More Deliberate Every Day

More on Farmers Dinner at Interim

More ambitious writers than I beat me to the punch in terms of providing details about the farmers dinner at Interim Monday night.  Links follow.

For the Squirrel Squad's coverage, go here.  They were also gracious enough to type out the entire menu here. 

For coverage by Michael Donahue, go to the Commercial Appeal.  'Nuff said.

This One's All About Memphis

First off, I commit to you, gentle readers, that regular posts are forthcoming.  I have much to catch myself, and you, up on.  For this morning, just a couple of quick mentions that deserve to be made.

Last night Mrs. Deliberately and I enjoyed a delightful meal at Interim Restaurant where a team of exquisite local chefs joined forces to honor the bounty of several area farmers.  On hand for the affair were of course Jackson Kramer, Executive Chef at Interim, as well as Stephen Hassinger of The Inn at Hunt Phelan, Kelley English of newly opened Restaurant Iris, and Clay Lichterman, who recently left Grill 83 and reportedly will soon be released from culinary limbo with a new, permanent home.

The food was incredible.  The farmers were incredible.  The packed-house of reservation-only guests were incredible.  It was fun seeing so many friends and enjoying such conviviality together.  More to come on the menu and the event itself in a later post.  This was the second chef's dinner we've attended in the last month honoring local farmers (the first having been wonderfully composed by Chef Andrew Adams at Brushmark Restaurant) and we're looking forward to enjoying, and writing about, many more to come.

Also, you should be visiting the new blog of a local friend and fellow member of Slow Food Memphis called Pie for Breakfast, where a yankee goes all southern in the kitchen.  It's sure to please.

And finally, listen to a recent broadcast on WKNO about our local food scene here in Memphis.  It's full of friends from the Memphis Farmers Market telling stories about how their lives have changed as we engage together in a deeper, more profound food community right here in the Midsouth.

Back soon with more!

We Can't Help But Brag On Our Friends

While I've been saying that Memphis is a great food town for a while, it's a hard argument for some.  Now, though, I have proof -- Food & Wine magazine has recently been to town discovering the culinary scene, even taking the time to "mouth off" about a couple of local food luminaries.  Congrats to More Deliberate friends Melissa and Jennifer for the mention and I can't wait for the November issue.

Farmers Market and More

The Memphis Farmers Market was wonderful yesterday morning.  We were there early, but the crowd was already buzzing and the booths were stuffed to overflowing with a large variety of options.  We relied heavily on Jones Orchard for strawberries and sweet potatoes, also picking up a jar of  preserves that was offered among the array of canned goods.  One booth attracted us with a heretofore unknown variety of radish that is squat and long as opposed to predominantly round -- we'll have to do a bit more research on the origin but we picked up a large bunch nonetheless.  Also fresh mixed greens and gigantic green onions and more.

The boys were absolutely fascinated with a folk-art birdhouse booth from Kelli Boyd Birdhouses in Millington:  we could barely drag them away from the quirky designs.  There were also two beef purveyors (only one was grass-fed -- beware!), multiple stands offering baked goods, a beautiful cut-flower booth among many other options.  We had a great time and walked away with our mesh bags overflowing with local goodness.

One of the things that forcefully struck me about visiting the market was the excitement and gratification being exhibited by the farmers and providers present.  I can only imagine how it must feel to be bringing the first truckload of tomato starts or micro greens or walnuts to the market, knowing that the work invested will yield culinary pleasures to your customers.  As the season progresses, some booths will remain consistent while others will fall away only to be replaced by new farmers who specialize in different produce.  And our mesh bags will overflow.

Afterwards, I took the family for breakfast at the Arcade, the oldest operating restaurant in Memphis.  If you haven't visited this landmark, make sure you make the time.  We sat at the counter where the kids were able to spin on the stools and flirt with the bustling waitresses.  A good, sticky time was had by all! (Can you say syrup overload?)  They had never been to the Arcade before, and all asked to make it a weekly ritual as we visit the farmers market this summer.  One of the most unique aspects was the intermingling of farmers market patrons (only a block away) and crusty  Beale Street types just awake from a late evening at the Memphis in May Music Festival the night before.

Before we headed back to our suburban homestead we took a quick detour over to Miss Cordelia's Grocery in Harbortown.  We had seen an add for this spot in the inaugural issue of Edible Memphis Magazine and needed to check it out.  The store is like the grocery store you would open if you had the opportunity to design it yourself:  small and comfortable, with lots of delicacies, a real butcher and all the essentials.  More importantly, though, in the back it opens into Miss Cordelia's Kitchen, which is a cafe-style restaurant serving a wide variety of culinary delights.  Even with our bellies stuffed full of pancakes and beignets we were tempted to sample some of Miss Cordelia's specialties.  Alas, one can only eat so much before noon on Saturday.  We'll be back soon.

The best part of getting in the habit of supporting local farmers at the farmers markets on Saturday morning is the need to get up and out early to make sure the one thing you desperately need isn't sold out by the time you get there.  You can have a full day before you even arrive at lunchtime.  And then you can have another full day in the afternoon.  Memphis is full of adventures we haven't invented yet and we're looking forward to filling them in all summer long.