“Lens on the Larder: The Foodways of Southern Appalachia in Focus” will be on exhibit at ETSU’s B. Carroll Reece Museum Nov. 3 through Dec. 21.
Photographs by Larry Smith and oral histories collected by Fred Sauceman document traditional and emerging foodways of Southern Appalachia – lard-fortified bowls of soup beans, the first appearance of bottomland strawberries in late April, hand-cranked homemade ice cream at midsummer, and the making of artisanal goat cheese at a Western North Carolina farm.
The exhibit features several locally owned, regional restaurants. Among the subjects are an annual springtime memorial to the King of Hawaii at The Cottage in Johnson City; the art of barbecuing fresh ham at The Ridgewood in Bluff City; and the only remaining Blue Circle, in Bristol.
“We focus on fall’s first sorghum as it enrobes a pan of country biscuits made from soft red winter wheat, sit at the side of a famous chow-chow cook, get elbow-deep in cheese curd, and poke our lens and microphone through vines of greasy beans near Surgoinsville,” said Sauceman.
“My home-gardening hobby has given me a real appreciation for the hard-working and creative people I’ve met and photographed in their environment over the past few years,” Smith said. “I hope these photographs will give the viewer a greater appreciation for all those who make their living from the land and the larder.

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