These mountains aren’t a backdrop for me. They’re home. My family has been in Western North Carolina for six generations. I grew up in Marshall, a small town just north of Asheville, where two things get taught early: work hard, and treat people right. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve traveled coast to coast, and every trip ends the same way. I’m glad to be headed back.

To me, a home is more than four walls. It’s the kitchen that fills with ...