Small Bites

Maggio’s Pizza: Stephen Maggio, who has long traveled with his wife Jamie Thomas’ eponymous band, is slowing down—sort of. After years of operating a mobile pizza kitchen at live shows, Maggio recently put down retail roots at 1093 Patton Ave. in Asheville. But just because Maggio’s gone stationary doesn’t mean he’s becoming sedentary: “I’m hoping to open three or four more stores in the next few years,” he says.

Photo By Jonathan Welch

Maggio reports his made-from-scratch pizzas and sandwiches have been popular with the harshest of critics, including an instructor from A-B Tech’s culinary school who placed a takeout order for eggplant parmigiana. “He came back the next day and gave us the ravest review,” Maggio says.

Although Maggio grew up in the restaurant business in western New York, the pizzeria represents his first serious foray into the industry. He’s using his father’s and grandfather’s recipes for all his dishes, including meatballs and a crowd-pleasing Caesar salad.

“The Casear salads have been going out like crazy,” he says. “I make the dressing myself, and they have real anchovies coiled on top.”

Maggio’s Pizza is open for takeout and delivery from noon to midnight, every day but Monday. Call 225-3032 for more information.

High Country Beer Fest: “First annual” is one of those terms that make cynical copy editors scoff, since so few events thus titled survive to earn their annual designation. But the “First Annual High Country Beer Fest” seems like a good bet for a repeat performance. The Saturday, Nov. 1, event in Boone is billed as a “celebration of great craft beers from around the region and the world” and features a sampling of hundreds of ales. Tickets for the tasting are $27 in advance or $35 at the door; $50 buys admission to the evening gala at the Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock. To learn more, visit www.hcbeerfest.com.

Blue Water Seafood: For those who still balk at pairing red wine with seafood, Hendersonville’s Blue Water Seafood is offering an introductory wine-appreciation class, designed to help drinkers better understand wine varietals, classifications and tastes. The four-session class, which meets Monday evenings starting on Oct. 27, will be led by Keith Dalbec, a Society of Wine Educators’ certified specialist. The $100 registration fee includes light appetizers, handouts and wine samples. To reserve a seat, call 697-0503.

Applachian Sustainable Agriculture Project: ASAP is going greens for October, declaring the family of leafy vegetables its spotlight ingredient this month. At ASAP’s request, chefs at restaurants including Luella’s Barbecue, Laurey’s Catering, Lomo Grill and Bouchon French Bistro are playing with local turnip greens, mustard greens, beet greens, kale, collards, chard and spinach. Look for dishes like the shrimp-and-grits-and-chard featured at Bistro 1896, or the smoked duck-breast-and-greens plate available at The Market Place. To learn more about the spotlight program, visit asapconnections.org.

French Broad Food Co-Op: It’s National Co-op Month, and the French Broad Food Co-op is celebrating by giving out gifts. Any shopper who becomes a new or renewing owner this month will receive a free co-op bag. The co-op is also sponsoring an art contest, asking children and adults to submit artwork (the sort that fits on an 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet of paper) relating to community, food or farming. The top winners in both categories will receive $100 store gift certificates. Call 255-7650 for more information.