Small bites: Winter Local Art and Food Festival returns to West Village Market & Deli

KEEP IT LOCAL: West Village Market & Deli owner Rosanne Kiely says she hopes the Winter Local Art and Food Festival will encourage shoppers to purchase local goods this holiday season. Photo by Thomas Calder

West Village Market & Deli has held winter festivals in the past, but at this year’s Winter Local Art and Food Festival, guests can expect a more integrated approach, says owner Rosanne Kiely. Food samples will be stationed at artists’ tables. “It’s the first time we’ve done that,” Kiely explains.

Food and drink vendors will include Eat Pique, which makes honey-pickled mustard seeds; Sweet Brine’d, which produces fermented products; No Evil Foods, which creates plant-based protein meals; Karen’s Spice Kitchen, which offers pre-blended spice packets; Bake Hampton; Cowgirl Vegan Bakery; Mandala Chocolate; Pete’s Extraordinary Granola; Hickory Nut Gap Farm; Hawk Knob Ciders; Wicked Weed; Asheville Tea Co.; Pure Fire Tonic; and wines from Sour Grapes. Plant restaurant co-owner and chef Jason Sellers will also be there demonstrating how to make his vegan cheese.

Kiely says she hopes the event will encourage residents to buy local goods this holiday season. Along with food and health products, artwork featured at the festival will range from handcrafted jewelry to paintings to upcycled clothing to pottery. Vendors will include Andrew Massey Ceramics, Patricia Spangler, Bree’s Trees, Sherrie Howe, WecreationCo and SUCC IT-UP.

“It’s a season that you can sort of get cynical about,” she says. “But it’s also a chance to be generous … and share the love. … We’re trying to take that commercial sting out of it and make it more real.”

The Winter Local Art and Food Festival runs noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at West Village Market & Deli, 771 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/4cj.

Blue Ridge Food Ventures 2017 Holiday Market

Also supporting local entrepreneurs is Blue Ridge Food Ventures’ annual holiday market on Saturday, Dec. 9. At press time, vendors at this year’s event include Sow True Seeds, Firewalker Hot Sauce, Farmer Jane Soaps, Pure Fire Foods, Crooked Condiments, Asheville Tea Co., Asheville Goods, Farm Fresh Nutrition, Animal Haven of Asheville and Cara Mae Skincare.

The Blue Ridge Food Ventures 2017 Holiday Market runs 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, in room 2026 of the Small Business Center on the Enka campus of A-B Tech. For more information, visit blueridgefoodventures.org.

Cumbia dance party at Urban Orchard

Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar will host a cumbia dance party with DJ Malinalli on Friday, Dec. 8. The event is a fundraiser for 5-year-old Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School student Elaine Aguilar, who was recently hospitalized with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Aguilar will recover, but as a result of her hospitalization, both her parents have lost their jobs. Urban Orchard will donate 15 percent of its bar and kitchen sales during the event to benefit the Aguilar family.

The party happens 8-11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar, 210 Haywood Road. For more information, visit urbanorchardcider.com

Handcrafted Christmas at Addison Farms Vineyard

The fourth annual Handcrafted Christmas at Addison Farms Vineyard returns Saturday, Dec. 9. The event will feature local craft and farm products from Rusted Earth Farm, Finally Farm, Deanna Lynch Textiles, Frank Barbara, Dort Lee, Bee Branch Farm, Martha Johnson and Enchanting Studio. Addison Farms Vineyard will offer a free wine tasting with a $10 donation to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and will match all donations up to $500.

Handcrafted Christmas runs noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Highway. For more information, visit addisonfarms.net

Everyday Cured Meats with Meredith Leigh

Author and butcher Meredith Leigh will lead a charcuterie workshop at Villagers on Sunday, Dec. 10. “It is always surprising to people to learn how easy it is for them to make things they probably spend the most money on at the supermarket,” she says. The event will focus on lunch meats and other common cured meats, including sliced ham, roast beef and bacon. Leigh will also discuss pâtés, as well as other meat specialties. “The other focus of the class is making these foods with superpure and mindfully sourced ingredients,” she says. Leigh hopes that participants will walk away with inspiration, empowerment and scientific knowledge about cured meats.

Everyday Cured Meat with Meredith Leigh runs 5:30-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Villagers, 278 Haywood Road. Tickets are $20. To learn more, visit avl.mx/4ci.

Farm Supper at Farm Burger South Asheville

On Thursday, Dec. 14, Farm Burger South Asheville will host Farm Supper, a four-course dinner designed and prepared by chef Connor Flaherty. The locally sourced menu will feature meats and produce from Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Gaining Ground Farm, Ivy Creek Family Farms, R Farms, The American Pig and Lusty Monk. Beer pairings will be prepared by Hi-Wire Brewing. Live music will be performed by Curt Castle. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.

The Farm Supper begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Farm Burger South Asheville, 1831 Hendersonville Road. Tickets are $40 per person for dinner, $50 with beer pairings. For tickets, visit Farm Burger South Asheville or call 828-575-2393. For more information, visit farmburger.net. To learn more about ASAP, visit asapconnections.org.

NorthStar Bakehouse hosts grand opening

On Wednesday, Dec. 13, NorthStar Bakehouse will host its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The bakery offers scones, muffins, cookies, bars, quiche, rolls, bread and pastries, as well as custom cakes, pies and desserts for special events, including weddings. Holiday orders will be taken during at the grand opening event. The eatery also serves Dynamite Roasting Co. coffee.

NorthStar Bakehouse is at 1570 Patton Ave. Its grand opening takes place 2-6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. Store hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit northstarbakehouse.com.

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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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