Hey, Western North Carolina, specifically Haywood County, is definitely in our "foodshed"--meaning a reasonable area where our food is produced for transport, or for traveling to--they're about 90 minutes away down 40E. And they're in their 9th year of celebrating great restaurants and local foods (regional, to us) at a "Melange in the Mountains" hosted by the Chamber. The schedule looks pretty fun, particularly a "Champagne and Caviar" thingie. Full disclosure: they've asked me to be a judge at the contest that pronounces one restaurant "Culinary Excellence" winner--I'll try to do us all proud with the Knoxville riff on mountain taste. 
I almost had to wipe a tear away at the thought of my now three ears old interview with John Craig about his fledgling biscuit festival, aptly titled (about me, not John) "Biscuit Brain Trust Reject." Then there was the follow up the next spring, a cover story titled International Biscuit Festival Puts Knoxville on the Hot, Buttery Map. This year's huge stride: the festival has landed Southern Living as its exclusive media sponsor. Here's the info, straight from the website:KNOXVILLE, TENN. - The International Biscuit Festival announced that Southern Living will be the exclusive media sponsor for the 2013 Festival, to be held in Knoxville, TN on May 16-18, 2013. The International Biscuit Festival celebrates that most perfect of foods - the Biscuit.
"We are thrilled to have Southern Living as a partner in the Festival," said John Craig, Biscuit Boss of the International Biscuit Festival. "Biscuits and Southern Living are touchstones of Southern culture."
Southern Living celebrates the best of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 16 million consumers each month, the
Southern Living brand connects consumers with the region's rich culture through a variety of media platforms and branded products. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest content companies
"We will never give up on our quest to discover or formulate the world's most perfect biscuit. It's one of our culture's simplest, most satisfying soul foods," said Lindsay Bierman, editor of
Southern Living. "The Festival celebrates our passion for one of the great pillars and joys of Southern cooking."
We are looking forward to a fun, casual, and informative afternoon of mushroomy nerdiness. Festivities will begin at noon, when we open for normal store hours. We'll have extra staff on hand, so come on down and visit, poke around, ask questions. Light mushroom snacks for tasting, warm chaga mushroom tea, and other goodies on hand throughout the day.
Things will get "serious" at 4pm, when we fire up the burners and hold court on growing oyster mushrooms from straw. This workshop will feature discussion and a hands-on demonstration. You'll learn about what it takes to properly chop, prepare, and pasteurize straw for oyster mushroom production. It's fun, and everyone will get to make their own oyster mushroom bag to grow at home! Space for the workshop is limited, $20 per person, so please call ahead or purchase your tickets online.
At 6pm we'll tidy up the straw mess and prepare for a spectacular dinner presented by Jessica Hammonds of Organicism Farms and Foods. Jessica is also the most recent addition to staff here at Everything Mushrooms, so she'll be flexing her mushroom culinary skills for all this evening. Food will feature mushroom themes, and we'll have other super local adult bevs on tap. Seating for dinner is also limited, $20 per person, so please call ahead or purchase tickets online.
For those that want to warp up their reservations quickly, we have an easy way to purchase tickets online: Spring Open House tickets, Everything Mushrooms
Krispy Kreme Farragut, TN Grand Opening Celebration
Grand Opening Activities to Include Free T-shirts and Tasty Prizes for First 100 Fans
Winston-Salem, NC (March 14, 2013)-At 6am, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, residents of Farragut, Tennessee and surrounding communities are invited to celebrate the opening of the newKrispy Kreme Doughnut Factory, 11208 Kingston Pike, Farragut, Tennessee 37934. The Hot Light goes on at 6am. The first 100 guests receive free doughnuts for a year, commemorative t-shirts and tasty prizes.
"We are extremely excited to bring this new shop and our delicious variety of one-of-a-kind sweet treats and complementary beverages to our fantastic Farragut area doughnut fans," says Cindy Bay, SVP of US Franchises and Company Stores for Krispy Kreme.
The approximately 2,300 square foot location with a drive-thru will feature more than a dozen varieties of Krispy Kreme's one-of-a-kind doughnuts, including the signature hot Original Glazed® , as well as a complete menu of Krispy Kreme Chillers®, iced beverages and Krispy Kreme Signature Coffee Blends.
Hours of operation will be Monday through Sunday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Get there early on grand opening day for a chance to win one of these sweet prizes:
• One free dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts every week for a year to the FIRST customer in line;
• Customers 2 through 99 receive one free dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts every month for a year;
• AND, the first 100 customers in line will receive a commemorative Grand Opening t-shirt.
Krispy Kreme will also host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on grand opening day featuring Krispy Kreme team members and local dignitaries.
Be among the first to see the Hot Light go on at the new Farragut, TN Shop. Download the Krispy Kreme Hot Light appwww.hotlightapp.com to get Hot Light alerts and store directions from your smartphone.
Follow the grand opening activities on Facebook and live on Twitter #KrispyKremeLive.
About Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is an international retailer of premium-quality sweet treats, including its signature Original Glazed(R) doughnut. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Company has offered the highest-quality doughnuts and great-tasting coffee since it was founded in 1937. Krispy Kreme is proud of its Fundraising program, which for decades has helped non-profit organizations raise millions of dollars in needed funds. Today, Krispy Kreme can be found in over 730 locations around the world and approximately 10,000 grocery, convenience and mass merchant stores in the U.S. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Visit us at www.KrispyKreme.com.
