Writing is therapeutic
Mar. 6 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. Welcome to March, bursting at the seams with news.
🗳 Lot of changes are afoot in our fair city – restaurants like Cuddlefish and Good Vibes opening for business, some trying to open (Raising Cane’s), and people leaving for greener pastures (Mike Nash). Of course, I have opinions about all of it (see below).
We also have upcoming recycling opportunities for that feel-good “I’m helping the planet” vibe.
Have a windy Wednesday,
Cathy
😂 Laugh and Learn! BeWellATL, an initiative of JF&CS, and comedian Pamela Schuller team up for a hilarious, insightful and free two-part event on March 23-24. Teens, parents, and guardians—join us for comedy, connection, and conversations on mental health. Register today! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Upcoming Good Vibes opening brings up past memories
🍨 Good Vibes Ice Cream Shop & Soda Pop, DASH Hospitality’s newest venture in its Funwoody Village complex, will open to the public on Thurs., March 6.
The dessert shop, located at 5503 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd., will serve a collection of ice cream, gourmet baked brownies and hand-crafted sodas. Just a few feet away are DASH’s other ventures – BAR{n}: Booze {n} Bites, Morty’s Meat & Supply, Message In A Bottle and Yoffi “All Good” Food Truck.
Twisted side story: Friendly’s Ice Cream was the go-to, family destination of choice in Kettering, OH, where I grew up. When we were kids, my mom, perpetually on a diet, told all the neighborhood kids that if she hit her goal weight on Friday, she would take everyone to Friendly’s to celebrate.
My friends, on the daily, asked what my mom weighed, insinuating that I needed to do whatever it took to make sure our sea foam green Gran Torino station wagon would be heading to Friendly’s on Friday afternoon. Fun fact, my mom was five feet tall and her goal weight was 101, but sometimes she recorded a 103 – thus the emergency measures. I’m sure that this memory alone could dominate at least four therapy sessions.
🧋 Please don’t let my early childhood trauma deter you from some revisiting your happy memories – and read about the Good Vibes opening here.
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Cuddlefish swims into the High Street mix
🍣 Chef Jason Liang and John Chen, the duo behind Michelin-starred sushi restaurant Brush in Buckhead, opened Cuddlefish on March 1 at High Street in Dunwoody.
Liang and Chen, who also own Lucky Star at Star Metals and Momonoki and Momo Cafe in Midtown, will bring the Dunwoody development a sushi-style hand roll (temaki) restaurant merging Japanese and Taiwanese flavors. Cuddlefish will also include a temaki tasting menu at the chef’s counter.
In addition to dining, Cuddlefish will feature a takeout market selling sushi-grade seafood, coffee, tea, and other specialty ingredients. Look for baked goods from pastry chef ChingYao Wang, along with beer, wine, and sake and sake cocktails from the bar.
🤤 Read Beth McKibben’s story about the opening.
😂 Laugh and Learn! BeWellATL, an initiative of JF&CS, and comedian Pamela Schuller team up for a hilarious, insightful and free two-part event on March 23-24. Teens, parents, and guardians—join us for comedy, connection, and conversations on mental health. Register today! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Nash going down I-85 south
🐅 Longtime Dunwoody High School head football coach and athletic director Mike Nash, who announced his resignation on social media Feb. 25, will move to the head coaching position at Chattahoochee County High School in Cusseta, which prompts the question, “What gas station is that near?”
Nash spent the last 10 seasons leading the Dunwoody football program, achieving a 33-64 record with back-to-back playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024. On X, Nash thanked the Dunwoody community for its support, but said “all good things must come to an end.”
I guess he’s up for a challenge because Chattahoochee County hasn’t won a lot of games in the past 10 years, and Nash will be the school’s fifth coach in five years. But Dunwoody was in the same place when he arrived in 2014, and well, “facts.”
👋🏽 Read a brief story on Nash’s exit.
Raising Canes emerging again
🐔 Last Thursday, I attended a community meeting about a proposed plan to convert a former Wells Fargo Bank site on Ashford Dunwoody Road into a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant with a double drive-through.
The weird part is that the entire “community” was me and four other people – one was from the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, one was a council member, a person who worked adjacent to the site, and another person who lives near the former bank. Plus two people from Raising Cane’s to round out the cozy meeting.
The good news is that it was fast meeting, and there was no bad news, because of the aforementioned fact.
Raising Cane’s reps said they were planning this week to file for a zoning change to allow the restaurant’s construction and a Special Land Use Permit in order to build a double drive-through on the site. I haven’t seen items on any agendas yet, but am monitoring the situation.
This is good news for all of you “Caniacs” who will be able to enjoy one or more of the five delicious menu items in late 2026.
👨🏼🤝👨🏾 Here’s the story about the Raising Cane’s meeting.
Time to save the planet, one printer at a time
♼ Registration is open for the City of Dunwoody’s next electronics recycling event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sun., April 6, at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church.
During last year’s event, 470 residents recycled 31,414 pounds of e-waste, according to a release from the city. The recycled items included 225 laptops, 112 desktop computers, 98 hard drives, 2,649 pounds of LCD TVs, and 3,031 pounds of printers.
“Year after year, Dunwoody residents show their commitment to sustainability by responsibly recycling their old electronics,” Dunwoody Community Development Director Richard McLeod said in the city’s press release. “This event not only keeps electronics out of landfills but also helps protect sensitive data with secure disposal. We’re proud to offer this opportunity and grateful to the city council for prioritizing funding for this event.”
It’s free but you have to register for the event – read all about it here.
Before that, you can get rid of your hazardous waste on March 15 at the Sanitation Division’s Central Transfer Station in Decatur. And for the final item in your sustainability bucket list, you can drop off up to 10 boxes of paper to be shredded and recycled on May 17.
♻️ Check out the DeKalb recycling story that will tell you what and what not they will take.
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