While many locals still mourn the loss in April of Cascade Lounge and Home Ground Coffee Bar & Deli, two longtime Asheville bartenders and a burger chef are joining forces to fill that void on Amboy Road.
Married couple Brandon Davis and Davie Roberts are partnering with Christian Meyers of the Boy Howdy Burgers pop-up concept to launch DayTrip, a new bar and restaurant venture with 1970s ambiance, across from Carrier Park at 219 Amboy Road. A mid-August opening is planned.
Davis previously worked as a manager and bartender at Nine Mile and was a bartender for Green Man Brewery and Universal Joint. Roberts was on the staff at Rosetta’s Kitchen for 14 years and helped open Rosetta’s Buchi Bar. Meyers is sales manager at DSSOLVR brewing company and his Boy Howdy pop-up has been serving smash burgers in DSSOLVR’s downtown taproom since April 2023.
DayTrip will reflect the three business partners’ combined industry experience through its operations as well as its menus and atmosphere. “We feel like we’ve done it for so long that we know what we want and how we want to treat our employees,” says Davis. “We want to cultivate not only for employees but for customers, too, a comfortable, inclusive, all-accepting safe zone and just a great vibe.”
While the décor at DayTrip will be vintage ’70s, he continues, the aim is to create a “cozy neighborhood spot” with a cocktail program, evening burger eatery and a little bodega offering grab-and-go drinks, snacks, sunscreen, dog treats and other items. By mid-September, DayTrip will add a daytime café with a full coffee program featuring PennyCup Coffee plus breakfast sandwiches, yogurts and smoothies.
The beverage program will aim to “keep the long-standing tradition of the dive bar alive,” says Davis, while also featuring a menu of more upscale cocktails developed by Roberts. “We’ll have some quick, easy drinks for when you’ve spent the day in the sun at the park and just want something refreshing, but if you want something more elaborate, we’ll have those options as well.”
There will be plenty of mocktails, too, plus a selection of canned beers, wines and a few beers on draft, “so everybody can get a little something,” he adds.
Meyers’ Boy Howdy burger menu, which will be available in the evenings, will be anchored by his signature Smashburger in Paradise with grilled onions, American cheese, bread-and-butter pickles and his Duke’s mayonnaise- and dill pickle juice-based Boy Howdy sauce. There will also be a vegan version using Impossible plant-based ground beef. Other options will be Meyers’ unique riffs on the Whopper and Big Mac.
To start, sides will be the Zapp’s Voodoo potato chips and Sour Patch Kids candies he’s been serving at his pop-ups, but he will eventually offer fries or tots as well as fresh, seasonal vegetable options.
Davis says that for him and Roberts, starting their first business in this location feels like coming full circle — they hosted their wedding rehearsal in the outdoor space behind Cascade Lounge four years ago.
And for Meyers, the collaboration with Davis and Roberts feels right. “I think both our vibes and concepts mesh very well together, he says. “I think it’s going to be a good fit.”
DayTrip is slated to open in mid August at 219 Amboy Road. The bar will be open 2-11 p.m. daily with burgers available 4-10 p.m. The coffee shop will be open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. starting around mid-September. For updates, follow DayTrip on Instagram at avl.mx/dyf.
Big Tikka debuts downtown
A new Indian restaurant opened July 6 on the shady, quiet end of Rankin Avenue behind Harrah’s Cherokee Center in the large space that previously housed Noble Cider’s second taproom. Big Tikka is a concept imported to Asheville from New Zealand, says co-owner Lokesh Solanki, who is based in Morrisville.
Big Tikka’s original two locations are in Auckland, New Zealand. “We create authentic Indian with a New Zealand touch,” Solanki says. “In New Zealand, we use the spices and the local produce over there, and we have modified [the menu] accordingly to bring those flavors and recipes to the U.S. market.”
Typical Indian restaurant items such as samosas, butter chicken, tandoor-roasted kebabs and palak paneer can be found on Big Tikka’s menu. But it distinguishes itself from Asheville’s growing catalog of Indian eateries, says Solanki, with some less familiar options that reflect its New Zealand roots as well as Chinese and Southeast Asian influences.
He points to the menu’s lamb dishes — both chops and curries — which he says are very popular in New Zealand, as well as offerings like the kampung beef rendang, made with beef slow-cooked in coconut milk, lemongrass and spices.
Big Tikka is still working on getting its full ABC permitting to offer alcoholic drinks. In the meantime, Indian lassis, fruit juices and other nonalcoholic drinks are available.
Big Tikka is open for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday-Sunday, for dinner 5-9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Monday and closed Tuesday. For more information, visit avl.mx/dy5.
A-B Tech culinary team takes national title
A team of five students from A-B Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality program earned top honors at the American Culinary Federation (ACF) National competition July 14-17 in Phoenix, bringing home the national championship. This marks the second national win for an A-B Tech culinary team, the first since 2007.
Team members include captain Abbey Franklin, Yajaira Sandoval, Ethyn Jester, Rebecca McElreath and Avery Lathan. Under the leadership of A-B Tech chef instructors Chris Bugher and Bronwen McCormick, the students won the championship with a menu of coconut-crusted red snapper; petite greens salad with tomato-jicama vinaigrette; chipotle and prickly pear-glazed pork loin and a Mexican chocolate tart with vanilla meringue, almond financier and mango sorbet.
“It has been an amazing journey with a very talented group of students,” says Bugher in a media statement. “From the beginning of the team selection process, we knew we had a great shot at the title. This team has worked so hard, putting in countless hours to get to where they are.”
The team advanced to the nationals after winning the ACF Southeast Regional competition in April — the 15th time an A-B Tech student team captured the ACF Southeast Regional title and competed at ACF Nationals. No other culinary school in the U.S. has achieved this distinction, according to a press release from A-B Tech.
Additionally, recent A-B Tech graduate Nickolas Abbott won a silver medal in the ACF’s Student Chef of the Year competition. Abbott, who was coached by A-B Tech chef instructor Stephen Hertz, advanced to the national event after winning the Southeast Regional Student Chef of the Year award as a representative of the ACF’s Western North Carolina Culinary Arts Association.
For more on A-B Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality program, visit avl.mx/cjo.
BIPOC Farmers Market and raffle
Southside Community Farm’s next BIPOC Farmers Market happens Sunday, Aug. 4, in the parking lot at the Arthur R. Edington Center in the Southside neighborhood. Launched in 2020, the market features fresh produce and herbs from the farm along with flowers, juices, teas, baked goods, natural body care products and other items from local vendors who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color.
The farm is also hosting a raffle with 100% of the proceeds supporting its free food programs, including Southside Food Fridge, South French Food Fridge and Feed AVL Food Boxes. The more than 20 prizes are from local vendors, including The Hop, Neng Jr.’s, Bagatelle Books, East Fork Pottery, Biscuit Head and OWL Bakery. Winners will be drawn the week of Aug. 11.
Now celebrating its 10th year, Southside Community Farm’s mission is to establish and sustain Black food sovereignty while celebrating culturally diverse foodways. Its future is in limbo this year as it awaits word from the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville about whether it will be allowed to continue in its current location after the end of the 2024 growing season.
The BIPOC Farmers Market happens the first Sunday of each month May-October. The next market is noon-3 p.m. Aug. 4 at Southside Community Farm behind the Arthur R. Edington Center, 133 Livingston St. For details on how to enter the raffle, visit avl.mx/dyg. For more on Southside Community Farm, visit avl.mx/dnl.
Farm Birds hatches at Farm Burger
This month, Farm Burger launched a new menu of fried chicken sandwiches and salads at its South Asheville store. Dubbed “Farm Birds,” the menu features antibiotic- and growth hormone-free chicken that’s poached in sweet tea, dipped in buttermilk then rolled in seasoned flour before frying. On the menu are three sandwich varieties — original, honey-lemon pepper wet and Nashville hot — plus chicken-topped kale-based superfood and seasonal salads.
Farm Birds evolved from an online-only concept that emerged in 2020 at Farm Burgers’ Georgia locations. The company also has locations in Tennessee and Alabama.
“We are thrilled to bring Farm Birds to our Asheville community after witnessing great success in our Georgia markets,” says Farm Burger co-owner George Frangos in a press release.
The Farm Birds menu is available for dine-in, pickup and delivery at Farm Burger South Asheville, 1831 Hendersonville Road, suite 100. For more information, visit avl.mx/dxt.
Summer glow-up at Gemelli
Along with the recent addition of a brand-new wooden cocktail bar, Gemelli has rolled out a fresh summer menu and afternoon aperitivo offerings. While some popular house-made pasta dishes remain, executive chef de cuisine Gabe Cerrato has debuted a selection of new brunch options, pastas, mains and piadina flatbread sandwiches.
Complementing a new summer cocktail menu from bar director Devon Dickerson, Gemelli’s recently launched aperitivo service runs 3-6 p.m. Guests can order from a menu of half-price small bites, including arancini, warm olives and mixed nuts. Two items — Tuscan stuffed figs and truffled mushroom crostini — are only available during aperitivo service.
Gemelli is at 70 Westgate Parkway. For more information, visit avl.mx/dy2.
National honors for Oklawaha Brewing Co.
Oklawaha Brewing Co. claimed two top awards at the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship, held July 9 in Oxford, Ohio. The Hendersonville brewery brought home a gold in the Imperial Stout Specialty category for its coffee-forward Weekend Joe imperial stout. It also secured a silver award for its Tiny Pils lager in the German Leichtbier category.
“This recognition is a testament to the passion and dedication of our brewers,” says Oklawaha’s head brewer, Zack Zollner, in a press release.
The U.S. Open Beer Championship is one of the top three beer competitions in the nation. This year’s event included more than 9,000 competing beers representing over 170 styles.
For more information on Oklawaha Brewing, visit avl.mx/dxv.
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