Bean Nouveau with Lost Creek Farm

Growing up on a farm in Kanawha County, West Virginia, Mike Costello developed an appreciation for the land at an early age. As a youngster, he also found a home in the kitchen, learning to string pole beans and bake traditional desserts from his grandmother, "Momaw" Betty Williams.

His interest in cooking eventually led him to enroll in culinary school at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina. But his formal culinary education never materialized, and would be over before he even got to campus. In a last-minute diversion, Mike backed out of culinary school and landed in journalism school at West Virginia University, where his work centered food as an important mark of Appalachia's rich and diverse cultural heritage. He developed a passion for storytelling and maintained a strong reverence for place.

Mike never lost sight of an early desire to operate a culinary business that did right by the mountains he’s always called home. Mike continues his journalistic work as a freelance writer, media producer, and co-host of The Pickle Shelf Radio Hour. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Appalachian Food Summit.

Growing up just down the road, Amy Dawson knew of Lost Creek Farm as her grandparents' home. She was raised on a nearby small-scale cattle farm operated by her parents, and now represents her family’s sixth generation of farming in the Lost Creek area.

Each summer of her childhood was spent gardening, fixing fence, chasing cattle, playing outside, cooking, and reading. After a brief diversion to college and law school, she has found herself back home, with her own take on the traditional family business of farming.

In addition to managing most on-farm operations, Amy also serves as Lost Creek Farm's baker and pastry chef. She is a former participant in the West Virginia Folklife Program's Master Apprenticeship program, focusing on traditional Appalachian salt-rising bread.