2 Daring Buffalo Gals Out In the Blue Ridge Mountains

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Buffalo Gals Connie and Carla run a herd of American Bison and the Buffalo and More restaurant. The popular eating place is on Route 8 in Riner, Virginia. Have you heard of it? You will know this shortcut through the mountains if you drive to Radford University or Virginia Tech in Blacksburg from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Martinsville, Floyd, Stuart, Ferrum, or Mt. Airy, North Carolina.

American Bison headed across his Blue Ridge Mountain pasture.
American Bison herd on the mountaintop home of the Buffalo Gals at Buffalo and More Restaurant
American Bison herd on the mountaintop at the Buffalo Gals Farm in the Blue Ridge Mountais

Buffalo Gals

I find myself humming the tune whenever my car points itself toward Riner. Somehow, that happens whenever I get within an hour of Floyd! The rumbling in my belly has nothing to do with it—I swear!

The chorus goes like this:

“Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight,

Come out tonight, come out tonight.

Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight

And dance by the light of the moon.”

Cool White, the stage name of minstrel show performer John Hodges, was credited with writing the song, publishing it as “Lubly Fan” in 1844. The song was a favorite of minstrel audiences of the era. Perhaps most popular because the singer could change the words to personalize the song for the performance’s location (Charleston Gals, Mobile Gals, or Buffalo Gals). The song was a popular ditty throughout the war years.

Raising the Bull

Raising any farm animal takes more than a little grit, but the male Buffalo (bull) tops out at 2,000 pounds and 6 feet tall. The cows are more petite *wink* and reach only 1,000 pounds and 4-5 feet. Even a newborn calf (dubbed “red dog” because of their birth color) weighs nearly 70 pounds. Bison live up to 20 years, and cows start breeding at two years of age.

The bison is the largest mammal in North America. And they don’t like to be pushed around. I mean, we’ve all seen those videos on Instagram’s Tourons of Yellowstone! But in their defense, they’re treated like the rich and famous stars chased by paparazzi, so who can blame them for a similar fist-in-your-lens reaction?

However, the Buffalo do have a softer side. Carla related that one of the funniest things she ever saw the Buffalo do was during a torrential downpour. She said the babies were all excited and running everywhere. When they stopped, they slid in the mud. Pretty soon, all the Buffalo started running and suddenly stopping so they could slide, too. What characters!

What Does It Take?

So, what made two petite ladies think this was a good life choice? Carla says, “Momma always said I could do anything I set my mind to do! I wanted to raise bison!” Momma and Daddy George raised a tough daughter. The Hales raised Connie to face what comes with determination. She says, “Buffalo was a challenge I wanted to conquer.”

That toughness has to be tempered with smartness though, since even the cows are roughly five times her size. Both bulls and cows have horns, which can grow up to two feet in length. It’s like the old joke: What does a two-ton buffalo do? Answer: Anything he wants.

Like most animals, Buffalo does have an early warning system:  its tail. When hanging limp and switching, the animal is pretty calm. When it stands straight up, you’re in trouble. I’d say “run,” but a buffalo runs upwards of 35 miles an hour. And they can stop on a dime, as the saying goes, and spin around to change direction. Plus, those suckers can jump a fence—and swim. The bottom line is that you have nowhere to go and a short time to get there if you get too close.

For instance, Allison sounds like such a sweet lady cow, but she head-butted Carla and blacked both her eyes, gored her in the butt, and tried to break Connie’s leg. Some lady!

Ultimately, it is a year-round job. The herd doesn’t sit by a warm fire on a cold, snowy day. Oh, no. Buffalo Gals have to work those days too, without so much as a “thank you for my supper.”

Feeding hay in the snow, and the buffalos are quick to dive in
Buffalo Gals have to feed hay in the snow, and the herd is quick to dive in for a meal

American History

The history of the bison has always been an integral part of many Indigenous communities. The shaggy animals roamed freely from Mexico to Canada, grazing throughout the Great Plains. However, as European settlers moved west, the animals’ natural habitat was reduced, and they became nearly extinct. By 1900, there were only a few hundred bison in the United States.

Fun Fact:  The only place bison have lived non-stop since prehistoric times is Yellowstone National Park. Today’s bison are the descendants of the first bison who lived off America’s grasslands. For a group on the brink of extinction, the 2021 population in Yellowstone was 5,450. That is quite the family tree. No wonder they think they own the place.

Okay, you’re wondering what the difference between Buffalo and Bison is. Great question. The two terms are used interchangeably. Still, the scientific name for this North American native is Bison bison bison. That’s not a typo; it is the genus, species, and subspecies format. But saying it once is enough. The term Buffalo probably came from “boeuf,” French for beef. Most of us may say Buffalo because of the lingering term from a Buffalo Nickel. And it just rolls lightly off the tongue. Plus, it is the name of the restaurant.

Two FedEx Drivers Trade in Their Trucks for the Buffalo Gals Life

It sounds like another joke, right? Two FedEx drivers trade their trucks for a herd of Buffalo and a restaurant. But it is no joke. Carla George and Connie Hale met while working for FedEx, one as a driver and one as an independent contractor.

Connie pulls most of the chef and kitchen duties, while Carla maintains the herd and returns to the restaurant during peak hours. They do not have culinary school backgrounds but know about health, eating, healthy eating, and business.

Two women (the owners of Buffalo and More) in the kitchen, cooking up my dinner
Connie Hale serving my bowl of Cowboy Beans as Carla George looks on

Carla George holds a B.A. in Psychology, Sociology, and Human Services from Carson Newman University and an M.A. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She spent time as a Minister of Childhood Education before her FedEx days and prior to becoming the Vice President and co-owner of Buffalo and More.

Connie Hale attended Radford University (my alma mater, too) and has a B.S. in Health Nutrition. She worked as a respiratory therapist before FedEx, and ending up as President and co-owner of Buffalo and More. But she says, “Cooking has always been something I enjoyed, and bison is a healthy alternative to all meats.” So, when presented with the opportunity to buy the Buffalo restaurant, it was an easy decision. Just a few years later, the restaurateurs made an offer on an entire herd in the neighboring state of Tennessee, and the rest is history.

What Is On Your Plate

On its website, Buffalo and More claims to be “a premier Farm to Table restaurant.” After eating there every chance I get for over fifteen years, I can tell you that is no idle claim. They serve delicious local dishes cooked down-home style like your grandma did—if your grandma raised Buffalo.

Virginia is for Lovers, and I love Virginia Buffalo! My absolute favorite is their pot roast (I even call ahead to be sure Connie will have a hefty serving of Buffalo Pot Roast ready). I am driving 329 miles for that meal, after all! But, I admit, when she serves me a rib eye, that’s my favorite. And the Cowboy Beans—they come chocked full of buffalo meat. I can’t skip that order. And those Buffalo Dogs with Buffalo chili. Oh, my goodness.

Naturally, I have tried most of the desserts. I mean, how can I write about something I haven’t tried? Although they are all delicious (Bread Pudding with Whiskey Glaze, I’m talking about you), the Apricot Nectar Cake topped with pecans holds first place in my heart.

The “guy” on the plate may be the last Buffalo on the farm to show too much aggression toward Carla. I do know that is how the Bruno Special was born. Bruno cornered Carla on her trip through the feedlot. It was his last trip. The lesson here is:  be nice to Carla, or you’ll end up on a plate.

How Much Buffalo Do People Eat

At one time, the farm had upwards of 65 Buffalo. When the farm they leased was sold, they were forced to move the herd to smaller pastures. After downsizing, they now maintain a small herd of about twenty animals.

Carla states, “I don’t think we could ever raise enough meat to supply all the restaurant’s needs because a bison only has two briskets. We supplement it with high-quality bison from South Dakota.

Bison meat is a deep red color before being cooked, and it has no marbling. It is described as having a sweeter, richer flavor than beef. The meat is considerably lower in fat and has fewer calories than beef. The comparison of the raw meat is surprising. A 7-ounce serving of Bison contains 218 calories and 3.6 grams of fat. Meanwhile, the same portion of beef will contain 582 calories and a whopping 48 grams of fat.

A 1,000-pound animal will yield about 340 pounds of salable meat, but 240 pounds will become ground meat (bring on those Cowboy Beans!) As you can see, with only 100 pounds of “the good stuff” on each animal, it takes a lot of Buffalos to feed the Buffalo and More patrons.

The National Bison Association estimates that bison consumption is about 0.07 pounds per person annually. If I did my math correctly, Americans consume 23.5 million pounds of Bison yearly. Figures also show that 80,000 bison are slaughtered yearly, slightly more than half the number of beef cattle slaughtered every day.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

When asked what they love daily about this life they’ve carved out for themselves, both women say it is the people. Carla says, “The relationships I have developed with our customers (*I know she means me*) and caring for our incredible bison herd.” Connie responds, “Seeing people smile when I cook their food” (so that’s why she is always in the kitchen). 

And, of course, you can’t beat working with the Buffalo. They aren’t all tough and heartless. Buffy was such a pet, when her first calf was born, she ran up to Carla with her calf close behind. Then Buffy turned around and went to eat hay. She let Carla pet and inspect her newborn. It was like she was saying “Look what I brought you, Mom. Will you watch her while I eat some hay and rest?”

I asked them what they hate about this career, which makes it a J.O.B., and, once again—people get top billing. They both answered with some version of not liking to deal with the occasional difficult customer who thinks the world revolves around them.

In closing, I wanted to know what they wished they had known before diving into restaurant ownership and buffalo herd management. It is not a big surprise that both said they wish they knew what difficulties would come with a female-owned business.

I’m glad they bit off this piece of meat and kept Mama Hale’s and Mama George’s recipes going. If you’re in Virginia driving on the Parkway, Highway 220, I-81, or Route 8, it is worth the detour. But they’re closed on Monday. Tell them I said “Hi.”

Plan Your Road Trip!

For more exciting vacations, try these locations! Plan a road trip from the Roanoke Valley through the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway to Floyd (stopping in Riner of course!) to beautiful Yadkin Valley Wineries, and on across South Carolina to Georgetown,

2 Comments

  1. Ann Ballard

    I wonder what they would have thought as college students if told they would end up running a herd of Bison! Good, lean meat. Also, Bison fiber can be harvested to eventually make yarn.

    Reply
    • Jo Clark

      Ann, I’ll bet they’d have said, “No way!” I had no idea you could use the buffalo hair for yarn. How cool! And I thought I wasn’t going to learn anything new today.

      Reply

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