For April let's learn to cook local, shop local and meet the authors of some great new cookbooks. All for you in the ATL.
Learn from a Chef. Then Shop.
Throughout the year, local farmers markets team up with local chefs to give you new ideas for serving meats, produce and dairy all produced within a few dozen miles of where you're standing (or sitting if you're hanging out during a chef demo). Peachtree Road Farmers Market opens their season Saturday, April 2, and offers chef demos until the season ends on December 17. The chefs generally provide written recipes that include which vendors sell what they're cooking with that day. The recipes are also posted on the market's website. Jenn Robbins of Avalon Catering starts off the demos this year on April 2, followed by Nick Leahy of Saltyard on April 9. 10 a.m. Saturdays. Free. 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta. No registration required.
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Spice Up Your Weekends
Savory Spice in Virginia-Highland hosts a spice-filled demo every Saturday afternoon at 1pm. It's always free. The two chefs on staff do the demo in the store's center counter and offer samples then and throughout the afternoon. On Sundays the samples are available but there's no demo. If you need more inspiration, check out the over 900 recipes on their website. 1 p.m. Saturdays. April 2 – Wings Weekend. April 9 – Ice Cream and Cookies. April 16 – Celebrate National Parks (it's the 100th birthday) with picnic foods. April 23 – Spices from the Renaissance. April 30 – Cajun Cooking. Free. 1048 N. Highland Avenue, Atlanta. No registration required.
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Credit: C. W. Cameron
A Master Cooking Class for Passover
Paula Shoyer, author of "The New Passover Menu" (Sterling Epicure, $27.95), is in town for the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta for two events on Sunday, April 10. At 3 p.m. she'll teach a cooking class and at 7:30 p.m. she'll discuss her collection of Passover recipes and sign copies of the book. Shoyer is a French-trained pastry chef with two previous cookbooks on baking including one on dairy-free desserts. 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 10. $65 for members of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta or $80 for non-members includes the class, a copy of the book and admission to the author talk. $10/$15 for just the author talk. Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Atlanta. Register here.
An Evening with the Lee Brothers
Nobody works the "Southern food" genre these days better than the Lee Brothers, Matt and Ted. Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, they first started The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, and went on to write hundreds of articles about the food of the South, create award-winning cookbooks and host "Southern Uncovered with The Lee Bros" for TV. Now you can meet them at a cocktail hour and program sponsored by the Cherokee Garden Library. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 12. $35. Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. Register here.
Learn to Make Fresh Pasta
Bellina Alimentari at Ponce City Market sells Italian specialty foods and offers cooking classes throughout the month. You can learn to make filled pastas, rolled pastas, gnocchi or risotto, or take one of their many classes that pair wines and cheeses. In the pasta making class you'll make your own pasta dough then roll it out. The class ends with a tasting and you'll take home the pasta you make. 6 – 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27. $45. 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue N.E., Atlanta. Register here.
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