The Atlanta Foodcast: A Food Podcast

Oh, pastry. This is the part of the meal that will always have more meaning than just treating a sweet tooth or paying homage to part of the kitchen. There's also the type of pastry chef that will keep you anchored during the meal with the knowledge of sealing the evening on a perfect note. Lasheeda Perry, Executive Pastry Chef at Bar Margot and Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta, is that chef. Her incredibly electric personality and approach to cuisine, design, flavor, and the art of pastry makes impossible to forget to so easy to revisit.

We caught up at the restaurant in Midtown on a morning between service to catch up on her life story, how she landed at the Four Seasons (in many cities), Best Baker in America, and how she's making waves in the culinary world.

Check out her menus at the Four Seasons and Bar Margot here. (I highly recommend the Biscoff Cream Pie and Ube Cheesecake -- both of which we get into during the episode.)

If you've spent any time in Atlanta, you've either attended or had friends drag you along to Taste of Atlanta. Getting to know Atlanta through flavor is the name of the game at this festival and Dale DeSena, the event's founder/curator, had that philosophy in mind when she dreamt of this event. 

It's amazing when you hit milestones in the life of something you've created and Taste of Atlanta is going strong with 17 year of being a festival for all Atlanta eaters. It's a great milestone for Dale and her team and the festival isn't showing any sign of slowing down. 

I sat down with Dale on a busy Sunday afternoon for a conversation on how she got started with this staple event in Atlanta and how she has grown since the early days in 2002.

If you've spent any time in Atlanta, you've either attended or had friends drag you along to Taste of Atlanta. Getting to know Atlanta through flavor is the name of the game at this festival and Dale DeSena, the event's founder/curator, had that philosophy in mind when she dreamt of this event. 

It's amazing when you hit milestones in the life of something you've created and Taste of Atlanta is going strong with 17 year of being a festival for all Atlanta eaters. It's a great milestone for Dale and her team and the festival isn't showing any sign of slowing down. 

I sat down with Dale on a busy Sunday afternoon for a conversation on how she got started with this staple event in Atlanta and how she has grown since the early days in 2002.

For most, there are few instances where fresh, properly prepared lobster is had on the regular -- let alone readily available. Typically, it's an item astride a prime cut of beef or maybe found in a crock of mac n' cheese, for most Atlantans. 

However, we're lucky to have two food trucks serving up lobster rolls on the regular and Cousins Maine Lobster now calls Atlanta home for its third brick and mortar location. The same lobster roll-centric menu can be found at this location on the west side of Lenox Mall (across from ATL Taco) with a few other staples from the northeast. 

I grabbed some time with Jim Tselikis, one of the co-founders, and his operating partner Tony to talk through the story behind the brand, their time on Shark Tank, and how they are growing here in Atlanta.

For most, there are few instances where fresh, properly prepared lobster is had on the regular -- let alone readily available. Typically, it's an item astride a prime cut of beef or maybe found in a crock of mac n' cheese, for most Atlantans. 

However, we're lucky to have two food trucks serving up lobster rolls on the regular and Cousins Maine Lobster now calls Atlanta home for its third brick and mortar location. The same lobster roll-centric menu can be found at this location on the west side of Lenox Mall (across from ATL Taco) with a few other staples from the northeast. 

I grabbed some time with Jim Tselikis, one of the co-founders, and his operating partner Tony to talk through the story behind the brand, their time on Shark Tank, and how they are growing here in Atlanta.

Chocolate. Not the chocolate you know that is readily available at the grocery store checkout. Real chocolate. Chocolate that has a story. 

Matt Weyandt and Elaine Read of Xocolatl are sourcing the best cacao of your life from the fruit-bearing trees in Costa Rica and producing remarkable chocolate at their micro factory in Krog Street Market. The tale of how these two came to be in the world of chocolate is one that will truly inspire and ignite the entrepreneurial side of your chocolate-loving heart. 

I met up with Matt and Elaine at Krog Street Market on a busy afternoon to hear their story and how they are shaping how Atlanta is experiencing the world of real chocolate through their business.

Chocolate. Not the chocolate you know that is readily available at the grocery store checkout. Real chocolate. Chocolate that has a story. 

Matt Weyandt and Elaine Read of Xocolatl are sourcing the best cacao of your life from the fruit-bearing trees in Costa Rica and producing remarkable chocolate at their micro factory in Krog Street Market. The tale of how these two came to be in the world of chocolate is one that will truly inspire and ignite the entrepreneurial side of your chocolate-loving heart. 

I met up with Matt and Elaine at Krog Street Market on a busy afternoon to hear their story and how they are shaping how Atlanta is experiencing the world of real chocolate through their business.

It's an amazing thing when you listen back to an interview you had with a person -- or people. Things stand out that you may not have missed the first time, but hit you differently. I keep listening back to these two episodes and finding things that make me fall even more in love with Atlanta and how so many people on this show are building their brands and businesses. 

In case you missed Part 1, I'd highly recommend giving the first half a listen before this one so you can get the full scoop on Kevin and Megan's incredible story. 

Also, HUGE congrats to these two on the newest member of the Ouzts clan coming soon!

It's an amazing thing when you listen back to an interview you had with a person -- or people. Things stand out that you may not have missed the first time, but hit you differently. I keep listening back to these two episodes and finding things that make me fall even more in love with Atlanta and how so many people on this show are building their brands and businesses. 

In case you missed Part 1, I'd highly recommend giving the first half a listen before this one so you can get the full scoop on Kevin and Megan's incredible story. 

Also, HUGE congrats to these two on the newest member of the Ouzts clan coming soon!

Kevin and Megan Ouzts.... Folks, these two are heroes. The Spotted Trotter is a wonderland for anyone with an appreciation, affinity, slight interest, or palate for incredible cured and prepared meats and charcuterie. They have incredible roots here in Atlanta and throughout Georgia and have established an avenue of the culinary community that makes this city so wonderful -- albeit delicious. 

This interview is a special one. For the first time, we're bringing you a story in two parts. Thus, welcome to Part 1. The other half of this story will be available the following week. 

Check back next week for some great news about this wonderful pair and their incredible business.