Buxton Hall
Asheville, North Carolina
Group travelers love to eat. When they come to North Carolina, there is a menu item they almost always insist on trying: the local barbecue. Some people think barbecue is the soul of North Carolina. They won’t get much of an argument from state residents who feast on the different varieties of pork, prepared with three main elements: wood, a pit and fire. Locals even debate over North Carolina’s own styles of barbecue, notably Lexington style, which uses a “red” sauce, and Eastern style, which uses more vinegar and pepper and never any tomatoes.
In Asheville, barbecue can be found everywhere. But one place that opened last summer in the South Slope neighborhood and whose owners’ fine reputation preceded it is Buxton Hall Barbecue. This is a huge space, so most traveling groups can easily be accommodated. The building formerly housed a skating rink, and there are still old skating drawings left on the walls. Although it has an industrial feel to it, there are massive windows that give the place an airy and light feeling. The food is scrumptious, too. A big sign on the wall reads: “Smoked While You Sleep.”
Buxton Hall is the dream of James Beard Award-nominated chef Elliott Moss and his business partner, Meherwan Irani, also a Beard nominee.
The restaurant has an open kitchen so patrons can watch the pit masters smoking as many as three whole hogs at once. For travelers new to this kind of food environment, it’s quite a sight. In addition to pork, diners can enjoy barbecued chicken, catfish and the usual sides, like baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad — and, of course, beer.
Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail
Mississippi
The 360 miles of gulf coastline along Mississippi is dotted with many restaurants serving authentic gulf seafood. Travelers can sample the best of it by taking a trip along the Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail.
“It is a collection of 53 restaurants throughout the state that comprises a real tourist attraction based on seafood from the Gulf of Mexico,” said Mike Cashion, executive director for the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. “Restaurants must meet minimum requirements for Gulf items on their menus, but many are doing much more than that.”
The goal is to promote Gulf Coast restaurants and the gulf seafood they serve, whether it’s a simple shrimp shack or a fine-dining establishment. It’s where a server may ask a customer, “Do you want that grilled, deep fried, boiled or blackened?” Group planners are encouraged to make some of the member restaurants part of their tour itinerary.
Restaurants along the Mississippi coastline from Ansley to Gulfport and from Biloxi to Pascagoula are taking part. Even restaurants as far upstate as Jackson are serving genuine gulf seafood. One restaurateur told the trail’s organizers that seafood connoisseurs can tell the difference between Gulf shrimp and shrimp caught elsewhere in the world, and that it was worth bragging about.
The trail has an interactive website linked to member restaurants and their menus. Social media is a marketing tool. The Trail’s Facebook page has shown about 27,000 likes since its 2014 launch. The page has rotating shots of plates of delicious Gulf delicacies from participating restaurants, which are bound to make any seafood lover’s mouth water.
www.mississippiseafoodtrail.com
Chef Ambassador Program
South Carolina
Each year, South Carolina selects a chef ambassador from each of the state’s four regions to serve for one year attending state events, performing cooking demonstrations, promoting healthy eating for children and touting South Carolina’s abundant tourism industry.
The first group of chef ambassadors and the restaurants and regions they represented in 2015 included Brian Waters of Saltus River Grill in Beaufort, representing the Lowcountry region; Cooper Thomas of Victor’s Bistro in Florence, representing the Pee Dee region; Brandon Velie of Juniper in Ridge Spring, representing the Midlands region; and Heidi Trull of Grits and Groceries in Belton, representing the Upstate region. This year brings a new group of chef ambassadors.
“We have several state events, conferences, expos and the state fair throughout the year as part of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism,” said Ansley Turnblad, program director for the group. “At some events, we have them all cooking on stage or greeting people at exhibits. We asked them to commit to four or five events a year, and some of the chefs even found events of their own that they liked and promoted the program there.”
South Carolina residents and out-of-state visitors are urged to attend the events in which the chefs participate to learn more about the culinary delights of the Palmetto State. The state provides the cooks with special state ambassador chef coats and offers public relations support for their appearances around the state.
Turnblad said the ambassador program is open to working with tour groups that want to experience events in which the chefs participate. That could include a special meal or behind-the-scenes insights for tour members.
