After being in Athens, GA for four years, I feel like I’m a semi-expert on great places to eat in Athens. I was surprised to learn about a little restaurant in one of my favorite areas in Athens that gets their produce from local farmers. How did I never know this place existed??
There are several really good restaurants in Athens that support local farmers, and I was extremely excited to learn about another one!! If you haven’t tasted a vegetable that was grown 10 miles from you and harvested less than 24 hours ago, you are seriously missing out! Local food is the freshest and most delicious food you can eat.
The restaurant is called White Tiger Gourmet (check out link to learn more). Its a small little white building in a historic neighborhood and has a gorgeous outdoor seating area. I got the seared salmon salad.
Local and organic green beans, cucumbers, and mixed greens with seared salmon, sliced apple, and a lemon vinaigrette. Incredible!
Another view just for kicks 
Saturday morning, I was volunteering at the Athens farmer’s market. I have been a volunteer coordinator for a local non-profit organization that promotes local food in Athens since last September. I was there bright and early to set up our table. Our farmer’s market has such a great atmosphere and a wonderful community of people who support it.
Our table was right next to the Daily Co-op, who was selling freshly made vegan coleslaw, spicy bean dip, and a rosemary garlic spread that morning. The guy working it had brought his little boy to help out, who was probably about 7 years old and had a gorgeous head of dark curly hair. We asked him what his favorite food was….he thought about for a few seconds and then said, “Asparagus soup!” When I was 7, I probably would have said Oreos or something. It makes me so happy to see all the kids at the farmer’s market that are learning to appreciate real food that doesn’t come from a box with a cartoon character on it.
When I got back from the farmer’s market, my roommates and I made eggplant and swiss chard sandwiches!
We put a crazy combination of ingredients on this sandwich, and it was perfect! Here is how we made them:
- We spread pumpkin hummus and avocado on both slices of bread.
- Sauteed eggplants sliced and swiss chard.
- Layered eggplant and chard on sandwich with swiss cheese and tomatoes.
- Toasted on a pan, and enjoyed!
The swiss chard was from the Athens farmer’s market, and the eggplant was from the Dekalb farmer’s market (my roommate goes when she is in Atlanta for her internship). Tomatoes were from Publix, but as soon as tomato season peaks in Georgia, I will not touch grocery store tomatoes. My parents have actually been growing tomatoes in our backyard for several years now, and they are 1000000x’s more flavorful than tomatoes from the store! I can’t wait till they start growing this summer!
Hope you all had a great weekend!!
That salad looks delicious and that is so cool about that little boy’s favorite food being asparagus soup! Crazy awesome!
Wow, that sandwich looks incredible! Love the use of eggplant.
Asparagus soup?! Hah what a kid! I wish that would have been me – I would have said Oreos, too! Your sandwich looks fantastic! I wish there were restaurants like that (that use local produce) around here but the restaurant offerings where I live aren’t very great
When I was little I used to say one of my favorite foods was a pear and blue cheese salad. Of course I hate blue cheese now, so I’m not sure what that sounds about me
That little boy is my hero!! I’m 18 and I still wouldn’t say asparagus soup is my favorite food! I would be like, froyo with sprinkles! haha!
That sandwich sounds and looks amazing!! So many good veggies on good bread yaayy!
LOVE eggplant on a sammie!
I LOVE farmer’s markets, and I wish we were able to have better local produce here in Vegas, but the weather is very challenging! We went to Portland last spring break and about died. My fiancee and I want to start a raised bed in October with veggies, but we’ll see how it goes. Local produce is just a-maz-ing, there’s nothing to describe it and the flavor is so much better. I think that’s great to get kids exposed to different, healthy foods. It can take up to 10 exposures before they’ll even try it, but it really starts when they’re young. Your sammy looks delish!
-kristen
Pingback: BIG Salad = :-D « Raspberry Runner