Chef Jesse Roque, owner of the fairly new Never Blue on Broadway, closed the doors on Never Blue on Broadway on Friday, Jan. 20. Located in the former Tingles Café space at 27 Broadway in downtown Asheville, Never Blue on Broadway was the third restaurant opened by husband and wife culinary team of Edson and Jesse Roque.
“We loved the space and the people around us,” says Roque. “We just couldn’t make it work at this time.” Roque points to the difficulties of establishing a new restaurant in an already thriving food scene, an uncertain economy, and the challenge of maintaining her desired level of quality and consistency across three restaurants in three different towns. Roque opened up the Blue Gypsy in Saluda in October, 2011. That restaurant is closed for the winter, but will reopen this spring and stay open throughout the fall.
Roque’s core restaurant is The Never Blue on Main in downtown Hendersonville. The Never Blue has been a local and regional favorite since it opened in 2007. “I don’t want to lose the success we’ve built up with Never Blue on Main. We have great, loyal customers … an established base,” said Roque. “We’re going to concentrate on keeping it that way and making sure we continue to improve what we have.”
Roque will be competing in the upcoming WNC Chef’s Challenge this March and hopes her Asheville fans will cheer her on during the competition. “I hope Asheville will remember that we’re right down the road in Hendersonville and venture over when they’re feeling like a little Never Blue,” said Roque. For more information on Roque, The Never Blue or Blue Gypsy, visit http://www.theneverblue.com.
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