Food news to go: News of the Asheville food scene in small bites

Blackbird, fly
As previously reported, the Blackbird, a source for farm-to-table Southern cuisine (currently located in Black Mountain), is relocating to the Aloft Hotel at 51 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville. Here’s further detail from the McKibbon Hotel Group, the developer of the property.
 

“The all-new restaurant space is part of an independent retail area on the ground level of the mixed-use development, fronting Biltmore. The bright and airy location will provide chefs and owners Bobby Buggia and Roz Taubman with nearly three-times more dining and kitchen space than their previous location. Architect Diana Bellgowan is working closely with the team to create a fresh look for the three-year-old restaurant concept that reflects urban energy and buzz to complement the downtown environment.
 
‘Bringing The Blackbird downtown will provide us with so many new opportunities,’ said chef/owner Roz Taubman. ‘The additional space and presence along Biltmore Avenue will allow us to continue to delight our established customers, along with bringing many new guests in to experience our menu of fresh, Southern foods and exceptional desserts that we’ve become known for.’

 
The Blackbird’s new location brings lunch and dinner dining opportunities to both hotel guests and visitors to downtown. The restaurant will also provide room-service options to the Aloft Hotel, along with catering services for meetings and special events held in the hotel.

The Blackbird joins the mixed-use development at 51 Biltmore Ave. that includes the 115-room Aloft Hotel, along with several additional retail spaces. … For more information, visit http://theblackbirdrestaurant.com or call 669-5556.

Across the (bread)board
Also, the owners of Books and Breadboard, Grace and David Lennon, are looking to source funding to help reopen their restaurant after a landlord dispute forced it to close. Here’s the release:

“Thank you all for your support and love for Books and Breadboard … When we found out we were going to have to shut our doors after our lease was not renewed, we were devastated. Our life savings [was] spent creating our dream, and after our new business being open for only 18 months, it had begun to pay for itself. Many said that was unheard of for a business that young, but we had faith and it happened.

With so many friends from the community supporting us, we could not have failed. The outpouring of love and support from our faithful friends after closing the doors, asking how they could help, has inspired us to keep our dream alive.


There is a new website, launched in early May, that we are very excited to be a part of. CommunityFunded.com is a platform for organizations and people in the community to showcase community impact projects that need resources. …

We have submitted a project on the website asking for funding to reopen Books and Breadboard and we need your support. We invite you to become part of “The Community” and help make great things happen! We need to raise a minimum of $50,000 and Books and Breadboard will reopen. This project will be open for your donations for 30 days starting Wednesday, June 27. After you pledge, you can watch the site to see our progress as the project grows. This is an all or nothing project, we must reach the minimum amount to receive any of the money.”

 
If you’re interested in making a contribution, visit CommunityFunded.com, register as a user and donate to Books and Breadboard.