The Athens Local Food Awards are an acknowledgement of those who are working hard to create a strong, accessible local food culture in Athens.  The awards are presented in four categories. 

The first award is the "Excellence on the Farm" Award.  We love all the farms we have around Athens. But for this category we want to acknowledge the farms that go the extra mile by raising the standard of farms in our area, reaching out to individuals to teach them about farming, and/or developing innovative farming techniques or business models.

The 2010 Excellence on the Farm Award was presented to Backyard Harvest.  Backyard Harvest has been providing Athens with sustainably grown produce on an 18 acre farm in Oglethrope County since 1995.  Boo and Becky have over 25 years farming experience between them and have been mentors to many a local farmer. Anyone who knows local food in Athens knows Boo.

The second award is the "Excellece in Education" Award.  All educators work hard balancing teaching requirements with the individual needs of their students. Below is a short list of educators who have caught out attention as seeing the need to get their students outside of the standard classroom environment to learn about protecting our natural world, serving our community, and growing food. If you know of an educator who should be on this list, please write in their name to cast a vote for them.

The 2010 Excellence in Education Award was presented to David Berle.   Berle is a UGA Horticulturalist who brings a wealth of knowledge to his classroom from his experiences as a county extension agent, nursery grower, landscape contractor and horticulturist for both the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the UGA Grounds Department.  He als

The third award is the "Excellence in Business" Award.  With the local food scene booming in Athens, a few local businesses have helped raised the awareness of local food and/or increased the availability of local food to the Athens community.

The 2010 Excellence in Business Award was presented to Daily Groceries Co-op.  Open to all, this Athens staple helps shoppers looking to buy high-quality, organic groceries, produce, supplements and lots more since 1992. Daily tries to keep locally grown goods stocked when possible but always lets you know where their food is coming from.

The final award is the "Excellence in Advocacy" Award. Building a local food culture requires the dedication of many people working hard at many levels. The individuals below are a few of the early advocates and movers-and-shakers of Athens burgeoning local food scene.

 The 2010 Excellence in Advocacy Award was presented to Hugh Acheson.   Hugh cooks contemporary American soul food as executive chef at Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. In 2004 he also opened Gosford Wine, and in August 2007 he added the National, a restaurant serving a Mediterranean menu. Hugh is one of the local food pioneers in Athens, supporting local farmers who showed up on his doorstep looking to sell produce and serving local food to his customer, before almost anyone else in Athens.

It is important to state that the Athens Local Food Awards are not a competition.  There is no best farm, educator, business, or advocate.  The vibrant local food scene that Athens enjoys today is due to countless people working on many levels over the course of many years.  It is impossible to recognize everyone, but we feel that it is important to create a space where we can recognize a few outstanding individuals each year.  

NOTE: PLACE's Board of Directors choses the award recipients each year. No one currently serving on PLACE's Board of Directors is eligible for these awards. As PLACE attempts to raise the awareness of those who are working hard to build a local food culture, we invite you to let us know of people, farms, and businesses who should be nominated for future Athens Local Food Awards. 

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