Atlanta’s Skye Estroff Embarks on ‘Foodie Road Trip’

“Foodie Road Trip,” a new television show from Picture Perfect Productions that tells unique stories of small-town restaurants and the people behind them, is now available to stream on a variety of networks.

Hosted by local food expert Skye Estroff, the six-episode first season unfolds across Georgia towns with personal significance, from Vidalia, where Estroff’s great-grandparents settled after coming to the U.S., to Alpharetta, where she was raised, and Tybee Island, where she spent her summers.

In each episode, Estroff offers viewers a rare glimpse of the featured town and restaurant, speaks with locals, dines at their favorite haunts and gets insider perspectives. She also shares what makes each small business unique and connects with people from all walks of life.

In “Rest Stop Recipes,” Estroff tells stories of seafood institutions and sweet shops. Alongside guests like Atlanta media maven Mara Davis, Estroff shows viewers how to make unique food and drinks at home: lemonade sangria, roasted sweet and savory pecans and baked turnip fries, to name just a few.

Skye Estroff, in yellow, is the star of “Foodie Road Trip,” a new travel series in which she eats her way across Georgia. Here she poses with Rialto Italian Bistro’s Team in Vidalia, Ga. // Photo Courtesy of Foodie Road Trip

Raised in the peach state, Estroff began her career by earning a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of Georgia. After college, she began working for local food and media companies, including Atlanta Eats and Taste of Atlanta, before founding Skye Estroff, LLC, a food-focused social media company.

She’s taken her knowhow to the airwaves, as a local food enthusiast for Fox 5 Atlanta, CBS46 and Star 94.1 FM, and used it to write for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She teamed up with Emmy Award-winning photographer Willie Giles to launch Picture Perfect Productions.

“I was raised in Alpharetta, which happens to be one of the towns we featured in season 1 of ‘Foodie Road Trip,’” Estroff told the AJT. “This is definitely dating myself, but when I grew up, the restaurant staples were: Chick-fil-A, Taco Mac, Waffle House and Outback Steakhouse. I was always searching for unique food experiences because I was blown away when I infrequently had them! My grandparents lived in Dunwoody and were very influential in fueling my food curiosity. They would take me to locally-owned Chinese restaurants, cute cafes and iconic spots like La Grotta, Pricci and Nikolai’s Roof. By the time I was bat mitzvah-ed — in 2005, at Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell — I had been hoarding cookbooks from the library and experimenting in the kitchen as much as I could.”

As a youth, Estroff says that she was drawn to culinary television personalities like Rachael Ray and Sara Moulton. Along the way, she took inspiration from Anthony Bourdain’s openness to cultures and Martha Stewart’s clean-cut recipes and nonchalant personality, then added Jaime Oliver’s approach to teaching children healthy, sustainable food skills and even a dash of Guy Fieri’s bold personality.

Estroff (left) with “Rest Stop Recipes” guest Erica Key. // Photo Courtesy of Foodie Road Trip

In terms of her own culinary skills, Estroff says, “I can work my way around most recipes and am especially good in the brunch, baked goods, soup, salad, tailgate and casserole departments. The only exception is last Passover, when I added purple carrots to my matzah ball soup, turned the whole soup purple and was so distracted by the color that I forgot to add salt. But if I make my Caramelized Vidalia Onion Dip with Kale that we featured in ‘Foodie Road Trip’ … you better come quick, because it will be gone in 60 seconds!”

Estroff’s cookbook recommendations include “Back in the Day Bakery” by Cheryl Day and “Zahav” by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Her favorite, though, is the compilation of family recipes by her aunt, Anita Estroff, some of which are featured on the show.

“Foodie Road Trip” is now streaming on Redbox, Plex, Amazon (via Docurama), iFood.tv, Vizio’s Fork and Flight channel and TheMovieDB.

Featured restaurants:

Vidalia
Benton Lee’s Steakhouse
Big Al’s Country Market
Bill’s Donuts
Downtown Bistro
Rialto Italian Restaurant

Tybee Island
Huc-a-poos
North Beach Grill
Salt Island
Savannah Praline Company
Stingray’s

Alpharetta
Farm to Ladle
Lapeer Steak & Seafood
Poke Burri
South Main Kitchen
Truck & Tap