roanoke

Local Roots Restaurant Announces Chef Dinners

Local Roots in Roanoke, Virginia is a farm-to-table restaurant that celebrates the best of the Southwest Virginia region. The restaurant uses locally-sourced meat and produce and the work of area artisans and craftspeople decorates the space of the restaurant. Executive Chef Josh Smith offers lunch ($8-$12) and dinner ($17-$30) five days a week, with brunch available on Sundays.

The restaurant is inaugurating the new location with guest chef dinners by some of the hottest chefs in the country. Beginning August 25th, Local Roots will be hosting dinners featuring winners and nominees of the James Beard award. The visiting chefs will display their culinary talents alongside Local Roots Executive Chef Josh Smith and will draw inspiration from the ingredients available from Roanoke-area farmers.

The August 25 dinner featuring Chef Sean Brock and friends is already sold out but other events are still available including the September 29 dinner with chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav Restaurant in Philadelphia, a six-course meal combining modern Israeli cuisine with Chef Smith's culinary skills. On November 3, Preston Van Winkle of the Pappy Van Winkle Distillery will be on hand to talk about their new 2011 release. Chef Smith will prepare a three-course menu for dinner, as well as passed bar snacks to enjoy with the selection of bourbons. On November 16, chef Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT Restaurant and from season six of "Top Chef" will serve a multi-course menu highlighting the flavors of the Virginia and Maryland regions.

For more information and/or reservations, contact Local Roots Restaurant at (540) 206-2610 or visit their website.

Tags: bryan voltaggio, local roots, locavore, roanoke, virginia restaurants

Patrick Henry Hotel Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

All across the U.S. historic hotels are getting sold off. Up next is the Patrick Henry Hotel in Roanoke, Virginia. The Roanoke Times says that the 125-room hotel is set for auction at the city courthouse on Wednesday. The sale is the end of a long journey that began when the owner of the 89-year-old building, Affirmative Equities Co., a New York real estate investment and development company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Later the company converted to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy because it was unable to reorganize enough to begin paying off its debts.

The company does not have enough income to pay the necessary expenses for the Patrick Henry and so the lender Potomac Realty Capital of Delaware, is moving forward with a foreclosure sale. No sale price has been set but at the time of the sale a deposit of $275,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever amount is lower, is required with a 30-day closing. The building and its land are assessed at about $3.7 million, according to city real estate records. Affirmative Equities bought the hotel in 1990 for $3 million with plans to turn it into senior housing.

What will become of the historic property? Many Roanoke residents are hoping that the property can be turned into some kind of business. In the past the building has held retail businesses and a restaurant in addition to a hotel. It is in need of major renovation named one of the Roanoke Valley's endangered sites and a neglected property by the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation.

UPDATE: The property has sold for $2 million to Kristin Duffy of Potomac Realty Capital who was the only bidder.

Gallery: Hotels and Inns for Sale