Root to Table board members Amanda and Kelly share the inspiration, people, and purpose behind this year’s Salute to Women events.
What makes Salute to Women more than just another event?
Now in its third year, Salute to Women brings together the farmers, chefs, makers, artisans, and entrepreneurs helping shape our region’s food and agricultural communities. It’s a celebration of their work, but it’s also an opportunity to create meaningful connections, share knowledge, and give women across the industry a space to be seen, supported, and inspired.
This year, Root to Table is bringing Salute to Women directly to the land with two events hosted at Hope Flower Farm in Waterford, Virginia, on August 23 and Celeste Farms in Richmond, Virginia, on August 30.
We sat down with Root to Table board members Amanda and Kelly to talk about the inspiration behind the annual celebration, what goes into bringing it to life, and what guests can expect this year.
1. Salute to Women is now in its third year as an annual Root to Table event. Looking back on the inaugural event, what inspired you to bring it back year after year?
Amanda:
This is actually my third Salute to Women, and that history matters to me. The earlier gatherings under Taste of Blue Ridge already showed me something rare: women who usually work in isolation suddenly recognizing each other as peers and collaborators. That experience is the reason I stepped more deeply into the organization.
Watching Root to Table become a formal 501(c)(3) nonprofit felt like the natural next chapter. It gave the work a stronger foundation, a clearer mission, broader reach, and the ability to invest in the long-term health of the regional food system rather than simply producing beautiful single-day events.
So when we decided to bring Salute to Women forward again, the question wasn’t simply, “Should we do it bigger?” It was, “How do we honor what’s already been built while matching the scale of what this community now needs?”
Moving the event outdoors to Hope Flower Farm and Celeste Farms, creating two distinct sessions, and aligning it with the Year of the Female Farmer felt like the right answer. Bigger, yes, but more importantly, more rooted.
Kelly:
Salute to Women is actually what brought me to Root to Table, so this event is especially meaningful to me. I believe it fills an important gap by recognizing the women who are often underrepresented in our farming and food community.
Moving the event to a woman-owned farm feels like the perfect next step and really reflects what this event is all about.
2. Every successful event has countless details that guests never see. What’s one behind-the-scenes story or planning moment that has made this year’s event especially memorable?
Amanda:
Kelly and I were clear from the start that we wanted this year’s events on actual farms. We walked Hope Flower Farm and Celeste Farms separately, and each place carried its own character: the land, the people who grow and cultivate there, and the way the spaces already told a story.
Those visits confirmed we were on the right track. Hosting Salute to Women on working farms instead of at a hotel or event space wasn’t just a logistical choice. It aligned the setting with what the day is actually about. That decision still feels like one of the most important ones we made.
Kelly:
The most memorable part has been seeing how excited everyone has been to support the event. We have new participants, new locations, and, most importantly, new enthusiasm and energy surrounding Salute to Women.
Every conversation with vendors, presenters, and volunteers has reinforced that people are eager to celebrate and support women in agriculture and food.
3. Can you give us a sneak peek at a few of the vendors, speakers, demonstrations, or experiences attendees can look forward to?
Amanda:
You’ll move between a curated marketplace of female farmers, chefs, beverage makers, and artisans, along with short, substantive educational sessions covering regenerative practices, a day in the life of a farmer, value-added production, and practical ways to cook closer to the land.
Holly Chapple is leading an exclusive floral workshop and seasonal design demonstration that I’m particularly looking forward to. There’s live music, a celebratory welcome with bubbles from Rappahannock Cellars, and two distinct sessions so the day never feels rushed or overwhelming.
The real hidden gem, for me, is still the unscripted space between the programmed moments. That’s where someone who’s been quietly refining a small-batch product finds herself in conversation with women who immediately understand the work. Those exchanges are the lasting product of the day.
Kelly:
Attendees can also expect a wonderful mix of local farmers, food producers, makers, and women-owned businesses, along with demonstrations and opportunities to connect with the people behind them.
And a certain renowned florist might just be doing a demonstration at Hope Flower Farm!
4. Planning an event like this means meeting and collaborating with incredible women across our region. Is there a new business, maker, farmer, or entrepreneur you discovered during the planning process that you’re excited for others to meet?
Amanda:
One of the quiet privileges of this work is watching women who have been doing excellent, often solitary work suddenly step into a larger circle. I’ve been especially moved by newer makers and farmers who are just beginning to share beyond their own table or a single market.
The nonprofit structure has made those introductions more intentional. We’re not only celebrating the women who are already visible; we’re actively creating conditions where the next wave can be seen and supported.
That discovery process, watching someone realize she belongs in the room, is one of the most satisfying parts of planning.
Kelly:
One of the best parts of planning this event has been meeting so many talented women who are doing amazing work throughout our region. It’s hard to pick just one because every participant brings something unique, and I hope attendees take the time to meet as many of them as they can.
5. For someone considering attending Salute to Women for the first time, what would you tell them?
Amanda:
Come ready to leave a little different than you arrived.
At Hope Flower Farm in Waterford, we’re partnering with Maple Leaf Duck Farms to present a honey-glazed duck. In Richmond at Celeste Farms, we’re working with Hertzler Farm and a local chef on a honey-braised beef dish. Both meals feature honey from our hives, allowing guests to experience the connection between the land, the animals, and the bees in a very direct way.
Beyond the plates, and most importantly, you’ll meet the women growing, raising, and making the food that shows up on Virginia tables. You don’t need to be in the industry; curiosity is enough. Bring a friend if you can. The day is better shared.
Kelly:
I’d tell them to come with an open mind and be ready to make connections. Whether you’re interested in farming, food, local businesses, or simply want to support an incredible group of women, there’s something for everyone.
I think you’ll leave feeling inspired and with a few new favorite local businesses.
Come Experience Salute to Women
Salute to Women is about more than what’s on the schedule. It’s about the conversations that happen between demonstrations, the introductions that turn into collaborations, and the opportunity to discover and support the women doing extraordinary work throughout our regional food system.
Join Root to Table this August for a day of local food, farming, flowers, craftsmanship, education, and connection.
Salute to Women | Waterford, Virginia
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Hope Flower Farm & Winery
Salute to Women | Richmond, Virginia
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Celeste Farms
Explore the events and get your tickets today.
