207: Tina Houston, Reid's Cafe & Catering, Beacon Butcher Bar & Betty's Biscuits (Sugar Mountain, NC)

It's almost impossible to talk about any food scene in the Boone and Banner Elk, NC area without including Tina Houston. Once you meet her, you know in five minutes she is a force, and she's been at the forefront of seasonal, local cooking in that pocket of the Appalachian High Country since she began Reid's Catering in 1999. Her enthusiasm for beautiful product, trust of the diners to go on a culinary journey with her, and her love of place have inspired a growing team that now encompasses the catering side, Reid's Cafe, The Beacon Butcher Bar, and a food truck called Betty's Biscuits so she can get her baking fix. Whatever she touches seems to prove that being socially conscious and committed to good food and good people can be delicious.