Click through for a slideshow of photos by Cindy Kunst and a report by Jonathan Ammons on the inaugural Taste of Our Carolina Foothills food and wine festival, held Sunday in Tryon.
Author: Jonathan Ammons
Showing 190-210 of 234 results
Back to the hills: Asheville’s fight for a sustainable farm-to-table system
Mike Fortune started Green Hill Urban Farm nine years ago. It currently spans the yards of three West Asheville homes. Now, however, one of those properties is for sale.
Outstanding in the Field: Traveling farm dinner comes to Asheville
With prepackaged food and grocery store convenience, it seems miraculous if a child brought up today can recognize a tomato on the vine or an ear of corn fresh from the husk. Fortunately, there’s one pretty great supper club that roams the world seeking to make this connection a little more rooted, and it made a brief stop-over in the Asheville area last Thursday.
King James Public House expands hours
If you’ve been looking for a midday food coma, fear not: King James Public House can to satisfy your gluttony. The Charlotte Street restaurant is now serving lunch seven days a week.
A cure for all ills: Sovereign Remedies opens for business
After several months of anticipation, Sovereign Remedies, Asheville’s new farm-to-glass cocktail haven, opened last week.
The long hello: Permitting issues drag on for South Slope ventures
Driving by the old Standard Paper Sales building, you can see construction workers carrying equipment in and out and hear the sounds of loud machinery. Vortex had originally planned to open in the space in June, and four other South Slope businesses had their sights on the space for September. As the summer slips away, you can’t help but wonder what’s holding up those projects.
BaconFest 2014: Thousands flock to second annual event
It turns out it’s not just dogs that come running at the first whiff of bacon in the air. Just over 2,000 Ashvilleans flocked to Highland Brewery Saturday for the artery-clogging-but-delicious second annual BaconFest Asheville. Click through for a full report and slide show.
Handcuffed redux: Locals continue the discussion about North Carolina liquor laws
In response to our recent article (“Handcuffed: Asheville Bartenders Decry ABC Law Restrictions,” July 9 Xpress), General Manager Mark Combs of the local Alcoholic Beverage Control system had a few things to say.
Taste of success: Regional chefs battle it out at Chefs Challenge
Crowds of people, people and more people — more than 3,000 — made their way to the annual Asheville Wine & Food Festival at the U.S. Cellular Center downtown on Saturday, Aug. 23. At the end of the evening came the highlight of the festival: the final competition in the annual Chefs Challenge, a cooking competition that pits regional chefs against each other in an Iron Chef-style battle.
Whiskey 101: Dozens attend Heaven Hill ‘bourbon school’
Thanks to a recent event at Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder, many of us can now say we’ve been to “bourbon school.” Monday night, over 70 thirsty patrons poured into the Bourbon & Larder for Heaven Hill Distilleries’ Old Fashioned University, a night of Southern food and whiskey enlightenment.
Blood of the grape: Asheville Wine & Food Festival spotlights local vintners
Asheville may be Beer City, but that’s not the only libation local residents enjoy. Consider the continuing success of the Asheville Wine & Food Festival. Now in its sixth year, the annual celebration of the region’s winemakers, wine shop owners, chefs and restaurants is expanding its focus on local wines.
UPDATE: Rankin Vault triumphs in WNC Battle of the Burger
The battle was fierce, especially for having taken place in a hotel parking lot. As the smoke wafted across the grounds of the inaugural WNC Battle of the Burger on Sunday, Aug. 10, all nine competitors dug into their trenches to grill up the best they had to offer.
The Butcher’s Table: Black Mountain’s artisanal meat feast
Twice a month from July through October, Foothills Farm & Butchery cranks out a four-course meal for no more than 10 guests at a time, calling the dinner the Butcher’s Table.
Reports from Tales of the Cocktail: The party is over
Xpress contributor Jonathan Ammons recently spent several days in New Orleans reporting on the annual five-day Tales of the Cocktail international cocktail festival. (Yes, it’s a tough job.) As the event wrapped up on Sunday, July 20, Ammons shared a backward glance at this year’s gathering of the worldwide spirits community.
Reports from Tales of the Cocktail: Asheville edged out by Brooklyn, N.Y. in national cocktail competition
On a rainy Friday afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, Asheville’s own Nicole Anhalt came in from the downpour to stake her claim in this year’s Sidecar by Merlet Cocktail Competition. Hosted annually at the country’s largest cocktail conference, Tales of the Cocktail, seven bartenders from across the country competed for a trip to the Merlet […]
Reports from Tales of the Cocktail: Asheville bartender competes in national sidecar competition
It is estimated that this year 22,000 of the world’s finest craft cocktail nerds — including a healthy contingent from Asheville’s bar scene — have either flown, driven or just drunkenly appeared in town to learn from the nation’s most knowledgeable mixology minds. Along with seminars, tasting rooms and classes, there are also competitions and awards ceremonies.
Is farm-to-table working?
Farm-to-table agriculture has gone mainstream, but does it work as a sustainable model? Some local farmers and restaurateurs aren’t sure, even as they persist in trying.
Handcuffed: Local bartenders decry ABC law restrictions
North Carolina has always had a peculiar relationship with alcohol. Attorney Derek Allen, who represents many Asheville breweries, says, “We’re operating with these rules that were written post-Prohibition to make buying and consuming alcohol as difficult as possible. It’s just crazy to me!”
Say cheese! Asheville’s artisanal creamery culture
Looking Glass Creamery opened its facility in 2009. Jennifer Perkins had been working as the cheese maker at the famed Blackberry Farms in Tennessee. When “it got to a point where we were going to have to move out there full time,” she gave up her work at the respected agritourism destination and start a creamery of her own.
No holds barred: Blue Ridge BBQ Festival sees both fierce and friendly competition
By the time we come down from the clouds that cling to the mountains, and pull into Tryon, the rain is hot on our heels on a Friday afternoon. Not good news for the 73 competition barbecue cookers that have come from as far away as Texas and Missouri to try their hand at yet another trophy, this time at the recent Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival.
Post-tablecloth dining at Vue 1913
It is a crystal-clear day when I take my seat in the dining room at Grove Park Inn’s new Vue 1913, a more casual take on farm-to-table dining than the venue’s previous installment, Horizons. I’ve come here for a chef’s tasting, and the fact that the inn even has a chef’s tasting is a good sign that, despite having a burger on the menu, there might be a little more fine dining going on here than meets the eye.