What’s new in food: Stay sharp at Asheville Crafted Edge

Asheville Crafted Edge, a new shop specializing in kitchen cutlery, was born from owner Samuel Garner’s two passions: knives and cooking.

“I’ve always been into quality knives, collecting different steels and appreciating the quality of builds,” says Garner. “I also studied abroad in Russia and traveled all across Asia, gaining an appreciation for different cuisines. It soon became apparent that these two passions merge quite well together.”

Asheville Crafted Edge offers local craftspeople quality, artisan knives while also showcasing the knife-making process. “The shop used to be a big tobacco store and what used to be the humidor is where I now produce our knives,” says Garner.

Along with Garner’s own designs, the space features six regional knife makers as well. “We’re kind of a gallery as well as a shop,” Garner explains.

Specializing in Western European-style and Japanese Santoku chef knives, Garner stocks over 10 types of cooking knives ranging from traditional kitchen staples to more heavy-duty knives built for backcountry use.

“I love to see my knives being used in the kitchen,” Garner says. “I’ve done sharpening for chefs in local restaurants like Rhubarb, Posana and even the head of food services at Mission Hospital.”

Along with knives, Asheville Crafted Edge also carries general kitchen supplies including accessories, local artisan-crafted wood cutting boards, ceramic and metal kitchen goods and a variety of local coffees, jams and spice blends.

“We have a little something for every chef,” says Garner.

Asheville Crafted Edge is open daily from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at 6 Eagle St. Visit avl.mx/c7h for additional information.

That’s the spirit

Anoche, a new agave spirit and espresso bar dedicated to supporting small-batch producers and environmental sustainability, has opened at 176 Clingman Ave. across the street from The Grey Eagle.

“Agave spirits speak to me because there is so much to learn from them and the history has been widely misconstrued and turned into a cash crop,” says Rebecca Bennett, owner and certified master of agave spirits. “The reason Anoche exists is that there are very limited spaces in North Carolina that carry small-batch agave spirits. Agave spirits have been mass produced, industrialized and bought by large corporations and celebrities. These products are far from what mezcal really represents, which is culture.

“The agave spirits market will only continue to grow, and therefore it is vital to support small-batch producers who maintain cultural traditions that are committed to environmental sustainability,” continues Bennett. “I want people to leave Anoche with more knowledge than they came in with — knowledge about environmental sustainability of the agave plants, how to be a better consumer and a respect for the culture and nature that made it.”

Visit avl.mx/c7g for hours of operation and additional information.

Taste the Carolinas

The N.C. Winegrowers Association and the Asheville Masonic Temple present the Taste of North Carolina event on Friday, Dec. 9, from 6-8 p.m.

Fifteen wineries (including Biltmore Wines, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards and Souther Williams Vineyard) and 16 restaurants, food trucks and caterers (including The Lobster Trap, Ivory Road Café & Kitchen and Bear’s Smokehouse) will participate in the event.

Special pairings and guided tastings will be available, encouraging guests to explore the taste possibilities when food and wine collide.

Tickets cost $35 per person. The Asheville Masonic Temple is at 80 Broadway. For additional information, visit avl.mx/c7s.

Crawling around the Christmas tree

Consider this your go-ahead to break out that ugly sweater of yours: a pair of holiday-themed bar crawls are coming to town on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Bar Crawl USA returns to Asheville for its sixth annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl from 2-9 p.m., making stops at Mac Daddy’s Down Home Dive, Banks Ave bar, Catawba Brewing Co., Twin Leaf Brewery and The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall. An after-party will be held at Scandals Nightclub. Participants are encouraged to dress in their tackiest attire.

The Grove Arcade, 1 Page Ave., will also be hosting a holiday bar crawl of its own from 3-10 p.m. The event will include drink specials and themed revelry at Huli Sue’s BBQ & Grill, Battery Park Book Exchange, Asheville Proper, Wedge Brewing Co., Carmel’s Kitchen & Bar and Modesto.

There is no charge to participate in the Grove Arcade bar crawl. Visit avl.mx/c7r for additional information. Ticket packages for the Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl start at $17.99 per person. Visit avl.mx/c7d for tickets and additional information.

Hi-Wire holidays

Get a jump start on that holiday shopping list and have a brew or two while doing so at Hi-Wire Brewing’s upcoming Holiday Pop-Up Market.

On Sunday, Dec. 11, from noon-6 p.m., Hi-Wire will host over 30 local vendors featuring arts, crafts and artisanal products at its Biltmore Village taproom. Multiple food vendors will also be present during the event to serve hungry shoppers; local musicians will play a variety of holiday tunes as well.

Pets and humans alike will be able to get their photos taken with Santa and/or The Grinch (depending on how the holidays make you feel) from 1-4 p.m. on a donation basis. All proceeds will directly benefit the Asheville Humane Society.

“This is a local-focused event aimed at supporting our community and getting our guests into the holiday spirits with fun activities benefiting a great cause,” says Shanda Williams, digital marketing and press coordinator for Hi-Wire Brewing. “We hope people come out to shop local, help an incredible nonprofit and have a good time!”

Hi-Wire Brewing’s Biltmore Village taproom is at 2A Huntsman Place. Visit avl.mx/xmasjbj for additional information.

Brunchin’ with Santa

You can forget about the milk and cookies; Santa’s looking to get his brunch on this year.

Bold Rock Hard Cider’s downtown taproom will host St. Nick for a special Brunch with Santa event. Along with food, the gathering will feature specialty drinks, live music and plenty of photo opportunities with Father Christmas himself on Sunday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Bold Rock Hard Cider is at 39 N. Lexington Ave. Visit avl.mx/c7t for additional information. 

Local stocking stuffers

Feeling festive and eager to spread the holiday cheer? A number of local businesses have you covered with a variety of specialty food gifts.

These include a collaboration between Legally Addictive Foods and Spicewalla on a new salted gingerbread cookie; a trio of festive tea blends from Asheville Tea Co.; winter-themed bonbon collections from French Broad Chocolate; and several new holiday-themed popcorn selections from Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn.

The Hop is also accepting orders through Monday, Dec. 19 for its revered ice cream yule logs, which includes a new and improved chocolate cake rolled with your choice of salted caramel, peppermint stick or vanilla bean ice cream covered in another layer of chocolate ice cream then bedazzled with festive decoration.

For additional information, visit the website and/or social media pages of each business.

Eden Out returns

Following a brief hiatus that ended with the hiring of additional staff, Eden Out has resumed operations. The shop’s executive chef, James Jackson, says the new members have helped reinvigorate the core business of offering to-go vegan meals for pickup and delivery.

The way it works is simple: From Wednesday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 8 a.m., lovers of vegan cuisine pick their favorite items from a rotating weekly menu. Meals are then delivered the following Wednesday to any location within 20 miles of the store location at 148-C Weaverville Road in Woodfin.

“We are reopening initially with old favorites and then blending in new dishes so that soon we’ll be working with a mostly new menu,” says Jackson. “We are also looking forward to tailgate markets, festivals, expanding our line of Eden Out branded foods available for purchases in stores and developing strategic partnerships with other like-minded businesses.”

Visit avl.mx/c7e for additional information.

Harvest’s end

Harvest Pizzeria has closed “due to an exhausting legal battle and after some serious soul searching on the best path forward,” wrote co-owner Kelly Leu in an announcement on the company’s social media pages. “The culmination of the rent requested and the labor required to run a massive 7,300-square-foot restaurant space in post-pandemic conditions made the business model insurmountable.”

Leu concluded,  “I wanted to deeply and sincerely thank each and every one of you who has supported Harvest Pizzeria this last year. Thanks for the love, Asheville!”