Terra Vita — Blog

In its fifth year, the Terra Vita Food & Wine Festival, established to celebrate the best of local, sustainable food and beverage, put on a great show. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than sampling the wares of over 40 chefs, vintners and brewmasters? Hundreds of others agreed and the tent on the green at Southern Village was humming with local food lovers.

One of our favorite bites of the day came from Chef Keith Rhodes, of Catch in Wilmington, NC. His Peruvian ceviche, composed of shrimp, octopus, flounder, sweet potato, corn and a spicy tomato aioli, is one of the bites that stayed on my mind as I visited other booths. Impeccably fresh and perfectly seasoned to highlight rather than mask the flavor of the seafood, it's a dish that will have me driving to Wilmington to see what else is on the menu.

I've never been a fan of boiled peanuts, but I have to say that the boiled peanut corn chowder from On the Square restaurant in Tarboro was a brilliant use of this southern treat.

The hand-shaken cocktails from TOPO Distillery were refreshing, especially the cucumber lemonade made with the incredibly smooth TOPO vodka. There were many hard ciders on offer, as well as a variety of craft beers, including local favorite Fullsteam. The wine selections were heavy on French and Italian, which I love, but was curious for a local event.

Firsthand Foods showed off their NC prosciutto which was more textured than its Italian cousin, but just as flavorful and buttery. They need to figure out how to add that to their roster.

The Carolina Crossroads at the Carolina Inn showcased an amazing shrimp boudin and a ridiculously rich chocolate pot de creme topped with caramel and a bruleed marshmallow.

Harvest 18's brussels sprouts salad with cranberries and butternut squash was a welcome green addition to the day.

Salt Box Seafood always brings their A-game and the smoked drum chowder was so good.

We caught a few food demos. Sandra Gutierrez made so sinful candies, and Craig Rogers from Border Spring Farms entertained the crowd as he grilled lamb ribs and a whole leg over the big kettle. Take aways: use the best meat possible, don't be afraid of the flame, and leave the salt out of the dry rub.

Local favorites lived up to my expectations. Chapel Hill Creamery, La Farm Bakery, Lucky 32, The Eddy, Watt's Grocery, Weathervane. Keep up the good work!

What other spots are now on my must-dine list? Six Plates Wine Bar in Durham, Oakleaf in Pittsboro, Fearrington House, Spring House in Winston-Salem, Standard Foods in Raleigh, and the Asbury in Charlotte. Time for an NC road trip! Would love to see some Asheville folks represented next year.