Georgia Traveler; Gathering and Giving

This week's Georgia Traveler starts off right with a fresh cup of Joe from a coffee company with a heart. That was the seed that first got planned for the idea of trying to work with small farmers and get them a better price for the coffee that they broke. We then head to downtown Atlanta to an historic market that has been revitalized in recent years. They're going to find almost a little bit of everything, and you can buy everything from every part of a pig, you can buy a whole pig. Next, it's off to Savannah for a low country cooking lesson, and we journey to Zebulon for a story about Georgia's only known African-American soldier to fight the British. I think he was very generous and very loving to the family that rescued him. All that and of course a store with goats on the roof are coming up next.

Let's begin this week's journey in America's to a coffee company that operates by the Golden Rule and is playing a role in community building on a global scale. So this is what brought me to America, ended up getting a bag of coffee at the Ginny Jack Sun Farm in Pine Mountain.

Here it is, Cafe Campasino, I headed it with some of the best coffee I've had in my life. So I decided to check out the bag and there it says America's Georgia had to find out what that was all about, that's what brought me to Cafe Campasino. So besides the incredible taste, it's the mission of Cafe Campasino that makes this product so special. They buy their beans directly from the farmer and pay them a fair wage for the product, skipping the middle man altogether. Bill Harris is the founder of Cafe Campasino and defines fair trade as business by the Golden Rule, treating others as you would hope to be treated. Bill began Cafe Campasino in 1997 after seeing first hand the benefits that fair trade can offer small-scale farmers. Bill and a team from America's based habitat for humanity were building homes in Guatemala when a local farmer approached him. Our team of about 15 Americans started building after about an hour the farmer quit helping us dig and started watching where we were putting the dirt.

And we had covered up two of his coffee trees, coffee was his primary source of income. He had about 200 coffee trees there on his plot of land and when he lost that second tree he made a stop and we had to agree that we weren't going to cover up any more of his coffee trees. Over the next week Bill and his habitat team worked closely with this Guatemalan farmer and realized how little money he was making off each one of those bushes that were so important to him. And so that was the seed that first got planted for the idea of trying to work with small farmers and get them a better price for the coffee that they grow. Paul Pomeroy, who is now president of Cafe Campocino, has fully embraced Bill's original vision. We identified local folks who we knew supported what we do, people who got it and people who would serve as our ambassadors and help us build and help us develop this business. Marty McDonald is a member of the America's community and when he met Trip and Bill he

was inspired to join in. They asked me if I wanted to be their first community investor and it's just when my life a few times and we thought it'd be a great idea and jumped right aboard. In 2002 Cafe Campocino expanded their role in the coffee business, turning this World War II quanzadud into a top notch roasting factory. Beans fresh from the farmer to the roaster, skipping the middleman altogether. We did right in the heart of America, this original Cafe Campocino coffee shop is open for business. A neighborhood gathering where you can relax, enjoy the product and maybe even learn a little about the roasting process. These are bags of green beans and the green beans are what we're roasting here and these are actually from our trading partner in Guatemala called Santa Anita. These are very clean beans because the coffee farmers work very hard to sort them and Rusty

will do some kind of follow-up sorting while it's cooling and this could only cool for about five minutes and then the beans need to be put into an airtight container because this will dehydrate the beans. Cafe Campocino is now packaged and shipped all over the country so order it will but they also have a few other standalone stores outside of America, it's like this one in Atlanta where their train baristas can brew you a fresh cup. Cheers. All right, thank you. Thank you. You know there's something different about this company, these beans and the mission of the people behind this product, it's about Georgians doing good things for others around the world. But you know what, it's also about making some darn good coffee. The headquarters for Cafe Campocino is an America's but the historic location of one of their standalone coffee shops in downtown Atlanta is well worth the trip. Cafe Campocino is just one of many unique stores at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, Italian

bistros, the soon to be famous grindhouse burger joint, fresh veggies galore and even a few not-so-common food items. By a whole pig, they have a new Italian restaurant that's right behind you who, the chef went to all fresh ingredients tomato and what I like to do is marinate, as you can see, my tomatoes with the basil to already have the flavor. It's a way to be able to show our talents and our love of our food that we grew up with

and share it with everybody in Atlanta. We have fresh produce, we have a local green city market which is a new venture that was started about six months ago to bring local farmers and organic produce into the market. But there's a deeper story behind the market itself. In 1918, the city established a curb market on land cleared by a massive fire that had swept through Atlanta the year before. The current fireproof brick structure eventually opened in May 1924 and was called the municipal market of Atlanta. Of course at that time Atlanta was still living under racial segregation so white shopped inside the market while blacks were only permitted to shop from stalls lining the curb. Over the decades the success of the market dwindled but this recent revitalization boosted by $800,000 in stimulus funds aims to bring sweet Auburn back to its original glory. What we have now is drawing in a lot of really diverse customers and we have the cool

proud that really likes to come to Grindhouse because that's the funky cool place to go get a burger and then you have people who are very much more serious about what they're going to eat. They might be looking for the green city market, more organic, sustainably grown. We had a movie night at the market a few weeks ago that focused on fair trade coffee and that was really exciting. We had about 200 people inside the market. After hours shut it down turn the lights out and show the movie. We're definitely pioneering something new here in the curb market. We joined other independent vendors in the curb market that are doing delicious food and beverage. So in that sense that there is that existing in the neighborhood but bringing high quality specialty gourmet coffee and organic to the market is new and the market itself is turning that direction. I think we're a keystone to helping make that transition. Are we successful? Absolutely. We're building friendships in this neighborhood. People get what we're doing.

I really feel like this cafe being here gives people an opportunity to organize and have a place to call home almost in the community and come and they know that they have a safe space to wrap and just to be, to enjoy each other, to study, to get their computer and also doing things going out into the community and working with local organizations. So it's really giving us a chance to get back to the community and engage the people in the community and also give them fresh coffee and just big goods with a smile in the morning and it doesn't want that. The sweet Auburn Market has always been part of my life. My grandparents have taken me here for groceries and lunch since I was really little and a lot of what's important about this neighborhood to me is the history and the community. The people that I meet every day, new people and people who have kind of grown up around. If you think of how convenient it is to come in here, stop off on the way home from work on the way to work. And it really is and there's so much potential, it's just unbelievable. Let's now join Kat down in Savannah for a little low-country cooking lesson from one of

the state's legendary chefs. Food glorious food. It's definitely one of Savannah's calling cards. And a quick trip to the city's famous River Street presents plenty of mouthwatering options to choose from. Probably the most popular area that most people go to is River Street. The opportunity to see all the restaurants and shops, this certainly is very, very popular. But if you've come to town to put some authentic south in your mouth, Savannah Insiders say you need to take a 10-minute trip across town to the Midtown area to see none other than the man himself, Chef Joe Randall. And that is a must-do. Yeah, Chef Joe Randall is one of Savannah's true characters. He's been executive chefs at big resorts in casinos.

He's had his own television show. He's done it all. When we have guests in town, we always make it a point to take him to Chef Joe's place. But make the phone call because it's very, very popular and sells out quickly. Well, I made the phone call. Hey. Hi, darling. Welcome. Thanks. And was able to snag one of the 13 coveted seats around what could only be described as Chef Joe's culinary stage. So what's good? Everything. Go to the evening and welcome. Again, we have a wonderful menu this evening. A little taste of Savannah. So Savannah crab cakes with an herb must-do, they only, a little fried green tomatoes on spring greens with a buttermilk dressing. And that was just for starters. Visitors to Chef Joe's taste of Savannah evenings can also look forward to other traditional Southern favorites, including grilled chicken with rosemary, Savannah red rice, classic stewed oak ren tomatoes, and a dessert tart with Georgia peaches, blueberries, and

bourbon custard sauce. Hey, gump. I hope you're all hungry. You know, I don't like to cook for people who don't like these. But with that, Chef Joe wasted no time slicing, dicing, mixing, and frying his signature first course. Crab cakes with mustard aioli. Yes. Crab cakes are terrific. And you know, he learned how to make crab cakes the right way, and they're outstanding. Oh, they're delicious. They're phenomenal. Maybe it's because of his tried and true cooking utensils. Chef, why do you use cast iron skillets? And then that's important that you have a good, even temperature with cooking. Or maybe it's his unique way of making sure the oil is just right. Never put food on a cold pan. Take a wooden spoon. Stick it in the center of your oil. And if the oil is ready for cooking, you'll see bubbles around the spoon. Or just maybe it's because of the delicious blue crab, which can be found right off the

coast of Georgia. One time they were everywhere, you just throw a trap out back, come pull it up the next day and have a basket full of crab. As well as Chef Joe's secret ingredient, moist bread. So why is that the secret ingredient? When you say bread, come, do you want dry bread, come, no, these are going inside your crab cakes. Not outside of the coating. It's probably one fresh bread. That's your secret? It's my secret recipe. Okay. We'll keep it. Okay. Okay. Turns out I wasn't the only one curious about Chef Joe's secret ingredients. I also noticed that you're using cayenne pepper. What's the reason for that? Well, cayenne pepper is a foundation of Southern cooking. It's what I call a little hollow in your mouth, food you talk to you when you're putting them out. If it don't say nothing, it just blends in. And Chef Joe's taste of savannah certainly says a mouthful. From the fried green tomatoes, to the classic Southern side dish of ochre and tomatoes, followed by grilled chicken with savannah red rice.

You got red pepper, green pepper, onions. It has a little limit. You've got garlic, rosemary, peanut oil, paprika, we're going to add a little fresh ground black pepper. We need a little salt. So we'll all put a little hollow in your mouth. Like doesn't get any better than this, when this is as good as it gets. And after we topped it all off with dessert, I couldn't leave without a souvenir of my visit to Chef Joe Randall's cooking school. Chef Joe, could I trouble you for an autograph? Oh, it'd be my pleasure. Okay. You know what's funny is you're going to learn something. You're going to be entertained and you're going to fall in love with that guy. You know, I don't know how he does this, but it's magical. Somebody to cure me to my core. Just remember, good food, good wine, good time. Come on to Savannah and give me an opportunity to cook for you. Hey Georgia travelers, want to put some authentic South in your mouth?

Log on to gpb.org slash Georgia Traveler to check out Chef Joe Randall's famous recipes for, crab cakes with mustard aioli. I had extra crab cakes, I was spaying one of the world cup, pop it up with that. Rosemary chicken breast with tomatoes and okra. Fried green tomatoes with buttermilk dressing. Delicious. I'm going to dip more. And Savannah red rice. I don't think I can make this good. I'm going to have to come back. It's time to meet up with Ricky and Zebulon for the tale of a revolutionary soldier whose unique story has been passed down through generations. The town of Zebulon in Pike County has charm, history, and one of Georgia's most interesting

revolutionary war sites, the final resting place of the only black Georgian to fight the British. Jim Graham is our guide to the grave of Austin Dabney who lived from the 1760s to 1830. Welcome to the Austin Dabney grave site. Graham can connect us to Dabney because he's a descendant of Giles Harris who once saved Dabney's life. Its February 14, 1776 on a steep hill in Washington, Georgia, 140 American militiamen bravely fight off invading British troops in the Battle of Kettle Creek. The Patriot victory is decisive, but so is the sacrifice. In the Battle of Kettle Creek, Austin Dabney was wounded and crippled. Giles Harris, a frontier settler, found him, took him in and nursed him back to health.

Giles Harris and his wife Elizabeth nursed Dabney's severe thigh wound which left him disabled for the rest of his life, but the story didn't end there. It's a beautiful start to the story to find the injured soldier and then nurse him and sustain him. Austin Dabney lived for 10 more years with the Harrises. They were only just beginning a lifelong friendship. They seem to live together as a team, building their farm and eating out of an existence. Working side by side with a couple, Dabney learned the business of farming. This would be the first of many examples of Dabney's remarkably equal relationship with white Georgians for that era. When in 1792, Giles and Elizabeth had their first son, they named him William Dabney Harris.

And like a godfather or favorite uncle, Austin Dabney eventually paid for William to study law at Franklin College today at the University of Georgia. William Harris would use his degree to become a state lawmaker, but he never let go of his affection for his friend and mentor, Austin Dabney. Now these are new headstones. The Harris family wanted to replace the originals after nearly 200 years of decay. This is Austin Dabney, this is William Dabney Harris. What's remarkable is that in 1838 when Harris died, he's a white man, he's a lawyer, he's a state lawmaker. His last request to be buried right here next to his best friend and former slave, Austin Dabney. It wasn't just the Harris family who saw him Dabney more than his race, in 1786, Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clark, whom Dabney had fought under a kettle creek, persuaded the state of Georgia to grant Dabney his legal freedom, 50 acres of land, money, 70 British pounds, and a state military pension. William Harris convinced his friends in state government to grant Dabney even more land in 1821.

The federal government granted Dabney an annual military pension for the last 15 years of his life. Dabney, who was a literate, would travel to Savannah every year and grant his attorney the power to accept the sum for him. Dabney may have been a literate, but thanks to his experience farming with Charles and Elizabeth Harris, he became a wealthy landowner. By many accounts, he fraternized with Georgia's highest ranking politicians, including several governors. Austin Dabney's remarkable personality is largely lost to history, except the stories passed on by Harris descendants. It's so special about him and your family lore that allowed him to rise above other African-American faces in the Harris family. I think he was an outstanding person, obviously very bright, very generous, and very loving to the family that rescued him, and it was a reciprocal feeling. Today, Austin Dabney's legacy is as generous as his many friendships, his life yields lessons, not only of our state's history, but of heroism, the power of kindness, and something Dabney

fought for in our nation's revolution, the precious right of self-determination. It's now off to the hills of Tigard to a down-home country store where the roof is actually the floor. There's a place that I know between Heather and Jan, where the floor is the roof and the shingles are lawn. Believe me or not, I will show you the proof. There's a town called Tigard with goats on the roof. You have this place that has goats on the roof? Yes. Why? Because it was a crazy old man of woods who came up with the idea, and we all told him he was crazy, so we decided to work with him and it's taken off and put goats on the roof and people stop and come in and have fun.

Goats on the roof opened here in Tigard in 2007, and the success of this original spot has inspired a second goats on the roof store in Helen. The Tigard location I visited is quite easy to find. Drive north on Highway 441, and about 10 miles after you enter the Chattahoochi National Forest, look left. And when you see a building with a spaceship and goats on the roof, you found it. What is the fascination with goats? I know when I see a goat, I'm just amazed by them, I know little kids come up, they almost seem like pets, right? They are, they're very much like pets, you know, so there is that fascination alone with goats, but then when you throw them on a roof of a building, it just kind of throws everybody off. I am not a goat, but I will do my best goat impression here. And the traffic stops and people pull over and they just have to see why they're goats in the roof and how can we interact with them and so forth. And it's not just a track away to bring people here, the goats actually like being on the roof.

They do, where they're mountain goats and they like to be up on the roof and they like to be high, they can go across all the bridges and they can go up the hill and interact and they wait for all the food to be fed and they're fed every five minutes so they're very well taken care of goats. What have you learned about goats that you didn't know before? How friendly they are, how kind hearted they are, they're light little dogs, they're just neat little creatures. Oh, you are so good. So our goats brave or are they just confident to be going on these narrow beds, you know? They're confident and here's some proof for you. They're confident here, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Now there are a few ways guests can help feed these brave goats. On-site machines dispense the goat food, guests put the food in the cup and then get to work on the fancy goat feeding mechanism. There we go. So the goats aren't born on the roof. You see these cute little guys are about eight weeks right now and on track to graduate to the roof by week 10.

This is Tiger. Say hello to the camera tiger. Yes, look at those eyes, that's what's so cool about goats. Very cool eyes. I feel like you're looking at something from another planet. He's got, he's just, he's just cresting with his horns. Oh, look at that. There are goats on the roof here, but it seems like there's everything else you could ever imagine or not even think of imagining that you can get here. We've got every single belly products, a lot of... We have everything. Yes, when we try to do our hillbillies sophistication, what we call a classy redneck. We have omesh foods, we have homemade fudge, ice cream, t-shirts, gifts, a lot of omesh furniture. We bring in from Ohio ourselves, gourmet candy, gem mining, we have a lot of activity as well for the children to do. If it's raining outside, then come inside with a lot of activity as well. More fun for the kids. Believe it or not, the goats on the roof may not be the oddest attraction here. They provide visitors with the opportunity to tie dye their goat herder shirts with

mud or Georgia red clay. Who came up with this idea? Good. It's actually quite simple, twist, soak it, and voila. You tie dye, you have an original Georgia mine tie dye. There is no other shirt just like this in the world. It is yours and yours alone. So armed with several sorted goats on the roof, take home items, I was ready to get back on 441 and look for a place with cows on the walls. Who knows? Well, that's it for this episode of Georgia Traveller. We hope you join us next time, until then, Pleasant Journeys. All right, action, all right, sorry, roll. Okay, here we are in America. America.

There's organic fair trade coffee, no, no, no, no, no, no. Or take three. Home of cafe, campus, you know, you can get it, no, no, no, I don't like that. You got some chili dog right here. It's like five. Here we are in America's... Stop, keep going. Take 28. Here we are in the Keys. You forgot the coffee. Oh, yeah. Here we are in the peaceful town of America's Georgia. Georgia Traveller has produced in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. This is a GPB original production.