Labor Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of summer, particularly the things of summer that we love to indulge in--wearing white everything, drinking all the rosé, firmly believing that all soup should be gazpacho, and in Athens, enjoying the slower pace of the season.
As we take the plunge into Fall, a whole new set of anticipations excite us. We are driven to enjoy meals outdoors as the cool breeze picks up, we celebrate the harvest, we find ourselves wearing red and black every weekend, and we once again look forward to a steaming bowl of soup.
At The National, we hope you'll share many meals with us this Fall, both in our dining room and at our bar, but also in the field. This season we are participating in a few of our favorite on-farm dinners that really the next level of what farm-to-table can mean.
On Monday, October 5, Outstanding in the Field comes to Woodland Gardens for a dinner to remember with Chef Peter Dale. This roving pop-up dinner operation imagined by Chef Jim Denevan travels every year from May through November, staging 80 to 90 events at farms, ranches and orchards across North America.
On Sunday, October 4, the 5th Annual Autumn Harvest Feast, hosted by the Athens Farmers Market, brings together 20 Athens Chefs to benefit Wholesome Wave Georgia’s Double SNAP Benefit Program.
On Sunday, September 13, the 6th Annual Southern Chefs Potluck brings together chefs and guests at the beautiful Inn at Serenbe for a family-style dinner benefiting Wholesome Wave Georgia.
And if you really wanted to know what Fall aka Football really means to Athenians, Flagpole Magazine will tell you, and so will Peter Dale...
“I grew up in Athens in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s while my dad was in grad school at UGA. My first memories include going to Georgia football games with my parents, sitting in the student section. These were the days of Herschel Walker, and I would get hoisted to my Dad's shoulders to watch Herschel score touchdowns. It was hard not to get wrapped up in the pageantry and revelry. To this day, I bleed red and black—go Dawgs!
Now that I am a business owner, I have mixed feelings about football season. I look forward to watching games, and on the rare occasion joining the festivities in Sanford Stadium. Football weekends can be great for us financially. However, it kills us if Georgia plays at night. Our weeknights in the fall tend to be quieter, because football fans are saving up energy and money for the big weekends. There is a misconception that fall must be a huge time in the restaurant business in Athens. That might have been the case in the past, but not anymore. Spring blows fall out of the water.”
