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Tim Gaddis is the best known cheesemonger in Atlanta … bar none.  In case you don’t know, he runs the cheese shop at Star Provisions in Westside.  On any given day, you’ll find him roaming his little cheese shop handing out deliciousness.  Well, right now – Gaddis, and a few other of Atlanta’s finest dudes, are participating in the Movember charity event and Gaddis has decided to raise the stakes a little.

First, the background:  You can get all the details about Movember on their website, but here’s the short of the long:

Movember is a worldwide mustache movement to promote awareness of men’s health issues.  Kind of like breast cancer month but for dudes.  The donations go to the Livestrong Foundation and Prostate Cancer Foundation.  The mustache is just a way to start the conversation.  All the details, after the jump!

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Star Provisions is getting into the “____-of-the-month-club” business.  While wine shops near and far do this for their grape juice, Star will be offering up cheeses … lots of lots of cheeses.  The name of said club is “Cheese & Crackers” and it is the brainchild of Atlanta’s most notable cheesemonger, one Tim Gaddis.

You can join for increments of 3, 6, and 12 months … though admittedly … this isn’t for the feint of heart.  At $200/$375/$775 for each respective tier, you will get somewhere between one and 1.5 pounds of milky goodness.  Each month, Gaddis will offer a thematic spread of cheeses that should satisfy even the most notorious of cheesehounds.  As there isn’t really any good information about the program available on the SP website, I might suggest that you simply walk into the cheese shop during your next visit or just call the place (404.365.0410).  Meanwhile, I’m gonna hit up my doctor and see if there is some sort of intravenous alternative for something like Lipitor.

It’s Atlanta, it’s July, and it’s tomato season.  That can only mean one thing: it’s time for the annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival.  This highly seasonal food festival put on by the fine folks at Georgia Organics returns to the Westside Urban Market and neighboring Westside Provisions District on Sunday, July 17th.  From 1pm-5pm you’ll be able to consume, carouse, and cavort like it’s nobody’s business.

For those unfamiliar with said event, here’s the lowdown.  Basically, a bunch of chefs, farmers, and mixologists get together and put out their best tomato inspired food and drink.  Think of it as the most kid appropriate orgy you will find.

It’s a get it while you can type of event, so I suggest you arrive early and buy your tickets even earlier.  Tickets currently stand at $60 for non-members of GO and $55 for those that do subscribe.  After July 1st, all tickets are $70.

Though prices have gone up since last year, this festival, in my humble and honest opinion, is the best festival in town, bar none.  If that isn’t enough to wet your whistle, check out my recap of last year’s event and/or the Flickr set!

More details after the jump!

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Tim Gaddis, popularly known as Tim The Cheeseman, is a tweeting, blogging, socially capable cheese aficionado.  For the past 8-years, he’s cut his cheese over at Star Provisions.  During such time, he has firmly entrenched Star’s cheese shop as the premier cheese shop in Atlanta.  If that alone isn’t prof of his mastery, maybe this is: though I’m no scientist, I firmly believe that Gaddis is responsible for at least 11.34% of my total body weight.  Over the years, as I’ve secretly tested him with ninja like anonymity, the Cheeseman has continually displayed a true understanding of coagulation, pressing, molds, rinds, lactic acid, and the like.

As chances would have it, Gaddis is one of 40 competitors set to slug it out in the 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational (website), a true world series of cheesy.  I’m not kidding, competitors are actually coming from all over the world (Ausies and Irishmen alike), so the term “world series” isn’t a misnomer *cough – looking at you Major League Baseball – cough.*  As luck would have it, fans of these cheesemongers have the chance to effect the outcome of said competition and you can get the full details after the jump!

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So we’ve already covered the ins and outs of The Great Food Truck Race during their time in Atlanta.  The Lime Truck, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, and the Hodge Podge Truck are all a thing of our culinary past.  That being said, we’re still going to get into the food itself and get to the culmination of their stay: the elimination.  I was personally excited for out of town food trucks to roll into The Dirty, but I’m not sure it’s for the reasons you might think.

I’ve garnered a reputation for being a bit of a hard ass on Atlanta restaurants and restaurateurs.  I still see our culinary landscape as lagging significantly behind cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.  However, it’s often hard to compare such things, especially when you can’t exactly have a meal in two cities at the same time.  However, with the advent of the mobile food kitchen (and thanks to reality TV), ATLiens were given an opportunity to see what things might be like elsewhere.  And though something isn’t better just because it’s in another city, most of what rolled into town on Memorial Day Weekend should serve as a notice to both foodies and truck operators: we can do better.

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In case you didn’t hear, The Great Food Truck Race was in Atlanta this past weekend for its penultimate stop.  As season two of The Food Network’s street food reality series winds down, Atlanta was treated to a visit and Roaming Hunger was there to get all the dirty dirty.

TGFTR is a reality competition show that pits food trucks from all over the country against one and other.  The basic format goes something like this: trucks visit city, host Tyler Florence greets them, money is dispensed for product, trucks are left to their own devices to bring in the cash.

Each truck, staffed by a chef and two helpers, has to buy their product locally, and the winner is the truck that ends up with the most cash in hand.  During each episode there is always a special twist which often results in immunity or extra cash for the winner of the “food stop.” However, sometimes it’s just an attempt to screw with each teams inner chi.

While I’m not sure if we should call this a review or a preview (as the show doesn’t air until August 14th), we’ve got plenty of details for interested parties.  Yes, with the help of my crack team of gorilla photographers and some grubbing on the part of yours truly, we’ve got plenty of pictures, food reviews, and show spoilers for all of y’all.  We’ll cover the food and reveal the final two contestants in our follow up post, so be sure to check that out.

LAST TIME: If y’all don’t want to know what’s going to happen on this season of The Great Food Truck Race, STOP READING!  If you just want to know who won and what the food was like, check out our Great Food Truck food review!

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UPDATED: 5.28 @ 10:30a

Remember last year when we mentioned the Food Network’s new show called The Great Food Truck Race?  Well, earlier this month, TFN confirmed what we already knew … the lineup of food trucks for season 2.  Hosted by Tyler Florence, filming is already in full swing and as it turns out, we’re hosting one of the stops here in Capital of the South.  That’s right folks, The Great Food Truck Race is filming in Atlanta during Memorial Day Weekend before the show debuts August 14th.

This season’s lineup consists of Café Con Leche from LA, Devilicious from A Whale’s Vagina, Hodge Podge from Cleveland, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese from Boston, Seabirds from Costa Messa, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos from LA, The Lime Truck from Irvine, and Korilla BBQ from NYC.  Though I’m sad to report that several teams have already been eliminated by now, there is still no short of opportunities to check out this food this weekend.

If you want to follow all the action, be sure to give us a follow via twitter on @RoamingATL, and we’ll keep you up to date on where everyone is.  Also, we’ll be updating this post as more info rolls in.  In the mean time, for some of the specifics … AND SOME SPOILERS … check out the rest of the post after the jump!

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Attack of The Killer Tomato Festival for $500 please Mr. Kebert Xela …

Answer: Jay Swift, Anne Quatrano, Hugh Acheson, Chris Hastings, Kevin Gillespie, Bruce Logue.
Question: Who are just a few of the awesome chef’s showing up at this years Attack of The Killer Tomato Festival?

Yes ladies and gents … it is that time again.  Thanks to the good folks over at Georgia Organics, the Killer Tomatoes are back.  Just like last year, the event will land at the Westside Urban Market, home to places like JCT Kitchen and Star Provisions.  From 1pm – 5pm on Sunday August 8th, you’ll be able to indulge yourself in a sea of all things red.

To further wet your whistle, check out Savory Exposure’s recap of last years event.  When you’re done with that, go check out Running With Tweezers flickr set.  Tickets are $45 for Georgia Organics members and $50 for those of you who are not.  However, prices go up this Saturday (to $65)… so I suggest you buy them now! Full details just after the jump!

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                                                                                                                    (the dining room at Abattoir)

In today’s edition of the NYT, Shaila Dewan decided to talk up the burgeoning art scene on the west side of Atlanta.  Despite a few journalistic faux pas, it’s a nice summary piece on the neighborhood.  What’s especially neat for us foodies is that Dewan took the time to point out some of the ‘hoods culinary adventures that have garnered so much attention locally.

In the spirit of the article, I must say that if forced to identify the in-town neighborhood with the most action, it would undoubtedly be the Westside.  Centered around the intersection of 14th street and Howell Mill, you’ll find casual eateries, upscale dining options, and several of Atlanta’s hottest new restaurants.  The article draws special attention to Octane, Flip Burger Boutique, Abattoir, Hop City Beer, and Sublime Doughnuts (with a nice quote from owner Kamal Grant).

The article is really just the tip of the iceberg.  If you intend to spend anytime over in that neck of the woods, then you’ll also find the highly regarded Antico Pizza, sandwich shop Tiny Bistro, and popular breakfast spots like The West Egg and The Silver Skillet.   And that list is far from exhaustive.

So if you’re a bit of a homebody and looking for something new … take some of your free time and donate it to the Westside.

This is a first impression if there ever was one. Thursday, May 21, 2009: the laptop closed, the door slammed, and I bustled my hustle over to Abattoir Chophouse just as soon as I could wrap up my 9-5.  I’m such a restaurant whore!  Thankfully, I had a little detour on the way over to the Westside of Midtown … I had to grab my dinner buds!

Abattoir is yet another in a long line of highly anticipated Atlanta restaurants looking to buck the economic trend.  A down economy?  Apparently, not here and not now.  Abattoir, which derives from Francais, means Slaughterhouse.  Sounds a lot more appealing, does it not?

The restaurant is backed by Anne Quatrano and the family that brought us Bacchanalia, Star Provisions, and Floataway Cafe.  It seems to follow logic that the restaurant will be under the watchful eye of Atlanta gastronomes early and often.  So, my little trio set off down the road, curious for what the night had in store.  BTW, that horrendously obtrusive picture over yonder is a shot of the POS screen at the restaurant. It caught my attention from our table and I had to get a picture!

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