Several local breweries traveled to Denver, Colo., for the 33rd annual event, with three bringing home top honors.
Author: Shawndra Russell
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Women entrepreneurs lead WNC’s exploding fermentation industry
An interest in health inspired many female owners of local fermented food and beverage businesses.
Juice cleanses: miracle cure or passing fad?
While plenty of people consume cold-pressed juice as a snack or meal replacement, others take the idea further, replacing all food with juice for a period of time in an effort to detoxify the body and promote healing. Xpress asked a number of local experts to share their thoughts on the juice cleanse trend.
CBD foods, drinks are booming, but will state regulators break up the party?
Local businesses are offering a huge variety of CBD-infused and hemp-based food and drink products. But a recent move by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may make this market more complicated.
WNC’s craft distilling industry is growing despite legislative hurdles
Although the number of craft distilleries in Western North Carolina has increased significantly in recent years, business owners say state legislation is still hampering the growth of burgeoning industry.
Y.E.S. Chef! Youth Culinary Program pairs teens with top Asheville chefs
A new youth culinary training program pairs teens with top local chefs for training that culminates with a cooking competition.
Galleries and museums tap into Asheville’s craft beverage craze
Artists and gallery owners are recognizing the benefits of incorporating craft beverage sales into their business models.
Needful things: Some culinary options are still missing from Asheville’s food scene
As Best of WNC voters noted, a few types of cuisine remain under- or unrepresented in Asheville’s growing food scene.
Summer grilling ideas from Asheville chefs and shops
Local butchers and chefs have weighed in with some meaty ideas — and several plant-based ones, as well — for taking your summer grill game up a notch.
Creative local students help MANNA FoodBank achieve a food drive milestone
By linking donations to friendly competitions and events and publicizing efforts on social media, Western North Carolina schools brought in more food and funds than ever before in this annual collection drive.
Virgin territory: Mocktails claim their own space in Asheville’s craft drinks scene
Liquor-free drinks receive the same artisan treatment as their spirited counterparts at many Asheville restaurants and bars.
Behind the food scene: A network of diverse businesses keeps Asheville’s restaurant industry cooking
A surprisingly diverse community of businesses collaborate with Western North Carolina’s hospitality sector through the Mountain Area Restaurant Vendors nonprofit group.
Making the grade: WNC’s college dining programs get high scores for sustainability
Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are working to make their institutions as environmentally sustainable as possible. These efforts cover a broad spectrum, from a recycling initiative at Stanford University that diverts 65 percent of the school’s solid waste away from landfills to Cornell’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2035, as noted in The Princeton Review’s annual ranking […]
Groups dynamic: WNC cooking schools turn up the heat with culinary team-building experiences
Many area cooking schools now offer programming that caters to meeting planners and organizations looking for an outside-the-box option for team building.
Not just for tourists: Asheville’s hotel restaurants bring their A game
Thanks to Asheville’s reputation as a food destination, many area hotels have stepped up their restaurant game in recent years with models that bring in the talents of well-known Western North Carolina chefs and highlight locally grown ingredients. And these hot spots aren’t just trying to woo tourists — there’s also a move toward catering to a local customer base. […]
Area health and wellness experts weigh in on raw foods diets
Going raw can offer health benefits, but the diet also presents challenges.
BIGBOIFLY Fashion Show returns to the runway
Joe Greene promises his upcoming fashion show will be “much fresher because we have five clothing lines in this one [with] a whole lot of big men ripping the runway in a fly way” including, of course, his own line.
Growing pains for Asheville Food Park
After two years in business, Asheville Food Park is abandoning its original vision of operating as a food truck destination. Changes are also underway with the park’s brick-and-mortar components.
Cross-drinkers’ paradise: Other craft beverages thrive in Beer City
While craft beer has put Asheville on a host of lists — including third for most breweries per capita by Forbes magazine — other beverage makers are betting that locals and visitors have a thirst for drink options other than suds. Several cideries, one of the few sake breweries in America and one of the country’s leading kombucha […]
Branching out: WNC cider scene continues to grow with help from apple country
WNC cideries prefer to source their ingredients locally whenever possible. Yet April through August, it can be especially difficult to secure enough local apples to meet production demands.
Spruce Pine Potters Market showcases Mitchell and Yancey county makers
“At this point, I would guess Western North Carolina enjoys the highest density of artists and craftspeople per capita … in the U.S.,” says Jon Ellenbogen of Barking Spider Pottery. He and his wife Becky Plummer have been working together for 41 years and have participated in the Spruce Pine Potters Market every year.