Jodie Williams, a teacher at Bell’s School for People Under Six in Fletcher, recently received a Henderson County award for supporting student health and wellness through gardening. But with many students learning online due to COVID-19, Williams and other local educators are digging deep to keep their school gardens viable.
Chef Clarence Robinson and artist Ann Miller Woodford headline Folkmoot’s upcoming Souther Supper Series soul food dinner. Also in this week’s Asheville food news, West End Baker and Café makes artisan pizza for FEAST, PennyCup Coffee Co. and Biscuit Head open new locations, chef A.J. Gregson moves his popular Wednesday pop-up dinner series to his new Fairview Road barbecue restaurant and more.
The goal looks the same for everyone involved: an equitable, resilient system where all community members have access to plenty of nutritious, fresh food.
For a second consecutive year, Sunny Point Café will host a benefit dinner for FEAST. Also: Green Opportunities seeks public input; Pisgah Coffee Roasters hosts its inaugural roastery tour; Famous Toastery opens in Asheville and more.
Polanco brings a fresh take on Mexican fare to the former Vincenzo’s space. Also, Warren Wilson College hosts the Regional Food Waste Summit, White Labs Kitchen & Tap opens on South Charlotte Street, chocolate comes to The Collider and Abby Artemisia hosts a workshop on foraging.
Food and gardening classes can help children learn life skills, nourish creativity and connect to the natural world. But funding for these programs can be hard to come by.
Double D’s Coffee and Desserts invites the community to be a part of its latest renovation project. Also in this week’s food news, Sunny Point Café hosts a benefit dinner for FEAST, Farm to Fender celebrates its grand opening and Seasonal School of Culinary Arts announces a week of classes with local celebrity chefs and authors.
Admission to an upcoming barbecue benefiting FEAST includes unlimited servings of pulled pork (raised on the same pasture hosting the event), collard greens, salad greens, barbecue tofu, baked beans, corn bread, and sweet and unsweet tea. The event takes place at the Warren Wilson College Farm on Wednesday, March 29.
Feasting for FEAST benefits school cooking and gardening classes, a benefit for Louisiana flood victims features Cajun cuisine, Sierra Nevada takes over the bar at The Market Place and the city of Asheville rolls out a guide for aspiring restaurant owners.
Local chefs gathered at Hall Fletcher Elementary School Friday to judge dishes prepared from fresh ingredients by teams of fourth-grade students vying for awards in several categories.
Shortly after opening, West Asheville newcomer Arancini morphed from a fast-casual Italian eatery to a wine bar; Fifth Season Gardening Co.’s event schedule now includes Friday evening beer samplings plus monthly fundraisers for local nonprofits; Living Web Farms’ Patryk Battle teaches gardeners to increase tomato yields through grafting; and Isa’s Bistro offers a beer dinner and weekly discounted wines.
Oskar Blues’ CAN’d Aid Foundation is seeking competitive talents for its chili cook-off in Brevard. Meanwhile, FEAST and Asheville Middle School team up for a pie fundraiser; MetroWines’ Anita Riley invites two women behind Hi-Wire Brewing’s branding to the shop; Smiling Hara Tempeh’s Hempeh makes its way to grocery shelves; and Lex 18 hosts an Appalachian-themed evening.
Students at the Francine Delaney New School for Children partner with FEAST for a hands-on cooking — and eating — experience that doubles as a PTSO fundraiser.
Feasting for FEAST fundraiser will help organizers educate more local youths on the wonders of fresh, homegrown veggies. Meanwhile, Hops & Vines is offering a cider making class, and Thirsty Monk, Table and Wicked Weed have planned specialty food and beer events.
Cathy Cleary has always had a knack for bringing people together. In 2001, she opened West End Bakery when most of West Asheville was appliance stores. Now, Cleary is celebrating and reinforcing the community she’s created with the publication of The West End Bakery Cookbook.
At the farm-to-table Feast hosted on Monday, Sept. 29, a hundred guests gathered at The Hub in West Asheville. Feast, inspired and organized by Rebecca Friedman, owner of Farmer’s Daughter Catering, was an invite-only occasion designed to propel the local, organic-food movement forward.
Incorporating garden-based education with an emphasis on healthy eating into the regular curriculum is the goal of two in-school programs run by FEAST, an extension of Slow Foods Asheville. Funds gathered by FEAST and school PTOs will support faculty positions in two elementary schools this academic year where a FEAST Garden and Cooking Coordinator will work to bring the schools’ gardens into the classroom.
Ready for the next Local Social? On Sunday, Oct 23, drift on down to the courtyard of the Crêperie Bouchon, decked out in your best ghostly (or zombiefied) finery for “Feast Local.”
