Artist Market + Santa = holiday kick-start!

This week at PRFM...
Remember, PRFM is open 9 a.m. to noon now through 12/19!

Holiday Artists Market
On Saturday, November 28, in addition to our fantastic line-up of farmers and prepared food vendors, more than 35 artists will bring their locally made wares to help you shop for the holidays! Our artists are producing fine jewelry, original paintings and photography, hand-stitched and knitted clothing items & accessories, doggy treats and pet goodies, bath and body collections, pottery, fiber and paper art, woven baskets, and much more. NaturAlmond, Verdant Kitchen, Beautiful Briny Sea, and Doux South all have gift packages for that hard-to-shop for foodie in your life. Garnish and Gather is offering a specialty gift card with an extra 20% added just for Market shoppers. Fabulous holiday wreaths are available for pre-order from Heirloom Gardens. Support your local farmers, chefs, and artisans this holiday season!

Santa Visits the Market
Santa and his Elves will be visiting the Market for free festive photos (please bring your own camera). Kids of all ages  are welcome (and their dogs are, too!). The event is inside the Cathedral and takes place along with the farmers market and holiday artist market. Ongoing all morning; no appointment necessary.

Santa's trip is sponsored by Chef Kevin Gillespie and the elves of Terminus City BBQ, who will be serving up Terminus Whole Hog BBQ sandwiches. 

Chef Pop-up with Nick Leahy
Chef Nick Leahy of Saltyard joins us with another Chef Pop-up tent featuring Market-fresh ingredients! All proceeds from our Chef Popups benefit Meals on Wheels Atlanta in buying produce from Market farmers for seniors in need. We're delighted to see the Market serve as a path to help farmers sell more produce and provide our seniors with healthy, local veggies. Come support this week's Chef Popup for a great cause! Ongoing all morning. 

Show and Tell

This week at PRFM…

Chef Demo

with Joey Ward of Gunshow

10:00 a.m. on 5/2

Chef Demos are sponsored by

Piedmont Hospital

This Saturday under the demo tent, one of “Top Chef” Kevin Gillespie’s “hired guns,” Joey Ward, will bring his passion for local foods and farmers. He's the real deal—knowing he wanted to become a chef as a young boy looking up to his grandfather, a Navy cook. Ward worked in some of Atlanta’s favorite spots, from Woodfire Grill to H. Harper Station, before Gillespie recruited him (and his creativity) for Gunshow. He's since been named Jezebel’s “Rising Star Chef” and listed in Zagat’s “30 Under 30" of people redefining the hospitality industry. Oh, and he’s also the two-year consecutive champ of the Kevin Gillespie Super Bowl Dip Off/Snack Attack competition. Get ready to think outside the [produce] box, y’all.

Chef Pop-Up with Nick Leahy

Grab a bite from Saltyard’s Nick Leahy and support the PRFM Meals on Wheels program, where produce is bought from farmers after the market to serve local seniors in need.

Mercer University Health Screenings

Mercer University student pharmacists will be on hand to provide blood pressure screenings and discuss the results with you. They’ll also share lifestyle modifications for patients with hypertension and info about cardiovascular diseases.

- Jennifer Maley

Words of Thanks from Manager Lauren Carey

Hard to believe that our 8th season is ending. At this time of the year, we are so grateful for all the gifts 2014 has brought us. A few words of thanks...

First and foremost, thanks to our amazing shoppers! We've watched your families grow, adding new members (on two legs & four) and sending those we knew as children off to college. You shop with us in all weather and make local food part of your family values. The Market cannot happen without your support. We appreciate being a delicious part of your weekly routine, and we can't wait to see you on opening day, April 11, 2015.

I'm thrilled that we have been able to continue to serve a broader community this year through both our Wholesome Wave Georgia SNAP program and our new partnership with Meals on Wheels. Wholesome Wave allows us to double food stamp benefits at the Market, making fresh local foods more accessible. Our partnership with Meals on Wheels has been the perfect circle of giving. Amazing chefs like Thomas McKeown at The Grand Hyatt Buckhead, Jenn Robbins of Avalon Catering, and Nick Leahy of Saltyard did Chef Popups to raise funds for Meals on Wheels to buy veggies remaining at the end of Market. These purchases provide seniors with additional fresh vegetable servings.

The Market could not happen without the incredible hospitality of The Cathedral of St. Philip. While the Market is self-sustaining, the Cathedral offers a home to us indoors and out during the week and on Saturdays. The values of grace, hospitality and excellence are inherent in all we do. As Dean Sam Candler always says "we don't need a big Sunday coffee hour. We have one each Saturday!"

Our generous sponsor Country Financial has done so much more than provide a donation to the Market. They have become a part of our community through the high school bag contest, support of our Sunday Supper, and as a regular part of our Market. Whole Foods Market Buckhead has supported us for years by supplying staples for the chef demos unavailable at the Market as well as drinks at our information tent.

Huge thanks to all our chef demo chefs, who not only teach us how to cook each week, but support the farmers at their restaurants. I especially want to thank two chefs, who have personally and professionally gone above and beyond for the Market this year: Chef Thomas McKeown of The Grand Hyatt Buckhead and Chef Jenn Robbins of Avalon Catering. They've served at the Sunday Supper, done Chef Popups, served our vendor appreciation breakfast, and most of all bought out the occasional bumper crops from our farmers. Our gratitude to these chefs is measured in grit bowls served and veggies bought.

Your Market is special and unique because of the committed farmers, growers, food creators and artists that come rain or shine each week. All these incredible and talented small business owners fill our plates not just with food but with love. 

 
Appreciation goes to our volunteers that make the market shine. The weekly newsletter, blog, website, chef demo sound/videos and food assistance, tent and table setup, receipt-taking, garbage cleanup, and the friendly information tent services are all compliments of an incredible team that volunteers an estimated 100 hours a week. Bo, Sara, and I are so lucky to serve not just the vendors, but you our shoppers and the local food community!

I hope you count the Market among the things for which you are grateful as well. Please consider PRFM in your year-end giving. Donations can be made securely online through the Cathedral's website at https://stphilipscathedral.securegive.com. You need to create a quick account, select Donations, and then choose Farmers Market.

Eat local,
Your Market Manager
Lauren Carey

PRFM + Meals On Wheels

Peachtree Road Farmers Market and Meals On Wheels Atlanta Collaborate:

Farm to Table for Seniors in Need

Meals On Wheels Atlanta and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market at The Cathedral of St. Philip are partnering to provide the freshest locally grown vegetables to senior clients of Meals On Wheels Atlanta. At the market on Saturday mornings, Meals On Wheels Atlanta purchases - at a discounted rate - vegetables left at the end of the market to deliver to their senior clients.

Chef Nick Leahy of Saltyard is on the Board of Trustees for Meals On Wheels Atlanta and was instrumental in developing this partnership. “It’s a win-win for everyone. Local farmers are able to reduce waste and Meals On Wheels Atlanta clients benefit from fresh local vegetables,” he said.

Peachtree Road Farmers Market at The Cathedral of St. Philip is open every Saturday 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM through December 13, 2014. Peachtree Road Farmers Market is the largest producer-only market in metro Atlanta. The market has created Chef Pop Ups that will benefit the Meals On Wheels Atlanta and Peachtree Road Farmers Market partnership. The Chef Pop Ups feature local chefs preparing a delicious dish for shoppers utilizing market produce. The shoppers can choose to make a donation which will help offset the cost of the vegetables provided to Meals On Wheels Atlanta. Upcoming Chef Pop Ups benefiting the partnership will be on October 11, November 8, November 22 and November 29.

Lauren Carey, Executive Director at Peachtree Road Farmers Market, is responsible for working with the market farmers and providing Meals On Wheels Atlanta with their weekly supply of vegetables. “Our farmers are so excited about this partnership. It really is the perfect relationship. Shoppers enjoy Chef Pop Ups made with market veggies, the money goes back to supporting the farmers who are helping to feed seniors in need,” she said.

In Georgia, one in six seniors does not know when or where their next meal will come from. To combat senior hunger in the Atlanta community, Meals On Wheels Atlanta will deliver more than 130,000 meals this year to local Atlanta seniors in need.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide fresh vegetables from local farmers to our senior clients. This partnership shows how Atlanta’s nonprofits can team up to do what’s best for the seniors in our community,” said Jeff Smythe, Executive Director for Meals On Wheels Atlanta.

To make a donation to support this partnership, please visit www.mealsonwheelsatlanta.org.

About Meals On Wheels Atlanta
Founded in 1965, Meals On Wheels Atlanta is a nonprofit organization that supports senior independence through meals, shelter, education and community. Through extensive programming, Meals On Wheels Atlanta delivers more than 130,000 meals annually, repairs hundreds of senior homes, manages seven neighborhood senior centers, provides community and wellness education, and helps seniors and their families manage Alzheimer's and dementia. Meals On Wheels Atlanta serves approximately 2,400 seniors annually. For more information on how to volunteer or donate to Meals On Wheels Atlanta, please visit www.mealsonwheelsatlanta.org or follow them on Facebook and Twitter or call (404) 351-3889.

About Peachtree Road Farmers Market
The Peachtree Road Farmers Market was founded in 2007 and exists as a program of The Cathedral of St. Philip. Now in its eighth year, Peachtree Road Farmers Market is a leader in the community connecting over 70 farmers and local producers to over 2,500 weekly shoppers. PRFM is the largest producer-only farmers market in the state. Producer-only means that everything at the Market has been grown, raised, or made by the seller, ensuring fair prices for both the vendors and the consumers. The Market takes place on Saturday mornings beginning in April, rain or shine, until mid December. PRFM accepts and doubles SNAP (EBT/food stamp) benefits. For more information please visit our website at www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Photo credit: Sara Craig-Goodell. L-R: Chef Nick Leahy of Saltyard, Asner Jean and Vanessa Ashi with MOWA, Lauren Carey with PRFM, and Farmer Michael Hendricks of Indian Ridge Organic Farm.