Hickory, at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards

SummerSupperSomm, the acclaimed experiential dinner series, returns for the fifth year with its most ambitious season yet--22 unique heirloom tomato and Virginia wine dinner celebrations--spanning from the Lowcountry of South Carolina to the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Hosted at leading restaurants and Virginia wineries from June 30 through August 25, the series celebrates local food, spirits and community with collaborative multi-course dinner experiences that offer sustenance for body, mind and soul. Between courses, diners will hear interesting stories on heirloom history and botanical trivia (with prizes!) interwoven with tasting notes on lush wines and tomato-inspired dishes. This year the series expands with support from The Virginia Wine Board to include six leading Virginia wineries across the state. 13 favorite returning restaurants plus nine new venues offer many of the most talented chefs in the region, vying to present their most unique flavors, over a scant 8 weeks spanning prime tomato season. Created and curated by David and Barbara Hunsaker of Village Garden RVA, SummerSupperSomm is a roving celebration of flavor, fun and fellowship. Events feature pairings from many of Virginia's finest wineries and beautiful specimen heirlooms from the Hunsaker's more than 400 varieties. For the first time, the series will feature its first cidery dinner at Troddenvale in Warm Springs, and the 100th SummerSupperSomm dinner celebration will be held at Barboursville winery on August 1. Noted local artist Molly Reeder was commissioned to create the artwork to promote this year's series, which will be sold to raise funds for the series' adopted charity, RVA SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now). Since inception, the series has raised over $10,000 in support of SCAN's mission to aid children in need,. Village Garden RVA and the Ashland Feed Store also collaborate to plant and tend the gardens at SCAN's Circle Pre-School. "This year's lineup is a chef and diner's dream, a true journey across the flavors of the South's most beloved heirloom, paired with wines selected from Wine Enthusiast's Wine Region of the Year" said co-creator and farmer Barbara Hunsaker. "From coastal kitchens to mountaintop vineyards, each event is a celebration of nature's bounty, with keen glimpses of the storied path of humble fruits from their wild origins to the centerpiece of 5 star meals" said David Hunsaker.

Featuring multi-award-winning pitmaster Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin’ BBQ in Atlanta and Savannah, GA; husband and wife pitmaster and pitmistress Chris and Alex Fultz of ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque, and James Beard-nominated, treasured low-country pitmaster Elliott Moss, this collaborative dinner will bring together some of the country's best pitmasters covering nearly the full breadth and depth of the barbeque “universe” — from whole hog barbecue, to chicken, and rib specialists — each with a deeply personal expression of the universal language of barbecue.