Participation Type
Roundtable
Session Title
Session 6.15 Education
Presentation #1 Title
Pull Up A Chair: Lessons and Vision From The Appalachian Food Summit
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This panel will share lessons from the inaugural Appalachian Food Summit and welcome discussion about our ongoing work. What started as a Facebook group made up of people from across the U.S. interested in traditional Appalachian food, grew into a historic gathering in the Spring of 2014. The first annual Appalachian Food Summit: A Celebration of Our Appalachian Food Heritage was hosted at the Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky and attracted 75 participants. This multi-state gathering brought together authors, chefs, farmers, advocates, scholars and consumers dedicated to preserving traditional Appalachian foodways and supporting a future where farming, local food and culinary tourism are part of the region’s economic development. Keynotes were given by award-winning filmmaker Jamie Ross and seed saver Bill Best followed by a panel of nonprofit and government organizations supporting local agriculture and culinary tourism in the region. The event culminated with a regionally sourced meal sponsored by the Appalachia Proud label and prepared by celebrated chef Travis Milton. The event received critical praise and attention from local, regional and national media. The next gathering will take place Fall 2015 and the group is working on forming an organization that can host annual events and inspire future scholarship on Appalachian foodways. We invite ASA members to pull up a chair and help us imagine the future of the Appalachian Food Summit while we draw attention to the need for more scholarship and resources given to the study of Appalachian foodways within our community.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Amelia Kirby, Restauranteur and Appalachian Food Summit member (Moderator)
Amelia Kirby is the Development Director at the Appalachian Citizens Law Center and the co-owner of Summit City Lounge in Whitesburg, KY. Since opening Summit City, Amelia has been involved with promoting culinary and cultural tourism as a part of economic transition efforts in the region and has been involved with the Appalachian Food Summit group since its impetus.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Ronni Lundy, Author and Appalachian Food Summit co-convener
Ronni Lundy has long chronicled the people of the hillbilly diaspora as a journalist, cookbook author and founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Her books include Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken: The Heart and Soul of Southern Country Kitchens, Butter Beans to Blackberries: Recipes from a Southern Garden, Cornbread Nation 3: Foods of the Mountain South (ed.) and Sorghum’s Savor.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Travis Milton, Chef and Appalachian Food Summit co-convener
Travis Milton is a native of Castlewood, VA who now plies his craft at Comfort Restaurant in Richmond, VA. Travis and his recipes have been featured in regional and national media outlets including Garden & Gun and The Daily Yonder.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Sheri Castle, Author and Appalachian Food Summit member (tentative)
Sheri Castle is an Appalachian born food writer, cooking teacher, and recipe developer and tester. She has worked on multiple cookbook projects, as a solo author, collaborator, ghostwriter and recipe tester including The New Southern Garden Cookbook, Cornbread Nation 3: Foods of the Mountain South, The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook, Lodge Cast Iron Nation: Great American Cooking from Coast to Coast and The Southern Living Community Cookbook: Celebrating food and fellowship in the American South.
Pull Up A Chair: Lessons and Vision From The Appalachian Food Summit
This panel will share lessons from the inaugural Appalachian Food Summit and welcome discussion about our ongoing work. What started as a Facebook group made up of people from across the U.S. interested in traditional Appalachian food, grew into a historic gathering in the Spring of 2014. The first annual Appalachian Food Summit: A Celebration of Our Appalachian Food Heritage was hosted at the Hindman Settlement School in Kentucky and attracted 75 participants. This multi-state gathering brought together authors, chefs, farmers, advocates, scholars and consumers dedicated to preserving traditional Appalachian foodways and supporting a future where farming, local food and culinary tourism are part of the region’s economic development. Keynotes were given by award-winning filmmaker Jamie Ross and seed saver Bill Best followed by a panel of nonprofit and government organizations supporting local agriculture and culinary tourism in the region. The event culminated with a regionally sourced meal sponsored by the Appalachia Proud label and prepared by celebrated chef Travis Milton. The event received critical praise and attention from local, regional and national media. The next gathering will take place Fall 2015 and the group is working on forming an organization that can host annual events and inspire future scholarship on Appalachian foodways. We invite ASA members to pull up a chair and help us imagine the future of the Appalachian Food Summit while we draw attention to the need for more scholarship and resources given to the study of Appalachian foodways within our community.
