Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
From Blind Pig on Facebook:
We are very proud to work with Slow Foods Asheville and The Heritage Foods Committee in our upcoming 2012 film project, dinner and charity: “Preserve” in November featuring Chef John Fleer among a host of other ‘special guests’ to be announced soon! Tickets will go on sale in Mid July for this dinner and film. Keep posted for more info on a dinner and film experience that will truly encapsulate the defining heritage and amazing stories of our unique region of Southern Appalachians.
Award-winning chef John Fleer has been eyeing Asheville as a site for a his first restaurant.
You may have heard Fleer’s name before; he was the executive chef of Blackberry Farm, an Eastern Tennessee resort, for almost 15 years — and simultaneously the general manager of the resort for an understandably tiring spell. There, he pioneered the style now known as “foothills cuisine,” (since trademarked by Blackberry Farm.) Under Fleer’s tenure, Blackberry Farm was mentioned by Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Food and Wine magazines. The resort won numerous awards, including remarkably high honors from Travel + Leisure Magazine, which named the service and cuisine at Blackberry Farm the best, and second best, respectively, for resorts across the globe. “It was a total experience — the food, the stay, the grounds,” says Fleer, who was also a finalist for the James Beard award for best chef in the southeast this year.
More about Slow Foods Asheville and the Heritage Foods Committee here.
What is a Heritage Food?
The Appalachian Foods Storybank will examine locally cultivated or wild plant varieties and animal breeds, and their traditional preparations, within a 100 mile radius of Asheville, NC.
To be deemed ‘heritage’, these foods should be considered an historically integral part of the gastronomic environment and social fabric of a multi-generational Appalachian community. For the purpose of promoting the localization of food networks, the AFS might also acknowledge specific food products that honor the agricultural history or natural ecosystems of Western North Carolina and adhere to a spirit of tradition.
2011/12 Theme – Preservation
The Appalachian Food Storybank will focus on the theme of “preservation” in 2011/12.
Preservation includes any method or preparation that is intended to transform a foodstuff into a state that is more shelf stable than the original food or food product. Also applicable subjects include foods that are prepared with preserved foods.
Examples of preservation methods include drying, fermenting, canning, curing, and pickling. Examples of foods prepared with preserved foods include sauerkraut dishes, stack cakes, foods made with ham hocks or lard.
More on “Preserve” as it develops.
