Let’s Start with the Biscuits: Biscuit Bash and International Biscuit Festival

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

The biscuit portion of my weekend started a bit earlier than I’d expected. I attended a reception for authors from the Children’s Festival of Reading Friday night (more on that tomorrow) and planned to make an early night of it. At the reception I ran into a friend who offered a free ticket to the Biscuit Bash which followed my author reception. The tickets were $75, so it was a very gracious offer that I could not decline.

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

The culminating event for the Food Writer’s Conference, the Biscuit Bash really had little to do with biscuits, per se. Held at the Southern Depot, the event included a screening of the film Pride and Joy by the Southern Foodways Alliance. A true survey of treasures, the movie included segments showcasing various farmers, restaurant owners and other people extolling their passion for food of one type or another. The filmmakers chose to focus on small out-of-the-way barbecue joints, purveyors of unusual foods and hole-in-the-wall establishments.

Cruise Farm Girls at the Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

Cruise Farm Girls at the Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

By doing so, they really cut to what always matters: the people behind the food. A great character-driven piece, I hope it finds a wide audience. My favorite portions included a man whose father perfected the pig ear sandwiches he continues to sell after his father’s death, as well as footage I’ve seen before of Earl Cruze extolling the virtues of buttermilk. “No need for viagra” is his memorable phrase.

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

Food samples were offered by a number of chefs and books by the visiting authors to the food conference were displayed and the authors autographed any purchases. I enjoyed a bite of Regina Charboneau’s shrimp and grits and I also enjoyed some mutton (I think) that didn’t appear on the menu. I hope it wasn’t from a previous event.

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

Biscuit Bash, Southern Depot, Knoxville, May 2013

As the event ended a deluge reminded us of the forecast for the weekend. As always, I was on foot and had my camera, so I was not keen on walking more and a half mile through the rain – or spending the night in the depot. Fortunately, Bill Alexander was there with his nice car and agreed to give me a lift. Thanks to him for that – and to Gay Lyons for slipping me in. What a great community!

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013 (Actually a little piece of the Farmer's Market, but I thought it was pretty)

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013 (Actually a little piece of the Farmer’s Market, but I thought it was pretty)

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

The next morning I only had time to breeze through the actual event. I’d agreed to volunteer through the day at the World’s Fair Park, but I wanted to see what was happening in the biscuit world. After a steady rain most of the night Friday night, I wondered how many people would venture out for the festival. If the rain reduced the crowd, we could’ve used  a little more because the crowd was, as always, massive. Both Locust Street and Market Square garages were closed by late morning.

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

The Biscuit Festival stretches from the south end of Market Square up Market Street to Church Avenue. Hardly a spot could be found where one might move freely. The lines to obtain tickets and samples stretched through the crowds and around corners. A happy buzz hovered over the event and no one seemed perturbed by the waits.

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

Vendors lined Market as well as  Clinch Avenue in either direction. One of the nice things about this event is that food is the theme that unifies most vendors and that makes for a more focused event, to me. Whether you want cook books, iron cookware, olive oil, jams and jellies or any of a variety of other food-related items, this is your place.

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

 

Of course, biscuits abounded. Biscuits of every variety, some pretty unusual and others pretty much like grandma’s. It’s a crazy kind of fun event that plays off our southern food heritage while offering a few twists along the way. With the addition of the Food Writer’s Conference and the sponsorship from Southern Living Magazine, the event has truly elevated itself beyond its beginnings.

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

International Biscuit Festival, Knoxville, May 2013

 

I’m not sure if naming it “International” in the beginning helped build the perception that this isn’t just local, but it seems to have worked. Vendors applied from across the country and twenty thousand people came to testify to the joys of a simple food.

Comments

  1. Great coverage of the Biscuit Fest! Also interesting to hear about the Biscuit Bash. I was not willing to fork over the cash for that but was curious. Also, I had not been to Knoxville in years and loved it. What a neat town it has turned into 🙂

  2. I love BiscuitFest! We try to go every year and I always take pictures to post – loved reading about it from your perspective!

  3. Nancy Roberts says:

    Loved the pictures and reading about the Biscuit Bash. It’s a shame that it has gotten so commercial….I remember when the festival was just about the biscuit 😉

  4. KnoxvilleUrbanGuy says:

    It was amazing how the rain stopped when both events began and started as at least the Reading Festival ended, though I think the Biscuit Festival had a bit more time to go. I missed the Trekies on Thursday night. That would’ve made a great photograph for the blog. Mr. T., I think this makes five soggy weekends in a row.

  5. tthurman says:

    Good to hear the weather wasn’t a complete event killer. How many rainy weekends have we had now?

  6. Biscuit Fest was great. Yum. And it only rained the first few minutes.

    Did you see all the Trekies dressed up in costumes for the opening of the new Star Trek movie on Thursday night? They were streaming through Market Square while the swing band played. (The movie is good – we saw it Friday.) A fun weekend all around.

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