The Starlander Café
If you live in Savannah and you haven’t visited The Starlander Café, you’re missing out. Located in the Starland district, this gem offers made-to-order paninis, homemade soups and salads. The menu items change from time-to-time, depending on what’s in stock. If you’re lucky enough to sample the tomato guacamole sandwich and creamy, tomato Thai soup, these are some of my favorites. If you visit the Starlander, located off of Drayton St on E. 41st St, you’re bound to meet John Deaderick, owner and founder of the café. This genial guy is a great host for the venue, which not only provides delicious and fresh food, but lots of character. The walls provide gallery space for works of local artists. The café provides both indoor and outdoor seating, so when you bring your furry friend to play in the Savannah Dog Park next door, you can bring him along with you to grab a bite to eat.
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John Deaderick had a hand in building the LEED-certified, Starland Lofts, as well as making a continued effort to reunite the neighborhoods surrounding the Starland District. A great deal of the beautification in the area is thanks to Deaderick and his partners.
The Starlander is open Mon-Fri, from 11am to 3pm, and located at 11 E. 41st St.
Organic Moms Unite!
The Savannah Coop sprouted out of a desire for inexpensive organics for moms and their families. Run and organized by six Savannah mothers, these ladies have nine children under the age of four between them: Marisa Lilje, Melissa Beauchamp, Emily Sontag, Julie Scott, Carmen Vazquez, and Michelle Solomon. They all met through a parenting group and are from all over the country, some with previous coop experience and others that are new to the concept. The idea is to buy together in large quantities, in order to get a better price for high quality products.
Beginning in May 2008, these ladies have been taking bi-weekly orders from the community and their fellow parents for organic fruits and vegetables, fresh local milk, organic cottage cheese and yogurt, local eggs, and even local organic beef. Starting out in the house of Marisa Lilje, one of the moms, they have now moved to First Presbyterian Church in Ardsley Park. They receive about 30 produce box orders every other week. These boxes come from Destiny Produce, specializing in supplying co-ops with organic produce from the Southeast. You have a choice of large or small size and all fruit, all vegetable, or a mix. When the co-op finds a good deal on veggies or fruit, extra produce is ordered and up for grabs as a supplement to the box orders.
The Savannah Co-op is not a seasonal commitment, as with most co-ops, but instead orders may be placed on Tuesday for produce on Thursday. More about the program can be found here, as well as FAQ, a calendar, more about the organizers, prices and other helpful info.
I received my produce box from Green Tomato Concepts yesterday, and it looks exceptionally delicious. You can find out more information about there program here. Each week, Robbie brings a box of fresh produce (in various size options) to different pick-up areas throughout Savannah. The contents of the bag vary from week to week, depending on season and weather. All veggies are organic, all as local as possible.
The contents this week included: 3 carrots, 1 bag Crimini mushrooms, 1 bag green snap beans, 1 butternut squash, 1/4 head red cabbage, 1 giant red onion, 2 zucchini, 4 beets, 3 apples, 1 large bag white grapes and 1 pomegranate. I also got a bag of baby greens and fresh herbs, including thyme, oregano, and cilantro. (Already cooked up a fresh pizza, with LOTS of fresh oregano!)
Wake Up & Smell the Coffee... Bean
Scott Miller has been roasting coffee for 2 years for his company, Ogeechee River Coffee company. Serving as both owner and manager, Miller has a passion for coffee, which is why he started Ogeechee. Previous to starting his company, Miller originally discovered his interest in roasting coffee when working at a resort. A regular customer had a specific request for freshly roasted coffee. It was here that Miller was able to practice his craft and learn more about how coffee is roasted.
This 5-employee company is based in Statesboro, Georgia. While the company does purchase some Fair-Trade coffee, Miller also tries to work with organizations such as the Project HOPE and the Rainforest Cooperative. All of Ogeechee’s coffees are organic. Ogeechee’s coffee comes from all over the world, including Central America, Nicaragua, Kenya, Sumatra and Brazil. He finds his coffee beans from both personal relationships (which he prefers), and brokers/importers in the coffee business.
Unlike commercial scale coffee distribution, Ogeechee’s coffee can focus more heavily on quality control and consistency, so you can always expect a great brew. Selected samples are inspected to ensure the quality is up to expected standards, as well as computer analysis during the roasting process. The most popular beans, the Mocha Java blend are an in-house blend of beans. Not to be confused with the chocolate latte drink you’d get at a coffee shop, this blend doesn’t need artificial flavors to be delicious. Scott Miller and the Ogeechee River Coffee Company can be found at 1100-G Brampton Ave in Statesboro, or at the Trustee’s Garden Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays 4-7pm.
The Big Cheese
(Left) Farmhouse Blue, (Right) Aztec Cheddar
Meet Dane Huebner, head cheese maker and culinary artist at Flat Creek Lodge, located in Statesboro, Georgia. Recruited by the Department of Agriculture from Wisconsin last September, Dane has won numerous awards with his cheese making skills. After less than a year of opening, the Lodge won 12th place in the World Cheese Championship Contest under Huebner’s direction.
The Flat Creek Lodge Dairy is one of only two licensed artisan cheese producers in the state. The Lodge’s twenty-seven, grass and grain fed registered Jersey cows are the single source for their cheese, producing about 450lbs of milk per day, and about 300lbs of cheese per week. What makes their cheese any different than what you get in the local grocery store? Huebner and staff use unpasteurized, raw milk. Each batch is hand-made, and no other cheese will taste like their cheese. Unlike larger factories, when lots of different cows milk is combined, the taste is much more dynamic when only coming from a single herd of cows. Flat Creek Lodge uses no artificial ingredients.
Some cheeses produced in the dairy include: Pepper Feta, Leiden (a traditionally Dutch cheese), Thai Chili Cheddar, Aztec Cheddar (a personal favorite), and many more. The most popular cheese is the Farmhouse Blue. Their cheeses are sold to only a few local restaurants, including Thrive and Cha Bella. Want to taste these delectable dairy delights for yourself? You can purchase them at the Wednesday evening farmer’s market (held in the parking lot of the Pirate House from 4pm-7pm) or online here.
