The Southern and Pisgah team up
Pisgah Brewing and chef Terri Roberts will host a beer dinner at The Southern Kitchen and Bar in downtown Asheville. From the event page:
“Sausage, mussels, duck … oh my! Those are just a few of the dishes chef Terri Roberts will treat you to at the Southern Kitchen’s beer dinner featuring Pisgah Brewing beer. You’ll be welcomed to the five-course dinner with a classic Pisgah Pale then each course will be paired with a specialty brew like Red Devil, smoked Porter and the Chocolate Stout. [The event takes place on] Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $40 per person and include alcohol. Gratuity is not included.”
Want to go? Buy tickets here.
This takes the cake:
Locally bakery Take the Cake will compete on the Food Network’s Cupcake wars. Here’s the local bakery’s audition video:
On Sunday, April 1 at 8 p.m., watch Take the Cake compete in Food Network’s Cupcake Wars at a cupcake-studded viewing at Broadways.
White Duck expands hours, seating
That about says it all. The new hours begin April 1. The restaurant will now serve lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday from 11:30 until 9 p.m. Patio seating has doubled.
Pro gluten?
The Asheville Artisan Bread Bakers Festival, in its eighth year, takes place on Saturday, March 24. If anyone knows about good flour and wholesome bread, it’s the folks organizing and participating in this event. And this year’s theme, “Local Grain, Local Flour, Local Bread,” particularly speaks to the efforts area bakers are making to bring us the best bread possible using locally grown and milled flour.
“The confidence and enthusiasm behind local grain [and] local flour is huge,” says Jennifer Lapidus, the organic grains coordinator for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. “Speaking as a retired baker, when you’re baking, you can’t just use any old flour,” she says.
The all-day event begins with a bread tasting and sale at the Magnolia Building on the A-B Tech campus in Asheville, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hands-on workshops and lectures will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the same location.
For the full schedule, visit the event website.
No gluten!
Across town, the Gluten-Free Expo is taking place at the Asheville Renaissance Hotel at 31 Woodfin St. in downtown Asheville. The event will host more than 50 vendors and nonprofits as well as a number of local restaurants and bakeries providing samples and items for sale. There is a $5 entry fee.
From an email Xpress received from Do More Bars, one of the local vendors at the expo:
“Many wonderful things going on this spring. Now that Do More Bars are in area Ingles Markets, we will be at the GF Expo this coming Saturday, March 24. This is a first for us and we are excited to be a part of it. Also, this last Monday, March 12, I won the business plan competition in Transylvania County and was awarded $10,000 to grow my Do More Bar business. What an incredible experience. I’m still on cloud nine. Our growth plan this year involves holding monthlong events for county churches or schools where we will give $5 for every 12 bar box that is purchased. The first event will be in June for Transylvania County Churches. You can visit http://www.WeDoMoreTogether.com for further details.”
Vinsite, Asheville’s first and only natural wine shop, is closing its doors in two weeks; everything in inventory will be sold at closeout prices. I salute them for their courage in opening a store that was uncompromising in its pursuit of natural wines, and I am very, very sad to see it go.