Tim Stevens, From the Earth Brewing
Your background with Kevin Rathbun (now an investor!) and other top Atlanta restaurants set you up for success. Why did you choose Roswell for From The Earth Brewing's home?
I have been in the Atlanta restaurant scene since the mid 1990’s. I worked with the Buckhead Life Group at the Buckhead Diner in '95 and moved to Nava as a Manager in '97. This is where Kevin and I first met. I was quickly promoted to the GM of Nava, and then to multi-store manager for BHLG in 2000 when Pano asked me to take over Chops, Lobster Bar, The Club and Nava. I have been working in restaurants since opening three of my own in Birmingham, AL, before moving back to Atlanta in 2010. In 2010 I came back to Atlanta to work with Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Market and helped develop Cook Hall in the W hotel in Dallas and here in Atlanta. In 2017 Kevin, Peter Kaiser, and I teamed up to open Kaiser’s Chophouse in Sandy Springs, and in late 2017 I opened From the Earth Brewing Company.
I chose Roswell because we lived in Roswell and wanted to open my concept in a community that I can give back to. We looked for about two years to find the perfect spot for us and after looking downtown and other Roswell hot spots, we decided to open in East Roswell.
You are already an important supporter of the community, providing 70 teacher appreciation gift baskets recently plus meals during the pandemic.
I saw a need in the community and we wanted to help in any way we could. We fed over 2,000 children who were out of school during the pandemic and offered farmers baskets for pickup curbside, which continues.
Filippo Gambassi, Terra di Siena
Proudly made in the hills of Virginia in a tradițional Italian style, your beautiful capacollo, guanciale, lonzino, salame, pancetta, prosciutto Toscano are available online, and some right here in Roswell.
We met Dana from Deep Roots through some mutual friends. We were very excited to be able to introduce our products during one of her wine club events. I find everyone in Roswell to be so nice. It reminds me of home in a lot of ways. In Italy smaller cities have very individual identities. In this way Roswell seemed more authentic then many cities I have visited in the U.S. Besides the beauty of the downtown, I appreciate that all of the businesses seem to be locally owned by people who take pride in their community. Right now, you can find our products for sale in Deep Roots Wine Market or you can have a custom charcuterie board made with our products by Janet at Lil Mama Big Cheese. You’ll also see our products on the menus of wonderful restaurants downtown.
Filippo, your great grandfather was known all across central Italy for being the personal butcher of the Royal Family and now the fifth generation is continuing to produce homemade cured products based on the older recipes. What will taste perfect on a warm-weather charcuterie board this month?
That is a great question. The most important part of the business to me is honoring my family's traditional Tuscan recipes and using the same techniques and methods of curing that we have perfected in Italy. Wrap a strip of melon in either meat and enjoy it in the late afternoon with a nice Chianti. Another traditional Italian summer snack is soft daily bread and salami. Our Tuscan salami is amazing, but my favorite is our Finocchiona. It is a fennel seasoned salami. At our shops back home we just gather the wild fennel from the fields around our farm to season the meat as it ages. In this way, you truly get the flavors of the land around Siena and Florence, which is why we named our company Terra di Siena. This translates to the land of Siena because all of our products are made so that you feel like you could be enjoying them in the Tuscan countryside.
Dana Gurela, Owner-Operator, Deep Roots Wine Market & Tasting Room
What did your path look like, leading you to Roswell?
We lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and I worked in Napa prior to relocating to Georgia. When we explored Roswell, Canton Street reminded us of downtown Danville, where we lived in CA. The walkability and quaint historic homes (converted into businesses) also reminded us of downtown Napa. We had a strong feeling that we could bring the wine country tasting room concept to Canton Street and that it would fit in very well. We created a space that is comfortable and casual with cozy seating areas just like you might see in Napa!
Wine on tap? Yes, please!
One thing we had not envisioned when developing our concept was the use of Napa Technology Wine Station machines. Just prior to opening, my husband and I were visiting Kiawah Island and popped into a wine bar that had these machines. We had an absolute blast going on a self-guided tasting adventure. We had an “ah-ha” moment and knew this would be key to our business. These machines allow us to have 32 wines open and available for tasting every day without the risk of spoilage. Our guests can choose a 1 oz, 3 oz, or 6 oz pour of each wine. They can taste wines and know if they like them before investing in a bottle. The wines in our machines are constantly changing. We try to feature a variety of price points and styles to fit a wide variety of budgets and palates. Typically, we have four rosés, 12 whites, and 16 reds available for tasting. We also have quite a few sparkling wines that we pour by the glass, plus four local craft beers on tap, a large selection of craft beers in cans, and seltzers and ciders.
Sean Walcek. Owner/Operator
5/4 Meadery
You are brewing nine meads to serve on tap. Amazing!
We currently have eight meads, one hard cider, and have a few others in the works that will be available soon. We start with a directly fermentable sugar (honey) and blend it with the appropriate amount of water depending on what ABV we're shooting for, add yeast, and wait. Primary fermentation usually takes a few weeks, and after that we may add some fruit or spices (depending on what we're making) and let it age out and clarify for several months or longer. Some of our meads are ready in 3-4 months, and some (barrel-aged) take much longer - up to a year or more. All of the honey we use is raw and is sourced from local Georgia beekeepers. Most of the meads we make are on the dry side, which is something we decided early on to focus on. There are a lot of sweet meads out there and we really feel drier mead is more appealing to most people.
You have a great location, just a block off Canton St on Oak.
I grew up in Roswell and love the area in general. Roswell has the right vibe and, having several breweries makes it a destination for craft alcohol enthusiasts. Not to be discounted: it's close to home, so the drive into work is short! We did consider a lot of different locations all over the north metro area, but Roswell wound up being the best fit for us. The city of Roswell was great to work with. Everyone was very helpful. And, for the time being, we are the only Meadery in the North Fulton area.
