January 4th, 2010

A team of chefs from The Greenbrier Sporting Club were honored with an invitation to attend this past fall’s Food Revolution street fair and concert in Huntington, W.Va., hosted by British chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver and his producers, who are filming an ABC television series in Huntington that focuses on healthy eating habits, hand-picked the vendors based on their efforts to bring healthy foods into their kitchens. The food fair was part of a day-long event that also featured a free performance from country music stars Rascal Flatts.

Executive Chef Stephen Gustard, Executive Pastry Chef Amy Mills, Summit Lead Chef Drew Robinson, Wayne Bostic, Susie Callison, Olivia Meyers and Summit Dining Manager Clay Elkins were all on hand to feed hundreds of Tri-State area residents who came out for the festival.

The Sporting Club’s culinary team wowed festival goers with a local Greenbrier Valley menu, including: Almost Heaven Smoked Chicken with a Half Mountain Farms Celeriac BBQ sauce, West Farms’ Spaghetti Squash, and Johnny Spangler’s Pea Shoots. Executive Pastry Chef Amy Mills delighted the masses with Morgan Orchard Apple Cake with Apple Jack Sauce and Oatmeal Streusel, as well as a Mulled Apple Cider.

Oliver’s main goal with the television series, which will air sometime in 2010, is to examine what kids are eating at school and what families are serving in their own kitchens. According to Oliver’s website, his big challenge is to get a whole community to rally together and be able to cook fresh ingredients.

“We all need to rediscover the sense of pride, satisfaction and fun you can get from cooking for the people you love,” says Oliver. “I want this experience to be a celebration of what we can achieve when people come together. I want to prove that turning around the epidemic of obesity and bad health doesn’t have to be boring or dull. Wonderful stories will unfold in Huntington. I think their people will inspire the rest of the States to reconnect with food and get cooking too.”

Oliver spent about fifteen minutes at The Sporting Club booth. Surrounded by a throng of producers, news outlets, and fans, Oliver spoke with Gustard about The Sporting Club’s use of wholesome, local food products and praised the chefs for doing their part in bringing people back to the kitchen table.

“It is such a blessing to have a celebrity chef promoting a healthier and organic culinary mind set” Gustard says. “I strongly believe in what he is doing and glad that The Greenbrier Sporting Club has allowed me to have those same virtues by using local produce, meats, and cheeses. I do hope that this show will open people’s eyes to eating a well balanced diet that includes local and organic products.”

Towards the end of the filmed segment on The Sporting Club, Oliver directed his producers to plate a dish of the chef’s creation for a photograph. Executive Chef Gustard also submitted some of his recipes the producers, and spoke at length about his own philosophy of food. Oliver’s food magazine, Jamie, plans to do a spread on the event in one of their upcoming issues, which will feature Sporting Club menu items presented during Jamie’s Food Revolution.


Photo caption:
Jamie Oliver poses with The Greenbrier Sporting Club team at Huntington’s Food Revolution Street Fair. From left to right: Susie Callison, Wayne Bostic, Summit Dining Manager Clay Elkins, Jamie Oliver, Executive Chef Stephen Gustard, Executive Pastry Chef Amy Mills, Summit Lead Chef Drew Robinson, and Olivia Meyers.


Note: Larger photo format available upon request.


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