DECATUR – On Thursday, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) will hold a press conference to help the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) launch a national tourism campaign. Four culinary destinations in Cullman County have been selected for the ARC’s Bon Appétit, Appalachia!, a tourism map-guide of unique culinary destinations published as an insert in Edible, a magazine dedicated to celebrating the local food culture with a focus on farms, orchards, wineries, specialty shops, food artisans and home cooks.
The four culinary destinations located in Cullman County highlighted in the national campaign are Alabama Gourd Festival (www.alabamagourdsociety.org), Festhalle Market Platz (www.facebook.com/cullmanfarmersmarket), Spradlin Farms (www.facebook.com/SpradlinFarms) and Steele Orchard (www.steeleorchard.com).
“It is a growing trend for today’s travelers to plan their vacation destinations around eateries they want to visit. With our unique blend of local flavor from award winning barbeque and restaurants featuring locally grown produce to craft microbreweries and wineries and vineyards, the north Alabama region is garnering national attention as a foodie destination. The Bon Appétit, Appalachia! promotion will help drive more visitors to the region and provide a boost to local businesses, farms, attractions and events,” said AMLA President/CEO Tami Reist.
Available at www.visitappalachia.com/bonappetitappalachia, Bon Appétit, Appalachia! showcases over 800 of the Appalachia’s locally owned farms, brewers, distillers, restaurants and other food entrepreneurs, including 130 in Alabama. In addition to the web version, approximately 205,000 copies of the map-guide are provided as an insert in the summer 2016 issue of 13 Edible Community Magazines in and around Appalachia. The full-color oversized map highlights culinary destinations in the Appalachia region by showcasing unique, local foods behind each destination and is designed to educate travelers and residents on local farms, farmers markets, farm-to-fork restaurants, chefs featuring local ingredients, vineyards and award-winning wineries, craft breweries and distilleries, heritage food festivals, and other distinctive culinary events. In addition, Edible Communities has produced Backroad Journeys http://edibleradio.com/category/backroad-journeys/, a podcast profiling various locations featured on Bon Appétit, Appalachia! available on Edible Radio.
The campaign is a marketing effort by the ARC designed to boost tourism and to stimulate economic development in the 13 states comprising the Appalachian region. Members of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Tourism Advisory Council helped identify locations for the Bon Appétit, Appalachia! campaign. Map and website materials were developed by Destination by Design in Boone, North Carolina which is also launching a companion social media campaign using #bonappalachia.
On hand for the announcement set for 11:30 a.m., June 9, 2016, at 1818 Farms located at 24889 Lauderdale Street in Mooresville, Alabama will be ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl, Governor’s ARC Representative Jim Byard, Jr., ARC State Program Manager Al Jones, regional and local tourism officials and owners and representatives of the culinary destinations featured in the map-guide.
For more information on culinary destinations in Cullman County, contact Jesse Newsom with the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce at 256-734-0454. For more information on the June 9 press conference, contact the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association at 800-648-5381.
