The Roanoker January/February 2022 - 58

dining
Fresh,
Modern,
Cozy
written by Shari Dragovich
photographed by John Park
other men who would become silent partners
in the new venture.
Dye has his own long-standing history in
the restaurant world. The born-and-raised
Cave Spring native began his career in the
food industry while still in high school, working
his way through the culinary ranks.
" I started by washing dishes and then moved
to cooking and just fell in love with the whole
deal, the whole restaurant lifestyle, " says Dye,
describing a path that took him from Cave
Spring to Nashville and back to the Roanoke
Valley as executive chef at the now-closed Blue
5 Restaurant.
It was at Blue 5 where Dye developed an
expertise in smoked foods. After winning
barbecue competitions multiple years in a row
and having increasing requests for his smoked
meats, Dye saw an opportunity to do something
new. He started his own food truck catering
service, 2Dye4Que, which he still operates
today.
What brought Cast Plates & Pints to fruition
was a happy set of coincidences. Tate and
Dye were both looking to expand into their
own brick-and-mortar location. They also both
wanted to open a restaurant in South Roanoke
County if possible. This was the part of the
Valley they'd committed to calling home. It
was the community into which they wanted
to invest.
Finding the perfect location for a new
Cast Plates & Pints is quickly becoming the new go-to spot
for delicious food and drink, as well as a comfortable setting.
I
n the South Roanoke County area, when
a new restaurant comes to town, folks
get excited. There is chatter, and also a
collective holding of our breath: Will the
food be good? Will the atmosphere be fun?
Will we be able to add it to our list of local
dining go-to's?
With Cast Plates & Pints, the answer is an
enthusiastic yes.
Cast co-owner, Jeff Tate, grew up in the
Northern Virginia area. After graduating
high school, he spent a short time at Eastern
Carolina University before deciding he'd rather
be near his sister at Virginia Tech. Tate made
the move to Blacksburg and took a job with
Buffalo Wild Wings. He quickly fell in love
with both Southwest Virginia and the restaurant
life.
" I grew up in Buffalo Wild Wings, " says
Tate, as he describes his 15-year stint with
the company, working primarily as a regional
manager.
After his time at Buffalo Wild Wings, Tate
continued his restaurant trajectory with Awful
Arthur's. This is where he met Chris Dye, his
now-operating partner at Cast, as well as two
restaurant venture can be challenging. This
was not the case for Cast's owners. In fact,
they found the location before they had decided
on their concept. The corner spot in West
Village Plaza on Electric Road was excellent.
It's only downside was having suffered a series
of unsuccessful restaurant ventures over the
years. While this may cause some restaurateurs
pause, for Tate and Dye it was an easy sell.
It was a central location in South County, as
well as from each of the partners' homes. They
signed on the dotted line and immediately got
to work, gutting the entire space and remodeling
it from the ground up.
" We loved the location and we had the
know-how for what we wanted to do, " explains
Tate. " We just had to get the details together.
And it's a lot of details. A lot more than you'd
think. "
" You know, something as simple as the name
can incorporate into your whole concept, your
whole idea, " adds Dye. " So you have to be really
SHARI DRAGOVICH is a freelance writer whose work appears in regional magazines throughout the Southeast. Her favorite pursuits include all things story, all things community and all
things wine. She, along with her husband and five teenaged kids, think it's a beautiful gift to call Roanoke home.
58 JAN/FEB 2022
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