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Held July 3, the annual Freedom Food Festival in downtown Lexington raised and distributed $33,900 to 15 local non-profit organizations.
Freedom Food Festival is a free Independence Day themed street festival featuring for-purchase picnic fare and complementary live entertainment.
This year, nearly 3,200 attendees made their way into downtown Lexington for the event. Approximately 2,500 meals were sold and served.
For the second year in a row, celebrity chef Michelle Watkins and the Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen team took home the Golden Spoon as their Judge’s Choice award. Their meal was Korean barbecue Gochujang pork ribs, apple mint and cabbage slaw, and grilled poundcake with orange macerated strawberries. Devils Backbone was again paired with Rockbridge Area Transportation System Inc. (RATS), proving they are the heavyweight contenders for the 2024 Freedom Food Festival.
The People’s Choice award – for the nonprofit serving the most meals – went to ConnectionPlus Healthcare + Hospice serving celebrity chef Laurie Macrae’s famous spicy fry noodles and lime Asian slaw topped with savory grilled tofu.
Awarding the coveted Golden Spoon to Devils Backbone Outpost were VetFirst Inc. members USMC Staff Sgt. Sid Bushnell, U.S. Army Specialist Brian Engley, and U.S. Navy airman Dwyer Bird.
Serving as celebrity chefs for Freedom Food Festival were Laurie Macrae and Southern Inn Restaurant for ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice; Jim Jones and C.H.E.F.S. Catering Co. for Friends of Natural Bridge State Park; Chief Angela Greene and C.H.E.F.S. Catering Co. for Lexington Police Foundation; Michelle Watkins and Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen for Rockbridge Area Transportation Services; Judy Casteele and Sweet Treats Bakery for Project Horizon; Misty Camden and Southern Inn Restaurant for Yellow Brick Road Early Learning Center; Lynne Johnson and Lex-Vegas Bistro for Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity; and coach Travis Roadcap and Pure Eats for the Rockbridge County High School baseball team.
Nonprofits providing kids meals, desserts, and nonalcoholic drinks included Hull’s Angels Inc., Friends of Rockbridge Swimming Inc., and Team Na-Na Sports, respectively.
Sponsors of Freedom Food Festival were Austin Electrical Construction, Bank of Botetourt, Bank of the James, Cattleman’s Market, C.H.E.F.S. Catering Co., Comfort Inn Virginia Horse Center, CornerStone Bank, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, First Media Radio WWZW 96.7 and WREL Big Dawg 100.3, Lexington Prescription Center, Nationwide Insurance: Huffman Insurance Agencies, Perkins & Orrison, Inc., Randy Hostetter Excavating, LLC, Rockbridge Farmers Coop, Inc., Southern Inn Restaurant, Spencer Home Center, The LGCC Heathens, UTS Systems, and Well Pet Group.
Special thanks also go to the city of Lexington and Lime Kiln Theater for event support, and to Matt Koziol, Chris Jacobs Band, East Nash Grass, and Ignite Performing Arts Center for their lively entertainment.
The Freedom Food Festival Steering Committee includes representatives from Rockbridge Regional Tourism, Main Street Lexington, The Chamber of Commerce Serving Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge Co., Southern Inn Restaurant, Boxerwood Education Association, Ecco Adesso Vineyards, Purveyors on Main, and The Melvin Corporation.
