With a headline reading, “This Tiny College Town is the Epicenter of a Food Revolution…,” it didn’t take long for the Spy to check out a recent article of Fast Company on the remarkable story of Berea College and its bold investment in local Food. We recommend Chestertown take note.
“On a bright August morning in Berea, Kentucky, Herb & Willow, a tranquil coffee shop and local arts market, is sunny and quiet. From behind the counter, Senora Childers, 25, chats with Jesse Fowler, 22, who sits drinking cold brew and bopping his baby nephew on his knee. The shop is delightfully crammed with for-sale pottery, tinctures, jewelry, and other handcrafted creations. Owner and ceramics artist Tricia Taylor, 24, opened the space in December to promote the work of her and her friends, a younger crowd that didn’t feel at home in Berea’s longstanding traditional folk-art scene.
Taylor, who developed her business through a local artist-specific business accelerator, was also passionate about serving local food and drinks: From the croissants and scones by nearby Clementine’s Bake Shop to the Ale-8-One soda (aka “Kentucky swamp water”) that’s been bottled in the state since 1926, Herb & Willow is a testament to how easy it can be to eat and drink locally in Appalachia these days.”
For the rest of the story, please go here
Fletcher R. Hall says
Berea, Kentucky has an approximate population of 14,500. Colleges across America are participating incubator development. See Johns Hopkins.
This type of endeavor takes vision, cooperation, collaboration and planning. It is everybody’s concern. Chestertown and WC must do better at working together. The future of both demandS this to happen. Both the college enrollment and population and the economic growth of moribund Chestertown is at
stake. Rather simple. but essential thoughts.