Small bites: ‘Repair the world’ with soup

SOUP FOR A CAUSE: Each year Congregation Beth HaTephila hosts its annual Souper Bowl fundraiser. This year's event will feature 15 teams serving global flavors. Photo by Alice Cohen

Since 2014, soup has been the key ingredient in the fundraising efforts of Congregation Beth HaTephila’s social justice committee, Tikkun Olam. “Tikkum Olam means ‘repair the world’ in Hebrew,” explains the committee’s chair, Alice Cohen. “That’s a big central theme in the Jewish community.”

The tradition continues with the congregation’s fifth annual Souper Bowl, which takes place Sunday, Feb. 11. The event will feature 15 teams competing for a first- and second-place finish in three categories: traditional, international and wild card. Vegan and vegetarian recipes are welcome.

For the first time in its history, the CBHT Souper Bowl will be open to the general public. Attendees will be able to sample and vote on all 15 soups and will have a chance to buy the event’s cookbook, Soups of CBHT Souper Bowl. The collection costs $8 and contains more than 30 recipes from the previous gatherings that run the gamut from African safari soup to a family recipe for chicken soup that goes back five generations to Mexican caldo tlalpeño. There’s even a recipe called Chili So Good You’ll Crow.

“It’s a really fun family event,” says Cohen. “You’ll leave with a lot of good ideas for soup recipes and, hopefully, a cookbook.”

But more importantly, adds Cohen, it’s a chance to support a great cause. “Tikkun Olam works to repair the world in a number of ways — from social justice to environmental justice, from literacy to educating children about nutrition,” she says. “The committee works to help create a safer and fairer community for everyone.”

The CBHT Souper Bowl runs noon-1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Dave Family Social Hall at Congregation Beth HaTephila, 43 N. Liberty St. Tickets are $3 for children, $9 for adults or $24 for a family. For tickets, call Craig Frustaci at 828-253-4911 or email execdir@bethhatephila.org.

Vegan wine and cheese tasting

Plant restaurant, Greenlife Grocery and Asheville Vegan Outreach will host a vegan wine and cheese tasting on Thursday, Feb. 8, to benefit Brother Wolf Animal Sanctuary. Dairy-free artisan cheese prepared by Plant owner and chef Jason Sellers will be paired with vegan wines from Greenlife. The evening’s featured cheeses and wines will also be for sale at the event.

The tasting runs 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at Greenlife Grocery, 70 Merrimon Ave. The event is donation-based; $5-$10 is suggested. For details, visit avl.mx/4l6.

Vegan barbecue at Sanctuary Brewing Co.

Fat Rabbit Comfort Catering will host a vegan barbecue event at Sanctuary Brewing Co. on Friday, Feb. 9. The menu will include barbecue soy curls, candied Brussels sprouts, mac and cheese, pinto beans and cornbread. Plates range from $10-$12.

The vegan barbecue begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, at Sanctuary Brewing Co., 147 First Ave. E., Hendersonville. For details, visit avl.mx/4l0.

WNC Cheese Trail tasting event

On Sunday, Feb. 11, Addison Farms Vineyard partners with the WNC Cheese Trail to host an official kickoff event for the 2018 Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest, which happens in April. Samples of Addison Farms wines will be paired with products from Cheese Trail cheesemakers, and guests can learn how and why certain cheeses and wines go well together. There will be door prizes, including tickets to the Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest. Tickets are $15.

The tasting runs 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Highway, Leicester. For tickets, visit avl.mx/4lu.

The Great Southern Appalachian Farm Nosh

The Blind Pig Supper Club will host a pop-up for the Organic Growers School’s annual fundraiser dinner on Sunday, Feb. 11. The evening will feature local produce and goods from Ten Mile Farms, GG Farms, Recovery Ventures Corp., Orchard Valley Farms, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Three Graces Dairy, OWL Bakery and Sunburst Chef & Farmer. Menu highlights include Ten Mile roasted beets, stroganoff with Orchard Valley mushrooms and Hickory Nut Gap beef and Gaining Ground sweet potato flan. Wine pairings are available..

The Great Southern Appalachian Farm Nosh runs 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11. Tickets are $65 for general admission; the wine pairing option is an additional $25. Visit avl.mx/4lb for details and tickets.

Clean meal alternatives

Epione Clinic for Integrated Healing will host a weekly Tuesday evening class Feb. 13-27 that focuses on clean eating strategies. The sessions, which will be led by nutritional therapy consultant Amber Delaini-Nielsen, will offer recipes and tips for following a diet free of grains, dairy and processed foods.

Clean Meal Alternatives begins at 7 p.m. each Tuesday, Feb. 13-27, at Epione Clinic for Integrated Healing, 17 Zillicoa St. Tickets are $20 per class. For more information, visit avl.mx/4l3.

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes and Jazz

The Cathedral of All Souls will host its annual Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) pancake supper on Tuesday, Feb. 13. According to the event’s Facebook page, the purpose of the gathering is to celebrate “the end of the season of Epiphany and look forward to our journey through Lent.” Admission is donation-based. The event will include live jazz music and pancakes for all.

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes and Jazz runs 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Cathedral of All Souls, 9 Swan St. Suggested donation is $5 per person, $15 per family. For more information, visit avl.mx/4l7.

Corner Kitchen Catering is closed

Corner Kitchen Catering closed in January. However, owners Joe Scully and Kevin Westmoreland will continue operating their restaurants, Corner Kitchen and Chestnut. In a press release, Westmoreland called the decision to end the catering business a matter of focus. “We love what we do, but the catering company drew us away from Corner Kitchen and Chestnut in a way that was ultimately not sustainable for us,” he said. According to the same statement, the catering kitchen’s location at 48 Biltmore Ave. will be repurposed “as a commissary to supply even more house-made foods, chips, ice creams and great desserts to both restaurants.”

For details, visit avl.mx/4l4.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.

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