The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association has received an $8,000 grant to develop a Culinary Tourism program for Polk, McMinn and Monroe counties.

The award was recently announced by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. The purpose of the grants competition is to promote natural and cultural heritage tourism development in Appalachia’s “gateway communities” —communities that border national and state parks and forests. The competition, called the Appalachian Gateway Initiative: Natural and Cultural Heritage Tourism Development, is part of ARC’s effort to promote asset-based economic development in Appalachia and include the arts in tourism development projects. The Overhill was one of nine organizations to receive the grant, with 35 applications submitted.

The Overhill’s goal is to use the Culinary Tourism program to generate economic benefits to gateway communities, businesses, and individuals in  the three counties.

 Executive Director Linda Caldwell said they will begin with asset identification, followed by marketing.

TOHA will hire folklorist Liza Blair to conduct fieldwork aimed at identifying people, places, and events that relate to local foodways. This will include historical research, oral histories, photography, gathering of recipes, and more. She will also prepare a written report to serve as a resource for TOHA to use as it develops a culinary tourism program.  

TOHA will then create new web pages for its website (a new website is under development now) that will include  interpretation of the culinary traditions of the Tennessee Overhill, suggestions on places to dine, purchase ingredients or prepared foods, and events that feature traditional foods. The web pages will be designed to inspire people to explore the gateway communities to experience local foods that are rooted in the traditions of the Tennessee Overhill.

“Authenticity is a key component to any successful cultural tourism program,” Caldwell said, adding  authenticity is also one of TOHA’s guiding principles. “Determining what is authentic is the first step, she said, noting that is why TOHA is committed to solid research and fieldwork. Having a professional folklorist working in the gateway communities will be a valuable first step for this project.

Caldwell encouraged anyone interested in being interviewed about traditional foods to call the Overhill office, 423-263-7232 or, toll free, 1-510-5765. Some examples of traditional foodways are old time apple stack cakes, ramp dishes, wild game, barbecue, local ways of preparing fish. She said they are also looking for places where people can eat the foods, as well as restaurants, festivals, caterers,  and annual fire hall dinners.  Any old Cherokee ways of preparing food would be good, she said.

Caldwell added that while they are interested in the traditions that are rooted here, they also recognize that the culture is ever changing and dynamic. “So, if there are new residents who have brought family food traditions with them, we will be interested in that,” she said, noting a recent survey of Latino artists in Chattanooga uncovered some great places to eat Guatamalan, Mexican, and Peruvian foods.

“The history of Southern food is interesting in and of itself, she said. “You have the mix of European, Native American, and African.”

Training and technical assistance for the winning applicants will be provided by the Conservation Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Heritage Tourism Program.

For additional information on the above projects or on the Appalachian Gateway Initiative, contact Molly Theobald at the Appalachian Regional Commission, (202) 884-7767, mtheobald@arc.gov.