BILTMORE ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL FIELD TO TABLE FESTIVAL

08-29-2008

Celebrating Sustainable Agriculture with Respected Culinary Experts of the South

 

Asheville, N.C. – August 2008 – In honor of its tradition of collaboration between the farmer, the winemaker and the chef; Biltmore announces its first annual Field to Table Festival: A Taste of Appalachia, September 19-28.  The event will be a celebration between field and table and Biltmore’s rich history in sustainable agriculture.  Festival guests can tour the estate and experience culinary demonstrations, interesting panel discussions about food and farming in Appalachia with renowned culinary experts, wine barrel tastings, how-to instructional seminars, estate-inspired menus and live entertainment. 

 

“From the beginning, it was George Vanderbilt’s vision for the estate to be self-sustaining.  This ongoing legacy of sustainable agriculture makes Biltmore a logical location to illustrate the field to table connection,” said Elizabeth Sims, vice president of marketing communications for Biltmore.  “The Field to Table Festival not only celebrates Biltmore’s food and wine traditions and Appalachian heritage, but also our continued commitment to buying and growing locally.”

 

River Bend Barn will represent the “field” aspect of this event, exploring how plants and animals are raised and providing examples of Southern Appalachian field to table practices.  Members of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a nonprofit organization that supports farmers and rural communities in the mountains of Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachians, will assist with demonstrations and participate in conversations with guests.

 

The Biltmore Winery and its surrounding area will represent the “table” aspect of the festival, showing how provisions from the farm are prepared, transformed, and enjoyed.  Two stages will be placed outside the Winery, one with a mobile kitchen to host chef demonstrations and the second to offer special talks and seminars.  Participants will include members of ASAP, the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture with headquarters at the University of Mississippi, which documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South, and local and regional respected culinary figures.

 

Demonstrations, talks and seminars fall under titles such as Barbecue Nation; Benton’s Bacon Cotton Candy and Other Kitchen Magic; Shuck Beans and Mountain Connections; Why Barbecue Couldn’t Climb Old Fort Mountain; Tailgating in the South; Chess Pie; Moonshine, Mr. Jack and Biltmore Wines; and I Eat My Peas with Honey.

 

Along with Biltmore experts, the impressive list of festival participants includes Executive Chef of McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C., Sean Brock; author, Gourmet editor, columnist and the four time James Beard Foundation-nominated John T. Edge; independent journalist, author, social historian and founding member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, John Egerton; famed James Beard Foundation-nominated chef John Fleer; and southern humorist, author and the famous voice of NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” Roy Blount, Jr. 

 

Inside the Winery, guests will enjoy pairing seminars, wine and cheese tasting, talks and seminars, Southern Foodways Alliance documentary films about food traditions from around the South, and cookbook and wine bottle signings. 

 

For additional information please visit www.biltmore.com or call 1-877-BILTMORE.

 

About Biltmore’s Field to Table Program

When George Vanderbilt invited his first guests to Biltmore House in December 1895, he established legendary hospitality, including serving culinary delights grown right on the estate.  From the beginning, it was his vision for Biltmore to be self-sustaining, creating a farm to provide hundreds of varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, a dairy to supply milk, cream, butter and ice cream, and an apiary to produce honey.  Today, Biltmore has an extensive culinary operation featuring five restaurants, vegetable and herb gardens that supply these restaurants, a free-range beef program, a 94-acre vineyard for wine production and the nation’s most visited winery.  Located in Asheville, N.C. the 8,000-acre estate also includes 75-acres of landscaped gardens, the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate and the Outdoor Center, with a range of activities for all adventure levels.  Visit www.biltmore.com for more information.

 

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