Lunch with James Farmer

While we were in Georgia, My Dad took babysitting duty so My Mom, My Sister, and I could attend a ladies' luncheon at their club, Cuscowilla.

Go ahead and roll your eyes at the notion of a ladies' luncheon at the country club. We did a bit, too. But we decided we couldn't resist the menu—and the topic for the luncheon sounded rather interesting.


And so we joined the ladies' club for a discussion, lunch, and book signing with author, landscape designer, and Southern Living editor James Farmer. We learned how James first became interested (from an incredibly early age) in gardening and cooking; how he taught his roommates to cook while getting his degree at Auburn; and how he sees landscapes, interiors, gardens, and food all working together to create truly fine southern living. He told a few entertaining stories ... and also talked about the process of getting his first book published and about the excitement of his book tour.

It's hard to believe, but he's actually the same age as I am. I never would have guessed it, but then again he did say a number of times that he's an "old soul."

After we listened to James speak for a while, we headed to the Waterside Restaurant at the club for lunch. And oh what a lunch it was.


We started with acorn squash soup, which had a pleasant hint of ginger.


And for the main course? Tilapia covered with lobster and blue crab sauce, sitting on a bed of polenta, accompanied by haricot verts (aka green beans).

It was a delightful lunch with my two favorite ladies.