Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Thursday, April 6
WV SBDC helps a Charleston distillery off to a good start --Cheers! …1010 Bridge Chef Paul Smith is the first West Virginian to make it to the finals for the coveted James Beard Award…and the WVDNR congratulates 2023 winners of Archery in the Schools…on today’s daily304.
#1 – From WV SBDC – Producing vodka, barrel-rested gin, bourbon, brandy, and West Virginia moonshine, Bullock Distillery puts its name on quality as well as taste. The Charleston-based small business sources its limestone water from Greenbrier County offering a unique product with Mountain State appeal.
“It’s cool, clean, has all the things distillers like, and it’s just a focus on bringing that taste of West Virginia to your glass,” Tighe Bullock, chief owner and operator, said.
“They’re a great family,” Doug Spaulding, regional coordinator with the West Virginia Small Business Development Center, said. “They are innovative, they think out of the box, and they have a vision for the community and it’s been a very good fit for us all.”
The WVSBDC helped Bullock Distillery acquire some financing as well as acted as a sounding board for their ideas. Most recently, the WVSBDC was able to assist them with getting their accounting systems up and running efficiently and an updated and vibrant website.
For information about starting a small business in WV and resources for entrepreneurs, visit wvsbdc.com.
Read more:
https://wvsbdc.com/a-taste-of-west-virginia-with-bullock-distillery-and-the-sbdc/
#2 – From WCHS-TV – College football has the Heisman Trophy, actors have the Oscars and chefs have the James Beard Foundation Awards, one of the highest honors they can receive.
West Virginia chef Paul Smith is making history by becoming a finalist for the 2023 James Beard Awards.
Grab a seat at 1010 Bridge in Charleston and you might get the chance to meet Smith, who grew up in West Virginia with a large Italian family and always found himself in the kitchen.
From those early lessons, he has blossomed into a top chef and is receiving accolades for his culinary excellence from the James Beard Foundation. Smith said he was washing dishes early Wednesday morning when he was announced a finalist in the competition for the Best Chef in the Southeast.
“I can't even tell you how much of an honor this is, and I never would've thought that I would be sitting here talking to you about this, not only being nominated but being the first West Virginian to ever make it to the finals,” Smith said.
Read more:
https://wchstv.com/news/local/charleston-chef-reacts-to-being-named-a-finalist-for-the-james-beard-award#
#3 – From WVDNR – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has announced results from the 18th WVDNR Archery in the Schools State Tournament.
The top high school teams were Shady Spring, Winfield and Hurricane. The top middle school teams were Ripley, Peterstown Middle and Elkview. And the top elementary school teams were Elk, Bridge/Clendenin and Maysville. The top 10 male and top 10 female archers in the high school, middle school and elementary divisions also were recognized during a ceremony.
More than 750 students from nearly 70 schools from around the state participated in the tournament at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Nearly 3,000 people attended the event.
“We set a goal this year to give the kids and coaches who work so hard all year the largest tournament we have ever put on and I think we did that,” said Chris Scraggs, who coordinates the Archery in the Schools program for the WVDNR. “As always, we want to thank everyone who participated in the program this year and extend a big congratulations to all our teams and students that placed in the state tournament.”
Read more:
https://wvdnr.gov/wvdnr-announces-top-teams-archers-for-18th-archery-in-the-schools-state-tournament/
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.
That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.