Taste of Blue Ridge Highlights Blue Ridge Region’s Culinary Attractions

Taste of Blue Ridge hopes to bring attention to the Blue Ridge Mountain region’s culinary attractions. The combined effort of restaurants, chefs, farmers, local vendors and breweries, it highlights the food talent in a sometimes overlooked destination.

“Are you a foodie? Do you travel for food? Here is a look at the food scene just outside of Washington, D.C. right in your backyard,” said Nancy Craun, founder, Taste of Blue Ridge.

“Over the last eight years as I worked to develop the tourism marketing platforms for Go Blue Ridge Travel and our first marketing community — Virginia Kids Trail, I often ate in restaurants through out the Shenandoah Valley and experienced the phenomenal food local chefs were creating. I began to interview the chefs realizing they were often newcomers to the Valley with excellent training from around the United States and the world,” added Craun.

Currently, Taste of Blue Ridge promotes five particular chefs for their contributions to the region’s culinary scene.

You can find Chef Erik Foxx-Nettnin at Magnolias at the Mill in Purcellville, Va. Working out of D.C. previously and raised in Maryland and Virginia, he learned from some of the country’s top talent. “When I worked in DC it was impossible to truly know the farmers behind the locally sourced food products we used. Now that I am right in the middle of the farm hub, I can interact on a daily basis with these farmers and truly build menus around the animals and crops being raised here in the valley,” he noted. Magnolias at the Mill serves an array of grilled burgers and pizzas, hand-cut steaks and hearty salads.

The Redbook Restaurant – Hillbrook Inn and Spa is in the West Virginia portion of the region. At the helm is Chef Steve Ferrell, a Maryland native. There, guests dine on beautifully arranged multicourse dinner offerings, as well as specialty breakfasts and brunches throughout the season.

In Winchester, Va., Chef John Lawrence is the executive chef at The George Washington Hotel. Previously working in the Outer Banks, Lawrence brings a menu filled with seafood to inland diners. “I added oysters [to the menu] – you have to have oysters. I have worked with the Rappahannock Oyster Company in Virginia for years as my house oysters. We serve them raw, we serve them baked and we now added fried oysters to the menu. I want people to see George’s Food and Spirits as a wonderful place to get good seafood,” he noted.

The only female chef on the list is Chef Mindy Biddle, head chef at Locke Store in Millwod, Va. Hailing from New Jersey, she serves an ever-changing menu of comfort foods ranging from chicken pot pies to vegetable tarts, gazpacho to scones.

Lastly, there’s Chef Michael Ritenour, executive chef at Massanutten Resort. He comes from a family of chefs, following in his uncle’s and father’s footsteps. “I think it’s a combination of being exposed at a young age and genetics from family members,” he explains as the history behind his inspiration. At the resort, travelers find several different dining options, ranging from casual to upscale.