Umi is at the pinnacle of the other end of the spectrum. Umi is arguably the best fine dining restaurant, and definitely the best sushi restaurant, in Atlanta. Here are a few things I learned while eating there that prove my point:
While battling cancer, Jamie Annarino took up woodworking. She started Grain Craft Creations back in the fall of 2020 and is making wood charcuterie boards and bespoke furniture for friends and family in Atlanta. It’s National Small Business Week.
The Kardashians have nothing on the Ruckers. Just as gorgeous, stylish, trendsetting successful sisters as that famous West Coast clan, this East Coast brood has also had their own reality TV show (“Love Thy Sister” on WeTV), were once married to NBA players and have incredible influence on social media.
Southern handbag designer LIndsay Rakestraw of Garland Bags comes to Atlanta for a cute clutch purse pop-up. The Savannah entrepreneur is wowing women with her structured rectangles handbags.
This is the tale of two treats. What does a pound cake recipe and a macaron recipe have in common
Bryan Kirkland was named one of the Top 25 Designers in Atlanta by Veranda Magazine, Bryan Kirkland has been the owner of Showroom 58 at ADAC since 2018, and before that owned BAK Designs for over a decade. He’s also got a Jonesboro drawl to die for and is a Southern dandy through and through.
It’s time to get outside and enjoy some incredible 2021 events again and these five are too good to miss. From art to outdoor concerts (hello, Robert Earl Keen!) from Charleston to Atlanta and from the shores of Florida to the hills of Tennessee, 2021 events are back, baby!
For over ten years, Lindsay Forlines represented the defendants in medical negligence and wrongful death cases. Now she’s gone out on her own and this Southern belle shares her homegrown secrets.
When the proficient and ingenious photographer Derek Blanks isn’t photographing Usher, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj or Regina Hall, he’s the creative director for Missy Elliott. I first worked with him on photoshoots for luxury magazines in Atlanta photographing the who’s who of the city’s socialites. His work was impeccable and… ooh lord, this man has style. He is always dressed like a champ whenever I see him and being in tip-top shape is so important to him. Just look at how he wears a suit! (Although he does enjoy the All-Star Special at Waffle House as much as a night out at Two Urban Licks).
The South is filled with skilled artisans, crafty entrepreneurs and makers of all kinds. I love going into a boutique or hitting up an outdoor craft festival and discovering new creatives (usually with a thick drawl and impeccable manners) at work making incredible things. From candles to booze to prayer sticks (wha?), here are six things made by southerners I’m loving right now.
