Atlanta-based restaurant Little Rey has announced plans to open its second location in the city next spring, bringing its cuisine inspired by the flavors of Northern Mexico to north Buckhead.

The contemporary Mexican eatery will occupy a 5,500-square-foot rental space inside the Northcreek Office Park development on Northside Parkway in early 2024, which is situated near Nancy Creek and I-75.

Chef Ford Fry opened Little Rey’s primary location in the Piedmont Heights neighborhood of east Atlanta in 2019. The restaurateur, who currently resides in Atlanta, owns 13 eateries across the metro area and a total of 23 restaurants based all over the country, including local culinary hotspots King + Duke, St. Cecilia and Superica.

According to a release from the public relations agency representing Rocket Farm Restaurants, the company behind the collection of restaurants owned by Fry, Little Rey Buckhead will feature many of the menu items available at the Piedmont Heights location, including street-style tacos, shareable starters and the restaurant’s staple dishes inspired by the traditional Mexican favorite, “pollo al carbon”. Various flavors of margaritas, aguas frescas, authentic Mexican beer and locally sourced ales will also appear on the menu.

Plans to expand the restaurant into Johns Creek, Houston, Texas and Raleigh, North Carolina, are also slated for 2024.

The post Little Rey slated to open Buckhead location early next year appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The crowd outside of Mr. Everything continued to grow as City of Atlanta council member Byron Amos talked about what the restaurant means to the Westside Village neighborhood it has been in the past 30 years. Amos and many others were braving a cold morning temperature to celebrate Mr. Everything’s 30th anniversary of business on the west side. 

Mr. Everything was established across the street from its current home in 1993. The family-owned business was started by husband and wife Jason and Monica Smith as a way to offer a more healthy dining option for customers in the Atlanta University Center and surrounding neighborhoods, said Jason, a native of Queens, New York. 

“It feels good because the community supports us and we are proud that the community continues to support us,” Jason said as people streamed inside the two-story restaurant. On the second floor of the restaurant a pull-apart cake designed to look like the “Mr.Everything” logo was on a table.

“It feels amazing,” Monica said of the celebration. “When we started this business in 1993 our goal was to serve the community. That still stands today.” 

There are three other Mr. Everything locations in Fairburn, Fayetteville, and a second Atlanta location on Greenbriar Parkway. Monica says the family is looking forward to the coming year with plans for the restaurant to expand in 2024. 

Monica said the business was trying to open a location inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before the Covid pandemic hit in 2021 and those plans were put on hold. There are also plans to open five more locations next year, including inside the country’s busiest airport” she said. 

“We are very humbled to still be here and excited about the future,” said Monica. The couple has eight children and 10 grandchildren, some of whom were on-site for the ribbon-cutting. “They were so excited to cut the ribbon,” said Monica. 

Five Atlanta Police Department officers walked into the restaurant with one thing on their minds: lunch. They too were at Mr. Everything to celebrate three decades of business in the community. Upon seeing them enter, City of Atlanta Executive Director of the Office of Constituent Services Greg Clay joked to a friend, “This is the safest place in the city right now.” 

An Atlanta native, Clay was there to present a proclamation from the city to the Smiths. He had been coming to Mr. Everything since he was in high school and said he understood what the restaurant meant to the community then and now. 

“30 years of quality food and customer service for any type of small business is a huge accomplishment,” Clay said. “Not only that, but they are community folks.” 

Shade` Jones, chair of neighborhood planning unit L, said Mr. Everything’s success, growth, and solid business practices “is a great statement for what can happen in our community.”

“It’s really exciting to see the expansion within our community,” she added. “It’s an optimistic example for the businesses in this community.”

Mr. Everything has been on the right side and the left side of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, near the Atlanta University Center. Jones said that means it has been a part of two different neighborhood planning units during three decades of serving its popular rice-based meals and sandwiches, but one thing has remained the same, she says. “They have always been on the west side,” Jones said.  

The post Mr. Everything celebrates 30 years on the Westside appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

“My neck, my back, fair wages, and a contract.”

11-year Starbucks employee Amanda Rivera was shouting over the passing traffic that was going north and south down Tara Blvd. Thursday afternoon. She and a dozen others, a mix of Starbucks employees and union supporters, marched in a small circle in front of the store as part of the “Red Cup Rebellion,” a series of national strikes for fair wages and contracts. “We are here because we voted in June 2022 to unionize and the company refused to negotiate with us,” Rivera said. “We just want a contract.”

The strikes took place on one of the most popular and busiest days in the Starbucks calendar: Red Cup Day. On this day Starbucks offers customers a red plastic cup with their fall drink orders. Rivera confirmed that Red Cup Days were a big deal within the company and to the many customers at her home store at Ansley Mall.

Thousands of employees (they refer to themselves as “partners”) at hundreds of locations across the country participated in the coordinated strikes. From Seattle to Boston to metro Atlanta, Starbucks customers at select locations that are fully unionized like the ones at Ansley Mall and in Jonesboro were having to go without their favorite drinks.

The closure of selected stores for the one-day strike could cost the company millions. In 2022, Starbucks reported $6 billion in overall U.S. revenue, according to data from the business revenue website businessmodelanalyst.com.

Derryl Rohlff has worked at the Ansley Mall store for five years and after starting at $9.15 she now makes $16.50 per hour. The problem is after five years she now makes just $1 more than new hires make at $15.50. She told The Atlanta Voice that she was on the picket line because she didn’t think that was fair.

“I love my job, but after being here this long I want more of a reason to stay,” she said.

Standing next to Rohlff, Tiana Bays, a college student that has worked at the Ansley Mall location for a little over a year, said she feels her coworker’s pain, if not personally, than spiritually.

“For me it’s about supporting my coworkers,” she said. “The hours are inconsistent and I just want better for everybody.”

A 26-year veteran server of Starbucks’ lattes and iced coffees, Logan Mathews walked the picket line in Jonesboro only weeks after being fired after joining the union. He was later rehired after all of the employees at the store walked out in solidarity, but the years of service to the company first in his native California, then Florida and then to Georgia, left him puzzled that he could be fired at all.

“We are here to spread the word that ever since we unionized it feels like they threw us into a sink-or-swim island,” Mathews said.

The chants from the small group, “This is what the union looks like,” continued as Debra Williams, an organizer with Workers United, held a son above her head and waved it towards cars moving in and out of the parking lot. Williams has been on the front lines of many strikes and feels this one is as legitimate a cause as any others she has worked on.

“I’m here because I was once in these worker’s shoes. We are all in this together,” Williams said. “I have to support my fellow workers because if we don’t stand for us who will?”

Asked if there were plans for additional strikes, Mathews said this was a major effort by the staffers that participated. Anything else will take place on a “store-to-store basis”, he said.

It will be weeks before there’s data on how much revenue Starbucks lost during the “Red Cup Rebellion”, but Rivera believes it won’t compare to what the employees of not only Starbucks but other food service workers will use if they didn’t stand up and speak their minds in this way.

“All work has value,” she said. “This is so much bigger than people understand. This is a referendum on how major companies treat their employees.”

The post Starbucks employees from around the country, including metro Atlanta, STRIKE back appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Atlanta (CNN) — Most restaurants are usually thrilled to have Keith Lee review their food.

With more than 14.5 million followers on TikTok alone, Lee brings exposure that has helped turn some businesses around, with lines out the door and praise from grateful owners.

Then Lee came to Atlanta.

His visit brought viral videos, death threats, responses from Grammy-winning artists and what some say is a long overdue reckoning for the Atlanta restaurant scene.

Restaurants typically welcome ‘being ‘Keith Lee-d’

Lee is a 27-year-old former MMA fighter who has found so much fame reviewing eateries that it’s now a full-time gig.

Unlike some food influencers who get paid for their reviews and opinions, Lee says in his videos that he pays for his own meals and even sends family members to pick up his orders so he’s not recognized and given special treatment.

The everyman reviewer, who lives in Las Vegas, has a trademark style: He eats the food in his vehicle and records his reactions, while always encouraging his followers to not go by his experience alone and to try out the establishments themselves.

Lee also tries to dissuade his followers from being negative on social media towards the businesses whose food he hasn’t rated highly, often pointing out that any company can have a bad day and to bear in mind that people depend on their business for their livelihood.

His focus on small businesses and food trucks — often Black owned — has endeared him to the eatery owners who have gotten good reviews. Having him taste your food is referred to online as being “Keith Lee-d.”

So there was initially a sense of excitement when Lee’s followers discovered he was visiting Atlanta as part of a food tour he and his family have undertaken across the country.

In recent years Atlanta has become a culinary hotspot, with multiple “Top Chef” contestants and several celebrity-owned restaurants. The city even recently scored its first Michelin-star restaurants.

Mike Jordan has been covering the Atlanta culinary scene since 2009 and told CNN the city is a natural spot for the industry to thrive given that in Georgia “we eat everywhere we go.”

“I mean, gas station food is big in the South, and Atlanta strip clubs have not just food, but very good food,” Jordan said. “I remember when people used to say, ‘Oh my gosh, why would you ever eat at a strip club?’ And we’ve gone to the point of now it is a well acknowledged thing that Magic City (a legendary strip club in Atlanta) has very, very, very good wings.”

But when Lee started trying to get food from some Atlanta-area eateries, things didn’t go so well.

‘I pay for my food just like everybody else,’ Lee says

Lee initially agreed to be interviewed by CNN and then changed his mind, requesting that some of the establishments he visited be given the opportunity to speak instead. But on his social platforms — he has another 1 million-plus followers on Instagram — he shared a story saying he was unable to get service at The Real Milk and Honey in College Park, a community south of Atlanta.

According to his review, when Lee’s family tried to order food the staff told them the restaurant was closing early for a deep cleaning — despite the doors being open wide and other customers picking up orders.

Lee said he opted to go in himself and when the staff recognized him, they offered him service, which he declined.

“I pay for my food like everybody else. I walk up in spots like everybody else,” Lee said, explaining why he was doing a food-less review. “We are all normal people. Respectfully, if you’re not going to do it then, don’t do it now.”

Lee said he believes he also received special treatment when he attempted to try the food at Old Lady Gang, an Atlanta restaurant owned by Grammy-winning songwriter, singer and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss.

Lee said he sent his family into the eatery and they were told there was no carryout on the weekends and it would be a wait of more than an hour. But Lee added that once again he went inside, was recognized and then told they could be seated right away.

The TikTok creator said that when he asked how his group could suddenly be seated so quickly he was told that the people on the list ahead of his family had not responded when their name was called, creating an opening. Again, he declined service.

The two businesses had different responses to the attempted reviews.

The Real Milk and Honey initially posted a video on social media in which an unidentified man asks, “Who is this Keith Lee?” The video was met with almost immediate backlash and was deleted.

The restaurant then posted a statement on its Instagram account to “address a recent incident that highlighted a review from a high profile food blogger.”

“In no way were we trying to discredit anyone, if the comments came across as such, kindly accept our apologies,” the statement reads. “It’s crucial to always take feedback and make improvements, for the success of our business and our community.”

For her part, Burruss posted a video on her Instagram account saying, “I just really want to say, I do appreciate Keith Lee for stopping by our restaurant and trying to show us love.”

“It is very unfortunate that we couldn’t serve him and his family,” she said. “On the weekends, we get a lot of community support, people in our city that show up for us, as well as a lot of people from out of town. So, with that being said, we don’t want to overwhelm our kitchen by having to, you know, have such long times for the people who are actually at the restaurant, plus having to do to-go orders.”

CNN has reached out to both The Real Milk and Honey and Burruss for additional comment.

Lee’s experiences have stirred some on social media to share their own complaints, among them that Atlanta’s restaurant scene is littered with places that care more about their social media presentation than their food and service.

Such spots have inconsistent hours, food and customer service, along with policies that are not always customer friendly — such as not allowing takeout, according to many complaints.

The conversation went so viral that rapper Cardi B, who has a home in Atlanta, went live on social media and shared her own experiences, saying “I feel like Atlanta restaurants, they don’t like to make money,” and noting that she has sometimes had members of her team drop her name in an effort to get better service.

“I feel bad for Atlanta residents,” she said. “Thank you, Jesus, I’m famous, but even me being famous, it’s like a hassle!”

But Jordan, who is now a senior editor for the Black culture team at Atlanta’s newspaper of record, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sees positives in what happened.

“I think sometimes it takes an outsider to vocalize what is on a lot of people’s minds. And the fact that when he did this, there was such a viral reaction across the board from diners, from influencers, from the media, from the restaurant owners — that just shows you that this has really been bubbling under the surface for a long time,” Jordan said.

“And he (Lee) was just the conduit to really open up this conversation,” he added. “I think his outsider status made this something that where everyone could finally let loose, because I think we’re also a very nice city, we’re a Southern city. So I think that clearly everyone had been feeling this way … (but) they needed someone else to step out and say it first.”

One restaurant owner says the episode has been ‘a nightmare’

Not everyone appreciated Lee’s feedback on his Atlanta visit, however.

Devon Green is a part owner at Milk and Honey, a restaurant west of Atlanta that is known for its brunches. His restaurant is being mistaken for The Real Milk and Honey, the place Lee attempted to review.

Green told Atlanta’s 11 Alive his business has been inundated with threats from some of Lee’s followers who are confusing his restaurant with the one Lee talked about.

“A bomb from negative comments, death threats, threats to blow the building up, threats to end our business,” Green said. “We started getting bad reviews on Yelp. People were calling our phones. It was a nightmare.”

CNN has reached out to Green for comment.

Lee also appears to have felt threatened by the online fracas surrounding his Atlanta visit.

After the uproar he posted a video telling his followers “I can’t win for losing” and explaining that most of the time he reviews restaurants that have been suggested to him or he’s been requested to. Lee said he’s never malicious when it comes to his reviews.

“I understand everybody gonna have an opinion on the situation. You can disagree with me. You can not like what I say. Completely understand,” he said. “I’m ok with that. But when my safety and my family safety are coming into play, that’s where I draw the line.”

‘The food scene in Atlanta is going to have to elevate’

Miguel Hernandez is one Atlanta restaurateur who was hoping Lee would stop by.

A co-owner of Rreal Tacos, a local chain of fast-casual eateries, he has an appreciation for food influencers and said that during a recent trip to Dallas he used TikTok to find someplace good to eat.

“I think that these influencers, they know the power that they have. They’re not doing it to tarnish restaurants by any means,” said Hernandez, who added that he has worked with social media influencers to get the word out about his own brand.

And while he says he understands that people are passionate about both their city and its restaurants, he sees no reason to go overboard when it comes to Lee’s reviews.

“It does give restaurant owners and people in the food scene in Atlanta the opportunity to maybe get better,” Hernandez said. “Atlanta’s known for music. Atlanta is known for starting trends. And I think that the food scene in Atlanta is going to have to elevate as well.”

The post Keith Lee tried to review some Atlanta restaurants on TikTok. All hell broke loose appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Atlanta (CNN) — Georgia’s capital city — home to the world’s busiest airport — can now boast Michelin-star restaurants as another reason to stop and stay awhile.

Five Atlanta restaurants were awarded one Michelin star on Tuesday night during a ceremony at the downtown Rialto Center for the Arts.

Atlas, Bacchanalia, Hayakawa, Lazy Betty and Mujō all received the one-star rating, marking the French travel guide’s debut in the city.

Having the Michelin presence is likely to expand the culinary community, said one honoree.

“It’s going to just continue the momentum of what’s already been building here,” said Aaron Phillips, one of Lazy Betty’s two executive chef/owners, bringing fresh inspiration and talent “to come and join our city and cook with us.”

After the ceremony, Phillips and executive chef/owner Ron Hsu talked about the whole team behind Lazy Betty’s award, including chef de cuisine Austin Goetzman.

“Our team deserves it more than we do, to be honest,” Hsu said. Hsu and Phillips “oversee a contemporary tasting menu with clever flavor combinations that highlight regional ingredients,” Michelin’s inspectors noted.

Restaurants may receive from one to three stars. One star designates “high quality cooking” that’s “worth a stop,” according to Michelin’s rating system. So Atlanta has two more highly selective rungs to aim for in future rankings.

Michelin praised the city’s “dynamic culinary landscape.” Its anonymous judges “came away impressed with the diverse offerings, as the selection of restaurants not only reflects a taste of the South, but also has a good deal of international flavor,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said in a statement.

Bib Gourmand and more

Ten Atlanta restaurants earned Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation, which is awarded to restaurants featuring good food at moderate prices. Those restaurants include Little Bear, whose chef, Jarrett Stieber, earned the Michelin Young Chef Award. In total, 45 Atlanta restaurants will be listed in the Michelin guide, including 30 recommended restaurants.

Two Atlanta restaurants, Bacchanalia and The Chastain, received Michelin’s newest designation, the green star, which was introduced in 2020 to award leaders in sustainability.

Michelin’s restaurant rating methodology, which dates back more than a century, focuses on five criteria: quality products, harmony of flavors; mastery of cooking techniques; the cuisine’s reflection of the chef’s personality and voice; and consistency (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).

Michelin works with tourism boards, including the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, “to promote the travel industry in the respective locations,” Michelin said in its July announcement of the Atlanta guide. Such partnerships have generated controversy in the past. The company said its selection process is “completely independent.”

Atlanta is the second US Michelin guide to debut this year. Michelin-starred restaurants in Colorado were announced in September.

The French tire company introduced its guidebooks in France in 1900 as a travel resource for motorists. In 2005, New York debuted as Michelin’s first North American destination. In addition to the two new US guides this year, Michelin also has guides for California; Chicago; Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida; and Washington, DC. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver are Michelin destinations.

The post Five Atlanta restaurants now have Michelin-star ratings appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The twice-torched Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon Avenue, the 4,000-square-foot building donning the company’s signature green and white colors, opened its doors to the public Tuesday morning.

Employees handed out free, warm donuts to guests in line and served an array of classic and limited edition flavors from the drive-thru and indoors, catering to a steady flow of customers both young and old.

The re-opened Ponce location employs more than 70 staff members, none of whom Devin Stephens, the franchise’s general manager, said were working at the previous store at the time of its burning down.

Stephens said he’s worked for Krispy Kreme since 2016, beginning as a shift supervisor and advancing to a high-ranking leadership position over the years. Stephens also said he’s most excited to serve customers after Krispy Kreme’s two-year hiatus in the Midtown neighborhood.

“I just look forward to seeing all the smiles and bringing joy to the community,” Stephens said.

Fans of the donut chain even crossed city lines to check out the new store.

Renita Murchison and her granddaughter took advantage of a school break to drive from McDonough, hoping to get a glimpse of the franchise’s celebrity owner, Shaquille O’Neal.

“We love Krispy Kreme,” Murchison said, carrying a bag of donuts to take home on her way out of the store. “My son just said, ‘Bring me back some (donuts).’”

Shaq was absent for the shop’s opening due to scheduling conflicts.

Krispy Kreme’s iconic Hot Light will turn on twice daily to serve Atlanta’s Midtown community, from 7-9 a.m. and again from 5-7 p.m. The store will operate from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Customers will be able to purchase donuts in-store, via the drive-thru, or order ahead online or using the Krispy Kreme mobile app.

The post Krispy Kreme on Ponce is back appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Scotch Boyz, a Black-owned Jamaican sauce brand started in 2012 from humble beginnings with four childhood friends (Drew Gray, Matthew Wallace, Neil Hudson, and Kemal Swamy) who shared a passion for cooking and a love for great food. After participating in a BBQ cook off and being overwhelmed with positive feedback, they decided to bottle their sauces. 

Unfortunately, after completing high school all four friends went to separate universities. However, once a year they would reunite in Jamaica for Drew’s annual BBQ. Each year, news would spread about how amazing the food was, drawing both old and new faces seeking to get a taste. Drew had perfected a sauce that his grandfather first made in Portland, Jamaica over 60 years ago. 

The brand, which received investment as a 2022 winner of the SheaMoisture Next Black Millionaire Fund, is passionate about making an impact on the communities that it works with, such as support of small farmers and The Scotch Boyz Foundation (which is dedicated to providing additional support for underfunded schools in their local community). 

As one of the winners of the fund, Neil Hudson and Scotch Boyz received a $100,000 grant, a dedicated Target endcap in over 600 stores and online at Target.com, and a variety of business development coaches and services.  

Hudson was born and raised in Westmoreland, Jamaica, but moved to Atlanta from Boston five years ago when he was offered a position to relocate to Atlanta to manage relationships and sales at companies like Cox Communications and Southern Company.  

 Hudson spoke with the Atlanta Voice to discuss Scotch Boyz

The Atlanta Voice: Why did you decide to start your business? Was there a moment that inspired you to start your business? Also, tell me a little bit about the creation of the business. 

Neil Hudson: Scotch Boyz was born at a BBQ competition in Jamaica with my three childhood friends. After graduating from high school and going to separate universities, we didn’t see each other often, but we’d always reunite for the BBQ competition. After winning BBQ competitions, people kept on reaching out for more sauce, so we decided to start our own company. Now, Scotch Boyz brings the unique island flavors of Jamaica to you, no matter where in the world you may be.

AV: How did you all come up with the name “Scotch Boyz”? 

NH: Scotch bonnet peppers are the heart of our sauce recipes and Jamaican cuisine. My friends and I, the creators of Scotch Boyz, are real yard boys (slang for a Jamaican person) who love Jamaica and nothing more than good Jamaican food. The name Scotch Boyz not only pays tribute to who we are but where we come from. 

AV: Is there a mentor in your life that inspired/inspires you as a business owner? 

NH: My dad owned a restaurant growing up but the most successful people I saw were entrepreneurs. There is a Jamaican Billionaire, Michael Lee Chin who paid for the exam fees for the country’s entire graduating class and he is someone that I have always looked up to.  

AV: The brand recently received investment as a 2022 winner of the SheaMoisture Next Black Millionaire Fund and received a $100,000 grant, how did that make you feel and what was the money used for? 

NH: I was thrilled when I got the news that I was going to be a part of the Next Black Millionaire program as I knew this would propel Scotch Boyz to the next level and it has. Getting on the shelves at a major retailer is harder than getting into Harvard and the NBA combined. The mentors I had through the Next Black Millionaire program helped make that a reality for Scotch Boyz. The Next Black Millionaire program accelerated Scotch Boyz’ growth and maturity by at least a decade. With the grant, we are able to continue proudly supporting over 200 farmers in Jamaica. With every purchase of our Scotch Boyz sauce, our proceeds go to supporting small farmers as they work to grow their businesses and contribute to their communities. By supporting small farmers, we can make a positive impact on local economies and help ensure a sustainable future for farmers and their families. This is similar to SheaMoisture and how they sustainably source their Shea butter and coconut oil providing fair wages, resources, and opportunities to more than 53,000 women in cooperatives in West Africa. 

A part of the grant went to also hiring our first full time employee and that has allowed me to step outside of the business to focus on partnerships and value-added tasks to help scale the business.  

AV: What are your business goals for the remainder of the year? 

NH: I have an ambitious goal, ten thousand in two. I want Scotch Boyz to be available in 10,000 doors in the next two years. The first step is to expand in all Targets and I’m hopeful that based on the strong sales I had with the Next Black Millionaire end cap that this will be a reality.  

AV: What type of advice do you have for future business owners about taking the plunge? 

NH: It is always okay to ask for help with your business and goals. Owning a business can be a lot of work and it is important to have a strong community you can rely on to help carry the load. Thankfully through the Next Black Millionaire program, SheaMoisture has helped Scotch Boyz expand in ways I didn’t think were even imaginable! Also, do your research, identify who you will need to make your business successful and find ways to partner with them.  

For more information and to purchase, visit https://www.scotchboyz.com.  

The post Black Business Profile: Scotch Boyz   appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

The third annual 1 Million Meal Pack took place Saturday, Sept. 6 inside State Farm Arena. Despite the Atlanta Hawks not returning to the court until Oct. 15 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their preseason opener, the arena was packed with cheering and boisterous fans.

As DMX’s ” Party Up” played over the loudspeakers more than 5,000 volunteers would contribute to the effort to combat food insecurity in metro Atlanta. The volunteers worked at 71 tables throughout the day with the goal being to pack 1 million meals. Nearly 1 in 9 people in metro Atlanta are considered food insecure, according to data from the Atlanta Community Food Bank. With every one of the meals that are packed being distributed locally, the volunteer effort goes a long way to helping adults and children in Atlanta have a meal at the end of the day.

Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman and his youngest daughter Mara showed up to volunteer. Hearing that more than 5,000 other people were joining them throughout the day Shipman said, “I think it shows the spirit of the city. It’s also because the city’s residents are hopeful and care about each other.”

Atlanta Hawks legend, Hawks in-game announcer and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dominique Wilkins wasn’t surprised by the number of people volunteering either. “You have a lot of people that really care about what’s going on out here and they want to do their part to help,” he said. “To have all these volunteers here is strong and it’s something that we’re proud of.

By 10 a.m. there were over 175,000 meals packed and ready to be shipped around the city.

The theme for the day was simple: One Day. One Community. One Million Meals.

“This is all about stepping up and being true to Atlanta,” said Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena Vice President of Community Impact and Basketball Programs Job Babul as he looked around the arena as a steady stream of volunteers marched to their assigned tables. “It’s a super successful event and we couldn’t do it without State Farm, U.S. Hunger and our fans.”

Ten to fifteen volunteers, wearing red hairnets and red 1 Million Meal Pack t-shirts, worked at assigned stations inside the arena, 71 in total, and rang red cowbells every time a box was packed and taped close. The boxes contained six complete meals each, which consisted of 48 bags of jambalaya (red lentils, long grain white rice, dehydrated vegetables and pink Himalayan salt, which is considered a healthier option than traditional table salt due to it being less processed).

There were six shifts that volunteers ages 5 and up could have applied to work. The first shift began at 8 a.m., with all shifts running for an hour and a half, and the final shift of the day ending at 5 p.m.

Tanya James, corporate responsibility manager for State Farm said the effort was “making a difference in the community.”

“We look at opportunities to bring together volunteers to combat the problem of food insecurity,” she said. “We want to connect to the community and this is like a homecoming.”

As pallets were packed with boxes, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO Steve Koonin climbed some steps onto a stage that was set up in the center of the massive space where professional basketball takes place. “This is one of the great days in our city,” he said. “We only want to continue seeing this grow.”

The event is fully funded by the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena and as U.S. Hunger CEO Rick Whitted thanked the Hawks and the volunteers he added, “We do these all around the country, but there’s no energy like Atlanta.”

Actress Gail Bean checked in to volunteer as well. A native of Stone Mountain, Bean brought her goddaughter and cousin with her to help. “It feels really good to be a part of something bigger than me,” she said. “It means a lot.”

The sound of red cowbells ringing could be heard as she finished her statement.

The post 1 Million Meals at a time: Hawks, State Farm, U.S. Hunger and thousands help fight food insecurity in Atlanta appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.

Very few things are as cool as a scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day in Atlanta. Jake’s Ice Cream, with locations on the Atlanta Beltline and in Hapeville, offers its customers some of the most interesting flavors around. From Chocolate Slap Your Mama to Coffee & Donuts to Brown Shugah Vanilla, a vanilla ice cream made with brown sugar, there is something for ice cream fans to enjoy. 

“We don’t do plain chocolate and vanilla,” said co-owner Shea Daniels.

Jake’s Ice Cream recently expanded to a second location in Hapeville, hosting its grand opening on Juneteenth weekend. Daniels, a Florida native who has lived in Atlanta for nearly 30 years, believes Hapeville has been a solid investment.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better reception from the city,” Daniels told The Atlanta Voice recently. She added that local business owners have been some of their best customers so far. “It has been a great experience.”

The Hapeville location, which opened in June, is in what was once a candy shop, says Daniels. Despite the sweet serendipity, Daniels and her partner, the company’s namesake, thought Hapeville would be a perfect location for their latest venture because, “it was in an ice cream dessert,” she explained.

“We had been trying for years to get into that space,” said Daniels, who bought into the business in 2013 after years as an event planner. “I wasn’t quite ready to stop working and nobody gets angry when they are eating ice cream.”

Daniels’ event planning experience has come in handy as Jake’s Ice Cream hosts events, including children’s birthday parties where the birthday boy or girl gets to plan the ice cream menu. Sometimes they can invent their own flavor of ice cream. Daniels says all of the ice cream at Jake’s is homemade. Jake taught her how to make ice cream when she came aboard and these days she likes to create original flavors such as sweet potato pie ice cream when there’s time. “One day I had some sweet potatoes leftover and decided to try it,” she said. 

Daniels said being a Black ice cream parlor owner isn’t always easy, but what she wants most is for “the opportunity to show people what we’re made of. Sometimes if people know you are a Black-owned business they don’t want to give you a chance.”

With plenty of hot days in August and September coming up, Jake’s Ice Cream and the many sorbets, piescreams, gluten-free, speciality and novelty flavors they have should be worth a try.

Jake’s Ice Cream is located at 660 Irwin Street, NE on the Atlanta Beltline and at 755 Virginia Avenue in the heart of Hapeville.

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The Wine and Culture Festival, a multi-day wine festival calling attention to the lack of diversity across various stages of the wine industry, will return to Atlanta for the third time in the event’s five-year history.

Hosted annually by The Hue Society, a global organization advocating for racial inclusion within the industry, Wine and Culture Fest will extend its schedule of events to last a full week for the first time since its inception, offering a list of activities suited for a wide range of wine enthusiasts, from complete beginners to seasoned professionals in the field.

Tahiirah Habibi, founder of The Hue Society and the Wine and Culture Festival, said this year’s event features a diverse span of experiences for guests to get involved in, including educational sessions, mental health and wellness gatherings and other social functions.

“There’s so many different options, and I really wanted to create a full, well-rounded experience, because [the Black community is] not a monolith,” Habibi said. “I just really wanted to try and tap into the incredible culture that we have here in Atlanta and make sure that people at least saw something that they could relate to during the week…”

Some of the event’s most notable activities will take place on the final days of the festival. A masterclass, panel and other learning experiences are scheduled for Friday and Saturday afternoons at the Thompson Hotel. The Hue Society will also host food and wine tasting sessions at Underground Atlanta on Friday and Saturday evenings, which will include a feast featuring different varieties of rice dishes paired with complementing wines on the second day. The festival will wrap up on Sunday with a morning awards show and brunch followed by a rooftop lounge event to close out the week.

Habibi said guests should expect to feel comfortable at the many stages of the festival, regardless of their race, cultural background or experience with wine. The aim of the festival coincides with the mission of The Hue Society: to create a space for Black, brown and Indigenous people to learn about and bond over the intricacies of wine without having to sacrifice aspects of their culture or demeanor to feel accepted.

“There’s no expectation that you need to code-switch or assimilate,” Habibi said. “I just wanted to create luxury experiences for us through our lens, because we deserve that.”

This year’s festival will run from Monday, July 24 through Sunday, July 30. Find the full schedule and individual tickets and bundles for each event on the Wine and Culture Festival’s official website. 

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