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The Incredible, Edible House

Armed with sugar, spice and everything nice, gingerbread architects and artisans get busy as the weather gets cooler, creating edible masterpieces to display with pride.

Irresistible in a foyer or on a mantle, these sugared constructions define holiday charm. But that’s only the beginning.

Here in the Mountain South, gingerbread is coming of age as regional competitions up the ante from Hansel and Gretel cottages to extravagant gingerbread Taj Mahals. Kingsport, Tenn., as well as Bristol, Tenn./Va., and particularly Asheville, N.C., host contests which are encouraging a sophisticated visual art that’s a far cry from gingerbread’s folksy roots.

Sweet Competition
The warmth of gingerbread’s spices along with the warmth of the oven it’s baked in conjures images of a cozy winter kitchen, teeming with good cheer and sugary smiles. Such romantic notions lend a great deal of charm to gingerbread and, perhaps, that’s how most of it happens-as a casual craft.

Not so for Valecia Fillnow, a previous winner in the Downtown Kingsport Association’s Holiday Gingerbread House Contest. Fillnow, along with two other Southeast Culinary & Hospitality College students, worked for weeks on the meticulous gingerbread structure that garnered 2005’s coveted “Gingerbread Cup” award for the Professional category. From the entry’s intricately sculpted marzipan gnome dragging a freshly cut Froot Loops tree, it’s clear Fillnow possesses the artistic spirit behind the best of the best in gingerbread.

To create prize-winning gingerbread is not, however, a complete cakewalk. Certainly there are fun moments, but it also requires solid knowledge of decorative structure and assembly, along with vast reserves of patience, to perfect all the sweet, irresistible details.

Details, for example, such as candles carefully painted on smoothly frosted windows with food dyes. Or chocolate shavings near Fillnow’s Christmas tree “trunk,” along with a tiny marzipan saw and a “track” where the tree was dragged through the powdered sugar “snow.” Such minutiae may seem like overkill, but it is what contest judges delight in. “We did the roof shingles one by one in sliced almonds,” Fillnow recalls, adding how a contest judge later cited the “tediousness of the work put into the roof” as what clinched his nomination.

The more painstaking the creation, it seems, the better. Aaron Morgan, who works as executive pastry chef for The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, agrees. “The best entries are the ones you can look at for 10 minutes and still see more details,” says Morgan. “They tell their own stories.”

He would know. Besides having created many of his own superb gingerbread structures, Morgan also acts as lead judge at the Grove Park Inn’s annual National Gingerbread House Competition.

Once the inspiration hits, it seems, gingerbread structures can get pretty extreme, and the most meticulous make their way to the National Competition. Over the past decade of his work for the Competition, Morgan has seen some of the most exquisite edible art. Graceful gingerbread cathedrals have mingled with spicy-smelling Victorian villages. “Reindeer flight schools” as well as gingerbread moonshine stills have vied for prizes in the youth categories. Last year’s winner, a complex round cottage done by Patricia Howard of Florida, edged out the other entries with its clean lines, unique angles and difficulty of execution. “She did really tough things with the gingerbread,” says Morgan, specifically recalling the fine detail work on the railings. The 2005 prizewinner was an elaborate Santa’s Workshop, and the year before that, an international holiday embassy-with a different version of Christmas on each of its six gingerbread brick sides-took home the honors.

For the Grove Park Inn, what started as a way to draw visitors in the off-season has paid off in spades. Not only do droves of spectators come to Asheville to enjoy the gingerbread spectacle but the display itself also travels-for an annual showcase featured on Good Morning America.

Emily Katt is publishing assistant for Marquee.

For the complete article please read the November/December issue of Marquee.

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Holiday Signature Dishes

Marquee asked some of the region’s most respected chefs to think winter for our annual “Signature Dishes” feature. This year, we herald the holidays. Chefs share visions of pudding with an English and Scottish pedigree, an emboldened, cognac-gravied rolled turkey, prawns dressed in a Christmas-green pesto, and the autumnal affinity between cranberries and horseradish.

The Lodge at Buckberry Creek
961 Campbell Lead Road Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Originally from Canada, Executive Chef Ian Krystik is influenced by many cuisines: Italian, French, Asian, Caribbean and Southern. His holiday offering is Christmas Pesto Prawns. It starts with jumbo freshwater prawns—the kind now being farmed in some regions of the South, particularly in Kentucky and also in Greene County, Tenn., by the Birdwell family. The prawns are marinated in basil pesto and served with macadamia butter, a red pepper coulis, balsamic roasted zucchini, red onions and cranberry risotto.

“I like to use this dish around Christmas because of its vibrant holiday colors featuring red and green,” says Krystik. “I enjoy serving it because it’s is a little lighter than much of the traditional heavy holiday fare but still has a hearty cranberry risotto to tie it in to the holidays.”

Krystik says the preparation is simple, the flavors blend well and the presentation is bright. “And the flavor of the freshwater prawns is actually closer to lobster than shrimp.”

As is the case with most dishes at the Lodge at Buckberry Creek, Christmas Pesto Prawns features local vegetables and seasonings.

Town House Grill
132 East Main Street Chilhowie, Va.

Jane A. Smith attended culinary school at Colquitt Street College in Liverpool, England, where she perfected her approach to a traditional British holiday dish, sticky toffee pudding. When the Town House Grill in Chilhowie opened in 2002, owners Tom and Kyra Bishop hired Smith as pastry chef, and sticky toffee pudding quickly became one of the restaurant’s most requested desserts.

“Sticky toffee pudding is served on cold winter nights with hot custard and features toffee sauce,” says Smith. “Nuts and dates are always found in English homes at Christmastime. Because sticky toffee pudding is traditionally served hot, it’s an excellent dessert for chilly weather.”

Smith says there are several claims for the naming of sticky toffee pudding, coming from recipes as early as 1907 from Cheshire, Scotland, and the Lake District of England, but the recipe is probably older and representative of wintertime desserts from the Victorian Age.

Jackalope’s View Restaurant
2489 Beech Mountain Parkway Banner Elk, N.C.

Looking back on holidays in the past, Jeff Crane can remember eating bowls of leftover turkey, collard greens, cranberry sauce and yams together. As executive chef of Jackalope’s View Restaurant in Banner Elk, he has brought this memory to life in the form of a dish called the Carolina Turkey Roulade. It plays off all the flavors that seemed to go together so well in the bowls of leftovers from Chef Crane’s past.

Putting a modern twist on the traditional Southern holiday meal, Crane stuffs the Carolina Turkey Roulade with chestnuts, cranberries and collard greens, and then tops it off with his very own cognac gravy. Keeping with the Southern tradition, the collard greens are sautéed in ham hock in order to give them a salty flavor that will accompany the sweet tastes of the cranberries and cognac gravy. He finishes the dish off by serving it with a sweet potato pecan croquette that is fried in true Southern style.

The collard greens and pecans are grown locally in North Carolina, giving the diner another sample of what the region has to offer.

Fred Sauceman is executive assistant to the president for public affairs at ETSU and author of The Place Setting: Timeless Tastes of the Mountain South, From Bright Hope to Frog Level, a book in two volumes from Mercer University Press. Melissa Shipley is a graduate student at East Tennessee State University. She graduated in May 2007 with a BS in Biology and is currently working toward a Master of Arts in Teaching. She is Fred Sauceman’s graduate assistant.

 For the complete article please read the November/December issue of Marquee.

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High Hampton Inn: 85 Years of Southern Hospitality

Winding up the boxwood-lined driveway, you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time at first sight of the vine-covered entrance and wood-shingled lodge of the High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers, N.C.
The Adirondack-style lodge, featuring chestnut bark siding, was built in 1932 on the site of Confederate Army General Wade Hampton’s family cottage. The history of the place as a mountain retreat goes back to the early 19th century, and its tradition continues today as a haven for relaxation and family recreation.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the lodge has a welcoming, comfortable feel, with cozy sitting areas accented with oriental rugs surrounding the great four-sided stone fireplace. The fireplace was constructed of native stone from nearby Whiteside Mountain and gives a hint of wood-smoke smell, even in summer. Red rocking chairs beckon under hanging flowers on the wrap-around porch. Out back, the lodge overlooks the 35-acre Hampton Lake, with the magnificent rock face of Rock Mountain as a backdrop. The peaceful setting invites a rest in Adirondack chairs at the edge of the lawn that dips to the lake. While there are plenty of appealing spots to relax, guests are also attracted to High Hampton to enjoy outdoor recreation on the surrounding 1,400-acre property.

Now in its 85th year as a mountain resort, High Hampton offers lodging with meals included (American Plan) and golf, tennis, spa, swimming, boating and fishing in the lake. Hiking trails around the lake or up to one of the mountain peaks leave from the lodge and are well marked. There are children’s programs highlighted by donkey cart rides with Fred and Ed (resident miniature donkeys). Youth programs offer activities such as geocaching (treasure hunting with a GPS), kayaking, bonfires and endless games including tetherball, volleyball, shuffleboard, croquet, table tennis, backgammon and more.

Extended families and multi-generational groups find the varied activities especially appealing. “Summer time is when we really cater to families,” says General Manager David Jones. “Spring and fall we accommodate more tennis and golf groups, weddings and reunions. We organize other events such as wildflower and artist workshops, bridge and golf tournaments and our renowned Merle Breer Golf School.”

Ann N. Yungmeyer is a freelance writer who lives in Kingsport.

For the complete story please read the September/October issue of Marquee.

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Peyton Manning’s Ultimate Pay Back

Peyton Manning is not the typical sports icon.

A recent scholarship ceremony at the University of Tennessee offered more insight into the humble man behind the headlines and highlights. As a crowd of media types, school officials and educators awaited his appearance on June 21, Manning entered the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center alone. There was no flashy entourage or group of media handlers. It was just the football hero and his familiar smile.

“That’s typical Peyton. He doesn’t like to make a big show,” says Craig Hammell, an assistant in the UT sports information department. “Peyton just wants to help people in his own way. He’s a great representative of Tennessee and the Indianapolis Colts.”

Manning returned to campus to present the 10th annual Peyton Manning Scholarship to Kara Leann Seat, an honors graduate of Nashville-based Christ Presbyterian Academy. It seemed fitting that the event was held in front of the “Peyton Manning Study Area.”

As expected, most of the questions for Manning focused on one topic. Despite his record-breaking success as an athlete and track record as a humanitarian, Manning has long been criticized for his lack of success in “big games.” But with his MVP performance in the February 4 Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears, Manning silenced the skeptics.

“There is great satisfaction in knowing that you accomplished the goal that you established at the beginning of the year,” Manning says. “Our core group of players had been knocking on the door for a couple years, so it was nice to put everything together.”

The low-key Manning actually embraced the post-game adoration in Miami. “We had a ton of people down there for our party, including a good Tennessee representation,” says Manning. “Kenny Chesney and Con Hunley sang, and I even sang a song or two . My friends told me to soak it and not to be afraid to say yes to a couple of things.”

In addition to serving as the official starter for the famed Indianapolis 500, Manning’s victory tour featured a guest host slot on Saturday Night Live in March and a dinner date with England’s Queen Elizabeth II in May. “I’ve said no to a lot of things. The things that I’ve said yes to happen to be highly publicized, like Saturday Night Live and having dinner with the Queen . If I said yes to everything, I could have started every NASCAR race this season, I can promise you. I said no to plenty of [things], but I did say yes to a couple [things] and I enjoyed them.”

Allen Gregory has worked in daily journalism for 16 years. His subjects range from NASCAR to theatre.

For the complete story please read the September/October issue of Marquee.

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Hunting the Hamburger

Burgers bread-stretched. Burgers grill-marked. Downtown burgers. Lakeside burgers.
Burgers named for country singers and folk heroes. Onion-scattered burgers. Onion-packed burgers. Onion-ringed burgers. Bar burgers and drive-in relics. Burgers served from cinderblock shrines and boat docks. We celebrate them all in the Mountain South. Yet I’ve avoided portobello, spurned chipotle and ignored blue cheese. For this article, I hunted down the traditional, old-time hamburger, named exactly that on most of the menus I scoured. More importantly, I sought stories.

I did encounter oddly named burgers, ancestors to the extinct Gurney Burger of Happy Valley, Tenn., a sandwich that once brought a few minutes of fame to the community when Charles Kuralt mentioned it during one of his “On the Road” segments for The CBS Evening News.

The Big Hack at Clark’s Grocery in Sullivan Gardens carries on the legacy of peculiarly named East Tennessee burgers, while perpetuating the memory of Hack Cleek, who, at the time of his death at age 88 in 2006, was the oldest living volunteer fire chief in Tennessee. His helmet from the Sullivan West Volunteer Fire Department is a meat-counter memorial.

At Tootie’s in the Willie Boom community of Bristol, Arvil Vance takes an inside-out approach to hamburgers. Onions aren’t top-dressing. They’re packed inside the patty. Tootie’s, so named because Arvil’s father whistled incessantly as a youngster, has occupied the same spot since the fall of 1945, when Arvil Sr. returned from World War II to open a confectionary. The Arvil Burger bears his son’s name, not through any fit of egotism, but upon the insistence of a satiated customer who happened by on the day of the burger’s creation and liked what he was served.

Burger names range from the bravado of the Bear Killer at the Davy Crockett Truck Stop in Baileyton, Tenn., to the humility of the Runt Burger at the 51 Grill in a section of an old Exxon station in Asheville.The Davy Crockett is promoted on Interstate 81 billboards not as a truck stop nowadays but rather as a travel center. In memory of the “King of the Wild Frontier,” coonskin caps hang from the Krispy Kreme doughnut case. The Bear Killer is a full pound of certified Black Angus beef, grilled and draped with American cheese-the kind of overindulgent meal Colonel Crockett would no doubt have relished and bragged about.

Fred Sauceman is executive assistant to the president for public affairs at ETSU and author of the Place Setting: Timeless Tastes of the Mountain South, from Bright Hope to Frog Level, a book in two volumes from Mercer University Press.

For the complete story please read the September/October Marquee.

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