06/03/2026
Welcome to June, AG Family!
Before we get into this month's happenings, I wanted to say thank you.
Several of you have reached out, checked in or asked where I've been since I haven't been doing as many pop-ups lately...I truly appreciate the love 🥰!
The truth is, I've been feeling a little overstimulated by social media (and honestly, by everything else) lately. So I've been giving myself permission to step back, be present & focus on the people and moments right in front of me 💛!
Between motherhood, business ownership, homeschooling + life doing what life does, sometimes the best thing you can do is unplug and refill your own cup.
I'm learning that not every meal has to be photographed, not every moment has to be posted and not every experience has to be turned into content. Some things are meant to be enjoyed while they're happening.
So I'm heading into June with gratitude, renewed energy & a reminder that everything doesn't have to be shared to be enjoyed 😌!
Lot's to come, so just stick with me 😁!
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🌿 Rooted in Flavor Experiences
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🍵 Tea Thyme with Carol Hunter
Sunday, June 14 | 12–3 PM | Pittsburgh Yards
What if wellness starts in your spice rack?
Join us as we explore the surprising health-supportive properties of everyday herbs and spices. We'll talk immune support, digestion, circulation, stress relief, inflammation, and practical ways to incorporate more healing foods into daily life.
Includes tasting, learning, and hands-on engagement.
🌱 Investment: $25
🌱 Premium Hands-On Experience: $35
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🍶 Farm to Fermentation: Kombucha & Farm-to-Table Experience
Saturday, June 27 | 3–7 PM | EcoSun Farms
This collaborative Rooted in Flavor experience takes us directly to the farm.
Learn the science behind gut health, fermented foods, beneficial microbes, and kombucha while enjoying a farm-to-table meal experience. Participants will make their own SCOBY-based kombucha starter and leave with supplies to continue the process at home.
🌱 General Admission: $65
🌱 VIP Experience, includes a farm-to-table meal and drink (or dessert) from Avant-Garde'n: $90
Seats for both experiences go live 12p TOMORROW: tinyurl.com/Rooted-In-Flavor-ATL
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🥼 FROM THE LAB
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Your Gut Is Home to Trillions of Tiny Coworkers
Inside your digestive system lives an entire ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiome.
These microbes help break down food, produce vitamins, support immune function, regulate inflammation & even communicate with the brain through what's called the gut-brain axis.
Researchers continue discovering links between gut health and mood, sleep, focus, immune response + overall wellness.
One of the easiest ways to support beneficial gut bacteria is through diversity. Different fruits, vegetables, herbs, legumes, fermented foods, nuts & seeds provide different fibers and compounds that nourish different microbial populations.
In other words, your gut microbiome appreciates a potluck more than a monotone menu 🧬!
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🥄 RECIPE OF THE MONTH
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Quick Ginger-Hibiscus Refresher
Perfect for hot afternoons, porch sitting, and pretending you're in a 90s beverage commercial.
Ingredients:
• 4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp dried hibiscus
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sweetener of choice, if desired
Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add hibiscus and ginger.
3. Remove from heat and steep 15–20 minutes.
4. Strain and cool.
5. Add lime juice.
6. Serve over ice.
Lab Note: Hibiscus contains naturally occurring anthocyanins, the same antioxidant compounds responsible for the red, blue and purple colors found in many fruits and vegetables.
🛒Avant-Garde'n Grab & Go Locations
*Wadada
*YOL Juice Market
*Ghion Ethiopian Restaurant
*Life Bistro
👩🏽🍳 Need More Than a Bite?
Order meal prep, catering or book moi for a personal chef session at avantgardenatl.com!
Rooted Reflections 💭
🎞️Remember When...
Remember when every family had that one giant glass jar in the refrigerator?
Maybe it held sweet tea.
Maybe Kool-Aid.
Maybe sun tea brewing on the porch.
Nobody measured anything.
A handful of tea bags.
Some sugar from the big canister.
A lemon if somebody was feeling fancy.
And somehow every batch tasted slightly different but exactly right.
Long before wellness influencers, many of our grandparents were already making herbal infusions, garden teas, fermented vegetables & homemade remedies from what they grew, traded or kept in the pantry.
Sometimes innovation isn't about finding something new.
Sometimes it's remembering what worked all along 🧠!
See you soon, and as always: THE Plant Based Scientist is In the Lab!
👩🏽🔬Chef Aja,
Avant-Garde'n x Rooted in Flavor
Avantgardenatl.com
515.989.1180
[email protected]
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