Some of Western North Carolina’s freshest spring ingredients are found outside the garden.
Small bites: Laura Theodore celebrates new vegan cookbook at Malaprop’s
Author and PBS television host Laura Theodore discusses her latest cookbook and new restaurant. Also: Fermenti offers free tastings; Folkmoot celebrates Appalachian culture and cuisine; outdoor tailgate markets return; Rise Above Deli expands; and Early Girl Eatery finds new owners.
Small bites: Cycling for food security
Patrick O’Cain of Gan Shan Station and Jacob Sessoms of Table pair up to eliminate hunger. Also: Well Played Board Game Café celebrates its year one anniversary; District Wine Bar is now open in the RAD; and Nile Mile’s Montford location expands.
Small bites: Fractals Coffee Shop and Cafe opens in West Asheville
Fractals Coffee Shop and Cafe brings something completely different to Haywood Road this week. Also, the inaugural Hendersonville Restaurant Week, African Friendship Dinner at Folkmoot; THE BLOCK Off Biltmore’s first vegan mac and cheese cook-off and Asheville Humane Society hosts 15th annual Dine To Be Kind.
Local chefs battle it out at the 2018 Asheville Wing War
This year’s offerings from the 11 competing kitchens ran the gamut from classic Buffalo wings to puréed fruit-topped concoctions.
Groups dynamic: WNC cooking schools turn up the heat with culinary team-building experiences
Many area cooking schools now offer programming that caters to meeting planners and organizations looking for an outside-the-box option for team building.
To-go box revival: How to turn restaurant leftovers into new meals
This new series challenges local chefs to help combat food waste by offering innovative strategies for rejuvenating restaurant leftovers.
Small bites: Karen Washington uses food to connect the dots
The 2014 James Beard Leadership Award-winner Karen Washington will lead a workshop in anticipation of the Organic Growers School spring conference. Also, Food Connection hosts Chefs in Action; Curragh Chase pop-up dinner at Summit Coffee; White Labs Kitchen & Tap debuts fermentation series; Hickory Nut Gap Farm hosts whole hog butchery class; and James Beard Award semifinalists are announced.
Nuts in the kitchen: Acornucopia Project envisions an edible future for WNC
A network of local chefs, bakers and food artisans is working with the regional collective to develop innovative culinary uses for WNC’s native tree nuts.
Small bites: The Wine & Oyster debuts in Biltmore Village
Formerly Virgola, The Wine & Oyster offers an expanded menu. Also this week: Cúrate holds a five-course wine dinner, Dobra Tea leads a class on oolong tea, the Asheville Truffle Experience returns and East Fork Pottery hosts a French Broad Chocolates workshop and more.
Not just for tourists: Asheville’s hotel restaurants bring their A game
Thanks to Asheville’s reputation as a food destination, many area hotels have stepped up their restaurant game in recent years with models that bring in the talents of well-known Western North Carolina chefs and highlight locally grown ingredients. And these hot spots aren’t just trying to woo tourists — there’s also a move toward catering to a local customer base. […]
Small bites: Southern history at Buxton Hall Barbecue
On Sunday, Feb. 18, Buxton Hall Barbecue will host Celebrating the Culinary Journey of the South: A Dinner Conversation with John T. Edge. Also: Haywood Common opens in West Asheville; Rezaz closes for renovations; and more in this week’s Small Bites.
Area health and wellness experts weigh in on raw foods diets
Going raw can offer health benefits, but the diet also presents challenges.
Asheville Valentine’s Day adventures for food lovers
From rustic culinary classes to tea and scones, WNC food businesses are planning some creative ways to celebrate love.
Small bites: ‘Repair the world’ with soup
Teams compete for top honors in the fifth annual Congregation Beth HaTephila Souper Bowl. Also: A vegan wine and cheese tasting at Greenlife Grocery, vegan barbecue at Sanctuary Brewing Co., a wine and cheese tasting with WNC Cheese Trail, Corner Kitchen Catering closes and more Asheville food news.
Cozying up to slow cooking: WNC winters inspire wood-fired and slow cooker comfort food
When the weather outside is frosty, simmering food on wood stoves or in slow cookers is a comforting option.
Small bites: Soup or Bowl at Blue Ghost Brewing Co.
Blue Ghost Brewing Co. brings back its Soup or Bowl soup-off and Chai Pani cooks up a pop-up while it closes for renovations. Also, check out some Super Bowl Sunday options and the latest from PennyCup Coffee.
Rising to the top: WNC’s artisan baking community nurtures aspiring talent
With its own local flour mill and a wealth of highly skilled and knowledgeable talent, Western North Carolina is becoming a regional hotbed for artisan baking culture.
Small bites: REACH seeks to end homelessness with launch party at Funkatorium
Wicked Weed Brewing’s Funkatorium hosts the Real Estate Agents Combating Homelessness fund launch party. Also: The town of Fletcher hosts its 17th annual Chili Cook-Off; the Organic Growers School talks food sovereignty and agriculture in Cuba; Blue Spiral 1 hosts its first art dinner pairing; Your Vegan Mentor demonstrates homemade soups; and author Julia Turshen celebrates her latest cookbook at Nightbell.
Totally wasted: Asheville chefs offer tips for keeping food out of the trash
Food waste is a costly problem that is particularly painful in Western North Carolina with its high rate of food insecurity. Thrifty local chefs say there are many ways to start ending food waste in the home kitchen.
Copper Crown hosts benefit for sous chef Seth Walters
The East Asheville restaurant will hold a dine-out event Jan. 10 to support an employee recovering from a debilitating seizure.