Chew plus juice
Ladell Hill’s interest in nutrition and health began as a child. Growing up, Hill lived on a 150-acre farm in Lebanon, Tenn., and learned about the benefits of herbs and raw foods from his Native American grandfather.
His grandfather’s early lessons, plus his continuing study and experience as a fitness trainer and wellness specialist in Atlanta, lead Hill to create Chuice. More of a meal than a drink, the chewable juice is a combination of more than 45 different fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds.
Made fresh daily, the good-for-you Chuice is available in two blends: the popular Forest (green) and the River of Life (red). It also comes in two sizes: 16 ounces ($7.50 to $8.50) and 64 ounces ($27 to $30).
Find Chuice at various metro Atlanta locations, including www.rainbowgrocery.com in Decatur and www.lucysmarket.com in Atlanta's Buckhead area. For other stores, check chuice.com.
Haute chocolate
Savannah chef and chocolatier Adam Turoni found his passion early on — in his grandmother’s kitchen.
After graduation from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, he interned at Alice Water’s restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and with a chocolate guru in New York.
Then Turoni headed south.
Last year, the Pennsylvania native opened Chocolat by Adam Turoni in downtown Savannah. His artisanal chocolates include bars, truffles and caramels that are almost too lovely to eat.
Roasted fig and cognac truffles, as well as raspberry truffles, are favorites. But so are Southern treats, like Bacon Butter Pecan Toffee (made with Georgia pecans) and caramels filled with local honey. Some chocolates, like the chocolate "bee" bars pictured, get the Midas touch, with a dusting of 24-karat gold. Prices range from $2.50 to 4.25 per piece. To satisfy your sweet tooth, visit www.chocolatat.com. If you are in Savannah, visit the shop at 323 W. Broughton St.
Get sauced
John Causey started creating all-natural barbecue sauces for competitions in 1985. A few years ago, the owner of Good To Go, a barbecue joint in Vienna, decided he wanted to bottle and sell his award-winning sauces and rubs. In 2009, with the help of his family, he created Smyrna-based Causey Foods.
The original barbecue sauce is a family favorite and best-seller. The tangy, vinegar-based sauce is thin enough to baste and marinate with and thick enough to cling to your meats. The sweet and smoky sauce is popular with those who don’t care for a vinegar-style sauce. There is also a sauce for those who like it hot. A bourbon sauce is in the works.
A 13.5-ounce bottle is $7. Chicken and barbecue rubs are $5 each. Or choose a boxed or burlap gift bag ($18 to $38) for Father's Day or all your summertime hosts. To order, visit www.causeysfoods.com, where you can also find a list of stores across the South that carry the rubs and sauces.
Best of the South
Do you have favorite finds from around the South that you give as gifts, buy for your home or rave about to friends? If, so please share them with us. Send suggestion to: lljerkins@gmail.com. In the subject line, write Southern made. Include your name and a contact number.
