Farm to Table Supper Club: An Authentic Appalachian Culinary Experience

Writing for Vogue magazine in 1956, journalist Harriet Van Horne, wrote that cooking was like love and should be “entered into with abandon or not at all.” That is my philosophy as a writer, grower, potter and cook.

Like many home cooks, I learned to cook in my grandmother's kitchen. She taught me how to make the Southern staples: fried chicken, collards, stringy roast, oatmeal raisin cookies, grits. 

When I went to England to study Creative Writing, I was welcomed into other kitchens by surrogate grandmothers and other food elders and lovers. There, I learned to cook lamb and butter chicken, gingerbread, and, of course, fish and chips. After I graduated, I ate  my way through Europe and some of East Africa. In the markets I learned how to spot and select fresh ingredients. In cafes and roadside stands, I ate food I delighted in simple street food, and in huts and modest homes, I worked alongside home cooks that could rival most chefs I know.

For my thirtieth birthday, my mother sent me to the Culinary Institute of America for a two-week cooking intensive. I bought a chef's jacket and have been kicking around in various professional and home kitchens since. Currently, I am set to graduate with a culinary certification from Leiths School of Food and Wine in July, 2024. 

Now (and forever more!) I live on a five acre homestead in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in a dreamy, modern farmhouse my husband and I built by hand, smack dab between Lake Watauga and the bustling little railroad town of Johnson City, TN. 

The only thing I love more than truffle butter and the burnt ends of a pork butt are words. Long before I became a chef, I was (and am) a writer and food is my love language. 

Appalachian cuisine is more than just food. It's a testament to a way of life, a connection to the land, and a celebration of resourcefulness. By exploring these recipes and stories, we're not just excavating the past or gettin' some good eatin', but honoring the traditions, people, agricultural practices and histories that have shaped our region and our lives.

So, whether you're a seasoned cook looking for new inspiration, curious about what, exactly, is Appalachian cuisine, or a foodie looking for an unusual Appalachian culinary experience or true farm to table meal, (check out the Midnight Runner's Supper Club), I invite you to come sit at my table, listen to some tall tales, and eat with me!

Seasonality and sustainability

I probably grew several ingredients listed in my recipes and if I didn't grow them, they were sustainably harvested or bought from local growers and ranchers and are almost always in season for a truly farm to table Appalachian culinary experience.

Accessibility

While the recipes featured on this site or at the supper club might have some technical aspects, they are well within your reach as a home cook because I believe that food should be an equalizer, not elitist. 

Surprise

I've led an unconventional life and so it's no wonder that I like my food to have just a dash of eccentricity too. Sometimes that means I'll include an exotic spice or wild-foraged ingredient. Sometimes it's exploring the legacy of ingredients with complicated pasts like mine. However incorporated, my recipes have a dash of surprise because I want the food - and its story - to stick to your ribs.