Thirsty Monk celebrates the reopening of its downtown location. Plus, Out of the Box competition kicks off, Old Europe Pastries announces plans to move and Well Seasoned Table tops the Taste 50 list.
Shop local-ish
It’s impossible to walk in downtown Asheville without receiving the message loud and clear: This city supports its local businesses. Locally based brands like Spicewalla, Roots Hummus and Buchi Kombucha appear regularly on store shelves. Stickers promoting Go Local Asheville (formerly the Asheville Grown Business Alliance), a locally focused economic alliance, adorn window fronts. A […]
What’s new in food: Jazzy Vegetarian kicks off a new season
Hendersonville-based television host Laura Theodore explores easy vegan recipes in the upcoming season of Jazzy Vegetarian. Also in this week’s food news, Madison County chef and author Susi Gott Seguret releases a new book of culinary quotations, NC State University’s EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems hosts the 2021 Regional Agritourism Seminar in Waynesville, Jeter Mountain Farm rolls out a new indoor play area and more.
Xpress earns national award for 2020 voter guide
The paper’s 2020 Voter Guide earned second place in the special section category of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s annual awards, announced on July 23. The competition included 54 publications and 598 entries from across the U.S. and Canada.
What’s new in food: Pranom Pop-Up at Bottle Riot
Chef Dream Kasestatad returns to Bottle Riot. Plus: Punk Rock Hot Dogs returns to the Masonic Temple, Melting Pot Social opens and more local food news.
New Black-owned businesses populate The Block
Over the past year, the addition of such Black-owned businesses as the Noir Collective collaborative shop, Jawbreaking fashion store, Asheville Iridescence Yoga and Sole82 sneaker boutique has suggested a renaissance for the former Black Wall Street. Yet in a rapidly changing city where obstacles for minority entrepreneurs remain rampant, sustaining that growth could prove challenging.
Green in brief: New website shares WNC landslide risks
According to the N.C. Climate Science Report prepared by N.C. State University’s Asheville-based N.C. Institute for Climate Studies and other experts, the area will likely experience more landslides in the coming years due to climate change.
What’s new in food: New coffee delivery service launches in Asheville
Day ToDaily delivers hot and cold beverages to downtown coffee enthusiasts. Also: Baba Nahm and Bear’s Smokehouse join forces, a local chef is featured on a National Geographic cooking series and more local food news.
Improving with age: Visionary restaurateurs, architects and designers work to rejuvenate Asheville’s old buildings
As Asheville began reimagining itself over the last 20 years, its dense urban core of older yet viable structures has allowed local, independent restaurants and breweries to obtain affordable — if somewhat decrepit — spaces for their ventures along with opportunities for architects and designers to transform them.
What’s new in food: Yancey County Farmers Market to find a new permanent home
Yancey County Farmers Market prepares for a new site. Plus, Barn Door Ciderworks invites local home cooks to show off their chops in the cidery’s tasting room, Eda Rhyne pops the top on a new canned cocktail and more local food news.
What’s new in food: Summer rolls in with a fish fry on Fourth of July
Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church hosts a fish fry to help raise funds for needed repairs. Also: biscuits with a purpose, cake at the WNC Farmers Market and Erin Jordan heads to Queen City.
Electric bikes poised for larger role in WNC transportation
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just 0.2% of workers in the four-county Asheville metro area commute by bike, less than half the national average. But the owners of Asheville’s first electric bike dealership, as well as and regional transportation planners, think e-bikes are likely to change that number.
Summer kicks off with brand-new and freshly reimagined restaurants
Andaaz and Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse debut, while Table and The Golden Pineapple get a post-pandemic reboot.
What’s new in food: Cider trails, barbecue book, beaucoup wine and burgers on the Broad
Turning lemons into lemonade is a tried-and-true solution to a challenging situation. Turning apples into hard cider is increasingly a formula for adult-beverage business success in North Carolina, the seventh-largest apple growing state in the country. With the recent creation of the NC Cider Trail at cidernc.com, the N.C. Cider Association aims to guide cider […]
What’s new in food: Queens on the stage, chefs on the move and cider meets cheese
Asheville Drag Brunch is back, Session Café & Bar gets a new chef de cuisine, Steve Goff takes over the kitchen at Jargon and more local food news.
Two downtown historic buildings emerge as dining destinations
As Asheville businesses begin to resurface from the crushing effects of COVID-19, the S&W Building and the Grove Arcade are being reimagined as vibrant, food-focused community gathering spots.
Andrea Clark honors James Vester Miller’s contributions to Asheville
The Asheville-based photographer established the James Vester Miller Historic Walking Trail to honor her master brickmason grandfather’s numerous local buildings.
Local food photographers and stylists have an eye for the perfect image
“Being a good photographer, in general, is being able to capture a good photograph under any conditions,” says photographer Tim Robison. “Being a food photographer also means finding and capturing the moment in a dish that makes someone want to eat it.”
What’s new in food: An Odd kitchen, downtown ciderkins and betting on beer
The Odditorium adds a food menu, Botanist & Barrel opens an Asheville location in the old Over Easy Café space, Wicked Weed expands to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee and more local food news.
Restaurant industry veterans reassess career choices post-pandemic
During their pandemic downtime, many jobless food and beverage workers, supported by robust unemployment benefits, re-examined their choice of profession. Long-acknowledged industry downsides exacerbated by the pandemic prompted some to research options and make new choices colored by the experience of 2020.
What’s new in food: Green acres, green students and a Baby Bull on the loose
The city of Asheville has farmland available in East Asheville for local growers, plus Growing Minds revamps its website, Baby Bull opens in the old Broth Lab space, Well-Bred Bakery heads downtown and more local food news.