a pretty good little family here. A great staff of smart ASU students. And now my kids. I really like seeing them coming in to keep the place going.” One of the best Pepper’s stories happened the first year. A Blowing Rock resident named Jean Lawson started ordering a custom sandwich, and the more people saw her eat it the more people ordered it. That’s how “I want what she’s having” turned into the Jean Lawson, a Pepper’s classic, and another local honored on a local menu. There’s a changing of the guard at Pepper’s, but at Vidalia’s in Boone, 34-year-old restaurateur Sam Ratchford is the next wave. The New England Culinary Institute graduate grew up in Boone, worked in restaurants for years and plunged in himself four years ago when he bought the then two-year-old restaurant. It’s a big job, even with help from wife Alyce. “Restaurants are a young man’s sport,” he says. That’ll be true as long as the vibrant Boone area dining scene continues reinventing itself with the talent and drive of young chefs and their staffs. That’s just the start. Any great meal
Owners Laurie and Chef Patrick Bagbey of Louisiana Purchase you’ll have this evening at one of the area’s unique restaurants has a story of passion and perseverance behind the man or woman making it happen in the kitchen or the office down the hall.
It’s the Economy
The restaurant biz is one of the most volatile to tackle. There’s challenge out there for new and established eateries alike. Food costs for local res-
Mexican and Seafood Restaurant Our artisan gelatos &sorbets are handmade daily from fresh,local ingredients.
Try our Puerto Nuevo Special Quesadilla
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12-inch flour tortilla with grilled steak, chicken, shrimp and vegetables with rice or beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole
Serving Lunch & Dinner Daily 2120 Tynecastle Hwy • Banner Elk 828-898-3332 34
High Country Magazine
July 2011
(828) 295-7676