OXFORD, Miss. – Dubbed the “G8 of Grits and Gravy” by enthusiasts, the Southern Foodways Alliance’s annual Taste of the South gathering in January brought in almost $150,000 to support the SFA’s mission to document, study and preserve the diverse foodways of the American South.
Coinciding with the annual gathering of the Fellowship of Southern Farmers, Artisans and Chefs, the Taste of the South event is put on jointly by the SFA, an institute of the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture, and Blackberry Farm, the Tennessee inn rated the country’s best small hotel by the 2004 Zagat Survey. In its sixth year at Blackberry Farm, Taste of the South is a “fellowship of food luminaries from the whole South,” said Mike Riley, SFA board member.
Luminaries included New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer, owner of Union Square Hospitality Group, along with some of the South’s best chefs and restaurateurs. The four-day event attracted more registrants than ever, largely due to the quality of the sessions offered, Riley said.
Besides a talk by Meyer, this year’s offerings included a cast-iron skillet demonstration, a biscuit making class, and wine and beer tastings. The event also included a live auction – featuring such packages as weekend getaways and private dinners – which garnered more than twice the amount raised during last year’s Taste of the South.
Money raised through the high-end auction will help continue SFA work to examine the food cultures of the South through documentary projects, symposia and other events, said Ted Ownby, director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Ownby and those involved with the SFA said they also hope the funds will allow Southern studies faculty to capture through university foodways courses “the energy, excitement and creativity that comes from SFA events.”
“A lot of credit goes to our SFA board members, and our deepest thanks goes to those who put up items for auction and those who bid on those items,” Ownby said.
For more information about the SFA, visit http://www.southerfoodways.com.