Homesteading in Cumming

By Geoff Smith

This is one of my favorite columns to write. I essentially get to grab a Realtor friend of mine, go to a cool place to eat, and pretend to be a restaurant-reviewer. And I call that work!

This time around I was lucky to meet up with my friend, Kimberly Yates with Yates Estates and go into the new Cumming City Center development just west of downtown Cumming. We at at a very cool restaurant called Homestead.

When it comes to real estate, Yates has pretty much done it all over the last 26 years. She has worked with large, corporate entities buying tens of millions of dollars in investment properties, to first time homebuyers, as well as seasoned high-end buyers and sellers. She has closed as many as an eye-popping 275 properties in a single year. Her company, Yates Estates, is a mainstay in the North Atlanta market.

"It's all been a positive learning experience to share with all who are interested in learning from me," she says.

Yates grew up in Cincinnati, OH, and admittedly, didn't grow up in what most would call a culinarily-sophisticated family. But what can you expect from a city that puts pasta in their chili? (she and I wholeheartedly disagree on the likeability of Cincinnati Chili - she loves it, I hate it). But I'll tell you what you can expect, one of the most bazaar appetizer recipes I've ever heard.

She makes a casserole/dip dish that consists of nothing more than pineapple, butter, cheddar cheese and crunched up Ritz crackers. If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'. She claims people love it, but admits that she doesn't typically reveal the ingredients until after they tell her they love it. But you have to be honest - even though your first reaction is bewilderment, the longer you think about it, the more you want to try it. Right?

She said you mix together 1 cup of cheddar cheese, one can of crushed pineapple and half a sleeve of crushed Ritz Crackers. Then you crush and spread the other half of the sleeve of crackers over top and pour one stick of melted butter over top, and cook for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Just blew your New Year's diet didn't I?

At any rate, we were both excited to be at Homestead. We'd both heard of the new Cumming City Center and wanted to visit. If you know the history of Cumming, GA, the true downtown consists of government buildings, a factory and a few spots for lunch. Despite having ample parking and amenities most cities are passing bonds to get, the city had not invested in developing the entertainment side of it. The Cumming City Center is actually just west of downtown and driving in, looks as if a developer built a city in the middle of nowhere. Which they kind of did.

All that said, once you are in it, you become enveloped and get the feeling of being in a small town.

Homestead was created by chef David J. Smith, who worked at the Forsyth landmark Norman's Landing for years before it shut down. He loves to source local ingredients and has created a menu and an atmosphere that is very homey and comfortable.

While the menu does have an enticing dinner selection that includes homey southern dishes such as 'Not Mama's Fried Chicken', 'Pawpaw's Meatloaf' and high-end dishes like 'Tomahawk Short Rib' and 'Lobster Homestead'; the lunch menu boasts fresh salads, some fun appetizers and a selection of unique sandwiches.

We started with the Game Day Deviled Eggs. I'm a sucker for good deviled eggs. Theirs included buffalo blue cheese yolks, crispy bacon and Ranch dressing. Very good.

For sandwiches, Kim got the Pitchfork which was a beef patty with pimento cheese, onion strings, lettuce, tomato and Root Beer BBQ sauce. Pimento cheese and Root Beer BBQ sauce was enough to hook us and we had to try it. She said it was great, was filled up with half of it and took the other half home.

I ate the Manhattan, which was a grilled chicken breast, capicola, mozzarella, arugula, roasted red pepper and pesto aioli on toasted sourdough. It was as good as it sounds.

Ultimately, it was a great place for us a sit, enjoy a meal, talk about how real estate has changed over the last 25 years and look out over the field and amphitheater below. You can see how this place hums in the spring and fall. Forsyth went a long time without a vibrant city-center and now with places like Vickery, Halcyon and this new Cumming City Center, there is more things for residents and visitors to do, other than drive through to the lake.

Head up there once the snow melts! See you soon!