Edible Blue Ridge Summer 2022

adventurous (or if you rented an e-bike, which we highly recommend), take a detour off of the Greenway and head up Mill Mountain! At the well-traversed summit, you’ll be treated to a breathtaking view of the Roanoke Valley. ere are also plenty of well-maintained trails all over the mountain, making a hike to the top a fun alternate possibility. Hopefully you’ll have worked up an appe tite after your morning adventures. Be sure not to miss what’s perhaps my favorite lunch option in town, Viet Sub on Williamson Road. Just a few minutes away from downtown, this tiny stand-alone restaurant houses some seriously delicious eats. eir banh mi sandwiches (the honey-glazed pork is my go-to) are a staple, crafted on house-baked bread with fresh veg gies and herbs. Fresh, light and local, they make it hard for me to go elsewhere during the lunch rush. If you happen to be searching for the best tacos in town (which I am always doing), con tinue traveling up Williamson Road. Both Lupita’s and Taco Riendo serve up authentic tacos and other Mexican dishes with the best of them. Lupita’s runs a stellar taco Tuesday deal ($1 tacos!) and has their special pozole available on weekends. Taco Riendo also houses Reyna Market , your one-stop shop for Latin Ameri can produce and food items. Perhaps you came to town to hike part or all of the “Triple Crown”, a popular section of three incredible summits along the Appala chian Trail. If so, or if you otherwise managed to find your way over to Salem, you will find no better lunch than at Cafe Xpress . You can drive right by this tiny hole-in-the-wall for years, as I ~~Halfway Point~~

Once you’ve fueled up, get ready for some activities! If you’re lucky enough to visit on a Saturday, be sure not to miss the Grandin Vil lage Farmers Market . Organized by local non profit organization LEAP, this market houses stalls from many of our favorite farms (includ ing ornfield, Garden Variety Harvest, and Fields Edge), artisans (like Isha Devine, who sells gorgeous local pottery) and food vendors (such as Laura, owner of ‘OT Chihuahua!, who can be found warmly handing out samples of her incredible salsas, tamales and empanadas). After checking out the best of Roanoke’s producers at the market, it’s time to learn some history. You can tour the Historic Gainsboro neighborhood , which served as Roanoke’s “Black Wall Street”. During infrastructure changes in the 1960s, “urban renewal” brought to the city the Roanoke Civic Center and in terstate expansions, but at a destructive cost to the Gainsboro neighborhood. Community his torian Jordan Bell leads informative tours dur ing the summer months, teaching the history of the area and encouraging questions and open dialogues. Other history buffs might want to visit the O. Winston Link Museum , the Harrison Museum of African American Culture , and the VirginiaMuseumof Transportation . e Grandin eatre is another historical land mark in the city, and is the best spot in town to catch a movie. You can even enjoy beer and wine with your freshly-popped popcorn! At this point, you may be ready to hit the Greenway. Bike rentals are available through Roanoke Mountain Adventures in Wasena and Cardinal Bicycle in Grandin (which is brand new and worth a stop for the cafe alone) if you’d like to pedal off your biscuit and make some room for dinner. If you are feeling extra

From top left: Bouquet fromThorn eld Farm (at Grandin Farmers Market). Viet Sub Banh Mi & Bun Thit Nuong. A burrito from Lupita’s. Golden Cactus Brewing.

24 | EDIBLE BLUE RIDGE SUMMER 2022