CulinaryLocal Launch Event at one of Atlanta’s Best 1KEPT Secrets

Lets say you’re into food, happen to live in the Atlanta vicinity and you’re looking for a local culinary event that caters to your interest. Where would you look to find said event? There are several sites out there that you may have visited in the past but you would likely have searched in multiple places to find exactly what you were interested in. I know because I’ve been there which is why I’m so excited about a new resource where many of the culinary experiences we know and love are already together in one place.

Deviled Quail Eggs – tomato jam, arugula, lemon vinaigrette

Recently, I joined members of the Atlanta Food Bloggers’ Society for a Launch Event hosted by CulinaryLocal at 1Kept Kitchen & Bar. Between five courses of 1Kept’s indulgent menu, we learned about CulinaryLocal’s objective to help Atlanta foodies find dinner experiences, cooking classes, festivals, tastings and more in a single curated marketplace.

Crystal Organic Butterhead & Frisee Salad – bacon lardons, spiced cashews, green tomato, charred Vidalia onion vinaigrette

CulinaryLocal Founder & CEO, Yves Neidlinger spoke passionately about his own experience with taking cooking classes and of his search for additional classes that provided the type of instruction he desired. His pursuit led him to the realization that a singular location for classes and other culinary activities could be beneficial to local foodies. Through a series of meetings and events the idea of creating a focused resource for high quality culinary experiences has became a realization.

Green Thumb Flatbread – Broccoli greens, fingerling potatoes, house ricotta, garlic confit

We also heard from Alexa Lampasona, CL’s Director of Marketing & Communications. She met Yves at one of their cooking classes and is now an integral part of the team that curates and gets the word out about Atlanta’s foodie happenings through social media, the CulinaryLocal blog and local media outlets.

Between bites of information about CL’s offerings and their official launch, we dined.

Seared Scallop – carrot coriander puree, quinoa herb slaw, crispy leeks

1Kept Owner, Thaddeus Keefe and his enthusiastic staff prepared us for an exceptional experience that night by sharing the inspiration behind the restaurant, the food and the drinks. This place is one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets. The location is an unassuming one but when you walk in, the statement it makes is quite obvious. It’s a cozy, dimly lit space with two of my favorite decor materials, wood and exposed brick. It’s equally elegant and down to earth.

Seafood Cioppino – littleneck clams, shrimp, calamari, roma tomato, shallot, red pepper, grilled sourdough

Each of the five courses were presented with descriptions emphasizing the fresh, locally sourced or house-made ingredients used, as well as their prep and cooking methods. For example, the Vidalia tops from bulbs delivered on the Turnip Truck that day were a part of the dressing that coated our Crystal Organic Butterhead & Frisee Salads. The tops were grilled, finely chopped and folded in an apple cider vinaigrette. Also part of the delivery were the broccoli greens that topped the Green Thumb Flatbread which was made by hand. Even the ricotta on the flatbread was house-made.

They who shall not be named for they were all amazing!

Another well kept secret are the cocktails. All I can say is that Mixologist, Jonathon Turner, knows a thing or four about his craft. Each course was paired with a glass of sippable talent. A couple of them were created on the fly without even receiving the gift of a name. But I’m so totally okay with that {wink}.

CulinaryLocal’s Launch Event was a wonderful beginning to an initiative designed to pair Atlanta Foodies with cooking classes, dining experiences, wine and beer tastings, festivals, food based volunteer projects and more in one convenient location.

Visit their marketplace for more information. Go ahead. You know you want to.

Disclosure: Dinner at 1Kept Kitchen & Bar was complimentary.  I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.