Wouldn't it be nice to know where all of your food comes from? To meet the person who grew the carrots you serve for dinner and even visit their farm to see how they plant and reap the fresh produce that you like to eat? In Gwinnett now, all of that is possible. There's a whole network of farmers and farmers' markets that make up the county's little-known local food movement.

It's not a coincidence that our favorite summer water holes around Gwinnett are all taverns. Since the Middle Ages, the local tavern has been the best place to find food, drink and catch up on what's happening. In the middle of summer, here are a few places to gather the crew and get together for some fun.

If you are interested in one-of-a-kind restaurants, check out the downtown areas of Buford, Duluth, Lawrenceville and Norcross. Gwinnett has plenty of options for all taste buds. Plus, restaurants provide are an important source of jobs for the United States economy. In fact, an estimated 13 million people (9 percent of the United States workforce) are employed by restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. The association also estimates that by 2019 there will be 86,500 new restaurant and foodservice jobs in our state. In today's economy, an increase in jobs is definitely a good reason to give the pans a break and enjoy a night on the town.

Marsha Anderson Bomar, owner of Chocolate Perks, and her daughter-in-law Aubrey Anderson, are excited to invite the community to come in on Sat., Oct. 10, for some great pink things to eat and drink!

Inventive tapas and live jazz, Flamenco guitar and Zydeco music. Internationally recognized wine lists with chefs who have cooked for the queens, princes and celebrities. If you think that you will have to pack the family in the car and head into Atlanta for such diverse dining experiences, think again. It might just be in your own backyard!

Here in Gwinnett, the options for dining out are as varied as the thousands of different taste buds on your tongue. In the sea of restaurants available, we are lucky to have innovative restaurateurs bringing unique dining experiences that please the palate and delight our senses.

Remember carefully leaving a plate of cookies out for Santa? Can you picture the hours spent decorating sugar cookies with your Nana? Almost everyone has a Christmas cookie memory woven into the fabric of their holiday traditions. Holiday baking represents so much of what the holidays are truly about  the love, family togetherness and spending your time creating delight for others. Of course, there are also the other great aspects of Christmas treats: the sugary sweetness and delicate tastes that practically sear their way into our taste buds and leave us craving them all year long. Christmas desserts come in all shapes and sizes, and most people have a definite favorite unique to their kitchen and reflective of their personal family traditions. On the pages that follow, Gwinnett Magazine gets the goodies from the best kitchens across Gwinnett.