Art and craft. They share similar audiences, but split crowds when it comes to applying those definitions to the work itself. It’s a dialogue that’s most often played out in studios, galleries and museums and in the occasional after-hours argument at bars or breweries. (Certainly this is the case at the Wedge.) But what if […]

OpenDoors of Asheville hosts its “Art Affair 2014: One Night in New Orleans” art auction and gala Saturday, March 1. More than a dozen restaurants, bars and social lounges will lend a hand by donating food and beverages to the local charity’s annual fundraiser. The goal is to raise vital funds for programs and services […]

DOUGH’s classroom kitchen was designed to look and feel like a typical home kitchen, says the chef and owner Brian Ross. And it’s probably true that many of us would be familiar with the wooden countertops and spice racks, gas stoves and cast iron skillets at the North Asheville bakery and classroom. It won’t take […]

Fika is the Swedish tradition of taking time each day to share and savor coffee with family and friends. In the middle of downtown Asheville, I found the perfect little coffee shop to visit whenever I am homesick for a good, strong European espresso: Entering Old Europe Patisserie is like stepping into a typical café […]

Short Street Cakes will celebrate its fifth year in business on Tuesday, March 4, by partnering with its Haywood Road neighbor, Urban Orchard Cider Co., and turning the bakery's annual birthday event into a Mardi Gras Block Party. According to Short Street owner Jodi Rhoden, there’s more to the plan than just partying down: The […]

To help fend off the cold at winter's bitter end, Xpress is celebrating spoon-friendly, warming nourishment: homage to soups and stews. Photo by Nick Moen

“The story goes that borscht actually means beet soup, and some people make it hot or cold, some add cabbage and others add meat. You can buy the cold variety in any grocery store — it’s made by Manischewitz and is a good hot-summer-day dish served with a dollop of sour cream. My recipe is […]

Mountain Area Child and Family Center is a nonprofit early care and education center. The following recipe was created by its staff and is included in the Rainbow in My Tummy nutrition enrichment program that aims to improve the quality of food served to young children. Bronwen McCormick, the MACFC director, writes the regular Rainbow […]

Jamie Fedele hates Yelp. Not because of any bad reviews he’s suffered, just the overall concept. Fedele moved to Asheville in December, and his new Web project, Lucky Fork, aims to make sites like Urbanspoon and Yelp a thing of the past.

Have you ever caught yourself at a restaurant holding a piece of chicken with your fingers and wondered: Is anyone looking? “Emily Post said it’s correct etiquette to eat fried chicken with your hands,” says Chef Bob Wallace of Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack. (His grandmother, he says, always quoted Emily Post.) Rocky’s co-owner Lauren Cundiff […]

Food and love have long been linked in the popular imagination, but actually running a restaurant with your beloved partner seriously raises the bar. With the spirit of Valentine’s Day in the air, however, here’s a look at how the owners of five highly successful yet very different local eateries have managed to combine their […]

As one man sits down at the bar, Judi Murphy greets him with a smile. “Hey, happy 2014,” she says. “I haven’t seen you in a while.” He smiles back at her. “I’m waiting for the end of January to celebrate the Chinese New Year,” he says. According to the Chinese calendar, this is the […]

Andy Favilla, who owns Favilla’s New York Pizza in West Asheville, is headed to the 2014 Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in March to compete against contestants from all over the globe in the International Pizza Challenge in March. Favilla will be one of 60 competitors in the specialty pizza category with his primavera pizza […]

The nondairy, frozen-dessert virtuosity of Plant Chef Jason Sellers is no longer accessible only to those who are lucky enough to be able to swing by his Merrimon Avenue restaurant for a pint. National organic convenience food brand Amy's Kitchen recently introduced a new line of vegan-certified ice creams based on Sellers' locally popular recipes. […]

When Sommer Collier was teaching third grade at Jenks Elementary in Tulsa, Okla., it’s a safe bet she didn't see herself running a commercially competitive food blog and having companies like KitchenAid remodel her home kitchen just a few years later here in Asheville.

“If you didn’t know it was tongue, you’d think it was delicious,” Asheville resident Chuck Fink says of his favorite Jewish winter comfort food. But does tongue really qualify as comfort food? “The thing about the Jews is, comfort food varies based on region,” explains Marty Gillen, chairman of the HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage […]

Imagine hiking along your favorite mountain trail and encountering a herd of bison. It could have happened 300 years ago when buffalo were indigenous to Western North Carolina. A sign on the Blue Ridge Parkway reads, “View Bull Creek Valley — The last buffalo seen in this locality was killed nearby in 1799 by Joseph Rice, […]

More and more people are flocking to the Asheville area not only for the beautiful mountain views, but to experience the food culture we have created. Our restaurants offer something for every palate and are serving up everything from decadent culinary treats to healthy fare made with fresh, local and whole ingredients. But even in […]