Ivory Road
On Sunday, March 17, 10 a.m., Ivory Road’s Ladies Who Brunch series will feature an Irish-themed menu by chefs Michelle Gentile, Terri Terrell and Beth Kellerhals. Brunch will begin at 11 a.m., following a social hour with welcome bites and sparkling wine. The menu offers cabbage rolls, bubble and squeak, soda bread, doughnuts and more. The $55-per-person ticket includes tax and gratuity, plus coffee or hot tea. An optional $18 pairing with beverages including mimosas, a local rosé cider, a Croatian white wine and more is also available.
Ivory Road is at 1854 Brevard Road, Arden. For more information, visit avl.mx/dg9.
Goldfinch Cocktails & Kitchen
In Black Mountain, Goldfinch Cocktails & Kitchen is offering both a vegan, gluten-free shepherd’s pie and a traditional meat shepherd’s pie for the week before the holiday — Tuesday, March 12-Saturday, March 16, 4-10 p.m. Also available that week will be vegan, gluten-free bread pudding with apples and Irish whiskey sauce; vegan, gluten-free mint dark chocolate ganache tart; Irish coffees; and alcoholic and nonalcoholic Guinness beer. All food items are made in-house with local meats and produce.
Goldfinch Cocktails & Kitchen is at 122 Cherry St., Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/dga.
Red Fiddle Vittles
Another option is ordering a St. Patrick’s Day meal to take home. Red Fiddle Vittles is taking orders for pickup on Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., for Hickory Nut Gap corned beef and traditional sides. Items are sized to feed two to three adults and will be chilled for pickup with full reheating instructions. Side options include Lusty Monk mustard-glazed roasted carrots and parsnips from Clem’s Organic Gardens; colcannon with cabbage and bacon featuring potatoes from Tater Hill Farm in Monroe and bacon from Colfax Creek Farm in Bostic; and a dark chocolate stout cake with cream cheese icing using flour from Farm & Sparrow in Mars Hill, dairy from Homeland Creamery in Julian, and eggs from Dry Ridge Farm in Marshall.
Red Fiddle Vittles is at 1800 Hendersonville Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/ba5.
Jack of the Wood, an Irish-style establishment that has been serving downtown since 1997, will offer a menu featuring Irish food and drink specials throughout the weekend. On Tuesday, March 12, patrons can purchase tickets for a St. Paddy’s Dinner & Irish Whiskey Tasting that begins with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. The five-course, gourmet Irish feast will be paired with curated Irish whiskeys and a dessert cocktail, and will be accompanied by live Irish music. Menu items created by chef Earl Moe include smoked salmon, oysters on the half shell, Scotch egg, short ribs and a chocolate Guinness cake with bourbon brown-butter frosting.
“The St. Paddy’s dinner and whiskey tasting was inspired by two of our greatest loves (our third greatest love, music, will also be involved),” says Annabel Eckert, general manager. “We wanted to create an event for the people who want a taste of Irish culture in a calmer and more intimate atmosphere.”
NOLA pop-up dinner
On Saturday, March 23, 6 p.m., local private chef Paul Cressend will partner with Samantha Rose, owner and pastry chef at Stay Glazed Donuts and Café, for a pop-up, multicourse dinner at the downtown doughnut shop. The menu will feature Cressend’s favorites from his hometown of New Orleans.
The name of the event, Cucina del Rifugio, translates to “shelter kitchen.” “I’m calling it that because if someone is hungry and needs food, they’re not going to be turned down for lack of funds,” says Cressend.
Rose reached out to Cressend with the idea for the event. The two will collaborate on the menu, with Rose creating the amuse-bouche and dessert and Cressend the appetizer and entree.
Cressend, who became a private chef in 2020 after working for local establishments such as RosaBees and Isa’s Bistro, first moved to Asheville in 2017. His business logo reads the same as the tattoo across his throat: “Create it and plate it.” He recalls getting the tattoo around the same hour as famed television chef Anthony Bourdain died on June 8, 2018. It was then that Cressend decided that the saying was meant to be more than a tattoo, and he started putting it on stickers, T-shirts and trucker hats as a logo. Shortly after, he also put together a business plan for his private chef company.
Stay Glazed Donuts and Café is at 22 S. Pack Square. For more information, visit avl.mx/dg6.
AVL Food Series kicks off
A monthly food series showcasing area chefs and dishes that reflect the diversity and creativity of the culinary scene will kick off Thursday, March 14, 5:30 p.m. Produced by Shay & Co. in partnership with Devil’s Foot Beverage Co., the AVL Food Series will feature burgers, wings, tacos, pizza and more at Devil’s Foot’s tasting room, The Mule.
The inaugural event on Thursday is a dinner with Michelle Bailey, former executive chef of Smoky Park Supper Club, rescheduled from Feb. 22. Bailey will cook on her Santa Maria fire table, Jolene, custom-built by John Haney of Alveron BBQ World in Summerville, S.C. Menu items will be locally sourced and include three courses, snacks and a smoked peanut butter pie for dessert. Bailey has selected Our VOICE, an Asheville nonprofit that works against sexual violence and human trafficking, to receive a portion of ticket sales. Entertainment will be provided by musicians Jon Corbin and Hank Bones, along with poet Eddie Cabbage.
On Saturday, March 23, over 10 chefs will present all styles of burgers at the second event in the series, Burger Bliss. Live music will play, and children will be able to choose from a variety of activities.
Cocktails, beer and nonalcoholic options will be provided by the host at all events.
“The AVL Food Series isn’t just about food and drink,” says a press release from Shay & Co. “It’s about coming together as a community.”
The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage is at 131 Sweeten Creek Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/dg5.
Healthy breakfast options for students
As part of a statewide initiative to expand healthy breakfast options for students, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that Buncombe County Schools will receive an N.C. Innovative School Breakfast Grant.
“I am so grateful for this investment in nutritious school breakfast for students across Buncombe County,” says N.C. Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-District 115. “Children in Buncombe County Schools will be less hungry and more ready to learn. Every child deserves to have a healthy meal, and this is just one of the many valuable things our public schools provide to students.”
According to a press release, the grants are going to “school districts and charter schools that implement innovative school breakfast models to encourage student participation in school breakfast” — including Breakfast in the Classroom, Second Chance Breakfast and Grab and Go Breakfast.
For more information, visit avl.mx/dfz.
Eating out in Jackson County
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce published its 10th annual “Eating Out in Jackson County” dining guide this month, along with its annual relocation and community guide “Our Town.”
“We’re excited to offer these two popular guides, which are incredibly useful tools for visitors as well as new residents,” says Julie Donaldson, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce executive director, in a press release.
The 32-page dining guide contains feature stories and advertorials for chamber-member food and beverage establishments.
Both publications are available for locals and visitors to pick up at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, as well as at kiosks throughout the county.
The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is at 773 W. Main St., Sylva. For the online guide, visit avl.mx/dfy.
Sovereign Remedies Exchange closes
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