Oyster Farming + Food Trends + Guy Fieri
March 27 — It’s Thursday, friends! Time for some “Side Dish” dining news.
⚾ Baseball season begins today, with the Braves home opener against the Marlins slated for next Fri., April 4. That’s also the day the new food hall, Outfield Market, debuts at Truist Park with stalls from local restaurants NFA Burger, Fred’s Meat & Bread, and Pepper’s Hot Dogs. If you’re attending next weekend’s Braves games, send us your thoughts on the new food options and food hall at Truist Park.
For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for a hearty mushroom toast. Read Beth’s feature story on Kimball House’s oyster farm in Spring Creek, FL.
➕ Plus, Beth also provides insight into the food trends emerging this year at local restaurants, and Sarra offers a story on a new chef collective shining the spotlight on Atlanta’s Black chefs. As always, expect the latest Atlanta dining news, including a Guy Fieri sighting and the opening of a Greek restaurant in Summerhill.
In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal.” It features a Q&A with Atlanta pastry chef Jon’nae “Jaye” Smith, who is currently competing in Food Network’s “Spring Baking Championship,” and an 80-year-old recipe for key lime cake from Magnolia Room Cafeteria in Tucker.
Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!
🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra
🏆 Chase Mizell, an advisor with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, secured the No. 2 spot for volume sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
🏡 His 2024 highlight was launching Entelechy II, a $40 million Sea Island modernist masterpiece that redefines coastal luxury with world-class craftsmanship and resort-style amenities and is currently for sale.
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Have You Heard?
🍚🐟 Did you miss Sarra’s latest Food Fact Friday spotlight on sabzi polo ba mahi, a very popular fish and herbed rice dish eaten during Nowruz, the Persian New Year? As with any holiday, Nowruz goes heavy on family time and food, and Yalda chef and owner Ashkan Famili shared a recipe for one of the most popular Persian rice dishes served during the celebration: sabzi polo ba mahi.
🔥 The mayor of Flavortown, Guy Fieri, slipped into Atlanta last week to apparently film segments for his Food Network show “Diners, Drive-In, and Dives.” He was spotted in Summerhill, downtown Decatur, and Olive and Pine in Avondale Estates, with sources indicating he may have also popped in to visit How Crispy and The Deer and The Dove. We reached out to Flavortown’s number one resident for more details but never heard back. 🤷♀️
🧋 Honey Bubble Tea will close after 13 years on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Virginia-Highland. According to an Instagram post, the owners of Honey Bubble couldn’t reach an agreement on the rent, now overseen by Selig Enterprises. The bubble tea shop plans to relocate.
🇬🇷 Summerhill gained a new Greek restaurant this week with the opening of Psito (see-tow) on Georgia Avenue in the former Pete’s Hot Dog space. Owned by the restaurant group behind Hero Doughnuts and Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Psito (meaning “roast” in Greek) serves wood-fired meats, salads and bowls, fresh pita bread, spreads like hummus and tzatziki, and sides of Greek lemon potatoes and fries. The restaurant also serves Greek frozen yogurt.
😋 Remember when Beth introduced you to the tamale huevos rancheros at Season on Lemon Street in Marietta back in January? The restaurant, owned by Chef Nick Jennings, opened last fall for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch. However, Jennings announced that Season will open for dinner soon! And Mexican restaurant Cocina de la Tia just opened last week next door to Season on Lemon Street.
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Top Stories
The story behind Kimball House’s oyster farm Shiny Dimes
🦪 Kimball House partner Bryan Rackley’s curiosity about oysters led to the founding of the award-winning Decatur restaurant’s aquafarm, Shiny Dimes. After multiple field trips to various farms over the years on behalf of Kimball House – and reading as much as possible about oysters, oyster habitats, and how much oysters benefit the surrounding environment – founding Shiny Dimes felt like the next natural step.
Rackley wanted better tag dates for the oysters the restaurant served. Tag dates list the original harvest date and location. Oysters have a shelf life of up to three weeks, so the closer to harvest date, the better an oyster tastes. With a year-round growing season in Florida, Shiny Dimes can harvest oysters as soon as they reach maturity.
⏩ Read more from Beth about Shiny Dimes Oyster Farm.
Five Atlanta food trends to watch for in 2025
📈 Viral food trends come and go. (Remember cronuts and cruffins, breakfast charcuterie, and “Girl Dinner” – aka snacks for dinner?) These trends feed off the social media hype machine, only to quickly flame out and be replaced by the next fad spreading across the internet.
Other food trends aren’t as obvious or sexy. These are scene-defining trends with staying power that quietly emerge in response to subtle shifts in the economy, area demographics, and consumer dining and spending habits – or are prompted by major events and even climate change. The 1990s were defined by brass-and-fern restaurants, while cupcakes, bacon, and burgers became the “it” foods during the 2010s. In recent years, we’ve seen a proliferation of brunch spots and omakase restaurants opening around Atlanta and watched pop-ups transform into some of the city’s best restaurants.
What’s trending on the Atlanta food scene? Beth has some insights.
⏩ Read more about the 2025 food trends emerging in Atlanta.
Chef collective The New South shines a spotlight on Black culture and food in Atlanta
🍽️ The New South, an all-Black Atlanta chef collective backed by Demetrius Brown (Bread & Butterfly), Robert Butts (Auburn Angel), Gary Caldwell (Marcus Bar & Grille), Carlos Granderson, India Johnson (Sauce Queen Kitchen & Pantry), Day Joseph (Dine With Day), Jon’nae “Jaye” Smith (GourNae Eats), Rodney Smith (Bread & Butterfly), and Christan Willis, proves that when it comes to such endeavors, there’s strength and support in numbers.
Rodney Smith said he conceptualized The New South because he wanted to work with great chefs. But the group he helped found ended up unwittingly filling a void for him in Atlanta’s dining scene.
“The idea was to highlight a group of chefs showcasing [Black] culture and cuisine in a beautiful, modern way,” said Robert Butts, one of the collective’s earliest members. “Over the years, the food that we cook wasn’t all that represented or respected.”
⏩ Read Sarra’s feature story on The New South here.
🏆 The Boyd Team, a mother-daughter duo with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, claimed the No. 2 spot for homes sold at the recent Atlanta REALTORS® Association Top Producers Gala.
🏡 Their 2024 highlight? Helping former owners buy back their beloved home in a rare, storybook twist — representing both sides once again.
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At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🥗 A new season is here, and it’s time to bring a little spring to your meals. This week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you recipes for a tasty spring salad and hearty mushroom toast. Check out both recipes here.