🍰 Sweet potato cake

Sweet potato cake channeling carrot cake Tuesday, Nov. 10 — I’m not fully ready for the holidays, y’all. When did it become November, and why is Thanksgiving two weeks away? But let’s face it, most of us are here for holiday baking season, including making and consuming pies, cakes, and cookies from now until January. 🥰 In this week’s “Family Meal,” I’m indulging in a little holiday nostalgia as I gear up for hosting and attending parties and welcoming home family and friends over the next few weeks. For the host, you’ll find a story from Sarra Sedghi below on Chef’s Tableware, the Chamblee shop where Atlanta chefs buy handmade (and affordable) plates and serving pieces. If you’re looking to impress guests at your holiday table this year, Chef’s Tableware is open to the public. I also tell you why the sweet potato cake from Mule Train transported me from South Downtown back to my granny’s house in Oxford, Alabama. (I need this cake recipe.) And speaking of fall baking and flavors, Last Dance in Avondale Estates shared its recipe for chocolate-pecan pie. Cheers! 🍸 Beth 💙 Mental health care should be accessible to everyone. We offer affordable, professional counseling through in-office, telehealth, school-based, and community programs. You don’t have to face it alone. Find a therapist today at Summit Counseling Center . SPONSOR MESSAGE Shop for Plates Like an Atlanta Chef 🥣 I talked about my love for Chef’s Tableware in a previous edition of this newsletter. I could spend hours perusing the Chamblee warehouse on New Peachtree for unique plateware and serving dishes by owner Adidsara “Vicky” Weerasin for my dinner parties or to give as gifts to family and friends. Apparently, I’m not the only one. You’ll often spy chefs and other industry folks shopping for their restaurants or their own plateware collections. Sarra chatted with Weerasin, who also co-owns Tum Pok Pok on Buford Highway, about how she got started in ceramics. Sarra also spoke to three Atlanta chefs who regularly shop at Chef’s Tableware to learn why Weerasin’s nature-inspired and sculptural dishes are now their go-tos for plating. This includes the smooth curves of the donut bowl pictured above. 🧑‍🍳 Read more about Chef’s Tableware and what to shop for here . Atlanta’s Trusted Source for Orthopedic Care SPONSORED BY PEACHTREE ORTHOPEDICS 🌽 The last thing anybody has time for is an injury that disrupts their week. But Peachtree Orthopedics is here to make life easie r and get you back to feeling great. For 75 years, we’ve been committed to helping Atlantans return to the activities they love . At our 11 convenient locations, we have 42 leading physicians, all of whom are fellowship-trained, with specialties in every body part. Injured in the evening or on the weekend? Skip the ER. Our UrgentORTHO clinic offers same-day , evening, and even Saturday hours. It’s time to get back to doing what you love. Peachtree Orthopedics is here to help you Get Better. ➡ Learn more or book an appointment here. Editor’s Pick: Sweet Potato Cake 🍠 Have you ever taken a bite of something and experienced such an intense food memory that immediately transported you to a different time and place in your life? Thanks to the sweet potato cake from Mule Train , I momentarily left my body in South Downtown on Saturday night and was back in Oxford, Alabama, eating carrot cake at my granny’s dining room table. 🥕 While the main ingredient for this layer cake is the sweet potato, carrot cake aficionados will find it incredibly familiar. Warm spices mixed with savory notes, a tender crumb, and a silky brown-butter meringue buttercream make it taste like carrot cake married sweet potato pie. I’m here for it. And don’t expect a wimpy slice of cake to arrive in front of you. Mule Train doesn’t play when it comes to cake slices. Mule Train, owned by industry vets Mike and Shyretha Sheats (The Plate Sale), is currently open for lunch during the week. Weekends see the restaurant serving dinner — a dinner you should put on your list to try. 👉 Read more about Mule Train here . 💙 Mental health care should be accessible to everyone. We offer affordable, professional counseling through in-office, telehealth, school-based, and community programs. You don’t have to face it alone. Find a therapist today at Summit Counseling Center . SPONSOR MESSAGE Recipe: Chocolate-Pecan Pie From Last Dance 🥧 It’s pecan pie szn! Well, in the South, pecan pie isn’t really ever out of season, but it’s especially good during the fall, when pecans are harvested. Making a pecan pie is also a solid way to continue supporting Georgia pecan farmers. Remember hurricanes Idalia and Helene in 2023 and 2024 ? The latter devastated many of the state’s pecan orchards, particularly in South and East Georgia. The next time you’re at the farmers market, show some extra love to the pecan stand and buy a bag or two for holiday baking. You’ll find me buying pecans from Pearson Farm at the Piedmont Park Green Market because I’m making this chocolate-pecan pie recipe from Last Dance for Thanksgiving this year. ✍️ Get the recipe here, including for making a from-scratch pie crust . ➡️ Get double the Atlanta food and dining coverage with “Family Meal,” edited by Beth McKibben, on Tuesdays at 5 p.m., and “Side Dish,” edited by Sarra Sedghi, on Thursdays at noon. Subscribe to both here .