What’s new in food: Archetype wins big in New York International Beer Competition

A bronze medal for The Sage Belgian strong ale brought Archetype Brewing into the winners’ circle at this year’s prestigious New York International Beer Competition. Colossal, a barrel-aged saison, made an effervescent debut in the same competition, bringing home a silver medal and helping win Archetype the title of N.C. Belgian Brewery of the Year.

It’s a heady honor for head brewer Erin Jordan, who’s been with Archetype since its inception. Currently the only woman in an Asheville brewery to hold the position, she has a simple explanation for Sage’s success: “It’s a damned good beer!”

One of the beers that helped launch Archetype Brewing in 2017, The Sage also had a stellar year in 2019, taking Best of Show honors at the 2019 N.C. Brewers Cup and garnering a bronze medal in the U.S. Open Beer Competition. A darker, heavier style Belgian beer, Jordan describes it as “dangerously drinkable. It’s a beer you should sip and savor.”

Colossal, she explains, was aged in the barrel for 21 months, then fruited with blackberries, raspberries and strawberries, resulting in a “floral, fruity, funky, tart” flavor profile that made it one of her favorite brews of 2020. “Good things come to those who wait,” she says with a laugh.

Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Road and 174 Broadway. avl.mx/98p

Hemp, hemp, hooray!

Beau Ballad, who organized the Asheville Hemp Festival in August 2019, recently transformed the former Find Your Lane bicycle shop on Haywood Road in West Asheville into Café Canna. “I want to be more than a CBD dispensary and not just another bar; there are plenty of those around here,” he says. Featuring coffee from Dynamite Roasting Co., the menu offers espresso, lattes, tea, kratom and breakfast bagels on weekdays, and will host “special events with alcohol to party on weekends,” Ballad explains.

Café Canna celebrates its grand opening with live music from Michael Martinez on April 20, 6 p.m.-2 a.m., and then will be open daily, 6 a.m.-2 a.m. Café Canna, 487 Haywood Road. avl.mx/98s

That’s amore

When Women of Weaverville posted a notice seeking a leader to coordinate a local Lasagna Love effort, it wasn’t just the alliteration that inspired WOW member Stacey Conley to say yes. Her friend Kim De suggested they do it together, and Lasagna Love Buncombe County was birthed. “It’s a national grassroots initiative started during the pandemic by a mom looking to help other moms in her community,” Conley explains.

That mom was Rhiannon Menn, who started delivering homemade lasagna to families needing some help in the San Diego area. More people wanted to participate, and in May 2020, Lasagna Love was official.

Since then, over 20,000 volunteers provide 3,500 meals a week in 50 states. “Lasagna is pretty easy to make, it’s hearty and most people like it,” Conley says. “It’s something you can do at home and is very rewarding.”

Conley and De have expanded their area to include Henderson and Madison counties. For more information, to sign up to become a lasagna chef or receive a lasagna, visit avl.mx/98u.

Thirst quencher

Mother Earth Food is adding beer, cider and mead to its list of nearly 600 grocery products that it delivers in the Asheville area. The company, which sources from over 300 regional farms and local food artisans, has partnered with eight Asheville breweries to provide over 20 adult beverage products, including Noble Cider’s Village Tart Hard Cider, Wehrloom’s Black-Bear’y Mead and Fonta Flora’s Nebo Pilsner. For the full lineup, visit avl.mx/8jg.