What’s new in food: WNC Tip it Forward

The collaborative initiative from Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, ArtsAVL and GBX Group aims to address immediate and long-term recovery for local food-service and creative sector workers. Also this week, Fish Night at Regina’s Westside, Cocktails with Kris Kringle, a sad farewell to Vivian, a new home for the RAD Farmers Market and much more.

Takeaway is here to stay

Like every small town and big city in America, Asheville faced unprecedented challenges when COVID-19 turned the entire restaurant industry upside down, sending many to a takeout-only model that required a dependence on food containers, bags and disposables. Unsurprisingly, that had a significant impact on waste and recyclable collections.

Restaurant­s can open at full capacity, but staffing is a challenge

In theory, Gov. Roy Cooper’s May 14 announcement lifting mandatory capacity and gathering limits and allowing fully vaccinated diners to leave their masks at home should allow North Carolina restaurants to get back to a pre-pandemic normal. But in practice, Cooper’s announcement doesn’t change much for many local restaurateurs. “What is driving restaurants’ decisions right now […]