When she lived in the Bay Area in San Francisco, Michaela Graham loved visiting its “Underground Market,” an area where foodies could sample and purchase culinary treats made in home kitchens.
So when she moved to Atlanta, she immediately went into market withdrawal.
“I said, ‘I can’t be without it, so I’ll just start it here,’” Graham said.
In February 2011, she kept her self-made promise and launched the Atlanta Underground Market. The way it worked was that Graham would contact her 12,000-plus followers and email them the date of the monthly gathering, and then, at the last minute, the “secret” market location, which might be Sweet Auburn Market or Atlantic Station or The Goat Farm or Atlanta History Center.
It wasn’t unusual for more than 1,000 people to show up, forks at the ready, to taste adventurous offerings from more than 100 home cooks, caterers, private chefs and some existing restaurants.
On Sunday, Graham is taking the concept public and replacing the seemingly spontaneous event – there was always plenty of behind-the-scenes planning – with a regular weekly outing in a permanent spot.
Atlanta Nosh will debut at noon in the 75,000 square-foot space at Atlantic Station.
Graham is hopeful for an opening event crowd of about 5,000, which she believes is attainable since, she said, research showed that similar markets in Detroit and Cleveland draw about 15,000.
About 200 dishes will be available for tasting and the Atlanta Nosh will keep the background lively with music from a rotating array of local talent (Jake Rathburn performs Sunday).
Graham talked more about her reason for bringing Atlanta Nosh to the masses and how she hopes to, “Push people out of their comfort zone,” cuisine-wise.
Q: Why bring the event public?
A: It just got too big. It had 12,000 [email] members through word of mouth and we’d have 1,000 people at the door sometimes, waiting to get in. So we thought, what can we do to make this legit?
Q: Why did you choose Atlantic Station?
A: They’ve been so awesome with us. They allowed us to hold [the Underground Market] there before, so I approached them about how they would feel about it and they loved the idea. Four months ago, I had no idea I was going to do this, it just sort of evolved and Atlantic Station had this big area with parking.
Q: How do you vet the people who are cooking and serving?
A: Many of them have been regular vendors at the Underground Market, and then we had food auditions in February. We had two groups of 10 judges and asked people to come in with their dishes and we chose the ones that would be the most interesting and unique. Pretty much everyone started as a home cook or has a business license. We have about 30 people who are just now starting with the Nosh.
Q: What are some of the unusual foods that will be for sale?
A: We’ll have Filipino food, Senegal food with lamb sliders. One chef [Lis Hernandez] has Venezuelan arepas and has a 45-minute line from the time we open. She’s actually got her own place, Arepa Mia in Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Someone coming back has a jellyfish salad. We’ve got mealworm praline. The Underground Market was quite experimental. We’ll have to tone that down a bit, but we’ve got a lot of fusion and things that don’t normally get cooked together.
Q: Do you have any thoughts yet about expanding?
A: I don’t know. I don’t want to split the crowd in half. I wouldn’t want to do Saturday and Sunday in the same spot. But maybe if it’s a super success!
Event preview
Atlanta Nosh
Noon-3 p.m. Sundays. Alcohol available starting at 12:30 p.m. $5 (not including food, which is priced at $1-$5); children 12 and under free.
Season pass is $35, includes entry and access starting at 11 a.m. Passes are sold in advance online or after 1 p.m. on site. Atlantic Station, 1380 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta (lower lots off 20th Street, entrance through Tower Street). 404-573-7154, www.atlantaundergroundmarket.com
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