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Food & Drink

Old Classic Has New Twist

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Photos by George Hunter.

Beard Papa’s cream puffs gives the traditional pastry new life with international flavors. Photos by George Hunter.

If you polled most Americans, they’d probably admit that they’ve never had a cream puff the way it was intended to be eaten — freshly made with quality ingredients. The dessert shop Beard Papas is ready to save the day.

Originally founded in Osaka, Japan in 1999, Beard Papa’s started as a small bakery and quickly grew to more than 400 locations in 15 countries and territories, according to a press release. It soon gained global recognition for its light and airy cream puffs.

The Peachtree Corners franchise, located at the Town Center, provides the perfect bite when you crave a little something sweet that won’t set your teeth on edge.

Co-owner Esteban Tan let his love of the desserts and his desire to spread his entrepreneurial wings send him looking for a way to become a part of the Beard Papa’s international family.

International background for global brand

The road to owning his own dessert spot winds a little for Tan. He’s originally from Taiwan, but his parents moved to Argentina when he was small. He met his now-wife at a sort of Chinese language school. Even after both families left for the U.S., the two stayed in touch.

“Her family moved from Argentina to Los Angeles and my family came here to Atlanta. So, because of that we were dating long distance. I would travel to LA …to see her while we were in high school and college,” he said.

Besides courting his future bride, Tan took in the cool franchises that didn’t exist back east — bubble tea places and one of his favorites, Beard Papa’s.

“There were all these different stores that we’d never seen around here. And they all tasted awesome,” said Tan.

It was a friend’s desire to get the Beard Papa’s treats back home in metro Atlanta that prompted Tan to look into starting his own small business. He was on a trip to LA with his new wife and some friends when one woman reminisced about the amazing cream puffs she’d had in China as a child. She said Beard Papa’s were just as good as the pastries of her childhood.

“I’m an accountant. I’ve been doing accounting ever since I started working,” said Tan. “But I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I always wanted to be able to be my own boss and run a business.”

When he discovered that the commitments of money, time and experience weren’t more than he could handle, his dream became a reality.

“I’m like, ‘why can’t we have a Beard Papa’s store here?’ It’s something different. …It’s not another donut shop or another cupcake store,” said Tan.

If you make cream puffs, will they come?

He contacted Beard Papa’s home office with the help and backing of two good friends from church. Since Atlanta is a hot market and Peachtree Corners has an attractive demographic, the franchise came on board in 2019.

Despite the fact that Beard Papa’s sells a low price-point item that not everyone has heard of, business is going great. So great, in fact, that Tan and his partners are opening another location in Duluth at the end of this year, or early next year.

“It’s near the Costco on Steve Reynolds and Satellite Boulevard,” said Tan. “With so much foot traffic at Costco, we’ve got to be able to lure in customers for our cream puffs.”

The international nature of the corridor has made both store locations perfect, Tan said. The cream puff, or choux pastry, is a French invention, but it has gained a lot of popularity in the last few decades among Asian markets.

Beard Papa’s adds non-traditional flavors, such as matcha, that one probably wouldn’t find in a typical French patisserie.

What has helped his business is the support he has received from the City of Peachtree Corners, Town Center Mall and other local entities that make this area a business-friendly place. “The new playground, the activities and other factors make this the perfect place to run a business,” said Tan.

Even though he’s opening another spot soon, Tan said he will let those grow before he looks into other endeavors.

Arlinda Smith Broady is part of the Boomerang Generation of Blacks that moved back to the South after their ancestors moved North. With approximately three decades of journalism experience (she doesn't look it), she's worked in tiny, minority-based newsrooms to major metropolitans. At every endeavor she brings professionalism, passion, pluck, and the desire to spread the news to the people.

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Food & Drink

Gwinnett Burger Week Set for March 19-25

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The Mexican Burger at B&W Burgers, Buns & Brews

Eighth annual celebration will feature limited-time, chef-created burgers at 25 locally-owned restaurants.

Explore Gwinnett has announced the return of its eighth annual Gwinnett Burger Week will take place from March 19 to 25. The weeklong celebration will feature limited-time burger creations for just $10 at restaurants across the county.

“We can’t wait to celebrate the return of Gwinnett Burger Week and look forward to trying new and unique recipes while supporting our locally owned eateries,” said Explore Gwinnett Executive Director Lisa Anders.

“This highly anticipated event is an excellent opportunity for locals and visitors alike to experience delectable chef-crafted burgers from some of the best restaurants in the area, at an affordable price.”

This year, 25 restaurants are participating in Gwinnett Burger Week, each featuring an exclusive off-menu burger throughout the week. A sampling of this year’s offerings from some Peachtree Corners area participating restaurants include:

  • The Pepper Ranch Burger at Marlow’s Tavern: a hearty hamburger topped with Pepper Jack cheese, fried jalapeños, and smoked chili cream, served on a wheat bun.
  • The Jack Jack Burger at Uncle Jack’s Meat House: two three-ounce smash wagyu beef patties, each with double-stacked cheese and with secret sauce on the bottom bun, topped with onion, pickle, bacon, and tomato relish purée, all on a buttered potato bun.
  • The Mexican Burger at B&W Burgers, Buns & Brews: a half-pound ground beef and pork patty with ham, bacon, cheese, avocado, onions, lettuce, and a grilled jalapeño.

Participating restaurants include:
Lawrenceville
o Cosmo’s Pizza + Social
o Local Republic
o McCray’s Tavern
o Parkside District
o Scrum-did-dly-ump-tious
o The Boujee Southerner Eatery
o Uncle Jack’s Tavern
o Universal Joint
o Village Burger
Buford
o Diesel Tap House
o Over The Top Burger Bar
o Parma Tavern
o Tannery Row Ale House
o The Dawg House
Duluth
o Local on North
o Marlow’s Tavern
o Uncle Jack’s Meat House
Peachtree Corners
o Marlow’s Tavern
o Uncle Jack’s Meat House
Suwanee – Craft Burger by Shane
Loganville – Philanthropy Grill and Ale House
Sugar Hill – The Diner at Sugar Hill
Norcross – B&W Burgers, Buns & Brews
Dacula – Old Fountain Tavern
Lilburn – 1910 Public House

For additional information on the limited-time burger offerings, visit ExploreGwinnett.org/Gwinnett-Burger-Week.

All participating restaurants will have the chance to win the “People’s Choice” award for Gwinnett’s best burger, which will be selected by participating diners. There will also be an optional “Judge’s Choice” award; restaurants choosing to participate will bring their burger to the Explore Gwinnett office for the judges to taste and score. 

Get details about this year’s competition at ExploreGwinnett.org/Gwinnett-Burger-Week/voting.

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Food & Drink

The Mediterranean Diet A Determinant of Eye Health

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Ocular Health Visual

On February 13, a meeting held, a meeting was held between MAGISNAT researchers and the committee of the Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Rome, Italy) to discuss the effect of the Mediterranean diet on eye health. MAGISNAT, part of the Italian company MAGI’S Lab, is located in Peachtree Corners.

In this day and age, many factors affect our daily life and health, such as environmental pollution, inadequate eating habits, and unhealthy lifestyles. One of the consequences of these situations has been a huge increase in eye diseases worldwide, such as cataracts, dry eye disorders, or diabetic retinopathy.

Eye and vision health have extensive and overwhelming effects on the overall quality of life, affecting health, education, sustainable development, and even the economy.

Another important aspect that makes this scenario even more complex, is the lack of access to high-quality and even affordable eye care.

The aim of the Feb. 13 meeting was precisely to discuss this relevant issue and possible solutions.

The discussion determined that nutrition, being a key lifestyle factor, can also exert long-term effects on ocular health and play a key role in preventing visual dysfunction, which can lead to permanent visual impairment or even blindness.

Specifically, the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been in the limelight since the 1980s because of the many health benefits it offers, including eye health.

The MedDiet is characterized by the consumption of small amounts of red meat and by the intake of fish, eggs, nuts, legumes, citrus fruits, green vegetables, olives and their derivatives (particularly olive oil), and a proportionate amount of dairy products. The diet helps to achieve maximum health benefits.

The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties of these foods, together with plenty of physical activity, offer a valuable intervention in the fight against the tremendously increasing risk of ocular disorders — such as the progression of myopia, dry eye disorders, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma.

The intake of the recommended daily doses of certain micronutrients — such as minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and carotenoids — ensures good overall health and exerts positive effects on the eye and visual system health.

In short, the Mediterranean diet would seem to be the best solution for leading a healthy life and for preventing the possible occurrence of certain eye-related diseases.

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Community

Peachtree Corners Sports Bar Celebrates 10 Years of Community Commitment

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James Woo and Jeff Jang

Three Dollar Café’s quality, service, and dedication have kept it a staple throughout metro Atlanta for 40 years and locally for a decade.

Don’t come to Three Dollar Café expecting cheap food. The name doesn’t reflect the prices or the quality, but the desire of an immigrant to find his piece of the American dream.

Joe Woo, a co-owner of the Peachtree Corners location, is the son of the original Mr. Woo who came to America in 1979 with three dollars in his pocket. (See what he did there?) By 1983, Mr. Woo opened his first restaurant in Sandy Springs. To pay homage to his struggles and commitment to keep the business going, he named it Three Dollar Café.

Although the Peachtree Corners location isn’t the original, it has the same family-oriented spirit and commitment to fresh, well-made pub grub as the first restaurant founded 40 years ago.

There are currently nine locations with a tenth one set for Buford in the near future.

Café grows with the city

When the restaurant on Peachtree Corners came online in February 2013, Peachtree Corners had just become a city. The strip mall location was being re-imaged from a Kroger grocery store and some nearby landmarks, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Since then, Three Dollar Café has grown with the city and served many metro Atlanta favorites, like its famous, award-winning wings and a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and appetizers — all made fresh.

“It was cool that someone purchased this property and had the vision to make it what it is now,” said Joe Woo. “They realized that there was a lot of traffic on 141 and that if people had a place to stop, it could be a good fit.”

As the city grew, the location grew, and so did the relationships with families in the area.

“We’ve just always been here. And as part of the community, we participated in community events like the Peachtree Corners Festival,” Woo said.

Quality and consistency earn high ratings

Although a decade may not seem long, it is in the restaurant industry. One of Three Dollar Café’s testaments to longevity is its quality and consistency. When others were scrambling to keep the doors open during the pandemic, Woo said he and his staff stayed focused on good food and good service.

“I think the neighborhood appreciates that we kept things consistent. Our goal is to provide really good, high-quality food with good service by getting food out really quick,” he said. “I think how we fared during the pandemic is indicative of the quality of service that we provide, but it’s also indicative of the quality of food we provide.”

Woo pointed out that followers of the digital media brand Eater Atlanta have rated Three Dollar Café’s chicken wings best in the metro. He added that the restaurant also gets consistently high marks from food blogs and media outlets.

He added that, at the end of the day, Three Dollar Café is just a casual place where people can sit down, whether for a lunch meeting, dinner with a family, or later in the evening to catch a game and have a drink at the bar.

Using successes to move forward

Although he just recently came on board, Woo’s partner Jeff Jang agreed wholeheartedly. The décor reflects hometown sports favorites, whether they’re pros, colleges, or local high schools. 

“We see a lot of kids come in with their families in their baseball or soccer uniforms and it’s nice that we may see them in a few years bringing their own kids in with similar uniforms on,” said Jang. 

Woo is turning more of the day-to-day operation to Jang, who has renewed vision for the establishment. “During the pandemic, we did a lot more takeout, and we’re looking to maintain that,” said Jang.

“We’re also looking into more catering. There are so many businesses and office parks nearby, our menu can easily accommodate more catering,” he added.

Three Dollar Café Peachtree Corners

6050 Peachtree Pkwy., Peachtree Corners

770-441-8520, facebook.com/ThreeDollarCafe141

Photos by George Hunter

https://www.facebook.com/ThreeDollarCafe141/

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