Cooking Local

A two-year Specialty Crops Block Grant funded initiative (2012-2013), administered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) that concluded in December 2013. The project aimed to foster healthy eating and increase the sale of locally grown fruits and vegetables in Western North Carolina through expanded knowledge of fresh food preparation and nutrition education.

Local chefs partnered with farmers to conduct a series of cooking demonstrations in Haywood, Jackson & Buncombe counties. Each demonstration featured a locally-grown specialty crop, the farmers who grew it, and a local chef who demonstrated how to transform fresh in-season ingredients into a simple, healthy and affordable dish.

From May to October, Buy Haywood facilitated twelve events in 2012 and thirteen events in 2013—at a variety of venues across three counties including farmers markets, agriculture related festivals, and other community events.

During the 2013 season alone, Buy Haywood distributed 1,942 samples to a diverse population of consumers across two counties. Our extraordinary outreach was a direct result of joint-county collaboration with MountainWise in Haywood and Jackson counties.

The unique database of recipes and outreach partners will continue to be utilized by Buy Haywood as well as being featured on our website for consumer use.