Ron Jimenez had a literal eye-opening epiphany. “I woke up one morning a couple years ago with an out-of-the-blue conviction to become a vegetarian,” he recalls. “From that day forward, I stopped eating meat and cut back on all animal products.” Raised in Asheville, Jimenez later relocated to Florida to pursue his culinary education before returning to […]
Flori Pate, Food Connection’s founder and current leader of community engagement, wants the communities it serves to be on a first-name basis with the nonprofit’s newest venture, a mobile meals truck. “An anonymous donor gave us $55,000 to help commission the truck, and his only request was we name it Fran,” Pate explains with a […]
“MANNA is serving an average of 100,000 people per month through our network of 200-plus partner agencies,” says Kelly Schwartz, MANNA FoodBank’s special events manager. “With the rising cost of groceries, the need is still critical, especially for working families, seniors and veterans on a fixed budget.” With that in mind, MANNA is preparing for its […]
After two years away, Asheville City Market returns downtown. Also: Jettie Rae’s Oyster House welcomes The Pearl; Holeman and Finch Public House debuts brunch menu; and plenty more!
When chef Linton Hopkins opened H&F Burger on Biltmore Avenue in December 2019, it was in part a reference to the cheeseburger made famous as a late-night-only special at Holeman and Finch Public House, which he and his wife, Gina Hopkins, opened in Atlanta in 2008. While the burger may have been the calling card to […]
, BBQ fest on the river and Contrada is back in business on Wall Street
The inaugural Mighty Four Miler race in Waynesville raised $6,860 for the Riley Howell Foundation Fund, which makes grants to organizations that support victims of gun violence. Plus, grant opportunities, leadership changes and news of note among area nonprofits.
In this week’s food news, a Food Connection dance challenge, new bakery developments and a hot-chicken discount for healthcare workers.
Launched in mid-May, the program is a $50 million commitment to help local independent restaurants open and get back to work.
“A common misconception people have is that food waste composts in the landfill, but due to its anaerobic environment, food almost mummifies, taking years, sometimes decades, to break down.”
A landmark downtown diner gets new owners, the HardLox Jewish Food & Heritage Festival returns for its 15th year, All American Food Fights rolls out the inaugural Asheville Taco Takeover and more local food news.
Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are working to make their institutions as environmentally sustainable as possible. These efforts cover a broad spectrum, from a recycling initiative at Stanford University that diverts 65 percent of the school’s solid waste away from landfills to Cornell’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2035, as noted in The Princeton Review’s annual ranking […]
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.
Casteel talks about UNC Asheville’s sustainability and food waste prevention efforts.
Polanco brings a fresh take on Mexican fare to the former Vincenzo’s space. Also, Warren Wilson College hosts the Regional Food Waste Summit, White Labs Kitchen & Tap opens on South Charlotte Street, chocolate comes to The Collider and Abby Artemisia hosts a workshop on foraging.
Documentaries about photographer Rosamond Purcell, food waste and craft chocolate are among the week’s special screenings.
The Asheville food rescue nonprofit looks to replicate its success in new cities while feeding even more people on the local level.
Asheville organizations, including Food Connection and 12 Baskets Café, take advantage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act to salvage untouched food that would otherwise end up in the garbage. These high-quality meals are then distributed to local families and individuals in need.
Food Connection’s largest fundraiser of the year is a music sampling of Western North Carolina; Catawba Brewing Co., serves up a beer-filled brunch to take the edge off winter; The French Broad Vignerons seeks potential wine judges; and Bee School is nearly in session at The Center for Honeybee Research.
Through grassroots community collaborations, Food Connection saves many thousands of pounds of fresh, unused food from the trash each year, transporting it by taxi to be distributed to residents in need. A federal law allows businesses to donate wholesome food items to feed the hungry without legal liability.
Local Flavor AVL co-founder Flori Pate recently launched a new project aimed at community progress through collaboration. Food Connection, which consolidates hunger and food waste by redirecting surplus edibles, will hold a kickoff fundraiser at the Altamont Theatre on Friday, March 13.
