Podcasts about appalachian food summit

I (Amy Campbell) share Minnie Pearl's recipes for Curry Pickles and Mustard Pickles from her cookbook Minnie Pearl Cooks. -Fred Sauceman shares a pickle recipe from Distiller Jack Daniel's great, great, gran niece, Lynne Tolley. -Who was John Egerton? Elizabeth Simms lets us know who this man was & Robert Gipe tells a humorous story of his days working in a pickle factory. Amy recorded Elizabeth & Robert at the Appalachian Food Summit in September of 2016.

In this episode, we are setting the table with pickles. I (Amy Campbell) share Minnie Pearl's recipes for Curry Pickles and Mustard Pickles from her cookbook Minnie Pearl Cooks. Fred Sauceman shares a pickle recipe from Distiller Jack Daniel's great, great, gran niece, Lynne Tolley. Who was John Egerton? Elizabeth Simms lets us know who this man was & Robert Gipe tells a humorous story of his days working in a pickle factory. Amy recorded Elizabeth & Robert at the Appalachian Food Summit in September of 2016.

In this this interview, Carrie Tippen talks with Elizabeth Engelhardt, co-editor of the new collection The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, 2019), also edited by Lora Smith and published by Ohio University Press. We are also joined by Courtney Balestier who is a contributor to the collection. Though the collection is diverse in genre – including academic essays alongside poetry, memoir, and illustration – the contents are united around challenging and complicating a notion of a single Appalachia. The editors and many of the contributors are connected to the Appalachian Food Summit, a symposium of foodways scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts who meet for dinners, dialogues, and annual conferences. Engelhardt describes the popular and scholarly attention to Appalachian stereotypes as “a dead end conversation” that the collection tries to avoid and undo by highlighting the creativity and diversity of the region, its people, and its food. As Engelhardt explains in the introduction, the collection’s eclectic mix of genres, topics, and contributors reflects the complexities of the contemporary region by generating cognitive dissonance through the structure of the book. The collection features the voices of people living in and out of the region from a wide variety of experiences and ethnicities, Like many of the contributors in the collection, Balestier describes her own path toward Appalachian identity through living outside the region. Her essay on the “Hillbilly Highway” and the Kentucky social club of Detroit asks if perhaps a coherent Appalachian identity is most meaningful to people who have left the geographic region of the mountains. The topics of the essays run the gamut from the idealized and organic home-canned chow-chow to the mass produced and capitalized Banquet frozen fried chicken and factory-packed pickle spears. Many of the objects that come to represent Appalachia are a compromise, a negotiation between the local and the global: repurposed Cool Whip containers of leftovers, a mass-marketed cookbook with a life story inside, Blue Ridge tacos and kimchi in soup beans, a store-bought dinner that approximates home-made just closely enough to keep a family’s matriarch as the cultural heart of the family. Engelhardt explains in the interview that these stories are not intended to be a definitive representation of Appalachia; rather, she hopes they will be an invitation to a conversation about the relationships of people to place. Elizabeth Engelhardt is John Shelton Reed Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies in the department of American studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. . Lora Smith directs the Appalachian Impact Fund, a social impact investment fund focused on economic transition and opportunity in Eastern Kentucky.  Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia.  Carrie Helms Tippen is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she teaches courses in American Literature. Her 2018 book, Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity (University of Arkansas Press), examines the rhetorical strategies that writers use to prove the authenticity of their recipes in the narrative headnotes of contemporary cookbooks. Her academic work has been published in Gastronomica, Food and Foodways, American Studies, Southern Quarterly, and Food, Culture, and Society.

In this this interview, Carrie Tippen talks with Elizabeth Engelhardt, co-editor of the new collection The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, 2019), also edited by Lora Smith and published by Ohio University Press. We are also joined by Courtney Balestier who is a contributor to the collection. Though the collection is diverse in genre – including academic essays alongside poetry, memoir, and illustration – the contents are united around challenging and complicating a notion of a single Appalachia. The editors and many of the contributors are connected to the Appalachian Food Summit, a symposium of foodways scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts who meet for dinners, dialogues, and annual conferences. Engelhardt describes the popular and scholarly attention to Appalachian stereotypes as “a dead end conversation” that the collection tries to avoid and undo by highlighting the creativity and diversity of the region, its people, and its food. As Engelhardt explains in the introduction, the collection’s eclectic mix of genres, topics, and contributors reflects the complexities of the contemporary region by generating cognitive dissonance through the structure of the book. The collection features the voices of people living in and out of the region from a wide variety of experiences and ethnicities, Like many of the contributors in the collection, Balestier describes her own path toward Appalachian identity through living outside the region. Her essay on the “Hillbilly Highway” and the Kentucky social club of Detroit asks if perhaps a coherent Appalachian identity is most meaningful to people who have left the geographic region of the mountains. The topics of the essays run the gamut from the idealized and organic home-canned chow-chow to the mass produced and capitalized Banquet frozen fried chicken and factory-packed pickle spears. Many of the objects that come to represent Appalachia are a compromise, a negotiation between the local and the global: repurposed Cool Whip containers of leftovers, a mass-marketed cookbook with a life story inside, Blue Ridge tacos and kimchi in soup beans, a store-bought dinner that approximates home-made just closely enough to keep a family’s matriarch as the cultural heart of the family. Engelhardt explains in the interview that these stories are not intended to be a definitive representation of Appalachia; rather, she hopes they will be an invitation to a conversation about the relationships of people to place. Elizabeth Engelhardt is John Shelton Reed Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies in the department of American studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. . Lora Smith directs the Appalachian Impact Fund, a social impact investment fund focused on economic transition and opportunity in Eastern Kentucky.  Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia.  Carrie Helms Tippen is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she teaches courses in American Literature. Her 2018 book, Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity (University of Arkansas Press), examines the rhetorical strategies that writers use to prove the authenticity of their recipes in the narrative headnotes of contemporary cookbooks. Her academic work has been published in Gastronomica, Food and Foodways, American Studies, Southern Quarterly, and Food, Culture, and Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this this interview, Carrie Tippen talks with Elizabeth Engelhardt, co-editor of the new collection The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, 2019), also edited by Lora Smith and published by Ohio University Press. We are also joined by Courtney Balestier who is a contributor to the collection. Though the collection is diverse in genre – including academic essays alongside poetry, memoir, and illustration – the contents are united around challenging and complicating a notion of a single Appalachia. The editors and many of the contributors are connected to the Appalachian Food Summit, a symposium of foodways scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts who meet for dinners, dialogues, and annual conferences. Engelhardt describes the popular and scholarly attention to Appalachian stereotypes as “a dead end conversation” that the collection tries to avoid and undo by highlighting the creativity and diversity of the region, its people, and its food. As Engelhardt explains in the introduction, the collection’s eclectic mix of genres, topics, and contributors reflects the complexities of the contemporary region by generating cognitive dissonance through the structure of the book. The collection features the voices of people living in and out of the region from a wide variety of experiences and ethnicities, Like many of the contributors in the collection, Balestier describes her own path toward Appalachian identity through living outside the region. Her essay on the “Hillbilly Highway” and the Kentucky social club of Detroit asks if perhaps a coherent Appalachian identity is most meaningful to people who have left the geographic region of the mountains. The topics of the essays run the gamut from the idealized and organic home-canned chow-chow to the mass produced and capitalized Banquet frozen fried chicken and factory-packed pickle spears. Many of the objects that come to represent Appalachia are a compromise, a negotiation between the local and the global: repurposed Cool Whip containers of leftovers, a mass-marketed cookbook with a life story inside, Blue Ridge tacos and kimchi in soup beans, a store-bought dinner that approximates home-made just closely enough to keep a family’s matriarch as the cultural heart of the family. Engelhardt explains in the interview that these stories are not intended to be a definitive representation of Appalachia; rather, she hopes they will be an invitation to a conversation about the relationships of people to place. Elizabeth Engelhardt is John Shelton Reed Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies in the department of American studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. . Lora Smith directs the Appalachian Impact Fund, a social impact investment fund focused on economic transition and opportunity in Eastern Kentucky.  Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia.  Carrie Helms Tippen is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she teaches courses in American Literature. Her 2018 book, Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity (University of Arkansas Press), examines the rhetorical strategies that writers use to prove the authenticity of their recipes in the narrative headnotes of contemporary cookbooks. Her academic work has been published in Gastronomica, Food and Foodways, American Studies, Southern Quarterly, and Food, Culture, and Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this this interview, Carrie Tippen talks with Elizabeth Engelhardt, co-editor of the new collection The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, 2019), also edited by Lora Smith and published by Ohio University Press. We are also joined by Courtney Balestier who is a contributor to the collection. Though the collection is diverse in genre – including academic essays alongside poetry, memoir, and illustration – the contents are united around challenging and complicating a notion of a single Appalachia. The editors and many of the contributors are connected to the Appalachian Food Summit, a symposium of foodways scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts who meet for dinners, dialogues, and annual conferences. Engelhardt describes the popular and scholarly attention to Appalachian stereotypes as “a dead end conversation” that the collection tries to avoid and undo by highlighting the creativity and diversity of the region, its people, and its food. As Engelhardt explains in the introduction, the collection’s eclectic mix of genres, topics, and contributors reflects the complexities of the contemporary region by generating cognitive dissonance through the structure of the book. The collection features the voices of people living in and out of the region from a wide variety of experiences and ethnicities, Like many of the contributors in the collection, Balestier describes her own path toward Appalachian identity through living outside the region. Her essay on the “Hillbilly Highway” and the Kentucky social club of Detroit asks if perhaps a coherent Appalachian identity is most meaningful to people who have left the geographic region of the mountains. The topics of the essays run the gamut from the idealized and organic home-canned chow-chow to the mass produced and capitalized Banquet frozen fried chicken and factory-packed pickle spears. Many of the objects that come to represent Appalachia are a compromise, a negotiation between the local and the global: repurposed Cool Whip containers of leftovers, a mass-marketed cookbook with a life story inside, Blue Ridge tacos and kimchi in soup beans, a store-bought dinner that approximates home-made just closely enough to keep a family’s matriarch as the cultural heart of the family. Engelhardt explains in the interview that these stories are not intended to be a definitive representation of Appalachia; rather, she hopes they will be an invitation to a conversation about the relationships of people to place. Elizabeth Engelhardt is John Shelton Reed Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies in the department of American studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. . Lora Smith directs the Appalachian Impact Fund, a social impact investment fund focused on economic transition and opportunity in Eastern Kentucky.  Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia.  Carrie Helms Tippen is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she teaches courses in American Literature. Her 2018 book, Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity (University of Arkansas Press), examines the rhetorical strategies that writers use to prove the authenticity of their recipes in the narrative headnotes of contemporary cookbooks. Her academic work has been published in Gastronomica, Food and Foodways, American Studies, Southern Quarterly, and Food, Culture, and Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this this interview, Carrie Tippen talks with Elizabeth Engelhardt, co-editor of the new collection The Food We Eat, the Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, 2019), also edited by Lora Smith and published by Ohio University Press. We are also joined by Courtney Balestier who is a contributor to the collection. Though the collection is diverse in genre – including academic essays alongside poetry, memoir, and illustration – the contents are united around challenging and complicating a notion of a single Appalachia. The editors and many of the contributors are connected to the Appalachian Food Summit, a symposium of foodways scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts who meet for dinners, dialogues, and annual conferences. Engelhardt describes the popular and scholarly attention to Appalachian stereotypes as “a dead end conversation” that the collection tries to avoid and undo by highlighting the creativity and diversity of the region, its people, and its food. As Engelhardt explains in the introduction, the collection’s eclectic mix of genres, topics, and contributors reflects the complexities of the contemporary region by generating cognitive dissonance through the structure of the book. The collection features the voices of people living in and out of the region from a wide variety of experiences and ethnicities, Like many of the contributors in the collection, Balestier describes her own path toward Appalachian identity through living outside the region. Her essay on the “Hillbilly Highway” and the Kentucky social club of Detroit asks if perhaps a coherent Appalachian identity is most meaningful to people who have left the geographic region of the mountains. The topics of the essays run the gamut from the idealized and organic home-canned chow-chow to the mass produced and capitalized Banquet frozen fried chicken and factory-packed pickle spears. Many of the objects that come to represent Appalachia are a compromise, a negotiation between the local and the global: repurposed Cool Whip containers of leftovers, a mass-marketed cookbook with a life story inside, Blue Ridge tacos and kimchi in soup beans, a store-bought dinner that approximates home-made just closely enough to keep a family’s matriarch as the cultural heart of the family. Engelhardt explains in the interview that these stories are not intended to be a definitive representation of Appalachia; rather, she hopes they will be an invitation to a conversation about the relationships of people to place. Elizabeth Engelhardt is John Shelton Reed Distinguished Professor of Southern Studies in the department of American studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. . Lora Smith directs the Appalachian Impact Fund, a social impact investment fund focused on economic transition and opportunity in Eastern Kentucky.  Courtney Balestier is a writer whose work focuses on the intersection of place and identity, particularly in her native Appalachia.  Carrie Helms Tippen is Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, where she teaches courses in American Literature. Her 2018 book, Inventing Authenticity: How Cookbook Writers Redefine Southern Identity (University of Arkansas Press), examines the rhetorical strategies that writers use to prove the authenticity of their recipes in the narrative headnotes of contemporary cookbooks. Her academic work has been published in Gastronomica, Food and Foodways, American Studies, Southern Quarterly, and Food, Culture, and Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast I talk with Travis Milton, chef and founding member of the Appalachian Food Summit. We nerd out on economic development through foodways, sustainability/accessibility, and Appalachian food heritage. We went on for so long, that this will be a two-parter. Next week will be a more tactical episode about how to plan a gala event for foodies. If you like what I'm doing for nonprofits, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. Visit Patreon.com/virtualexecutivedirector and become a monthly supporter today. You'll get exclusive content that is sure to brighten your day and make your nonprofit life just a little easier.

Tribute Work. With Much Grief and Gratitude. Yet another tribute. On September 16th La Taza closes its doors. They’ll be having a huge party to celebrate and I encourage you to get there as soon as your little feet can carry you. Because La Taza rocks. La Taza is badass. La Taza is a motherfucking motherlode of brunch and camaraderie goodness and I’m sad as hell that it’s closing. Because La Taza has been my go-to for coffee, breakfast, and deep soulful insights on a patio that is people-watching heaven for a decade. On a recent Saturday morning, the city market was a zoo. Panic attack inducing crowds of folks looking to stuff their maws with artisanal delights and stuff their tote bags with Sunday supper produce. But La Taza was quiet. Just the regulars. Eating, reading the paper, sipping coffee, discussing life’s big questions. Just how I like it. Just like this. It’s becoming so I’m writing so many obituaries for beloved restaurants I’m starting to feel like the Dave Attell of restaurants. Check out his Facebook page. You’ll see what I mean. Funny man, maybe the funniest comedian alive, but Lord, he’s worse than my grandmother with the death announcements! There I go. Digressing again. Trying to distract myself from the very real white privilege pain of losing another place where I’m a regular. I realize in the grand scheme of things, especially with a hurricane possibly barreling down on us, this doesn’t mean much. Or does it? When community spaces like La Taza close in favor of multi-unit condo high rises and newfangled restaurants with clever concepts from big corporate companies, what are we left with? Will these new places allow us to sit and stare at the street on a hot summer day? Contemplate our next steps? Or will they give us the side-eye and tell us to move along please, pay your check, because we have to turn this table now. Like now. Right now. How can community spaces, restaurants like La Taza, be a source of comfort and steadfast solace during difficult times? Places where you know the name of the waitress, you always order the same thing, and they don’t mind if you sit over your coffee afterward for three-plus hours? What are those places to you? Sure in coffee shops they don’t mind if you nurse a cortado all afternoon (ick, not sure why you do that, oh stop it monkey mind), but in restaurants? It’s rare. And becoming rarer. To me, during a time this summer when my whole world blew up in an instant, places like La Taza offered an oasis in the storm. A place where you know what to expect, you know what will happen, and you know you will be back. Often. Because it’s that sense of comfort that makes you a regular. In places like La Taza, I have business meetings, spend hours brainstorming in a notebook over a cheap cup of coffee, or just meet a friend to vent about the difficulties ahead. In places like La Taza, I come to life realizations, I share laughter with friends, pour over a challenging year ahead with someone very close to my heart, or just stare into space and watch the people walk by. Usually with dogs. It’s very Parisian actually. And Italian. In places like La Taza, with its Guatemalan cuisine diner service, I am allowed to celebrate the concept of dolce far niente. The sweetness of doing nothing. In places like La Taza I’m allowed to just be. I get that Melissa Easter is allowed to sell and close and move on with her life. BELIEVE me, today, on the cusp of making a huge life decision myself, I get this. People change. People move on. But I’m allowed to grieve a little bit. Yes, change is the only constant. All you can change is your attitude towards it. Your perception of it. I just hope the new owners will get to know the community first. Take a minute. Don’t shoehorn some glamorous concept into a space that has been a source of comfort and steady presence for so many. For twelve years. Get to know your guests, the folks who loved La Taza. I’m already worried upon hearing they’ll be expanding to the space next door. Which means they’ll have to fill more tables, which means they might have to turn them over quicker. And on and on and on. But I’m catastrophizing. Something else you do in grief. Perhaps this restaurant death hits me closer to home, hits me a little harder because I did find out about it so suddenly. While buying a soda in Belmont market with a friend the proprietor said, “Isn’t it a shame about La Taza?” And just like that, my steady anchor in my Summer Storm of Sudden Changes went poof. That’s gone too, Jenée. Surf the wave. Surf the wave of your life. Here’s the Hurricane Florence that will finally upend everything so you finally surrender. Ride it. And I promise things will settle down soon. You’ll find another La Taza. And when that one closes, you’ll find another. Because while this kind of restaurant isn’t always the most glamorous or the most desired when it comes to investors, there’s always a need for it. A place to gather for as long as you like. A place where folks ask after you. Like Castiglia’s in Front Royal, where the food is Italian, the chef is Mexican, and the Russian waitress Natasha always asks after me, my dad, and my sister, to Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, where I know I can always get the best chai milkshake on the planet and hide with my thoughts on their back patio, to Blue Ridge Country Store where they don’t mind if my salad is mostly giant hunks of fresh-roasted chicken chased down with a $2 cookie to Blue Moon Diner where they understand that I want extra extra extra powdered sugar on my brunch beignets please at no charge of course to Bodo’s where my order has become a holy catechism I recite by heart. Pastrami swiss on an everything with lettuce tomato mustard cut in half to go, please. The order may change a few cents here or there depending on the quality of the tomatoes but the order? I’m like a monk with a holy scroll. This order is in INK baby. Places like Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie where a to-go Bellissima cures all ills. Those of you who’ve eaten there know what the fuck I mean. These are the places I run to when I need a food hug. Not the places with $32 entrées and silly drinks and leather banquettes and the attitude that comes with them. Places I can no longer afford anyway. Yes, when I need help, I find comfort in the form of places I can metaphorically throw my shoes off in and toss all my cares in the corner to be picked up on my way out. Places like La Taza. They are important to communities. And it’s so important that we keep them. Thank you Melissa Easter and your entire staff. For feeding me. For the caffeination. For the hours spent staring into space deciding what the fuck it is I want to do with the rest of my life. For having enough coffee and avocado toast in me to realize I was staring into space and maybe I should just fake it til I make it, pretend like I knew what I was doing until I actually did. Not sure if it was the ambiance, or the food, or the great coffee that helped. I just know it did and for that, I’m forever grateful. May your future journeys be as comforting as La Taza was to me. Thank you. SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: La Taza is having a party this weekend. You should totally go. It's the Last Dance people! Appalachian Food Summit. Also this weekend. Also in West Virginia. During a hurricane. Pray for them. Good food, good folks, great cause. Big Love for AFS! Oxford American's Profile of Robert Gipe. By Beth Macy, author of "Dopesick." You'd be hard-pressed to find a better author, a better conversation, a more serious epidemic than this one. What are you waiting for? Go read it! Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to. Subscribers get new episodes instantly, while non-subscribers have to wait a few hours or days depending on the Apple Podcast Gods. Never miss a chance to be edacious! Subscribe to the 3dacious newsletter! - The Top 3 listings for food writing, events, and food I forked delivered weekly to your inbox with minimal fuss in a nice and neat to-go package. Leave a review about Edacious! - Click the link, then "View in iTunes" then "Ratings and Reviews". Whether you think it's great, or not so great, I want to hear from you. I might just read your review on the air! Whoa! #famousforahotminute This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.

Season 5, Episode 18June, 2, 2018Amy visits with Chef John Fleer, Rhubarb Restaurant, Asheville, NC. http://rhubarbasheville.com/Fred Sauceman visits with King Tut’s Grill, Vestal, Tennessee. https://www.facebook.com/fred.saucemanPlus a huge list of food and farming related activities in the area presented by area non profit organizations. (Links below)Links to mentioned events during the show as a public service to area non profit organizations:Century Harvest Farms http://www.centuryharvest.com/, 2nd Harvest Food Bank volunteer link: East Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/ETNYFC/Nourish Knoxville Market Square Farmers’ Market: https://www.nourishknoxville.org/market-square-farmers-market/Dixie Lee Farmers’ Market: http://www.dixieleefarmersmarket.com/Maryville Farmers’ Market: http://www.farmersmarketmaryville.com/East Tennessee Farmers Association of Retail Marketing: http://www.easttnfarmmarkets.org/index.aspCAC Beardsley Farm: https://www.facebook.com/beardsleyfarm/CAC Beardsley Community Farm Annual Solstice Dinner: Beardsley Farm - https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3414443Sevierville Market (every Friday): https://www.facebook.com/events/533684190090056/Eastside Sunday Market: https://www.facebook.com/EastsideSundayMarket/Morgan County Farmers Market: https://www.facebook.com/Morganfarmersmarket/Harriman Farmers Market: https://www.facebook.com/HarrimanFarmersMarket/Seymour Farmers Market: http://seymourfarmersmarket.org/East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Farmer’s Market: https://www.facebook.com/events/2015370921838195/ Chef Fleer behind the cafeteria line dishing out his ham and ham sauce at the 2nd Appalachian Food Summit.

Writing Work. Victuals Love. Sorghum and Salt. Welcome to the third in a series of FOUR podcasts celebrating the Virginia Festival of the Book! From March 16th-19th you will hear from the country's best and brightest when it comes to food writing. Today's episode? Food writer Ronni Lundy whose newest creation, Victuals, is a celebration of Appalachian foodways, one ingredient at a time. Victuals just won the 2017 IACP award for American Cookbook of the Year and is a finalist for the James Beard award in American Cooking. Seed saver Bill Best has called Victuals, "The 67th book of the bible!" and I agree wholeheartedly. This volume is going all the way baby! Ronni will be appearing at three events as part of the festival, including a talk I'm moderating, "Save Room! Cookbooks With a Sweet Tooth!" Event details are listed below. This episode is a re-airing of the lovely talk I had with Ronni at the tail end of the 2015 Appalachian Food Summit. Can you really get a sense of a region's history through one ingredient? This food writer and Appalachia advocate knows you can. Her books, Victuals, and Sorghum's Savor do just that. While both contain recipes, a good portion of the books talk about ingredient history, what each is and isn't, and the fascinating stories behind the folks who bring that food to your table. As one of the founders of the Appalachian Food Summit, Ronni knows such stories are integral to understanding the evolution of a culture. Which is why we begin this episode's discussion around the history of salt. At the 2015 gathering, we were fortunate enough to have Nancy Bruns of JQ Dickinson Salt Works, a 7th generation salt farmer. Nancy considers salt an agricultural ingredient because in her words it is harvested from the ground and ripened by the sun. The history and evolution of this ingredient relate well to Appalachia's history as a land of extraction, as well as providing a base camp for all sorts of stories and anecdotes related to its history, harvest, and use. Appalachia is a storytelling culture, and Ronni deftly uses this to incorporate important lessons into her tales. Because the purpose of the summit is to not only preserve but to move Appalachia into the growing, abundant, thriving, economically and environmentally productive region we all know it can be. It's an heirloom that just needs a little spit shine. It's time for a revival. The fellowship from food gatherings is one of the hallmarks of Appalachia. Food as communion. Food as revival. Not food as performance where chefs come out after sweating their butts off in a kitchen just to receive a smattering of applause. There's a reason people crave the homemade meals from their upbringing. Food grown from heritage seeds taste better, keep longer, are better for the environment, and preserve history. We discuss The Appalachian Food Summit, its goals, and how Facebook helped get it started, Why was it important to serve the meal at the 2015 gathering cafeteria style? What exactly does Chef Travis Milton mean when he called this dinner a "fancy-ass Picadilly"? You're in for a treat guys. Ronni Lundy is a kick-ass broad. You're going to learn a lot. But these lessons are mixed in with great stories. Or as Ronni's says, "A little sugar before your medicine." Enjoy this episode then head out to all three events! See you there! BONUS LISTENING BELOW! JUST HIT THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON! Hear Ronni's talk at the 2016 Appalachian Food Summit: The Biscuit Love Rocking Chair Keynote: The Magical Mammy & the Granny Woman: How Malinda Russell’s Journeys Break the Chains of Myth Toni Tipton-Martin, author of the James Beard Award-winning, The Jemima Code and Ronni Lundy of Victuals discuss how exploring foodways can give voice to people and cultures otherwise ignored or misrepresented in history, and how that changes our ideas of where we come from and who we are. [button color="dark" link="http://traffic.libsyn.com/edacious/066_BONUS_Ronni__Toni_SS_at_AFS.mp3" width="200" id="Download"] Download Episode[/button]   Save Room! Cookbooks with a Sweet Tooth Wed. March 22, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Barnes & Noble, Barracks Road Shopping Center, Charlottesville Cookbook authors Sheri Castle (Rhubarb) and Ronni Lundy (Sorghum’s Savor) will discuss their work. Cooking Demos Thu. March 23, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM The Charlottesville Cooking School, Meadowbrook Shopping Center, Charlottesville Join Sheri Castle (Rhubarb), Shane Mitchell (Far Afield), and Ronni Lundy (Victuals), as they each give a cooking demonstration of recipes from their cookbooks. Food Traditions and Women Chefs Thu. March 23, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, 233 4th St NW, Charlottesville, Virginia Join Ashley Christensen (Poole’s Diner), Shane Mitchell (Far Afield), and Ronni Lundy (Victuals) as they discuss traditional food and cooking methods and their experiences as female chefs. SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: Rally for Ally - help out one of our own, a chef who recently suffered a debilitating accident. Help Polina Recover - help out one of our own, a baker, who recently suffered a debilitating accident. Help Scotty Recover - my best friend has Stage 3B Colorectal cancer. Bills are piling up. He can't work. Can you help? Virginia Festival of the Book - Head out to the food writing events among tons of others. Yes, I'm biased. Subscribe to This Podcast. Stay Edacious! - Come on, after this episode? You know you want to ;) Subscribe to Edacious News - Never miss a food event in our area! Learn about regional and national food stories so you can stay edacious! This episode is sponsored by Teej.fm and listeners like you who donated their support at Patreon, who wants every creator in the world to achieve a sustainable income. Thank you.

GO TO HTTP://EDACIOUS.CO/053 TO PURCHASE THIS EPISODE! Revival Work. Welcome to Sounds of the Summit, a compilation of stories, music, oral histories, and regional food studies collected during the 2016 Appalachian Food Summit in Berea, Kentucky. Back in 2013 or thereabouts, an interesting discussion developed on Facebook. Did cornbread have sugar in it? Or not? There were enthusiastic supporters on both sides, so much so a few enterprising folks decided to create a Facebook group dedicated to Appalachian Foodways. Then someone, maybe food writer Ronni Lundy, suggested we meet and discuss this important issue. Maybe over food. And fellowship. And bourbon. And more food. With those words the first Appalachian Food Summit was born. That first year at Hindman Settlement School we had a church potluck, talked about heirloom seed saving, recorded oral histories, and listened to incredible bluegrass music. The following year saw us in Abingdon, Virginia at beautiful Heartwood, where Chef Travis Milton created a gourmet cafeteria-style meal he deemed "The Fancy Ass Picadilly" and Nancy Bruns of JQ Dickinson Salt-Works taught us all about the origins of salt mining in West Virginia. Just to name a few. Because Appalachian lessons? Stories? There were a lot. It must have been quite something because the Southern Foodways Alliance awarded AFS its John Egerton Prize in 2015. GO TO EDACIOUS.CO TO PURCHASE THIS EPISODE! This year found the summit in Berea, Kentucky where the college has given us a home base in which to explore themes around regional identity, myths, and the culture of extraction for the next few years. The theme was "Routes and Roadways" and over two days dozens of authors, scholars, and foodways enthusiasts presented their findings. Appalachia is a traveled region, whether you're headed up the hill, through the holler, or just a traveler passing through. It's been that way for hundreds of years. What has changed? What hasn't? The 2016 summit attempted to find out. And find out it did. In this episode I present seven summit speakers intertwined with my own thoughts after attending. It's a unique episode and one I had great joy creating. As they say in the movies I laughed. I cried. And in the end it reminded me why the Appalachian Food Summit remains the food cause closest to my heart. Because although I'm not always sure of my connection to the region, I always know I'm welcome to the table. Thanks so much for your support of this effort. By listening, you donate $1 to ensure the 2017 summit will be the best ever. Cheers. FABULOUS PRIZES! Listen and win. Starting next Monday, November 14th, I'll choose one winner per week for the next five weeks. Thank you to these local business for donating: $50 gift certificate - Splendora's Gelato (Episode 008) $50 gift certificate - ThreePenny Café (Episode 051) $50 gift certificate - Cicchetti Bar at Tavola (Episode 026) 3-month pie club membership - The Pie Chest One dozen free apple cider doughnuts - Carpe Donut (Episode 043) Summit Speakers - There were SO many great ones. Please check out the full lineup here. And thank you to the following musicians, storytellers, and scholars for offering up their art for this episode: Matt Parsons, musician. Robert Gipe, author of Trampoline. Courtney Balestier is a West Virginia writer whose interests focus on Appalachian food and culture, particularly issues of identity, belonging, and class (Episode 52). Silas House is a nationally bestselling writer and serves as the NEH Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College. Dr. Alicestyne Turley is the Director of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education and is an Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies at Berea College. Toni Tipton-Martin is an award-winning food and nutrition journalist and community activist who is busy building a healthier community through her books, classes, and foundation. Toni is the author of the James Beard Award-winning book, The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks. Ronni Lundy has long chronicled the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist and cookbook author. Lundy can currently be found behind the wheel of her trusty Astrovan, touring the country with her newest critically-acclaimed book, Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes. Special thank you to Amy Campbell Rochelson of The Tennessee Farm Table podcast, who graciously lent me her recording of Robert Gipe's reading when my own bit the big one. Thank you Amy! Special thank you to our head organizer Lora Smith, without whom none of this would have been possible! You're a rockstar Lora. Thank you. This episode is sponsored by YOU.  That is, if you listen. It's only $1 and all proceeds benefit the 2017 Appalachian Food Summit. Thank you. GO TO EDACIOUS.CO TO PURCHASE THIS EPISODE!

Writing Work. Are West Virginia pepperoni rolls "just" bread and pepperoni? Or is it something more? Food as symbol of Appalachian identity, culture, and pride. Meet Courtney Balestier who used the word "just" as the starting point and focus of her talk at this year's Appalachian Food Summit in Berea, Kentucky where this conversation was recorded. Where most people see just a few ingredients, a simple food easy to dismiss, Courtney sees something ingenious and quite meaningful. Courtney is a James Beard-nominated fantastic new voice in food writing and her thoughts on the devoted followers of the pepperoni roll is a big reason why. Not only did it originate in West Virginia, it's the state food. But unless you grew up there you may not have heard of it. Once you've tasted one? Expect regular cravings. Like other regional favorites there are heated discussions as to what constitutes the proper roll. Cheese or no cheese? Sticks or medallions? No matter your preference, everyone agrees the bread must come from a handful of small bakeries in West Virginia and nowhere else. What happened when Sheetz tried to source outside the region? Why was the roll created in the first place? We talk about that as well as the interesting source behind Courtney's piece, published in Vice Munchies last year. Hear her presentation in its entirety during next week's BONUS episode, "Sounds of the Summit" to benefit the 2017 Appalachian Food Summit. Courtney discovered food writing kind of by accident. After getting her Master's degree in Magazine Journalism from NYU she worked for Everyday with Rachel Ray, freelanced for magazines both in food and music, then came to a crossroads. Music or food? Which one drove her passions? Ultimately food because so many issues can be addressed using it as a starting point. Including Appalachian identity, a focus close to her heart. "You don't know your identity until you leave a place." - Toni Tipton Martin, author of The Jemima Code Courtney didn't care about Appalachian cuisine until she graduated from WVU. Although not born in West Virginia, she went to school there and feels an affinity with the region. What is her Appalachian identity? Where does she fit in? One way is through food. Everybody eats after all. I can relate. As a woman from Richmond, with relatives in the Shenandoah Valley and Appalachia, I'm not from there either. But I am. My roots are shallow but my connection to this region is as deep as the gorges I drove through on the way to the summit. But am I allowed at the table? Or do folks with deep roots have more say in what happens in this region? Are enthusiastic transplants equally welcome? For a long time Appalachia has been a region of extraction, where folks take resources for use somewhere else. With this being the norm for so long, can folks with deep roots welcome newcomers who want to help? We talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this as well as the ramifications behind Appalachia becoming the culinary world's newest darling. What happens when folks attempt to interpret Appalachian cuisine in new ways through books like Ronni Lundy's, Victuals? Are these recipes historical artifacts to be preserved or jumping off points for new creations? Courtney has been published in all the giants: Oxford American, The New Yorker, Lucky Peach, Punch, just to name a few. Her piece "Let Us Now Retire the Whiskey Woman" was nominated for a James Beard award last year and acts as a jumping off point for a terrific discussion on the "Cool Girl" gender stereotype in the world of food. Meet the "Whiskey Woman," a stereotype that came into its own with Gillian Flynn's novel, Gone Girl. The spirits industry followed soon after with commercials starring Mila Kunis and Christina Hendricks embodying a superficial carefree-no-worries-but-can-drink-you-under-the-table woman popping up all over. Why is this bullshit? What's the difference between a Whiskey Woman and a woman who just prefers bourbon? We'll "woman-splain" in this episode. ;) We also delve a bit into gender studies related to the world of food writing. Is it more celebrated now because more men are tackling it? Women have always excelled in this genre, but more often men win the awards. Why is that? And why isn't food writing more popular? What has been her food writing journey and what tips does she have for new writers? That's here too. The Appalachian Food Summit is a perfect forum to present these kinds of stories. Stories that preserve history. Stories that teach and dispel long-held myths around regions of our country and its beloved foods. And it doesn't matter where you're from, all are welcome to the table. Find your way in. It's one reason this cause is so dear to me. Hear Courtney's full talk next week, Thursday, November 3rd, during my special episode, "Sounds of the Summit". It's a compilation of talks, stories, and music recorded live at this year's summit in Berea, Kentucky in September. It only costs $1 and all proceeds go towards making next year's summit the best ever. I hope you'll join me. Cheers. SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: The Testosterone Takeover of Southern Food Writing - Kathleen Purvis tackles a difficult issue. Why are men winning all the awards when women have been writing in this genre longer and more often? Blood, Bones & Butter - Chef Gabrielle Hamilton writes about her life. One of my favorite pieces of food writing ever. She was just made food columnist for the New York Times magazine. Hooray! Consider the Fork - Laurie Colwin's magnificent work on this humble instrument. John T. Edge - Amazing food writer and one of the founders of the Southern Foodways Alliance. This episode is sponsored by MarieBette Café and Bakery.

Wine Work. Sometimes in my travels, I meet a person whose excitement and passion for what they do is so all-encompassing I decide I must talk with them immediately. Meet Erin Scala, sommelier at Petit Pois and Fleurie restaurants in Charlottesville, Virginia.  I met Erin during an incredible and completely unplanned experience at Fleurie during the Virginia Festival of the Book. Chef Nora Pouillion, Gail Hobbs-Page, and Martha Stafford invited me to dinner, so of course I said yes. When I observed Erin's enthusiasm for pairing wine with food, I asked her to be on the podcast right then and there. Erin came to the wine world unexpectedly when she started working in restaurants to support a burgeoning career as a drummer. Which ultimately brought her to Fleurie. One day she overheard the chef talking with the distributor about a wine that smelled of olives. This created a spark of interest. After tasting this wine paired with a tapenade, a passion was born. Soon after she was spending all of her extra time and money buying wine, reading about wine, learning and living the world of wine. Her approach to pairing is unique and fascinating. The Washington Post agrees. As a sommelier, Erin observes her customer closely. What do they order? Is it meats or a light salad? Are they trying to impress a date or client? Do they butter their bread heavily or not at all? Do they drink their water without ice? What cocktail are they enjoying? Only after gathering this information does she make her suggestions to give the diner perfect synergy between food and wine. She keeps records of what wine they ordered last time and whether or not they enjoyed it. This kind of attention to detail ensures excellent customer service. It's a challenging skill to create a wine list. You must choose ones that taste good, are a good value, but still meet your bottom line. How does she make her selections? By not padding it with popular selling varietals instead choosing carefully, making sure each wine pairs well with the food served in each restaurant. She pulls from her past experience as a musician to "compose" every pairing, using music-related words to describe the wines to folks who might be intimidated by the numerous choices. It's worth it to put your trust in the sommelier if the wine list looks good. They took the time to create it and know it better than anyone. Pro tip: doing a bit of research on the sommelier and learning what wines they're passionate about prior to visiting can enhance your dining experience. What is Erin's "passion point"? We talk about it. Above all, don't be intimidated by the sommelier. Talk to them frankly about your needs, likes, and dislikes. They are there to guide you, not make you look stupid. Trust them. Although you don't need certification to work as a sommelier, in the current era of booming demand the profession is becoming more academic by the minute.  An entire industry onto itself. New programs are springing up everywhere, a huge change from the past when this knowledge was passed down informally to each succeeding generation. What are the effects of the business becoming credentialed and maybe at times, dogmatic? We talk about that as well as the special challenges with regard to the drinking age in this country. Erin is currently working toward her Master of Wine (MW) degree. There are fewer than 300 of them in existence. Consider it a PhD in wine because as a pre-requisite she completed all three levels in The Wine and Spirits Education Trust and was awarded a Diploma of Wine & Spirits (DWS) degree. No small feat! We also talk about the Winemaker's Research Exchange in Charlottesville. The first group of its kind in the world! Wine makers, sellers, distributors, and sommeliers getting together to learn from each other doing research on grape varietals, experimenting with all sorts of different kinds of wine and comparing results. That's what I call a community connection! Why does riesling get a bad rap? Are wine consumers different in New York than they are here? How did the sommelier profession begin? How is the Fleurie name related to wine? What is orange wine and how is it made? Can we ever make grappa here in Virginia? Does she have unique challenges being a female in a male-dominated field? We discuss all of it. We also head down the rabbit hole and do a live wine tasting because I asked the question, "What is the ultimate good pairing?". Which of course meant we also had to experience the ultimate bad one. Such fun. Plus, I discovered my new favorite wine. What was in both pairings? Listen to find out! I recently dined at Fleurie again, where Erin's husband Joseph is a co-owner along with chef Brian Helleberg. The experience was extraordinary. I felt completely taken care of in every aspect. It got me thinking. How many restaurants out there are like that? Places where you feel you can totally relax the minute you step in the door because you can confidently put your trust in every person on staff. You don't even have to think, just sit down and say, "Order for me." Fleurie is definitely one of those places, and Erin's wine skills are a huge reason why. I love wine but don't know much about it. So I learned a ton during this episode and I know you will too. The biggest thing I learned? There are terrific wines in every category. So step outside of your comfort zone, don't order that sauvignon blanc you always do, and put your trust in a great sommelier like Erin Scala. Santé! SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: I'll Drink To That! - A terrific podcast all about the people doing the work of wine. Very similar to Edacious! Erin does the introductions to every podcast, offering up great stories and information about all things grape. Thinking-Drinking - Erin's blog, full of news, musings, stories, and tons of information about wine. Somm - Sommeliers compete for the ultimate title. Entertaining, but also kind of ridiculous in my opinion. What do you think? The Supersizers Go! - British personalities Giles Coren and Sue Perkins eat their way through almost every era in history. Ridiculously funny and entertaining. Charlottesville Pie Fest - Do you have what it takes? Register your pie at the link! Can't master pie crust yet? Then show up and eat a slice to benefit the Crozet United Methodist Church Food Pantry. October 9th at Crozet Mudhouse. We need sponsors! We need judges! We need prizes! Contact me for details, and don't miss my BONUS episode about the pie festival this Monday! Appalachian Food Summit - In its 3rd year, this summit started over a discussion on Facebook as to whether or not cornbread contains sugar. Its mission is to educate everyone on the valuable contributions Appalachia has made to food culture, and to celebrate its vibrant and thriving foodways. We're not living in the past people! Appalachian food is alive and well, growing and changing all the time. Experience it for yourself! Virginia Festival of the Book - Are you a restaurant owner willing to donate your space for a food event? Then VA Festival of the Book wants to talk to you! Contact me for more details. This episode is sponsored by MarieBette Café & Bakery.

Bread Work. In France, the boulangerie or bakery is the epicenter of any great neighborhood. Folks stop in daily for fresh bread and pastries, sharing news of the day, making small talk, and commiserating over neighborhood issues. Not just a place to pick up simple, delicious food made with yeast, salt, and water but a gathering place. A community space. Meet Jason Becton and Patrick Evans of MarieBette Café & Bakery who are accomplishing the same thing in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Charlottesville, Virginia. MarieBette just won numerous accolades in the Best of Cville Awards, including "Best Pastry" and "Best Bakery". There's a reason everyone who visits me requests a trip to this great bakery and neighborhood family restaurant serving lunch and brunch. Not dinner because from the moment they started, Jason and husband Patrick made a commitment to be home in time to eat with their children, Marian and Betty, the bakery's namesakes. Jason started in advertising before heading to culinary school and working in restaurants like The Four Seasons and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Patrick followed a similar route, working at Dan Barber's Blue Hill, then several bakeries throughout Manhattan. Working in all of these different environments taught both what they wanted for their own business. Simple, tasty, ingredient-driven dishes. Fresh herbs. Seasonal, local ingredients with no heavy sauces. Not exclusively French but European inspired. So they moved from New York to Charlottesville, where Patrick has roots. Neither one had ever owned a business. How did they develop their plan? The answer will surprise you! MarieBette is the result of that plan, a family place in the truest sense of the word. Patrick's father's paintings adorn the walls. His mother upholstered all of the seating. And together Jason and Patrick work to ensure each side of the establishment thrives and complements the other. Partners in life and terrific partners in business. Don't miss the story of how they met. It's the ultimate chef-related "Meet Cute" if you ask me. Patrick handles the bread while Jason handles the restaurant side. They separate responsibilities to match their working styles and personalities,  operating a flourishing business together. If you've ever tried to eat brunch on a Saturday you know what I mean. Does being married offer up special challenges to running a business? What was one major argument involving a popular bakery item? Listen to find out! Patrick makes each croissant, baguette, and pastry by hand every day. Most places get their croissant dough shipped due to the amount of work. So that's really something. Everything is authentically European, so it's never a bomb of sugar. I've learned so much about French pastry since MarieBette opened. And after tasting their canelés and kouign-amann I'm spoiled for anything else. Not to mention the brioche feuilletée! What happens to a small bakery when one of their pastries goes viral? A blessing or a curse? This is what happened last year when local food writer C. Simon Davidson ate one, fell in love, coined the term "bronut", and off it went. Lines around the block. Eater, Food & Wine, and other major sites hounded them. Demands came in from around the country. But shipping bronuts? Out of the question because they wouldn't taste as good. They still sell out and the day I was there the platter sat empty, a testament to just how delicious this brioche/croissant hybrid really is. The restaurant side is equally stellar. Terrific sandwiches and seasonal salads, great mains like Quiche Lorraine. Salad Niçoise that's out of this world. But brunch remains my favorite. Classic Oeufs En Cocotte, eggs baked in a water bath till they are just done and finished with cream, garlic, and fines herbs. Served with toast sticks for dipping. Yum. And it's not all bread and brunch. MarieBette also hosts a monthly wine and cheese tasting as part of the Charlottesville Alliance Française, part of a national nonprofit organization promoting French and French culture. Check out their Facebook page for updates on these great events. Is Charlottesville a utopia of acceptance for LGBT-owned businesses? We discuss this important issue and the triumphs and challenges it can bring to a family considered nontraditional by some. Love is love folks. And family restaurants, no matter what form they take, help make a community stronger. Speaking of community, what about development in Rose Hill? Should we be excited? Worried? How does MarieBette fit in and what do the neighbors think? We talk about the growing pains Charlottesville is experiencing, including the growing parking problem in and around Preston Avenue. You can find MarieBette bread at the Charlottesville City Market, Foods of All Nations, Threepenny Café, and JM Stock and Provisions. The energy in the space is so happy and positive, so much so after the interview I asked Jason if I could record future conversation there. I'm thrilled to say he said yes and I'm so grateful for this new partnership. This was one fantastic conversation, both for the topics and because Jason has such a great laugh! Even though Patrick couldn't join us, he was hard at work downstairs developing the next delicious creation. I can't wait to devour it! Now go listen guys. I'm headed downstairs to inhale an olive baguette. Yum. SHOW NOTES – Links to resources talked about during the podcast: Taste This! - Jason is on the board of Meals on Wheels and helped organize this year's event to benefit that important organization. More than 25 area restaurants offer up their best morsels for your enjoyment. September 20th at the Boar's Head Inn! Charlottesville Pie Fest - Do you have what it takes? Register your pie at the link! Can't master pie crust yet? Then show up and eat a slice to benefit the Crozet United Methodist Church Food Pantry. October 9th at Crozet Mudhouse. Appalachian Food Summit - In its 3rd year, this summit started over a discussion on Facebook as to whether or not cornbread contains sugar. Its mission is to educate everyone on the valuable contributions Appalachia has made to food culture, and to celebrate its vibrant and thriving foodways. We're not living in the past people! Appalachian food is alive and well, growing and changing all the time. Experience it for yourself! Virginia Festival of the Book - Are you a restaurant owner willing to donate your space for a food event? Then VA Festival of the Book wants to talk to you! Contact me for more details. This episode is sponsored by MarieBette Café & Bakery.

Welcome to Giving Back November! All month long I'm profiling food nonprofits in our area. Meet John Hernandez, president of UVA's Hoos for Heifers, whose mission is twofold: get students out to the farm to see how our food is grown, and collect funds so folks in need can enjoy local grass-fed beef. John, a history major, comes from a 4th-generation family of cattle farmers in Bristol, Virginia which makes him uniquely qualified for this endeavor. As he states, "I'm a Carhartt kid in a North Face world." I met John's parents, Johnna and Saul Hernandez of Mi Terra Farm at the Appalachian Food Summit in September. When I heard John's unique perspective, I knew I had to have him on the show. Through a partnership with Bill and Cynthia McCaskill of Quarters Farm and Loaves and Fishes, a Charlottesville-based food pantry, John and all the members of Hoos for Heifers are ensuring students have a hands-on experience and needy folks get to enjoy organic pasture-raised beef which is better for you but can be prohibitively expensive. Why beef? Because most people eat it. Beef's price points are higher than chicken and turkey. So how can we provide the best quality to folks who can't afford it? Hoos for Heifers is attempting to do just that. We discuss the organization in depth and talk a lot about his family background and childhood experiences. It's not all scenes of Pinterest pastoral. This is real life folks. This is income. There are hard realities that must be faced. Many farmers have a day job just to make ends meet. Add onto that the everyday realities of making dinner and getting kids to soccer practice and it's any wonder why the industry is aging out. Grass fed beef wasn't always higher in price than grain fed. Why? What does John think when he hears "Appalachian Cuisine?" How does the notion of "privilege" fit into it all? And what does it mean to be a Carhartt kid in a North Face world? You'll have to listen to find out. I was inspired by Johnna and Saul's words at the summit and even more inspired by the son they raised. Hoos for Heifers is collecting donations until the end of the Fall semester. So there's still time to donate! Go here. Now. And Happy Thanksgiving. SHOW NOTES - Links to items discussed within the episode: Hoos for Heifers on Facebook Better World Collective - a Charlottesville-based fundraising and donation intermediary for nonprofits. This episode is sponsored by In A Flash Laser Engraving.

Appalachian Food Summit Organic Farming

All month long I've brought you stories and interviews with some of the founders of the Appalachian Food Summit. I wanted to end October's exploration with the woman whose question started it all. Not long ago Kendra Bailey Morris, food writer and PR Manager for the Virginia Distillery Company, asked a question about Appalachian cuisine on Facebook. What followed was a discussion with commentary exceeding 200 posts. Someone suggested a group, and after a while, another person suggested a gathering. Thus, The Appalachian Food Summit was born. This is the last in a four-part series on the summit, a gathering of folks committed to preserving Appalachia's unique cuisine and heritage, while at the same time bringing the region forward into one of economic vibrancy and cultural celebration. It's a mission of love and revival for an important part of our country needing some attention. While at the same time making sure Appalachia doesn't descend into stereotype and the food remains pure and unadulterated, not becoming a fancypants parody of itself. It's a gathering of inclusion, not exclusion, and prices for attendance are kept low so it's accessible and affordable for everyone. The Southern Foodways Alliance must agree with me because over the weekend Lora Smith was presented the 2015 John Egerton Prize on behalf of the Appalachian Food Summit. Insert thunderous applause here. This was a unique interview done in two parts because sometimes life throws you a curveball.  In the first part recorded shortly before the summit in Abingdon, Kendra had just come from her grandmother's funeral. Granny lived to be 100, and it was her love of food that started Kendra on her career path. We talk about her dressing in muffin tins with black walnuts from her tree. How the muffin tins make it crispy so guys working in coal mines and farm fields could take it with them. What is the right way to make West Virginia pepperoni rolls and what is grit bread? We discuss Kendra's traditional path to food writing and talk about how that is all but gone with the advent of social media. We're also joined by Tricia Zawhorodny of the Virginia Distillery Company, for a lively discussion (and sampling) of their Highland-style single malt whisky. Made from 100% barley at the facility by a Scottish master distiller, the caramel-colored nectar is soft and delicious, redolent of honey and heather. Virginia Distillery Company opens mid-November on 100 acres in Lovingston, and will not only include a tasting room, but a huge indoor-outdoor fireplace, a museum, and an interactive tour. Tricia hails from Waynesboro, Virginia with an extensive background in food, including front of house, back of house, bartending, and a stint working for Sysco which brought her to the present position at VDC. In the second portion of the interview recorded at Wintergreen, Kendra and I talk about the upcoming VDC grand opening. We also reflect on the mission and future of the Appalachian Food Summit now that it's winning awards. How can we make sure Appalachian cuisine stays true to itself and not become, ugh, TRENDY? What does the threat of a pipeline mean for Nelson county and how in the hell can we stop it? What classic Asian dish can be made in a crock pot? Finally, what volatile question on Facebook began the Appalachian Food Summit? You'll just have to listen to find out. SHOW NOTES - Links to items discussed within the episode: The Southern Slow Cooker - Kendra Bailey Morris creates Southern classics in a crock pot to scrumptious results. White Trash Gatherings - need a little something to take to your next family reunion "down home"? Kendra can help. Friends of Nelson County - stop the Dominion pipeline! Sign up to keep informed. Crock Pot Pho - from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen. Create this classic dish in hours rather than days. With minimal time at the stove. The Southern Living Community Cookbook: Celebrating Food and Fellowship in the American South - another instant Southern cookbook classic from Chef extraordinaire Sheri Castle. A Chef's Life, Season 3, Episode 7, "A Casserole Says Plenty" - Chef Sheri Castle gives her two cents on creating the perfect casserole every single time. This episode is sponsored by In A Flash Laser Engraving.

Saturday, October 17th at 9:00 A.M. on The Tennessee Farm Table subject is "SALT". We visit with Nancy Bruns of the J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works. This 7th generation salt-making family harvests an all-natural salt by hand, from an ancient ocean trapped below the Appalachian Mountains of the Kanawha Valley in West Virginia. We bring this to the show to serve as an example of a progressive, Appalachian, agricultural enterprise with an eye on sustainability. More information at: http://www.jqdsalt.com/ We also will feature the art of Amy Cameron Evans. She illustrated the stories found in the "Saltville" Cookbook and was Artist in Redidence at the Appalachian Food Summit. Connect with Amy on Instagram and Twitter from her website http://www.amycevans.com. She has a large assortment of prints and paintings to choose from. Amy Evans Art. View the work from the Saltville Cookbook on her Instagram page.

In last week's podcast we talked about how one ingredient, salt, can reveal the history of an entire region. But what if you took it further? Meet artist Amy Cameron Evans, a painter who creates narratives based on found objects and food. They're modern still lifes. But they're much more. As Artist-in-Residence for the 2015 Appalachian Food Summit, Amy used recipes and profiles from the Saltville Community Cookbook to create portraits of the wonderful women who contributed their best recipes, and sometimes Glamour Shots (remember those?) to the book. By painting just a few objects and assigning a title, the viewer gets a mental image, a real sense of who this person was. For example, in my favorite piece “Velma Had a Secret” the only thing she paints is a cardboard box of ice cream, some bacon, and a pickle alongside a swatch of fabric. An entire story in just a few words and images. Velma was created from Amy's imagination, but in my mind I have an entire picture of what she looked like. What makes her Saltville work so exciting is for the first time, Amy is creating portraits of actual women. Her exhibit from the Saltville Community Cookbook will be at The Harvest Table Restaurant in Abingdon until October 24th. Go see it! In this episode, we discuss her process and how she came to love the stories behind the objects and recipes she discovers during her travels through local antique shops, used bookstores, and flea markets. Why does she use found wood instead of stretched canvas for her paintings? Does every found object have its own story to tell? What has been her most rewarding work so far? Is there room in the art world for food? Why are still lifes an important historical time capsule not only of what we ate, but how we lived? Has her work as an oral historian with the Southern Foodways Alliance helped her artwork? All this and more in Episode 20. I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did creating it. Cheers. SHOW NOTES - Links to items discussed within the episode: Art & Pie - purchase Amy's work! Saltville Community Cookbook - purchase your own copy. Just for the Chocolate Rice recipe! Sam's Bar-B-Q - read about how Amy helped this small business rebuild and repaint their outdoor mural, all the while recording the experience for the Southern Foodways Alliance as an oral historian. This episode is sponsored by In A Flash Laser Engraving

Part of the Appalachian Food Summit Series. Part 1 of 4. Can you really get a sense of a region's history through one ingredient? Food writer and Appalachia advocate Ronni Lundy knows you can. Her book, Sorghum's Savor does just that. While it contains recipes, a good portion of the book talks about sorghum's history, what it is and isn't, and the fascinating stories behind the folks who bring it to your table. As one of the founders of the Appalachian Food Summit, Ronni knows such stories are integral to understanding the evolution of a culture. Which is why we begin this episode's discussion around the history behind another ingredient, salt. At this year's gathering we were fortunate enough to have Nancy Bruns of JQ Dickinson Salt Works, a 7th generation salt farmer. Nancy considers salt an agricultural ingredient because in her words it is harvested from the ground and ripened by the sun. The history and evolution of this ingredient relates well to Appalachia's history as a land of extraction, as well as providing a base camp for all sorts of stories and anecdotes related to its history, harvest, and use. Appalachia is a storytelling culture, and Ronni deftly uses this to incorporate important lessons into her tales. Because the purpose of the summit is to not only preserve, but to move Appalachia into the growing, abundant, thriving, economically and environmentally productive region we all know it can be. It's an heirloom that just needs a little spitshine. It's time for revival. The fellowship from food gatherings is one of the hallmarks of Appalachia. Food as communion. Food as revival. Not food as performance where chefs come out after sweating their butts off in a kitchen just to receive a smattering of applause. There's a reason people crave the homemade meals from their upbringing. Food grown from heritage seeds taste better, keep longer, are better for the environment, and preserve history. We discuss The Appalachian Food Summit, its goals, and how Facebook helped get it started, Why was it important to serve this meal cafeteria style? What exactly does Chef Travis Milton mean when he called this dinner a "fancy-ass Picadilly"?* You're in for a treat guys. Ronni Lundy is a kick-ass broad. You're going to learn a lot. But these lessons are mixed in through great stories. Or as Ronni's says, "A little sugar before your medicine." Enjoy! This episode is sponsored by In A Flash Laser Engraving. *Look for his interview in Episode 21, up October 16th.

Amy interviews Chef Shelley Cooper of Dancing Bear Lodge Appalachian Bistro in Townsend, TN and Terra Mae Appalachian Bistro in Chattanooga, TN. Chef Cooper is a featured Chef at the Appalachian Food Summit that took place in Abingdon, VA on 9.26.2015