Blind Pig: Preserve

Where did November go?  It seemed to be looming on the horizon just a second ago and now we're knocking on the door of Thanksgiving.  Well if it's time to count blessings I know one thing I was truly thankful to be a part of, Blind Pig's Preserve dinner held in the beautiful new event barn Yesterday's Spaces in Leicester.

Sculpture by Master Piece Ice

This dinner was a spectacular affair from beginning to end and Blind Pig pulled out every stop.  The venue fit the theme perfectly too, an homage to heritage farming and the stories of the families who make these farms possible.  Our charity of the month, Appalachian Food Storybank, a part of Slow Food Asheville, whose mission is "to acknowledge, honor, and archive Appalachian heritage foods and foodways in order to promote the preservation of diverse local knowledges, natural resources, and food biodiversity." 

The featured chef, John Fleer of Canyon Kitchen in Sapphire, NC, has worked to spotlight several of these regional farms for the extraordinary products they make including Benton's Country Ham and Cruze Dairy.  Not only does John turn the products of these traditional family businesses into amazing food, he is also creating interest and demand for their products beyond the local level. 

The evening was also the debut of Blind Pig's first documentary, a series of short films created in collaboration with Aaron Morell of Grae Skye Studios who worked personally with Mike Moore for 6 months finding and telling these precious stories of family farm life. These films will be available through the AFS as well as online.  Here's a link to one of the shorts: Tennessee Cure

I was the featured artist for the night with 12 single print photos on display custom framed by my own sweet husband with reclaimed tobacco stakes.  I'm so grateful to my Blind Pig family for giving me the opportunity to show my work on such a prestigious night.  But all that glory did not keep me from doing my usual role, documenting these amazing one night only masterpiece dinners.  Photos from the entire event are up on Blind Pig's Facebook Page here: Preserve

Here are several of my favorites from the evening.

Chefs Trading "War" Stories.