If you went to last year’s Good Food Block Party, on the patio of Farm 255, you know it was a sweaty but fun afternoon, with high-quality food offered up by a lot of the bigger names in town. This year’s is set for Saturday, from 1 to 4 p.m., on a day (Twilight!) when downtown will already be crowded and happy. Farm 255 is doing grilled meats for $6, Five & Ten is offering a chilled English pea soup with pickled Georgia shrimp ($5), Last Resort is making something with local lettuces plus veggies and cheese on grilled bread ($4), The National is doing a rice salad ($4), and Heirloom is putting out local cheeses and strawberry jam with spiced pecans ($1 each). Plus, King of Pops will be on hand with $2 popsicles. All proceeds benefit Wholesome Wave and the Athens Farmers Market SNAP doubling program. The bar will be open inside, if you need some A/C and some adult refreshments.
It’s great that the downtown iteration of the farmers’ market is moving to City Hall, but that plan doesn’t incorporate Farm Cart, one of the nicest things about picking up your veggies in the late afternoon/early evening, because of the city’s minuscule number of food cart/street vendor permits. Farm is making noise about the unhealthy offerings from the other vendors currently permitted (perhaps not the best tactic), and it’s not that an exception should be made for one business. Rather, let the commission again consider expanding the number of permits. The other option is that Farm Cart can find a patch of private property on which to park, which would be acceptable for immediate needs but not address the larger problem.
Finally, this Monday, Farm 255 hosts “Taste of Americas 2012,” a benefit for Athens Latino Center for Education and Services (ALCES). Restaurants La Parrilla, Sr. Sol, Agua Linda, Las Conchitas, Cali-N-Titos, Tlaloc and Picantes will be on hand to provide food, and there will also be live music plus salsa and tango performances. Tickets are $10 for adults, $3 for children, and $7 for students with a valid ID.
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