Justice praises James Beard Award winner Smith as culinary ambassador for West Virginia
Encourages West Virginians to explore the state for 161st birthday
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CHARLESTON - As West Virginians prepare to celebrate the state's 161st birthday Thursday, Justice bestowed upon Paul Smith, the state's first James Beard Award-winning chef, a rare honor for his work promoting West Virginia as a culinary tourism destination and for being an important ambassador for the state.
Justice and state tourism officials also encouraged the public Tuesday to get out and experience the Mountain State's wonder by marking items off of a new bucket list, including eating at local restaurants.
Smith received the Distinguished West Virginian Award from Justice and Babydog, the Governor's English bulldog, during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Governor's Reception Room at the State Capitol Building. He was joined by his wife Carrie as well as friends and supporters.
"This is completely my honor," Smith said in remarks after receiving the award. "This definitely rivals – maybe even more so to my heart – winning the James Beard Award."
Smith is the owner of three restaurants in the Charleston area: 1010 Bridge Restaurant and Catering, a fine dining restaurant in Charleston's South Hills; The Pitch Sports Bar and Grill in Dunbar; and Barkadas, a Charleston restaurant that specializes in blending American and Filipino cuisine.
Smith also provides consulting to restaurants across the state and nation, provides cooking demonstrations and classes, and promotes West Virginian and Appalachian cuisine.
"I think when people come to West Virginia, what they are taking is a memory," Smith said. "They're taking a piece of West Virginia; they're taking a little bit of that innate West Virginia hospitality. Maybe they're going whitewater rafting. Maybe they're eating in our restaurants. Even if they're just coming to visit for a day... people are stopping in West Virginia and they're going to come back."
Smith's James Beard Award was his first win and his second nomination, having made it to the semifinals last year. A native of Charleston, Smith is also the first West Virginian to win the coveted award from the James Beard Foundation, which recognizes talented chefs across the nation.
"What an award, and what an award for West Virginia in all honesty," Justice said. "You have achieved something that is unprecedented ... I commend you in every way and those who worked right with you to make all this happen and everything.
"What you have done for this state in its own way, you have put your mark in the sand to really and truly put us on the map," Justice continued. "You are a gift to this state that we will treasure forever."
Chelsea Ruby, the cabinet secretary for the Department of Tourism, said their marketing research for several years in a row showed them the state's weakest area was food tourism. But three years ago, the state began to focus on changing its image when it comes to food. Ruby said she worked with Smith to create a culinary ambassador program.
"People are worried that we don't have enough food options or we don't have good food ... but we're going to start really promoting food. We were going to lean in and promote ourselves as a culinary destination," Ruby said. "We decided we needed a culinary ambassador program. We needed to find people to represent us all around the state and talk about the culinary scene in West Virginia and start telling people that those perceptions they have about West Virginia are wrong."
The Culinary Ambassador program has eight chefs, including Smith, representing regions of the state. The Department of Tourism includes a webpage dedicated to helping visitors find dining destinations across the state.
In an earlier briefing with reporters Tuesday, Ruby promoted a new 2024 Summer Bucket List for in-state and out-of-state tourists to use to plan trips across the state. The list includes 10 items for people to check off, including starting a road trip, visiting a waterfall, checking out a natural wonder, eating at local restaurants, and more. Those who complete the bucket list are eligible to win a free fall vacation sweepstakes at WVTourism.com.
"This is a great way to start your West Virginia Day celebrations," Ruby said. "People like bucket lists; they like a list that they can follow when planning their vacation ... We've looked at the top 10 most popular things that people are looking to do in West Virginia and put them on a bucket list. It's a great way to guide your summer travels."