Two years ago, I was pouring coffee one morning at the Farmhouse when I came to a table of ladies visiting for a girls’ weekend. As I filled their mugs, they asked lots of questions about what it was like to live here. And I told them what I tell everyone: I love it here, I raised my children here and wouldn’t live anywhere else.

I get questions like that a lot. Visitors want to know if Serenbe is really as good as it looks. For most people, it’s a place to visit—a beautiful break from their lives. But some people come, go home and can’t get Serenbe out of their mind. They cross the invisible line between I wonder what it’s like to live there to I can see myself living there. And Nadine Bratti is one of them.

Nadine was born and raised in upstate New York and lived in Manhattan for 17 years before moving to Atlanta in 2008. She has two children, Ella and Axel. After that morning of coffee and conversation at the Farmhouse, she “spent every free weekend I had in Serenbe, getting to know the community,” she says. “I watched my children fall in love with the animals, the people and the lifestyle along with me.” She began building their home a year and a half later and moved to Serenbe in June.

Nadine also has a background in wine. Her mother is from the France’s Loire Valley and Nadine grew up working in her restaurants. She worked for a fine wine distributor in NYC and noticed the lack of a wine shop during her visit. She asked if the community would support a wine shop and I couldn’t believe the coincidence: The management behind our only market had just decided to leave. After a gorgeous redesign by Smith Hanes—the studio that did the Blue-Eyed Daisy, the Farmhouse and my own townhouse—she opened The General Store on September 11^th, a week and a half after she moved into her townhouse.

Opening a store and moving into a new home in tandem would drive most to the edge of sanity, but Nadine is always pleasant and seems unflappable. She assimilated instantly and jumped in feet first. Her gourmet grocery has brought an amazing quality of product to this community and residents can actually walk to the grocery store instead of driving 12 miles for milk. From charcuterie and cheese to grocery staples, sweets, wine and beer, her offerings “emphasize small, quality selections made by people versus machines,” she says.

She also offers the most amazing sandwiches in her grab-and-go section, all of which she says “are inspired by Serenbe and other places you travel to and remember what those places ‘tasted like.’” Favorites include the Serenbrie, The Serenbe Belle and the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich, the recipe for which she was gracious enough to share with me.

Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

Courtesy of Nadine Bratti, The General Store

• 2 pieces ciabatta bread
• 1 chicken breast, roasted
• 1 slice provolone cheese
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Winter pesto*
• Lemon aioli (recipe follows)

*The winter pesto, made with kale and Swiss chard, comes from Storico Fresco, whose pasta and sugos I carry. If you can’t find this, a regular, basil-based pesto works just fine.

Lemon aioli

• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• ¼ teaspoon (or more) coarse kosher salt
• ½ cup good quality mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt

Mash garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl until paste forms. Whisk in mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Cover and chill.