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Month: December 2017

  • December…Tis The Season of Giving

    December…Tis The Season of Giving

    Everyone looks forward to December. It’s a month full of gift exchanges, holiday parties, secret santas and more. We give until our wallets go “pop”. Sometimes, in the midst of all that giving, we lose sight of those who may not be able to give and may miss out on receiving. This December we did our part remembering that it is the season of giving. The Dynamic Duo worked to give back to the less fortunate with the help of some really great friends. We also got the chance to meet the the creator and founder of ReSupply.

    On December 10, 2017, The Chef In Pearls alongside Rochelle, of Culinary Vegg Out & Lifestyle, hosted our very first Friendsgiving to help raise funds for No Kid Hungry. With the help of friends and collegues, we were able to exceed our goal of $500.  For every $10 that we raised, up 100 meals could be provided to those in need. Are you as surprised as we were? Through our efforts we provided over 6,000 meals. We extend a huge Thank You to all who contributed. We couldn’t have done it with out the support of so many. Thanks to Bar Margot, Atlanta Touch Therapy, Richards’ Southern Fried, Chef LaSheeda Perry, Red Velvet Confections, Safi Spirits, LGE Boutique and our baby Patience & Thyme. ALL of these companies, coupled with donations and auction bids from our friends and family, helped us to feed some less fortunate children.

     

    To keep the season of giving going we attended Oh! Nikka’s Tis The Season Brunch at BuckHead Pizza Co. Nikka asked for each attendee to bring an unwrapped toy for a less fortunate child. In true form I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get a gift for a boy or a girl. So I got both gifts. I hope it made some little boy and girl happy this past Christmas. While at the Tis The Season Brunch we were introduced to Paul Tocci of ReSupply. It’s a wonderful app created to help make donating to your local charity easy as pie. The hardest part of the whole process might just be downloading the app. Once downloaded you find a charity that you like, take pictures of the items you want to donate, schedule a date and time for pick up and then you receive your digital tax credit. How simple is that? And it’s not too late to make donations before the new year. Just in time to be used for your 2017 tax season. Here’s a video of me and Paul talking about the app. Once your done watching go to the Google app store and download ReSupply. It’s your chance to help others while helping yourself. What is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

     

     

  • Not Too Late…Five Restaurants to Try before 2018

    Not Too Late…Five Restaurants to Try before 2018

    Okay Christmas is out of the way. Now to focus on the the start of the New Year – 2018. Hold on, we have a whole week, actually less than 7 days until the new year.  Why not put those days to use by trying out one of my fave five restaurants in the Atlanta area? Eating at one of these five restaurants will give you a chance to connect with family and/or friends you may not have seen for Christmas. It’s  holiday magic waiting to happen! Good eats with good folks is sure to equal good times.

    My five choices, in no particular order, are:

    1. Bar Margot – located in the Four Seasons Hotel on 14th Street. From the moment you arrive it is impeccable service. The valets are gracious and everyone you meet as you move to your seat is divine. It only gets better the longer you stay. The food is great and the staff extremely knowledgeable. If you think I’m joking try them. They can suggest substitutions on so many things, if there is something you may not eat or isn’t a part of your dietary needs. And as luck would have it, they are hosting a New Year’s Eve celebration. Click the link to find out more about it www.BarMargotAtl.com Hey make sure you try the huckleberry cheesecake while there. And tell the executive pastry chef, LaSheeda Perry, I sent you over.
    2. Agave – located in Cabbagetown on Boulevard. This restaurant is one you could easily drive by, as I had done so for years!! DO NOT pass this one up. It offers an eclectic Southwestern menu that is sure to tickle your tastebuds. I highly recommend you try the Stuffed Mountain Trout Tomatillo: fresh Georgia mountain trout stuffed with crawfish, mushrooms and onions; served over Spanish rice with a roasted tomatillo sauce. YES! Check them out, www.agaverestaurant.com 
    3. STK – Can I tell you a joke? I never understood why they named the restaurant STK, until I actually visited their website. Duh! STK is a steakhouse. Yeah, I get it now. You know what else? They are good at more than just steak. They make some mean seafood too. You can read my review on the restaurant right here. If you haven’t made plans for NYE they have something going on that night. Check it out www.togrp.com
    4. P.S. 404 – One of my favorite concepts for a restaurant, the place reminds you of a classroom. There is everything from microscopes, menus made to look like composition notebooks, giant sized jenga and they have Recess that lasts more than the usual 1 hour we were has as kids.(Happy Hour from 3-6pm Monday-Friday). The menu item that I enjoyed the most was their Fried Chicken and Green Chili Cornbread Waffles with Red Eye Gravy . . . heavenly. Which leads me to their weekend brunch menu. Along with my favorite, they offer a great menu. I mean who can go wrong at brunch with your favorite people? Check out their site www.psontap.com
    5. Tacos & Tequilas- Everyone loves Mexican food, right? The food here tastes as if they have an abuela cooking in the back. The food is always nicely seasoned and the margaritas are good. On certain nights they have live entertainment. You can’t go wrong with the Chimi Rita, a meat stuffed flour tortilla deep fried and served with beans, rice and the usual trimmings. If you don’t have a good time there then you’re just an unhappy person. Visit their site at www.tandtatlanta.com 

    I hope you decide to use the last few days of 12017 as a time to create some wonderful memories. It is the one thing I have always encouraged you to do throughout the year. I plan to visit more restaurants and share my experiences on them in the coming New Year. Together with sharing my life as the Chef in Pearls, I look forward to 2018 and the new memories it will bring. As always, go forth and continue to make new memories.

    Until next time…

    ~ The Chef In Pearls.