Yoshie Eddings brings Destin Florida Sushi Soul to Downtown Athens

It’s tasty how the night moves. A quick pickle delivery and visit with a few friends at Aroma’s Wine Bar in Athens’ five points and then we headed downtown ….not sure where we’d end up for dinner. We happened upon an empty parking space on Clayton and headed up to the corner of Hull Street to peek our heads into the just-opened Five Bar. The cozy, loungy ambiance pulled us right on in …to the back of the eclectic room …and up the steps to the small sushi bar. I wasn’t expecting to find a sushi bar. I’d heard that Five Bar had a really good burger, which was what I figured I’d be getting. Until…. I saw the ‘Harbor Docks’ t-shirt on the busy asian lady behind the bar. Harbor Docks is a restaurant in the town I love to vacation in most ….Destin, Florida …where Phin and I have spent many moments. Me…dreaming on the beach and Phin…dreaming of fishing. Every time we’re in Destin, we always have to wander down to the docks and see what the fishermen are catchin’ …and I know Phin’s always wishing he was one of the them.

I loved watching Yoshie make beautiful edible art and listening to her story. She grew up in Tokyo and learned the art of sushi making in her father’s restaurant. She married and moved to Destin, Florida and began working at Harbor Docks in Destin in 1988. At that time, Harbor Docks’ menu was like many you’ll find in the area…fresh fish with sides and sandwiches. But with the abundance of locally caught, fresh fish coming in right there from the boats docked outside of Harbor Docks…Yoshie started making sushi the way she had been taught in her father’s restaurant. She added a sushi bar and has since added sushi bars and trained sushi chefs in the Destin area and now in two restaurants in Alabama and finally in my town….Athens.

We started with a delicate yellow tail sashimi and more of Yoshie’s story. Every detail of the space at Five Bar was envisioned by Yoshi…from the small, strategic menu to the mismatched array of chandeliers hanging throughout the space. Yoshie grinned and said: “You notice that? The lighting looks like Destin! It looks like Red Bar!” …which is exactly what Phin and I commented on when we first sat down. If you’ve had the pleasure of dinner at 30A’s Red Bar near Seaside, Florida …you will love the similarities between the two! Yoshie won’t be in Athens much longer. She says the beach is calling her back home. Yoshie is just here in Athens long enough to get the ball rolling for and with her son Chris Eddings who is owner of the new eatery. I love knowing the fish they serve at Five Bar is flown in from Destin on the same jet she’s been flying back and forth on….which she says “always smells of Varsity hotdogs on the way back to Destin!”

While there is more to Five Bar than the sushi, I feel blessed to’ve had the chance to get to know Yoshie and her incredible story. Knowing the story behind the restaurant just makes me want to support it even more. Yoshie says: “You have to cook with love, I cook with my soul.” ….and I believe it! By the end of our evening, Phin and I felt like we were her own children. Next time I see her, I’m gonna call her ‘Mama!’

In Alabama, you can get a taste of Yoshie’s ‘soul food’ at Chuck’s Fish in both Tuscaloosa and in Birmingham …and there are plans for another Yoshie inspired spot opening soon in Knoxville, Tennessee. I don’t know how she does it…the more I learned about her, the more inspired I am to go in the direction of my dreams. She says after she got married and had children, she started having fun with cooking. “I wanted to see their happy faces because of something I made.” Her passion has led her to some of the biggest movie sets satisfying the tongues of movie stars like Tom Hanks …but her ‘big’ set is Destin…where you’ll find her busy behind the sushi bar…but not too busy to share a story, a laugh, and a vodka drink!

Now I’ve got beach fever…… ~angie

Past The Stuffing …filmed at the Athens, GA home of Meg Gunn Dure.

Casting Call in Athens and a side of Cranberry Casserole

My life is definately not boring. Opportunities for fun seem to fall in my lap lately…too many to count and too many to take. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to welcome you into my pretend home on the set of the movie I had the pleasure of playing a part in last week.

Bubbly southern belle Meg Dure (in the green) played my mother and my friend, Crystal Hunt (carrying the bread) played my sister. This picture is from the first scene we did…where I’m about to open the front door to welcome my ‘mother’ in and ignore my ‘sister.’ You know…typical Thanksgiving forced family fun. The movie was filmed at Meg’s home in Athens…so I’m sure it felt funny to Meg …for her to be knocking on her own front door!

Filming started at noon and by the time we had gotten to the table scene, it was dark outside. None of us had eaten and those of us of drinking age had been sipping wine, scotch, and vodka all day. So, you can imagine this scene. We had to wait ’til the end of the first days filming before we could fill our plates …which was around eight o’clock. Meg had prepared the whole, real feast just for the film. She is everything that’s golden about southern ladies …bundled into the prettiest, most genuine God-given package. And you won’t wanna miss her recipe for Cranberry Casserole at the bottom of this post!

I can’t tell you how many times I read over my lines and still never managed to quote them exactly the way they were written. I had to keep them in my lap…while my on-screen brother, Dominic Leamon (seated to my left) had memorized his long, baptist-like blessing to a T. I’ll never know how folks can do that!

The second day of filming was easier for me. It started right around happy hour which typically is my most relaxed time. My on-screen daughter …back from rehab, Emerald Toller did an excellent job pretending a table full of critical, nosey family members were watching her play with her humongous plate of food while I had to shout at the empty seats. Not exactly sure why…but the shouting scene was the easiest and most fun for me. I really let it out! I can’t wait to see how the film crew puts all of it together to make it all look like we filmed that scene with everyone there.

There was a mini-party between each scene change. We were all becoming like family …the kind of family we’d all choose to be with at a Thanksgiving feast …the kind of family that gives hugs and laughter and genuine kindness. I miss ‘em already!

Emerald Toller, pictured above with Meg and me played my anorexic daughter in the movie. She was the only one of us who is actually studying acting. She taught me to breathe through my nose and keep my hands in tight fists to help me with my emotional, shouting scene. I think it worked!

Nicole Bachiller is like a sister to me now. She wrote and produced this movie based on her own experience …which made it all the more important for me. She and the rest of the film crew are studying media and film at UGA and this movie will be ninety percent of their grade. Yes, I could feel the pressure! It is *story* that makes things matter and knowing that this movie was based on a true story …made it matter so much to me. This fact played a big part in me being able to put a lot of feeling into the shouting scene.

Alexander Fitchett AKA ‘Fitch’ is director of the movie. His out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, brain, and catchy name will surely plant him in a major directing role in the future. I loved his last minute idea …of ending the movie with a view of my on-screen daughters and me talking in the kitchen …viewed through the window from the outside. I bet that’s gonna look great on screen.

I learned a lot from this experience …about how tedious movie making is ….about facing my fear of cameras ….about how sweet and smart kids are who are twenty years younger than me ….and about how important relationships are. Who you know really is so important. If I didn’t have the generous Meg Dure in my life ….I would never have met Richard De Rose (the man in the far right in the above picture) who asked Meg if she and I would participate in this movie. Now I have a whole new set of friends and an experience I’ll never forget. The screening party will be November 30. I can’t wait for my real-life husband and real-life children to see what I was up to all last week! It was a hard week …with all the activities I had going on with my immediate family, my pickle company, and just being plain tired. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. ….except maybe a big dollap of Meg’s Cranberry Casserole! Here’s the recipe… and a pretty picture that Meg just emailed me…after whipping up the casserole just so I’d have a picture to post on my blog today. See? She really is the truest southern belle ever! Make it for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas! And if you do, tweet me a picture of it at: @angieti so I can share it with my friend, Meg. I know she’d love it.

MEG’S CRANBERRY CASSEROLE
Side Dish or Dessert/ —Your Choice
3 cups peeled chopped tart apples
2 cups fresh cranberries (Meg uses one whole bag.)
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup sugar (Meg says ‘indulge yourself.”)

3 pks. (1.5 oz. each) Instant Oatmeal (Cinnamon Apple flavor)
3/4 – 1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Face the counter. Mix flour and sugar in large bowl. Add apples and cranberries and toss to coat. Place in casserole dish.

Mix oatmeal, pecans, flour, brown sugar and spread over fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Oh, another thing – a dollop of vanilla ice cream —well, as you can guess is yummy!

Here’s to Thanksgiving …and to time well spent surrounded by people who make you SMILE! …and to being THANKFUL …and to sides of yummy cranberry casserole!

Cookie Cutter Condiments

I had planned on posting a picture here… of the condiments in my refrigerator… to show a variety of jellies and sauces and spreads ….all similar …competing with one another …but none outshining the other. But I can’t. And this to me ….means I’m doing better…at stocking my pantry and fridge with smaller batch delicacies. …getting away from what I like to call ‘Cookie Cutter Condiments.’ Let me clarify… The grocery store aisles are tremendous and filled with so many decisions. Who needs the luxury of having 20 or so different bbq sauces, etc to choose from? Just like the art in my home… the originals outshine any of the mass produced framed prints I picked up in a weak moment from TJ Maxx. Original art has a story ….and so do original, artisan food products.

Just the other day…I had the pleasure of lunching at a true original restaurant in Atlanta. Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union brought over a sampling of the pickles and boiled peanuts he serves at his southern inspired restaurant. There were ice box pickles …from his grandmother’s recipe, bread ‘n butters, pickled peaches, cherry tomatoes, and okra. They were all delicious…but what made them truly special was the ‘story’ behind them. Without a story…they are just like my own ….just pickles that anyone could re-create. Chef Satterfield has a story and passion …stemming from his roots in South Georgia ….and because of his story and his passion shining in every plate he presents….I’ll be back!

I’m always amazed at the people that keep coming back to my tent at the market each week. Many of them turn in their empty jars and purchase more… sometimes the same variety they tried the week before…and sometimes they’ll try something new from me. I especially love hearing about the children that request my pickles every day! Makes me smile! I’m happy to share pickling tips and don’t even mind sharing my recipe. After all… it’s an old recipe that we’ve tweaked a bit …but anyone could make my pickles. ….just not anybody can sell ‘em like we do! I believe the success I’m growing into is because of the *story.* Without having a story mixed in with the passion I have for keeping things local and sustainable… my pickle company wouldn’t stand out next to any of the others …well, except for taste. haha!

It was just another house to everyone else… but for me, it was a big chunk of my story. I had drawn the plan for it on a piece of graph paper and my husband built it for me. I started my pickle company in my kitchen there…and sold my pickles from the front porch. We had to move last October. It felt as if I was leaving a chunk of my heart there…because for me… it was not just another cookie cutter house. It was the home to my passion….my story. It was an *original.*

And then along came another local *original!* Artist, Jamie Calkin recreated that house for me….so now, I’ll always have it. …and now, I don’t have to clean it’s windows. I am so excited about plans I have for future lables for my pickles. I will be using the paintings he did of my house and the porch where I first sold my pickles. It will be like my *story* will be wrapped around every jar. …and that’s just SWEET!

Cookie cutters are useful …for shaping biscuits and cookies and pancakes….even poached eggs. But…they don’t have anything to do with the flavor and quality inside. A large production facility can mass produce products and stick flashy labels on and roll them out the door and on a big truck to markets all across the country …and the globe. But without a story and a passion for quality, locally sourced, naturally grown ingredients… they are just cookie cutter condiments. I’m hoping this little post will inspire you to pay attention to the stories behind the products you purchase. There have been many articles lately… poking fun at the ‘over-used’ word: artisan. …suggesting that the word artisan pulls no weight anymore …with it being used by fast food chains and Dominos Pizza. But…yes, artisan products are real. I know plenty! Look for a good, honest, farmers market and support the ARTISANS there …who are (even in this mass-produced crazed world) still using their own hands to artfully combine locally sourced ingredients to form delicious treats for you and me. And…these are the people who are truly supporting the farmers right where we all live.

It takes a lot of hard work to continue to be a true artisan even in the face of government inspections and a declining economy…. for an inspiring story of a true artisan family producing sometimes sweet, sometimes savory and sometimes HOT jams and jellies in Georgia… check out the story of Fairywood Thicket Farm in Fairburn, GA. Their sweet STORY is a quick read and will bless you today! Find it on their website: http://www.fairywoodthicket.com And…with the holidays fast approaching…you may wanna place an order!

Break out of the cookie cutter lifestyle!
Happyness,
~angie

Southern Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

I love being surrounded by all the goodness summertime brings at the farmers market each Saturday morning. My booth is two booths down from Burge Organic Farm’s booth. You have to get to the market bright ‘n early to get a bag full of goodness from Cory’s farm….or else the pickin’s get slim. This past Saturday I was lucky to score some pretty heirloom tomatoes from Burge before the crowd came.

I got a few yellow ones, a nice dense red one, and a super fabulously weird looking Brandy Wine one that I can’t wait to sandwich between two slices of good bread with a slathering of Duke’s mayonnaise and a slice of vidalia onion…of course! I am in Georgia…where the vidalias take center stage this time of year.

My littlest girl loves being in the kitchen….so with the day after the market being Father’s Day… I let her do her thing! We picked some basil from our kitchen garden, grabbed a baguette and feta cheese and got busy making one of my husband’s favorite things.

Bruschetta can be made however you like. I love this version adopted from one of my favorite Athens restaurants…. East West Bistro in downtown. It’s really simple and a great recipe to make with children. Slice a french baguette from your local market. Lay slices onto a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. We added minced fresh garlic to our olive oil for extra flavor. Then layer basil, tomato, and then sprinkle feta cheese on top. Broil for 3-5 minutes. A squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and they’re ready to serve!

It’s an easy crowd pleaser and an easy time-killer for kids who enjoy helping out in the kitchen. I urge you all to venture out to your farmers markets and support the farmers showing up with their harvests. You just can’t beat the taste and piece of mind fresh, local, organically grown vegetables give and the joy of knowing the faces behind the food you eat. I’m proud to be a part of Peachtree Road Farmers Market….a producer only market in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ll have more stories to come on the farmers and producers behind the food and even worm sh#$ available at this market. I just got news that I’ll be able to start making my own salsas and sauces and relishes from the vegetables at the market …available soon in limited quantities. Not to mention all the yummy produce I’m gonna start pickling from the farmers at the market! So…I am all giddy! This is the kinda news I’m into these days. I know not all of my readers can get to Atlanta…. but you all can get to whatever local farmers market you all have in your community. Food really does make the world go ’round!

Buy Local. Cook Local. Eat Local.

See y’all at the market!
~angie

Hot Date in Cuba …er Athens

Just down the street from my home is the hottest and coolest spot in Athens…and tops my list for a romantic night out on the cheap. So with hubs with his tiny cooler of beer and me with my chilled shaker of lime juice and spirits…we slipped on our flip flops, grabbed hands and sauntered our way down Pinecrest Drive past Foley Field …through the gas station lot …then entered through the opening in the bamboo fence ….and stepped into Cuba! Well…it’s as close as I’ll ever get. Cali ‘n Titos is a hodge podge of latin sounds and tastes with buffalo wings thrown in to satisfy every palate.

The perfect table was waiting for us…a two-seater right out front by the john boat turned kiddie table/coi pond fountain. It’s fun to look around and see the ways they’ve repurposed common things. …makes me wanna rummage through all the ‘treasures’ in my daddy’s back yard.

After ordering the usuals…we sat down and got to the business of people and dog watching and a little barkeeping. My drink? …an ice cold gimlet!

Fish tacos with a drizzle of their spicy, mayonnaisy sauce, crispy chicken wings glazed with the best wing sauce in town, and a cool avocado salad with my favorite dressing of red onion, lime juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil. There’s not a dish at Cali ‘n Tito’s that I don’t love. When the kiddies are with us…they go for hot dogs and fried plantains and the cuban sandwich handles any burger craving I’m ever facing. Just can’t go wrong…

Positioned on Lumpkin Street between the UGA campus and the Five Points neighborhood…. Cali ‘n Titos is hopping most days during lunch and always during the happy hours. Indoor seating is great for rainy days and cooler evenings. But I always prefer the porch or the shade of the tarps tied from tree to tree…adding to the latin flavored ambiance. There’s even a wood-burning stove on the porch to keep diners and the pet parrots warm during winter months! It’s truly the happiest spot in walking distance in and around Five Points.

This simple, casual night is one I won’t soon forget…and fortunately I can duplicate frequently. If your love life needs a fuse lit…and you’re in the neighborhood, consider grabbing a bottle of wine and your sweetie and head to Cali ‘n Titos and let the night move you… and if you’re lucky, the King Of Pops cart will be parked out front for a cool treat to walk back home with. See? Hottest AND Coolest!

Of course….the only thing missing was my own pickled jalapenos. So, next time….I’m bringing a jar of Phickles Hotties! haha

I think we all could use more romance…. Sometimes you gotta re-light the fuse. Happy Lovin’, Y’all!
~angie

John T Edge made me cry and Emeril Lagasse wasn’t home

Last week was a whirlwind! Pickle deliveries to the panhandle are always a treat and now that more and more orders are coming in from already phickled spots and new spots like Pensacola and Tallahassee…I’m looking forward to more time down in the gulf…which means more time barefooted. And me in barefeet = HAPPY!

After getting all the pickles delivered to Coastal Market in Panama City Beach, Modica Market in Seaside, and Chans Wine World in Destin…I was thrilled to find the latest issue of Garden and Gun Magazine in the hotel store. Between dips in the pool and wading in the warm gulf water…I still haven’t had a chance to read through the whole issue…but I can’t imagine any story topping the one I did read by John T. Edge. It’s about how he and his son, Jess spend lots of time together on father/son bbq eating trips. And it had me weeping by the time I had combed through every paragraph. First because I have met them both and can just imagine the realness and the value in their relationship and lastly because of Jess’ sweet heart portrayed in Edge’s words describing Jess folding his bbq sandwich back into its tinfoil pouch and giving it to a hungry woman begging for food. In Athens, we have our share of homeless people…many of them I know by name. I teach my children to have compassion for them and it seems as though John T. Edge does the same. So…Jack Johnson…you asked ‘Where’d all the good people go?’ Well, they are here in the south! …and they’re being raised in the south! haha

Also…this story reminds me of my own life and how fortunate I am to be able to share the things I’m interested in with my own children. ….like last cotton season when Kat and I headed south on deliveries and had an impromptu pickle tastin’ on the roadside in the middle of a cotton field. We giggled for miles after that moment…and I’ll never forget Kat saying that she wished we could do trips like that every month. So do I…

Pickles are always involved in my travels these days…and they provide a lot of fun and are good conversation starters. I met folks staying next to us from Birmingham…and shared my pickled okra with them. Now…they’re big fans and are gonna help me get into the Birmingham, Alabama market! Running into Athens friends while on vacation is always fun and this particular week …all the big guns from the SEC were there at the Hilton …so we ran into lots of ‘em. And…who woulda thought that a walk to the marina in Baytowne would result in me hopping on Emeril Lagasse’s fisin’ boat to leave him a few jars to surprise him when he gets back from the wine country out in California? Well…it did! and I did! I’m sure Emeril and I will be fast friends soon…

I have so much going on in my brain right now…that I can’t pinpoint what I really want this post to be about. I’m brainstorming about a book, designing a t-shirt, answering tweets, trying to keep my kiddies busy now that school’s out, and always dizzy from ideas I have for my little pickle company. I guess what I’m hoping you’ll get from this post is the urge to get out and get to know the people around you and the places they’re from. Life is for sharing! And y’all know my motto: “If it ain’t fun…don’t do it!”

Happyness,
~angie