• My fingers smell like Tilsit. Why? Because the stinky German cheese is available by the pound over at The Onyx Orchard Cheese Company at 89 Patton Ave. Tim Pierce, the owner of the specialty cheese retailer and wholesaler, was kind enough to let me sample the Tilsit, as well as some Red Dragon Cheddar, a manchego purple from the addition of merlot in the cheese-making process and a Mediterranean Gouda that was flavorful with olives and herbs. Besides the selection of approximately 150 cheeses, the shop also stocks crackers, jellies and jams (including wine jellies and spicy pepper jams) and ice cream. The shop will begin selling sandwiches with cured meats and artisan cheeses in a few months. Onyx Orchard is open seven days a week. For more information, call 254-0340.
• Get a Taste of Local at Ingles in Waynesville on Barber Boulevard on Friday, Aug. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunburst Trout Farms will provide samples of their trout dips and Annie’s Bakery of Asheville will offer tastes of their baked goods. At 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. chef Charles Hudson of Sunburst Trout Farms will demonstrate how to prepare lime-basil grilled trout and a marinated tomato salad with Kalamata olives and cheese using tomatoes from local farmer Skipper Russell of Canton. Samples of Duplin (wine from a North Carolina Winery) will also be available. Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath and representatives from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project will be on hand during the event.
• Several restaurants will be closed during Bele Chere:
Sister’s McMullen
Table
The Magnetic Field
Tupelo Honey (Thursday night ONLY)
• But, several local restaurants will have kiosks at Bele Chere’s Taste of Asheville:
Barley’s Taproom and Pizzeria
Boca)
Chai Pani
Ed Boudreaux’s Bayou Bar-B-Que
Frankie Bones of Asheville
Home Grown
Mamacita’s
Mela Indian Restaurant
Neo Burrito
Nick’s (sandwiches, burgers)
Rita’s Ice (Italian ice)
Rosetta’s Kitchen (vegetarian)
The Corner Kitchen (Southern)
The Green Sage (frozen fruit pops)
Ultimate Ice Cream Company
Vincenzo’s
the bywater will also be closed