Artisan butchers require in-depth knowledge of animal anatomy and a vast toolkit of skills — and they play a key role in bringing Asheville a supply of quality meat from animals raised humanely.

Artisan butchers require in-depth knowledge of animal anatomy and a vast toolkit of skills — and they play a key role in bringing Asheville a supply of quality meat from animals raised humanely.
The once-humble sausage takes on a starring role in Asheville’s culinary scene. Elevated by everything from handmade buns and locally made toppings to complex and artistic mixtures of herbs, spices, meats and even liqueurs, the search for local links yields a tableful of interesting — and flavorful — results.
Each spring, the Asheville Bread Bakers Festival brings together local bread artisans to network and learn about their craft, while offering bread enthusiasts an opportunity to admire and sample a their work. Here, four Asheville bakers talk about their passion for the art of baking bread.
For seven years, Kamala was an indentured servant, “rented” out by her parents for $50 a year. Today, she’s the Himalayan nation’s first female motorcycle mechanic, earning $50 a day. Kamala owes her freedom and improved prospects to Dining for Women, a global, nonprofit “giving circle.” The organization will be celebrated at A Sunset Soiree, a dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 25.
The shy return of baby greens — kale, dandelion greens, watercress — elates our salad plates. And local chefs perk up as well.
“People are crazy for chips because they’re everything that our prehistoric brains say we love: fat, salt and crunch,” says Ashevillean Chris Bryant, and Asheville’s gourmet potato chip scene seems to be the proof.
Latin fare is everywhere in Asheville, but veering off the beaten path can yield some flavorful rewards.
Working for tips and dealing with the hungry masses, the life of a restaurant server has its ups and downs. And Asheville’s waiters and waitresses have a lot to say — both good and bad — about the profession.
Asheville often expresses its ardor on a plate — especially around Valentine’s Day. This year, local restaurants are dishing up everything from farm-to-table to flamenco for the occasion.
Asheville has its cacao fortresses — the French Broad Chocolate Lounge, the Chocolate Fetish and Chocolate Gems — but our sweet town also harbors countless hidden chocolate sanctuaries.
On wintry nights, while snow banked against the front door, my mom made chili to eat out of small clay bowls with lids. This was not food for guests; this was for family. So, I was surprised when I found my mom’s chili at Creekside Tap House on Beverly Road.
Bar food in Asheville has turned swanky. After all, noshes have to be as elegant as Asheville’s increasingly classy craft cocktail offerings. Think Fred Astaire in coattails dancing with Ginger Rogers in rags. It just wouldn’t do. So, Asheville chefs have ratcheted up the swish in bar offerings with festive fare including small-plate dinners.
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.
Since 2012, the Asheville Street Food Coalition has rented and managed The Lot at 51 Coxe Ave., where assorted food trucks dole out delectable edibles to several hundred customers a week. But as of Oct. 1, Johnny and Susan Robinson, who own the lot along with Johnny’s two siblings, have taken over its management.
Most of us think pie when we hear pumpkin. But when it comes to food, chefs have enlarged brains.
At quick glance, fresh fish — other than the supermarket catch — may seem as rare in Asheville as a quiet night on Patton Avenue. But dig a bit, and you’ll find numerous fish sellers within a 30-mile radius whose fish passion has them pulling fish from Alaska, Scotland, Florida, and, of course, North and South […]
Doughnuts are about as rare in Asheville as a three-piece suit. Fortunately, a few spots throw life rings to the doughnut deprived — and more help is coming.
Asheville thinks of itself as a willfully healthy town, a place where spirulina shakes are as easy to come by as beer. But next time you order a kale salad, don’t be surprised if nestled right next to it is the best order of french fries you’ve ever had.