The emphasis in this Market Building second-gen pioneer is on local,
fresh and vegetarian, though there are carnivorous delights as well.
In mid-2011 when the Roanoke Market building re-opened, one of the first tenants to open his doors was Chris Parkhurst of Firefly Fare. Originally from Blacksburg, Parkhurst trained in Atlanta under heralded Southern chef Scott Peacock at Watershed in Decatur, Ga. Renowned for its celebration of local southern flavors before “local” and “southern” were darlings of the food world, Watershed provided the context for Parkhurst to learn to fry chicken and braise collard greens with the best of the best.
After earning a degree in environmental anthropology and cheffing in several other restaurants in Athens, Ga., Parkhurst and his wife moved back to Roanoke to be closer to their families. In Roanoke, he revamped the Roanoke Co-op’s café menu and led the kitchen at the short-lived Big Pine Provisions, but soon enough he decided that he needed to strike out on his own.
Inspired by the local foods available in the Roanoke region, Parkhurst knew he wanted his menu to celebrate the best of Roanoke – but at an affordable price coupled with convenience. A “farm to table on the go,” he calls it, and rightfully so as the renovated Market Building offers him not only a cozy plant-filled dining area but also a take-out counter for rushed lunch orders.
