Biscotti. Macarons. Orange cardamom oatmeal whoopie pies. Those are just some of the treats local bakers are whipping up for Cookies for a Cause by Sweet Impact Initiative. Happening 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at Lexington Glassworks, this first event in the volunteer-driven, cookie-focused fundraising events series is a tasty testament to Asheville’s commitment to community.
According to organizer Kitty Asa, the idea was born from the shared desire among her friends to raise money to help those most impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. The group, which includes professional pastry chefs and home baking enthusiasts, wanted to come up with an effort where they could use their skill sets as bakers. “None of us are great with a chain saw,” Asa says with a laugh.
The project also needed to have good moneymaking potential and accommodate their other commitments, including caring for their small children. In the resulting model — informed by Asa’s years of participating in large cookie swaps at Zillicoah Beer Co. — each of the 14 volunteer bakers will make 150 cookies, including beloved family recipes and special-edition creations. Tickets are $50 each (for the pilot event, the number of guests is limited to 100), and admission includes a platter of a dozen of the featured cookies.
Dubbed “not your mother’s bake sale,” the organizers aim for Cookies for a Cause to be as memorable as the curated boxes of cookies folks will take home. Festive refreshments will be served, and Brevard-based old-time bluegrass band The Wilder Flower will perform. Adding an element of excitement, local food blogger Stu Helm and chef J. Chong have signed on as judges to decide which cookie reigns supreme.
To fulfill the main goal of tangibly helping their WNC neighbors, the team will donate 100% of proceeds from the kickoff event to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s WNC Long Haul Recovery and Resilience Fund. “As we get into the months here further and further away from the actual [storm] event, we lose attention from the media,” Asa says. “I think funding will start to dry up.”
Established in October, the fund will provide long-term storm recovery support for WNC through staggered funding distribution for up to three years. As of Dec. 4, the initiative had distributed nearly $14 million across 359 grants to folks in WNC’s 18 most affected counties.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit avl.mx/edj.
Potential New Boyfriend launches in West Asheville
Music, desserts and libations are all on offer at Potential New Boyfriend, which opened at 647 Haywood Road in early December. The brick-and-mortar bar and listening room from Gospel Ice Cream founder Disco features local artwork, plush lounge seating and music from a curated vinyl collection played through vintage Klipsch speakers. A rotating list of wines, fortified wines and vermouths is complemented by a menu of snacks and desserts managed by pastry chef Dana Amromin. House-made ice cream, affogato, panna cotta and truffles are among the sweet treats.
Events, including bring-your-own-vinyl nights, guest chef pop-ups and more are in the works. Hours are 2-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/edm.
Little Pearl closes
Noting “a magnitude of reasons following Hurricane Helene,” Little Pearl restaurant announced on social media on Dec. 7 its decision to close permanently. The raw bar at 15 Peaks Center Lane off Tunnel Road was launched in January 2021 by Thomas Quartararo and Kristen Onderdonk. The pair also own another Little Pearl location and two other restaurants — Antonia’s and Thirsty Mermaid — in Key West, Fla.
The post notes that another, unnamed local restaurant that suffered the complete loss of one of its locations in the storm will be taking over the Peaks Center Lane space.
Read the full post at avl.mx/edn.
Mabel Bakery opens in Woodfin
A new bakery has opened at 175 Weaverville Road in Woodfin in the space formerly occupied by Dogwood Cottage Baking. Mabel Bakery offers a rotating menu of scones, quickbreads, tarts, cakes and cookies, plus herbal teas and locally roasted coffee. Sourdough breads, focaccia and gluten-free goodies will be added soon.
The shop also includes a small retail section with serving boards, wooden utensils, aprons and local and regional food items. Owner Sarah Easterling, founder and former owner of Nest Organics, named the bakery in honor of her grandmother. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, visit Mabel Bakery on Instagram at avl.mx/edo.
Christmas Eve cocktails at Eulogy
For those needing a break from family or simply wanting to elevate Christmas Eve, Eulogy live music venue and bar will offer beer specials, screenings of classic holiday movies and festive seasonal cocktails 4-10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24. The holiday-themed drinks menu includes a cranberry-rosemary whiskey sour, vanilla chai martini, Poinsettia Spritz (a holiday play on the classic Aperol spritz) and coquito (a rum and coconut milk-based Puerto Rican eggnog). Admission is free.
Eulogy is at 10 Buxton Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d47.
A new truck for Master BBQ
Great news for all who need a Filipino barbecue fix: Master BBQ has repaired and improved its food trailer, which sustained damage when floodwaters from Tropical Storm Helene overtook its former permanent parking spot at Zillicoah Beer Co. on Riverside Drive.
The business reopened in its temporary location at Outsider Brewing Co. in mid-December. Master BBQ plans to return to its original and permanent location at Zillicoah once the brewery reopens next year.
Outsider Brewing Co. is at 939 Riverside Drive. For more information on Master BBQ, visit avl.mx/edp.
Bold Rock closes downtown taproom
After three years in operation, Bold Rock cidery has announced the permanent closure of its downtown taproom at 39 N. Lexington Ave. In a social media post, the business cited devastation from Tropical Storm Helene and ongoing “market challenges” as the reasons behind the shuttering. Bold Rock’s Mills River location, as well as its cidery in Nellysford, Va., and taproom in Charlotte, remain open.
To see the full post, visit avl.mx/edq.
Christmas caroling at Barn Door Ciderworks
Want to belt out your holiday spirit? Barn Door Ciderworks will host caroling at the cidery 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. The event will feature live music and songbooks for participants. Spiced cider, hot chocolate and s’mores will be for sale, as well as the cidery’s regular food and drink menu. In the event of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled for 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22.
Barn Door Ciderworks is at 23 Lytle Road, Fletcher. For more information, visit avl.mx/9ni.
The return of The Malvern, Christmas Prom and more
The Malvern is coming back. After rebranding as Little Louie’s last year, its social media page announced in mid-November that the restaurant has new owners, Davie Roberts and Brandon Davis. Roberts and Davis launched their bar, DayTrip, on Amboy Road in August only to have it destroyed by flooding from Tropical Storm Helene on Sept. 27.
On Dec. 12, The Malvern launched a three-month pop-up, DayTrip: Winter Vacation, featuring the Thursday, Dec. 19, event Beautifully Tacky Yuletide and Gay Christmas Prom with tunes from DJ Little Meow Meow. On March 1, the space will resume business as The Malvern, bringing back many favorite dishes, including its popular mac and cheese as well as original decor features, like a photo booth.
For more information, follow The Malvern on Instagram at avl.mx/edr.
Giving2Sips initiative
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse is partnering with BeLoved Asheville throughout December to raise money for the nonprofit through the restaurant’s Giving2Sips fundraising initiative. All month, Ukiah will donate $1 from each Plum Luck cocktail it sells to BeLoved to support the group’s work to house, feed and support Asheville’s most vulnerable communities. The amethyst-hue drink includes two types of sake, mulled wine cordial, citrus, ginger and rosemary.
Ukiah is at 121 Biltmore Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/eds.
High tea at Ivory Road
Ivory Road Café will host an elegant tea party at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21. The holiday-themed service includes a selection of scratch-made treats, including traditional finger sandwiches, scones, petit-four-style desserts and shortbread cookies with clotted cream and jam alongside individual pots of tea.
Guests will be served with their party but will share festive communal-style tables. Kitchen counter seating for two is also available. Ivory Road is at 1854 Brevard Road, Arden. Tickets are $45 per person.
For more information and tickets, visit avl.mx/ed6.
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