Culinary Tourism Peachy in Chilton County

August 26, 2008

For nearly three-quarters of a century, agri-tourism has been popular in Chilton County. Travelers on the main thoroughfares have stopped at local u-pick operations to pick peaches, visit one of many open-air markets or pick up a basket or two of peaches for the beach. In the past few years, fruit and vegetable markets have branched out from simply selling fresh produce to selling foods prepared from fresh peaches. This trend is known as culinary tourism.

According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, culinary tourism is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences. An article in the Indianapolis Business Journal noted that a national study found that about 16 million Americans plan their vacations around food and spend an average of $1,271per trip.

"Whether you are traveling across town or across the world to try a new food establishment, the effort to do so is considered culinary tourism," said Gay West, Alabama Cooperative Extension System coordinator for Chilton County.

The Chilton County Peach Festival Cook-Off Committee transformed the traditional peach cook-off into a culinary event. The committee figured that cooking and eating homemade peach recipes in a rural setting fit right in to that unique and memorable experience category.

The committee, which includes the Chilton County Extension office, the Farmers Federation Women's Committee and the Clanton Lions Club, worked to create a cook-off that included a cooking demonstration by a chef, judging of entries and an opportunity for the spectators to sample the entries.

Twenty-seven youth and adult participants entered dishes in the event. The participants came from Autauga, Butler and Shelby counties to enter their favorite peach dishes. While the judges selected their favorite dishes, Chef Joseph Mitchell demonstrated his technique for making perfect pastry. Chef Mitchell, program director of the culinary and hospitality Institute at Jefferson State Community College, is a certified executive pastry chef as well as a certified culinary educator with extensive experience in the industry.

Only a few lucky audience members tasted the chef's peach recipe. However, after the winners were announced, the entire audience was invited to sample the dishes that had been entered into the event. Each person left with a cookbook that included all the recipes from the cook-off.

The planning committee believes this event can become a culinary destination with the opportunity to promote the community and rich traditions involved in celebrating Chilton County peaches and the farmers who produce them.

Posted by dreynold on August 26, 2008 02:49 PM
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