Hey, y’all!
Welcome to the first post in my Travel Northeast Tennessee Series! I was recently invited by the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association to check out all that the region has to offer. The towns that I visited were beautiful — and, luckily for me, just a short road trip from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Whether you are looking for outdoor adventure, fabulous food, small town charm, or amazing history — Northeast Tennessee is the perfect destination for you!
_______________________________________
On my first day in the region, I was invited to a farm-to-table luncheon at Boone Street Market. It was fabulous, y’all! The best part? I got to try a new-to-me food: beef heart.
Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve yet to encounter a food that I won’t try!
Boone Street Market is a brick-and-mortar location where farmers and food artisans have the ability to sell to consumers year-round. A nonprofit, they aim to maximize the return to the producer; as someone who comes from a farming family, that is a mission that I am proud to support.
My favorite part about the market is that they only carry food produced within 100 miles of Jonesborough, Tennessee, and Central Appalachia. With both a retail space and a commercial kitchen, Boone Street Market is both a cultural and gastronomic oasis for the region. It was a privilege to be invited inside and to dine with them.
That’s the beauty of food, y’all – it brings us together.
The meal started with an apple + fennel salad, which was topped with a sorghum vinaigrette. This was absolutely delicious! The apples were from Buffalo Trail Orchard and the sorghum was from Muddy Pond.
Next was the most memorable dish — beef heart!
The brochettes of beef heart were served with buttermilk grits and a mango chile sauce. The beef was from Hawks Nest Farm, the cheddar was from Ashe County Cheese Company, and the grits were from Crooked Creek.
Dessert was a favorite of mine — biscuits and chocolate gravy (a delicacy that I grew up on!). This dish featured milk from Duchess Dairy and flour from Saint Johns Mill.
I also couldn’t resist the handcrafted peach soda by Waynesville Soda Jerks from the refrigerator — it was so delicious!
If you’re in the area, don’t miss this gem — and if you aren’t going to be soon, plan your next trip to Northeast Tennessee! What’s stopping you? Adventure awaits!
As always: Happy Eating, Happy Traveling, Happy Living!
Y’all come back now, ya hear?
My best,
JC
FTC: This is a sponsored post; however, as always, all opinions expressed are my own.
2 Comments
This well written review describes the Boone Street Market to a T. We in Jonesborough are fortunate to have such a community minded organization to supply us with chemical free products…just pure foods, locally produced.
I thought that it was so fabulous — what a fabulous asset to the community!