ozo Coffee: See that delicious pour over pictured above? That's the Ozo business. Our barista was just about the friendliest and most knowledgeable barista I've ever met too. We also indulged in a Chemex brew too.  

Folsom Street Coffee: More friendly baristas and strong coffee. Also, we fell in love with their gluten-free baked goods. Best Blondie made with almond flour EVER! 

SALT: This restaurant was recommended by a few locals and friends of mine. It's menu boasts local and seasonal ingredients and the menu made my mouth water. But, I would say our experience was "meh". The service was lacking and the charcuterie was impossibly small although it did have duck prosciutto and rosemary infused lard. I only wished there was more of it. The entrees were simply okay. The atmosphere , disingenuous. We left feeling like we spent more than the experience was worth. 

The Kitchen[Next Door]: We ate lunch here and loved the bustling and hip atmosphere. Old school industrial lighting and hip, schoolroom chairs mingled with servers in plaid shirts racing around the bar made of reclaimed wood. The menu was farm-to-table  lunch fare. I had the poached salmon salad over baby arugula and the Mister had the dry aged Colorado cheeseburger with garlic smashers which happened to be a most marvelous take on a french fry. Eat them. All of them. 

Two Spoons Gelato: Malted chocolate chip gelato and toasted almond gelato made from scratch in small batches. Nuff said. 

All of these spots were on the Pearl Street mall, a fantastic and lively walkabout of shops and eateries with the mountains cuddling you in the background. I could live here, no doubt. 

 Next up on our adventure list?  Denver! The city we really came to visit.  We had a big time with two amazing Denver food trucks and some more good eats. Can't wait to share the rest of our trip with you. 

Did you know that taking a trip right before your wedding is an incredible stress reliever? 

That is, until you set foot back home from said trip.  That's right,  I'm back from a lovely trip out West and I'm crazier than ever. I've decided to wear my crazy as an accessory for the next couple of weeks and just make it work.  I've got plenty of things to go with the crazy like the random outpouring of to-do list jibberish and manic outbursts of payment dates and appointment times. Whatevs. I make crazy look good. But, I digress...

The Mister and I flew to Colorado last week for a wedding and arrived a few days early to tend to some business in Wray, Colorado. Located about two and a half hours east of Denver, the town of Wray is the embodiment of small town USA. 
The expansive plains and cattle feed lots that lead to Wray make it feel much further than the couple hours distance it is from Denver.

 I was appropriately shocked at the nothingness coupled with the sights of big agriculture- large silos of grain, mono-cultured fields and heartbreaking feed lots.  For a locavore like myself, these sights were hard to take in, but there was beauty too. 

I saw sunsets and sunrises unobstructed by big city buildings and stars that beamed across the pure night sky. I enjoyed silence, unknown in places filled with neon lights and white noise.  I could hear crickets conversing and coyotes cry out. I could hear each blade of grass between the teeth of cattle. The expanse felt like freedom, if only for a moment. 

 We stayed for one night and then moved on, much like the people in the deserted  towns in which we passed. Oil drilling  instruments and windmills dotted our line of sight and then it was gone. Civilization returned and we saw mountains on the horizon. Boulder was next. Good food and coffee was poised and ready for our arrival. 

More to come....

What day is it? Can anyone fill me in?  Honestly, I was a day ahead last week and now I'm a few days behind thanks to one of the greatest long weekends EVER.  My bachelorette party weekend. I won't bother you with all the details. Okay, maybe I will.   

But first, a few snaps from my special weekend....

Suffice it to say that I ate my way through the entire city of Atlanta with my bestie/maid of honor and a dear friend who drove all the way from Gainesville, Florida to surprise yours truly. It was everything a girls weekend should be- long talks, good food, pampering,  shopping, slumber parties,  couch snuggles with the best doggies alive (see Charlie and Maya above) and lengthy discussions about the meaning of life or at least, life right now. 

I love my long-time girlfriends. They have seen me through the worst of times and the best of times and somehow they still love me anyway. I am so grateful to have these ladies in my life and, though, not all my girls were there, the spirit of the weekend was indicative of the love I have for all my gal pals.  Okay, I had to gush for moment. Now, back to the food.

Did I mention the food? 

Atlanta has an incredible food scene. Each time I visit, I barely scratch the surface of all the good eats in town.  

On the first night, my bestie prepared a home-cooked meal with the last of the fresh grouper filets she scored while visiting her foodie father in Sarasota. She made Grouper Granoba with a green bean and pepper saute along with her killer artichoke dip which is always a crowd-pleaser. Dessert that evening was Martha Stewart's tres leches cupcakes topped with fresh cream and a dash of cinnamon. That became my late night snack. Every. Single. Night. 

The next day, we went shopping and stopped for lunch on Buford Highway, the premiere spot for ethnic eats in Atlanta. This long stretch of road spans the globe as you drive from one end to the other with endless eateries and specialty markets. We decided on Vietnamese food and ended up at Nam Phuong where we ate like queens for $40. My favorite was the green papaya salad with cilantro, basil, mint and fresh lime along with barbecued pork.  

Later that night, we dined at a trendy new spot in Inman Park called Barcelona. Our friend, Ben McPherson, also happens to be the Executive Chef and so the red carpet was rolled out for us in the form of endless tapas and hand-carved Jamon Iberico (pata negra, which means "black hoof"), a famously Spanish cured ham that is salty and delicate with silky fats that melt in your mouth. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard.  I also must comment on the exquisite heirloom tomato and peach salad dressed in red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. It was a mouthwatering trio of tangy, acidic and sweet. After the barrage of small plates ended, we finished the experience with butterscotch flan and three spoons. Stick a fork in me. 

After another night of revelry, we spent the next day in watching episodes of Being Erica with lebanese takeout from Olive Bistro and provisions from Whole Foods Market. Of course, on our trip to pick up takeout and snacks, we had to stop at Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand for one of their infamous sloppy sliders with chicken sausage patties,  cheese sauce, pickled jalapenos and special "comeback" sauce.  Sloppy perfection. 


Needless to say, I've been to the gym every day since I've been back and am fighting the urge to make a batch of tres leches cupcakes for myself and the Mister. I will leave you with a couple other favorite ATL spots that I hit up whenever I'm in town and wrap up this overdue blog post. 

San Francisco Coffee Company- for my morning cup of joe
Ria's Bluebird- My old faithful brekkie spot
King of Pops- My favorite popscicle stand 

Next time I'm back in the ATL, I'll be a married woman! 

So, why the spotty existence on the blog? Well, I have some good news to share with you.  A while back, I knocked on several doors looking for writing opportunities and do you know what happened? They all opened. At once.  

Don't think for a minute that I'm complaining because nothing could be farther from the truth. It's just that these new additions have, for a moment, got me all topsy-turvy.  I'm in the adjustment phase, so to speak, trying to find a new rhythm and routine that allows me to tend to these new opportunities while also making time for the blog, photos, recipe development and kitchen time. 

You see, I also work nights because writing and creative living does not yet pay the bills (for me, at least) which means that all these wonderful things must be squeezed into my daytime hours.  Like a boa constrictor.  Also, I am not a night owl, so there's that too.  

This is the learning curve of my transition, I guess. I hope you'll bear with me as I find my way back to a regular posting schedule. In the meantime, I am content to share with you some of my travels. The photos above are from Off The Square Restaurant, a farm-to-table restaurant located in downtown Albemarle, a quaint town about one hour northeast of Charlotte. I was in the area working on my first piece for WFAEats,  the food blog for our local NPR news source. 

Off The Square is known for its commitment to providing local food to its customers. In fact, they source their produce from Carolina Farms, the subject of my story and other local farms in the area. Carolina Farms is a special program dedicated to the care and support of individuals with autism. They provide meaningful lives and work for seventeen permanent farm residents and five employed individuals through their farm program which fully sustains a 39-acre farm and robust CSA program.  Currently, Carolina Farms supports 48 weekly CSA shares for local families.  Amazing, right?

Off The Square purchases eggs and much of its produce from Carolina Farms. I was graciously brought to lunch there after my visit to the farm and met with James Edwards, executive chef and owner. James was born in Asheboro and took off into big city livin' where he earned his culinary chops working in some tough NYC kitchens. After years in the hamster wheel,  Edwards returned to his hometown and renovated a space in the heart of downtown Albemarle with his wife Ashley, where his restaurant has become somewhat of a crown jewel.

 I've only met three people from Albemarle and all three of them asked me the same question-Have you been to Off the Square? 

Edwards keeps it local and simple on the menu. Many of the items are not incredibly inventive rather they are simple and well-made with quality ingredients. I had the lobster bisque (pictured above, top left) and the crab cake sandwich with a house made honey mustard fig sauce. My host had the grilled vegetable sandwich made with local herbs and produce from Carolina Farms. I am keen to try the brunch menu which looks outstanding. 

The air in the restaurant was cozy and comfortable, locals coming in and saying hello to each other from across the table, seated in an assortment of eclectic wooden chairs. Gorgeous details highlighted the space, exposed brick and wooden floors, a nod to preserving history of the building and  the pride of this small town.