Southern Oregon Food Scene Gains National Notice

Our little Rogue Valley is getting noticed on the national food scene. Of course, Harry & David has been a house name for years for fattening cubicle-dwellers on corporate gift baskets, and the wine industry has been gaining some notoriety, but lately a bunch of smaller artisan food businesses are making a splash.

Examples:

• Rogue Creamery. Best cheese in the world?! Best American blue?
  
• Lillie Belle Farms has snagged its share of press mentions and awards
  
• Gary West, to be featured on the Today Show
• Caldera Brewing Co in Ashland, mentioned in Bon Appetit and won some award in Germany
  

That's without mentioning the gobs of small family farms and folks who sell at the growers markets.

It's no longer uncommon to flip through a magazine like Sunset (which is regional, of course, but "The West" is kind of a big region) and see products from our neck'a the woods mentioned or recommended.

All of this is very exciting, since the Rogue Valley needs to find another industry that can sustain life like timber used to. Combine the interest in sustainability, a climate that's tailor-made for growing and some talented food makers, and we've got a recipe for some very yummy success.

What's your favorite artisan/small food spot in the valley? In the name of all that is candied, fermented and otherwise delicous, DO NOT say something idiotic like Hometown Buffet or Papa Murphy's.