Four Fellows to Receive Awards to Sustain Central Appalachian Food Practices
Baltimore – Feb 19, 2025
Mid Atlantic Arts Central Appalachia Living Traditions Program, in partnership with Grow Appalachia and the Appalachian Studies Association, is thrilled to announce the 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellows. The Fellowships honor, celebrate, and support foodways tradition bearers in Central Appalachia who have made significant contributions to sustaining and supporting the foodways heritage of their communities.
The program awards $5,000 fellowships to support the ongoing community-based work of the fellows. Fellows may include home cooks and bakers, seed savers, farmers, community elders, keepers of recipes and traditional foodways knowledge, hunters, foragers, and other practitioners.
“Foodways are the cultural processes surrounding the cultivation, production, and consumption of food,” says Ellie Dassler, Program Director of Folk and Traditional Arts programs at Mid Atlantic Arts. “Sustaining foodways traditions ensures that communities pass on traditional knowledge. We are so excited to follow each fellow’s unique role in maintaining foodways practices. “
Fellows must be from an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) designated county and state and priority was given to applicants from Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia for Mid Atlantic support.
The 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellows are:
Sam Cole
Gardener, canner, nutrition and health educator in Eastern Kentucky, Development and Communications Coordinator at the New Opportunity School for Women.
Madison County, KY
Chris Smith
Seed saver, permaculturist, author of the James Beard Award-winning book The Whole Okra, Executive Director of the Utopian Seed Project.
Leicester, NC
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Fellow Chris Smith.
Ronnie Marie Tartt
Homemaker, grower, cook, entrepreneur, keeper of traditional foodways knowledge, creator of Mama’s Meat Sauce (available through Appalachian Gold)
McDowell County, WV
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Ronnie Marie Tartt. 2025 Appalachian Foodways Fellow from West Virginia.
Marcus West
Farmer, butcher, and keeper of his family’s legacy caring for land in Western North Carolina.
Franklin, NC
The 2025 Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellows will be honored at an awards ceremony and invited to present at the 2025 Appalachian Studies Association Annual Conference.
The Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellowships are a component of Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) – a multi-part program that invests in communities, seeds new folk and traditional arts experiences, and honors underrecognized practitioners of Central Appalachian traditions.
About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org
Contact:
Mackenzie Kwok
Communications and Social Media Manager
Mid Atlantic Arts
mkwok@midatlanticarts.org
410.539.6656 x123