Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When the leaves start to change and the air is crisp, that could mean only one thing – it’s time once again for the RoadKill Cook-off and Autumn Harvest Festival in Marlinton.
Part celebration of crafters and local non-profits, and part tongue-in-cheek cooking competition featuring “roadkill” – the festivities kick off Friday, September 26, at 7 p.m. with the Rockin’ Roadkill Square Dance at the Pocahontas County Opera House.
Then come Saturday, the air in downtown Marlinton will be filled with the sounds of Appalachian music and the aroma of classic roadkill dishes such as turtle stew, deer poop soup and more.
This year, the competition will be judged by four individuals ready to put their palates to the test.
Adam Miller will be playing double duty, as he will be performing as a member of the Lonesome River Band, as well as judging the roadkill delicacies.
Miller grew up in Erwin, Tennessee, where music was always a big part of his life. He began singing in church with his family at a young age and soon became interested in playing guitar. He started taking guitar lessons when he was seven and later learned to play mandolin.
During his years at Unicoi County High School, he was a member of a bluegrass band where his love of performing took shape.
While at college at East Tennessee State University, Miller was a member of several school bands in the bluegrass, old-time and country music program, including the ETSU bluegrass pride band. This provided him many opportunities to grow as a musician.
For the past three years, he has filled in with the Amanda Cook Band, fueling that traveling musician inside him.
Miller will be joined by husband and wife team Daimion Cathey and Stephanie Kerr-Cathey.
Kerr-Cathey serves as the gift’s director at Kids’ Food Basket, a West Michigan grassroot non-profit organization focused on food access, equity and education for children. In addition to her work at Kids’ Food Basket, she also serves on several West Michigan boards and committees including vice chair of Hackley Community Care, a federally qualified health center; Mus-kegon Community Foundation; LEAD, Leading Efforts Against Discrimination Council; and sits on the Culinary Institute of Michigan Advisory Board.
Cathey has been in law enforcement since 1998, employed at the Muskegon Sheriff Department as a deputy. He volunteers at Kids’ Food Basket and with the local FOP Lodge. For fun, Cathey enjoys smoking meat, reading, deer hunting and keeping a well-manicured lawn.
Rounding out the judge’s table will be Antonio Roscoe, a sous chef who grew up in Farmington in a large Italian American family. Watching his aunts and grandmother working in the kitchen inspired a passion for cuisine at a young age.
Roscoe started his career at Muriale’s Italian Kitchen as a dishwasher at the age of 18. After being promoted to line cook and discovering a love for the professional kitchen environment, he went on to attend Pierpont Culinary Academy.
At a recruiting event at school, he was introduced to chefs from The Greenbrier Sporting Club. In 2020, Roscoe began his culinary career as an intern at The Summit. He continued to work his way up the culinary ranks over the next four years.
In 2023, he took a short hiatus to pursue opportunities in his hometown. Roscoe returned to the Greenbrier Valley in 2024 and became a sous chef at The Sporting Club.
