Closing a restaurant is complicated, costly and emotional say three restaurateurs who made that difficult decision in 2020 and are still navigating the after effects and determining what’s next.
Tag: Katie Button
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Commission considers $150K in small business relief Jan. 26
While county relief has heretofore been available only in the form of low-interest loans, businesses will now be able to seek grants of $5,000 to hire or rehire employees at a living wage. Staff had previously believed such a grant program to be illegal but had since received updated guidance from the UNC School of Government.
Asheville restaurateurs reflect on 2020, look ahead to 2021
Five Asheville restaurateurs answer four questions on the state of their industry.
Food roundup: Cúrate at Earth Fare, a new lunch option and leadership change at Benne on Eagle
Asheville’s December food news includes Spanish specialties, fried fish and a kitchen leadership changeover .
Asheville Strong launches Feed Our City initiative
Asheville Strong’s newest initiative, Feed Our City, takes its concept from Restaurants for the People, a COVID-response program launched in mid-May by Spanish chef and humanitarian Jose Andres through his World Central Kitchen nonprofit.
Asheville relishes chow chow, the quintessential Southern condiment
Cookbook author Ashley English describes chow chow as a “democratic” condiment. “There are so many permutations and iterations, you can customize it the way you want.”
Tourism businesses patch together local, federal funds in bid for survival
Restaurants, brewers, hoteliers, tour companies and retailers were all among the 449 named Paycheck Protection Program beneficiaries with headquarters in Asheville. At least 46 of those entities also received help from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority to fill needs unmet by the federal loan effort.
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.
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.
Chow Chow board postpones culinary festival to September 2021
“It was an extremely tough decision,” says Chow Chow board of directors president Katie Button. “We’re determined to be back better than ever next year.”
AVL Watchdog: Katie Button is ‘scared of losing everything’
“To be honest, if we don’t get the right help on our loans from our banks and lenders, we won’t be able to pay our bills and we will be in default of our loans, and that’s when it all crumbles. That is the fear. “
Asheville hospitality industry rallies support for struggling businesses, workers
Groups are seeking support for workers and businesses through online initiatives, relief funds and lobbying efforts.
Asheville nabs five James Beard Award nods across four categories
Asheville chefs are semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southeast, Rising Star Chef, Outstanding Chef and Best New Restaurant categories.
TDA approves $100,000 for Chow Chow festival
Last year, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority contributed $75,000 to Chow Chow through its event development incubator fund. Planning is underway for the festival’s second year, which has a projected budget of $700,000. The event is tentatively scheduled for Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 10-13, with final dates to be confirmed in November.
Inaugural Chow Chow culinary festival sets the table for growth
Organizers reflect on the highs and lows as they consider planning for future events.
Small bites: Chow Chow culinary festival prepares for its debut
Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, runs Sept. 12-15. Also: Girls Gone Wine; Mr. Sushi comes to Merrimon; Monk’s Flask debuts new menu; and more in this week’s Small bites.
Tailgate markets seed bountiful relationships between farmers and chefs
Deep bonds forged between local farmers and chefs at area markets feed Asheville’s culinary creativity.
Small bites: Custom cakes come to New Leicester Highway
AVL Cake Lady opens on New Leicester Highway. Also: Sawhorse launches its French Canadian cuisine menu; Early Girl Eatery hosts a weekly pop-up market; and more.
Bagels rising: WNC bakers deliver the hole schmear
From a soon-to-open spot on Hendersonville Road to established businesses like West End Bakery, the Asheville area boasts several independent bakeries that are big on bagels.
Asheville Wine & Food Festival takes a break, new local festival emerges
Asheville Wine & Food Festival founder and director Bob Bowles says he faced challenges in securing a suitable location for this year’s event. In the meantime, a group of local chefs and business owners are making headway with plans for a new food and beverage festival with an experiential focus for 2019.
What’s hot: WNC chefs predict local food trends for 2018
For many local chefs, the trends that matter often have more to do with the philosophy of food than the ingredients and focus on issues like food waste and transparency.