In September, Roost Restaurant held a Swine & Dine event to grow the local food scene by benefitting the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas at Greenville Technical College and its Sustainable Agriculture Program.
The event, which featured locally sourced, grass-fed pork and all the fixings, raised $5,001 for the program, money that will be used to purchase attachments for a tractor that students use to work the sustainable agriculture fields which are part of the program’s hands-on education.
The Sustainable Agriculture program, which launched this fall, is a three-semester certificate program that prepares students for positions in agribusiness, particularly in the areas of entrepreneurship and farming. The skills taught also include basic business principles to support the financial success of a graduate’s chosen profession.
“We are very grateful to Roost Restaurant and JHM Hotels for supporting our program and the local food community through this wonderful event,” said Rebecca McKinney, Sustainable Agriculture Program director. “Donations such as this one ensure that we can give our students the best tools for teaching and produce graduates with a solid foundation in agriculture as a profession.”
“Roost is committed to providing delicious meals prepared with local food, so supporting Greenville Tech’s Sustainable Agriculture program was a perfect fit for us,” said Heather Meadors, director of community relations for JHM Hotels. “We know the students who graduate from this program will work in jobs and farming that will enhance the Greenville food scene, and we are pleased to play a role in that.”