Small Bites: Hempeh hits the streets

Hempeh hits the streets

Hempeh, the latest delectable from Smiling Hara Tempeh, is finally hitting the streets — or at least doorsteps — after a successful crowdfunding campaign in late 2014. The soy-free tempeh, fortified with hemp seeds and beans, is being shipped to funding backers nationwide this month. Owners Sarah Yancey and Chad Oliphant hope to distribute Hempeh through grocery retailers after completing additional product development and solidifying long-term hemp suppliers.

“We have farmers in Kentucky, including our friends at Growing Warriors, growing hemp for us this year,” says Oliphant. “We are currently producing our pilot batches of Hempeh with hemp imported from Canada. It won’t be until we have a supply of U.S.-grown hemp seed — late summer hopefully — that we will move into full production.”

Oliphant says limited supplies will be available at local tailgate markets this spring and on vegan restaurant Plant’s rotating menu.

“We’ll be playful as we learn its capabilities,” says Plant chef Jason Sellers. “But we’ll likely recreate the dish with which we first found its charm — sesame crusted peanut Hempeh with carrot pureé, bok choy, peanut sauce and a pepper relish.”

Until then, Smiling Hara’s regular product line will be stocked at many health food stores, the latest of which — Whole Foods Markets — is featuring the company’s soy tempeh at in-store hot bars across the Southeast for a limited time.

The tempeh troupe is also planning tempeh and Hempeh cooking classes, which Yancey and Oliphant aim to host locally this spring to “further connect with [the] community, particularly those who share [their] passions for tempeh, local food, and new and inventive products.”

Moose Café celebrates anniversary with fundraiser

Moose Café is celebrating the first anniversary of its Hendersonville store — its third location — with a fundraising event for the Henderson County charity organization Project We Care. On Thursday, Jan. 29, 50 percent of sales during breakfast, lunch and dinner — between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. — will be donated to the group, which serves the elderly in Henderson County through support of Hendersonville Meals on Wheels and MemoryCare. Moose Café to host fundraiser for Project We Care

Moose Café, 59 Highland Square Drive, Hendersonville. eatatthemoosecafe.com

DIY fermented beverages class

Marc Williams, ethnobotanist and director of Plants and Healers International, is offering a workshop that can aid crafty types who want to create handmade Valentine’s Day gifts of the drinkable variety. His class on Sunday, Feb. 1, titled Supernatural Sodas, Magical Meads and Loving Liqueurs, will provide guidance and demonstrations on how to make homemade fermented sodas, health-supportive formulations and alcoholic libations such as mead and liqueurs. The cost is $20-$40 per person on a sliding scale. Registration includes handouts, numerous tastings and snacks in additions to instruction. Participants may also have the opportunity to take home cultures such as water kefir, kombucha and jun, a fermented tea.

5-7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 1, Villagers, 278 Haywood Road. Register at forvillagers.com or by calling 215-9569. For details on Williams and his other local classes, visit plantsandhealers.org or botanyeveryday.com.

Foothills Meats, Pisgah Brewing Co. partner for workshop

Foothills Meats will offer a superaffordable workshop (and supper!), Bones, Stocks and Pastured Animal Fats — What Your Mamma Didn’t Tell You, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Pisgah Brewing Co. in Black Mountain. For a registration fee of only $9, participants will learn from licensed naturopathic doctor Rebecca Word about the health and environmental benefits of pasture-raised meat as well as the latest research in nutrition related to animal-based proteins such as bone marrow, fat, lard and stocks. A meaty stew and bacon cornbread will be served, and a cash bar will be available. Foothills is also planning a workshop on the art of butchery with chef Elliott Moss of The Thunderbird and Buxton Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 10, and a workshop for chefs on advanced charcuterie with Charleston, S.C., chef Craig Deihl on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

Bones, Stocks and Pastured Animal Fats — What Your Mama Didn’t Tell You, 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, Pisgah Brewing Co., 150 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain. Tickets are available at praisethelard.brownpapertickets.com. For details on any of the workshops, contact Foothills Meats at 669-8200 or look for “Foothills Pasture Raised Meats” on Facebook.