Ron Jimenez had a literal eye-opening epiphany. “I woke up one morning a couple years ago with an out-of-the-blue conviction to become a vegetarian,” he recalls. “From that day forward, I stopped eating meat and cut back on all animal products.” Raised in Asheville, Jimenez later relocated to Florida to pursue his culinary education before returning to […]
The Haywood Street Congregation readies to welcome back diners to its Downtown Welcome Table. Also: West End Bakery expands its hours and menu; several new restaurants celebrate recent openings; and more!
Data recently collected by the Asheville Independent Restaurants organization shows that WNC eateries contribute enormous amounts of money and time to the local community. But given the hospitality sector’s notoriously slim margins, how do these businesses manage to be so generous?
Local chefs gathered at The Rhu on May 9 to host a five-course dinner in support of the Haywood Street Congregation and its Downtown Welcome Table meal program.
‘Hope. In the end, that’s George Bailey’s true gift to Bedford Falls — and the gift that Asheville’s churches bestow upon our own community. In this time of difficulty and turmoil, as we confront a new reality, could there be anything more relevant?’
The Downtown Welcome Table is adding Sunday meals to its community offerings; Favilla’s New York Pizza is opening a North Asheville location; Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center is hosting a fish fry fundraiser; and Mills River Farmers’ Market will operate from a new location, beginning in May.
Four Asheville ministers speak of their vision and understanding about what it means to help those in need. The encounter of helping another person, they say, can be transforming for both the giver and receiver and holds the potential to change the world we live in.
Feeding America estimates that 100,000 people in Western North Carolina are experiencing food insecurity. Winter heating bills, new restrictions to food stamp eligibility and rising medical costs may be increasing situational poverty. But if a lack of access to food is a growing problem, some across the region are working on a growing solution. Read more in part two of our series looking at how community gardens are fighting hunger — from the ground up.
