Fiore's Ristorante Toscana abruptly closed on Tuesday, Feb. 28 after a family dispute over chef and co-owner Anthony Cerrato's announced departure from the restaurant. The building, owned by Cerrato's father, is now up for rent. Cerrato, already at work on his new restaurant, Strada, is looking ahead. The closure of Fiore's, says Cerrato, allows him […]
After focusing on Italian, German and Indian food in his many years as a chef, Vijay Shastri is turning to the cuisine of the American South. This spring, Shastri will open Mr. Frog's Soul and Creole Kitchen on Market Street in downtown Asheville, along with co-owner and partner Holly McFarling. Mr. Frog's takes over the […]
Asheville Beer: An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing by Anne Fitten Glenn will be released in the fall of 2012.
At 11 a.m on a blustery Friday, March 2, two of Asheville’s food trucks set up in a nondescript downtown lot at 51 Coxe Ave., next to the bus station. The parking lot, dubbed simply “The Lot” by the vendors, is intended to be a mobile-vending hot spot, a diminutive version of the much-larger versions seen in food-centric cities like Austin and Portland. (Photos by Bill Rhodes and Caitlin Byrd)
Legal moonshine is a hot-ticket item in the Southern states these days, with Asheville’s newest distillery, Howling Moon, opening just north of town.
From a press release: ST. LOUIS, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has officially dismissed a lawsuit brought by The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) and dozens of other plaintiff growers and organizations against Monsanto Company. OSGATA and plaintiffs in the […]
Mother Earth Produce, the local-foods delivery service with the laid-back name, runs a tight ship.
From a press release: The 2012 SoCon Basketball Tournament Tip Off Party will be held at Asheville’s US Cellular Center Banquet Hall on Friday, March 2, from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the YMCA of Western North Carolina’s Healthier Communities Campaign. This all-inclusive event will celebrate the return of SoCon basketball to […]
The venture will replace the now-shuttered music venue, which shared the 77 Biltmore Avenue location with its thriving sister, Mamacita’s. “We had to amputate to save the rest,” says owner John Atwater.
Chai Pani is expanding, says owner Meherwan Irani. The new, as-of-yet unnamed cocktail lounge will feature small plates with a street-food bent, like the glazed ribs above.
It's difficult to pinpoint what makes truffles so sought after. No description does them justice. They can best be described as having a deliciously pungent and musky flavor, but beyond that, truffles are mysterious. In nature, their spores are sown in nature — by way of the digestive process of animals that eat fungus. And […]
Wine-and-truffle pairing dinners, hosted by executive chefs and winemakers, will take place in several area restaurants at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 24 as part of the National Truffle Fest. "It's going to be a wellspring of great food as well as fabulous information," says Lenora Evans, chairman of the Frankie Lemmon Foundation. To buy […]
The National Truffle Fest draws an incredible pool of talented regional chefs and other truffle experts: Shannon M. Berch is a research scientist for the BC Ministry of Environment, has co-authored six published works and serves as an adjunct professor with the University of British Columbia and with Royal Roads University. She is a consultant […]
The Small Plate Crawl, presented by Asheville Independent Restaurants and Carolina Epicurean, offers the chance to try food in small portions, with a good number of Asheville’s indie eateries offering bites from $3 to $8.
Asheville’s newest vegan restaurant, Plant, was named by the Happy Cow, a healthy eating travel website, as one of the top five places — in the world — to visit for Valentine’s Day. From a press release: “According to one Asheville physician, Jason, Leslie, and Alan must have all had simultaneous strokes when they decided to […]
Firestorm Cafe and Books announces the launch of a new partnership with fellow worker-cooperative Equal Exchange, the oldest and largest Fair Trade coffee company in the U.S. On Monday, Feb. 27, the café will celebrate the joint venture with free coffee all day and more. Here’s the press release: “We’ve been told for years that […]
A broken sprinkler pipe several floors above The Chop Shop Butchery broke early February 13, damaging walls and floors in the fledgling but highly successful artisan butcher shop. This was posted on the shop’s Facebook page by the owners: Hi, folks. Unfortunately last night we had some water damage from a broken sprinkler pipe a […]
Asheville-based food blog “Hold the Buns” is a chronicle of one family’s attempt to navigate the waters of various dietary requirements. The father/husband of the family, Jason Spencer, has Celiac disease (meaning he can’t digest gluten). Needless to say, the family enjoys dining in downtown Asheville’s Posana, where not a speck of gluten resides. Read […]
On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to offer start-up funding to the GO Kitchen-Ready Training Program, managed by Green Opportunities and Mark Rosenstein, founder and former owner of The Market Place.
On Sunday, Jan. 22, Blind Pig — a not-for-profit dinner club held in various “secret” locations around Asheville — hosted the Rising Sun dinner, a 12-course Japanese meal prepared by chefs from the Admiral and Cucina 24. Local filmmaker Aaron Morrell documented the entire process, from start to finish. We have the video for you here.
The new two-story cafe and bakery will be devoted to European-style baked goods, special-occasion cakes and more.
