Atlanta's Handcrafted Sodas

Friday, September 19, 2014

When folks see Kathryn Fitzgerald at the markets, they light up. Why? Because she is the soda gal, and who doesn't love a refreshing, bubbly soda? We're talking fresh made sodas with local ingredients and a little bit of love! Kathryn has taken the soda program at The General Muir to a cult status. 

Her love of local started early. She grew up surrounded by gardens on her grandpa's land, Shador Rock Farm, and saw first hand how important it is to support your community. She carried her small town values with her today. "Small town life with small town food principles in the big city is not hard to achieve as our urban farmers are showing us at these community farmers markets," says Kathryn. She has always carved her own way, playing little league boy's baseball in Tucker, Georgia as a kid. They didn't have a girl's team, so her grandpa (who the stadium is named for) signed her up anyway.

With a background as a travelling artist, she is not stranger to creating beautiful things on the go. That's why she thrives in the farmers market environment. After traveling around a bit, she started a food truck with her dad where she first found her love for making craft drinks, like lemonades and teas. She then found herself at The General Muir (one of our favorites!). When asked what she loves about working with food, she takes a sensory approach. "I really enjoy the way food looks. The colors and smells; its all based on what I can feel."  

Kathryn sees her sodas as an art. "I get just as much pleasure when making these soda's as when I paint. Its just as artistic," she told us. She is inspired by the theory of color. "We eat and drink with our eyes before our mouths," she told us. How does she come up with her soda recipes? "It depends on what is in season to Georgia. For example, with the last few weeks of peach season, I went with a late harvest Elberta Pearson Peach with ginger, cayenne and other spices. It has been the top seller both at The General Muir and at the farmers markets."

We asked Kathryn if she could be a veggie or fruit, what would she be. "I wouldn't be a veggie or fruit at all! I'd be an herb. Sage, in fact. I'd be on the cliffs on the beach in California, misted by the swift fog and enjoying the ocean breeze on a daily basis." We tried her sage soda, made with Woodland Gardens sage, when we visited her at The General Muir, and we think this is an excellent choice!

Not only is she a soda artist, but she loves to cook at home. Her go to meal is grilled butterflied pork chops stuffed with orange and star anise with sweet potato cold salad with masama curry sauce, golden raisins, and goat cheese. I think we may just need to put that on the Garnish & Gather menu!! Yum!

When asked what advice she would give to home chefs, she quoted one of our favorites, Chef Asha Gomez: "Start boiling a pot of water as soon as you get home. Everyone should live by these words."

The public spoke, and The General Muir responded. Yalla will be opening at Krog Street Market and slinging Kathryn's freshly made craft sodas. Outside of The General Muir, you can find Kathryn representing and promoting Yalla before the opening at local farmers markets like Decatur Farmers Market on Wednesdays, Grant Park Farmers Market on Sunday and East Atlanta Village Farmers Market every other Thursday. With flavors like African Squash, Cardamom & Cinnamon on the menu, you can bet that these sodas aren't just for summer!