A ‘Spring Celebration’: 24th Root to Table held at Bavarian Inn

Braised veal short ribs and water trout crepinette were served to guests at the Root to Table event at the Bavarian Inn on Sunday evening. Toni Milbourne
SHEHERDSTOWN — The Taste of Blue Ridge — a community of chefs, farmers, food artisans and locals who seek to combine local ingredients, local restaurants and the talents of local chefs — worked to provide a food experience through the Root to Table dining event hosted at the Bavarian Inn on Sunday evening.
According to Nancy Craun, founder of the Root to Table series in 2017, there were 125 guests in Shepherdstown for the Spring Celebration of West Virginia event.
“I spoke to every guest table at the event and got very positive comments. It amazes me how far away people drive to these events,” Craun said, mentioning some diners traveled as long as five hours to take part.
Several different chefs participated in the evening’s meal preparation, creating a variety of tasty treats. Four different tasting stations were set up around the Bavarian Inn’s lawn.
Timothy Rampey, from Hillbrook Inn & Spa, offered Pierogi “Ruskie” at his station, while Jason Renn, from Lilah’s Restaurant, offered smoked trout mousse and charcoal-grilled walleye fillet. Mary Ellen Diaz, from Alma Bea, offered Rooster Dirt Farm mushroom and goat cheese “corn” flatbread and soft-shell crab with Appalachian bejeweled rice.

Chefs John Loeffler, Matt Welsch and Jeff Ault work together in the Bavarian Inn kitchen to prepare a strawberry/blueberry-based appetizer at the Spring Celebration of West Virginia. Toni Milbourne
Station 4 was comprised of Miriam Conroy and her students from Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, who provided tastes of Hasenpfeffer Stew (tender rabbit stew) with honey radishes and crispy polenta.
For this year’s event, Craun said things were changed up a little bit, by adding a served portion of the meal. Creating the “Salute — Let’s Toast Together” appetizer was Chef Matt Welsch, from Vagabond Kitchen in Wheeling.
“This is a great opportunity to show foods from all over West Virginia. We also are able to show off the artistry of food,” Welsch said as he, along with Chef Jeff Ault from the Bavarian Inn, and Chef John Loeffler, with Waterwheel Restaurant, near Marlington, put together the strawberry and blueberry relish concoction delivered to guests.
Ault and Loeffler were then responsible for the main dish of fresh water trout crepinette and braised veal short ribs. Ramps were used in the dish, a food that is very well known in West Virginia, according to Ault.
“They are a lot like spring onions,” Ault said, adding that they have a stronger garlic flavor. “I prefer to pickle them to take off the edge.”
The three chefs have participated in previous years’ Root to Table offerings and enjoy coming together to represent foods that specifically embrace Appalachia.
The Root to Table Food Initiative, Craun said, allowed all of the players to sit down together to talk about giving chefs who support local sourcing and food challenges facing their communities a more prominent voice in the digital world.
“The Root to Table culinary series came out of this. The Bavarian event is our 24th event,” Craun said. “The number one mission is to give our local chefs and farmers a voice. As a result, people today appreciate who is behind the food they consume at home or in restaurants.”
“Another idea is to give chefs a day out of their kitchens,” said Marcus Repp, a member of the organization’s chef action board. “They get to meet other chefs at events like this one, and we are able to invite people out to enjoy their cooking.”
Pete Smith, another action board member, said he had gotten involved with the organization, after seeing social media posts about the event.
“I wanted to be a part of the organization that understands the value of agriculture and partners with chefs,” he said.
Craun commended both Smith and Repp, both chefs, for their organizational efforts in working on the Sunday evening event.
“I had to step away,” Craun said, explaining that sometimes chefs won’t listen to someone who is not a chef, as well.
Repp and Smith were able to offer guidance and teaching on many aspects of the industry, from costing ingredients to how the menu is written.
According to Craun, Taste of Blue Ridge is establishing a grant program for local food banks and nonprofits that support food challenge issues across the regional community. The grant program will include a relationship with youth leadership programs, including the Future Farmers of America.
“Another goal is to improve the quality of our restaurant staff and offer easy incentives for current employees to further their education in the culinary industry,” she said. “To do this, Taste of Blue Ridge is connecting our chefs and executive managers to the program provided by BRCTC.”
In addition to the chefs, there were several partner organizations who joined in the event offering products attendees would like to see. One such vendor was Orsini’s, which brought pizza ovens and created a variety of pizzas for guests, while showcasing what can be purchased and used at home.
“Visit Jefferson County is an example of our marketing partnership platform,” Craun said. “These businesses help us reach new audiences and financially support our marketing program.”
- Chefs John Loeffler, Matt Welsch and Jeff Ault work together in the Bavarian Inn kitchen to prepare a strawberry/blueberry-based appetizer at the Spring Celebration of West Virginia. Toni Milbourne
- Braised veal short ribs and water trout crepinette were served to guests at the Root to Table event at the Bavarian Inn on Sunday evening. Toni Milbourne