The historic High Hampton Inn, in Cashiers, will turn into a Mecca of Southern food during the Southern Heritage Food Symposium being held May 19-21.

The three-day inaugural event will include demonstrations, lectures and tastings, and is co-sponsored by the Cashiers Historical Society. High-profile presenters such as Sheri Castle, professional culinary instructor; John Fleer, former chef of Blackberry Farm; Beth Jones, Cashiers Historical Society; and Fred Sauceman, expert on foodways of the central Appalachians, will highlight the symposium. Package rates are $320 per night double occupancy and $217 per night for a single occupant, with taxes and service fees additional. The symposium package includes lodging, all meals and fees.

"We are very excited to be working with the Cashiers Historical Society to host such a fundamentally Southern event," said Clifford Meads, general manager of High Hampton Inn. "We have secured some of the area's best Southern food experts and are thrilled that they will be able to share their knowledge with the participants."

The Southern Heritage Food Symposium will feature a variety of lecture topics from each of the presenters. Sheri Castle will present "Mountain Food, Southern Food: Iconic Foodways of the Southern Appalachians," during which she will highlight the differences in Southern cooking and recipes based on where in Appalachia the cook is located. She will also delve into the art of food preservation, which is still in use today. John Fleer, former chef of Blackberry Farm, will discuss and demonstrate the art of cooking with natural fires, without using a traditional barbecue or grill.

Throughout the 19th century, many families struggled with putting food on the table. Beth Jones will address how families planted, cared for and gathered crops from their gardens and used canning to preserve these items through the winter months. She will use her grandmother's canning pots and recipes to demonstrate this unique craft. Fred Sauceman will discuss some of his favorite Appalachian food folks, focusing on their unique personalities as much as on their food. Some of the individuals he will highlight are barbecue pitmaster and pharmacist Larry Proffitt, the "Tamale Lady" Clara Robinson and the late Cas Walker, Appalachia's most colorful grocer.

The historic High Hampton Inn and Country Club, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a classically rustic stone-and-wood mountain inn overlooking the spectacular scenery of North Carolina's sliver of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

For additional information on the Southern Heritage Food Symposium and High Hampton Inn or to reserve a space for this culinary event, call (800) 334-2551 or visit the website www.highhamptoninn.com.