Flavors of the Foothills nets $83K

The annual celebration and fundraiser Flavors of the Foothills dished out more than tantalizing Hmong flavors. The May 17 event at Oak Hill Community Park and Forest also brought in $83,642 for the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina.

Foothills Meats executive chef, Eric Morris, and team served a diverse menu that highlighted traditional Hmong cuisine. Fonta Flora Brewery poured the beer and Perry’s Berry’s Farm provided the berries for the blueberry cobbler as well as its award-winning blueberry wine for the day’s signature wine spritzer. Flowers for table arrangements were from local Hmong farmer Chai Xa Vue and hanging baskets donated by Thistle and Twig.

All produce served at Flavors of the Foothills was grown at Oak Hill Park, including the rice and cassava used to make Khao Sen Rice Noodles. Also on the menu was crispy chicken leg, Hmong sausage, charred yu choy, grilled pumpkin tofu, and salad.

Attendees enjoyed food, drinks, and conversation under 6,125 square feet of tent space and picnic tables and Adirondack chairs in the Burke County sunshine.

The mission of Foothills Conservancy is to inspire conservation in Western North Carolina by permanently protecting land and water for the benefit of people and all living things. Learn more at foothillsconservancy.org.

— AKC