Let the New Year's Eve Celebrations Begin!

We are getting ready to finish out 2009! wow! What a year it has been. I could pontificate, however, we've got a lot of work to do in the kitchen and on the retail floor to get ready for the celebrations. Stop in and see us this week to grab your affordable bubbly for under $15! We will also be making crab cakes, goat cheese stuffed dates, hoppin john, collard greens and more! Check out the details in our weekly newsletter and make plans to stop in and visit with us! See you in the shop!

Our bubbly of choice this year is Jacques Pelvas Blanc de Blancs from Provence in the South of France. This gorgeous sparkler drinks just like a Champagne without the Champagne price tag. At only $13.99 per bottle, it's perfect to ring in the New Year with friends and family! Read more about this lovely wine and it's family owned operators here!

-Janea Boyles and Team Merc

The Mercantile's Holiday Guide

Going to a party? Need to take a bite to eat? Looking for a great hostess gift? That is exactly the sort of thing The Mercantile is here for! Below are some quick ideas you can swing in and grab. Or give us a ring to have something ready and waiting for you!
See you in the shop!

Great Party Items

Whether you're headed to a party and want to take a notable contribution or hosting a party, we've got some great selections for holiday entertaining!

Scrumptious Artichoke Dip and a fresh Tribeca Ovens Baguette.

Black Bean or Traditional Hummus - $3.99.

Rosemary Roasted Cashews make great hostess gifts! This signature item will be fresh and ready to go! $13.99/pound.

Our toasted, Spiced Pecans are another signature item and are perfect accompaniments for cheese or desserts. $12.99/pound.

Our creamy style Pimento Cheese is a perfect southern classic for a party! $6.99

Cheese Selection

We have some great cheeses available for the holiday season! Grab a baguette or choose from our cracker selections.

Flat Creek Lodge Natural Rind Cheddar - local and artisan made!

Gorgonzola Dolce

Port Salut - our best selling cheese

Comte Gruyere - a close second place!

Smoked Gouda

Life in Provence Brie

Buffalita Mozzarella! fresh mozzarella. outta sight!

2 year aged Parmesean Reggiano

Hostess Gifts and Stocking Stuffers

When you're in grabbing your party fare, we've also got some perfect items available to make an impressive hostess gift!

Visit our Olive Oil Table to taste and select from a variety of imported olive oils. Beautiful packaging and perfect gifts for the serious cook, foodie or gourmand. Prices range from $19.99 - $29.99

The White Alba Truffle Oil has also been a tremendous hit this season and we still have plenty available! $29.99 per bottle.

Flor Prosecco Rose. This is an absolutely gorgeous bottle of sparkling wine both inside and out. Made by the Mario Batali and the Bastianch Family combo in Italy, it's a festive pink prosecco with delicious notes of strawberry and blackberry and ripe fruity effervescence. The entire staff is in love with it. In a clear bottle with a Fleur dy Lys embossed on the bottle, it makes an impressive gift for only $17.99.

Sicilian Wine Package

Maretima Nero D'Avola and Cusumano Insolia.

Give the gift of delicious wine. These Sicilian selections are both a little bit off the beaten path, easy drinking and perfect for holiday and wintery fare. $26.99

Bovin Wines

Do you have a boss who loves big, full boded red wines? Have we got a neat wine for you to pass on. Bovin Winery is in Macedonia and they're producing red blends that rival the Cabernets and Meritages of Napa Valley! $15.99

Stocking Stuffers

Drop in to grab some wonderful little treats to drop in those stockings.

Choc-o-Lait stir sticks! Stir into warm milk or coffee and have an instant treat! Available in Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate: $3.99 each.

Manner Wafer Bars, $1.89 each

Freidel Chocolate Santas filled with candied lentels: $3.99 each

Flyer Chocolate Bars! $2.59 - $4.99

P.B. Loco $5.99-$6.99

Our last shipment of the year is going fast! Drop by to grab yours while they last!

Christmas Menu Now Available for Pre-order at The Mercantile

Team Merc is now taking orders for our Christmas Menu. We will be open on Christmas Eve from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. You can pre-order these meals on a per person basis and pick them up to enjoy at home on Christmas Eve. They also come with heating instructions if you'd like to enjoy them on Christmas Day! Give us a ring at the shop to place your order: 404-378-0096. The last day to pre-order is Monday, December 21 at 2 pm!

Roast Prime Rib Dinner

A traditional favorite! A slow cooked rib roast and cut off the slab. Served with horseradish cream, mashed potatoes, and brown butter tossed brussel sprouts.

$12.99 each

$24.99 for two

$48.99 for a family of four

Fudge Family Farms Ham Dinner

This is a fresh, slow cooked ham roast from Alabama. Chef Samantha is getting in a whole leg of ham and is slow cooking it and cutting it off the bone per order. This ain't your ordinary Christmas Ham. No nitrates, no sodium, just slow cooked buttery and juicy ham roast. Think Pork Roast, but better! This meal is served with sweet potato ginger mash and sauteed green beans.

$9.99 for one

$16.99 for two

$32.99 for a family of four

Holiday Desserts

Our holiday pies are available at a special price this year. Everything is made from scratch, including the crust! Apple or Pecan for $16.99 each!

Valrhona Chocolate Desserts!

Our famous chocolate cake is available in quarter sheet sizes. Serves 12-15 people. Available for pre-order for only $21.99!

Introducing Valrhona Chocolate Silk Pie! This special and divine dessert is a holiday exclusive at The Mercantile and is also only $21.99

Our 2009 Cookie Party Was So Much Fun!

Announcing Our Thanksgiving Menu

The Mercantile is here expressly for making your life easier and your meal times delicious! This year when you begin to make your holiday plans, let us do some of the cooking for you. Check out the options below and give us a call to pre-order your selections. The last day to pre-order is Saturday, November 21. Call us today to get things squared away so you can enjoy the holiday and truly relax with your family.

404-378-0096

Gathering

Select something from our signature items list that your guests can snack on before Thanksgiving dinner begins!

Pimento Cheese

Artichoke Dip

Robbie's Hummus

Black Bean Hummus

Rosemary Cashews

Spiced Pecans

Dinner

Take the sides and accompaniments OFF your "to do list."

Squash and Apple Soup with a crispy sage garnish, $10.99/quart

Traditional Stuffing: Savory Bread Crumbs toasted with sage and seasoning, pecans and dried cherries.

servies 6 - 8 people, $34.99

Five Cheese Macaroni: Made with a delicious blend of fine cheeses and and finished with a bread crumb top.

serves 6 - 8 people, $34.99

Glady's Mashed Potatoes: Grandma Enzmann's special recipe with schmaltz, butter and heavy cream!

serves 6 - 8 people, $34.99

Green Beans Almondine: Fresh tipped green beans sauteed in olive oil and tossed with slivered almonds.

serves 6 - 8 people, $34.99

Cranberry Sauce: Homemade Cranberry Sauce that is simply unbeatable!

16oz - $5.99 / 32oz - $11.99

Turkey Gravy: Made from scratch!

16oz - $6.99 / 32oz - $13.99

DESSERTS

Apple Pie, Pecan Pie or Pumpkin Pie - Serves 8, $24.99 each

Valrhona Chocolate Cake - Serves 8, $26.99

Homemade Cookies

We make our own cookie dough! Pre-order your chocolate chip, oatmeal or pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies TODAY!

$9.99/dozen

WINES

We are particularly pleased and grateful that we have the opportunity to assist you in choosing wines for your holiday celebrations. I've been tasting wines for several months in the hopes of finding delicious and affordable selections. It was a lot of deliberation but I've got it narrowed down to six lovely choices.

Our Holiday Wine Package includes 6 wines perfect for the varying needs of holiday celebrations. $79.99

2008 Henry Estate, Muller Thurgau, Umpqua Valley, OR

NV Conde de Subirats Cava Rose, Spain

2008 Los Colinas del Ebro, Grenache/Syrah, Terra Alta

2007 Bouchard Aine & Fils, Chardonnay, France

2007 bouchard Aine & Fils, Pinot Noir, France

2007 Chateau Peyruchet, Bordeaux, France

Call me now to pre-order your wines!

404-378-0096

We offer a 10 % discount on case purchases.

This discount also applies to mixed cases!

Boar's Head Fine Meats & Cheeses Now Available!

In an effort to better serve our guests and community, we are continuing to enhance our services. We are thrilled to announce that Boar's Head Fine Meats and Cheeses are now available at The Mercantile! Our selection is classic and you'll find our pricing to be very competitive with big box grocery stores. We have one advantage, however. You can take some hassle out of your day by calling ahead to The Mercantile and ordering your meats and cheeses. They can be pre-sliced and waiting for you! Give us a ring: 404-378-0096. Our selections are listed below!

DELI MEATS
Oven Gold Turkey: $8.79/lb
Everroast Chicken: $8.49/lb
Londonport Roast Beef: $10.79/lb
Deluxe Ham: $8.99/lb
Honey Maple Turkey: $9.49/lb
Buffalo Chicken: $8.49/lb
Lemon Pepper Chicken: $8.49/lb
Honey Maple Ham: $8.99/lb
Genoa Salami: $7.99/lb
Pastrami Turkey: $9.99/lb

CHEESES
Vermont Cheddar: $8.79/lb
Baby Swiss: $8.39/lb
Yellow American: $5.49/lb
Muenster: $6.99/lb
Gold Label 4x4 Swiss: $9.79/lb: LACTOSE FREE!
Picante Sharp Provolone: $5.49/lb

Upcoming Events Not To Miss @TheMercantile

We've got a lot going on at The Mercantile these days and we look forward to having you as a part.



Wine Tasting This Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, October 17 from noon until 2 p.m. to try some really interesting wines from Big Boat Wine Company. Leigh McDaniel will be here tasting out a Muller Thurgau from Southern Oregon and a truly delicious sparkling wine made from Ugni Blanc and Colombard out of France. Cote du Rhone blends have also proven to be a big favorite of our guests and so we're going to be tasting and offering yet another delicious Cote du Rhone blend. As always, this is a FREE event. Although, you must have your identification to taste.



Live in your city! Know your city!

Are you ready to vote in the upcoming city wide elections on November 3? In the past 13 months, we have learned first hand at The Mercantile how valuable and important it is to be involved in your community and have good information when it comes time to elect your city officials. Our elected city council members play a very important role in our lives as they determine how our city is governed. Over the next few weeks at The Mercantile, you'll have an opportunity to meet a number of people seeking a seat on the city council. We invite you to stop by, meet some of these folks, inquire about their platform and get ready to vote on November 3.

Saturday, October 17, 12 pm - 2 pm, Meet Steve Brodie. Steve is running for the highly contested seat of District 6. The Mercantile is located in District 6. This District is known for being politically active and this race is going to be a really interesting one to watch. You may recall that Steve Brodie ran for this seat in the last election and was very narrowly defeated. Can't wait to see what happens on this round!

Sunday, October 18, 12 pm - 2 pm, Meet Shelitha Robertson. Ms. Robertson is running for an At Large Post. The At Large seats represent the entire city! These are important candidates to watch. Ms. Robertson has extensive experience with the city of Atlanta including 10 years as a police officer.

Also on Sunday, October 18, 12 pm - 2 pm you will have an opportunity to meet Jesse Spikes, a candidate for mayor! We are looking forward to learning more about Mr. Spikes when he arrives on Sunday.

Stay tuned as we are hoping to get a few other candidates in the shop for you to meet and get to know!

-Team Merc

Interesting Imports

Join us on Saturday, August 22, 2009 from 12 pm- 2 pm for a wine tasting. Lisa Allen from Bigboat Wines will be joining us to taste a few selections from South Africa and France. Learn about delicious and affordable imports and the appellations from which they come! This is a FREE event. Identification is required to taste. See you in the shop!
-Janea and Team Merc

Urban Courtyard Market is Launched!

Our friend, Michele Niesen announces her new Urban Courtyard Market to be held every Saturday from 8 am until 1 pm. The market is located in the StudioPlex Lofts Courtyard at 659 Auburn Avenue. In addition to fresh, local produce, you can expect art and live music too!

The Merc Launches Wine Club

Team Merc is thrilled to announce the launch of our Wine Club! We are so excited to have the opportunity to find you some of the best wines you'll ever have! Our goal is to find you interesting, unique wines that you may not encounter in traditional retail settings. These wines will still be approachable, but present you with more adventurous, yet affordable options for your summer enjoyment.

Our first shipment will be arriving on Monday, July 6! For this shipment, think sparkly cava from Spain, Viognier from France and a fun ringer from Italy! As a member, you can look forward to picking up 3 unique and delicious wines on the first Monday of every month for only $40!

Being a member is easy and the committment is minimal! Consider us the facilitator of your wine subscription service but without all of the crazy shipping expenses often incurred from clubs out of California. The first Monday of every month you would pick up your three wines along with information about each of them. As a member you will enjoy special discounts on other items in the shop and receive 10% off any wine purchase at the shop throughout the month.

There is NO Membership Fee.

Your only committment is the once a month wine subscription of $40!

We will simply keep your credit card information on file and run it once a month just prior to your pick up. All you’ll have to do is drop by, pick up , go home and enjoy!

For your peace of mind, I want to let you know that I will not be storing your credit card information on any computer equipment. These will be will be kept in a very safe place and I am happy to discuss those procedures with you in person as you're signing up. Give us a call at the shop and we'll get you enrolled! Call us at 404-378-0096.

We look forward to bringing you some of the best wines you’ve ever experienced!

Cheers!
-Janea and Team Merc!

Wines from Chile at The Merc

Please Join Us on Saturday, June 13 at noon to learn about wines from Chile. Wine educator Lauren DeLuca will be at The Mercantile. We'll be talking about Chilean appellations and tasting our summer house wines from Morande's Pionero line. Our summer house wines retail for $9.99 and they are perfect to enjoy for any summer occassion. This is a marvelous opportunity to learn how wines from Chile are breaking into the American market and bringing us affordable, yet tasty selections.

This is a free event. Identification is required for anyone wishing to participate in the tasting.

See you in the shop!
Janea and Team Merc

Red or White and Why. Wine at The Mercantile

Having the privilege of finally bringing wine and beer into The Mercantile was a huge day for us. We are so thrilled to at last add this final piece to the puzzle. We are starting small at The Mercantile, but look forward to steadily growing our wine program with unique, affordable wines from off the beaten path. For the summer, we have chosen two wines from the Jon-David Headrick portfolio out of the Loire Valley. We call them our “Summer Sophisticates” and I personally can’t wait to sit at home on my deck with a slightly chilled bottle of Jean Francois-Merieau’s “bois jacou” gamay and some Port Salud cheese from Spain. Our summer white selection is an unoaked 2007 chardonnay from Domaine de la Fruitiere. It’s richer on the pallete than you expect it to be and it’s balanced acidity knocked my socks off! I’ll definitely be finding some shellfish and oysters for this summer wine. We are introducing these wines to our guests in an educational tasting this coming Saturday, June 6 at noon. Please join us.

Wine has been one of the most basic things in life for centuries. For me, the most thrilling thing about wine is the mythology that often comes behind it. My favorite thing to say around the shop is “food is storytelling and wine is mythology.” It’s unusual to find a great wine without a good story behind it. For many winemakers, wine is about being a true expression or representation of the land from which it grows. I love this notion. When I pick up a bottle and I think about the soil from which it grew, the culture that has consumed it for ages, the climate it survived or thrived in and the hands that pampered and plucked those grapes, I figure I’m holding 750 milliliters of life and diversity in my hands. Now that is art!

Despite my philosophical ramblings about wine, it’s important to us in the shop to make an effort to take away any of the uppity or elitist notions that is often associated with wine drinking and wine buying. If someone comes into the shop and can’t find any bottles they recognize on the shelf, that doesn’t mean they are encountering anything elitist or rare. It also doesn’t mean someone is clueless. It simply means they’re encountering wines that may not be heavily produced or widely marketed. We search expressly for humble, yet special selections that have a focus on farming and land and may be a bit unusual to the mainstream market place. We find gratification in the thrill of the hunt!

The way I see it, wine drinkers and lovers span the gamut. I love talking about acidity and trying to pinpoint flavors. I fully intend to one day be able to make sense of all those minute appellations in France. Sometimes though I just want to kick back with an uncomplicated glass of something yummy and not think about it. For those kinds of days, I’ve picked out some summer house wines from Morandé’s Pinero line out of Chile. Folks can stop by and grab a bottle of zesty sauvignon blanc, a nice light pinot noir or a creamy chardonnay. We’re on a journey with wine at The Mercantile and I invite you to join us anytime in any part of that journey. It’s gonna be fun and it’s gonna be an adventure. See you in the shop!

-Janea Boyles

The Mercantile celebrates

Chef Samantha takes advantage of the new inventory

George was our first guest to purchase wine. We love you, George!

Wine Arrives at The Mercantile

Where's the defibrillator?
Janea required CPR after receiving our license

Chris Luke from Quality Wine & Spirits brings in our first case of wine!

Gloria and Janea unpack the boxes

Gloria rings up our first wine buyer!

New Summer Menu

Summer is upon us! At The Mercantile, we've been wondering where the time went and how June snuck upon us so quickly! Fortunately, we're excited for summer to get here and even more excited at all of the wonderful, fresh eats that summer's bounty can bring.

Expect some changes around The Mercantile in coming weeks. Anyday now, the Georgia Department of Revenue is going to get it in gear and issue us our state license. Once that happens, wine and beer will be available for your summer at home dining pleasures.

Picnic, concert and screen on the green season is officially in full swing. Remember The Mercantile for all of your picnic and summer catering needs. Bre Edmonds featured The Mercantile in Points North magazine as a great spot to pick up your outdoor gourmet fare. Check out her article!

Chef Samantha and I have also decided that summer is a good opportunity to change our menu format. Starting this week, The Mercantile will have a menu comprised of dinner specials for the entire week. Monday through Friday, you can rely upon a minimum of three choices to be available for dinner starting at 4:00 pm. Expect to find a set selection of items for summer out of our deli case. As always our soups will continue to rotate daily.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment for the summer are new brunch selections for the weekend! We are thrilled to announce that on Saturday and Sunday, our specials will be brunch items available ALL DAY or while they last. You can enjoy those along our snack rail or pick up and head to the park. We think a few more brunch selections is perfect for the Dekalb Avenue Corridor and we hope you'll stop in to check us out!

See you in the shop!

-Janea and Chef Samantha

The Mercantile is voted Best New Local Business!

Team Merc is thrilled to learn that we were voted Best New Local Business in The Sunday Paper's Reader's Choice Issue. We are so grateful to all of our guests and fans who took the time to vote! Thank you! This exciting news has inspired us to continue working towards being the best we can be for you! We look forward to being of service as your local specialty grocer.

We are also pleased to share that the City of Atlanta has approved our license for beer and wine. We are awaiting the mayor to put her signature on it. We are hoping to have wine and beer in The Mercantile within a couple of weeks.

See you in the shop!
Janea, Chef Samantha and Team Merc!

P.B. Loco is back in!

Hello, friends and fans! P.B. Loco has at last arrived back at The Mercantile. We apologize for the delay and our good friends at P.B. Loco have assured us we should not suffer any more severe delays. Drop by the shop and pick up your favorite flavor today. I've got dibs on the Double Chocolate Duo!

www.pbloco.com

See you in the shop!
-Janea

Let The Mercantile Cater for You!

Team Merc is pleased to announce our brand new catering menu. Please browse some of our options below. Give a call to the shop to learn about our reasonable prices and some of the other options we have available! 404-378-0096.








Chef’s Assorted Dip Tray
Chef Samantha’s handcrafted dips served with homemade pita chips!

May include: artichoke dip, Robbie’s hummus (traditional), black bean hummus (vegan), and the traditional Southern favorite - pimento cheese.
Serves 16-20

Crudités
Assorted crisp seasonal vegetables for dipping and crunching!
Served with a famous Pepper Springs©
sour cream dip, or one of Chef’s special handcrafted dips.
Serves 16-20

Artisan Cheese Platter
Our staff will help you choose from our selection of local and imported cheeses and tasty accompaniments!
Served with fresh sliced baguette from Tribeca Oven© and assorted crackers.
Serves 12-15

Cheese and Fruit Platter
Choose from our diverse selection of cheeses and we’ll beautifully pair it with grapes, berries, kiwi or other seasonal fruit.
Served with fresh sliced baguette from Tribeca Oven©.
Serves 12-15

Add a side of House Smoked Salmon served with mustard sauce! (market price)

Italian Antipasti
Delve into a world of delicious flavor with our handpicked Italian meats and cheeses!
May include: prosciutto, cappicola, mortadella, Genoa salami and provolone, garnished with a mix of marinated olives.
Serves 12-15

Vegetarian Antipasti
Enjoy a feast of beautiful roasted veggies!
May include: marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini and eggplant, roasted garlic and a mix of marinated olives.
Serves 16-20

Italian Buffet Dinner - $15.99 per person.
Let us satisfy all of your greatest Italian cravings!
Comes with:
Vegetable or Classic meat lasagna made with homemade lasagna sheets
Mesclun-romaine mixed green salad with Chef Samantha's house sherry-shallot vinaigrette.
Veggie antipasti with sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, grilled veggies and olives.
Garlic bread made from fresh Tribecca Oven baguette.
And your choice of Valrhona chocolate cake or Jim Nabors’ Banana-Macadamia Nut cak

Southern Comfort
A palette of assorted finger sandwiches, made with local artisan bread from the Grateful Bread Company©.
May include: pimento cheese, cucumber cream cheese, watercress, chicken, tuna
or egg salad sandwiches.
Serves 10-12

Southern BBQ Buffet - $17.99 per person
Casual Southern decadence!
(6 person minimum.)
Comes with:
Pulled pork and smoked chicken, bourbon baked beans, coleslaw, pickles, sandwich buns and Chef Samantha’s BBQ sauce with a seasonal fruit cobbler for dessert!
Add Chef Samantha’s delicious ribs for an additional $3.00 per person.

Summer Picnic - $16.99 per person
A touch of summer anytime of the year!
Comes with:
Southern fried chicken, white bean salad, buttermilk-dill potato salad, egg-less Caesar salad, roasted corn and black bean salad and homemade apple pie.

Southern Style Dinner - $18.99 per person
A classic Southern dinner with all the fixins! (requires 2 day advance notice, 6 person minimum)
Comes with:
A moist, delicious house smoked whole turkey accompanied with Lusty Monk© honey mustard, or a whole oven roasted turkey or Chef Samantha’s Coca-Cola© Dijon Glazed Ham.

Mesclun salad with spiced pecans, apples and local goat cheese served with Chef’s blood orange vinaigrette, green beans with garlic and olive oil, our famous five cheese macaroni, dinner rolls from the Grateful Bread Company© and your choice of Valrhona chocolate cake or Jim Nabors’ banana-macadamia nut cake.

Heros
Our famous French baguettes from Tribeca Oven© stuffed with Chef Samantha’s favorite selection of Boar’s Head© meats and cheeses.
Half baguette $8.99
Whole baguette $17.99

Chili
Made from scratch and packaged by the quart.
Your choice of:
Beef chili
Chicken white bean
Three bean vegetarian
$10.99 a quart

Ribs!
We’re cranking up our full sized smoker to slow cook Chef Samantha’s fantastic ribs. Our secret rub will be on the scene!
Half rack $7.99
Whole rack $13.99

The Best Deviled Eggs Ever!
Take home a platter of our fantastic deviled eggs - $39.99
(approx 30-35 pieces, chipotle available upon request)

High Tea
Assorted finger sandwiches, raisin or
cranberry-orange scones, lemon curd, strawberry jam, your choice of Earl Grey or English breakfast tea, and Jim Nabors cake. Smoked salmon also available at market price.
$17.99 per person, 6 person minimum

You're Invited!

Greetings, friends. We are very excited to announce our next special event, "What A Mother!" It's a celebration of moms in the kitchen and beyond. Please join us with Catherine Dyer and her cadre of sassy sisters to sign their fun cookbook, "You Want Me to Bring a Dish?"

Here are the coordinates:

What: What A Mother!
Mom’s work 365 days a year so treat her to a fun, relaxing day this year

Date: Saturday, May 9

When: Noon – 3pm

Price: Complimentary
Where: The Mercantile 1660 Dekalb Ave Atlanta
404.378.0096
http://www.themercantileatl.com/

What is the best gift you can give to your mom on Mother’s Day? Your time.

Spend the afternoon treating mom to The Mercantile’s
What A Mother! in-store event.

- Author Catherine Dyer and her sisters will be there to sign copies of their book,
You Want Me To Bring A Dish? How 5 Cooking Challenged Sisters Manage In The Kitchen
- Don’t miss trying the Dyer sisters Chocolate Oreo Truffles
- Reta Nell Boyles, (Mercantile owner Janea Boyle’s mom) will be there with her handmade retro inspired aprons
- Complimentary carnations for Moms and Moms-To-Be
- Try The Merc’s favorite fresh brewed, tasty teas
- Don’t miss delicious samples throughout the shop too – real peanut butter, olive oils, and other surprises

Also, this just in! We are going to be previewing some wines from our upcoming collection on that day. We can't wait to share them with you!

See you in the shop!

Janea and Team Merc.

Off The Grid

It was an interesting, if not slightly bizarre, week last week at The Mercantile. When the power went out on Monday, we were faced with trying to find ways to prevent spoilage. I ran out and rented a generator. We picked up our prayer rugs and plugged in our retail equipment. We scurried around with food and stuffed it into our retail cases to try and save Chef Samantha’s hard work and precious ingredients. San Francisco Coffee brought over all their dairy and a giant batch of banana bread still in a huge mixing bowl. We stuffed it all in and took a deep breath.

At the end of the day, the power came on after 8 hours. Despite our resourceful Girl Scout efforts, we still lost nearly all the prepared food in our deli cases and a considerable amount of raw ingredients. And, we lost an entire day of business! While we waited on our insurance agent to get back with us and process our claim, we spent most of the week looking around a sparse retail floor and an even sparser deli.

This presented me with an interesting dilemma when I was out running errands two days later. I popped over to Sam’s Club to pick up some bananas for the Sweetwater 420 Fest 5K race and some cooking wine for Chef. I found myself next to the produce aisle and browsing the frozen foods and dairy sections.

I stopped short when I came across large cases of Horizon Farms organic butter. “Now there’s a thought.” I murmured to myself. We had run out of our Mountain Farms Butter from North Carolina. “This could get us through the weekend.” I thought optimistically. “At least it’s organic,” I continued to justify. I stood there over my giant wire buggy and brushed my finger over the happy cow logo. I had read stories that Horizon Farms had been one of the first big businesses to capitalize on the growing market for organic foods. I had also read and heard that their practices surrounding “organic” had been called into question and even investigated.

“But it is organic. And that is what we do at The Mercantile.” I felt the dread take over of having to tell our guests that we had not yet been able to replenish our sweet butter from the Tennessee hills and that the power outage had caused us even more loss. But wouldn’t I regret bringing a product in that may seemingly match and promote our “brand,” yet was something I had personal and ethical concerns over? “But!” the devil said on my left shoulder, “It would help to make your sad little retail floor look like the abundant, healthy cornucopia you dream it to someday be?”

“No,” I thought to myself. I cannot take the chance of bringing in a product just to make things look better. I pushed my cart away and headed for the office supplies. I think the angel on my right shoulder actually lit up a cigarette and ordered a martini to celebrate over how I beat that little dude on my left shoulder down for once.

The very next day we ran out of romaine lettuce. I had to go to Restaurant Depot to pick up not only romaine, but also some beverages and supplies. Restaurant Depot is like a Sam’s Club except exclusively for restaurants. You can get EVERYTHING there. It’s always a mixed bag of tricks. I have picked up some good quality cheeses there before but have also been appalled by some of the disgusting, processed items found on the other side of the warehouse. They’ve got frozen hordearves; which makes Chef Samantha curse under her breath when she breezes by them; industrial sized cleaning supplies, pots and pans, plateware, everything! The best part is the huge refrigerated room the size of a basketball court. It holds just about anything a restaurant could use that is perishable.

I walked through the sliding door and looked up at floor to ceiling produce. Box upon box and bag upon bag of produce from all over the USA and different parts of the world. Every time I walk into that freezing cold room and encounter international visitors from farm fields unknown, I think of Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and the pertinent questions she poses. How many miles does your food travel before it lands on your plate? How many fossil fuels were consumed to bring you this item? But this is not about me and my meal. It’s about a business. When I pick up a case of romaine so we can continue to offer sides with our sandwiches, I think about the distance it has travelled and how it is now waiting on me or someone to take it and turn it around to try and make their living out of it. But the demands of my small, struggling business can’t always answer those questions the way I would like.

I feel conflicted like this on a daily basis at the shop. There is no way we could make The Mercantile run without access to the kinds of things Restaurant Depot makes available. When we have a great day with sandwiches and run out of romaine, I can’t run out the back and pull a fresh head out of the ground. I certainly can’t call a farmer for that as they are busy doing what they do best, planting and nurturing. When time is really short we can’t even call our corporate produce distributor and ask them to send us something from the locals list. Plus, many of them have outrageous minimums. (A lot of distributors do have local lists, by the way, and we always give those priority.) We have utilized as much local produce as we can afford, but sometimes, we’ve learned the term “local” is now being used and abused like the term “organic.”

I found a box of romaine lettuce from Colorado and threw it on my cart along with the bottled Coca-Colas (completely local!) and some Port Salut cheese. (not local, but we got Flat Creek Lodge in earlier this week!) Later that afternoon, I found myself washing and chopping that very romaine. I pulled back the leaves and there was dirt crowding the center of the stalk. I smiled to myself and felt happy to discover that despite my geographical guilt, I had managed to purchase some real, live food. I rinsed, chopped and spun for half an hour.

When the day finally ended and I sat down to dig my fork into Chef Samantha’s Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad that romaine was there again. The chicken was a fresh breast from a Springer mountain hen right out of Mt. Airy Georgia. The dressing was not homemade, but not bad either. The romaine! Wow! The romaine. It was crispy and sweet. It was actually the best romaine I had ever tasted. Chef Samantha agreed it was superior. It was not local and not organic, but the giant warehouse in the sky at least had somebody working for them buying high quality and fresh.

On Saturday afternoon the weirdness of our week continued to come knocking. We got a call from a production company that said they were filming a reality tv show and wanted to know could they film their cast shopping at The Mercantile?

“Of course,” we said. “Sounds like fun!”

Turns out a Grammy nominated artist has a baby sis and mom living in Atlanta and they are filming a show about them for BET. The baby sis arrived fashionably late with her low key fiancé, some really cool sunglasses and a production team. We had been told they were going to be shopping for ingredients for lasagna. We were poised and ready. I had rehearsed my march over to our San Marzano Marinara selection and put all of the pretty garlic bulbs at the top of the pile. When we got to our mark, he threw me for a loop by asking me if he could taste the sauce. What’s a shop keeper to do? I popped open the lid, grabbed a spoon and shoved it into his hand while fuzzy microphones leered over my head.

“That is very good. That is some seriously good tomato sauce” he said. “Can we get 3 jars?” Yay! Another convert to true tomato sauce!

When they wanted cheese I hopped behind the counter and cheerily pointed at my fresh cut parmesan blocks. I felt like Vanna White on too much Whynatte! “We usually use it fresh. Out of the can.” Said R&B star’s baby sis. For the first time in a really long time, I stifled an impulse to get uppity about food. I wanted to say “CAN! Can? Did you just say you eat cheese out of a can?” I bit my lip. Tasted a little bit of blood on that one.

“Can I taste it?” The low key fiancé either had a mantra going or had figured out I was intimidated by the microphones and therefore easy. In that instant when he popped that question, I remembered that food should be shared and often taught in the humblest of ways and shoved into people's faces and being told their would be a quiz later.

“Sure!” and I magically produced a pile of fresh shavings and started thinking fast what else I might could turn them onto. He popped it in his mouth and chewed.

“That’s good.” He said and looked a block over carefully. “We don’t have a cheese grater at home,” said baby sis. He looked disappointed and then turned his attention to the fresh mozzarella. I was making headway here.

“Would you like to try some port salud with Nutella?” I offered. “I don’t like chocolate.” Said the baby sis. “I don’t eat chocolate either,” chimed in fiancé. Clearly, I was getting cocky and needed to back down.
“Fine. I’ll eat it.” I popped the spoon of creamy cheese and hazelnut chocolate love into my mouth in defiance. So much for backing down. Plus, I was not about to waste it.

The baby sis displayed interest in our bread selection. Again, I magically produced a fresh slice of Grateful Bread Company’s white sandwich loaf. “I am loving this bread.” She said after the first mouthful. I was delighted.

“It’s local!” Emily, a member of Team Merc was standing behind the cash wrap studying some complicated release the production team told her she must sign. “It’s baked locally and organically.” She added proudly.

“What is the name of this bread again?” our budding star wanted to know. “The Grateful Bread Company.” Emily repeated earnestly. “Well, I am grateful ya’ll have this bread! It is delicious.” A few minutes later she mentioned how she wanted some Country Crock to spread on it. ‘Well, you can’t win ‘em all,’ I thought to myself. But, pretty soon, I had them trying Tuscan seasoning and Olive oil from Sardinia.

I know that girl went right down the road and got some Country Crock and happily spread it all over our special, local bread. But, I also know that bread made an impression on her. And that parmesan made an impression on her man. Is this what we do right now in this part of our journey? We take the small steps with the big setbacks and the big victories with little losses? Yes, I suppose it is. I may have to relent to a sparse retail floor and Chef Samantha may have to bring product into her kitchen that is not as local as she would like it to be. But, I figure if we keep ordering local grits and sniffing out local eggs and bringing in lovely, local items here and there when we can, eventually, get to that place on the map that says “You Are Here! You are here and you are occupying permanent space on a map you staked out with a very shaky compass."

Easter Egg Party was a Huge Success!

We had so much fun with all of the kids yesterday at The Mercantile. Gloria led them in an Easter Egg decorating adventure and helped everyone make cookie dough baskets to take their egg home in. CBS News even showed up to gather some of the most adorable footage to be seen in Atlanta since Christmas!

Please visit our Picasa Web Album to see all of the photos from this memorable day!

Small Business Marches On in Atlanta

Monday was a big day for small business in Atlanta. We are thrilled to announce that the specialty food shop legislation passed before the full city council with an 11 - 2 vote. Once this legislation goes into law next week, The Mercantile and several other small businesses in Atlanta will have the chance of surviving in this economy because we will be able to offer wine and beer alongside all of the convenience stores, package stores and big box grocery stores that currently dominate Atlanta's landscape.

We at The Mercantile are so grateful to our city leaders for making Atlanta a better place for small business. I was there all afternoon to watch the proceedings. It was quite the nail biter. The specialty food shop legislation received quite a bit of discussion and went through an extensive amendment process up until the last minute. It even passed once and then got recalled for re-consideration because of the wine tasting segment of the legislation. Evantually, that was resolved and the legislation was voted on once again with an 11-2 vote.

Sitting near the back of the auditorium I watched six of our twelve councilmembers clearly working, negotiating and re-working this legislation towards a vote. I was truly amazed. What a tremendous process!

Even before our vote on Monday, a lot of work had been contributed to get to that big day. Cleta Winslow, chair of the pubilc safety committee diligently communicated with the city law department to ensure issues were ironed out. Anne Fauver has worked with us at The Mercantile for months communicating progress and making suggestions. Councilman Kwanza Hall and his tireless staff have been a constant advocate not only for small business, but for the specialty foods and restaurant industry and it's value to the city of Atlanta. Mr. Hall stopped into The Mercantile for lunch today and shared that he hopes to bring small food businesses like The Mercantile to his district in the Edgewood Avenue/Downtown corridor. (Heads up future entrepreneurs! The future is looking brighter!)

On the day of the vote, even more councilmembers went to work for small business. Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong, the author and sponsor of the legislation managed to assist the council in addressing an inadvertent loophole through the amendment process. She rather amazingly managed to address all of the concerns of the NPUs and still consider the urgency of the specialty groceries who had no time to waste in getting the legislation passed. Councilwomen Carla Smith and Mary Norwood ensured all of the amendments were in place and would work effectively. Everyone was trying to negotiate this thing toward a vote!

I would be remiss if I did not mention that we received clear, accurate and wise insight from our legal consultant, Kevin Ross of Kevin Ross Public Affairs. He helped me to understand the legal process in the city of Atlanta and I recommend his services to anyone who is seeking to enter city hall or the state capitol and not get lost.

On behalf of Team Merc, I would like to also extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our guests and neighbors. When it came time to vote not only at Public Safety, but at the full City Council, it was evident that so many members of council had received letters, emails and phone calls on behalf of the specialty food shop legislation. They were ready to vote. Having the 900 signatures on a petition did not hurt either. I am utterly convinced that this giant leap for small business would not have occurred without the community we have built in the past six months since our opening. Thank you so much to everyone for your support.

We will soon begin the application process with the City of Atlanta to obtain our license. We hope to be offering you wine and beer by May. You can expect us to start small with a collection of boutique, yet affordable wines. We'll continue expanding our support of local products by bringing in beers from local breweries. We will not be the biggest game in town and we have no plans to operate in a competitive or unfriendly nature towards our neighbors already in business. But, we'll be here for you with a few nice bottles to choose from when you want to take home some wine with one of Chef Samantha's meals!


See you in the shop!
-Janea Boyles

Good Times at The Mercantile

In these days of doom and gloom in the news, it is always nice to meet a bright light. Today at The Mercantile we had that privelage. Tami Reed of "Talking With Tami" stopped in for lunch. We bunch of girls got carried away eating, laughing, sharing stories about the adventures of entrepreneurship and hearing all about Tami's crazy adventures on her show. Most notable photo op this afternoon was Tami and her friend, Jayda, modeling our handmade aprons!

We invite you to learn more about her work at www.talkingwithtami.com Or check out her show on Comcast Channel 6, Mondays at 6:00 pm!

See you in the shop!
-Janea, Samantha and Team Merc!

Janea is interviewed by Fox 5 News!

This past Friday we had the privelage of being interviewed by Julia Harding of Fox 5 News about our inability to apply for an alcohol license due to a quirk in the City of Atlanta Ordinances. Julia and her team found out we are unable to apply for a license to offer wine and beer and wanted to know more. She and I sat down to talk and she was surprised to hear there were several other shops around town with the same problem. Please check out our interview!

As we work to keep The Mercantile afloat and make our way during a time of tremendous economic hardship, I am reminded of the very first inkling we ever had of The Mercantile. The dream Samantha and I dreamt started with a notion of creating something small and almost old fashioned. Of creating a business tied to a community where neighbors rubbed elbows and fresh food was part of celebration, sustainability and quality of life. Watching the news these days, I hear all about bailouts, economic stimulus packages, CEO's receiving subpoenas and giant publicly owned companies laying off thousands of workers. What is happening in the background? Small, independently owned businesses are hunkering down, finding ways to innovate and extend their resources.

These same small businesses are reaching out to other small enterprises-even competitors- and sharing information and building relationships. We are teaching each other to survive. We are surviving. One of the great advantages small business has during this time of upheaval is flexibility. Being small we can make fast decisions and quick moves. Being small we can still embrace our community and try to help our neighbors without the fear of stockholder backlash. So many friends and acquaintances have reached out to us at The Mercantile and said, "it's businesses like yours that will pull us out of this economic crisis." I hope they are right. I feel that they are.

Despite the economic hardships and despite missing a crucial revenue stream because of a quirk in the city of Atlanta ordinances, I am encouraged. It is our smallness that encourages me. It is the other small specialty food shops around Atlanta that have reached out and shared information and insight with all of us at The Mercantile. I have been on an incredible journey the past year and a half to actually tackle the system, follow the rules, dive into the political process and seek to legally change the law for the better of small business in Atlanta. All of the allies I have made along the way have made me feel as though there are brighter days ahead for us all.

Most importantly, our neighbors and guests encourage me. So many of our friends and guests have stopped in to show their support and sign our petition. If you haven't stopped in yet, I invite you to do so. I'd also like to personally invite you to take part in the democratic system and political process by contacting members of the Public Safety Committee. Please let them know you are in support of Ordinance 08-O-0843 which will provide a definition in the ordinances for a specialty food shop and will allow those shops to apply for a license with our own set of distance requirements. I have learned recently that your voice really does matter. You really can pick up the phone or write a letter and sometimes people really do listen.

Thanks so much for your support and interest in what we do! Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. janea@themercantileatl.com

-Janea Boyles, President


Listed below is all of the contact information for members of the Public Safety Committee. I am told that phone calls and handwritten letters are generally considered to be more effective than email these days. Letters by mail should be sent to your council members attention at:

55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2900, Atlanta, GA 30303


Lamar Willis, at large: 404-330-6041 hlwillis@atlantaga.gov

Cleta Winslow, chair:404-330-6047 cwinslow@atlantaga.gov

Kwanza Hall: 404-330-6038 khall@atlantaga.gov

Joyce Shepherd: 404-330-6053 jmshepherd@atlantaga.gov

Ivory Young, Jr. 404-330-6046, ilyoung@atlantaga.gov

C.T. Martin: 404-330-6055, cmartin@atlantaga.gov

-Please call Natalyn Archibong’s office and thank you for her sponsorship of this ordinance: 404-330-6048 narchibong@atlantaga.gov

-Please call Anne Fauver’s office and thank her for her current and continued support of this ordinance: 404-330-6050

The Merc is Wired

We can now be followed on Twitter! If you like fast updates, particularly when it comes to What's for Dinner, search for us as TheMercantile on http://www.twitter.com/

www.twitter.com/TheMercantile

Thanks!
-Team Merc

Support Us in Our Quest to Offer Wine and Beer

When the journey began in 2005 to make The Mercantile a reality, we had only an inkling as to how difficult it would be to obtain a license to offer wine and beer. It's a very long story and to offer all of the details here would be unproductive. However, we are happy to share that there is some movement at City Hall with some legislation that would enable us to apply for a limited license.

As you can imagine, the political process is complicated. So, we need your help! I'd love to share some information and details with you.

1. Why can't The Mercantile get a license to sell wine and beer? In the 1990's the ordinances for Atlanta's alcohol licensing were completely revamped. Inside the ordinances are distance requirements that state how far or close places that sell alcohol can be from certain things. Those certain things include schools, churches, parks, day care facilities and so forth. One of those distance requirements states that "no package store shall be within 1500 feet of another package store." The Mercantile is located 1200 feet away from another place that sells wine and beer.

2. There are tons of places around the city that sell wine and beer that are definitely within 1500 feet of each other. How does that happen? There are exceptions written into these distance requirements. For example, there are tons of places around town that were grandfathered into this 1500 foot distance requirement. Another example are larger businesses such as Kroger, Publix, etc. are given an exemption. Unfortunately, there is no room in the current ordinances for businesses like The Mercantile to be granted an exception.


3. So now what do we do? The Mercantile is not the only business suffering from this arbitrary designation in the ordinances. There are a number of specialty food shops around town that also can not offer beer and wine because of this same ordinance. Interestingly, these shops around town are all small, local, neighborhood shops that have opened within the past 3 years. The specialty food industry is rapidly making its way into the Atlanta landscape. It's our feeling that the city of Atlanta should consider making room for these types of neighborhood businesses.

4. Where are these other shops? Little's Market in Cabbagetown, Le Petit Marche in Kirkwood, Savor in Peachtree Hills, and City Market and Deli in Lindbergh Station. More are popping up regularly all across town.

5. What's going on at City Hall? After ongoing discussions for many months several of the shopowners around town started talking to their city council members. Eventually, Natalyn Archibong came forward sponsoring legislation that provides a definition in the ordinances for a specialty food shop. This would allow a specialty food shop, by definition, to apply for a license even if they are within 1500 feet from another establishment that offers beer and wine sales.

This legislation has remained stuck in committee for nearly 9 months.

Councilmember Anne Fauver, who represents the district The Mercantile is in, has also come forward and is working with Natalyn Archibong to get the legislation out of committee and up for a vote.

We are hoping this piece of legislation will at last receive its day in the sun and be up for a vote in the coming weeks.

6. What can I do? Please stop in and SIGN OUR PETITION. We are collecting signatures on behalf of this legislation so that we may present to city council an impactful representation of the number of our guests who wish to be able to support their neighborhood shops and have a choice where they can buy their wine and beer.

7. Is that it? Well, no. We also ask that you consider giving your city councilmember a call in support of this legislation. Call your councilmember and tell them you are in support of ordinance number 08-O-0843 that will make room for specialty food shops in Atlanta's growing commerce scene.

8. Who do I call? It is definitely a good idea to call your city council member-at-large as they represent the entire city:

Lamar Willis: 404-330-6041

Mary Norwood: 404-330-6302

Cesar Mitchell: 404-330-6052

To get contact information for your specific city council representative go to this link:

http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/ccinfo.htm

9. Anything else I need to know? For some people, it may seem changing the city's ordinances is a bad idea. They are worried that opportunistic and irresponsible business owners will abuse this legislation by operating laissez-faire establishments that are not neighborhood focused. This in turn would lead to unsafe conditions and increase crime.

Fortunately, this new piece of legislation was modeled after a current piece of legislation already established. This definition in the ordinances is for a specialty wine shop, it allows an exception to the 1500 foot distance requirement. This addition to the ordinances has been in place for a number of years and to date does not appear to have been abused. Further, the definition for specialty food shop is very specific and limits the type of things a business could sell in order to qualify for a license under this definition. Lastly, even though this new definition exempts from the 1500 foot distance requirment, there are still a number of distance requirements in place that ensures a good quality of life around any business that applies for a license fitting the definition.

We hope this answers any questions you may have and that you will consider supporting us in our efforts to provide our guests with one more essential service. At The Mercantile, we are so happy to be part of the Dekalb Avenue corridor and to participate in the lives of our neighbors in Candler Park, Lake Claire and other surrounding neighborhoods. We've watched the area grow and change over the past few years and research tells us there is plenty of room for more than one business to offer wine and beer. We hope you agree and that you'll stop in the shop soon for a visit.

Thanks!

-Janea Boyles

Facebook page

We are now on Facebook - look us up under The Mercantile to become a fan and find out about events and daily specials! here's a URL http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/pages/Atlanta-GA/The-Mercantile/49450332107?ref=ts

Make Your Super Bowl Sunday Super DELICIOUS!

Our Culinary Team has rolled out their special Super Bowl Sunday menu! We are now accepting pre-orders. Call now to reserve your munchies! 404-378-0096

HEROS
Our famous French baguettes will be stuffed with Chef Samantha’s favorite selection of meats and condiments.
$8.99 per half baguette
$17.99 per whole baguette

RIBS
We are cranking up our full size smoker to slow cook Chef Samantha’s ribs. Our secret rub will be on the scene!
$7.99 per half rack
$13.99 per whole rack

CHILI
Made from scratch and packaged by the quart We’ll have beef chili , chicken white bean and 3 bean vegetarian chili ready to go. Advanced order is recommended.
$10.99

Accompaniments
All the trimmings for your chili will be in house and available for purchase: Tortilla chips, organic sour cream, Tillamook Cheddar cheese and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for the fourth quarter!

PLATTERS
We are putting together platters with hand selected ingredients that will be fresh cut and ready to eat.

Antipasti Platters
Hand cut Italian specialties.
Small Platters $18. Large Platters $36.


Cheese Plates
We’ll put together a selection of artisan cheeses. Each cheese is complete with an accompaniment.

LEGENDARY SNACKS
As always our delicious snacks will be available. Advance order is recommended.

Rosemary Roasted Cashews
Spiced Pecans
Pimento Cheese
Artichoke Dip
Black Bean Hummus
Robbie’s Hummus

Rotisserie Chickens Always Available
Call Now to Reserve Yours!

See you in the shop!
-Janea
http://www.themercantileatl.com/
404-378-0096

Pencil Us In

At The Mercantile we love having events. It gives us an excuse to eat all day! So, mark your calendars! Saturday, January 24, we'll be tasting olive oils with Josephine Gilreath. We're even throwing in a TRUFFLE OIL. 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Speaking of truffles, let's talk the language of love-Truffle Love! On February 7 we're having a chocolate truffle demonstration and tasting with our friend and chocolatier, Jill Davis! 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm. Be prepared to fall in love!

Coming in March, we'll be hosting a very special event and launching some very special products. Stay Tuned for details!

See You in the Shop!
-Janea, Chef Samantha and Team Merc!
http://www.themercantileatl.com/

Hope through Food Was a Success!

We had so much fun this past Sunday with our young visitors. Celebrating Hope was an easy thing to do with such an exciting year ahead. It was also a pleasure to simultaneously celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and the inauguration of our first African American President! And, of course, the hoe cakes were delicious.

Check out the pictures with this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/TheMercAtl/HopeThroughFood?feat=directlink

Meat, Produce, Fresh Goods…

Recently for the holiday Janea bought herself a book that several people in my life have told me has changed theirs. For example, my girlfriend Sally and her husband have left the city life for Rockmart County. They’ve bought an old farm and are raising chickens and ducks along with their Salukis. Soon, she tells me, they’ll have a goat or two.

Leaving the city life for the farming life is a big step; so I had to find out what this was all about. Certainly I would never leave my city life for a life as a missionary in Africa, a coroner in Virginia, an attorney in Memphis or to become a beekeeper in Alabama, so I have hi-jacked this book to find out what all the life altering is about. Much to the dismay of my business partner I now laugh, delight and garner an appreciation for living locally in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

As the story unfolds, my thoughts are countless; the Kingsolver family made it their mission to eat locally and seasonably, starting their year in April. Since opening our little shop in September, I find I am held accountable for much more from a guest than perhaps the guest asks of themselves. The Mercantile’s vision- my vision as a chef- was to open a place and serve foods that were available not only locally (within 100 miles) but regionally and seasonally. This is where the challenge starts.

My sandwich menu carries tomatoes and avocados. These are fruits defined by season. Tomatoes have had a particularly rough growing season this past year; we’ve been getting them from Florida, and one batch from Texas. Avocados have to come from California; they are the one item on the sandwich board that travels the longest distance. Fortunately, an avocado doesn’t begin to ripen until after it is picked. By the time it arrives here it is ready to be eaten. The accompaniment choices are a side salad or seasonal fruit medley – so if we really went local today, the choice for fresh fruit would be “zip”. If we go regionally then we can look at oranges and strawberries – very, very early strawberries, both from Florida.

Deciding to run a business in a new way, as opposed to how I cooked and ate at home previously, or how other chef’s I’ve worked for that had taken advantage of the "world as our oyster" philosophy has been illuminating. I taught for years that low cost of produce is due to seasonal availability but I did not think about the shipping and transport or the countries and people affected by our choices and desire for foods not readily available within our own hemisphere and yet still the low, low prices. So now I talk, and my partner talks with local farmers. This is where one would readily think that because travel is cut to a bare minimum and demand is high that costs would be low and easily passed on to our guests. Not so. A new challenge is before us.

With this challenge, I’ve come to question my every motivation. Trying to choose why I use a product or bring in produce or proteins from outside the region. Because, I answer myself, our guests demand this – they expect and are accustomed to this. Then I think, because this is the best of the best. The quality of the animals way of life is more true to being the animal, the farm is sustainable, yada yada yada…Does this mean I sold out? Am I still an educator? Is this what I expected when I opened this business to educate my consumers? I thought I had left teaching to cook again; another challenge.

How do I make a diffence then? As a small fish in a big ocean of agribusiness and large corporate grocers what can I do? I make decisions that I feel will empower myself and others. I will support other small businesses just trying to make a difference. I will support family owned businesses. I will support ships and trains and semi’s for transport but not jet planes. I will re-evaluate my own use of petrol. I will compost every fruit and vegetable I chop. I will reduce my carbon footprint and encourage others to do the same, because I believe in this. I believe in this world. I believe that the earth can sustain us if we treat her properly. I believe that supporting others in their endeavors will bring support to my business in kind with a little ingenuity. And just as I think I have my mantra down…the questions begin.

Question: “Why don’t you have cherries and asparagus in house? Whole Foods has them.”
Answer: Cherries and asparagus are from Chile and Argentina right now. Whole Foods brings them in because that is what their guests demand, they label it well and offer it to you year round. We also could offer this to you but our focus is to remain seasonal, local and regional with the produce we offer to our guests. We are a much smaller entity than Whole Foods.

Question/Statement: Kroger has Rib-eyes for $10.99. Yours have more fat and are more expensive. Is your meat even local?
Answer: Kroger is a larger store with a lot of buying power; I have not and do not work for Kroger so I am not sure where their beef, pork or chickens come from. Our beef is restaurant grade, sustainably raised, and grass-fed until their last week of life and therefore more costly. Our chickens are local, sustainably raised, do not contain and are not fed GMO’s and allowed to be, well exactly what they are, chickens. We do carry Georgia Grass-fed ground beef in our freezer from White Oak Pastures.

Question/statement: It says on the internet that you have $10.00 chocolate bars. Isn’t that pricey in this neighborhood?
Answer: My goodness, yes, that is expensive for any neighborhood. We do not carry a chocolate bar for $10.00. We do carry the highest quality cooking chocolate available, it is not a candy bar, and can be found in our baking area. It is in the $9 range.

Question: Do you carry seafood?
Answer: On Fridays we have fish in house. We also carry Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon filets in our freezer. For other seafood specialties I recommend Sawicki’s in Decatur. Lynn was with Star Provisions for many years. She specializes in seafood.

Question: When are you going to get your liquor license? What is the hold up?
Answer: Please ask my business partner Janea to explain this to you. This is the subject of a very different blog.

These questions are sometimes mind blowing – now I think of them as a good challenge: a way to discover more about myself, our client base at the shop and try to see things from the consumers point of view. So what would I think if I came into my shop and didn’t own it? What questions would I ask? Maybe all of the above.

This idea (The Mercantile) turned into reality is an opportunity to create a new way of shopping and eating. Where you take home food that is cooked to order for you and get seasonal produce and staples to create the next couple of day’s meals. Think of us like you would an open air market in France or Italy. We hope the biggest difference would be that most of us have a southern accent rather than a European dialect. Know that the food you take home with you didn’t travel a long distance and still tastes like it should, that the dairy is minimally processed and local. When we welcome you into the store, we mean it. When we ask you how you’ve been, it’s because we are getting to know you. We’ve got a long way to go and we are getting there. Like the Kingsolver’s family we are about to really start our produce year and local movement – our April is just around the bend.

Cheers y’all.
-Samantha

Our Events Calendar is Available

Check out The Mercantile's Events Calendar.

Hope Through Food

I am often called the “baby stealer” by Emily, one of our sales associates. I truly enjoy and love to connect with children. So, it’s second nature for me to offer to take a baby off the hands of one of our guests. When Janea and I sat down to plan events for 2009, naturally I wanted to do more events centered on our youngest and littlest guests!

Coming off the success of our apple cider and cookie decorating events, we really wanted to make the next one special and engaging (photo link). We stumbled around a bit trying to figure out how to celebrate the Inauguration of President-elect Obama, Martin Luther King Junior Day and tie that in to food with children. Of course the beautiful and always timely idea of HOPE came into the conversation.

No matter what your ethnicity or tradition, a meal shared with loved ones is a blessing. Throughout history, families have communed and developed bonds through shared meals together. In times of slavery, times of war and times of poverty, preparing and eating a meal together provided the hope and the glue when many other things were falling apart. Whether the meal is bountiful or meager, a meal shared has always provided a feeling of togetherness, soulful nourishment and, hope that times will be better. Hope through food has emerged as a theme for our next Children’s event on Sunday, January 18th.
Please join us as we discover the First African-American cookbook, “What Mrs. Fisher Knows about Old Southern Cooking”, circa 1881. Mrs. Fisher, a former slave, had been steeped in the best traditions of Southern American cookery and was well respected in her day. She was awarded various medals and diplomas in fairs in California, where she had relocated after the Civil War. While by her own admission, she was not able to read or write, it is a testament to her prominence and respect within her community that an ad hoc committee of 9 highly regarded residents helped her document this lovely cookbook. It should also be noted that the cookbook was published through a Women’s Cooperative Printing Office, this 40 years before women won the right to vote! Talk about Hope through Food!

The passage into our Hope through Food event will cost you and your child a donation to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Our barrel will be marked and ready at the front door! Once onto our Mercantile Freedom Trail, we will be cooking (and tasting!) Hoe Cakes & Ginger Cookies, coloring pages of past and present peace maker Presidents and of course, drinking Sweet Tea! Save the date: Sunday, January 18th, 1:00 PM.
We invite children of all ages to join us as we celebrate a very hopeful time in our country’s history with the Inauguration of our 44th President Barack Obama and as we explore the ageless idea of hope through food.

As always, I invite you to look up a family recipe, prepare it with a little patience and kindness, and call your family and friends to the table with love. That’s a recipe for a good time any day!
We look forward to seeing you in the shop.

Love and light, Gloria Limanni

As the Gastronome Turns OR What's a Mother to do?

This is my fictional account of the origins of the mother sauces. I like to think of all the mother sauces as quintuplet sisters just starting out of a pristine French Convent school and going out into the world to spread their wings. As they travel through Europe and into the Americas they have adventures, they have relationships, they marry and have daughters or sons. Their children continue in the spirit of their mother's to have their own adventures...

Velouté:
Velouté left France and her sisters and headed right for America. She landed in Charleston (or so the rumor goes) and after a lot of introductions fell in love and married a wealthy plantation owner, a rice farmer, rancher and businessman. Velouté happily took her married name and duties seriously. Here in the south we more commonly know her as GRAVY. Veloute loved to cook! She found herself with many workers on the farm and ranch. She got up early just like at the convent, to make a hearty breakfast for all of the laborers and her husband before the day's work began. Sometimes packing little pies in satchels for her husband and the day laborers to enjoy for lunch. She was and still is loved by many for this.

Velouté also loved entertaining and dinner parties; evenings at the house were spent entertaining friends and family. She would take in roasting large cuts of meats and mashed potatoes she’d dress them with her signature self.

In the early 60’s Velouté had left her husband for a while and went to New York and Vegas due to an unfortunate obsession with the Rat Pack. Calling herself, "Vel," she found herself on many menus in the late 50’s and 60’s dressing up chicken breast cut into chunks and sold to many as Chicken Fricassee. She returned to her husband soon after and went right back to her married name.


Béchamel:

Béchamel loved life and hated the convent school. She left France and headed straight to Italy. Outside of the Alps and leaving Sienna, she had a brief tryst in the Italian Piedmont district with a young man named “Reggi” on a dairy farm. This dalliance left her with fond memories and a swollen belly. She and Reggiano had a son whom she named Alfredo. Alfredo remained in Italy with his father, but some of his romances with various shapes of pasta have travelled extensively.

Despite a child out of wedlock, and lots of talk and photos in the Paris Match, Béchamel continued her travels. While in England she met an English Lord, also on a dairy farm. Deeply in love and to the dismay of the French populis, she married Lord Cheddar and had a daughter named Mornay.

Mornay grew up, married Lord Worcestershire and they in turn moved to Louisiana. Shortly there after, Mornay left Lord Worcestershire for a man named Kraft whom she met at a party in Boston, she was with child at the time and gave birth to a son named Cheese.

Cheese grew up visiting his biological father in Louisiana, but was primarily raised in New York City and Chicago with his mother and step father. On a visit to Key West with his mother he met a young man of Italian American decent named Mac. Discovering a deep love of musical theatre the two became inseparable. Mac & Cheese became one of the most successful pairings since Chocolate & Peanut butter. They plan to marry in California later this year. Loved by ultra conservatives to small children, they easily adapt to any region or area they find themselves in.


Hollandaise:

Hollandaise left the convent school and headed to Provence. She had fallen in love with the region on a school trip and felt immediately at ease and at home there. Though planning to live in Citron, she met her first love in Aix. He was the son of a farmer and his name was Tarragon. They married quickly and had a daughter Béarnaise.

Béarnaise hated Provence, farms, fish and old people; she wanted to be in Monaco but after getting into too much trouble there, Hollandaise sent her to live with her Aunt Béchamel in New York. Living with Béchamel and Cheese, Béarnaise appeared to settle down. She and Cheese got along famously. They took a road trip to New Orleans to visit his father in Louisiana and partake in Mardi Gras. Once in New Orleans she promptly ditched Cheese and headed out on the town. After a long night of partying in the French Quarter, Béarnaise slept with a Chef named Tom Atopaste. This resulted in a daughter, she named Choron.

Hollandaise left France for Louisiana when her grand daughter, Choron was born. Hollandaise took Choron with her everywhere and easily befriended most everyone she met in New Orleans. Much to Béarnaise’s chagrin her mother had a buttery voice and the figure to match that never failed to lure in admirers. As a direct result, Eggs Benedict became incredibly popular with the brunch crowd.

Espagnole:

Espagnole was the eldest sister. Where as her other sisters were voluptious and smooth, Espagnole took many of her Fathers traits with her. She was strong, well balanced, a great personality and was clearly the most intelligent of the brood. When school ended she felt at home and sought to stay in the convent, much to the dismay of her sisters. At their urging to travel, not just read about places, she reluctantly agreed. Closing her eyes she waved her finger in the air and landed on the map for her first stop. Buenas Aires, Argentina!

Travelling through Argentina she met a Gaucho with traits like her father, the idea of the convent was history and she said I do. They bought their own ranch near a vineyard and settled down. Shortly thereafter, their son Demi-Glace was born.

Demi was the best of each of them, ruggedly handsome like his father, full bodied, intelligent and a great personality, a bit roguish in a charming way. In fact while Espagnole and her gaucho husband were happy to stay on the cattle ranch in Argentina, Demi joined his cousins in exploring the world.

In fact it’s safe to say that Demi got around. No matter where or when he was definitely the life of the party, it wasn’t hard to see how he made his way through all of Europe in what seemed like the blink of an eye. He came to America visiting New York, New Orleans and Chicago. He even tried his hand at acting in Hollywood. Demi almost settled down with young woman in Provence named Mustarde Dijon while visiting his Aunt Hollandaise. Though the relationship did not last, it ended amiably and gave his parents a grandson, Robert.


Tomato:

Tomato is the sweetest, sexiest and most robust of her sisters. Tomato left convent school and followed Béchamel to Italy. Because Béchamel did not want her “little sister” tagging along, she ditched her in Tuscany. Tomato found herself lost and alone. In the Piedmont she heard Béchamel was seeing a young man on a dairy farm. Reggi was no help and all hands. So, Tomato found herself exploring Italy on her own. She formed a band with friends she made, Basil and Oregano, and they toured around calling themselves Marinara. They were extremely well known for their “Extra Virgin” tour. They are in fact the number one group of one hit wonders of all time with Garlic Minced Me Up! Since disbanding, various forms of pasta from Fusilli to Tagliatelle have used Garlic… as covers.

Tomato travelled to Sicily and hung out with a guy named Caper for awhile. It was a dark time for her and while pregnant she hung out with some “savory” Italians and lived in a dingy apartment in a bad neighborhood near the docks. She had a daughter named Puttanesca which she left on Caper’s doorstep in the middle of the night. She met a guy on the docks in Sicily headed east on a spice boat and landed in India. She left India for China and snuck her way over rugged terrain back into Western Europe. At a bar one night in Prague she was abducted by a crazed fan and woke up in a creamery somewhere in Russia.

Having lost touch with many of her sisters, and needing to get her life back together she sold her rights to Marinara’s music and got on a plane for New York. When she got to America she heard that Hollandaise and Béchamel were visiting New Orleans, so off she went. While in the French Quarter with her sisters she was recognized by a young Cajun Chef recently returned from Europe as the lead singer of Marinara. Since he knew Hollandaise he asked her to introduce them. Though successful in wooing her, Tomato was not the settling down type. They did have a daughter named Creole whom stayed with her father in New Orleans.

Tomato found her way to Memphis following a blues and jazz guitarist, called himself Rib Bone. Rib bone took her to Chicago where she left him for a romp with an oil man and rancher named Briskett. Briskett took her to Kansas City and then he took her back home to Texas. And in Texas she almost got married…Tomato fled for Mexico as fear of commitment settled in. She began instead a personal odyssey searching for a long lost family lineage.
Outside of Mexico City she met an Aztec descendant named Xocolatl. She was immediately smitten, and their relationship was full of passion and spice. They’re daughter Mole was born. Later Tomato became involved with another man named Chipotle whom she hired to lead her expedition to trace her lineage; they had a child as well, a son called Adobo. On this expedition she at last found the relatives she had been looking for: an old sage woman named Salsa and her daughter Salsa Fresca. Tomato returned to Italy where she now sings with former band mates. Mole and Adobo travel extensively through Mexico, the American Southwest, and Chicago.