Southern Roots Reunion Review 2024 🐷

Hello again, Foodie Friends. 🙂 Join us this year for our Southern Roots Reunion 2024 Review from Saturday, April 20th, featuring a background on the festival; behind-the-scenes from the VIP area; barbeque and drinks from across the country; music, vendors, and much more! We’re already looking forward to next year! 🙌

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Welcome to the third year of Southern Roots Reunion! 🥳 The festival’s founders created this event to benefit the non-profit organization Geoff Rhyne of @idefineorg (and founder of @redclayhotsauce) and Brenda Luginbill of @cbeventsgreenville started in support of his daughter, who has a rare genetic disorder called Kleefstra Syndrome.

Like most rare diseases, there is currently no FDA-approved treatment or cure. Rhyne is determined to drive research and drug development to help his daughter and as many other patients as possible. As the festival beneficiary, they have raised close to $100,000 since their inception. This has helped fund a specialized clinic at the Boston Children’s Hospital and support the North American Family Conference that brings together over 75 families impacted by Kleefstra Syndrome. 🙌

A ticket to Southern Roots Reunion gives you all-you-can-eat access to over 35 pitmasters and chefs, beverages, local artisans, and live music from incredible bands all day. 👏

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Getting VIP access tickets means getting into the festival half an hour early. If you’re not just a carnivore but also a seafood lover – this is your jam, as an exclusive oyster roast from now-two-timer Jones Oyster Co. is yours to enjoy. We were excited to also experience our first Live Tuna Cutting from Sushi Yama in downtown Travelers Rest, which we’d heard amazing things about from our friends Heather and Ray at Foodie McFooderton.

VIP Drinks this year came on strong (pun intended) with Wine House leading the charge, along with guest brews from 13 Stripes Brewery, Pangaea Brewing, and Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Specialty cocktails from the City Club of Greenville (along with fancy toasted s’mores) and O’Darby’s Liquor Barn were delish this year! Check out the slideshow below for more photos of the oyster roast, sips, & brews.

Similar to last year, the artisan vendors were set up outside the VIP section. Multiple non-food-related vendors attended, from cast iron vendors to jewelry, candle makers, leather crafters, and more.

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The food, as always, was top-notch. Some of our favorite bites of the day were the Crispy Shaoxing chicken wing with Chinese five-spice herbed couscous, sumac fire-roasted veggies, smoked paprika, and honey citrus aioli from @hometeambbqgvl and @cureangvl.

More of our favorites (and photos below) from their creative chef pairings include:

• Mongolian brisket BBQ with braised red cabbage, Chinese mustard sauce, and fresh scallions
  • Justin Cobb – Rad Dad’s BBQ; and Zan Beasley & Ryan Smutzki – Rick Erwin Dining Group
• Castelvetrano olive and preserved lemon sausage with Covington and red potato salad with pickled fennel, caramelized onion, and Calabrian chili aioli
  • Madison Ruckel- Mama Jean’s Barbecue; Steve Zurkey – The Anchorage
• Smoked ribs glazed with pomegranate molasses and fregola salad with olives, local vegetables, and Split Creek Farm feta*
  • Rob Levitt – Publican Quality Meats; and Shawn Kelly- Fork And Plough
  • *Note: the photo below only includes the rib as there were either peanuts or dairy (besides the feta in the salad)
• Smoked cabrito and local vegetable tamale casserole with sweet corn, roasted peppers, and crumbled goat cheese
  • Sarah McClure – Southside Smokehouse; and Heidi & Joe Trull – Side Dish Catering
• Hawaiian Smash Burger Sliders (with no cheese for me)
  • Jeremey Bailey – Defiance BBQ
  • This burger included a spicy mayo, a smashed patty on a Hawaiian bun, a piece of pineapple and nori (aka seaweed), & spam.
• Smoked lamb neck with charred eggplant, pickled peppers, and mint (on top of a piece of brioche, which was removed for me)
  • Joe Cash – Scoundrel

Check out our Instragam reel below for more behind-the-scenes, and we cannot wait until next year!

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A post shared by Pimento & Prose (@pimentoandprose)

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What was your favorite bite of the Reunion if you attended? Did our favorites line up with any of yours? Does this blog make you want to attend next year if you haven’t gone to one yet? 🙌

Let us know your thoughts, and if you missed the event this time, check out these volunteer opportunities for next year before ticket sales launch in January, or donate to iDefine here in the meantime! 💜

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So how was your weekend, Foodie Friends? Are you excited about more food festivals coming up this summer? Sound out in the comments below to let us know your suggestions of what dishes to make or places we should visit next. As always, feel free to like, comment, & share. 🤗