Add eating a $200 sandwich to the list of cool things I have done while working at The Herald.
Today I visited Susan Rice, a Pinehurst woman who has invested more than $20 million in building the second largest truffle farm in the world — right here in Vass! It seems to be a good investment, though, because once the truffles are growing on the farm (it takes more than three years for the hazelnut trees to produce mature “fruit”), an acre will sell for around $40,000. Rice said once the entire 200 acres of the farm are producing, the farm could stand to make more than $20 million in a single year.
While there, Rice made me a lunch that consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich with three kinds of cheese, including brie, and truffle shavings, cooked in truffle oil. I asked Rice how much the sandwich was worth and she said “oh, around $200.”
She asked if I wanted a glass of 100-year-old wine to go with it, but as I was working, I settled for a Diet Coke.
God I wish I was rich.
Anyway, Rice’s farm is very interesting. It has drawn the attention of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, along with about 70 other publications that have interivewed her.
But I bet none of them got a $200 sandwich! Read more about the farm in Sunday’s business section.
