Chef Travis Milton has been looking for a spot to open the doors his new restaurant, Shovel & Pick, for the last year. It’s been tough going.

“I’ve been searching high and low for a place that fits what I need here in town and no dice. It’s bittersweet,” he says. “[In Bristol, Tennessee,] I get to practice what I preach and do this thing in the way that impacts the community there the most.”

“It’s tough not being able to find a place here,” Milton says. “I love Richmond, and I’ll be sad to leave it, but I’m very excited about getting to do this back home.”

The Washington Post’s Jane Black confirmed the move in her story that published today, “The Next Big Thing in American Regional Cooking: Humble Appalachia,” an in-depth look at the region, the food and Milton.

In the fall, Style featured the chef in a cover story that can be read here.