Atlanta Intown A Publication
Changing Times
Representation of Buyers and Sellers is currently more crucial than ever. High-level home sales require expertise beyond mere chance. Ken’s profound market knowledge, extensive negotiation experience, access to off-market properties, and adeptness in problem-solving throughout various phases such as inspection, appraisal, and house preparation are indispensable in today’s volatile high-end Intown market. Operating at an exceptionally high level is not unfamiliar territory for me, with accolades including eight-time recipient of the Five Star Award and the Good Neighbor Award from the Atlanta Realtors. Ken is well-prepared for such pivotal moments. Contact me today to discuss your real estate needs.
Recent
Editorial
Collin Kelley
Editor collin@roughdraftatlanta.com
Beth McKibben
Senior Editor, Food & Dining
Sammie Purcell
Associate Editor
Staff Writers
Dyana Bagby
Cathy Cobbs
Bob Pepalis
Logan C. Ritchie
Contributors
Sally Bethea, Jack Rose, Laura Scholz, Tim Sullivan
Published By Rough Draft Atlanta
Keith Pepper Publisher keith@roughdraftatlanta.com
Neal Maziar Chief Revenue Officer neal@roughdraftatlanta.com
Rico Figliolini Creative Director
Circulation
Each month, 27,000 copies of Atlanta Intown are mailed to homes and distributed to businesses in and around ZIP codes 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30324 and 30329. For delivery information, delivery@roughdraftatlanta.com
To subscribe to home delivery, ($75 / year) email delivery@roughdraftatlanta.com
RoughDraftAtlanta.com
Advertising sales@roughdraftatlanta.com
Deborah Davis
Account Manager | Sales Operations deborah@roughdraftatlanta.com
Clay Hovater Sr. Account Manager clay@roughdraftatlanta.com
Jeff Kremer Sr. Account Manager jeff@roughdraftatlanta.com
Suzanne Purcell Sr. Account Manager suzanne@roughdraftatlanta.com
Operations Savannah Pierce savannah@roughdraftatlanta.com
Strong and Compassionate: Family Law Litigation and Mediation
PUBLISHER’S
Keith Pepper
Recent events in Georgia and Mississippi show that journalism’s principles are under attack by people whose efforts, if not their intentions, undermine the free press — a cornerstone of our democracy and the only profession enshrined in and protected by the U.S. Constitution.
In Mississippi, the nonprofit newsroom Mississippi Today, known for its Pulitzer Prizewinning reporting, faces a costly defamation lawsuit from a former governor. He is demanding access to confidential sources and notes, threatening the newsroom’s financial stability and the trust between journalists and their sources.
public watchdog.
These are merely two examples of a troubling trend that is almost certain to be exacerbated by the challenges posed by AI and deepfakes, especially as we enter into election season. Independent, credible journalism is our best defense against misinformation and manipulated media.
We are growing
The lawsuit by Phil Bryant aims to stifle investigative journalism by draining financial and human resources and intimidating reporters. If newsrooms are forced to divert funds to legal defenses, they will ultimately produce less thoughtful work that holds the powerful accountable and keeps the public informed.
In Georgia, media organizations are facing our own troubling scenarios.
The University of Georgia Law Clinic, known for its advocacy for open records and governmental transparency and its support of small newsrooms, including ours, recently halted some of its efforts due to alleged political pressure.
Locally, our Alpharetta-based colleagues at Appen Media Group are embroiled in a protracted legal battle with the City of Sandy Springs over the state’s Open Records Act, challenging the city’s transparency, specifically with routine police records. In December, a judge ruled against Appen, but wrote that the company, “may be correct in its assertion that [Sandy Springs’] practice violates the spirit of the Open Records Act.”
Appen is appealing.
These legal battles exemplify how governmental bodies can use courts to obfuscate and delay due process, eroding trust and the media’s ability to serve as a
In happier news, observant readers will notice our expanded coverage of a fifth community in this month’s issues of The Reporter. I’m pleased to announce that we have added Cathy Cobbs as a full-time staff writer who will be covering Dunwoody and Tucker, two of DeKalb County’s most dynamic cities.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me at keith@roughdraftatlanta. com, and make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletters, which you can do by scanning the QR Code.
Thank you for your continued support of independent, local news organizations like Rough Draft. Your support is vital to preserving a free and fair press.
Water Crisis
Business recovery fund, infrastructure analysis begins after water main breaks
By Dyana Bagby
some costs they incurred when water main breaks on May 31 crippled the city for nearly a week with water outages
BUCKHEAD CONDOS
and boil water advisories.
Mayor Andre Dickens originally proposed a $5 million Atlanta Recovery Fund, but the council, after some discussion at its Monday meeting, agreed to add $2.5 million to the fund.
Dickens partnered with Councilmember Matt Westmoreland, who sponsored the initial legislation on behalf of the administration; Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta; and senior city leadership to build out the program expeditiously in order to get funds dispersed as quickly as possible, the mayor said in a news release.
“Our administration knows there is a need for this assistance and together we have made sure that getting money in the hands of the impacted small businesses and their employees remains a priority,” he said.
The application process for the fund opened June 24 and more details on how to apply can be found at investatlanta.com.
The money for the recovery fund is coming out of the Department of Watershed Management’s budget.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is undertaking a $1 million comprehensive analysis of the city’s water lines following the main breaks.
The Savannah and Mobile Districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a June 14 news release it was collaborating with the Atlanta watershed department on the $1 million “risk, resiliency, and water line condition assessment study.”
The initiative aims to evaluate risks and enhance the resiliency of the city of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management’s
drinking water system. It could take up to two years to complete.
Dickens told the city council at its June 3 meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be helping the city with assessing its roughly 3,000-mile water line infrastructure.
“We have sought their assistance because they are the government entity that has the most actual experience in the type of crisis that we are dealing with — crumbling and aging infrastructure,” Dickens said. “They will assist us as we identify and address the vulnerabilities of our current water system.”
For example, corroded steel pipes more than 80 years old burst at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive in the city’s first major break. Hours later, at the intersection of 11th and West Peachtree streets, a nearly century-old pipe broke that proved difficult to fix.
When the assessment is finished, the city will receive a list of strategies to determine the existing condition and an estimate on the remaining useful life of the pipelines.
"The city will also get a long-term capital planning for any necessary corrective actions, including rehabilitation or replacement,” according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Mayor Andre Dickens spoke at the site of the Vine City water main break on June 1. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)
Atlanta Watershed work crews on site repairing the Vine City water main break on June 1. (Photo by Dyana Bagby)
A century-old pipe had to be replaced following the main break in Midtown on June 1. (Courtesy City of Atlanta)
In a historic vote in DeKalb County, former county commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson defeated Larry Johnson in the June 18 runoff election for the office of chief executive officer.
A fire on June 6 heavily damaged the historic former location of LGBTQ bar Atlanta Eagle and the Kodak building on Ponce de Leon Avenue.
Atlanta Public Schools is one of the metro districts that will ban students’ use of cell phones in hallways and classrooms when classes resume in August.
Ground was broken on June 24 for the first segment of the Atlanta BeltLine’s Northwest Trail connecting Marietta Boulevard to the Blandtown neighborhood.
New APS superintendent hails from Tennessee
By Dyana Bagby
Bryan Johnson, a former Hamilton County Schools superintendent in Chattanooga, is slated to become the next superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. The Atlanta Board of Education introduced Johnson as the sole finalist for the school district’s top post during a Tuesday press conference. The announcement comes after APS, one of the largest school districts in the state with roughly 50,000 students, has been without
a full-time superintendent for nearly a year.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity,” Johnson said. “Atlanta should be, will be, with all of us together in this community, our teachers and leaders in service of students ... our goal is to be the best urban school district in the country.
“We’re at an inflection point and we are excited to lean into this work,” he said.
State law requires the board wait 14 days before voting to hire Johnson — the vote is set to happen July 6. Interim
Superintendent Danielle Bell will transition from her role by the end of August following the school board vote.
Johnson has spent nearly 20 years in public education, including as superintendent of Hamilton County Schools from 2017 to 2021. In 2021, he was named the Superintendent of the Year by the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents.
Johnson will be leaving his job as executive chancellor and chief strategy officer of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to take the job at APS. He has also served as chief transformation officer for U.S. Xpress Enterprises.
“When I was elected as board chair in January, we as a board set a goal to announce the new superintendent by July. I am proud to say that we have achieved that goal.
But more importantly, we found the best fit candidate for our district,” said Erika Mitchell, chair of the Atlanta school board.
The search for a new superintendent began last year after the board voted in June not to renew Dr. Lisa Herring’s contract. Herring served from July 1, 2020, until August 2023.
The school board extended its search process in April after the names of applicants were made public, a violation of the process.
Dr. Bryan Johnson (Courtesy APS)
Johnson speaks at the Atlanta Board of Education meeting in June. (Courtesy APS)
MARTA set to begin multi-year Five Points Station revamp
By Collin Kelley
After pushback from city leaders and riders, MARTA said it would explore keeping pedestrian access open to the Five Points Station during a four-year renovation project.
The $230 million project, which will include removing the concrete canopy over the station, is set to begin July 6 with the rerouting of buses to other nearby stations.
However, the transit agency’s plan to close all pedestrian access to the station on July 29 was met with a chorus of protest, especially with the 2026 World Cup matches on the way.
In a statement emailed to Rough Draft, MARTA said it would explore opening street access after completion of the first phase of the project, which is expected to last 18 months.
“If during the first phase of this project, engineers can safely provide street access, that will be explored and implemented as soon as feasible,” the statement said. “MARTA acknowledges that the first phase of this work is inconvenient, and we pledge to continue listening to customers and other stakeholders on how we can improve. We ask that you meet us halfway while still holding us accountable.”
Despite calls by Mayor Andre Dickens,
the Atlanta City Council, and Central Atlanta Progress President A.J. Robinson to pause the entire project, MARTA said it would proceed as planned after signing multiple contracts.
Dickens said he wanted to pause the project until an audit of More MARTA, the sales tax funding the Five Points revamp and other future projects, was complete.
Dickens said calculation errors found in the audit could require MARTA to repay $10 million to its expansion program for
2022 and $59.9 million from 2017-21, and possibly more. The full audit is expected in July.
Robinson called the redesign of the station “deeply flawed” and said it would not solve the problems facing the Downtown station.
Robinson has recommended a “refresh” above the fare gates before the World Cup masses descend on Atlanta. “A refresh could include artistic lighting, murals, landscaping, safe pedestrian crossings on adjacent streets
and active programming in the existing public spaces,” he said.
He also said that other Downtown stations – specifically Garnett, the Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes-Benz Stadium station, and Vine City – could also get a refresh ahead of 2026.
MARTA said in its statement that the removal of the concrete canopy was not just a cosmetic fix, but necessary due to water damage that has weakened the structure.
A rendering of the renovated Five Points MARTA Station. (Courtesy MARTA)
Saying ‘I do’ to wardrobe upgrades for a weekend
Kristen and I struggle to convey to our teenage children that some events call for a wardrobe upgrade to their usual outfits of drawstring shorts and irreverent tees.
To Elliott, Khaki pants and a buttondown shirt might as well be a straitjacket. And if Margo can’t wear a thrift store find that she customized herself with kitchen scissors, well, then that event is “dumb.” I’m no different. I hardly even want to wear shoes let alone a starched collar.
I’ve heard nightmare scenarios like my sister’s co-worker in Vermont who was attending a Colorado wedding. The required dress code was “Elevated Cowboy.” Excuse me? Give me a minute while I throw up a little in my spittoon. I’m picturing a threepiece denim suit with a bolero tie. Maybe a 10-gallon hat with matching patent leather boots? Did he arrive on a horse? It all seems so itchy and unnecessary I would have had to decline. I do want to see the pictures though.
When Kristen, the kids and I were invited to my niece Julia and her fiancé Ben’s formal wedding weekend in Charleston, I realized we were woefully
unprepared. We don’t know how to dress classy any better than we know how to pull off cowboy. And Julia is the first of Margo and Elliott’s many cousins to get married so we needed to dupe the extended family into thinking we can indeed be presentable.
The Thursday night barbecue at the groom’s parent’s beautiful home called for “Resort Casual” attire. That designation alone nearly paralyzed us because collectively, we haven’t spent much time at resorts. Turns out we couldn’t make it because the kids had to be at school that day, which perhaps is fortunate. There was a strong possibility I’d have shown up looking like either the ice cream man or the least confident member of a barbershop quartet.
“Cocktail Attire” would be needed for Friday night’s rehearsal dinner. Elliott and I could find passable outfits from the “if I really have to” section of my closet. Kristen opted to “Rent the Runway.” In fact, I think she rented all the runways. She was a knockout both nights but our apologies go out to anyone else who needed to rent a dress that month. My opinion was not sought after, nor needed by Margo. However, I was tabbed to manage her returns department.
The wedding itself was “Black Tie Formal” and I actually have a tuxedo I bought 20 or 25 years ago. They don’t go out of style, do they? Elliott tried it on
but the pant legs billowed about him as if tailored by MC Hammer. Instead, we went to the mall and surrendered to the expertise of a knowledgeable salesman. So assuredly did he dismiss my assumptions that we needed frilly shirts, cummerbunds and supershiny shoes that I didn’t even ask about a top hat.
in that humidity, but I suppose that’s why they’re them and I’m me.
The wedding was at perhaps the most breathtaking, secluded, golf club I have ever seen (and I’ve caddied at some nice places). Julia, Ben and their friends are all these impossibly good-looking, accomplished and fashionable young people. I imagined them as the cast of Gossip Girl ten years on, hedge fund geniuses who moonlight as Yves Saint Laurent models. It was a mystery to me how the groomsmen could wear those velvety-looking slip-on shoes with no socks
Still, this was a peak fashion weekend for my little family. Elliott was dapper and Margo looked so stunning she nearly stole the show. Someone should have stuck a microphone in my face and asked, “WHO are you wearing?” I’d have glanced over each shoulder as if I really shouldn’t divulge such a secret. Then with reluctant acceptance of my fabulousness, I’d have whispered, “It’s Calvin Klein for Macy’s— ON SALE!” For one weekend, we did it. We really fooled them all.
• Enclave of 36 intown cottages
• Historically inspired architecture
• Walk to Milam Park with pool, dog park and ball fields
• Electric car charger
• Two Car Garages
• Great Financing Options*
- No PMI
~ Up to $12,500 in down payment assistance
• Conveniently located near Decatur, Emory, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Tucker and downtown Clarkston
MILAM PARK
Tim Sullivan
The Sullivan clan all spiffed up for a summer wedding. (Photo by Suzanne Sullivan)
SUSTAINABILITY
What’s the matter with Atlanta’s pipes?
ABOVE THE WATER LINE
Sally Bethea
When Shirley Franklin became mayor of Atlanta in 2002, she inherited a massive infrastructure crisis: an aging, dysfunctional sewer system in chronic violation of clean water laws. Federal consent decrees, signed in the late 1990s, mandated that the city stop polluting the Chattahoochee River by specific deadlines. That successful outcome would require enormous expenditures and resolute, unflagging leadership.
Negligence and mismanagement of the sewer system by city administrations from the 1970s through the 1990s—and the failure of state and federal agencies to enforce clean water laws—had led to the dire situation. Unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria in the river and its tributaries threatened public health. Following storms, toilet paper and condoms decorated trees along waterways. Human waste rotted in stagnant pools, even in city parks. Sewer cave-ins occurred regularly. In 1993, two people died when a 70-year-old stormwater pipe collapsed beneath a hotel parking lot.
Franklin has said that dealing with the city’s decrepit sewer system was the hardest thing she did during her eight years in office. It was certainly my own biggest challenge as director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Our organization’s successful lawsuit against the city, filed in 1995 and supported by the U.S. EPA, initiated the megaproject: repairing and upgrading pre-1920 combined storm and sewer pipes, sewage treatment plants, and nearly 2,000 miles of sanitary sewer lines.
Clean Water Atlanta Program
Shortly after taking office, Franklin asked Wayne Clough, then-president of Georgia Tech, to convene a task force of independent water experts. Their charge: evaluate the sewer cleanup plan drafted by the previous city administration and recommend alternatives to meet decree deadlines and public expectations. The task force took a deep dive into Atlanta’s wastewater system and, importantly, assessed its drinking water and stormwater systems as well. All the pipes and facilities built to deliver clean water and manage wastewater were in disrepair or inadequate for the city’s booming growth— threatening Atlanta’s economy and public health.
Franklin responded by doing something remarkable. With the city’s long-term
economic prosperity and environmental health in mind, she was determined to tackle both crumbling systems: the legally mandated sewer overhaul and the failing drinking water system. Her Clean Water Atlanta Program, established in 2004, committed the city to fixing all the infrastructure. Refusing to take the politically expedient course (doing the minimum required), she and her team focused on root causes, including operations, maintenance, and training.
Water and sewer rates were tripled. A new municipal option sales tax (M.O.S.T.) passed the state legislature to provide additional revenue. These funds continue to flow into the city today. More than $2 billion has been spent on sewers with impressive improvements in cleaner, safer waterways, documented by Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. During Franklin’s time in office, she says that $1 billion was also spent on the drinking water system.
Changing of the Guard
When Franklin left office in 2010, the Clean Water Atlanta Program continued to be touted as the city’s response to its infrastructure woes by subsequent administrations led by Kasim Reed, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and currently Andre Dickens.
The consent decrees and their deadlines have kept the sewer work largely on track for the past twenty years, as mayors and city council members have come and gone. No similar forcing factor—a federal court mandate—has been in place to ensure needed upgrades to the drinking water system. Repair and replacement of those pipes and facilities took a back seat to the sewer work.
Over the years, city audits and investigations revealed serious problems within the Department of Watershed Management (DWM), which is charged with managing Atlanta’s water and sewer systems. It failed to collect hundreds of millions of dollars due from customers. Thousands of water meters disappeared, along with other equipment. A department commissioner hired by Reed in 2011, is serving time in federal prison for accepting bribes, and the most recent commissioner was just fired by Dickens in May.
More recently, DWM has hemorrhaged employees, as competent and long-serving DWM staff left for better jobs with more capable leadership. Notably, the department’s environmental compliance manager, an essential position, left more than a year ago and has not been replaced. Money for projects has not been the problem, say knowledgeable observers. They point to extremely poor leadership, mismanagement, low morale, and the loss of key personnel. There are few municipal services more important than the delivery of safe, clean water to homes and businesses and the proper disposal of wastewater. However, that obvious imperative does not appear to have motivated mayors or city council members to do what Franklin did—dig deep, find, and fix the root causes of the problems, no matter how difficult or expensive. That is, until early June, when water main breaks left much of downtown Atlanta without drinking water for six days.
Opportunity
The recent water crisis should be the catalyst that renews Franklin’s vision to prioritize all of the city’s water infrastructure. A physical and operational assessment of the water, sewer, and stormwater systems— conducted transparently—is needed. The operational review should examine the current capacity and leadership within the Department of Watershed Management, as well as the role of city contractors, to inform its overhaul.
Since last fall, the city’s largest sewage treatment plant—R.M. Clayton—has malfunctioned regularly, polluting the Chattahoochee downstream of Atlanta, according to Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. A state report found “shocking” conditions at the facility; the federal judge overseeing the consent decrees may need to review the situation.
Mayor Dickens has taken some good first steps by convening a panel chaired by Shirley Franklin to review water system failures and by engaging a federal agency for technical support. Time will tell if the mayor and city council are determined to get out their shovels and dig deep into the water, sewer, and stormwater crises, or buy a box of band-aids instead.
Water geysers from a broken water main in Midtown on June 2. (Photo by Beth McKibben)
Pets & Their People
We put out the call for photos of you with your beloved furry friends and you answered us! Our annual “Pets & Their People” issue is one of our favorite issues to assemble since it gives us a great opportunity to showcase our readers. The submissions always tend to run more in favor of the pups, so we were happy to see more kitties and even a horse this year.
— Collin Kelley, Editor
Presented by
Belicheck with Callahan Solyian
Alfie with Barbara Jarrard
Benito and Carlito with Suzanne DeLeon
Chief and John Dwyer
Blueberry with Morgan Peek
Bernie and Joan Levene
Hopper with Jaci Effron
PaChino with Sol Maria Tuya
Bumble, Cricket, Posie & Pip with Kimberly Ann Kennedy
Maisie with Lisa Torres
Lady with Jackie Stephenson
Max with René Nesbit
Fiona with Katie McAdams
Patsy June and Tom Wilder
Emma and Ross Donnelly
Mister with Gracie Wayylock
Princess and Ken Warford
Great Gatsby and Linda Zaworski
Margot with Kate Bivins
Peaches and Paddy with Katie Schanck
Rocco with John Lyons Rocko with Amy Williams
Ryker with Les Lewis
Sampson with Jett Friedman
Simba with Noushine Navabi
Tater with Anita Hsu
Sable Sugarpig with Su-Jit Lin
Archer and Luna with Erika Audrey
Sugar and Spice with Maggie Warford Starr with Robin Shore
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Atlanta Center for Photography to
on Edgewood Avenue
By Isadora Pennington
In just a few short weeks, Atlanta Center for Photography (ACP) will have cause for celebration. On July 1, 2024, the Center will take over the entire building at 546 Edgewood Avenue.
Since it was founded under the name Atlanta Celebrates Photography in 1998, this artist-run organization has championed lensbased artists working in the American South.
During the summer of 2023, ACP welcomed new Executive Director Lindsey O’Connor who sought to expand their reach from an annual festival to year-round programming.
In October 2023, as ACP celebrated its 25th anniversary, the organization announced a rebrand as Atlanta Center for Photography while keeping the same acronym, ACP. That same month they established their first permanent physical location on Edgewood Avenue.
Now, less than a year later, ACP is growing again.
“Our city’s arts landscape is rapidly
changing, and Atlanta Center for Photography is meeting the moment,” said O’Connor. “Expanding our footprint means we can increase our programs that invest directly in artists and mobilize, train, and retain the next generation of artists and arts workers.”
ACP’s original Project Lab Gallery is around 400 square feet and will soon occupy the entire 2,300-square-foot building. With the added space, ACP intends to unveil several new initiatives including a Studio Artist Program which will provide two subsidized artist studio spaces for photographers.
Additional spaces will include the ACP Reading Room, a comfortable and inviting area allowing visitors to peruse a non-circulating library of photography books. Also launching soon is the Bookshelf Residency, an interdisciplinary program inviting makers, writers, creatives, and book lovers to curate a selection of alternative media including books, records, and ephemera.
“We believe mentorship and education are critical to catalyzing the high-functioning and sustainable arts ecosystem Atlanta desires and deserves,” O’Connor continued. After the expansion, ACP will also offer a dedicated classroom space that can accommodate workshops, lectures, and seminars with up to 12 students at a time.
“Expect to see more opportunities for intergenerational community-building as we grow our programs and test
new models for exchange,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor was kind enough to share some images of the building as it stands today, with furnishings and decor pictured from the previous tenant’s setup. The space outfitted as a sitting room with a couch will soon become the workshop, for example. So, while these images give an idea of the space, if you want to see the full transformation you
might just have to visit it in person to see it in all of its glory.
While the lease officially begins on July 1, the team at ACP will be activating its new programs on a rolling basis through late summer and early fall to have the entire building ready for visitors by Atlanta Art Week, Sept. 30 through Oct. 6.
The interior of the new Atlanta Center for Photography on Edgewood Avenue. (Courtesy ACP)
The roof deck at the new ACP building on Edgewood Avenue. (Courtesy ACP)
The exterior of the new ACP headquarters. (Courtesy ACP)
By Beth McKibben
Bread and Butterfly
290 Elizabeth Street, Inman Park bread-and-butterfly.com
Eight years after opening his Frenchinspired cafe Bread and Butterfly in Inman Quarter, Chef Billy Allin turned over ownership last year to Brandon Blanchard and Chef Demetrius Brown of AfroCaribbean pop-up Heritage Supper Club. Having attended past pop-ups, I was already an admirer of Brown and his mission to highlight the food and ingredients of the African diaspora.
Brown and Blanchard have kept most of Allin’s breakfast and lunch menu intact, save a few new dishes sprinkled in here and there. But dinner is where Brown shines.
Like Heritage Supper Club, dinner spotlights French cuisine and cooking techniques seen through the lens of the American South and African nations like Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Caribbean countries like Haiti and Jamaica. Brown’s family hails from Trinidad.
On a recent visit I started with feathery soft plantain buns served with Georgia cane syrup-infused butter. I can’t speak highly enough about the potato salad – a herby mixture of Yukon Gold potatoes, beets, peppers, and peas. I was most impressed with the scallop étouffée. Savory roux gently pools around three tender scallop medallions garnished with delicate Carolina Gold rice crisps, green onions, and parsley.
On past visits, I’ve also enjoyed the djon-djon, commonly found in northern Haiti and comprised of rice, peas, and black mushrooms. Brown uses both local and Haitian mushrooms in his djon-djon. The Haitian patty is another must, filled with local beef and peppers spiced with tamarind.
Wine is never the wrong move, but don’t skip cocktails like the “Palazzo Spritz” made with Amaro Montenegro, Bual Madeira, and tonic water. Try the “Express Yourself” with oaked zero-proof rum, espresso, and a touch of maple for a great nonalcoholic take on the espresso martini.
Tacos Al Pastor
2146 Johnson Ferry Road, Brookhaven tacosalpastoratl.com
What started as a pop-up in 2020 opened as Tacos Al Pastor restaurant in Brookhaven
last fall. Located between Moon Indian Cuisine and Hovan Mediterranean Gourmet, the meat-packed spit (or trompo) of tender rotisserie pork (al pastor) spins slowly behind the counter ready for slicing.
If the spit reminds you of shawarma, it should. That’s the origin behind al pastor. Lebanese immigrants brought shawarma to Puebla, Mexico, in the 1930s, using the spit to roast lamb. Upon ordering, meat is quickly shaved from the spit into thin slices and served hot in a pita. Lamb was eventually
replaced with pork in Mexico and seasoned with achiote or adobo and chiles.
Slowly grilling for hours over an open flame, the towering hunk of pork layers forms a crispy exterior. You’ll often see a trompo of al pastor in Mexico crowned with a whole, skinned pineapple, which allows the juices to run over the pork as it marinates and caramelizes the meat. The pineapple is sliced with the pork, marrying sweet, savory, and spicy together in a taco garnished with fresh cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Although the spit at the Brookhaven restaurant isn’t topped with a pineapple, the fruit is still a key ingredient in the al pastor tacos.
I ordered two trios of tacos de al abuela (grandmother’s tacos) simply for the handmade corn tortillas. All street tacos come with a choice of grilled beef, al pastor, chicken, chorizo, birria, or lengua (beef tongue). Three of my tacos were al pastor and pineapple. The other three tacos were filled with chorizo, lengua, and birria. Be sure to load up on the house-made sauces for your tacos, ranging from mild to hot.
Bōm (Spring 2nd Branch)
36 Mill Street, Marietta
Chef Brian So opens Bōm (or Spring 2nd Branch) Korean restaurant later this year just around the corner from his Marietta restaurant, Spring. He’s offering sneak peeks at Spring through the end of July that you should put on your summer bucket list.
Every Tuesday night through July 30, So transforms the critically acclaimed fine dining restaurant into a Korean diner serving simmering hot pots, dolsot bibimbap, mandu (dumplings), and other dishes like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and naengmyeon (cold noodles). Cass Korean beer, soju, and wines
Scallop étouffée garnished with delicate Carolina Gold rice crisps, green onions, and parsley at Bread & Butterfly. (Photo by Beth McKibben)
Tacos Al Pastor in Brookhaven specializes in its namesake taco. (Photo by Beth McKibben)
by
The menu features six sections: appetizers; rice and noodles; soup; hot pot; meat; bunsik (snacks); and dessert. As at most Korean restaurants, the meal begins with complimentary banchan like daikon radishes pickled in pear juice, Korean potato salad, Napa Valley kimchi, fried peanuts and anchovies, and mung bean jelly noodles. It preps your palate for what’s to come.
My table of four ordered four wellportioned dishes to share, including haemul pajeon (seafood onion pancake), jogaetang (steamed clam stew), dolsot bibimbap (crispy rice, tofu, vegetables in a stone bowl), and mandu jeongol with tofu (dumpling hot pot). While everything we ordered was excellent, I can’t stop thinking about the steamed clam stew and the hot pot. Both were outstanding.
The warm bowl of jogaetang is filled with whole clams soaking in a bath of clam and anchovy broth. Infusing the dish further are chilis, scallions, and fragrant chrysanthemum greens, bringing out the subtle salty, sweet notes of the clam meat and balancing out the dank broth.
As for the hot pot, it arrived ready for
cooking at the table. The metal stew bowl was brimming with mandu, squares of soft tofu, vegetables and greens, and plump mushrooms. A flick of the switch on the burner starts to simmer the anchovy-kelp broth, gochujang-based chili sauce, and a scoop of fresh minced garlic, slowly cooking the mandu, tofu, and vegetables. Once the hot pot finishes cooking, you ladle over glutinous rice. The burst of spicy, savory, and funky flavors meld together in one hell of a comforting dish I can’t wait to eat again.
Mandu jeongol with tofu (dumpling hot pot) from Bom.
(Photo by Beth McKibben)
During these uncertain times, HammerSmith is here for you and your family. We provide safe, essential services, architectural designs and home renovations. Start planning today for how to live better in a changed world. HammerSmith is here for you and your family. We provide exceptional architectural designs and home renovations. Start planning today for how to live better in an ever-changing world.
City selects Savi Market to
vacant Grant Park Gateway
By Beth McKibben
We finally have a winner in the search for the occupant of the Grant Park Gateway building on Boulevard. The city selected Savi Provisions to take over the long-vacant space, which includes an adjacent park and sits atop an underground parking garage next to Zoo Atlanta.
The city took over the building and property beside it in 2022 from the Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Authority. Last year, Atlanta’s Department of Procurement and the Department of Parks and Recreation began fielding proposals from various Atlanta companies and restaurant operators on what should eventually fill the prime piece of Grant Park real estate.
No one is more Atlanta than Monica .
The Grant Park Gateway (Courtesy City of Atlanta)
A lack of submissions during the initial proposal process, however, led the city to try again earlier this year. It appears the second call to action worked.
Savi Provisions was one of three finalists in the running for the coveted Grant Park retail space. According to Urbanize Atlanta, the other two contenders included a micro food hall partially backed by Hop City Beer & Wine owner Kraig Torres and an unknown concept from Rease Group Holdings Inc.
Choosing Savi Provisions over the two other finalists came down to adding a “locally sourced, community-centered grocer” and access to fresh food within walking distance of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Once approved by the Atlanta City Council, it will be up to Savi Provisions
owner Paul Nair as to when the market would open in Grant Park.
Nair founded Savi Provisions in 2009. Billed as a gourmet neighborhood market, Savi Provisions sells everything from wine and beer to pantry items, prepared foods, and deli selections.
Finished in 2021, the Grant Park Gateway project cost $48 million and replaced a former parking lot with the present building and a 2.5-acre park over a parking garage. Grant Park Gateway is meant to be a community gathering place for neighborhood residents and visitors.
Savi Market founder Paul Nair. (File)
Taqueria Del Sol in Decatur became a family tradition for Saturday regular Lee Fidler
By Laura Scholz
When Taqueria Del Sol in Decatur opens on Saturdays at noon, the line of eager customers typically snakes along the sidewalk and into the parking lot of the popular restaurant.
You’ll often find personal trainer and running coach Lee Fidler at the head of that line. He’s been a regular at Taqueria Del Sol’s Decatur location since it opened in 2002.
At the time, Fidler was recently divorced and raising three grade-school-aged children. The laid-back vibe, affordable price point, and kid-friendly, Mexican-meets-Southern food menu from owner Mike Klank and chef Eddie Hernandez made it the perfect spot for a family meal.
“Thursday was the day I got my children, so we would we would often come here for supper after I picked them up from school and other activities like soccer practice,” said Fidler, sporting a faded orange t-shirt screen-printed with the Taqueria Del Sol logo on the front and the word “Regular” on the back.
The t-shirt was a Father’s Day gift from his youngest child, Mac, now 34 years old. Fidler continues to wear it on his weekly visits to the restaurant.
“My son and some friends made these shirts at Decatur High School in some visual arts class, and several other Decatur dads still have them,” Fidler said of the cherished Father’s Day present.
When his kids graduated high school and left home, Fidler kept up the weekly Taqueria Del Sol tradition. But he decided to swap Thursdays for Saturday mornings.
Fidler is usually in line by 11:30 a.m. Taqueria Del Sol’s operating partner, Steve Shields, often greets Fidler as he waits on the bench outside the glass doors.
“Lee has been a regular from the beginning, and we’ve really enjoyed watching his family grow over the years,” said Shield of Fidler’s commitment to Taqueria Del Sol. “When his son made the t-shirts for his school project, it was a wonderful moment to see how the restaurant is also a big part of their family dynamic and traditions.”
Once the restaurant opens, Fidler heads to his usual spot at the far left side of the bar, sometimes joined by his wife Alison Taylor, or other regulars he’s met there over the years.
“What I love about Saturdays is how the whole bar fills up at once, and I know this person likes sweet tea, and this person’s going to have the salsa trio, and every location has regulars like that,” said Taqueria Del Sol manager Melissa Davis.
She knows Fidler’s usual order: guacamole and salsa, plus a Memphis taco, turnip greens, cole slaw, and a sweet tea with lime—poured into a reusable cup he brings from home. Fidler said he started bringing cups from home after seeing how many Taqueria Del Sol went through a day during the pandemic. It became a small way to help out his favorite restaurant. One less dish to wash.
Sometimes, he’ll change his order up with a special taco or blue plate special. And Fidler always saves room to sample dishes sent out by Hernandez, who loves to give his Saturday lunch regulars the first chance to taste future restaurant specials he’s considering putting on the menu.
“Obviously, the food is good, the staff is pretty stable, and they’re very attentive,” said Fidler of why Taqueria Del Sol is one of his go-to restaurants in Decatur. “And you see the same staff and people who come at the same time every week, and it’s like a Saturday morning community.”
Some people he’s met at the restaurant have become his personal training clients; others attend Fidler’s annual holiday party, thrown at his Decatur home just two blocks from the restaurant.
After lunch, Fidler takes a few to-go tacos and walks them across the street to his friend Warren Hudson, owner of Decatur CD & Vinyl.
“I like to support businesses that I like and pay it forward,” said Fidler. “And I like to create little pockets of community wherever I go, whether that’s my Wednesday night running group, my church, or the people I see every Saturday at Taqueria. It’s good for my health and good for longevity.”
For Father’s Day one year, Lee Fidler’s youngest son gifted him a Taqueria Del Sol “Regular” t-shirt. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
Masa nutrition facts: what Norcross residents should know
By Jack Rose
At her kitchen table, Monica Barrera, a cook at senior living community Celebration Village in Ackworth, flips through YouTube videos on her phone. She’s showing me the process of turning corn into masa, or corn dough, which forms the base of Hispanic dishes like tortillas, tamales, and pupusas.
Barrera’s daughter peers over her shoulder, watching the videos with us and interjecting the occasional clarification or anecdote.
“You see that brown (color)?” Barrera asks, tapping the screen. “That’s what you need for real masa.”
When boiled and steeped in water and calcium hydroxide (what’s otherwise known as food safe lime, or cal), removed from the hull, and dried, corn becomes one of the most well-loved ingredients in the Western Hemisphere: nixtamal. The chemical process of turning corn into nixtamal (nixtamalization) gives this ingredient its unique flavor and yellow-brown color that Barrera loves.
Nixtamal can be eaten whole in dishes like pozole, or milled into masa harina (otherwise known as nixtamalized corn flour) so it can be combined with water to make masa. Of all the forms nixtamal may
be consumed in, masa is by far the most common.
Almost everyone has a starchy carb of choice that comprises a significant part of their diet, whether it’s rice, sourdough, cornbread, naan, noodles, or cereal. In Norcross—where Barrera lived for over a decade until the 2010s—the diversity of
masa is as wide as it is deep, with chefs from across Central and South America creating the food of their homes for residents.
“I go through maybe one bag of Maseca a month,” Barrera tells me, referencing the world’s leading brand of masa harina, according to Maseca’s parent company, Gruma. “I like to eat maybe two tortillas with a meal, but some people eat four or five or six.”
But masa comes with health concerns when consumed without informed moderation. Masa is still a carb, and those with carb-heavy diets run an increased risk of heart disease and weight gain. Some of these concerns come from a lack of nutritional information, some arise from the unique experience of Latinos in America, and others stem from a lack of proper federal regulation.
These concerns add to an increased health risk for Georgians like Barrera. The Latino Community Fund’s (LCF) 2023 Health Status of Latinos in Georgia Report shows that Georgia’s Latino residents experience a higher rate of diabetes and obesity than non-Hispanic white adults, both of which contribute to a higher rate of heart disease. And these numbers are rising: In 2023, the LCF observed a five-year increase of 1.9 percent in heart disease-related death
and 1.8 percent in diabetes-related death.
As of July 2023, Norcross’s population was 36 percent Hispanic. Norcross’s adult diabetes rate is 8.4 percent, Gwinnett County’s adult obesity rate is 25.6 percent, and the county’s low-income preschool obesity rate is 16.4 percent—1.8 percent higher than the state average.
Meals are “not as filling for Latinos, if you don’t have the masa, the tortilla, the bread,” says Dr. Roxana Chicas, assistant professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and an author of the LCF’s 2023 report. “So it’s really culturally important and part of our identity. But it is contributing to a lot of the health issues in this community.”
Read the rest of this story by scanning the QR code or visiting canopyatlanta.org.
A KALEIDOSCOPE OF SCIENCE, NATURE AND ART
8 - SEPT. 9, 2024
29 - SEPT. 29
Monica Berrera portions and rolls masa flour dough into balls to make tortillas. (Photo by Jesse Pratt Lopez)
Atlanta Intown A Publication
REAL ESTATE
North DeKalb Mall demolished to make way for Lulah Hills
By Cathy Cobbs
Demolition has begun at the former North DeKalb Mall site to pave the way for a new mixed-use development called Lulah Hills.
“Saying goodbye is never easy,” said a press release from developer EDENS. “North DeKalb Mall has been an integral part of this community for nearly 60 years. Now the time has come for a new chapter in this story.”
EDENS, which acquired the property in 2019, announced in 2023 that it would transform the site into Lulah Hills, a 73-acre mixed-use redevelopment.
“At its full buildout, the project will include 2.5 million square feet, including 320,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 1,700 multifamily units, 100 townhomes, a 150-key hotel,
and a PATH Foundation trail connection to Emory University,” the announcement said.
The name Lulah Hills is a play on an original naming concept by the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted for the Druid Hills community, according to the EDENS announcement.
Located near downtown Decatur and Emory University, North DeKalb Mall was Atlanta’s first fully enclosed mall when it opened for business in 1965. Over the years, it contained such tenants as Rich’s, Woolworth, Rhodes Furniture, Mervyn’s, Uptons and Stein Mart.
In 2020, the mall closed its doors, citing poor sales and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first phase, which will contain retail stores, is expected to open in 2025, according to EDENS.
Lulah Hills renderings courtesy of EDENS.
Demolition begins June 26 on North DeKalb Mall. (Photo by Cathy Cobbs)
From Intown Charms to Countryside Serenity
