The only thing better than winning one VACo award is winning two, and we are exceedingly proud of the Orange County Office of Economic Development and Tourism for their Edna Lewis Menu Trail and Media Event, which was also recognized with a National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award earlier this year. This program captivated both minds and tastebuds as it
provided greater awareness of the exceptional contributions to American cuisine made by Orange County ’ s own Edna Lewis, “ the Grande Dame of Southern Cooking. ” For those unfamiliar with this amazing chef, Mrs. Lewis grew up in the county ’ s Freetown and went on to the groundbreaking success both in New York City restaurants and penning popular cookbooks. She was just as influential as other famous chefs of the time, but her story has been
underrepresented, and her name is not as quickly recognized as others like Julia Childs or James Beard. In fact, she was one of
the first to talk about the seasonality of ingredients, the importance of fresh, local agriculture, and southern culinary traditions at the national level.
The Menu Trail and Media Event sought to solve this awareness issue, by spreading the word (and tastes) of her remarkable legacy nationwide. The project was originally conceived to tell the story of Edna Lewis ’ life growing up in Orange County and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the publication of her first cookbook – The Edna Lewis Cookbook . However, as the program evolved from conception through planning and on to the execution phases, a variety of ancillary efforts added depth, preservation and long - term significance to the storytelling campaign. Orange County worked collaboratively with Virginia Tourism Corporation ’ s Communication Team to pitch the opportunity to national media outlets. A media event hosted on October 20 and 21, 2022, was a tribute to her legacy and her family, as well as a tangible way to introduce mainstream media and the traveling public to her powerful story. In addition to the multi - course tasting menu the media also experienced a full - day tour of Edna Lewis ’ Orange County. They visited Bethel Baptist Church – where she pilgrimaged annually for revival – enjoyed a driving tour of the Freetown area with a local historian, and visited her family cemetery along with other Orange County attractions and black history sites. Writers were hosted by Orange County lodging and restaurant facilities, drank Orange County wine and beer, toured Orange County historic sites and were introduced to Orange County organizations and citizens. The community was able to embrace this program and participate in a variety of ways – including the ongoing Edna Lewis Menu Trail.
Thanks to the quality pitching and hosting efforts Orange County has received 29 media placements to date. The Edna Lewis page on the Orange County Tourism Website is currently the most visited on the site! The impacts of this effort continue to be felt in a variety of ways, and we are honored to have helped tell the story of this amazing woman.
Page 6 | August 2023
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