The ACityDiscount crew attended the 2020 Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception held at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot, hosted by the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA).
This event is held annually for GRA members, who include foodservice brands, beverage suppliers, restauranteurs and elected officials. It Georgia provides a unique opportunity for members to showcase their food and beverage offerings, while networking with state legislators and lobbyists.
In attendance at this event was sales director Mike Ellin, sales associate William Little, merchandising associate Antoinette Garrett, and marketing specialist Cassandra Johnson. ACityDiscount has been a GRA member for almost 10 years and has built relationships with some of the best restaurants the city has to offer.
The new chefs of the 2020 Georgia Grown program were announced by the Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black along with GRA CEO Karen Bremer. The program is an initiative designed to build relationships between chefs and local farmers, and to promote locally grown or sourced products in Georgia. The chosen chefs are leaders in the farm-to-table movement.
The 2020 Executive Chefs are:
- Jamie Adams, il Giallo Osteria & Bar in Sandy Springs
- Alex Friedman, Bistro off Broad in Winder
- Tim Magee, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails in Atlanta
- Jessica Rothacker, Heirloom in Athens
- Maricela Vega, 8Arm in Atlanta
- Peter Vossenberg, The Pinnacle Club in Augusta
While we saw familiar GRA members like Ellijay Mushrooms, Chick-fil-A, Fogo de Chao and our friends at PONKO chicken, we also met some new faces and foodservice operators that are getting in on the homegrown and community-building train.
While we saw familiar GRA members like Ellijay Mushrooms, Chick-fil-A, Fogo de Chao and our friends at PONKO chicken, we also met some new faces and foodservice operators that are getting in on the homegrown and community-building train.
One of those is food suppler Ponix Farms, a food utility supplier that has developed end-to-end local food ecosystems (the entire growing operation happens in one place) to grow fresh produce for different restaurants and organizations. The produce is grown in a clean and controlled environment that does not use any pesticides. According to their website, about 68% of the population will be living in cities, and the need for local food sources will rise, requiring us to adapt. Read more ponixfarms.com.
Another organization that stood out this year is Gathering Industries. They are a faith-based, non-profit organization that is on a mission to end homelessness in Atlanta by providing culinary training and management programs to make individuals employable. They operate their own catering operation offering platters and boxed lunches that are handmade to order with the freshest ingredients—see more at gatheringindustries.org.
Taste of Georgia 2020 highlights
ACityDiscount Sales Director Mike Ellin connects with Atlanta Govenor Brian Kemp.
Michael Choi, Co-founder and CEO of Ponix explains how the technology allows for growing fresh produce sustainably indoors, as a solution to food deserts.
GRA member Richards Southern Fried Chicken handed out samples of thier delicious fried chicken mac n' cheese.
ACityDiscount Sales Representative William Little takes a photo with GRA supporter Govenor Brian P. Kemp.