Social media for businesses­: no longer just an option

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube — names that didn't exist a handful of years ago — are now indispensable business-survival tools. Interactive: Social-media applications like Twtitter and Facebook aren't that different from old-fashioned methods of communication, says consultant Wendy Lou (center), seen here helping a business owner get started at a recent workshop. Photos by […]

Brews News

Learning the craft Chemistry professor Brett Taubman of Appalachian State University in Boone is teaching an honors course to 12 lucky students called "The Science, History, and Business of Beer and Brewing." He developed the course, which he's teaching for the first time this spring. Get your tickets: Meredith Singer buys the first four Beer […]

Brews News

Get your Beer City Fest tickets What we formerly were referring to as "Spring Beer Festival" has been renamed "Beer City Festival." The event will be held on Saturday, June 5, in Asheville. It's being organized by the same folks who bring us Brewgrass (plus a few other key Asheville beer people). Tickets will go […]

Heavy kids, heavy issues

Public-school lunch programs have come a long way from mystery meat and green gelatin squares. In the 21st century, students have more choices, and fresh fruits and vegetables are de rigueur. Keeping the students fed: Workers in the Asheville High School cafeteria. More and more, school-lunch programs offer healthier alternatives. But will the kids eat […]

Edgy Mama: Local authors write for kids and parents

You can’t swing a dead opossum in Asheville without hitting a writer. And some of these writers are writing kids books. A few are writing for parents. Now you can take that “buy local” mantra to the next level by purchasing locally written (and a few locally published) books at one of our independent bookstores (gaining complete “put your $ where your heart is” cred).

Brews News

Lights on for Nantahala Brewing Company Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City now has power, and brewmaster Chris Collier will be making beer in the far western reaches of N.C. soon. He hopes to start tanking his first brews by this weekend: an IPA, a brown ale and a pale ale (followed by a spring […]

Brews News

Beer recs for damsels: My Southern belle grandmother used to say ladies don't drink beer. Here's hoping the definition of "lady" has evolved since then to include beer-quaffing mamas like me. Photo by Anne Fitten Glenn Occasionally, I toss out some local beer recommendations. This one's geared toward novice beer drinkers and moms like me—those […]