Engage with us!
- Produce seasonally focused food
- Represent the farmers of the region
- Highlight a local farm monthly
Calling all Foodie Entrepreneurs!
Are you a regional food, restaurant, or culinary entrepreneur? Or has the COVID-19 Crisis impacted your restaurant / bakery / catering company / or coffee shop?
As Friends of Southwest Virginia prepares to reopen the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace (formerly Heartwood located in Abingdon, Virginia) following the COVID-19 Crisis, leadership has made the decision to eliminate food service as an internal operation. This new model will allow the facility and operations to fully support a regional food service business as an operational partner!
We are looking for a local partner to operate food service: a full service restaurant OR a cafe OR a bakery OR a coffee shop.
The facility has previously hosted food service in several forms: large scale full-service restaurants (both table service and buffet service), a limited service cafe, and a coffee bar. The facility has two fully-equipped kitchens and a cafe/coffee bar. The possibilities for a future business within this space are endless!
While events are limited at this time due to COVID, there will one day again be large-scale music events weekly and regular meetings in three separate meeting spaces, so catering and events could be a significant revenue source for future years.
Learn more about the Cultural Center here:
https://swvaculturalcenter.com/
If you are interested in beginning a conversation to see if a long-term partnership could be the right fit for you and your business, reach out to Tina Murray, Deputy Director of Operations, at tmurray@myswva.org.
Goal:
Promote & develop the regional food, farms, and agritourism of SWVA.
[kswr_testmonial bg=”” bubble_bg=”” tm_icon_color=”#49a9ab” icon_size=”32″ picture_enable=”0″ name=”Will and Amy Campbell” title=”Old Rich Valley Farm” test_name_fsize=”font-size:16px;” test_name_fstyle=”font-family:Inherit;font-weight:inherit;” name_color=”#49a9ab” test_title_fsize=”font-size:12px;” test_title_fstyle=”font-family:Inherit;font-weight:inherit;” title_color=”#282828″ test_content_fsize=”font-size:14px;” test_content_fstyle=”font-family:Inherit;font-weight:inherit;” content_color=”#282828″ testi_container_margin=”margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;” testi_content_padding=”padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:6px;” testi_icon_padding=”padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:6px;” testi_icon_border=”border-top:0px;border-bottom:0px;border-width:0px;” testi_picture_padding=”padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;” testi_picture_border=”border-top:0px;border-bottom:0px;border-through:0px;border-width:50%;” testi_info_padding=”padding-top:6px;padding-bottom:6px;” testi_info_border=”border-top:0px;border-bottom:0px;border-width:0px;”]“Gwyn Hill has been purchasing our chicken and sausage each month for the SWVA Cultural Center. We see her at the Farmer’s Market every week supporting different local farms for supplying the restaurant. I wish there were more restaurants and chefs that prioritized supporting sustainable local farms like the SWVA Cultural Center. We are so thankful for the way they value local farms and are willing to support us anyway they can.”[/kswr_testmonial]
The SWVA Cafe & Mountain Brew Bar strives to promote the region’s wonderful farmers, growers, and producers by serving a menu consisting of 85% local ingredients and products. The Cafe’s goal is to introduce the flavors of SWVA to all patrons that come to the facility and to encourage them to explore the community to see where their food came from.
Below is a list of local farmers and producers that the SWVA Cafe & Mountain Brew Bar currently works with:
Farms & Vendors
-
- Old Rich Valley Farms – Saltville
- Highlands Farms – Russell County
- River Valley – Abingdon
- Ziegenwald Dairy – Gate City
- TNT Farms – Meadowview
- Pick-N-Grin Farms – Bristol
- Harvest Table Farm – Meadowview
- Bristol Gardens and Grill – Bristol
- Abingdon Olive Oil Co – Abingdon
- Laurel Springs Farm – Marion
- Southern Fork Farm – Sugar Grove
- Pop’s Veggie Basket – Rural Retreat
- My Shepherds Farm – Rural Retreat
- Moyer Family Farms – Castlewood
- Appalachian Harvest – Duffield
- Va Field Goods – Wythe County
- Southern Culture – Abingdon
- Worsham Springs Farm – Bristol
- Bullen Family Farm – Abingdon Farmers Market
- Frosted Hawk Farm – Abingdon Farmers Market
- Goshen Homestead – Elk Garden
- Sunshine Acres – Abingdon
- Kiser Farms – Lebanon
- Abingdon and other SWVA Farmers Markets
2019 Farmers of the Month
-
- March/April – Tracy McGlothlin of Highlands Farm, Lebanon
- May – David King of River Valley Farm, Abingdon
- June – Amy Campbell of Old Rich Valley Farm, Saltville
- July/August – Courtney Umbarger of Laurel Springs Beef, Marion
- September – Richard Moyer of Moyer Family Farm, Castlewood
- October – Lynda Bracken of My Shepherd’s Farm, Rural Retreat
- November – Shawn Boucher of Southern Fork Farm, Sugar Grove
- December – John Woodworth of Ziegenwald Dairy, Gate City
Restaurant Takeovers
-
- White Birch Food & Juice – Abingdon
- Big Daddy’s Catering – Meadowview
- Four Seasons Catering and Bakery – Marion
- Your Grate Escape – Tazewell
- The Pakalachian – Lebanon
- Cheesy Does It – Lebanon
- JJ’s Restaurant and Sports Bar – Abingdon