Tasty Greens, GRIND, Morsel Cookie Co. and Leo’s House of Thirst are among the many new food and beverage businesses opening this fall in Asheville.
Jewish Family Services breaks the Yom Kippur fast with breakfast for dinner
Sales of the catered Break Your Fast meals will support Jewish Family Services’ holiday meal program, which delivers kosher meals to isolated seniors.
Delayed but undaunted, new restaurants open for business
More than most new businesses, restaurants are vulnerable to vagaries beyond their control, and COVID-19 has created even more speed bumps on the path from “opening soon” to “now open.”
Okra 2020 mounts successful campaign to bring pods to the people
Though Slow Food Asheville’s original plans for Aunt Hettie’s Red went awry due to the pandemic, local farmers and chefs have still managed to experiment with the heritage okra variety.
MANNA FoodBank needs help to help others
While the community’s need continues to grow, the nonprofit’s pool of volunteers has declined.
Asheville relishes chow chow, the quintessential Southern condiment
Cookbook author Ashley English describes chow chow as a “democratic” condiment. “There are so many permutations and iterations, you can customize it the way you want.”
Green in brief: Henderson planning board votes against asphalt plant
Board member Rick Livingston, who made the motion to deny the recommendation, said the proposed SE Asphalt plant’s location in a “very residential area” off the Spartanburg Highway was incompatible with both the county’s comprehensive plan and East Flat Rock’s community plan.
Fire up the grill for Labor Day weekend
WNC meat and seafood purveyors bid farewell to summer with grilling tips and ideas.
ASAP expands Double SNAP program at weekly tailgate markets
The program, explains communications coordinator Sarah Hart, allows the market to make a 100 percent match on dollars spent through SNAP. “People swipe their SNAP card for $5 and get $10 in tokens to shop the market,” she says.
Homeowners rethink cooking spaces during pandemic
Local contractors say kitchen remodels have seen a significant uptick since stay-at-home orders went into effect this spring.
WNC apple orchards are open for socially distanced picking
With safety precautions in place and plenty of outdoor space, local orchards welcome guests for U-pick and other activities.
Local beverage and cheese tasting events go virtual
The WNC Cheese Trail and local wine shops and breweries take their pairing and tasting events online.
COVID-19 yanks WNC’s local meat supply chain
Roughly 10 small processors are available for all of North Carolina’s local livestock farmers. With higher overall demand due to COVID-19 and commodity beef producers leaning on the local supply chain in their transition to direct-market sales, some farmers can’t get meat processed until the spring of 2021.
Food Court: Introducing Kay West’s occasional column on the local culinary scene
Though my friends and family were taken aback when I suddenly — to them — decided to leave Nashville, they were delighted at my destination. “Asheville? I love Asheville!”
Charlie Hodge turns his downtown bar into Bodega on Broadway
“I never thought I’d be selling candy bars,” restaurateur Charlie Hodge admits with a laugh. Yet PayDays and KitKats are among the hundreds of sundries for sale in Hodge’s newest enterprise, Bodega on Broadway.
Food trucks adapt and roll into new territory
More relaxed regulations mean food trucks can operate at apartment complexes, community centers, libraries and other locations as long as they are more than 50 feet from an occupied residence.
Cottage food businesses offer creative ways to connect with community
“We saw immediately that popcorn seemed to become a comfort food with parents sending it to their kids, friends to friends, companies to staff working remotely,” says Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn owner Ginger Frank.
Asheville Tourists give fans missing baseball a taste of the game
Pop-up concessions events at McCormick Field serve ballpark favorites such as the Tourists Dog, chili cheese dogs, bratwurst, soft serve ice cream and, because it’s Asheville, craft beer.
Restaurants convert parking lots, sidewalks and streets to open-air dining rooms
With permission from the city, businesses with private parking lots can now convert 50% of their parking area to dining. To expand onto public sidewalks, businesses must be able to maintain 6 feet of clear space for diners and pedestrians.
Farms innovate fresh models for COVID-19 agritourism
A late June report from the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association found that 77% of growers reliant on agritourism had seen reduced income since the start of COVID-19. But as the pandemic continues, Western North Carolina’s farms are finding safe, creative ways to share the agricultural experience with visitors.
Restaurants institute operation standards to ensure safety of guests and staff
“Restaurant people are resilient, determined and creative,” says Anthony Coggiola, owner of The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village. “I believe we can do this.”