Hometown Pride

Will this newsletter at some point just become a count down to college football? Absolutely not because there are literally 35 days before the dawgs kick off in Athens and that is too many days for us to count down…right?

Welcome back to The Meat Platter. We are glad you’re here.

Let’s get into it.

The AJC is rolling out the Georgia Power 100 over the next week. And for those of you that don’t live and breathe it, that’s the top 100 high school football players in the state to look out for. Up next— the linebackers.

We’ve of course got our eyes on another player from Gainesville, Darryn Williams, who made all-state teams last season after compiling 88 total tackles, nine tackles for losses and eight QB hurries. More impressively, he intercepted six passes, returning three for touchdowns and forced three fumbles. Williams is a three-star prospect who committed to Wake Forest in April. His nickname is Boom.

The Okefenokee Swap is officially a UNESCO World Heritage site. And if you guys aren’t Georgia natives- let us tell you a little about it.

The Okefenokee spans more than 400,000 acres in Southeastern Georgia and is the largest blackwater wetland ecosystem in North America. It’s also the least disturbed freshwater ecosystem on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It’s home to more than 1,270 species of plants and animals and it’s name can be traced back to a Creek Indian word meaning “trembling earth”.

This designation is a first for Georgia and is the 27th UNESCO World Heritage site in the US. You can read more about it here and man, we are proud!

At dinner last night, I was telling friends that I had eaten a tomato (my best guess anyway) every day for the last 3 weeks. Not just a slice of tomato, but a whole tomato.

And while I don’t think there is anything at all wrong with a sliced tomato on white bread, I am particularly partial to the B.L.T. Uncomplicated but not totally effortless.

Our friends at TexGa have some of the best bacon we’ve ever had and makes a pretty primo sandwich meat to start. That, paired with lettuce from Little Leaf Farms, a homegrown tomato, and Hellman’s mayo…it’s over with. Best. Sandwich.

We personally prefer our bread toasted but won’t judge you if you’re in a hurry.

Side note: if you need an afternoon snack, one of my dad’s favorite was a saltine, topped with a fresh summer tomato slice and a drizzle of Italian dressing. He was definitely on to something.

It’s your last week to embrace all the July Playlist has to offer. It’s been a good one, we’ve poured one out over…and over… and over again this month.

As we head into August, we’re gonna start something new over on our Spotify for the next few months. Our team is going to put together their perfect playlists. Think of it as a way for you to get to know us, just a little bit better.

It’s music for the grill, and the chill. So stay tuned.

We like to keep a little something on the calendar to look forward to and the Atlanta Food and Wine festival made the cut this year!

It’s being hosted September 10-13 in the Home Depot Backyard adjacent to Mercedes Benz Stadium. ATL F and W is one of the premier food events of the Southeast, drawing more than 200 chefs, pitmasters, sommeliers, mixologists, and culinary personalities. It's an excellent place to spot emerging food trends before they become mainstream and is practically in our back yards. See you there, square!

One of the biggest additions before the Brave’s trade deadline isn't coming from another team. Ronald Acuña Jr. is back.

They activated the former NL MVP this week after another stint on the injured list, giving Atlanta a much-needed spark just as the front office decides how aggressive to be before the August 3 trade deadline. With Acuña back atop the lineup, the next few days become even more interesting.

The first charcoal briquettes weren't invented for grilling—they were created to solve a waste problem at Ford Motor Company.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford's automobile factories generated mountains of hardwood scraps while producing Model Ts. Rather than throw the wood away, Ford partnered with chemist Orin Stafford and his relative E.G. Kingsford to compress the scraps into charcoal briquettes. That's how Kingsford Charcoal was born.

Yall know we aren’t briquette people around here. A given of course. If you everrrrrr need some charcoal, there’s really only one option out there that’s gonna give you a consistent burn, won’t be full of additives or chemicals, burns clean, hot and oh so well. We wouldn’t tell you a story.

We’ll be sharing more as we get closer to time, but are excited to announce our participation in Southern Living’s Food and Fire event at Southbound in September.

Southbound is a nonprofit food festival built around Birmingham’s culinary identity, with a mission to connect chefs, farmers, makers, and the broader community while celebrating the city’s food history and where it’s headed next. The 2026 festival runs for 10 days, with signature events centered around places like Pepper Place and Sloss Furnaces.

Read more about it here and we will share more about this v cool event upcoming.

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I started a business building yachts in my attic.

—The sails are going through the roof.