Cherokee Garden Library presents Southern Uncovered: An Evening With the Lee Brothers. 6:30 p.m. April 12. $35; reservations required. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com.
When I arrived last fall at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I was invited to take whatever empty desk in the Features department that I wanted. I opted for the seat formerly warmed by restaurant critic John Kessler. The fabric of this chair is mucked up with food stains, but for a gal who always has sticky fingers that make it tricky to shake a hand, I felt perfectly at home. Kessler even left salt and pepper packets in the file drawer. Best welcome present ever.
The Features department has seen a few changes in the past few months. Not just with Kessler’s departure, but also that of the highly cultured Howard Pousner. While these talented longtime AJC faces are missed, sometimes it doesn’t feel like they are really gone.
I bug Kessler on the phone every so often. Sometimes, it’s when I’m befuddled by Atlanta’s food culture. Other times, I ring him when I’m on the fence over how many stars to award a restaurant. Thanks to Kessler, I’ve been liberated by thinking along the lines of “two stars and a hand slap.”
Plus, it seems that, once an AJC writer, always an AJC writer, as with Kessler's recent food travel story on Dubai or Pousner's piece on the cancellation of the 2016 Folk Fest art show and sale. Luckily, with Pousner now working for the Atlanta History Center, I've got multiple chances to see him in person. And this cultural institution is giving me many a reason to stop in.
The Atlanta History Center has been under construction for some time with enhancements, including a 4,000-square-foot cafe and bookstore. The space opens to the public April 4, and it promises delicious food to feed body and mind. That's because Souper Jenny will be serving up fresh soup, salads and sandwiches seven days a week, owner Jenny Levison having relocated her flagship cafe from its digs nearby on East Andrews Drive in Buckhead to this breezy, light-filled space.
Souper Jenny will share its new home with an independent bookstore that will carry, among other things, numerous cookbooks and other food-related titles. The history center envisions it as a community gathering space, which is why museum admission is not required for dining or shopping there. Moreover, visitors are encouraged to pull books off the shelves and flip through them, even while dining — or sipping wine or beer. Yes, really.
The exhibitions at the Atlanta History Center also should pique the curiosity of the food-fascinated. If you haven't already hit up the current exhibit, "Atlanta in 50 Objects," it's worth the visit. The center asked Atlantans to pick the items that best represent this city. Many of the objects chosen involve food and dining — from the Varsity drive-in restaurant to a century-old bottle of Coca-Cola to an 11-foot-long Chick-fil-A billboard cow. The exhibit has been so popular that it has been extended through the end of 2016.
“A lot of people think that, with Southern food, we have to look back,” Ted Lee told me. “We don’t feel that way.” He called Southern food something that is constantly evolving. “The greatest days for Southern food are ahead,” he said.
When asked why they chose to conduct their lecture at the Cherokee Garden Library at the history center, Matt Lee raved about the institution. “Their collections are so deep and rich. It’s a resource for food historians,” he said.
Cultural institutions often can seem stuffy or dated. Like the Lee Bros., I’ve found the center, with its new addition as well as its exhibits, lectures and workshops, to be vibrant and keeping up with the pulse of Atlanta and the taste of its residents.
I found it curious that Levison chose to relocate her cafe precisely for this reason.
“When the Atlanta History Center first approached me about the idea, I was skeptical. I always had a preconceived notion about what the history center was, and who they attracted, and didn’t think our bohemian cafe was a good fit,” Levison said. “It is apparent their enthusiastic focus is to turn these old perceptions upside down and introduce a new, more approachable Atlanta History Center with something for everyone.”
One place on the 33-acre grounds of the center that doesn't quite seem to change is the Swan Coach House. That restaurant, I think, might be an institution unto itself. Pousner made sure I tried its iconic chicken salad served in heart-shaped timbales, a side of cheese straws and a rounded mold of creamy frozen fruit salad, all requisite dishes for the uninitiated.
Now, that’s a taste of Atlanta culture. I need to chat with Kessler about it.
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