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.
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.
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.
Asheville inn owners ship baked goods to service members
In search of a virtual volunteer opportunity, Karen and Steve Wilson rallied inns across the U.S. to join their new effort, Inn Support of Our Troops.
Local distilleries offer DIY cocktail kits for at-home mixologists
Distillers are offering all-inclusive, make-your-own-cocktail kits.
From CPP: Program supports WNC farmers and offers food relief during pandemic
With farmers losing access to customers and many people facing food insecurity during pandemic, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project offers a solution.
Earth Fare reopens in West Asheville
The Westgate store is the first of eight Earth Fare supermarkets to reopen.
Foragers navigate public land closures, stay-home mandates
Although gleaning dinner from nature inherently offers some freedom from the social framework, COVID-19’s disruptions still reached many locals who normally take to the outdoors in spring to gather ramps, morels and other seasonal morsels.
Restaurants for the People initiative supports local businesses, feeds people in need
Launched in mid-May, the program is a $50 million commitment to help local independent restaurants open and get back to work.
Wellness in brief: Mission nurses move closer to union vote
As confirmed by Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell on June 11, the health system’s legal representatives have chosen not to file an objection regarding how a pre-election hearing was conducted. The National Labor Relations Board will now consider testimony to determine what nurses would be represented by the union, when the vote will take place and how employees will be allowed to cast ballots.
Asheville chefs turn their home kitchens into virtual cooking classes
When restaurant dining rooms closed, some local chefs found a new way and personal way to share their love of cooking.
Asheville Strong collects local recipes to support Restaurant Workers Relief Fund
The digital cookbook raises money to support hospitality workers while keeping people connected to their favorite restaurants through recipes that allow them to recreate menu items in their home kitchens.
Kickback AVL keeps it local
When N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper closed restaurant dining rooms in mid-March, the Kickback AVL website became “a madhouse,” says owner Jennie Townsend.
WNC farms grow new markets through community
The region’s small farms have been rocked by the coronavirus, but community support and innovative thinking have enabled many local growers to pivot and persist as they work to find a way forward.
New coffee shop owners face pandemic shortly after opening
Farewell coffee shop was open only two months before it was forced to close by COVID-19. But the owners saw the store’s roll-up window as an opportunity to stay in business.
Hominy Farm bread builds a following despite quarantine
Bread maker Eli Je Bailey debuted his business, Hominy Farm, at the River Arts District Farmers Market in February.