Stone Soup simmers once more: The venerated Asheville eatery hosts a reunion lunch

Historic flavor: The Broadway Street building that now houses Mellow Mushroom was once home to Stone Soup. North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, North Carolina

Dick Gilbert remembers a time when there were eight restaurants in downtown Asheville, and that figure included the concession stand in the court house. It was 1975. “Downtown was flat on its back,” Gilbert says. “I would say 60 percent of the storefronts were empty.”

That same year, Gilbert and his wife, Mary, helped found the Stone Soup restaurant, a cooperative that fed Asheville for almost 30 years in its various incarnations (one of which took place at Blue Moon Bakery in the early 2000s).

Today, with dozens of eateries downtown and new ones opening each week, The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County will host an event to remember the food scene's humble beginnings. The group has organized a panel discussion with members of the Stone Soup collective, followed by lunch in the dining room of the Manor Inn on Charlotte Street. That’s where the restaurant was located in the late '70s and early '80s until it moved downtown to the building on Broadway Street currently occupied by Mellow Mushroom.

“In light of the socially conscious community that we have today, I think it's pretty easy for one to see that the efforts of Stone Soup really helped establish this region as an area that is socially conscious,” says Jack Thomson, executive director of the preservation society.

Stone Soup was founded by a group of social-services providers who had been working at Allen High School, an African-American girls' school funded by the Methodist Church. When the school closed in 1974 after desegregation, the Gilberts and their colleagues started Stone Soup in the school cafeteria as a funding source for community-building endeavors. After a break with the Methodist Church, the restaurant relocated to the dining room of the Manor Inn, even though the building as a whole was in disrepair.

Gilbert remembers Stone Soup as a place where the entire town came together over light lunch fare, mostly soups, salads, sandwiches and pie. “One of the things that I really valued about the whole experience was that our customer base was very,very broad and diverse, and that continued to be right up to the end,” Gilbert says. “We would have people from downtown professional offices and people from off the street.”

After a devastating freeze in 1984 compromised the Manor Inn's plumbing, the restaurant left that facility for the Broadway Street location and, eventually, a second location on Wall Street. A few years later, the preservation society stepped in to save the 1898 hotel. Thomson sees the Stone Soup reunion event as a chance to celebrate both the roots of Asheville's restaurant industry and the historic character of the Manor Inn.

The presentation and lunch take place on Saturday, Nov. 3, in the dining room of the Manor Inn, 265 Charlotte St. The panel discussion begins at 11 a.m., and a lunch of Stone Soup-inspired fare commences at 12:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend the event, but donations will be accepted for the preservation society. The organizers recommend that attendees RSVP by Oct. 30 at 254-2324 or directorpsabc@gmail.com. For more information about the event, visit The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County and Stone Soup on Facebook.

The event is sponsored in part by Leslie and Associates, the company that manages the apartments at the Manor Inn, and Asheville.com.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Stone Soup simmers once more: The venerated Asheville eatery hosts a reunion lunch

  1. Maren Firment

    Is there any way to get hold of the recipes from the original a Stone Soup on Charlotte Street? I loved their broccoli soup and no one else’s compares.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.