• Pie Shop: Atlanta’s Newest Sweet Spot

    Everything about Pie Shop is as sweet as the label on their “Shugah”. Mims Bledsoe is one fabulous lady resurrecting the pure art of making homemade pies. To help her at Pie Shop, she recruited Kim Keene: a pastry chef with years of experience under her cute belt.

    “It was just fate.” Mims told PrettySouthern over coffee one morning. “Kim was best friends with my older sister. Who do you know better than who you grew up with?”

    Mims who has a background in research; however, she loved spending time in the kitchen working with her hands. “I decided to start my own business because it was intellectually challenging,” she explained. “You don’t see homemade pies anymore.”

    Our sampling of tasty treats at Pie Shop

    It’s a science to create the perfect crust (which took two months to perfect). The inspiration for Pie Shop’s pastries comes from many sources, including old cookbooks which Mims collects from bookstores, thrift shops, and other random places. On the day PrettySouthern visited, we noshed on several samples including Coconut Creme, Butterscotch, Grape and Strawberry Pies plus “bites’ including a Cheesecake topped with a fresh strawberry, crispy Fried Apple, Chocolate with Peanut Butter Creme and even a Vidalia Onion with Cheddar Cheese sauce.

    Pie Shop adheres to a set of standards when it comes to pie, which also coincide with Southern ideals: simplistic, rustic, unpretentious, and damn tasty. Come in here for a really warm, cozy experience and get served homemade pie.

    If location is everything, then Pie Shop has got it! For those familiar with the Barmuda Triangle in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, there’s now a Bakery Triangle comprised of Henri’s, Piece of Cake and Pie Shop. Located in the same strip containing Red Door Tavern and behind the bar Churchill’s, Pie Shop will be open until 1 a.m. come July to serve pie to late night party people. Y’all know pie is good any time!

    For more info on Pie Shop, check out their website or their Facebook page.

  • Southern Girl Song #1

    The number one, absolute best song of all time about Southern girls goes to Lynyrd Skynyrd for “Georgia Peaches”. This band is about as Southern as they get. Formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in the 1960s, Lynyrd Skynyrd rose to fame touring throughout the South.

    “Georgia Peaches” is the title track on their album Legend (released in 1987 containing all demos and EPs from the band). Legend contains songs from the bands glory years (1973 – 1977) before the tragic plane crash outside Greenville, S.C. In 2001, the album Street Survivors was reissued featuring “Georgia Peaches” as a bonus track.

    Well you can see her walkin’ down on Peachtree Street
    She got high-heeled shoes and a dot on her cheek
    Well she’s lookin’ good, she’s headed downtown
    A’int got no money, honey, she knows her way around

    I think she’s cute, think she’s cute as she can be
    Talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Well these Georgia Peaches, son, they know their way around
    Take your money, son, before you gets outta town
    Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine
    Yes, nine out of ten of them gonna sell you a dime

    I think they’re cute, think they’re cute as they can be (ooh yeah!)
    I’m talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Well peaches, peaches
    Love them Georgia Peaches
    Peaches, peaches
    Love them Georgia Peaches!

    Well them Georgia Peaches, they sure do got style
    They gonna steal your heart, with a Southern smile
    Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine
    Older they get, Lord, I swear it’s like good wine

    I think they’re cute, think they’re cute as they can be
    Talkin’ about a funny talkin’, hony tonking Georgia Peach

    Thank you, Lynyrd Skynyrd! Was this your favorite Southern Girl song? Tell us with a comment below!

    Editor’s note: photo contributed by our favorite Florida girl, Heather McCole Williams. To view more of her art or book her for photographic work, check out Heather’s blog or their Facebook page.

  • Beth Evans Watercolors at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

    Looking for something to do in Atlanta this Thursday? Consider Cocktails in the Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens from 6 to 10 p.m. with “the most beautiful cocktail party in the city”. Be sure to visit the Fuqua Orchid Center Art Gallery for the opening of Beth Evans Watercolors to enjoy a collection of lovely paintings inspired by the colors, textures and habitats of birds.

    A true Southern native, the artist is originally from Montgomery, Ala. She earned her fine art degree from Auburn University, and now resides in Metro Atlanta. Beth’s work focuses on Southeastern birds in their local habitats. She draws her inspiration from the wide range of flora and fauna of her southern surroundings.

    Artist Beth Evans is proud to show her work this week at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

    “Watercolor is the perfect medium for discovery. I enjoy exploring color, light and technique in my paintings. I have chosen nature as my subject because it lends itself so beautifully to the medium,” Beth explained. “I believe our sight brings in many different colors to everything we see if we are just willing to search and enjoy.”

    Cocktails in the Garden features a full cash bar, live music, and hors d’oeuvres from top Atlanta restaurants. Guest admission to the gardens is $18.95. To purchase artwork by Beth, please visit the Garden Gift Shop. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of artwork benefits the Atlanta Botanical Garden. “Beth Evans Watercolors” will be on display June 23 – August 1, the gardens are open Tuesday through Sunday, 9am- 7pm.

    For more information visit: the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Event Page or Beth’s website.[author]

    [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/RachelEvans.jpg[/author_image]
    [author_info]Rachel Evans is a true Southern girl. A native of Metro Atlanta, she ‘s a graduate of Auburn University and the Savannah College of Art and Design now residing in the historic city of Savannah. As a participant in the Miss America Organization Rachel served as Miss Atlanta, and Miss Auburn University, working across the South to spread her passion for the arts. [/author_info]
    [/author]

  • Southern Girl Song #2

    Defining a Southern Girl is as easy or tricky as y’all want it to be. Technically, a Southerner is any denizen below the Mason Dixon line. Where it gets complicated is attributing all the lovely qualities that make a Southern girl the best in the world.

    Amos Lee does a fantastic job in his song “Southern Girl”. He doesn’t go into specifics, but when he sings the chorus we all feel his emotions — love, adoration, and humility — in the presence of his lady.

    If you try to search “southern girl definition” in Google, you’ll get results from Urban Dictionary which appear to have been written by a Carolinian. There’s references to qualities inherent in Carolina girls, but these few sentences are ubiquitous for all ladies in waiting:

    “Southern hospitality runs in the family. Southern households are the most generous of them all, which makes Southern girls, the sweetest.” Amos Lee, would you agree?

    “Somethin’ about a Southern Girl, makes me feel right. In a Mississippi morning she’s an angel in flight.” At PrettySouthern, we believe all states below the Mason Dixon line are created equal. What state are you from, dear reader, and what do you love most about Southern girls?

    Editor’s note: photo contributed by our favorite Florida girl, Heather McCole Williams. To view more of her art or book her for photographic work, check out Heather’s blog or their Facebook page.

  • Our Southern Girl in South America

    My mother called me a bird. Last December, 18 days after I graduated college, I flew south for winter to sweaty Santiago, Chile, where the seasons are reversed and summer was just beginning.

    But warm weather wasn’t the purpose of my journey. It’s winter now (in late June) and thankfully my intentions and ideas have panned out. I’ve worked a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)- certified English teacher for almost six months now, and my Spanish skills have finally progressed beyond speaking in the present tense.

    The actual distance is the strangest thing. There are times I’ve stood on the coast, with my ankles in the freezing Pacific Ocean, staring up and imagining where I am, envisioning myself as a dot on globe, almost 5,000 miles away from home. Like many Southerners, my friends are also my family and detaching myself from them was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. How the inventors of Skype haven’t won a Nobel prize is beyond me as it is the best invention of the 21st century.

    But rarely do I feel lonely. I was thrilled to discover that Chileans believe in the same Southern hospitality we’re accustomed to back home. It is quite common to meet someone at a bar one night then have them invite you over for dinner the next. Encounters on the street don’t stop at, “Hi, How are you?” but “Where are you going? And, how is your mother?” Every taxi driver, server, bank teller and grocery-store check out girl is fascinated with my reasons for coming here. They are also incredibly eager to use any knowledge of English that they have. Either that, or my Spanish is so bad that they’re choosing to use English.

    Chile is 70 percent Roman Catholic and colorful reminders line the sidewalks and corners of the beautiful ancient churches in Santiago.

    Chile’s enterprises have a great need for learning English to further interactions with the U.S. and the U.K. This is why teaching English is such a lucrative opportunity. However, everyday citizens have very little need, so knowing and using Spanish is much more of a necessity than I imagined. This demand alone has improved my vocabulary, but I’ve had just as many slip ups as success stories.

    One night, a Chilean acquaintance invited my boyfriend and I over for dinner at his apartment. He has one of the most incredible views in the city – endless urban lights, surrounded by the Andes mountains – so, language insecurities aside, we accepted the invitation. As the evening progressed, several more of their Chilean friends arrived, and with them, bottles of Cabernet and Carmenere, Chile’s vino specialties. At one point, I dropped my wine glass, spilling the wine and breaking the glass.

    In an attempt to apologize to our neighbor, I stood up and said, in Spanish,  “I am so embarrassed.” Well it turns out, the word for “embarrassed” (embarazoso) and “preganant” (embarazada) are extremely similar. So I actually said, “I am so pregnant.” Without a beat, and in perfect English, one of their friends replied, “Well, then you shouldn’t be drinking!”

    Yes, it was a laugh at my expense. But it was also one of my favorite memories of this trip so far. Join me as I attempt to put into words my experience of living in Chile’s southernmost nation as a girl from the South. I’ve already taught several of my students how to use “y’all”, and I’m not stopping there.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ChelseaCook.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Chelsea Cook is a journalist from Atlanta teaching English in Santiago, Chile. Check back each week to PrettySouthern for more of Chelsea’s adventures South of the Equator.[/author_info] [/author]

  • Native Southerner Hunts for Fossils

    Southerners are proud of their roots spanning back through eons. For Alan Stout, a native Southern gentleman, he’s translated his love of history into collecting and selling fossils. In Stout’s personal collection he also has multiple skulls belonging to Sabre tooth cats (though these are not for sale).

    Stout is most well-known for triceratops horns. He’s sold around 10 this year going for about $3,000. Another item in his collection was the tusk of a wooly mammoth, for $4,500.
“It’s a perfect piece, all solid ivory,” he said.  “It’s really nice. It even has the normal wooly mammoth shape.” He’s also got claws from the T-Rex, Raptor and other prehistoric predators. If you’re in the market for other collectible, check out Stout’s assortment of dino eggs, fossilized fish, and massive teeth.

    A tooth from the Megalodon shark, the largest fish in history!

    Stout said he can distinguish fossils from ordinary rocks because they’re typically lighter (although they’re heavier the more mineralized they are) and rocks tend to be more rounded. There are many who come to these areas with ar 15 parts and accessories to ensure their safety from harms way. He obtains most of his dinosaur bones by traveling out west and buying from fossil hunters.
 He also had a whole Keichousaurus hui, an extinct aquatic reptile from Central Asia. Thankfully he has a friend in Washington state who imports them, so Stout didn’t have to trek across the globe.

    About 70 percent of Stout’s business is done abroad, with 30 percent done in the United States. Yet with all his worldly knowledge, Stout declares the South as his home and he has a deep, abiding love for the region.
    “The South means beautiful countryside, nice people who are [laid] back and warm,” he said. “They have a sense of purpose and have strong religious beliefs.”

    For more information, check out Stout’s web site. He’s happy to speak with potential buyers regarding his fantastic fossils.

    Alan Stout, the gentleman of fossils himself, on a trip to Charleston.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/MattQuinn.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Matthew Quinn graduated from the University of Georgia in 2007. After nearly four years reporting for The Griffin Daily News, he became editor of The Johns Creek Herald in North Fulton. He is a published writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror and blogs at www.accordingtoquinn.com.[/author_info] [/author]