During their pandemic downtime, many jobless food and beverage workers, supported by robust unemployment benefits, re-examined their choice of profession. Long-acknowledged industry downsides exacerbated by the pandemic prompted some to research options and make new choices colored by the experience of 2020.
The city of Asheville has farmland available in East Asheville for local growers, plus Growing Minds revamps its website, Baby Bull opens in the old Broth Lab space, Well-Bred Bakery heads downtown and more local food news.
In theory, Gov. Roy Cooper’s May 14 announcement lifting mandatory capacity and gathering limits and allowing fully vaccinated diners to leave their masks at home should allow North Carolina restaurants to get back to a pre-pandemic normal. But in practice, Cooper’s announcement doesn’t change much for many local restaurateurs. “What is driving restaurants’ decisions right now […]
Darë Vegan Cheese receives a NC IDEA SEED grant for expansion, a new sourdough bread operation is on the rise, a new tailgate market launches in Weaverville and more local food news.
Chefs Andrew McLeod and Ashley Shanti kick off a new Sunday Supper Series, strawberry season is underway, New Orleans-style shaved ice arrives in Woodfin, Curate hosts an online cephalopod dinner, paid farm apprenticeships are cropping up and more local food news.
National and local issues of injustice and imparity laid bare in 2020 guided planning for the 2021 Chow Chow reboot.
Virtual fundraiser and new partnerships keep nonprofits moving forward, brewery taprooms are reopening and more local food news.
Chefs and restaurant owners whose menus support plant-based choices have witnessed a steady increase in interest and responded in kind.
New WNC cookbooks hit the shelves and ASAP’s Local Food Guide hits the stands, Hendersonville Farmers Market at the Historic Train Depot kicks off its second season, Meadow Market Sundays resume at Highland Brewing Co. and more Asheville food news.
As the world returns some sense of normalcy, the desire for the reliability and convenience of a CSA is holding fairly steady, and Western North Carolina growers have refined systems and made adjustments accordingly.
The Asheville Ben’s Friends chapter hosts a crawfish boil, Western North Carolina AIDS Project gets set for Dining In for Life 2021, Chow Chow announces its 2021 festival schedule and more local food news.
An increasingly popular national model, hospitality and restaurant groups typically invest in and support chefs or restaurateurs with big dreams and small budgets in opening new concepts or growing an original location into multiple stores.
Archetype Brewing wins N.C. Belgian Brewery of the Year, plus a new hemp cafe, Lasagna Love and new local alcohol choices at Mother Earth Food.
In this week’s food news, a Food Connection dance challenge, new bakery developments and a hot-chicken discount for healthcare workers.
The 280,000-square-foot structure will produce over 2 million pounds of leafy salad greens a year to be shipped daily to local retailers.
Asheville Parks and Recreation surveys residents for a new wellness-focused food hub, April is Food Waste Reduction Month, Ivory Road Café & Kitchen hosts Macarons & Mimosas, and more local food news.
After a mad scramble to reinvent themselves last spring, WNC’s neighborhood tailgate markets look ahead to the 2021 growing seaso
The initiative has identified six strategies: healthy food distribution, community gardens, agriculture networks, food waste, cooking and nutrition education, and the development of a regional food council.
We Give a Share plans to increase its capacity, Cúrate Spanish Wine Club hosts a series of virtual wine tastings and cooking demos and chef Susi Gott Séguret relaunches her popular Madison County foraging and dining expeditions, plus more local food news.
Though it looked a bit different from the YMCA of Western North Carolina’s typical summer camp offerings, the Y’s Amy Deter says Camp 2020 was still a success. “The kids got outside and away from screens, it gave parents a break, and we had no positive cases,” she reports. Other area camps also weigh in about the steps they have taken to adapt and reimagine their programming during the pandemic.
In this week’s local food news, chefs Eric Morris and Daniel Rider bring farm-fresh breakfast to the ASAP Farmers Market, Asheville Beauty Academy hosts Queen Mum High Tea, Summit Coffee opens a new location in the Grove Arcade and more.
