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Sunburst Trout Company in Food Directory

Dick Jennings loved his Grandfathers land in Western North Carolina, covered with forests of oak, hickory, maple, and poplar, watered with two rushing streams, and with 100 acres of reasonably flat land that could be cleared. It was 1931 when Dick first walked these streams. He wasnt barefoot, but his cheeks were tanned, and he was carrying a Prince Albert can of worms. This was unique compelling stuff for a little boy raised in Pittsburgh, compelling enough to bring the young veteran of WWII back to these mountains in 1948 to start the first commercial trout farm in the South. This meant ignoring his deceased Fathers advice, Dont stay in these mountains, youll starve, and it also meant dropping out of the Yale School of Engineering, where, until then, he had been an honor student. These imprudent acts were, to some extent, vindicated in the year 2001, when Dick Jennings was inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame. Thus, the Sunburst Trout Company was born. Early on, supplying trout to anglers and sportsmen was okay, but the first quantum leap was to come in the late 60s when the Eskimos in Iceland were noticed to be heart disease-free. They ate fish and developed almost no harmful blood lipids.This observation caused a lot of interest in ongoing research, and trout was to become a popular seafood. Dick had by now married Frances Clark, and had had three children. During the 70s and early 80s, he traveled quite a lot to learn the ins an outs and also the ups and downs, of processing and displaying trout to that new and promising market. In 1980, the Jennings Trout Farm was to become Sunburst Trout Company, LLC with the arrival of daughter, Sally, and her husband, Steve Eason. They, along with Barbara Green, an able New Jersey transplant, moved forward. That moving meant years of hard work, and many disappointments. It also meant three additional well chosen production sites and a large processing facility. Dick became the in house sales rep to 8 to 10 upscale supermarket chains along the East Coast and many of the local elegant restaurants, including the renowned Biltmore Estate and the famous Grove Park Inn and Spa. By the late 20th century the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina were becoming a tourist attraction of unexpected proportions with a need for new and exciting ways to present trout.

Address: 128 Raceway Place, Canton, NC 28716
Telephone: 828 648-3010
Website: http://www.sunbursttrout.com/