About Us

Slow Food Tri-Cities is a newly established local chapter of Slow Food USA, the American arm of an international movement founded in Italy in 1989 by Carlo Petrini. What started as a protest against a fast food restaurant opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome became one of the world's most significant food and farming movements and is now active in over 160 countries.

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Our Story

Our chapter brings that mission home to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. This region has one of the richest food heritages in America: Cherokee foodways, Scots-Irish preservation traditions, generations of farmers who have fed their families and their neighbors from this land. We believe that heritage is worth protecting, celebrating, and building on. We also believe that heritage is under threat, and we aim to do something about it. 

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Our Mission

We organize around a simple but powerful idea: food is joy, and it should be good, clean, and fair–for everyone. That means:

  • Supporting local farmers, producers, and food artisans who are doing things right
  • Protecting the biodiversity and heritage foods of the Appalachian foodshed
  • Advocating for food access and equity across our region

  • Building community through shared meals, education, and honest conversation about our food, agricultural, and environmental systems

    We're not here to tell anyone how or what to eat. We're here to deepen the connection between people and the food they love, and to make sure that connection is available to everyone in our community.

Our Region

The Tri-Cities region–Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol, along with surrounding communities in Tennessee and Virginia–sits at the heart of Central Appalachia. Our foodshed stretches across mountain hollows, river bottoms, small farms, and urban centers that have fed this region for generations. From rhubarb and sweet corn to sorghum and leather britches, this land has a food story unlike anywhere else in the country.
We're here to make sure that story continues.

Our Affiliation

As an official Slow Food USA chapter and independent 501(c)3, we're connected to a global network of food advocates working toward a future where good, clean, and fair food is a given, not a privilege. But our work is hyperlocal: our farmers, our chefs, our neighbors, our table.

Learn more about Slow Food USA →

FAQs

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around?

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed bed a horrible vermin pitifully compared.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around?

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed bed a horrible vermin pitifully compared.

When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around?

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed bed a horrible vermin pitifully compared.

Become a Founding Member


Slow Food Tri-Cities is in its founding year. This is a rare moment, a chance to shape what this organization becomes and what it stands for and provides to our community. Whether you're a farmer, a chef, a home cook, an outdoor enthusiast, or someone who just cares about where your food comes from and just likes to eat, there's a place for you here.

Get Involved