vergelive

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

new issue of verge out tomorrow...

February Issue B - WOW

we know you are excited! so are we. another great issue coming out tomorrow.
some highlights include:
Invisible Children - in VIEWPOINT
The Appleby Twins
Ziv Koren - Oddfellows Exhibit
The Passion of Puccini - Augusta Opera
Locally Grown - sustainable living in the CSRA

hyperlocal and much, much more...
wow!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

DiChickO’s Peri Peri Café

Little Peri Peri peppers travel all the way from South Africa to the plates and palates of Augustans right on Washington Road – and our taste buds say “Thanks, DiChickO’s!”

Lucio and Heather DiCicco (Lucio is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and Heather’s from right here in Augusta) left safe, well-paying jobs as accountants in Atlanta to take a chance on getting their special Peri Peri Pepper sauces onto the global map – creating a wholesale company and a café in the process.

Lucio missed Peri Peri chicken, a dish as popular in South Africa as pulled pork barbecue is here in Georgia. He and Heather spent several years creating an all-natural version of Lucio’s hometown favorite. The DiCiccos use lemon – actually, the entire lemon, zest and all – to preserve their sauces and give them extra zing and all the vitamins found in pulverizing the whole lemon. When the sauce recipes ready to roll out, the couple moved to Augusta.

Heather took over managing the Augusta store her grandparents “Red” and Dorothy Hanson began 30 years ago: New Life Natural Foods in Fairway Square on Washington Road. Then, she and Lucio opened DiChickO’s Peri Peri Café inside New Life, combining the uniqueness of their original sauces with organic and all-natural menu options.

“We’re trying to make eating healthy, not seem weird” says Heather. The DiChickO's cafe serves a variety of soups, sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, and flaps (grilled wraps), plus smoothies and Wow Cow frozen yogurt. Heather and her cafe crew are preparing to fire up a new menu featuring 12 items under 400 calories each. Complete nutritional information on each menu item can be found on DiChickO’s website – look for the beach umbrella icons; they indicate the under 400 calorie meals.

Perinaise (Peri Peri marinade with mayo or veganaise) is a customer favorite which gives a flavorful kick to veggies, rice, and cream-based dishes. The DiCiccos don’t bottle it – yet. Lucio has been developing the wholesale side for their eight varieties of the bottled Peri Peri Sauce. The product is now in stores across America, including Fresh Market, Winn Dixie, Earth Fare, Harris Teeters, and Whole Foods. Local businesses like Nacho Mamas serve DiChickO’s sauces as condiments; countries like Turkey, England, and Canada are importing this Augusta-made specialty.

To promote both sauce and café, Heather developed an innovated marketing technique to brand the logo of “Larry,” the DiChickO chicken. Customers who display a car window sticker emblazoned with the “Larry” icon receive a free lunch the first Wednesday of each month. DiChickO’s Café also begin “Dinner and a Movie” this month with a film about reversing the effects of diabetes, showing in their newly expanded dining area.

DiChickO’s Peri Peri Café is open Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Café is located in New Life Natural Foods at Fairway Square, 2825 Washington Road. Details: 706.737.8805.

Follow their daily specials on Facebook and Twitter.

DICHICKOS.COM | NEWLIFEAUGUSTA.COM

Friday, February 11, 2011

Our Local Beermeister

by Ben Casella

The first month of the year passed by in a snowy, cold blur. Now, (yes, a month late), I’m finally getting down to my New Year planning - new goals, new thoughts, new spins on old ideas and, most importantly, new brews. It's 2011 and, according to the Mayan calendar, we have exactly 24 months (including the last one) before the world ends. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Because I'm thinking – PARTYYY! Am I joking? Is this whole Mayan thing for real? Who knows? There's no font for sarcasm. There are, however, at least three reasons to celebrate 2011 in style. Two are from Oregon, and one is from

Malta

. That's right, get out your seventh grade geography books, because

Malta

does exist. Enjoy, unless you gave up hops for New Years (in which case, God help you).

Rogue Maierfest Lager - This product of the well-known Rogue Ales Brewery is dedicated to its brewmaster, John Maier. No, not that guy who sang that song about that girl that he made out with in the music video (not that I DVR'd it). Mr. Maier is an artist of a different medium, and he does not disappoint. This malty lager has a refined nose with a color to match. The first edge of the sip really coats the whole mouth with a complexity that is as harmonious as it is meticulous. The delicate balance of malts and hops really give this brew that fullness of flavor, yet the quick decay allows this rich mixture to simmer just long enough without that feeling of "why do I still feel like I never swallowed this sip?". A distinct and precise brew from an obsessively definite brewery, this crisp and dry lager finishes with a freshness that'll make you think of new beginnings and good times ahead. I recommend it with a Dutch Reuben from the Sunshine Bakery.

Chatoe Rogue - Another fine product from Oregon's Rogue Ales Brewery, this brew prides itself on being a "first growth OREgasmic ale." No, it's not like that shampoo commercial (of whose product I may or may not use). This ale is made with barley and hops from Oregon. So, not one thing is outsourced, giving the sipper a distinctly Pacific Northwest experience from open to finish. The nose hints of orange and other unspecified citrus flavors, foreshadowing a hoppy bite. However, from the first moment of the first sip, a fullness of flavor (that is not easy to come by with ales) engulfs the entirety of the tongue, yielding a completeness of flavor that few ales can offer. I guess that's the "OREgasmic" aspect of it. So, feel free to light up the proverbial cigarette after you finish this smoother-than-most ale (or you might just want to crack open another one).

Farsons Lacto - A milk stout from

Malta

? The alliteration practically writes itself (man, I should really charge for these insights). It pours like an oatmeal stout (exactly like a Farmer Fran's if you've spent much time in the Northeast). The taste is as sweet as the nose, and the milky aspect really does well to take the edge off of the fact that it is a stout. In fact, if you're a light beer fan who has never really tried a stout before, a Farsons Lacto would serve the dual purpose of being a good and user-friendly diplomat for this class of beer. It's rich enough to remind you that you're drinking a stout, but easy enough not to overwhelm you (or scare you away). Try it with that 84 percent dark chocolate you promised to eat exclusively for the New Year but angled for a Charleston Chew instead. The paradoxically softer aspects of this stout will do well to complement dark chocolate or anything bitter, for that matter.

These quality brews can be found at Eighth Street Tobacco (corner of Eighth and Ellis).

Ben Casella hopes Charleston Chews still exist. He hasn't had one in a while, and he has never had one in Charleston. He has, however, had more than he'd care to mention at the Brynwood Pool.