John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles.
EVENT: A “Culinary Classic” returns to Stonewall Resort, March 7 to 9
Dale Hawkins, Executive Chef for Stonewall Resort, is known for his focus on what he calls New Appalachian Cuisine. You cantaste what he means on March 7-9 at Stonewall near Weston as he, and a whole host of other West Virginia celebrity chefs, prepare their goodies for you at one of this state’s premier food and wine events – The Culinary Classic.
I’ve been to the Culinary Classic on a couple of occasions and it’s a blast! Sumptious food, lots of wine and like-minded people enjoying the stuff we all love. The events begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 7, with an evening reception and taste-around , featuring signature dishes from the chefs and accompanying wines to wash it all down. Saturday is a day full of events for gourmets and gourmands, including chef-led demonstrations, workshops and wine tastings. One of the events features a presentation by Slow Food USA (a cause to which I ascribe) and a luncheon featuring a chef “throw down.” That evening, guests start with a wine reception and then move into the ballroom for a multi-course food and wine pairing created by the guest chefs. Here is a list of the foodies that will be doing their culinary thing: Steve Mengel and Frederick Montei, The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs); Paco Aceves, the Bridge Road Bistro (Charleston); Tim Urbanic, Café Cimino (Sutton); Anne Hart, Provence Market (Bridgeport); Melanie Campbell, Graceland Inn (Elkins); Hall Hitzig, The Crazy Baker (Renick); Logan Springston, Marriott Town Center (Charleston); Jeff Kessler, Jeff’s Breads (Renick).
Jay Vetter, Main Street Grille (Moorefield); Gourmet Central (Romney); Dale Hawkins, Stonewall Resort (Weston); DeFluri’s Chocolates (Martinsburg); Nemat Odeh, Canaan Valley Resort (Davis); Brian Ball, Ember (Snowshoe); Sal Carmona of Carmona’s (Buckhannon); Jim Anderson, Glade Springs Resort (Daniels); Ben Mule, the Blennerhassett (Parkersburg); Jay Mahoney of Pierpont Community and Technical College (Fairmont); Mountaineer Brewing Company (Martinsburg) and Gallo Family of Wines.If you’re interested in participating, the two-night package is $314 per person. It includes all lodging, Culinary Classic events and breakfast both mornings. For additional information or to make reservations, contact the resort at 888-278-8150 or visit the Stonewall Web site.
