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MARCH 16, 2021 - EVENTS

Oyster Roast at Echo Mountain Inn

Does Echo Mountain Inn serve dinner? Are there special events at the inn? When are you going to have another one?

We get all kinds of questions about events and dinners and special occasions taking place at the inn. There is a strong legacy of community gatherings taking place here, so it only makes sense that there would be questions about whether or not the tradition would continue.

Since the Bonnema family became the innkeepers at Echo Mountain Inn in July of 2019, they have hosted many different events. An example of one of these kinds of events took place on Saturday, January 23rd, when they held their first, but hopefully not their last, Oyster Roast.

The executive chef for our on-site restaurant, Tom Makowski, originally came here from the Charleston area and experienced an enthusiastic response to the possibility of hosting oyster roasts. He contacted the Charleston Oyster Farm and, with their support, he decided to try one in the North Carolina mountains. It was a great success!
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Young and old from near and far came (one couple heard about it and came all the way from Tennessee for the weekend). Most of the people loved oysters and had attended a roast when in Charleston. As quickly as Tom poured out his bucket of oysters, people grabbed their oyster knives, crackers, and hot sauce, and dug right in.

There were a few who were having their first (and, for some, their last) oyster, but by far the majority appeared to be in "oyster heaven." One of the big pluses, in addition to the oyster "slurping," was the socializing and sharing of life stories between the oyster lovers.

The roast was held outside but there was live music provided by Songs of the Folk on the sunporch and all their original music was piped outside to be enjoyed by the oyster shuckers.

Many of the oyster lovers as well as the land-loving/non-oyster-eaters came to the dining room to partake in the delightful selection of appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts Tom and his team offer every Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 9pm. (They also offer a wonderful brunch on Sundays from 11am to 2pm.)
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One of the Bonnema family's main desires for the inn is to create a place where people can rest, recharge, connect, and make memories worth remembering. When Chef Tom joined us from Charleston, he brought with not just an amazing set of culinary abilities, but also a love for collaboration in the food community.

Charleston is known for its thriving food scene and collaborative approach to dining. The Bonnema family loved community-building in their hometown before coming to the inn, and are working to bring that to the forefront here, too. Lots of this is done through these kinds of events. For example, after the successful oyster roast at the inn, we were able to partner with Point Lookout Vineyards to host an amazing oyster roast out at their beautiful mountain property — this time with much more space to host people!

This year is Echo Mountain Inn's 125th anniversary. There are plenty of special events already being planned to celebrate, so keep an eye out for them and don't be shy about suggesting an event you would love to see the inn host.

Or, if you are another business who would like to collaborate on some kind of event, please don't hesitate to reach out! We would absolutely love to discuss what kind of special offering we could bring to our community in partnership with you. 

And be sure to check out our Events Page for the upcoming events already in the books!
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Meet the Author: Sally Boenau


Sally is our lovely front desk extraordinaire and resident inn historian. She has been at the inn for 15 years (longer than the current owners!), and we are so grateful to have her knowledge, expertise, and incredible sweet spirit here on staff. 

Sally is the wordsmith behind the Love Letters for Jesus that you can find in our lobby – short notes of encouragement for the soul. She also gives the best tours of the inn, so if you're visiting, be sure to add one to your itinerary!
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