Serenbe Style and Soul

with Marie Nygren

Monthly Archive: February 2010

Saturday

27

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Goodes in Serenbe

Written by , Posted in Miscellaneous

The fun part of the stores at Serenbe is that each one is a great expression of the shop owner.

Goodes is a quirky, hip lifestyle shop created by former Serenbe resident, Sandy Furrh. Sandy has a great eye for that odd piece that she then refashions into a light fixture or piece of furniture.
The store is filled with little treasures and wonderful pieces of art, some by Serenbe residents.

A great place to find a lovely accent piece for your home.



Thursday

25

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Kevin in Serenbe!

Written by , Posted in Kevin Gillespie, serenbe, Southern Chef Series

Well, you know you have a hot commodity when friends call and ask: 

“Mind if I stop by next Sunday?”  

Especially friends you didn’t know you have.



It isn’t me they want to see  they just want to meet Kevin. That would be Kevin Gillespie of Top Chef fame and local Celebrity Chef at Woodfire Grill. He starts cooking at Serenbe on Feb.28 and I am very excited about having this amazing young man in my kitchen. Next week, stay tuned for one of Kevin’s special recipes from the weekend.

Tuesday

23

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Farmhouse Flavor

Written by , Posted in "natural home" magazine

I was very excited yesterday when Tucker, Serenbe’s Director of Communications, came into the Daisy with the latest copy of Natural Home magazine.

The magazine features a wonderful story about Serenbe, the Farmhousethe Hil restaurant and several of my recipes and ideas on traditional southern cuisine.

I hope you enjoy the article! Click Natural Home to read.

Sunday

21

February 2010

2

COMMENTS

Salmon Cakes

Written by , Posted in marie nygren, Recipe Articles, serenbe

I featured these Salmon Cakes this past weekend at the Farmhouse and they are always a favorite!

It really is a simple recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

  • 2 cups finely flaked poached or grilled salmon ( I prefer poached)
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
  • Fine dry bread crumbs, for dredging
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
In a large mixing bowl, combine the salmon, lemon, juice, dry mustard, parsley, chives, capers, and mayonnaise and toss till well blended. Add the fresh bread crumbs.
Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 or 5 cakes and pat lightly in the dry bread crumbs.
In a large, heavy skillet, melt the better over moderate heat. Add the cakes and cook till golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Keep warm till ready to serve with Caper Tartar Sauce.
Serves 4-6.
Caper Tartar Sauce
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 4 drops Tabasco
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbs finely chopped green onion and capers
Mix mayo and yogurt thoroughly and add lemon juice, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir in onions and capers.

Friday

19

February 2010

1

COMMENTS

Mary Mac’s- the early days

Written by , Posted in Miscellaneous

Growing up in a restaurant was quite an interesting experience. And as this was happening in the sixties, my childhood was obviously very unconventional.. Most families in my neighborhood were the typical 1960’s family- dad went to work, mom stayed home, etc.
So to have both parents working was not the “norm.” 

But, the women in my family were never “normal” women.They had worked for generations due to many different circumstances so I always thought women worked.

When Mother bought Mary Mac’s in the 60’s, the restaurant sat 50 people. I do not know how many she served in those first years but as business grew and she continued to take over the next shop front in the building on Ponce de Leon (there were 3 or 4 others), the restaurant grew to 375 seats and she was serving 2000 meals a day at the height of business! That’s a lot of turnip greens and fried chicken.

Back to those early sixties. Remember, this was the South and segregation was a major issue in Atlanta. Sit ins were happening in other restaurants. In what I feel was one of my mother’s most wonderful and courageous business decisions, she instructed her waitresses that they would serve African Americans. As she said, “their money is the same color.” She proceeded to tell them that if they had a problem with this then they did not stay at Mary Mac’s.


This set a foundation for Mom’s “dining room” being open to all which created a fascinating place for me to grow up and experience life.


Monday

15

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

The Shops of Serenbe

Written by , Posted in "the Bilt-House", serenbe

I am still amazed at times that we have a little village in what used to be our woods. Yet what amazes me the most is the level of creativity that abounds among our shopkeepers and restaurants.

Definitely one of the most fun and creative shops is The Bilthouse. Started by Jan Bilthouse a number of years ago in Buckhead, Jan opened a Serenbe shop 2 years ago and it has been a roaring success ever since.


The shop is filled with fun clothes for women, great gift items and home furnishings on the 2nd floor. Always colorful and cheery, Bilthouse is a super fun store to visit to find that perfect gift for any occasion.

I asked Jan to tell about her store and here is her delightful quote:

“Well the weather outside is frightful, but our spring clothes are so delightful” so if your travel plans take you south to warmer weather come in and The Bilt-House will take care of your warm weather wardrobe! And if you are staying put come in and see our new collection of lamps and our great new selection of reversable raincoats by Mycra Pac.



Come on out to see for yourself this weekend.




Saturday

13

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Wednesday

10

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Mom and Mary Mac’s

Written by , Posted in "mary mac's", marie nygren, serenbe

When mother bought Mary Mac’s, the restaurant only sat 50 people and the kitchen was in the back part of the building on Ponce de Leon in Midtown Atlanta. All the cooks were older African American women who had been taught by their mama’s how to cook.

Mary Mac’s was opened five days a week for lunch and dinner with a three hour break between the two meals and closing at 8pm every night even Fridays.


My first job  was drying the silverware when I was six.  Mom would  pick up my younger sister and I every Friday and  take us back to the restaurant for the evening. I can still remember the smells of walking in the back door to the kitchen and seeing all the big pots on the stove. All the dishes were washed by hand- no big dishwashing machines yet- so I was put on silverware duty under the watchful eye of the dishwasher. 
A big kitchen apron was wrapped around me and I would get to dry silver until we went home with Mom at 8pm.

Because of Mary Mac’s proximity to downtown and it’s offices, the place filled with business men at lunch. Mary Mac’s already had a reputation for good food when mom bought it but she must have increased the goodness as the restaurant grew in popularity.

Another reason for increased growth was mom’s reputation for moving people in out with efficiency and grace. The business folks knew they could get a delicious meal quickly and be back to the office within their lunch hour. When Mom was calling checks on the steamtable line, she was working the dining room, busing tables, chatting with guests and gracefully moving people along.

When Mom came to scratch your back, you had received the signal it was time to leave so the next guest in line got their turn to eat mom’s delicious southern food.




Monday

8

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

Cream of Tomato Soup

Written by , Posted in marie nygren recipes, Recipe Articles

My tomato soup recipe is a popular one that I served at the Farmhouse last weekend. It is so simple to make and the key is using San Marzano tomatoes- it really makes all the difference. This creamy soup is just perfect for these cold winter nights.

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 lb tomatoes, peeled and quartered or 1 lg. can plum tomatoes (San Marzano)
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream 
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots, chicken stock, parsley and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 15-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Purée the soup in a Vitamix or Cuisinart until it is smooth. Return the puréed soup to the saucepan. Stir in the cream and reheat gently. Season the soup to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
** this soup can also be made without the whipping cream

Saturday

6

February 2010

0

COMMENTS

How mom began at Mary Mac’s

Written by , Posted in "margaret lupo" "marie nygren", "mary mac's", serenbe

I take for granted what an experience it was to grow up in a place like Mary Mac’s.

When you are in the midst of it, you can not see the wonder of it until you step back to see it from the outside in. I never thought it was particularly strange to have a mom that worked though I was one of the few girls at the time who did. I was born in 1960 and  mom  had a small  restaurant in downtown Atlanta  – Margaret’s Tray Shop. It was a cafeteria style restaurant  that served lunch daily to the office workers. A great many of it’s customers worked for the IRS and when they move their headquarters to the suburbs in 1962, mom lost most of her client base and had to close.




She went to work for Mary McKensie who had started Mary Mac’s in the late ’50s. A few weeks after starting, Mary announced she was getting married and moving to Florida. “Do you want to buy the place Margaret?” she asked. Thus started mom’s amazing time at the restaurant.



Mom had picked up her passion about  food from her mother, Lucille Kennon. Miss Lucille, as she was known in Columbus Ga, had been widowed at a young age and left with 5 children to support. She left the family farm in Salem, Alabama and moved across the river to Columbus. In need of a job, she went to work for the school system and eventually became Georgia’s first female dietitian for the school’s. Mom would go to the kitchen with her mother in the morning before school and then meet her after for the walk back home.


Though mom graduated from Georgia Women’s College with a degree in Latin at the age of 19 and as the valedictorian!, something in that kitchen must have “cooked” her because when she moved to Atlanta several years later as a divorcée with a young son, she went to work for a hotel in Atlanta, then the tray shop and the purchase of Mary Mac’s in 1962.



When I think about it, mother had amazing courage because there wasn’t a lot of societal support for working women. Yet, she had incredible support from her family, especially my grandmother and aunts. All of them working women with college degrees- even my grandmother who had her degree from Pratt Institute.

My mother was constantly encouraging (sometimes pushing) to find a career and a passion. The subject was never about getting married and having children as might have been expected. 

In my family, the women were expected to pursue the career of their choice. And like my mother who watched hers, I choose the world of food to make my mark.