Starting this event-based post with a big ole recommendation of #TellThemHeidiSentYou and get your tickets now! If you are planning to be in or near the Charlotte area on Sunday September 25 from 4-7 pm, don’t miss this incredible event sponsored by the Piedmont Culinary Guild . It all takes place at the beautiful Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont NC and features over 35 pairings of NC Chefs and Farmers. In addition to all the locally sourced food, there will be drinks and music, too.
Proceeds go to Help Local Farmers
It’s been a busy couple of months, with lots of food-centric events and there is more to come, but don’t sleep on this one. A few tickets still remain. And here is the best part, the cost of your tickets not only buys you a simply delicious time; the event is family friendly and the cost of your tickets goes to support local agriculture and food system training programs at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and will help to fund grants to help local farmers distributed by Piedmont Culinary Guild.

It’s a win win. Tickets for the Farm to Fork Picnic are still on sale here. The fun is just a click away, so hop on over there and get yours now!
It feels so good to get back to a time when there are loads of food-centric events to write about. I’m typing away as fast as I can to bring you the rest of the recipes from the GotToBeNC cooking stage at the NC Mountain State Fair. In case you missed it, here is my first installment.
At the Mountain State Fair I had a blast cooking with Chefs Steven Goff and Daniel Wheeler on stage. You’ll have a blast with them too, as they will both be cooking at the Piedmont Culinary Guild picnic, as well


But what, there’s more
And remember this dynamic duo, chefs Oscar Johnson and Darrell Cooper, owners of Jimmy Pearls food truck and the newly opened Jimmy Pearls brick and mortar at Seventh Street Market in uptown Charlotte? I first wrote about them in this post during Black HIstory Month last year. And then, Oscar won the NCRLA Chef Showdown event, I am proud and privileged to host and organize; and was named the NCRLA Chef of the Year. They’ll be at the Piedmont Culinary Guild picnic too! Go meet all of these talented chefs and say hello.

Also at the event, lots of other chefs and farmers you know and love, here are photos of just a few to help tempt your taste buds. You’ve read about many of these talented peeps on these digital pages and on my social media.












Pro tip: Pace yourself, you’re going to want to taste it all.
Here’s the List of all the Chef and Farmer Pairings
- 300 East and Boy and Girl Farm
- Another Food Truck LLC and Street Fare Farm
- BadaZing! Hot Sauce and Green Meadow Acres
- Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute and Two Pigs Farm
- Church and Union and La Belle Helene and Deep Roots CPS Farm
- Freshlist (Matthew Martin) and Freshlist (Erin Bradley)
- The Crunkleton and Sun Raised Foods
- Golden Owl Tavern and Old North Farm
- Jimmy Pearls Virginia Soul and OarsLand
- 300 East and Blue Goat Dairy
- McConnell Golf and Fading D Farm
- NOURISH/Plant Joy and Lucky Leaf Gardens
- PARA and Honey Tree Farm
- Sweet Lew’s BBQ and Brentwood Farm
- Tastee Diner and Bluebird Farm
- The Goodyear House and Rowland’s Row
- Leah & Louise and Wild Hope Farm
- Thoughtful Baking Co and Windcrest Farm
- Wentworth and Fenn and Terra Flora
- What the Fries and Small City Farm
- New Town Farms and The Inn at New Town Farms
- Southminster and Evans Family Farm
- Title Belt Frozen Desserts and Fair Share Farm, LLC
- The Ballantyne Hotel and Charlotte Fish Company
- Firehawk Brewpub and Gilcrest Natural Farm
- Heirloom Restaurant and Mouna Bowa Farms
- Nellie’s Southern Kitchen and Anson Mills
- Old Stone Steakhouse and Urban Gourmet Farms
- The Everyday Market and Brian Fisher
- The Bottle Tree and Dr. King’s Farm and Carolina Bison
- The Good Kitchen and Joyce Farms
- Chef Ben Sullivan and Raising Roots Farm
Plus there is lots of local to drink. I’m talking Uncle Scott’s Root Beer, Muddy River Rum, Magnolia Coffee, Broad Brand Distillery, Eli’s Lemonade – the list goes on and on. Live music and more. Read more of the delicious details and get your tickets here. And yes, be sure to #TellThemHeidiSentYou