Spring is one of the most welcomed seasons as we say goodbye to gloomy winter weather and hello to happy flowers.

The birds chirp and the grass grows and a new crop of seasonal produce leaps into the market and onto our plates.

A recent tasting of new dishes for spring menus at Mission & Market in Atlanta served up a riot of color and fresh flavors. Executive chef Ian Windslade, known for his creative touch and talent for coaxing big tastes out of tiny ingredients, treated a few Atlanta food journalists to a four-course dinner to ‘try out’ a few things and welcomed our feedback to finetune the dishes.

Dessert was a surprise pasta dish with chocolate ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with macerated strawberries. The rich dark chocolate flavors in the pasta were delicious and before you say, “Pasta for dessert?!!” think of it this way….we enjoy flour based pastries from pie crust to a cobbler…so why not a sweet dish featuring pasta? Spring is a time for new beginnings and I really enjoyed discovering this dessert dish at Mission & Market in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.