Georgia Made Georgia Grown Blog

In the December 27 Times of London, the Savannah Music Festival was the only event in the US to be named in "The Best Events Around the World in 2009".

Roger McMaken, the Music Festival's spokesman,  told the Savannah Morning News that the goal of the Festival is to bring cultural travelers to Savannah - people interested in getting a unique and customized experience.

Savannah, for years, has attracted visitors from around the world to its bustling arts and culture venues. This newest award will certainly enhance this year's March 19-April 5 Music Festival attendance.

FYI, at the beginning of 2008, I did a completely unscientific survey of podcasts in Georgia festivals' websites. THE ONLY event in the State that included podcasts was the Savannah Music Festival. Now, several other festivals are using podcasts in their sites. No doubt that having these audio experiences online enhanced the Festival's chances of being named to such lists.

Today, if you go to Savannah Music Festival's website, you'll see that you can subscribe to RSS feeds of Savannah Music LIVE, weekly public radio shows featuring performances from the last five years of the Festival. 

Not only is this a stellar festival, but the director and staff are positioning and marketing it perfectly. Congratulations and continued best wishes from Georgia Made Georgia Grown LLC! 

Welcome to the wonderful world of Fondarific, a new and innovative product that is revolutionizing the fondant industry.   Winners of the 2008 Flavor of Georgia Confection category!

Fondarific is a high quality fondant that the beginner as well as the professional will find easy to use. Our fondants are licensed, registered and certified with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and they contain no Trans Fats and are shelf stable for one year.  Fondarific can be frozen and holds up extremely well in humid conditions.

Fondarific has an unlimited work time because it does not dry out but dries firms.  It does not crumble or crack and any mistakes can be easily repaired with the simple rub of a warm hand or finger.  It can be rolled out much thinner and has a wonderful pliability.  We know you will be impressed with how beautifully Fondarific drapes and corners on your cakes.  With Fondarific you use little or no powdered sugar when rolling.  It is not sticky to the touch and performs well in fondant sheeters.  Fondarific can be used with cutters, molds, textured mats and rolling pins with great ease.  It is easily sculpted and can be airbrushed.

No messy dyeing because we offer our fondant in a brilliant primary color palette that does not fade. Our Butter cream and Vanilla are available in colors of; blue, green, red, yellow, white and black.  Our fondant will save you time and money.  Five pounds of Fondarific simple goes much further.

No longer do you have only two flavors when it comes to fondant, just chocolate and vanilla, because we offer twelve palette pleasing flavors in Fondarific.  Our fondant has a creamy smooth texture with a "melt in your mouth" feel, not gummy, dry or chalky.  Our traditional flavors include Vanilla, Chocolate and for the first time on the fondant market Butter Cream.  The flavors are uniquely rich without any after taste.  Each is offered in five and ten pound containers.  Any host would be proud to serve her guest a Fondarific draped cake because, "Now you can have your cake and eat your fondant too!"  There is no need to remove Fondarific before serving because it is simply delicious!

In our commitment to better serve our clients we are very excited to also bring, for the first time, nine fruit flavored fondants to the market.  Each flavor is colored to represent its fruity flavors.  Available in two pound containers we offer berry, cherry, chocolate cherry, grape, lemon, melon, orange, strawberry and tutti~frutti; the only fruit flavor we offer in white at this time.  These intensely flavored fondants bring out the "Wow" factor and are pleasing to the sophisticated palette as well as the young at heart.  Our customers say, "the fruit flavors taste like a Skittle."

The fruit flavors are great on cookies, cupcake or accents on children's birthday cakes.

Fondarific was introduced to the market in July of 2008 at the ICES convention in Orlando Florida, and then in September in Atlantic City at the RBA and then finally at the World known Oklahoma State Sugar   Art Show. Fondarific was a GREAT success at all of the shows and our growth has been incredible in that six months. Also during this time we have meet the most exceptional people that work with fondants: Kerry Vincent, Julie Bashore, Keegan Gerhard, Buddy Valastro, James Rosselle,  Lauri Ditunno  just to name a few.

So many doors have opened up for Fondarific in 2008 and as 2009 approaches a very exciting year is in our future.

Happy New Year!

Laura and Lois

www.fondarific.com

A few pictures below of some of our customers work with Fondarific.

Harriet O'Rourke's                                                                  100% Fondarific Motion of the Ocean Cake                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Kim Potter's beauitful Fondarific Wedding Cake at Cake Designs in LV

Fondarific

Lonesome Dove has long been my favorite made-for-television event. I'll always have soft spots in my heart for Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones because they made their characters so real. When Bill Ronay came back from a meeting in Crawfordville a couple weeks ago, I was thrilled to learn Robert Duvall is coming to the area in the first quarter of 2009.

Crawfordville and Taliaferro County have been in the movie business for years. The downtown area is a perfect backdrop for a scene in Get Low, the 1930's-era movie Hollywood is coming to film.

East of Atlanta off I-20 has long been ripe for movies and television. From Covington where scenes for In the Heat of the Night, The Dukes of Hazzard, My Cousin Vinney and I'll Fly Away were shot to Crawfordville where Sweet Home Alabama, Coward of the County, and, now Get Low, among many others were filmed, people from around the world enjoy the places we live and work.

Film crews have worked all over the State... it's not just around where I live. Since the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office was formed in 1973, 550+ major motion pictures, Indie features and television programs have been filmed in Georgia.

Regina and Annette, great taste tester friends, went with me to Cartersville last Wednesday evening to have a superb "dining experience" at D. Morgan's. I notice in the Atlanta Hotlist, it's listed in New American, Wine Bar and Romantic Restaurant. And all its reviews are five star. It's a great place. Chef Derek Morgan and his pastry chef wife have done themselves proud!

The bargain of the century at D. Morgan's is their five course sampler with wine pairings. We had duck confit, wild mushroom soup, a fish course, a filet and a fancy creme brulet... all, absolutely superb. And the wine pairings were other worldly. The wines were from New Mexico, Italy, and Napa Valley. I know, I know... none were from Georgia, but they got close. If Mary Ann Hardman could supply the Chefs, her Persimmon Creek IceWine would do very well along side or in place of the clean and fruity dessert wine we drank.

Are you planning a special occasion, an anniversary or a celebration? Do the sampler with wine pairings. Then exercise and eat lightly before you go. You will want to scrape every one of your plates clean. Regina, Annette & I know what we like, but are not knowledgeable enough to pair wines to our courses. Having the staff at D. Morgan's do it for us put our experience over the top!

Have you been to D. Morgan's? Or to another Georgia restaurant that compares or exceeds your expectations? Tell me about your experience and your meal. I'll be happy to report it to my readers. camille@georgiamadegeorgiagrown.com