[ lifestyle ]
BLAIR DOWLER
SHAWN POYNTER
Mike Costello and
Amy Dawson.
Preserving
Appalachia
One Meal
at a Time
That’s the story I think is important when we’re talking
about Appalachian food—the way so many different
cultures influence what West Virginian and Appalachian
food actually is.”
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Nestled in the southern part of Harrison
County, WV, a winding stream runs through
a 180-acre piece of land known as Lost
Creek Farm. For more than 150 years and
six generations, Lost Creek Farm was a full-
scale, highly productive vegetable, poultry
and cattle farm cared for by the family of
Amy Dawson. Today, Dawson and her
partner, Mike Costello, are working to
reinvigorate the land and restore it to a
fully operational farm.
In addition to re-opening the farm, the
duo has also launched an Appalachian-in-
spired traveling food business. The mission
of this new business is to tell stories of the
people and food in Appalachia, preserve
the Appalachian heritage and build the
economic landscape of West Virginia and
the surrounding region.