A local park and its living history was recently highlighted on an international television show.
The “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” crew visited the area earlier this year and taped part of an episode of the show, which is shown on the Travel Channel. The episode, the sixth in the newest season, is about Daniel Boone’s trek through the area and some of the food and experiences the people of that time might have had.
The episode, titled “Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Trail,” recently aired for the first time and is scheduled for several other airings soon.
On the show’s website, the episode is described as follows, “Andrew Zimmern samples Appalachian fare as he treks the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail. From fried, crispy peascakes and buttery buffalo bone marrow to ham cured and aged in pillowcases, Andrew searches for the flavors of the frontier.”
Zimmern spent quite some time with the folks at the Wilderness Road State Park, in Ewing, Virginia. One of the people he talked with was Chris Fultz, a part-time employee of the park and full-time history teacher at Cumberland Gap High School. Fultz was shown in a fishing segment with Zimmern and was also at the park where food native to that time period was prepared and eaten.
Fultz was chosen to participate in the fishing segment, as he is involved with an 18th century fishing program. He has been with the park in some capacity since 2004.
“I told them I’d provide the equipment if they wanted to do it,” he said. “It was exciting that my little part turned out to be larger than I thought and didn’t end up on the cutting room floor.”
Fultz said that Zimmern and the crew were “fantastic” to work with and had the same enthusiasm for what they were doing both on- and off- camera.
“They were very laid-back and down-to-earth,” he said.
On the first day of shooting, the crew and Fultz did some background shots without Zimmern. The next day, the star came in and although it had been raining and they were on a very tight production schedule, he spent a couple of days shooting the WRSP segment.
“We got very lucky with the weather,” Fultz said.
At the park, Zimmern and the other living history participants cooked food items over fire from hoecakes to buffalo marrow — all of which Zimmern ate.
“The taste of the buffalo marrow is like a smoky, slightly oily butter,” Fultz said, adding that it was served on a hoecake.
The food was the kind that 18th century folks would eat, and the marrow has a lot of fat and protein, which would give frontier people the energy they needed to forge ahead.
“We strive to be period-correct,” Fultz added, “down to the smallest detail in all categories.” During living history moments at the park, you’ll find animals, gardens, clothing and tools that are all from that time period.
“We are the frontier, as far out from civilization as you could get,” he said. “We’re about the common person.”
Fultz is understandably excited about his experience.
“This was a wonderful experience as a history teacher,” he said. “It’s a career high point to say that I was part of an international show. The opportunity to showcase this area is phenomenal; you couldn’t buy the publicity for millions of dollars.”
Zimmern continued on up the trail that Daniel Boone is believed to have taken, through Kentucky and into Boonesborough.
If you missed the first airing of the episode, it is currently scheduled to air again Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. For more scheduled times to watch, visit http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/bizarre-foods/episodes/daniel-boone-wilderness-trail.
Zimmern was very enthusiastic about the experience in this area. He is a writer, TV personality, chef and teacher. A New York City native, he began his formal culinary training at the age of 14, apprenticing with some of the greatest chefs in the world.
As the co-creator, host and contributing producer of “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” he travels the world, tasting the most unique, traditional fare he can find. From restaurants to jungle markets, it’s all about discovering the authentic, immersive experience, according to the show’s webpage.
Reach Marisa Anders at 423-254-5588 or on Twitter @newsgirl88.
