Chris and Jessica Whaley on Building Back Whaley Farm Brewery

Chris and Jessica Whaley on Building Back Whaley Farm Brewery

Chris and Jessica Whaley are the owners of Old Fort, North Carolina-based Whaley Farm Brewery, where Appalachian-inspired beers, local ingredients, and a resilient community helped shape the brewery’s long road to recovery after Hurricane Helene. After many years of farming and brewing in Western North Carolina, the Whaleys opened their brewery in 2022 and specialize in Appalachian farm beers, English cask ales, and thoughtfully crafted lagers.  Jess is a farmer who grows produce, herbs, and flowers, many of which find their way into the beers. The Whaleys also source additional ingredients, including fruit and all of their malt from local suppliers. Chris is a studious brewer who loves classic styles, while Jess often nudges him toward experimentation. Together, they’ve built a tap list where traditional English bitters, cream ales, and pilsners coexist alongside beers featuring locally grown herbs, flowers, peaches, and even foraged mushrooms. The common thread is balance, drinkability, a disregard for flashy trends, and a strong sense of place. By late summer of 2024, the brewery had become a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. Then Hurricane Helene arrived. The brewery, which sits alongside Mill Creek, took on roughly three feet of water during Helene. When the floodwaters receded, they left behind about a foot of mud. While the taproom’s foundation remained intact, the concrete slab beneath the brewery had to be torn out and replaced. Recovery stretched on for months. When Whaley Farm Brewery reopened in June of 2025, the brewhouse was still under construction, and Chris was essentially brewing on a homebrew-scale system inside the taproom just to keep beer flowing. It wasn’t until February of this year that brewing operations finally returned to normal. In this episode, Chris and Jess share their memories of Helene and the long road to reopening; the acts of kindness that sustained them during the recovery; how farming and brewing intersect at Whaley Farm Brewery; and what gives them hope for the future of Old Fort and Western North Carolina. Whaley Farm Brewery whaleyfarmbrewery.com [https://www.whaleyfarmbrewery.com/] Follow the brewery on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/whaleyfarmbrewery/] Follow Jess on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/whaleyfarmstead/] Follow the brewery on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078716813619] Learn more about On the Blue Ridge and sign up for updates at ontheblueridgepod.com.

Andrew Kota of Foothills Conservancy on Protecting Land for Future Generations

Andrew Kota is the executive director of Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, a land trust that permanently protects land and water in Western North Carolina for the benefit of people and all living things. If you’ve ever hiked at South Mountains State Park, enjoyed a view of Lake James State Park, or visited Catawba Falls, then you’ve benefitted from a fraction of the work by the Morganton-based organization. For the past 30 years, the land trust has worked to protect more than 74,000 acres of forests, farms, waterways, and mountain landscapes across eight counties in Western North Carolina. Much of that story is told in a new documentary “A Dream for the Future,” which highlights both the Conservancy’s history and its current efforts to permanently protect Hickorynut Mountain near Old Fort, a 12,000-acre tract of land roughly the size of Manhattan. Andrew joined Foothills Conservancy in 2005 and has spent the last two decades helping conserve some of the region’s most important lands and waterways. In this episode, he shares what land conservation actually looks like in practice; why places like Hickorynut Mountain matter; the challenges facing this work; and what it means to think not just years, but generations into the future. Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina foothillsconservancy.org [https://www.foothillsconservancy.org/] Watch: A Dream for the Future [https://youtu.be/XkPj5PxnfJE?si=FSAMt_RYOt0KEpQ2] Theme Music The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio. Learn more about On the Blue Ridge and sign up for updates at ontheblueridgepod.com.

Taylor and Fran Montgomery on Life, Land, and Food at Montgomery Sky Farm

Taylor and Fran Montgomery are the owners and driving force behind Leicester, North Carolina-based Montgomery Sky Farm, where regenerative agriculture, intimate dining, and an animal rescue are deeply intertwined. They’re also the subject of a James Beard Award-nominated documentary, and Taylor is a finalist for Best Chef: Southeast in the 2026 James Beard Awards. Established in 2018, Montgomery Sky Farm offers farm tours and hosts private and community dinners, designed to connect guests more deeply with the land, the food being grown there, and the changing seasons of Western North Carolina. With more than 25 years of culinary experience, Taylor is passionate about heirloom produce, and the preservation of rare and endangered seed varieties that support biodiversity and long term soil health.  Fran has more than two decades of experience in veterinary medicine, and she guides the rescue and rehabilitation efforts at Final Run Rescue, an onsite nonprofit caring for neglected and abused animals, including Highland cattle, donkeys, alpaca, and even a few capybara.  In the summer of 2024, Taylor left his post as executive chef at Urban Wren in Greenville, South Carolina, to focus on the farm. A few months later, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, and the Montgomerys turned their focus towards helping to feed first responders and those in need. Those efforts are highlighted in “The Soil Remembers,” a new documentary from Greenville-based director Rioin Oshiro.  In this episode, Taylor and Fran discuss the evolving nature of the farm, the animal rescue, and their immersive dining experiences; the heirloom produce they’re growing and what they’re excited to share with guests; how Helene impacted their operations; what it means to receive James Beard recognition without operating a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant; and more. Montgomery Sky Farm montgomeryskyfarm.com [http://montgomeryskyfarm.com/] Follow the farm on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/montgomeryskyfarmLLC] Follow the farm on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/montgomeryskyfarm/] Follow Taylor on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/keeppushingchef/] Final Run Rescue finalrunrescue.org [http://finalrunrescue.org/] Follow the rescue on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/p/Final-Run-Rescue-61559647550121/] Follow the rescue on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/finalrunrescue/] The Soil Remembers Watch a trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AACueSUsWY] Follow on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/the.soil.remembers/]

Aaron Burdett of Steep Canyon Rangers on Crafting Songs in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Aaron Burdett is a Western North Carolina-based singer-songwriter, guitar player, and one of the lead vocalists for Steep Canyon Rangers. A highly acclaimed musician with eight solo albums to his credit, Aaron is also the founder and owner of Solstice Construction Co., a custom homebuilding firm in Saluda, the small mountain town where he grew up. Blurring the lines between Americana, Folk, Country, and Bluegrass, his solo work is deeply rooted in these mountains, carried by thoughtful songwriting and a soulful voice that made him a natural fit for Steep Canyon Rangers. They’re a Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band that formed in 2000 and are widely known for collaborations with Steve Martin. Aaron joined the group in 2022 following the departure of founding member Woody Platt, and he has quickly become an important part of the band’s evolving creative voice, both on tour and in the studio. He appears on the albums Morning Shift, Live at Greenfield Lake, and Next Act, the band’s latest studio album, which arrives May 22. In this episode, Aaron discusses the stories behind a few songs from the new album; his path to Steep Canyon Rangers; balancing music with a longtime career in homebuilding; how growing up in Western North Carolina has shaped his voice as a singer and songwriter; and much more. Steep Canyon Rangers steepcanyon.com [https://www.steepcanyon.com/] Aaron Burdett aaronburdett.com [https://www.aaronburdett.com/] Tracks Featured in this Episode “Next Act” by Steep Canyon Rangers (watch the music video) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKheaYd4Tcs] “Going Home to Carolina” by Aaron Burdett Theme Music for On the Blue Ridge The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.

Mike McKearin on Fishing, Family, and Designing the GoReel

Mike McKearin is the co-owner of Crystal Creek Gear, a Pisgah Forest, North Carolina-based company creating minimalist fishing gear designed to fit in your pocket. Mike and his wife, Susie, started Crystal Creek Gear after years of getting their four kids outside in Western North Carolina. What began as a family project, with early GoReel prototypes built on a 3D printer in their garage and tested by their kids on local ponds, rivers, and trails, eventually grew into a business. The GoReel itself is simple: a compact hand reel with no rod and no moving parts. It’s designed for the kind of moments when you’re hiking, biking, camping, or playing by the river and want fishing to be easy enough to bring along. In this episode, Mike talks about his earliest memories of fishing; falling in love with the mountains after coming to Brevard College; the early garage prototypes of the GoReel; what it was like turning a family project into a business; and more. Crystal Creek Gear crystalcreekgear.com [https://crystalcreekgear.com/] Theme Music The song "Goa" was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio. Learn more about On the Blue Ridge and sign up for updates at ontheblueridgepod.com.