Page 63 - Index

FOODSERVICE PROFILE
The Hungry Peach: Classic Southern Dining With A Twist
BAy B o b J o h n s o n
t The Hungry Peach, which is located in the prestigious Peachtree Hills area of Atlanta, you can nd beet salad with shaved carrots, arugula, fennel and goat cheese living side
by side on the menu with a burger featuring a 6-ounce beef patty, bacon and crispy fried onions with a barbecue glaze.
What these odd menu neighbors have in common is they always feature ingredients locally sourced and as fresh as possible.
“Produce is extremely important to our menu, and we only deal with local distrib- utors and farmers,” says Steve McNerney, manager of The Hungry Peach. “We take pride in having fresh produce, and if you look at our reviews, people mention that our ingredients are fresh.”
In order to keep them coming back for a taste of freshness, the restaurant main- tains a network of local farmers and food distributors.
“We like to get our stuff daily or every other day,” says McNerney. “We deal with Fresh Point Distributors and Athena Farms.”
From its location in the Atlanta Farmers Market, for the past 20 years Athena Farms has provided the foodservice sector with a variety of Georgia Grown vegetables including bean sprouts, collard greens, hydroponic Bibb lettuce and watercress, okra, jumbo carrots and micro arugula.
The Hungry Peach turns these ingredients into a unique mixed menu that includes a
garden burger and chicken pesto Panini alongside a Southern BLT Grilled Cheese Sandwich and a Southwestern Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap.
“We are in the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center,” says McNerney. “Most of the people we serve work in the building. We have a pretty af uent, upper-middle class clientele; they mostly work in the building.”
The ve-story Decorative Arts Center that houses the restaurant is in an area of the city enjoying a Renaissance.
“There is a lot of rebirth in Atlanta,” says McNerney. “When I was in Los Angeles in 2009 they were calling Atlanta East Holly- wood. Now they call it Yollywood, as in Y’al- lywood. We’re also in the Front Porch Market and the Floral Park Market. The word gets around.”
Floral Park Market (see page 15) features an abundance of locally sourced organic ingredients that might feel at home in an af uent neighborhood of Northern California, but this is still the South.
“The Hungry Peach has always had a Southern accent,” says McNerney. “We have a Pimento cheese snack, chicken salad and
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HUNGRY PEACH
miniature ham and Swiss cheese biscuits. We have some Southern comfort foods, like ve cheese macaroni, but we try to keep it healthy.”
The newest menu items include Avocado Toast with herbed buttermilk, Mixed Greens and Sun ower Seeds, and Southern Lox with smoked salmon pate, pickled onions and bagel crisps.
The Hungry Peach has taken root in an Atlanta, where nearby farmers are making available an ever-expanding variety of produce items, both traditional and new.
“I would say produce becomes more accessible in Atlanta every day,” says McNerney. “There are more providers, and there are a lot of opportunities for farmers to sell their goods in town. There’s a lot of demand for fresh ingredients.” pb
THE HUNGRY PEACH
351 Peachtree Hills Ave. Suite 232 Atlanta, GA 30305 404.816.9009 www.thehungrypeach.com Hours
Mon–Fri 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
ATLANTA
Many chefs in the area have developed seasonal menus built on the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables they can source from local farmers.
“Local is a big deal for metro Atlanta, espe- cially with local chefs,” says Scott from Nickey Gregory. “Atlanta has an extensive restaurant scene with many concepts that demand an array of fresh produce items. e Georgia Grown program has become very popular. eir website is very useful for those searching for locally grown. Buy local means Georgia Grown.”
e Georgia Grown website o ers a list of participating restaurants and other foodser- vice operators, farmers, their available crops and even recipes using those fresh varieties.
“Collards, okra, peaches, peanuts, Vidalia sweet onions, Eastern veggies and Musca- dines are characteristic of Atlanta area tastes,” says Scott.
In addition to the many uniquely Southern vegetables and fruits, the Georgia Grown seal also can be found on mainstream produce items.
“Of course, items like fresh citrus, apples, watermelon, local cantaloupes and stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines, plums and apri- cots are all good movers,” says Jardina of J.J. Jardina. “It’s a pretty wide variety of items that you will see interest in.”
Although consumers appreciate the Georgia Grown a liation, it is less clear that they are prepared to pay more for these items.
“It’s hard to tell for sure how important ‘buy local’ is, but there seems to be more interest in it,” says Jardina. “If you walk your local retailer
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2019 / 63