A nose for the finer things

Blackberry Farms is relying on four-legged hunters to sniff out precious ingredients for the luxury resort’s culinary masters. A team of eight Lagotto Romagnolo, one of Italy’s oldest dog breeds, is the key to bringing Blackberry Farms’ truffle harvest out of the soil and into the kitchen.

Males Tom, Bruno and Rico and females Lussi, Rolla, Emily, Alba and Zeta are the keep of trainer Jim Sanford.

“These dogs are born with an incredible sense of smell, as are most dogs,” Sanford said. “These dogs are not born with an inclination toward truffles. This is purely a trained behavior. Potentially, any dog with a good sense of smell could be taught to locate truffles.”

Training the dogs is a three-step process.

“We one, imprint the scent to the dog; two, hide the scent and ask the dog to locate it; and three, give an “alert” that a truffle has been found,” Sanford said.

World-renown chefs regard Black Perigord winter truffles as culinary trophies. Most are produced in regions of France, Italy, and Spain—not the United States. A truffle farmer who relocated from Oregon to Tennessee talked Blackberry Farms into the truffle growing business when he showed up with a container of truffles, the knowledge to grow them, and an adverseness to dogs. Blackberry Farms proprietor Sam Beall agreed to procure the Italian Lagotto Romagnolos in exchange for starting a truffle orchard at the resort. It takes seven years for truffles to reach harvest. The resort is in its fourth year of growing.

The Romagnolos come with an added benefit of being particularly cute—there’s a waiting list for puppies.

“They are very adaptable and get along well with other dogs, cats and children of all ages,” Sanford said. “They bond very closely with their primary care taker and prefer to spend as much time as possible with you.”