As Asheville began reimagining itself over the last 20 years, its dense urban core of older yet viable structures has allowed local, independent restaurants and breweries to obtain affordable — if somewhat decrepit — spaces for their ventures along with opportunities for architects and designers to transform them.
Andaaz and Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse debut, while Table and The Golden Pineapple get a post-pandemic reboot.
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.
Five Asheville restaurateurs answer four questions on the state of their industry.
The county, North Carolina’s seventh-most populous, was fifth on the state’s list of counties by number of pandemic-related first-time unemployment insurance claimants in April. Of those claims, 21.7% were from workers in the leisure and hospitality industries, while 15.6% were from the trade, transportation and utilities sector.
In the restaurant industry, success rates can be shockingly low. Yet there are a handful of eateries in Asheville that have stood the test of time.
Through their design strategies, menus and aesthetic themes, local eateries contribute to and define the city’s distinct food scene.
After a major renovation, Rezaz has reopened with a new look and a fresh menu. Also: Noble Cider holds its third annual Chili Cookoff, The Inn on Biltmore Estate earns accolades, Gan Shan West hosts Sunday Japanese izakaya pop-ups and Edna’s of Asheville has closed.
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.
Rezaz founder Reza Setayesh and current Rezaz owners Brian and Laura Smith are collaborating to open a grab-and-go Middle Eastern eatery downtown.
Asheville Restaurant Week offers special prix fixe menus at a number of local eateries. Also this week, Burial Beer and Hickory Nut Gap Farm partner for a feast, The Farm talks about Super Bowl snacks and more.
Bomba adds new items to its breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Also, Katie Button offers a cooking demonstration, Rezaz hosts its final Sofra Sunday, Metro Wines provides free wine samples and Olive or Twist announces it will close for good in January.
Anne Livengood, Avena Joyce and Katie Jennings-Campbell have designed an eight-week boot camp that sets a goal of three to four classes a week for participants and engages local chefs to help them learn to eat well.
An upcoming foodie fair hosted by restaurant supplier FRS Inc. of Asheville is part trade show and part showdown. Now in its third year, the Mountain Area Restaurant Show is a free daylong fair with more than 100 commercial kitchen equipment and supply manufacturers on-site, culminating with the Whacked! cooking challenge.
Asheville has its share of regionally representative cuisine. But should you want to expand your horizons beyond trout, grits and fried green tomatoes, there are a multitude of options at your disposal, many of them based in the traditions of far-off climes. This small mountain town has a lot of stickers on its suitcase. Himalayan? […]
