If you’ve got questions about York County, Pennsylvania, Brent Burkey has the answers. As Communications Specialist for the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Brent’s mission is to spread the good word about all there is to love about this not-so-secret-anymore region of central PA. With so many things to see and do—sporting events, top-notch restaurants, wine and ale trails, factory tours and more—York County should definitely be added to your day-trip agenda. Naturally, we quizzed Brent to find out more about the bustling food and drink scene.
PA Eats: What makes the food and beverage scene in York County special? Why should people come here to dine and drink?
Brent Burkey: At a time when the hottest trend is local, artisan offerings in the world of food and drink, York County has been showcasing “craft” since before the current popularity. And we’ve even been doing it for a long time in a kind of open-kitchen way, namely, with the snack food tours and experiences we’ve showcased here for many years with see-it-made tours of household names such as Utz, Snyder’s of Hanover, Martin’s—names that have pioneered great snacks and diversity of outstanding flavor on the shelves at your local grocery store. That’s just the bigger names, let alone the outstanding artisan bakeries of Revonah Pretzel or York City Pretzel Company.
We’ve had this see-how-it’s-made experience baked into our DNA here as a visitor destination, and so it’s naturally a common thread you’ll see throughout our food and drink experiences as they have expanded and developed—from the emphasis on tours and meeting the people who make the local wine or craft beer on the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail and Susquehanna Ale Trail to the fact that you can see the work of preparing your meal and the people making it at the relatively new Wyndridge Farm destination in southern York County.
How have you seen York County’s food and drink industry evolve over the years?
When I came to York, there was no Mudhook Brewing Company and there was no Liquid Hero Brewery in Downtown York. Central Market, which is right next to my first apartment, had yet to go through its recent renaissance. The significant expansions and renovations of the White Rose Bar and Grill, one of the great longtime landmarks of the downtown scene, creating what you see today, were just beginning. The John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville hadn’t yet embarked on the expansions and additions creating the outright dining destination it is today.
There was no Wyndridge Farm—which is hard to believe considering how well they’ve gone from zero to light speed. The list goes on. So back then, when you listed where you could consider going on a Friday or Saturday night—or weeknights, before my kids were born—the short list was pretty spectacular, but it was shorter than what it is today. Now you say “White Rose” or “The Left Bank,” perhaps, like you would back then, and then you keep adding and adding and adding more great choices.
If you had to use just one word to describe York County’s culinary offerings, what would it be?
I’ll keep running with my first answer and say: craft. And, I’ll add, authentically craft.
Tell us about some of York County’s biggest food and drink events.
I’ll highlight examples of the old and the new in food first: the York County Heritage Trust has been holding its annual Oyster Festival for four decades. Yes, an Oyster Festival right here in York, PA, held each fall [save the date: Oct. 15, 2015]. And everything is delicious—from the namesakes to beer, wine, baked goods—you name it. Then the new: Foodstruck, which developed as a recurring food truck festival that was recently moved to the city’s Penn Park—the growth has been outstanding. And, the last installment added craft beer—what’s not to love?
And speaking of craft beer, York County is the hub of the Susquehanna Ale Trail—a collection of the region’s breweries, brewpubs and even a home brewing shop. The Ale Trail is modeled after the wine trail experience people really love nowadays, and each year there’s what’s now called the Brewmaster Tasting Tour two weekends in April. Get one ticket, and for two weekends you can sample a wide variety of well-crafted beers. The same goes for our Mason-Dixon Wine Trail, which began a decade ago and builds on the fact that York County has a lot of wineries. It’s hard to find one place in the state with more in one area, actually, and our region’s year-round Wine Trail showcases them in two annual events: spring’s Tour de Tanks in March and November’s Wine Just Off The Vine.
What would you consider to be the best-kept culinary secret in York County?
Central Market House. Not the fact that the market exists—plenty of people know it is there, even from outside of the area. But maybe they haven’t been inside for the full experience in several years, and they’ll be wowed if they go in today.
You want many outstanding lunch choices? Check. You want farmers’ market stands that have been doing business locally for many years? Check. You want artisan anything—wine, soda, breads, everything you can think of? Check. How about an on-site microbrewery and brewpub? Check.
You’ll even find the Rojahn Performance Kitchen at YorKitchen for showcasing food demonstrations, in addition to YorKitchen offering cooking classes and even access to commercial equipment to up-and-coming culinary and food-product businesses. So, it literally can be a stage fostering the next hottest things coming into our region’s culinary scene.
With summer just around the corner, we want to know: Where in York County can we soak in the sun while dining outdoors?
There are several to note for the downtown city experience with outdoor seating: White Rose Bar and Grill, OffCenter Grill at the historic Yorktowne Hotel, and so on. But beyond that variety all together in downtown, one I’ll highlight is the John Wright Restaurant with a breathtaking view of the Susquehanna River. You can rent a kayak along the river thanks to locally operating Shank’s Mare Outfitters and soak up on the sun on the water before your dining experience even begins. And who can forget the Heritage Hills Golf Resort with outstanding dining and views of the links? The possibilities are endless.
Time to get personal. If you had to choose, what would be your favorites in the following categories?
The short answer is that there are too many good choices nowadays, especially when you consider my two aforementioned kids. Happy hour tends to be an evening cup of coffee, and I don’t make it out as often as I’d like to for sheer fun. With that being said:
Best Wine List: The Mason-Dixon Wine Trail. Because there is no replacing the wine you’ve discovered. You feel like it is now your special variety nobody else knows about. At least until you tell them all about it. I literally had that experience at least once per weekend during this spring’s Tour de Tanks event on our Wine Trail. So, in short, find your own bottle—because it’s just more fun that way.
Best Beer Selection: The Susquehanna Ale Trail, for similar reasons as the Wine Trail.
Best Chef: It’s hard to single out just one when we’ve had new chefs come into our market to complement the existing class of standouts. So I’ll have to pass on that one—for now. Stay tuned.
Best Happy Hour: I say this with all the love in the world for my two little girls: What’s happy hour?
Best Pizza: If you’re downtown, stop at BrewVino. Exploring the countryside? John Wright Restaurant and Wyndridge Farm are great choices.
See for yourself what makes York County so special. Visit the YorkPA.org website, where you can download a trip-planning guide, learn more about upcoming events and explore a map listing dozens of York County attractions.
- Photography: Alexandra Whitney Photography
