Thanks + Wednesday Night Market

From our market manager...

Peachtree Road Farmers Market is a special place

. Since its founding in 2007, we have become the state's largest producer-only farmers market, which means all items are sold by the farmer/maker with no reselling. The early leadership saw that Atlanta demanded farm-fresh produce, meats, and dairy, and the community supported their idea with open arms and shopping baskets!

The Market continues

eight years later

as a nonprofit organization housed at The Cathedral of St. Philip. Our farmers and vendors bring the best produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, pasta, prepared foods, and artisan goods from around Georgia to market Saturday mornings rain or shine. The relationship between the vendors and chefs and shoppers creates a sense of community that brings people together to laugh, share, and enjoy each other. We've seen couples come to the market on their first date, taken engagement photos here, and now their children race through the market to greet their farmer friends.

As our 9th season comes to a close, we are so grateful for another successful season. The market would not be possible without support from our sponsors,

Country Financial

,

Piedmont Healthcare

,

Wholesome Wave Georgia

,

Whole Foods Buckhead

, and

Beautiful Briny Sea

. We are grateful to our host, The Cathedral of St. Philip, our team of 29 volunteers, our farmers, vendors, and artisans. Most importantly, it is our shoppers who support the market in sun, rain, cold, and blistering heat. Without your commitment to the market and to buying local, none of this would be possible.

This year we have grown our outreach and programs thanks to your support. Please take a look at our

2015 Annual Report

for more details. We wish you a wonderful winter season and look forward to seeing you at our

Saturday Market from April 2-Dec 17, 2016,

and our new

Wednesday Evening Market from 

April 13-Oct 26, 2016

(see details below)

.

Sincerely,

Lauren Carey

Executive Director

Wednesday Night Market this spring!

Take a break from cooking and enjoy a locally sourced meal for you and your family at our new addition, the

Wednesday Evening Market!

On the run? "Grab & go" dinners will be available, too! You'll find familiar Market vendors and a few new ones serving up delicious whole meals, farm-fresh eggs, meats, and produce available for your midweek needs. 

April 13 through October 26

from

4:30 - 8:00 p.m.

See you on Wednesdays next spring!

Prep for Turkey Day the PRFM way

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

This week at PRFM...
It's the weekend before Thanksgiving, so don't forget all of your side dish necessities at the Market! We'll have sweet potatoes, winter squash, radishes, turnips, carrots, ginger, mushrooms, peppers, kale, and lots more local produce. Enjoy grass-fed beef and pork for a turkey alternative, as well as farm fresh eggs, local raw honey, jam, and pickled and roasted goodies for your Thanksgiving feast!

Chef Demo - Saturday 10 am
Nick Melvin | Venkman's
Executive Chef and Partner Nick Melvin takes a creative approach to classic comfort cuisine at Venkman's in the Old Fourth Ward. Nick's experience includes Atlanta faves Rosebud, Parish, and Empire State South. Venkman's uses the best quality ingredients and serves wild and sustainable seafood, humanely raised poultry, grass-fed free range meats, and local produce whenever possible. Nick applies his fine dining background to family recipes at Venkman's, where you can enjoy amazing food and drinks with eclectic live music, to boot. Nick's Doux South Pickles are always finding their way into the dishes too. 

SNAP Sign-up Assistance
The Market partners with Wholesome Wave Georgia to double the value of every SNAP/EBT dollar spent at the market, providing access to good food while supporting sustainable farmers and contributing to the local food economy.

This Saturday, Wholesome Wave will be at the market all morning to answer questions and assist those who qualify for SNAP benefits to sign up. If you know anyone who could use food assistance, invite them to come to the Market. Check the Wholesome Wave Georgia website for the info required to sign up.

Save the date - November 28

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. 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.

Santa's trip is sponsored by the chefs of Terminus City BBQ, and his elves will be serving up Terminus Whole Hog BBQ sandwiches.

We're on fire!

VOTE: USA Today's 10 Best Markets
USA Today has named PRFM one of the country's top ten farmers markets! Now you get to vote for our place in the top ten list! Vote daily through August 17 to help PRFM be #1 in the nation. It only takes a couple of clicks - no sign up or email entry required. Thanks for your support!

This week at PRFM...
Our Buy 7 Contest continues, so don't forget to stop by the info tent and enter to win!

Chef Demo with EJ Hodgkinson
of King + Duke
10:00 a.m. on 7/25
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Piedmont Hospital
This Saturday, don't miss the winner of The Attack of the Killer Tomato Fest, chef EJ Hodgkinson, as he shows us what to do with the beautiful chanterelle mushrooms and juicy tomatoes available now at PRFM. And maybe take the opportunity to ask chef EJ about the 24-foot open-fire hearth he uses to cook responsibly butchered meats and locally sourced veggies at King + Duke!

Exercise Popup with Cyc Fitness
Get in shape with a popup Cyc Fitness Spin Class at the market! Classes are at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. this Saturday. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Cycfitness.com. For more info, contact Cyc Fitness directly at dsteele@cycfitness.com or 404.698.4343.

Wholesome Wave Georgia at PRFM
The Market partners with Wholesome Wave Georgia to double the value of every SNAP/EBT dollar spent at the market. This means that $1 of SNAP benefits is actually worth $2 at PRFM. The benefits doubling program provides access to good food while supporting sustainable farmers and contributing to the local food economy.

This Saturday, Wholesome Wave Georgia will be at the market all morning to answer questions and to assist those who qualify for SNAP benefits to sign up. If you know anyone who could use food assistance, invite them to come to the Market. Check the Wholesome Wave Georgia website for the info required to sign up.

Everything's better with PRFM

This week at PRFM...
Mother’s Day weekend is here. Don’t worry, PRFM has got you covered. Pick up some flowers and jewelry plus all the fixings (strawberries, anyone?) for a super-impressive brunch that any mama is sure to love—almost as much as she loves you.

Chef Demo
with Zach Meloy of BETTER HALF
10:00 a.m. on 5/9
Chef Demos are sponsored by
Piedmont Hospital
Chef Zach Meloy is a native Georgian who has experience in kitchens across the Southeast (with chefs like Gerry Klaskala, Jay Swift, and Frank Stitt) as well as in Latin America (including Costa Rica, where he met his "better half," Cristina). In 2011, Zach and Cristina launched their popular supper club, PushStart Kitchen, which gained such a following that the couple decided to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant (funded on Kickstarter by their many fans). At the end of 2013, they opened BETTER HALF, recently named by Garden & Gun as one of the five most exciting new restaurants in the South. Check out this week's demo and see exactly what all the buzz is about!

Master Gardeners Info Tent
Let your Central Fulton County Master Gardeners help you grow your garden! Now is a great time to plant, and the master gardeners will share their tips for getting your spring garden going. Got a garden question? They'll help you identify that mystery plant or figure out why your herbs aren't flourishing.

Food for thought...

Piedmont Healthcare's 
"Living Better"
Berries are coming into full swing now! Not only are they delicious, but they help keep you healthy! Read more about the health benefits of berries at Piedmont Healthcare's "Living Better" website. Lena Beal, a therapeutic dietitian at Piedmont's Fuqua Heart Center, shares the three biggest benefits of these super-food fruits as well as ways to incorporate them into a balanced diet.

Save the date...

3rd Annual Sunday Supper
Join us on June 14th at 5:30 p.m. for the 3rd Annual PRFM Sunday Supper! Nine Atlanta area chefs will serve up family-style dishes made with farm-fresh, local ingredients sourced from PRFM farmers and vendors. Guests will dine at a table with a farmer and enjoy drinks from Second Self Brewing Company and Brookhaven Wines.

Chefs include Terry Koval of Wrecking Bar, Adam Evans of The Optimist, Nick Leahy of Saltyard, Rusty Bowers of Pine Street Market, Jenn Robbins of Avalon Catering, Thomas McKeown of The Grand Hyatt Buckhead, Sarah O'Brien of Little Tart Bakeshop, Suzi Sheffield of Beautiful Briny Sea, and Adam Waller of Bocado. 

Tickets are $75 each, or you can buy a table of 8 for $550. The fundraising dinner will be held in Child Hall at the Cathedral of St. Philip. Tickets are available now at Brown Paper Tickets.

This event is sponsored by Country Financial and funds raised support Market programs including Wholesome Wave GA food stamp doubling, operating costs, children's programming, and healthy eating initiatives.


- 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

A Word of Thanks: Market Manager Lauren Carey

It's been quite a year! Over 5,500 Facebook fans, 2,296 Twitter fans, 70 vendors, 38 wonderful markets, 35 chef demos, 40 amazing volunteers, two Holiday Artist events, hundreds of dogs and one cat, baby goats, pigs, ponies, the Sunday Supper evening, a Halloween parade, and a Market Mash-Up! This season we saw our Wholesome Wave Program double yet again, processing nearly $30,000 in food stamp benefits at the Market.

We have also seen our farmers struggle with major health issues and the worst weather season in years. All along we have been grateful for your continued support. We are also grateful to our sponsors: Country Financial, Whole Foods, Wholesome Wave. Without the support of our sponsors, our chef demos and the food stamp matching program could never happen.

Peachtree Road Farmers Market is a special place because of the smiling faces we see each week—farmers, artists, food producers, volunteers, and most importantly you, our customers. We notice when you aren't in your usual chef demo seat, we are excited to meet your new baby, and we love to make you smile as we fill your shopping bags with delicious local foods.

Thank you so much for supporting the 2013 Peachtree Road Farmers Market! We can't wait to see you on April 5 for opening day 2014 as we launch our 8th season!

Sincerely,
Lauren Carey, Market Manager

This Saturday: Drink Good. Do Good.

One Juicy Market

Chef Demo with Brent Banda
of La Tavola – 10:00 a.m. on 6/29
Chef Demos are sponsored by
COUNTRY Financial
There’s no time like tomato season to welcome a chef with Italian skills—like La Tavola’s Brent Banda, maybe. Before joining the Fifth Group Restaurants team in 2004, Banda honed his skills at some of NYC’s best joints (Maialino, Esca, and Hearth). We’re glad his talents are back home in Atlanta, where he can share his fresh, seasonal dishes (and a few tips and tricks, too)—be sure to ask him about La Tavola’s annual Tomatofeast, and find out why the red fruit is nicknamed the “apple of love.”

CrossFit Market Challenge
Join us this Saturday for a jumpstart to your workout—15 minutes of pure CrossFit, exercise that’s sure to get you bikini-ready. Just $5 gets you the feel-good energy of a kick-butt morning routine plus the feel-good energy of doing, well, good—all the proceeds benefit Wholesome Wave, the folks who double SNAP benefits (food stamps) at local farmers markets. Also, giant tire flipping.


- Jennifer Maley

It’s a PRFM Weekend!

Chef Demo with E.J. Hodgkinson
of JCT. Kitchen & Bar 
10:00 a.m. on 6/22
Chef Demos are sponsored by
COUNTRY Financial
Check out our chef demo this Saturday for one of Atlanta’s hot chef “young guns,” so you can say you followed his rise to fame from the beginning. Hyperbole? Nope, the hype is true, y’all. You’ll remember E.J. from his time at Woodfire Grill, but before that he crisscrossed the country perfecting his skills at luxury resorts, cafés, and the Texas Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu. And even before that, his love for all things local started at the kitchen table with his mother and grandmother’s meals made from their own garden ingredients. Plus (and it is a plus), he’s from California, where fresh food is a way of life. We’re glad he’s brought that way of life, and the good hype that goes with it, to Atlanta. Don’t miss chatting with him this weekend—he’s one to watch—and maybe visit him on Sunday, too, at our Sunday Supper! (photo by Richie Arpino) 

Reserve your plate THIS SUN.
at SUNDAY SUPPER
This Sunday, join the city’s hottest chefs (Kevin Gillespie, Aaron Russell, Dan Latham, Thomas McKeown, Jenn Robbins, E.J. Hodgkinson) and mixologists (Arianne Fielder and Brian Stanger) for a great meal, live music, and special auction (castle in Italy, anyone?). All of the evening’s proceeds will support PRFM’s Wholesome Wave Program that doubles food stamp and EBT benefits. Tickets are $100 and are available at Peachtree Road Farmers Market.


- Jennifer Maley

The Best Kind of Social

This week at PRFM…
COUNTRY Financial will be on hand giving out limited edition 2013 Peachtree Road Farmers Market Reusable Design Contest bags. Stop by to grab your free bag and enter to win a market gift certificate.

Slow Food ATL Ice Cream Social
June 8th from 12:30–2:00 p.m.
in the garden of St. Philip’s
Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Chapter of Slow Food International and the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.
Buy your tickets now to taste the best frozen treats from Atlanta’s renowned local chefs and ambitious amateurs participating in the Seventh Annual Slow Food Ice Cream Social fundraiser! The event features 30 delicious homemade ice cream and sorbet flavors made from fresh ingredients, and it’s a sell-out every year. Participants include chefs from Miller Union, The Optimist, Woodfire Grill, Five & Ten, Local Three, The Spence, Ammazza, 4th & Swift, Seven Lamps, Pricci, Rosebud, Buttermilk Kitchen, One Eared Stag, Bantam + Biddy, Cook Hall, Davio's, Livingston, plus our awesome amateurs! Tickets, which include a taste of each flavor and a ballot to vote on your faves, are $15 for adults, $5 for children ages five to 10, and free for children under five. Tickets can be purchased online here. Don’t forget to please BYOS (bring your own spoon)!

Chef Demo with Ron Eyester
of Rosebud & The Family Dog
10:00 a.m. on 6/8
Chef Demos are sponsored by
COUNTRY Financial
Before you enjoy all that delicious, delicious ice cream, don’t forget to stop by the chef demo tent and lay down a layer of the savory stuff. Hint: it is also delicious, courtesy of Ron Eyester. We love Chef Ron’s unique take on what it means to eat local, and we know from experience that he makes preparing the season’s best a whole lot of fun. Ask him about his new restaurants in the works—a pizza joint for Morningside and a diner for Atlantic Station. Or maybe ask about Rosebud’s new weekday brunch menu. Just don’t you worry—“The Angry Chef” is really one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.

On sale now…

Reserve your plate at
SUNDAY SUPPER
On June 23, join the city’s hottest chefs (Kevin Gillespie, Aaron Russell, Dan Latham, Thomas McKeown, Jenn Robbins, EJ Hodgkinson) and mixologists (Arianne Fielder and Brian Stanger) for a great meal, live music, and special auction. All of the evening’s proceeds will support PRFM’s Wholesome Wave Program that doubles food stamp and EBT benefits. Tickets are $100 and are available at Peachtree Road Farmers Market.


- Jennifer Maley

You’re Invited to Sunday Supper!

1/9 Support Wholesome Wave at Whole Foods!

Shop at the West Paces Ferry, Ponce de Leon, or Briarcliff Whole Foods stores on Wednesday, January 9th to support Wholesome Wave, an important program that works with 13 farmers markets statewide (including PRFM) to support our local farmers, economy, and community by doubling the value of SNAP benefits (formerly food stamps) spent at local farmers markets. On January 9th, all three in-town Whole Foods stores will be donating 5% of their proceeds to Wholesome Wave, so plan on stopping by and stocking up!

- Jennifer Maley