See The Elephant and Other Stories of Support
Many of you ask: how can we support Food as a Verb?
Food as a verb thanks
for sponsoring this series
People ask us all the time: how can we support Food as a Verb?
We have three main answers.
First? Enjoy this. Share it. Subscribe and encourage others to do the same.
And the second?
Join The Table.
Your paid membership — join here — is a two-way street, giving you early access to events, extra content and discounted merch. (Our store's coming soon!)
Plus, your $10-a-month paid membership allows us to continue to tell stories no other media is telling.
We tell the untold stories because of you.
Like our powerful feature on the farmer who can't afford to purchase the food he grows.
Or our reporting on the thousands of Chattanoogans impacted by food deserts. (And money deserts.)
Or our breaking news that led to millions of dollars in food bank funding from the state and the county mayor.
This Friday, we're sending you a special report on a significant yet underreported issue for hundreds of local students.
By supporting us, you, in turn, support these stories and the people behind them.
And the third way?
Keep laughing and smiling. Breaking bread and sharing it.
Each day, let's go See The Elephant.
(Confused? Keep reading.)
Monday night's Spooky Amaro was a sold-out blast.
"A treat with a capital 'T'," one friend said.
We filled all 40 seats in the upstairs dining room at Calliope — recently named a top 50 restaurant in the US by the New York Times — with two hours of laughter, delight and five pours of amaro, the ancient digestif.
It was all orchestrated by Raven Humphrey, who'd just returned from Italy.
Raven's simply fabulous, and walked us through different amaros — histories, mysteries and ingredients — with all your Calliope favorites — whipped feta, hummus, burnt carrots — and some Halloween treats.
(A table debate: no one under the age of 75 likes Whoppers. Agree? Disagree?)
"Now, the amaro I'm going to serve is going to blow your face off," she said, grinning.
Amaros range from the pleasantly kind — hints of strawberries or alpine juniper, like a gin — to a wild ride of something more explosive. Recipes are secret and often ancient.
"This is an old recipe from the 1500s," she said. "They used to serve it to you before they executed you."
"This is the 'Green Mile' drink," one friend said.
It was delicious and shivery and potent. If I was going to be executed, this is the drink I'd want.
Then, Raven, with a touch of drama, shut the door and pulled out a new bottle from under the bar.
"This next one is probably the craziest amaro I've ever tasted," she said.
In the 1800s, the first circus elephant came to New York City, she said. Folks would drop everything to go see the elephant. Who wouldn't, right?
"Now, it's used for a term for something you rarely do," she said.
The amaro is called See The Elephant.
Even before tasting it — it did blow my face off also — I loved it.
See The Elephant. The phrase is perfect.
It's a beautiful approach to, well, this rainy Wednesday. Hidden throughout our day are tiny moments of treasure: the way we walk by the dying flowers in our garden, how we see the leaves falling onto the soaked ground, the touch of our partner's hand on our arm, the sound of our own breath.
The Elephants in our life are often small.
Seeing them — recognizing, allowing, connecting — seems to be the great work, our daily calling and practice.
Sure, they may blow your face off at times. But others?
Small treats. Treats with a capital T.
We have several tickets remaining for our Nov. 7 Food as a Verb Asado.
Mariano, Angelina and I walked the grounds of McCoy Farm & Gardens recently, smiling as we imagined the upcoming night, all the fires and long tables and courses of food.
We chose this tree as our centerpiece. We'll base our evening here.
Join us for an unforgettable night. (Thanks, McCoy, for the photo.)
Tickets can be purchased here. Time's running out.
This Monday, the Michelin Guide announces the restaurants featured in its upcoming Southern edition.
(You can read our past reporting here and here and here.)
Chattanooga Tourism Co. officials are attending the event in South Carolina, which is an encouraging sign.
Food as a Verb will post live updates on any and all good news that comes from the night.
Make sure you're subscribed so you can receive all our reporting.
Thanksgiving's one month away.
I'm an old newspaper man, who cut his teeth in the newsroom back when there were two daily papers here.
One of my very favorite stories each year? Roy Exum's Thanksgiving column, listing all the things he was thankful for each year.
I wonder ... hmmm .... could we replicate that here?
What food, dish, drink, dining experience — large or small — are you thankful for here in Chattanooga?
What person — server, chef, bartender, back-of-house team player — makes a difference to you?
What do you love about our Main Street Farmers' Market?
If we can get a few dozen readers to respond, we'll publish these during the Thanksgiving season. Let's rewrite Roy's old version with a crowd-sourced one of our own.
Email me at david@foodasaverb.com with the food+drink+farm people and places you're thankful for in this city.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Main Street Meats has a Thanksgiving menu available for pre-order.
The menu includes fresh, smoked and brined turkeys along with a host of sides and desserts.
The deadline for ordering is Nov. 20. Email cl@mainstreetmeatschatt.com or call 423.602.9568.
Finally, this Sunday, get ready.
We're bringing you a story that has excited us for weeks.
We kept pinching ourselves, thinking: is this really true?
Food as a Verb family, it's really true.
On Sunday, our story is a powerful reminder of what good education looks like. These teachers? These students? They represent so much of what's good and right in the world today.
Yes, there will be blood.
There is also clarity. Gratitude. Illumination.
"I'm learning about life and death," one student said. "Thank you."
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
food as a verb thanks our sustaining partner:
food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Main Street Meats
People ask us all the time: how can we support Food as a Verb?
We have three main answers.
First? Enjoy this. Share it. Subscribe and encourage others to do the same.
And the second?
Join The Table.
Your paid membership — join here — is a two-way street, giving you early access to events, extra content and discounted merch. (Our store's coming soon!)
Plus, your $10-a-month paid membership allows us to continue to tell stories no other media is telling.
We tell the untold stories because of you.
Like our powerful feature on the farmer who can't afford to purchase the food he grows.
Or our reporting on the thousands of Chattanoogans impacted by food deserts. (And money deserts.)
Or our breaking news that led to millions of dollars in food bank funding from the state and the county mayor.
This Friday, we're sending you a special report on a significant yet underreported issue for hundreds of local students.
By supporting us, you, in turn, support these stories and the people behind them.
And the third way?
Keep laughing and smiling. Breaking bread and sharing it.
Each day, let's go See The Elephant.
(Confused? Keep reading.)
Monday night's Spooky Amaro was a sold-out blast.
"A treat with a capital 'T'," one friend said.
We filled all 40 seats in the upstairs dining room at Calliope — recently named a top 50 restaurant in the US by the New York Times — with two hours of laughter, delight and five pours of amaro, the ancient digestif.
It was all orchestrated by Raven Humphrey, who'd just returned from Italy.
Raven's simply fabulous, and walked us through different amaros — histories, mysteries and ingredients — with all your Calliope favorites — whipped feta, hummus, burnt carrots — and some Halloween treats.
(A table debate: no one under the age of 75 likes Whoppers. Agree? Disagree?)
"Now, the amaro I'm going to serve is going to blow your face off," she said, grinning.
Amaros range from the pleasantly kind — hints of strawberries or alpine juniper, like a gin — to a wild ride of something more explosive. Recipes are secret and often ancient.
"This is an old recipe from the 1500s," she said. "They used to serve it to you before they executed you."
"This is the 'Green Mile' drink," one friend said.
It was delicious and shivery and potent. If I was going to be executed, this is the drink I'd want.
Then, Raven, with a touch of drama, shut the door and pulled out a new bottle from under the bar.
"This next one is probably the craziest amaro I've ever tasted," she said.
In the 1800s, the first circus elephant came to New York City, she said. Folks would drop everything to go see the elephant. Who wouldn't, right?
"Now, it's used for a term for something you rarely do," she said.
The amaro is called See The Elephant.
Even before tasting it — it did blow my face off also — I loved it.
See The Elephant. The phrase is perfect.
It's a beautiful approach to, well, this rainy Wednesday. Hidden throughout our day are tiny moments of treasure: the way we walk by the dying flowers in our garden, how we see the leaves falling onto the soaked ground, the touch of our partner's hand on our arm, the sound of our own breath.
The Elephants in our life are often small.
Seeing them — recognizing, allowing, connecting — seems to be the great work, our daily calling and practice.
Sure, they may blow your face off at times. But others?
Small treats. Treats with a capital T.
We have several tickets remaining for our Nov. 7 Food as a Verb Asado.
Mariano, Angelina and I walked the grounds of McCoy Farm & Gardens recently, smiling as we imagined the upcoming night, all the fires and long tables and courses of food.
We chose this tree as our centerpiece. We'll base our evening here.
Join us for an unforgettable night. (Thanks, McCoy, for the photo.)
Tickets can be purchased here. Time's running out.
This Monday, the Michelin Guide announces the restaurants featured in its upcoming Southern edition.
(You can read our past reporting here and here and here.)
Chattanooga Tourism Co. officials are attending the event in South Carolina, which is an encouraging sign.
Food as a Verb will post live updates on any and all good news that comes from the night.
Make sure you're subscribed so you can receive all our reporting.
Thanksgiving's one month away.
I'm an old newspaper man, who cut his teeth in the newsroom back when there were two daily papers here.
One of my very favorite stories each year? Roy Exum's Thanksgiving column, listing all the things he was thankful for each year.
I wonder ... hmmm .... could we replicate that here?
What food, dish, drink, dining experience — large or small — are you thankful for here in Chattanooga?
What person — server, chef, bartender, back-of-house team player — makes a difference to you?
What do you love about our Main Street Farmers' Market?
If we can get a few dozen readers to respond, we'll publish these during the Thanksgiving season. Let's rewrite Roy's old version with a crowd-sourced one of our own.
Email me at david@foodasaverb.com with the food+drink+farm people and places you're thankful for in this city.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Main Street Meats has a Thanksgiving menu available for pre-order.
The menu includes fresh, smoked and brined turkeys along with a host of sides and desserts.
The deadline for ordering is Nov. 20. Email cl@mainstreetmeatschatt.com or call 423.602.9568.
Finally, this Sunday, get ready.
We're bringing you a story that has excited us for weeks.
We kept pinching ourselves, thinking: is this really true?
Food as a Verb family, it's really true.
On Sunday, our story is a powerful reminder of what good education looks like. These teachers? These students? They represent so much of what's good and right in the world today.
Yes, there will be blood.
There is also clarity. Gratitude. Illumination.
"I'm learning about life and death," one student said. "Thank you."
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Food as a Verb Thanks our sustaining partner:
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Join our table
keep reading
