The Local Pizza Joint, which opened only a stone’s throw from Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. earlier this spring, closed in September. But the husband-and-husband team, Chris and Jasper Ieronimo, have not given up on the location. Instead, the couple has shifted its focus to Southern cuisine with the recent launch of Deep South Kitchen.
The full-service restaurant is an homage to Jasper’s Mississippi Delta heritage, with many of the offerings inspired by his grandmother’s dishes. “What I’m cooking in this restaurant is what I cook at home,” he says. “These are my personal recipes.”
The menu features Southern fare such as chicken fried steak, collard greens, fried okra, peach cobbler and “real good sweet tea,” says Jasper. The Ieronimos plan to expand the menu in the near future, including adding breakfast this month.
“It’s been day and night from pizza,” says Jasper. “We are affordable and just plain, old Mississippi cooking. We’ve had so much support and we’ll keep serving food as long as folks are coming through the door.”
The restaurant is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon-6 p.m.
Deep South Kitchen is at 707 Merrimon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5h.
Warren Wilson opens farm school store
Earlier this month, Warren Wilson College Farm opened a new retail and community space selling meats, fresh vegetables, crafts and products made by students, including forest and herbal products.
The Farm School General Store will be open every Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It will also offer community opportunities such as workshops, lectures and demonstrations.
The name honors Warren Wilson’s roots as the Asheville Farm School, which opened in 1894. The 300-acre, student-run farm produces sustainable, pasture-raised beef, pork and lamb.
Warren Wilson College Farm and General Store are at 157 South Lane, Swannanoa. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5i.
Bun Intended’s new menu
Thai street food counter Bun Intended has rolled out a new menu reflecting the chef’s heritage.
Co-founder and head chef Erica Glaubitz, also known as “Chef Shorty,” has created a menu that delves into her family’s flavor traditions from the Isaan region of Thailand, as well as popular Thai street food, according to a press release. “We don’t do pad thai and noodle dishes like most Thai restaurants; rather, we focus on the things you would find from the local sources in the villages my family comes from.”
New menu items include the grilled pork plate, or moo ping, and 24-hour-brined fried chicken, or gai tod. Local favorites crispy tofu, rotating Thai curries and homemade buns remain on the menu.
Bun Intended is in the S&W Market, at 56 Patton Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5n.
Seasonal hours for Buncombe farmers markets
Eight markets in Buncombe County will offer extended seasonal hours or special holiday dates in November and December. These markets will feature seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, eggs and bread, as well as handmade goods from local artists.
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Asheville City Market, 52 N. Market St., Saturdays through Dec. 16, 9 a.m.-noon.
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Black Mountain Tailgate Market, 130 Montreat Road, Saturdays through Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-noon.
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East Asheville Tailgate Market, 954 Tunnel Road, Fridays through Nov. 17, 3-6 p.m.
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North Asheville Tailgate Market, 3300 University Heights, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon through Nov. 18; then 10 a.m.-1 p.m. from Nov. 25-Dec. 16.
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River Arts District Farmers Market, 350 Riverside Drive, Wednesdays through Dec. 20, 3-5:30 p.m.
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Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Wednesdays through Dec. 13, 3-6 p.m.
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West Asheville Tailgate Market, 718 Haywood Road, Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 p.m. through Nov. 21; then 3:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 28-Dec.19.
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WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Road, daily, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Asheville City Market, River Arts District Farmers Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market and Weaverville Tailgate Market will reopen early in 2024 for the winter season. The WNC Farmers Market is open year-round.
For more information, visit avl.mx/d5o.
The Munch Box opens in Brevard
The Munch Box, a restaurant and cannabis infusion bar, opened in Brevard at the end of October.
The menu features classic deli sandwiches with playful names such as High on Rye, for the Reuben, and Toasty J, for the peanut butter and strawberry jelly with honey and sliced bananas on brulee bread.
Beverages include mocktails infused with cannabis, infused or noninfused energy drinks and regular sodas, coffee and water.
The Munch Box is at 100 E. Main St., Brevard. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5m.
Holiday popcorn pop-up
Earlier this month, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn opened a holiday pop-up shop in Biltmore Park. The shop will be open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday, noon-6 p.m., through Valentine’s Day.
Special events throughout the winter season include a mini-pop-up with other local brands at a Maker Meet & Greet on Saturday, Nov. 18; samples of popcorn at the Biltmore Park tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 2; and a popcorn garland-making event at the shop on Sunday, Dec. 3. Later in December, the pop-up will host Santa Claus for photo ops with customers and their dogs.
Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn’s holiday pop-up shop is at 8 Town Square Blvd., Suite 140. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5l.
Mobile cafe opens
The Coddiwompler Cafe, a new mobile cafe serving Western North Carolina, can now be found at various venues throughout the area. It can also be rented for special events.
The nonalcoholic seasonal menu features coffee, custom-blended tea drinks and mocktails that can be enhanced with add-ons such as medicinal mushroom powder.
“Coddiwomple” is British slang meaning to travel in a purposeful manner to a vague destination.
For more information and the cafe’s schedule, visit avl.mx/d5j.
Farm Burger features local produce in new dishes
Farm Burger is putting local produce at the forefront of its menu with new seasonal dishes.
The new Superfood Salad features fresh mango, pickled onion and feta on top of local kale and black rice, with honey-ginger dressing. The Farm Salad features local lettuces and arugula topped with cucumber, radishes, ricotta salata and green goddess dressing.
Both salads are tossed with ingredients supplied by regional partners Humble Hearts Farm, West Georgia Farmers Cooperative, Tucker’s Farm, Love Is Love Cooperative Farm and others.
“We find great joy in partnering with local farmers,” says George Frangos, co-founder, in a press release. “The relationships we’ve fostered with local farms across the Southeast make it possible to serve fresh, seasonal ingredients.”
Farm Burger is at 10 Patton Ave. and 1831 Hendersonville Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5p.
Is Deep South Kitchen in the same location as China Wok? The menu looks very limited and overpriced. Their main competition on Merrimon would appear to be Homegrown and Louella’s. How will they differentiate themselves?