Mississippi Hospitality in the Tar Heel State

Dec 19

Dec 19 Mississippi Hospitality in the Tar Heel State

Appalachia, Culinary, Magazine, Mississippi, North Carolina, Travel, Blue Ridge Mountains

"Y'all ready to do some fishin'?" says Greenwood, Mississippi native, and chef Neal Mitchell. It is a chilly, overcast day with the sun peeking out behind the clouds. Mitchell and his business partner, Brandon Hughes, drive the winding road along the East Fork River, which flows through the mountains of Brevard, North Carolina. With their fishing gear in tow, they discuss the best spot to pull over and cast their lines. These longtime friends are daily in search of the best location to fly fish for trout.

A shared passion for food and the outdoors brought these friends together -- along with Brandon's wife and home cook extraordinaire, Emily. It was all the inspiration needed for their business collaboration, East Fork Guides. The East Fork River is a tributary of the larger French Broad River which runs through the area and runs right through Brandon and Emily's backyard.

How did three Mississippians end up in the Tar Heel State?

The trio's history began in the Mississippi Delta. Neal and Emily went high school together in Greenwood. Though Brandon lived in Kentucky at the time, he frequently visited his family's farm in nearby Sunflower County.

Lives converged at the legendary Giardina's Restaurant in The Alluvian Hotel, where they waited tables and learned valuable kitchen secrets. The three friends quickly bonded over their shared passions. Brandon eventually went on to enroll in the Veterinary Medicine Program at Mississippi State, and he and Emily married. Meanwhile, Neal perfected his culinary craft as a Viking-trained chef.

Once Brandon completed veterinary school, the pull to live in the mountains was strong. They soon began to look at houses in the mountains of western North Carolina. "We'd been here before and really loved the area," Brandon said.

Last August, Brandon and Emily pulled up stakes after he completed his residency in Birmingham, moving 30 miles southwest of Asheville in Brevard. Neal was not far behind and arrived about six months later.

Brevard is in Transylvania County, the "Land of Waterfalls." Transylvania County has the unique distinction of being a designated a rain forest. It is a lush, green wonderland with over 200 hundred natural waterfalls and trails to explore. Where there's water, there are fish.

The friends quickly settled into a daily routine of waking up, fly fishing for a few hours, and then headed off to work. Their vision for East Fork Guides is one that includes the food culture and hospitality of their home state with the freedom of western North Carolina's wilderness. They cater to small groups because the experience is more personable and can easily be tailored to suit your cravings, so to speak.

Their guided adventures can be as hands-on or as hands-off as you want. Depending on your skill level and what type of experience you'd like to have, Brandon admits, "I'd almost prefer someone who doesn't have that much experience because every catch is amazing and exciting!"

Brandon, Emily, and Neal study the rivers in the area. Each location has a distinct ecosystem, whether it is one mile or five miles down the road. The river systems contain different varieties of insects, water temperatures, and currents that affect how, when and if the trout bite. Trout are intelligent, stealthy fish that hide beneath the rocks. They only bite if a familiar bug appears on the water, which is why fly fishers create their own lures, tailor-made to the fishing area. The fish will not bite for anything other than an expertly cast fly.

The nearby Davidson River Hatchery manages the rivers in the area and the East Fork is a delayed harvest area. That means from April to September there is a daily limit on how many trout one can catch each day. During the off-season months, from October until the following April, the hatchery re-stocks the rivers.

The guides can coordinate every step of the process from finding lodging to helping acquire local permits and licenses to cooking your catch in their kitchen. That is unless you'd rather have your catch sizzle over an open flame under the stars.

After they agree on a go-to fishing spot, Brandon pulls the car over. He and Neal pull their waders up over their clothes and secure their fishing vests. They take out the tackle boxes, decide on what flies they'll use, and set off with fishing nets and fly rods in hand. They wade into the clear, rushing water and begin casting lines. "On the East Fork, there's not as much pressure. The fish aren't as big, but they are easier to catch," Brandon explains. It doesn't take long for them to get their first bite.

A few choice fishing spots are worth the hike, but plenty of locations are just off the main road. "The stocked, fishable part of the East Fork is 2.8 miles," Brandon points out. "On any given day, there can be up to 10 to 15 people at a time in sections of the river."

After wading through the river for a couple of hours, Emily delivered a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches. Once we'd eaten our fill, Neal and Brandon drove over to another location nearby and began to fish in front of a raging waterfall. "The hard part once we get to fishing is getting us away from it," Neal jokes.

Once we were done fishing for the day, Brandon drove us back to his house where Emily got dinner started. She and Neal worked like a well-oiled machine in the kitchen, talking about how they stayed up late the night before preparing recipes for supper. Dinner included smoked trout dip, fresh vegetables, veal sliders, and catfish cakes drizzled with hot sauce cream. As they cooked, stories spilled out about food, life, Giardina's and fishing.

Neal, Brandon, and Emily plan to expand their services to wild game hunting expeditions. Right now, they are happily dedicated to sharing their passion for fly fishing, food, and entertaining friends. In true Mississippi style, no one is a stranger at their table.