This weekend on Main Street in Pilot Mountain there will be a dinner event under the stars to benefit downtown revitalization and the arts. The Foothills Dinner on Main calls for a gathering Saturday that will feature, “Fine dining, fine music, and fine company.”
“Foothills Dinner on Main was created with the thought of showcasing culinary talent while simultaneously building on our dream of a more vibrant downtown,” event organizers said.
A cocktail reception with a wine and beer tasting will begin at 5 p.m. and will feature tasty bites along with live music. Meeting and greeting will give way to eating when the clock tolls 6 p.m. and a multi-course dinner service commences.
Organizers hope to entice the public to come to downtown Pilot Mountain to sample food from some of the area’s best. The meal will be prepared by local chefs featuring locally sourced ingredients and courses will be paired with selected local wines or beers while music from The Happy Ones will accompany the evening.
If the notion of a dinner on the street just sounds ridiculous to you, that is reasonable. However, take a gander with your eyes over the menu as your stomach sends messages to the brain signaling a desire to support downtown the arts in Pilot Mountain and satiate growing pangs of hunger.
Foothills Dinner on Main has a menu that cries for attention boasting such appetizer offerings as a quail egg tostada, a miso braised pork belly, or pickled shrimp ceviche in a lettuce cup with avocado mousse and smoke pepita. This is more than a BBQ or chili cookoff folks, this is elevated dining – Pilot Mountain style.
The stars of the evening shall be found among the main course entrees for Foothills Dinner on Main. A selection of five entrees with options from land and sea are to be found with oven roasted lamb chops being paired with poached rainbow carrots and seared tarragon creme filled potato flutes.
Braised short ribs will join with roasted root vegetables, spiced rainbow cauliflower and romesco, and a horseradish-honey gravy that is sure to tempt taste buds. Also, a honey and orange glazed cod with balsamic and bacon brussel sprouts will be offered.
Mouths will water at the site of braised pork belly served with some of the signature flavors of autumn such as roasted butternut squash puree, havarti and goat cheese grits, granny smith apples, toasted pumpkin seeds, pork gravy, and red pepper coulis.
Designing and implementing the meal requires the skill and effort from multiple chefs, and their crews, to make Foothills Dinner of Main a success.
Some of the names aiding in the event are known players to this event such as Nikki Farrington of Niki’s Pickles and 6th & Vine in Winston-Salem has been a pivotal part of the event since its inception, organizers said. Another local heavyweight, Mark Thrower of Harvest Grill at Shelton Vineyards, is lending his skills to the dinner.
Michelle and Michael Millan operate The Tuning Fork which is the food truck for Fiddlin Fish Brewery. The two have a history with Miami/Cuban street foods dating back to 2017 with Mojito Mobile Kitchen. More recently they have purchased farms to lower produce costs for themselves, and to sell locally grown competitively priced produce to other chefs in the area.
Erin Needham, co-owner of Viridescence Bottles and Bites, will also be a presenter at the year’s event. The event planners said she has a passion for plant-based cuisine, and she will be opening the first of its kind in Surry County plant-based eatery next month in downtown Pilot Mountain.
Olivia Jessup has run Liv For Sweets bakery in downtown Pilot Mountain for three years. She touts herself as a self-taught baker who can create everything from scratch and says when folks eat her sweets, “They know I put my love and passion into it.”
Also joining the dinner’s culinary team is Donald Mueller, the former owner of Mountain View Restaurant, now owns My Kitchen food truck which specializes in American cuisine.
Pilot Mountain Town Commissioner Scott Needham, who will be serving as the emcee for the evening, said that the money raised from will be used to fund art projects, “There’s a lot of different art projects that we are hoping to be able to fund in the coming years and we’re hoping this will be our seed money to start those projects and match grants for this new nonprofit organization.”
He said the town is starting a non-profit for the many projects that the town has envisioned such as 3-D art displays at the Civic Center, 2-D art in the alleyway between First Citizen Bank and The Country Store, and increase programming at the amphitheater at Armfield Civic Center.
Needham said there are even larger arts goals such as funding a new downtown amphitheater, but he acknowledged, “The profits from this dinner would probably only be a drop in the bucket for that.”
After having had to cancel the 2021 Foothills Dinner on Main due to lingering ill effects of the pandemic on local restaurants, organizers and presenters alike are ready to welcome guests back to, “Dine on the yellow line under the stars in this foodie’s delight.”
Event organizers advise that participation in this unique evening requires a reservation. Tickets are $100 each and seating will be limited. For tickets visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/381106408527
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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