NOVEMBER 26, 2009 ISSUE
New ‘Southern Fresh’ Television Show Filmed in Western North Carolina
First Episode Premieres in Lenoir December 5
Tim and Jan smile on the set of the show “Southern Fresh,” which will air in January 2010 on the RFD Network. A premiere showing takes place on Saturday, December 5, in Lenoir. Photo submitted
A television show called “Southern Fresh,” scheduled to air in January 2010 on the RFD-TV Network, stars lifelong local gardener Jan Kirby and self-made chef Tim Haas, friends who both hail from Western North Carolina. The show’s concept is “from the garden to the kitchen, or [from] seed to supper,” Kirby said.
In each show, Kirby demonstrates how to grow a food item—everything from pumpkins to an herb garden—and then Haas takes the fresh ingredients to the kitchen and prepares a meal.
“We end the show by sitting at the table with family and friends and eating the food,” Kirby said.
The RFD-TV Network is based in Nashville, Tenn., and the show will air in all 50 states to an audience of 40 million viewers—including about 1 million in North Carolina and about 9 million in the Southeast, Kirby said.
“Once it airs, a lot of people will be learning about North Carolina,” she added.
Six episodes of the show have already been filmed and are currently being edited, Kirby said.
The garden segments were mostly filmed at the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis, with additional filming in Caldwell and Catawba counties, and the kitchen segments were mostly filmed at the home of Savory Thymes owners Toby and Wayne Press in Linville Ridge, Kirby said.
“Tim and I have been good friends for a number of years,” Kirby said. “It’s always been his dream to have a television show.”
Kirby, originally from Hudson, currently resides in Blowing Rock, and Haas lives in Granite Falls, she said.
Over the past 10 years, the two have combined their passions for cooking and gardening and have written columns for newspapers, co-authored books and cookbooks and done radio broadcasts, Kirby said.
Their book Basil to Thyme: Culinary Endeavors from the Garden to the Kitchen was the recipient of two national awards, Kirby said, and the latest book, The Herb Garden Gourmet: Grow Herbs, Eat Well and Be Green, was published earlier this year.
In summer 2008, Kirby and Haas did a segment called “At Home in the Carolinas with Tim and Jan” that aired on the FOX Network in Charlotte. After showing that segment, along with some of their other work, to the RFD-TV Network, the network commissioned them to do 26 shows, Kirby said.
“We set about calling on businesses to see if they’d like to participate,” Kirby said. “The Mast Store Inn graciously offered us use of their garden. I needed an outdoor garden.”
The Mast Store Inn owners recommended the Press’ home as having a television-worthy kitchen.
“It is magnificent,” Kirby said. “I can’t wait to see it on TV.”
Kirby and Haas hired Homerun Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, Calif., to produce the show.
“We knew we had to get some company already delivering to major networks,” Kirby said, adding that all the show’s sponsors are from North Carolina.
The Last Straw in Blowing Rock provided all the flowers and décor for the set of the show, and a book signing will take place at the store the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, Kirby said.
An advanced viewing of the first episode of “Southern Fresh” will take place on Saturday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. Tickets are $15 per person and the premiere is black tie optional.
All proceeds from the premiere will be donated to the culinary program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI) because students from the program helped behind the scenes with the show and “did a fabulous job,” Kirby said.
The premiere also features a personal book signing with discounted book prices, wine and hors d’oeurves prepared by the JEBCC Catering Group and culinary students and the
CCC&TI Gardemanger student competition food display.
The civic center is also sponsoring a canned food drive to assist area programs from December 5 to 22, and guests can bring donations to place under The Community Christmas Tree.
After 10 years of “a lot of work and effort,” Kirby is elated about the show finally becoming a reality.
“If it was easy, everybody would do it,” Kirby said.
She sees the show as paving the way for others with similar dreams in the state.
“North Carolina is such a pretty state, [but] everything is done in California and New York,” Kirby said. “This is our chance to shine.”
The next seven shows are slated to be filmed in May, Kirby said.
In the meantime, Kirby and Haas are participating in comestible aspects of various events. This week, they will appear on the cooking stage at the Southern Christmas Show in both Charlotte and Raleigh, and last week, they helped judge the National Gingerbread House Competition & Display at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, Kirby said.
“That’s a great thing to take kids to,” Kirby said of the gingerbread house competition. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most entries were from the North Carolina mountains.”
For more information about the premiere or to order tickets, click to www.broyhillcenter.com/TimJan.html.
For more information about the show, click to www.timandjan.com.
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