Food Events

On the Road - Savor:
Chefs, Farmers, and Friends

June 13-15, 2025
Mountain Lake Lodge
Pembroke, Virginia

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About this Event

We are thrilled to Present Savor: Chefs, Farmers, and Friends, a truly unique culinary experience that only Root to Table’s culinary series can offer this year. Your journey begins with an 11-mile drive up the mountain to the iconic Mountain Lake Lodge, the very place where the classic ‘Dirty Dancing’ was filmed in the 1980s. You’ll have the exclusive choice of lodging, from the main lodge to private cottages scattered around the resort. Share this exclusive experience with friends by inviting them to share a cottage. One price covers your lodging and the entire culinary weekend experience.

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Get ready for a weekend packed with culinary delights!

Your journey begins on Friday night and continues with a full day of food immersion from 9 am to 11 pm on Saturday. On Sunday, we wrap up with a healthy breakfast and a final visit to the Culinary Marketplace, where you can stock up on food and artisan wares to take home. But don’t worry, if you need a break from all the culinary excitement, Ball Knob offers three hiking trails, a relaxing pool scene, and a new spa for you to unwind.

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Root to Table is thrilled to partner for the first time with Mountain Lake Lodge to bring you an unforgettable culinary experience:

A Three-day Event

Friday, June 13

Welcome & Check-In
4:00 pm

  • Arrive at Mountain Lake Lodge
  • Settle into the Blue Ridge Mountains

Brews, Bottles & Bites
6:00 - 9:00 pm

  • Craft beer, ciders, and fine beverage tastings
  • Live acoustic music from local musicians
  • Meet the makers, brewers, and distillers
  • Bonfire under the stars

Opening Night Menu

  • Venison Sausage, Country Ham, Selection of Locak Cheeses, Fruit, Fava Hummus, and Seasonal Foraged Accoutrements
  • Korean Short Rib Galbi
  • Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken Slider w Chow-Chow Aioli, Cabbage Apple Slaw, Potato Roll
  • Rabbit Confit with Killed Greens and Black Garlic Balsamic Reduction
  • Pork Shank with Apple Butter and Spoon Bread (Porky Pastures)
  • Beef Bourguignon, Wild Mushroom, Polenta, Pearl Onion
  • Baby Bear Lavender Cookies

Saturday, June 14

Rise & Shine: Breakfast
8:00 - 9:30 am

  • Interactive breakfast stations
  • Farm-to-table dishes
  • Live demonstrations from local chefs

Farmers & Flavor Marketplace
12:00 - 4:00 pm

  • A lively, interactive experience celebrating local flavors and craftsmanship
  • Artisan vendors
  • Locally inspired bites
  • Live cooking demonstrations
  • Music of Southwest Virginia

Roots & Relax: A Culinary Journey
6:00 - 9:00 pm

  • Multi-course dinner
  • Chef-curated menu
  • Fireside gathering
  • Gourmet s’mores
  • Live music under the stars

Breakfast Stations Menu

  • Jamaican Breakfast: Poached Egg, Ackee, Okra, Salted Codfish, Onion, Tomato with Fried Dumplings & Fried Plantains
  • Homemade Yogurt and granola, Farmers Cheese w/ Membrillo & Jam, Sweet potato & purple potato Hash, Sweet Potato Biscuits & Gravy
  • Foraged Wild Chive & Onion Korean Pancakes
  • Halwa Lebanese Breakfast Pastries
  • Coffee, Teas and Doughnuts

Demonstrations & Lunch Menu

  • Dr. Mae Hey – Three Sisters Succotash Salad, Anise Hyssop, & Maple Citrus Vinaigrette; Corn Mash with Infused Ramp Oil and Juniper Berry; Turkey and Wild Rice Meatballs with Elderberry – Maple Drizzle
  • Ty Walker, Palisades – Trout Demo with Smoking Chimneys
  • Travis Milton, Nicewonder Farm and Vineyards – Cooking Demo on Pepperoni Rolls
  • Chelsea of Mountain Lake – Mixology Class on Summer Cocktails
  • Amanda Sweeney, Edgewood Apiaries Farm – Honey Talk
  • Clay Morris – Foraging on local Ball Knob Trail

Dinner Menu

  • Course 1: Smoked Rappahannock Oyster, Maryland Crab, Lime Aioli, Trout Roe
  • Course 2: Arañitas with Creole Coconut Curry, Pickled Local Shallot, Yucca Flowers
  • Course 3: Honey Glazed Spring Duck with Field Pea Salad and Spring Pea Puree
  • Course 4: Spicebush Venison Loin, Salt Bacon Wrapped Root Vegetable Terrine, Grilled Purple Bok Choy, Arkansas Black Apple Demi-glace, Garlic Mustard Powder
  • Course 5: Dessert Outside: Late Spring Fruit Galette with Lemon Crunch Ice Cream, Mexican Chocolate Rye Flour Graham Cracker, Marshmallow and S’mores Cowbell Ice Cream

Sunday, June 15

The Artisan’s Breakfast Table
8:30 - 10:30 am

  • Open-air breakfast
  • Scenic mountain setting
  • A perfect farewell

Breakfast Menu

  • Spelt muffin, Late Spring Veggie Quiche, Fruit Danish
  • Pickle Biscuit, Pork Tenderloin, Country Ham, Buttermilk Cheddar
  • Trout Ceviche, Avocado Mousse, Fresh Pico De Gallo Caviar, Kudzu Lime Gelee
  • Carol Lee Doughnuts

Breakfast Pastries

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Root to Table's Guest Chefs

Meet Chef Pete Smith, Root to Table

A Jacksonville native, graduated from Wolfson High School in 1998 before attending the Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts in St. Augustine, Florida. When graduating in 2000. Chef Pete has been exposed to various areas of the culinary industry, including managing a gourmet food truck and resort restaurants, owning restaurants, developing restaurants, bar/lounge design concepts, baking and pastries. Chef Pete went on to become a Chef de Cuisine at the young age of 22 at Restaurant Medure in Ponte Vedra Beach Florida. At a Four Diamond Restaurant he was the youngest African-American chef ever to run a Four-star restaurant in the state of Florida at that time. Now with over 22 years of professional experience Chef Smith has directed many areas of Food & Beverage Divisions at the Forbes Five-Star level. His first passion of cooking is complemented by his experience which spans across the entire spectrum of the culinary industry.

Meet Chef Wells Selbe, Mountain Lake Lodge

Chef Wells was born into the food business in Roanoke, Virginia. His great-grandfather owned a restaurant in upstate New York called The Candlelight. His grandfather was the chef, grandmother the barkeep, and his mother the waitress. He was raised in his family’s catering company, Chanticleer Catering, bussing tables and helping with prep work since elementary school. At 16 years old, he attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Paris, France, later going on to graduate from the University of Virginia with a degree in Anthropology. Wells continued to work with his family’s company as they expanded their operations to create and acquire three historic venues, Overhome, The Corinthian Ballroom and The Virginian on Jefferson.

Wanting to expand his culinary knowledge, Wells pursued tenures at Jean-Georges and Don Angie in NYC, The Continental and Audrey in Nashville, Ballyhack in Roanoke, Virginia, and The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA. When Chef Wells isn’t in the kitchen, he spends his time hunting for rare Appalachian ingredients on his 50 acre farm in Hardy, VA. He is an avid fly fisherman and loves spending time hiking in the beautiful mountains of Giles County.

Special Guest: Forager Clay Morris

Clay Morris is a restoration ecologist focused on using native plants as food sources. An avid forager and “foodie,” he distinguishes between edible and palatable, supplying wild ingredients to local chefs. With interests in ethnobotany and ethnoastronomy, his work centers on preserving Indigenous and Appalachian foodways. Raised among Mescalero Apache, Taos Pueblo, and Mexican communities before moving to West Virginia, he grew up with diverse food traditions—from foraged staples to Appalachian classics.

By 14, Clay was a short-order cook on the night shift at a truck stop, later working at L’Auberge Provencale in Virginia, where he learned French cuisine and developed a taste for fresh, local food. He holds degrees in Natural Resource Management, Horticulture, Environmental Studies, and Biology. At Shepherd University, he taught a graduate seminar on Appalachian Foodways and Foraging, exploring how traditional food systems might address modern food challenges.

Special Guest: Indigenous Chef Dr. Hey

Dr. Hey’s research and training focus on land-centered sustainability and wellness through Indigenous culinary traditions. She brings this expertise to the Mountain Lake
Root to Table event, presenting seasonal Native American dishes adapted for optimal flavor, aesthetics, nutrition, and a modern palate.

Her work emphasizes critical participation, engaging with communities to promote Indigenous gardening, food-sharing, and decolonizing diets. Dr. Hey continues
her learning through apprenticeships with Indigenous chefs and agronomists, further enhancing her expertise in sustainable food practices.

Special Guest: Chef Travis Milton

Travis Milton, a James Beard–nominated chef from rural Southwestern Virginia, grew up immersed in Appalachian cooking, learning to shuck beans, preserve produce, and plant gardens from an early age. His culinary journey took him from local kitchens to renowned restaurants like Equinox in D.C. and Incanto in San Francisco, where he honed his skills and developed a passion for blending traditional Appalachian flavors with modern techniques.

Now at the helm of Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Virginia, Milton brings his roots to the forefront, reimagining Appalachian cuisine with a fresh, approachable twist. Off the clock, you’ll likely find him on his porch, sipping whiskey, spinning Whitney Houston, and rocking one of his 480 pairs of Nikes.

Meet the Savor Team Farmers & Chefs

24 Featured Farmers

Farmers include Broken Arrow, John Etzler, Smoking Chimney, Maple Leaf Farm, Savage Acres, Meadowcreek Dairy, Whitegate Creamery, Homestead Creamery, Green Market, Gracious Grains, Kudzu Farms, Etzler, Mountain Lake Leather Britches, RNF Farms, Primitive Farms, Riverstone, Obis One, Porky Pastures, Den Hill Farms, Food For Thought, Porky Pastures, and Sweet Table.

14 Chefs and Sommelier

Chefs include Wells Selbe, David Gordon Summer, Roderick Smith, Brandon Chinnery, Chelsea Edwards, Robert Cooper, John Park, Quincy Randolph, Dr. Mae Hey, Justin Bailey, Bryn McDaniel, Travis Milton, Amber and Christian Jimenez, and Karmen George.

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Venue Information

115 Hotel Cir. | Pembroke, VA 24136

Root to Table has long been dedicated to fostering authentic connections between chefs, farmers, and food lovers, and this collaboration with Mountain Lake Lodge is a natural fit. Best known as the filming location for Dirty Dancing, Mountain Lake Lodge is now expanding its reputation as a destination for world-class culinary experiences. Together, we’re bringing new flavors, fresh ideas, and a shared love of real food to this extraordinary setting.

“I look forward to welcoming you to SAVOR: Chefs, Farmers & Friends at Mountain Lake Lodge, a magical weekend of cuisine, community and celebration set amid a backdrop of the magnificent Blue Ridge. The grand farm-to-table experience will feature Southwest Virginia’s best chefs, farmers, artisans, and brewers – all together for the first time and inspired by mountain areas worldwide – to celebrate our region’s exquisite flavors, culinary Appalachian heritage and sustainability.”

-Heidi Stone, President and CEO of Mountain Lake Lodge

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