THE LAST PODCAST

This is the very last episode of the Food Fans Radio Show & Podcast and was originally recorded on 07/06/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

..and on 07/04/2025 my original co-host Chef Joe Scully of Chestnut and Corner Kitchen…

00:00 - 00:45 THEME SONG: Cheesewagon by The Derita Sisters00:46 - 06:11 INTRO: Let’s Banter! (w/ Shout-Out To Secret Agent 23 Skidoo)06:12 - 11:51 FAMILY REUNION: Doing it Right at The Wrong Way, featuring New Stock Pantry, Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, Asheville Food Tours & Hole Doughnuts11:52 - 13:23 THE PADDY RIELS DIET: Eat Meat, Work Out Like A Maniac13:24 - 24:07 WHERE’D YA EAT? Birdie’s, Pollen, Back Porch Bakery, Garden Party, Walnut Family Bakery, Mother, White Duck Taco, Wildwood Still, Table & How An 18 Year Old Kid Learned That He Could Love Steak Tartare24:08 - 24:47 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank24:48 - 47:35 INTERVIEW: Catching Up With Chef Joe Scully From Chestnut And Corner Kitchen47:36 - 52:35 SAUCE TALK: Make Sauce, Make Friends, Find Love52:36 - 56:29 LONG GOODBYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners56:30 - 58:03 PLEASE SUPPORT WPVM 103.7fm!

THE NEWSLETTER

The Newsletter will continue even after the Podcast ends. Please enjoy!

WHERE TO GO WHEN You Want To Throw A Party By The River…

If you need an awesome and very "Asheville" venue to host a party at, I want to strongly suggest Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins located down on Amboy Road, along the French Broad River. The space is very nice, with a large porch and patio, a beautiful view of and easy access to the river walk, as well as a room for tables, chairs, food and dancing, and a small warming-up-and-keeping-cold kitchenette. Dawn & I celebrated our 20th anniversary there together with friends and fam from out of town, some of whom stayed in the cabins and reported to us that they are very nice inside.

Wrong Way allows outside food, so we had our party catered by our friends at New Stock Pantry, who laid out an amazing charcuterie board, as well as some other snacks for our guests. The owner of Wrong Way, Shelton, was a pleasure to work with and we had a very nice experience all around! High recommends for both Wrong Way & New Stock!

WERE TO GO WHEN WHEN you want to party with a preroll & some pie…

Dawn & I recently drove to Garden Party on Haywood Road, where there was a pop-up featuring Chef Camille Cogswell's Walnut Family Bakery. We bought some super delicious pie, and I got a sweet little preroll to smoke at home.

Garden Party is a really fun shop, and I love what they're doing there, including their support for, and printed materials about, Equity Initiatives. To learn more, you can visit their website.

It seems like Garden Party hosts fun food & art pop-ups regularly, so I recommend following them on social media to see what they’ve got going on next!

WHERE TO GO WHEN you want deep, comforting, flavorful and very satisfying Mexican and Latin fare right in the middle of downtown…

I've been bringing my Asheville Food Tours into Mountain Madre Asheville lately, as well as grabbing lunch there with the other tour guides. The tour guests will often name the empanadas as their favorite bite of the tour, and the guides love them too! Chef Alejandra really knows how to pack a lot of flavor into an empanada and she switches-up the flavors regularly.

They also come with a creme sauce that is to die for. The last time I went for lunch, we also shared the enchiladas. Delicious! And very filling. There's lots of seating, including a lovely patio, the service is fast and friendly, and the bar specializes in tequila and mescal drinks, for which they are quite well known. Recommended.

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: Did you know that you can book a private tour of downtown Asheville with me for as few as 2 and as many as… oh, let’s say 100… people? True stories, Yo. If you want more info, please contact me at [email protected] and I’ll get right back to ya! Come experience a day in Asheville the way that I do: Through food!

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 07/28/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 05:24 INTRO: Climate Change & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy05:25 - 10:44: ANNOUNCEMENT: Putting A Cap On This Baby10:45 - 11:25 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank11:26 - 32:37 FOODIE GAMES: How Many, Name That Sandwich & Lightening Round32:38 - 33:30 MOWABC SPOT: Please Donate & Volunteer for MEALS ON WHEELS33:31 - 40:10 WEMO CONCLUSIONS: The Price Of Eggs Will Go Up & Down & Birds Are Gonna Die By The Millions40:11 - 45:55 WHAT A WORLD: Ice Cream Sandwich Recall & Ozzy Burrito45:56 - 50:39 CELEBRITY CULTURE: Dinner With Bourdain50:40 - 52:08 BIG WIENERS & GOOD VIBES: Bear’s Throws A Party52:09 - 54:14 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!54:15 - 55:48 WPVM SPOT Please Donate to WPVM RADIO ASHEVILLE

THE NEWSLETTER

SANDWICHES! If you want to have a classic deli counter sandwich experience in downtown Asheville, head on over to The Asheville Forager grocery store and deli on Wall Street! I went recently with my fellow tour guides from Asheville Food Tours just to check it out, and we ended up getting a TON of food in the form of a full-sized Italian grinder (it was literally as long as my forearm!), a 1/2-sized "Bunkum" (it was still huge) and their enormous Pastrami Rueben. These sandwiches were AWESOME!

The Italian took me straight back in time, to my teens and twenties living, working, and attending college in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a very authentic representation of the kind of food offered by the delis and restaurants that I grew up with in New England.

The Rueben was outstanding. Epic in proportions, perfect in execution and overflowing with meat and flavor! I was too full to try Sarah's Bunkum grinder, but it looked and sounded just as good as the other two, and she crushed it. The atmosphere is lovely, the setting is clean and bright with fun decorative details, and the grocery store is filling up with excellent local, regional, national and international food options for us! Super high recommends for these sandwiches, and for the whole experience. Thanks, Asheville Forager! You're a very welcome addition to downtown!

NEIGHBORHOOD JAM: We did one of our favorite things last week, and visited our neighborhood pizza place, All Souls Pizza on Clingman Ave in the River Arts District, where we got our three standard go-to items: The Honey pizza, with pepperoni, tomato sauce, peperoncini, mozzarella, and local honey, along with the large Bibb Lettuce Salad with radishes and herb vinaigrette, and two soft-serve cones!

We do this exact same routine at least once a month and it brings us a lot of joy and comfort! We love the food and the staff and owners of All Souls. Chef Brendan and his crew are making some of the best food in town, and have been for many years!

And, yes, my soft-serve was dangerously droopy, but I attacked it with all the speed and precision I could muster, and got it taken care of without losing a drop! 🙂

FANCY BURGERS: Yes, no big surprise, we returned to Mother on the South Slope for dinner, where we enjoyed another outstanding meal. We shared the house bread, a panzanella salad, and one if their insanely delicious and very popular lamb burgers.

We were seated at the bar, and I must have seen a dozen burgers come out of the kitchen that night! Word is out about this restaurant, and this burger. It's big and juicy and savory and just melts in your mouth. They dress it with whipped feta, harissa aioli, pickled fennel and local greens.

It's in my top five favorite burgers right now, and in my top two "fancy burgers," along with Table. Spendy, yes, but worth the splurge every once in a while in my opinion, and the opinion of a dozen other people that night at least! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EATING SKULLS: If you're like me, and you think that eating chocolate skulls is always appropriate, The Chocolate Fetish, located on Haywood Street in Downtown Asheville has their Halloween stuff out already!

But if you’re thinking, “Well it’s not even September yet!” You’re right, they’ve got a big jump on Halloween, and if that upsets you, please ignore the fact that they also have their chocolate turkeys out for Thanksgiving already! Here’s how I feel: I like shapes. I like chocolate, and I’ll eat turkey-shaped piece of chocolate any time of year!

NEW FAVE RIBS: We got some insanely delicious char sui ribs from Wildwood Still on a food tour recently. So flavorful and cooked to come right off the bone. Chef Austin and his crew are kicking out some of my favorite jams in Asheville these days, and these ribs are now my new faves.

This is the tour-sized portion. A regular order has four ribs. I recommend both the restaurant *and* coming on a tour with me or Sarah and Asheville Food Tours!

— end —

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 07/26/2025…

00:00 - 02:04 INTRO: Stu Flying Solo, Mostly02:05 - 05:45 CORRECTIONS: No Theme Song And Latin Fare at Tienda El Quetzal05:46 - 18:55 WHERE’D YA EAT PART 1: The Rhu, Old Europe, Mamacitas, Wadadli Desserts, Cúrate, Miyako House, Mother & Dram 18:56 - 26:30 THE PIZZA GUY! Beer City Pizza’s Saucy Hawg is Back!26:31 - 34:26 WHERE’D YA EAT PART 2: Birthday Boogaloo The Market Place and Happy Belly Food Truck34:27 - 35:07 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank35:08 - 46:46 LUNCH WITH LUCHO: An Asheville Multicultural Road Trip To Ay Caramba! Mexican Grill [sorry about the chainsaws]46:47 - 49:13 OUTRO: Chainsaws & Big Wieners 49:14 - 52:37 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!

THE NEWSLETTER

Asheville’s food scene is amazing, and like the universe, it is ever-expanding, which is awesome, but creates a dilemma for locals and visitors alike: Where to eat? With so many choices it can be overwhelming! Here are some recommendations…

THE MARKET PLACE: Where to eat when you want a special experience.My wife and I were both born in July, and we celebrated with a wonderful meal at one of the best restaurants in the whole dang country, The Market Place, where every bite, from the local meats and cheese board to the Pavlova for dessert! The meat & cheese board was huge, and at first we were, like, "let's take half home," but nope! We pretty much crushed it. It was too good not to!

Next we got the tuna crudo with a very mild and delicious aji amarillo sauce, plus plums, purple potato chips, benne seeds, coriander, and olive oil. Super fantastically yummy! I could have eaten 10 more plates of it.

For our entree, we got the pork coppa steak, aka slow roasted cheshire farm pork with Mexican-style street corn, coriander crema, blistered shishitos & spicy tomato relish.

It was great, especially the street corn & crema, which I could eat by the bucketful. We were stuffed by the end of the entree, but what could a little ol' pavlova hurt? Oooftah! It was huge, but light & airy, and the cold sharp fruit sorbet contrasted perfectly with the super-sweet & crunchy meringue.

It was the best pavlova I've ever had & I'll probably have a pavlova-ian response whenever I think about from now on! Ha! Sorry. Anyhoo, this meal was excellent all around, including food, drinks, service & atmosphere! It's a large and very lovely space with a lot of diverse seating. Thanks, Chef Dissen and crew! Y'all are doing great things and we appreciate you! ❤

HAPPY BELLY FOOD TRUCK: Where to eat when you want to treat yourself to an awesome decadent smash burger!One Sunday morning in July I received a text from my friend Dave, who owns The Happy Belly Food Truck Company inviting me to come grab a free burger for my birthday. I was very very excited by that invitation and quickly beat it on down to the Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden on Lyman Street, where I found the truck, ordered the deluxe slap burger, and enjoyed it to the absolute max!!!

The only word for Dave's burgers is "gah." It's a five-gah burger. Huge, messy, cooked perfectly & absolutely packed with flavor! The deluxe has dressed LTO, American cheese & happy belly sauce. I added caramelized onions, aaand totally CRUSHED it. I stuffed the entire thing into my tiny body, commenting to Dawn the whole time. "Good lord, that's a tasty burger." "Fuuuuhhhhck me." And of course, "Gah." If you like big, messy, decadent, indulgent & super duper delicious smash burgers, I highly recommend this one! Thanks, Dave, you're the best, Mang! ❤️❤️❤️

AY CARAMBA! Where to eat when you want to real Mexican food.Y'all, I did something super fun that I haven't done in a while: I went on an Asheville Multicultural tasting with my good friend Lucho! We drove out see Chef Enrique at Ay Caramba Mexican Grill in Leicester, where we sampled a bunch of delicious Mexican & Meximerican foods!

Chef Enrique Pérez (L) is from Jalisco, Mexico and is a graduate of the Centro Integral De Gastronomía in La Piedad, Michoacán. To say that I feel very lucky to be able to eat this chef's food way up here in Asheville, WNC would an understatement! It’s always a pleasure to see him, and this time I had the extreme honor of meeting Don Federico (R), who is the patriarch of what might be Asheville's biggest family-owned restaurant dynasty. Of course the food was amazing, as always from this Chef! The highlight of the tasting was definitely the whole fish with shrimp and octopus, or "mojarra con mariscos y salsa cucaracha" which was smothered in a deep red spicy sauce. It was truly spectacular!

The octopus was cooked perfectly and was very tender, and likewise, the shrimps were also cooked just right, as was the fish itself, which was white, and chunky/flakey. Everything was offset by the sliced avocado and other fresh crispy vegetables and rice. It had a "wow-factor" for sure, and is a superstar dish in my opinion.

Lucho and I both enjoyed the very authentic Mexican style street tacos (above), and I also really loved a dish that I was told is not a Mexican thing, but is on the menu, because "Americans like a lot of melted cheese!" 😂😂😂 It was bubbling when it came out and was essentially a piping hot cauldron of cheese and crumbled up house made chorizo with a little bit of salsa fresca on top. I called it a "deconstructed Mexican cheeseburger," and Lucho did not disagree.

Chef said he thought I might like it, and I felt seen. So, folks, whether you want sone of THE most authentic Mexican food in Asheville, or some more Americanized fare, Ay Caramba and Chef Enrique have you covered. Super nice and friendly people, really great food! Thanks, Chef, Don and Lucho for another fun and filling Multicultural adventure! 🙏❤️🌮

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: Experience Asheville the way that I do: THROUGH FOOD! Sign up for a food tour with me, and I’ll feed ya some real good stuff.

— end —

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 07/07/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 09:20 INTRO: Sneaky Busy Thursday, 4th of July Friday & Bananas Saturday09:21 - 11:10 EMPATHY FOR TEXAS: And Our Friends Here in North Carolina12:11 - 22:01 ROAD TRIP: Marshall Is Open!22:02 - 24:00 OTTO INTERRUPTION: Coco Update24:01 - 24:53 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank24:54 - 39:04 DUNNING KRUGER REPORT: 3rd Condiment Mystery Solved!39:05 - 52:15 WHERE’D YA EAT: Stone Bowl, Recess Coffee, Hell or High Water, Dairy King, Tienda El Quetzal, La Tropical, All Souls Pizza, Lingle Bros Hot Dogs, DayTrip, Asheville Forager, Lobster Trap, Mother Bakery & Mountain Madre52:16 - 54:51 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!54:52 - 56:25 WPVM SPOT Please Donate to WPVM RADIO ASHEVILLE

THE NEWSLETTER

I ❤️ MARSHALL, NC - Y'all, we paid a visit to little ol' Marshall, NC not long ago, and tried to spread the love to as many places as we could while we were there. We popped into a cool little shop called On Your Bike, where we got some very delicious pastries to bring home. We can't wait to go back to try more!

Marshall is so cute and charming, and is making its come back for sure. If you can get out there, please try On Your Bike!

While there, we also stopped into MAL'S bar because we heard they serve hot dogs, and we had heard right! Even though I don't drink anymore, a good old fashioned hot dog-serving dive bar still feels like home to me, and Mal's sure did fit that bill! Just swap my beer for a root beer, and I'm allll good. This hot dog was also all good! A Nathan's Famous, heated up on rollers, and served on a basic trashy white bun. I added sriracha mayo from the condiment basket and it was perfection!

Thanks, Mal's! And folks, please be sure to pay a visit to Mal's bar the next time you're in Marshall, grab a dog, and a beer of some kind, and maybe even sign up for one of their arm wrestling competitions! 💪

We visited as many little shops and restaurants in Marshall as we could squeeze in, including Zuma Coffee, where we stopped for cortados, a tiny key lime pie, and a cookie, all delicious!

We also went to Zadie’s, where Dawn had a drink and we shared a refreshing dish of chickpea and cauliflower salad. On the way out of town we stopped into Madison Natural Foods to grab a few groceries to bring back to Asheville.

This trip to Marshall was too short, and we didn't get to do all the things, eat all the food, or go to all the places we wanted to, so we can't wait to go back for an overnight stay at Old Marshall Jail Hotel so that we can spend more time enjoying this little gem of a town. Please visit Downtown Marshall, NC if you can, and show them some love. ❤️❤️❤️

LATIN LUNCH: Thank you to The Line Cook Perspective for posting about La Tropical ice cream, "A little piece of Mexico in Asheville," on Weaverville Road. We were out that way for some other reason and recognized this place from Facebook, so we stopped in and wow! It's a wonderland of frozen treats from the simple to the extreme! You have to check out their social media and web site to get the full effect of the ice creamy insanity.

I opted for one of their all natural strawberries & cream popsicles and loved it. It took me back to my days of living in Chicago, where the popsicle vendors would ride their bikes through my neighborhood, and we'd wave them down for coconut, pineapple, mango, cinnamon, and horchata flavored popsicles. Good times. Super high recommends for La Tropical! Tons of choices, bright, fun colorful atmosphere, and very nice people! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When my mom heard about La Tropical Ice Cream on Weaverville Road she wanted to go, so we just kind of randomly picked Tienda El Quetzal, to have lunch at first, because it's right across the street from the ice cream shop. Wow! We were so impressed with our food, and with the whole experience! We were greeted warmly by the folks at the counter, who answered our questions and recommended the daily special of "guisado de res," or beef stew, and these two New Englanders are always down for beef stew!

We claimed one of the 4 or 5 tables, and browsed the Latin goods and groceries in the very cute convenient store while we waited for our food. My mom got a tamarind soda pop for us to share, and when the food arrived, we sat back down. The stew was delicious! It had large chunks of tender beef that were cooked perfectly and pulled right apart with just a fork, no knife needed. The sauce was flavorful, and savory, though very mild in terms of the heat. It was not much different than my Canadian grandmother's beef stew, and both my mom and I loved it! Super high recommends for Tienda El Quetzal! I'm looking forward to going back, trying more of the menu, and picking up some Latin groceries to bring home.

BLACK MOUNTAIN - Dawn and I took a little drive out to the Town of Black Mountain not long ago, and before anything else, we stopped into a new cafe / bakery called Recess Coffee, where we got coffee, a cookie, and a very unique and delicious little miniature quiche.

It had a wonderful, buttery, layered crust, and was very hearty and satisfying! Recommend.

After our brief stop for breakfast at Recess, we went to Catawba Falls in Old Fort for a walk up the trail and back, and then we returned to the Town of Black Mountain and paid a visit to the new Hell or High Water Restaurant, which is part of the Foothills Local Meats complex, where we heard that one of our favorite people, Chef Eric Morris is the executive chef! We didn't see Chef Eric, but we enjoyed a few dishes from his menu! We stared with the Stone Fruit Salad w/ romaine, tarragon, almonds, ricotta and of course stone fruit. It was cool, crunchy, tasty and refreshing after a hot day of walking. We also got the Low Country Mussels which were just as described, with new potatoes, corn, and bay seasoning, along with the mussels in a very nice broth and a side of bread. We rounded out our visit with an order of the Tortellini with ricotta and sausage, tomato, and anise hyssop, again in a very nice broth.

I admit that I don't know what some of those ingredients are, but it was great! I wanted to up-end the bowl and pour the broth directly into my mouth when the torts were gone! Everything was delish and we left feeling full and happy, although there's always room for Dairy King on the way out of Black Mountain, so we stopped in and a classic poop-emoji swirl of chocolate soft serve on a cake-cone. Yay! This is one of my favorite towns in WNC, and if I could live there, I probably would! It just keeps getting cooler. ❤️❤️❤️

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: Experience Asheville the way that I do: THROUGH FOOD! Sign up for a food tour with me, and I’ll feed ya some real good stuff.

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 06/30/2025 with Debbie Sprouse & Vance Goodman from Meals on Wheels, Chef Mike Reppert from Blackbird Restaurant, and Greg Garrison (not pictured) from The Hop Ice Cream…

00:00 - 00:42 INTRO: Solo Intro00:43 - 29:34 INTERVIEW: Debbie & Vance From Meals On Wheels ABC29:35 - 31:18 WPVM SPOT Please Donate to WPVM RADIO ASHEVILLE31:19 - 42:23 DREAM DISHES: Chef Mike Reppert From Black Bird’s Corn Pie Prt 242:24 - 54:21 INTERVIEW: Greg Garrison From The hop Ice Cream Talks Collabs54:22 - 56:11 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!56:12 - 56:53 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank

THE NEWSLETTER

DOERS: Please donate to Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe Co., Inc. if you are able! They do great things for our area and they are needed now more than ever! ❤

“Our kitchen isn’t just where the food is made; it’s where compassion, community, and care come together. Our culinary team starts their mornings early, chopping, stirring, baking, and seasoning with love. Whether it's comfort food classics or seasonal favorites, they turn ingredients into impact. We're grateful to serve alongside these incredible people, who show up every day with aprons on and hearts wide open. 💛”

DREAMERS PRT 1: I’ve talked about this dream dish twice on the radio show, even though I’ve only ever had it on Food Tours. The picture below shows a tour-sized bite, the actual dish is much larger, but large or small, this dish is a dream come true. And I mean that literally. Chef Mike Reppert from Blackbird Restaurant had a dream one night about a very abstract, five-foot tall vegetarian dish, and when he woke up, he started working on it! It took hime four days, but he perfected it, and I mean that it is perfect!

One the menu, it’s called Goat Cheese Corn Pie, and while it’s not five feet tall, it is a dream to eat! It’s essentially a very savory, comforting, and delicious stack of roasted corn, goat cheese, Swiss chard, and mushrooms atop a very satisfyingly umami-ish pecan crust, with spinach cream and tomato white wine sauce. It has a “gah factor” of 10 out of 10, and I can recommend it highly enough.

DREAMERS PRT 2: One day, Paddy and I went to the SWAsheville food court downtown, where I ordered some chicken tenders from Buxton Chicken Palace, and a single scoop of salted caramel ice cream from The Hop Ice Cream with a waffle cone on the side, and finally lived a dream that I've had for years! How was it? FRICKIN' GREAT! I can't wait to do it again.

For this delicious treat you will need the following:

1 order of chicken tenders from Buxton Chicken Palace.

1 scoop of salted caramel ice cream and

1 waffle cone from The Hop Ice Cream

To assemble, place three chicken tenders into the waffle cone, fill the rest of the way with ice cream, and top with another tender or two.

Tuck in and enjoy!

I lived this dream and so can you, only at the SWAsheville food hall in downtown Asheville. I can't wait to do it again soon! 😍😍😍

PIZZA OF THE MONTH CLUB! He hasn't officially announced it yet, but Chef Drew Peterson from Asheville Pizza South (soon to be Beer City Pizza) is going to turn his Pizza of the Month into a Pizza of the Month CLUB, and since I've only missed one month in two years, I feel like I'm already an honorary member! I'll let him explain the Pizza of the Month Club himself when he's ready, but in the meantime, this month's pizza is frickin' awesome, and my wife said it's her favorite one so far!

It's called the Cerdo Descardo and it's starts with a deep fried blue corn masa pizza dough topped with Birria marinated pork, cotija & other cheeses, salsa verde crema, pickled spicy radish, fresh diced onion & cilantro, with fresh lime wedges to squeeze all over it. It was like eating a big giant crispy street taco, with the flavors just popping from the first bite, and building on every bite after that.

The pickled radish were particularly delicious, as was the crema! The pork was tender, juicy, and subtle in flavor, so as not to overwhelm, but to hold and compliment the punchy vegetable toppings. This was a great pizza, and it's available for the entire month of August! Drew makes the best dang specialty pies I've ever had, month after month, outdoing himself regularly. I'm psyched to be a member of the club in good standing! ❤️🍕❤️

JAMIE AGER FOR CONGRESS: Heeeyyy! Someone from the local food industry is running for congress! I've known Jamie Ager from Hickory Nut Gap (due to our mutual interest in food!) for a bunch of years, and he's a real good guy, who's heart and mind are in the right place. He cares about WNC very much. He cares about people. He's a farmer, a business person, and someone who has multi-generational roots in these mountains.

I support Jamie Ager for Congress, and I hope that you will learn more about him between now and the midterm elections!

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: This is what the Asheville Food Tours Experience is all about, Y'all! I had a really fun group the other day and we all had a blast visiting Table (pictured), Mountain Madre Asheville, Asheville Bee Charmer, Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville, White Duck Taco Shop - Asheville, Wildwood Still and Sunshine Sammies!

The next day I got a very nice text message from one of the managers at Twisted Laurel letting me know that my group came back with their kids! Yay! Food Tours are a win win win situation! I have fun, the guests frickin' love it, and our restaurant partners see the positive results of sharing a little bit of their menus and their stories with the tour guests, in the form of return business and great reviews! ❤️❤️❤️

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 06/23/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 02:52 INTRO: We’re Hot, But Trying To Adjust, Until We Die 02:53 - 07:34 Patio Life: The High End of Yes, The Low End of No07:25 - 13:34 CORRECTIONS: Misquotes, Misidentifications & Pissed Off Trekkies13:35 - 31:19 DUNNING KRUGER REPORT: Water & Other Cool Stuff31:20 - 32:13 MOWABC SPOT: Please Donate & Volunteer for MEALS ON WHEELS32:14 - 43:34 DREAM DISHES: New Segments Make Chef Wary43:35 - 52:04 WHERE’D YA EAT? Table, Mission Pizza, Sweets & Seats, The Freeze, Sunny Point Cafe, Chestnut, Pincho Party with Chef Luis Martinez at La Bodega52:05 - 54:50 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!54:51 - 33:19 WPVM SPOT Please Donate to WPVM RADIO ASHEVILLE

THE NEWSLETTER

TABLE FOR THE WIN! We went back to Table on N. Lexington Ave in Downtown Asheville for dinner on Sunday, and wow. This place has been around for 20 years and we've always been fans, but we agree that the current menu might be their best iteration yet! They are crushing it!!!

The kitchen sent out a few things for us to try, including a sample of their lamb and beef kefteh kabab which was super flavorful, juicy and delicious, some warm, sausage stuffed olives (not pictured) that we “oohed and ahhed” over, and the exciting and contrast-y beets & peaches with cheddar and mostarda (which is a slightly sweet slightly salty condiment made from fruit and mustard syrup).

They also sent out samples of their excellent steak tartare, which came rolled up in beautiful edible leaves green and purple leaves of some kind, and is now my all-time favorite way to eat steak tartare!

One of us ordered Chef Cate's signature dish: Lee's Green Rice, this time served with baby bok choy, and it remains one of the most deeply satisfying dishes we've ever had. The rice has a consistency similar to risotto, and a flavor that is just insanely delicious umami-ness and pure comfort in a bowl.

The other two of us ordered the Right There Burger, and y'all, it was nuts. Soooo goood!!! Cooked rare, the way I ordered it, and covered in queso and heavily-caramelized onions, it came with pickles on the side, as well as some perfectly cooked fast-food style fries. I devoured it and have been craving it ever since. Chef Patrick seemed a little bummed out when I told him it was "like eating a stick of butter," until I assured him that was the highest compliment this guy gives out! 😂😂😂 For real though, our friend even made a point of telling the host that it was THE best burger she's ever eaten, and this particular friend is no novice when it comes to eating burgers!

Thank you, Table, we love you and appreciate you so much! This is the kind of meal that makes Asheville the best little food city in America! ❤️❤️❤️

RANDOM DELICIOUSNESS from my iPhone: Crab fried rice and drunken noodles from Bee Thai Kitchen…

Secret pupusa's to help a cause…

A perfect cortado at Summit Coffee Asheville…

A hot dog from The Freeze of Asheville…

And our last slice of awesome Romana style pizza from Mission Pizza before they closed up for good…

A sad farewell to Mission Pizza. You were great while you lasted!

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: Come experience downtown Asheville with me, the way that I experience it every day: Through food!

— end —

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 06/16/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 03:33 INTRO: A Visit From The Health Inspector03:34 - 06:19 CORRECTIONS: People Will Eat Anything & Everything06:20 - 12:47 FOODIE NEWS: Courtesy Of The Ashvegas Hot Sheet - Birdie’s Pizza, Svitlana’s Kitchen, Asheville Forager, And A Mysterious Entity Called Jazmin12:48 - 15:42 KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON: Gotta Have Lights, Man15:43 - 26:56 WHAT A WORLD: Foodie Pal Is Your Friend To The End… Of Everything26:57 - 27:38 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank27:39 - 47:00 SAUCE TALK/FOODIE GAMES: Chef Tom Finally Wins! 47:01 - 49:00 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!49:23 - 49:57 MOWABC SPOT: Please Donate & Volunteer for Meals on Wheels

THE NEWSLETTER

OLD & NEW GO-TO DISHES: My mom and I hit up one of our all-time favorites, Sunny Point Café on Haywood Rd in WAVL. She got one carrot pancake, plus something that I can't remember the name of but was basically a latke with everything including lox on top. It was big! She loved it and brought half home for dinner, and later she told me it would be her new go-to at Sunny Point! I got my olllllld favorite, and one of my original "Stoobie Award" winning dishes from way back in the day: Shrimp 'n' Grits. Gah. Nobody does 'em like Sunny Point!

They are rich, creamy, savory and flavorful, with the slightest smoke & tiniest heat from the chipotle sauce, plus loads of bacon and shrimps, and even some roasted tomatoes to keep it healthy! The coarse-ground grits are always perfect and this dish remains one of the best things to eat in all of WNC in my opinion. I crushed every speck and took my angle biscuit home for my wife who loves them, and therefore loves me for bringing her one. Thanks, Sunny Point Café for making about half my family super happy that day! ❤️

DYING FOR IT: I went to Sweets and Seats Cafe with my family, where we all got something caffeinated to drink, and shared a very beautiful and insanely delicious Dubai chocolate extravaganza! And if you haven't been to Sweets and Seats yet, treat yourself sometime soon! And if you haven't jumped on the Dubai chocolate bandwagon yet, get on board!

It comes in various forms but is always a combo of pistachio, filo, chocolate, and in this case, layers of delicious pistachio cream and chocolate wafers. To. Die. For. High recommends.

KOLACHE B’GOSH! I was today years old when I learned what kolaches are, and then ate one, loved it and order three more to take home. Where have these doughy balls of awesome been my whole life???

Well, now they're at BattleCat CoffeeBar on Haywood Rd in WAVL, and I'll be eating a lot of them!

From the original post on Facebook:

Amber Arthur (owner of Battlecat) - I’ve been working on these for the last six months! I’m honored to get your approval:) The sausage and gravy one is the best 🙂 I was there making them this morning, sad I missed you!

Me: I was wondering if they were house made, or if there was some sort of Kollache maker in town that I didn't know about! Amber, the ham and cheese one was totally delicious, and I'm excited to try the jalapeño popper one, the sausage and gravy one, and the egg and cheese one that I bought to bring home! ❤️❤️❤️ [I did and they were awesome!]

Amber: Please come earlier in the day! They’re hot and fresh from 7 am to 1:00 fresh, but then we just fill the case up for the rest of the day at 1. We’re selling like 100 a day, the neighborhood has spoken! Seriously, so glad you like them. I’ve been deep diving into kolache land since the second Corrine (Tiger Bay) said she was ready to retire 😔. I even took my staff out of state to try some killer ones. I’m trying to make them in a new style, a honor to the food I grew up on of course (I’ll always be Tex through and through,) but with a modern twist. Also, try a sweet one (the guava and lemons curd is currently my fav.) More flavors to come too! 🤤

Me: We'll be back again and again for both sweet and savory style!

BUTTERPUNK: Our friend Jason showed up with biscuits from ButterPunk while I was doing yard work, so I took a break to eat one.

They were very buttery and crispy and tasty, and I pretty much needed a nap immediately afterwards! 😂😂😂

ButterPunk is located at 372 Depot St., Asheville and is open Thursday-Monday: 8am-2pm, and closed on Tuesday & Wednesday.

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: This is what the Asheville Food Tours Experience is all about, Y'all! I had a really fun group the other day and we all had a blast visiting Table, Mountain Madre Asheville, Asheville Bee Charmer, Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville, White Duck Taco Shop, Wildwood Still and Sunshine Sammies!

The next day I got a very nice text message from one of the managers at Twisted Laurel letting me know that my group came back with their kids! Yay! Food Tours are a win win win situation! I have fun, the guests frickin' love it, and our restaurant partners see the positive results of sharing a little bit of their menus and their stories with the tour guests, in the form of return business and great reviews! ❤️❤️❤️

Contact me at [email protected] if you would like for your restaurant, cafe, bakery, chocolatier, bar, lounge or food & beverage business of any kind to be part of The Asheville Food Tours Experience!

SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE! I publish this podcast / newsletter a couple times a month, and I'm happy to do it for free, but people who want to pay for it totally CAN! And those people are the best people ever. 🙂 If you want to throw a little extra love my way by paying for a subscription, you can do that here.

— END —

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 06/09/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 04:43 INTRO: Risking His Life & The Lives Of Others04:44 - 07:34 SNOOKIE’S HOUSE: Breaking Up & The Jersey Shore07:35 - 15:51 WHERE’D YA EAT, NEW JERSEY: Park Place Diner, Bagels-4-U, Espo’s Restaurant & Bar, and Randazzo Pastry Shop15:52 - 21:38 WHERE’D YA EAT, ASHEVILLE: Asheville Chocolate, Summit / Backporch Baking, Fitz & The Wolfe, Luminosa, Chestnut, Wildwood Still, Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville21:39 - 22:27 - CORRECTIONS: Fresh West Pizza22:28 - 28:38 PIZZA ECONOMY: Who Can Afford Pizza Anymore?28:39 - 32:05 FOOD TRIVIA: Cocoa Powder For Victory32:06 - 32:46 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank32:47 - 36:16 SAUCE TALK: Road Kill Sauce36:17 - 37:19 WEMO: Up With A Steady Undertone37:20 - 40:15 FOODIE GAMES: No Time!40:16 - 45:31 YOU DON’T GOTTA BE A DICK ABOUT IT: Please Don’t Feed The Trolls, Except Just This One Time45:32 - 49:22 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!49:23 - 50:26 MOWABC SPOT: Please Donate & Volunteer for Meals on Wheels

THE NEWSLETTER

MEANWHILE, BACK IN ASHEVILLE! I went to the brand new Fitz & The Wolfe on the corner of Haywood and Battery Park Ave. in downtown Asheville and had an enormous, classic, messy, delicious double smash burger with all the works and I smashed every molecule. I don't think I need to describe a smashburger for you at this point in history, so I'll just say it was a good one, and I will definitely be eating more of them.

I've lived in Asheville for nearly 20 years, and I've seen this space struggle to fill seats for most of that time, especially recently, but I think this new concept might be their most popular idea yet. It's a music venue, with indoor and outdoor seating, plus a "chillout" room in the basement for people who want to get away from the music for a moment and just talk. They have a very basic menu with burgers and hotdogs and such, and I heard that they were packed last weekend, so I hope they are again this weekend!

EPIC VEGAN FOOD: I got an epic cinnamon roll and an excellent cappuccino at Summit Coffee Co. in The Grove Arcade from Backporch Baking, which means it’s vegan. This tiny cafe is one of my favorites! If there's room inside, they always have the AC set at the perfect temperature for the weather. If it's nice outside, they have a few seats under their awning and a few in the sun, and if all the seats are taken inside & out, I have the beautiful Arcade building and all of Battery Park to find a seat.

The coffee at Summit is always just right and the people are really nice! 👍⚡️

PROPER LUNCH: Paddy (pictured) and I had an excellent lunch at Asheville Proper (also located in the beautiful Grove Arcade building) the other day! I ordered the 'PROPER BURGER* which normally comes on a parker house bun but they were out of them so they subbed two sliders for one burger, and I didn't mind that a bit! It was cooked to order, house-ground beef, with lettuce, smoked cheddar, tomato jam. I asked them to hold the onions. I loved it!

It had been a long time since I've had a burger or slider that wasn't smashed, so I really enjoyed my two medium rare sliders! Patty ordered a salad with grilled chicken, and he raved about it! We also shared their warm embered beet salad with strawberry yogurt and sunflower seeds, which we both really enjoyed. In the same way it was nice to not have a smash burger, it was also nice to not have goat cheese in the beet salad! Finally, the kitchen sent out some gnocchi, with nettle powder, hibiscus glaze, smoked ramps, strawberry chips, asparagus, and wisteria aioli, which was just as delicious as they sound. Five out of five stars for this lunch at Asheville Proper! Highly recommend!

BRUNCH TIME! Paddy, Sarah and I went on a recent Asheville Food Tours brunch junket to one of our favorite restaurants in downtown, Chestnut, where I got biscuits and gravy with a once-over egg, Sarah got huevos tostadas with scrambled eggs (not pictured), and Paddy got the Southwest Cobb Salad with grilled chicken.

We all enjoyed our food very much, as always, and for dessert we shared a delicious house made hand pie (also not pictured).

Looking at the menu later, I decided that I need to go back for the peaches and burrata. Sounds great! Thanks, Chestnut!

IF YOU’VE EVER seen my posts about Asheville Food Tours' lunch junkets, or pictures of something fun and exciting that I've eaten along my journeys, and thought to yourself, "I wanna do that! I wanna eat that!" then you'll be happy to know that you CAN experience downtown Asheville the way I do by coming on a food tour with me! My tours are called The Food Fan Tours and you can read more about them HERE.

On a food tour we visit up to 7 venues, we eat, drink, laugh and learn stuff, and generally have a great time! The food equals a full meal for most people, and I’m also available for private and corporate tours! Click the button below to learn more or to book your tour with me, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you soon!

— end —

Get full access to Stu Helm: Food Fan at stuhelmfoodfan.substack.com/subscribe

THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 06/03/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 06:06 INTRO: Downtown Is Abuzz & It Fells Good To Be Busy06:07 - 23:21 FOOD NEWS: Hot Off The Ashvegas Hot Sheet featuring Zella’s Deli & Restaurant, All Day Darling, Crusco, Piccolina, Oriental Pavilion, Citi Grill, Jersey South Bagels, The RAD Farmer’s Market, Fitz & The Wolfe23:21 - 29:46 WHERE’D YA EAT? Luminosa, Modesto, Blackbird, Chocolate Fetish & Times Bar Cafe29:47 - 33:04 WEMO ADJASCENT NEWS: Whomp Whomp Whomp33:05 - 36:03 WHAT A WORLD: We All Are Going To Die36:04 - 36:45 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank36:46 - 39:11 CONTROVERSY: Google Translate Vs La Fauci39:12 - 50:06 FOODIE GAMES: What’s For Dinner?50:07 - 52:36 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!

THE NEWSLETTER

THE BASICS: I bought two chocolates from The Chocolate Fetish, a cashew rocher and a peanut butter cup, to have with my pre-Asheville Food Tours cappuccino ftom The Times Bar & Coffee Shop, but didn’t even make it half a block before I bit into one of them! 😂😂😂 Award winning couverture chocolate awesomeness. I frickin' love it, and I've been using it as a special treat to myself for the 20 years I've been living in Asheville.

The cappuccino was also excellent, as well as having a very beautiful design in the foam. I'm not sure if it's abstract or if it's supposed to be something, but I'm gonna say it's a phoenix! Yeah, that it's! A foamy phoenix, rising from the ashes of drowsiness through the power of caffeine!

COMIDA MOUNTAIN: Paddy, Sarah & I went on an Asheville Food Tours lunch junket to Mountain Madre Asheville recently and shared the chorizo-stuffed avocado as well as three creamy elote filled empanadas! Everything was exceedingly flavorful and very satisfying! The avocado was a beast, and if not for my own heroic efforts it would have been too much for the three of to crush, so keep in mind when ordering that it's huge, but almost impossible to stop eating! 😂

The empanadas were equally delicious and the conversation went something like this: "Mmm, these are good... yeah yeah these are real good... yeah, no, these are f*ckin' great."

Hot, flakey and crispy on the outside, warm, creamy, and pure comfort on the inside. Highly recommended!

We also got to briefly meet Chef Alejandra, a really nice person, who obviously knows how to make some very tasty stuff! I'm looking forward to our next visit!

BETTER THAN EUROPE: My mom and sister were in Northern Europe for a couple of weeks, and although my mom enjoyed the food over there, she said it didn't compare to Asheville, and she couldn't wait to get back home and go to her favorite places, first and foremost: Modesto Asheville! We went for lunch and she got one her standards, the calamari fritti, which come with crispy kale and two kinds of sauce, one spicy one mildly sweet, and she loved it!

She also order a big loaf of their tulipano bread with garlic Parmesan, and took most of that home for later. I got an enormous salad that included perfect grilled chicken, a lovely poached pear, greens and fresh sliced garden vegetables. It was excellent!!!

Modesto is one of the best restaurants in WNC, Y'all, and the fact that they're open for lunch means that folks like my mom and I, who are more likely to go out for lunch than dinner, can get a very spcial fancy bite at a local farm to table restaurant 6 days a week! (Closed on Sundays) Super high recommends. ❤️❤️❤️

GELATO: My mom and I both love Gelato, so we met up at Asheville Chocolate, where we each got a double scoop. She got mint stracciatella and coconut. I got cake batter and cookies & cream. I went back two days later and got a single scoop of peanut butter & jelly. Yum!

So... it kinda seems like I'm eating my way through this gelato menu. Stay tuned.

YOUR PRIVATE FOOD TOUR: I lead private food tours of downtown Asheville for as many people as you've got! An intimate tour for 2, or a corporate tour for 20, or more! I'm available. You can read more HERE or by clicking the button below.

You can find out more on my website, and send me an email when you’re ready to book your experience.

— end —

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THE PODCAST

The podcast above was originally recorded on 05/26/2025 with my usual co-host Chef Tom LaFauci from Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville…

00:00 - 12:48 INTRO: Otto, Coco, and Cooking Squeazles12:49 - 25:30 WHERE’D YA EAT? Refinery in the Foundry Hotel, Potential New Boyfriend, Character Study, Old Europe, Luminosa, Table, Wildwood Still, Miyako House, and Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville25:31 - 26:23 MANNA SPOT: Please Donate to MANNA Foodbank26:24 - 31:30 A SAD FAREWELL: Oscar Wong, Founder Of Beer City31:32 - 43:35 F&B Q OF THE WEEK: The Custies *Can* Be Nice43:36 - 45:36 BYE! Thanks To Deb & All The Listeners and WPVM 103.7fm!45:37 - 48:26 MOWABC SPOT: Please Donate & Volunteer for Meals on Wheels

THE NEWSLETTER

BRUNCH TASTING: Sarah, Paddy (not pictured) and I were invited to an Asheville Food Tours brunch tasting at the newest iteration of The Foundry Hotel Asheville's restaurant, which is called Refinery, and wow, so much great food and a couple of superstar standouts. We weren't surprised by how delicious, and homey-meets-elevated these dishes were, because we knew that Chef Shawn Cameron, formerly of The Corner Kitchen, one of the best brunch spots in America (they won an award!) and long-time Asheville favorite had been tapped to be Exec. Corner Kitchen is being rebuilt as we speak, so stay tuned for more on that, but in the meantime... let's talk about this foood!!!

We started with some super-yummy Blueberry Ricotta Fritters w/ lemon cardamom curd. Warm, fluffy and soft inside, lightly crispy on the outside, and perfect with the lemon curd. This was a table favorite. Next we got what the chef called his signature dish, the Croque Madame Benedict aka griddled mini ham & cheese sandwiches on brioche with confit garlic dijonnaise, 2 poached eggs, Mornay sauce with chives & piment d' espelette (fancy Spanish pepper) and breakfast potatoes. This was superstar dish number one.

It was everything I ever wanted, needed and dreamed about for brunch all on one plate. The flavors and textures were all spot-on and perfect in combination with each other. I can’t wait to go back and get this one! We also got an excellent breakfast sandwich on a croissant with egg, cheddar, bacon, tomato, arugula, and aioli. It was great, one of the best breakfast sandwiches I've ever had, and the kind of thing I could eat everyday.

The 2nd superstar dish was the Strada Du Jur, which was made with local free range eggs, and the Chef's choice of fresh local & seasonal ingredients, as well as City Bakery bread, and it comes served with baby arugula salad, with strawberries, grape tomatoes & goat cheese, and lemon vinaigrette. It was hardy though kinda light, very deep in flavor, and very very satisfying in every way. This was Sarah's favorite! We also enjoyed some of thee creamiest cheese grits I've ever had! We asked, and Chef told us his secret, but I'm not sure that I'm allowed to share it with you! So you you'll have to go in and ask him yourself. All in all this was an awesome brunch tasting, and I highly recommend everything featured in this write up, especially the two superstar dishes! Check their hours online, and if you go, please tell them that Stu sent ya!

TABLE: Y'awwwwlllllll... you know that when I add that many extra letters to the word "y'all," I've had an extra awesome experience somewhere, and that is absolutely the case with this meal that my wife and I had on the insanely cute little Ewok village porch at Table, located on N. Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. The food, the service, the atmosphere and the overall level of hospitality were all beyond excellent. The folks who work there are friendly, cheerful, knowledgeable, and very proud of what they're doing at this local favorite. They're also celebrating their 20 year anniversary with some festive polka dots on the sidewalks and windows as well as with a new and different menu. First: the prices and portions on most of the menu are smaller. That's perfect for people like me and Dawn, who want to try a lot of different flavors without overloading on content or calories. Of course, by the end of this meal, we were both full and satisfied, but we were not feeling uncomfortably heavy or gross. We started with a slightly larger than amuse bouche sized pair of Shrimp 'n' Ritz.

You read that right. Straight-up Ritz crackers with some of theee most delicious and creamy oily savory melt-in-your-mouthy shrimp salad I've ever had on 'em. I'm still craving it three days latter. It was a super star dish, and not the only one. The kitchen treated us to some tuna crudo and a smashed cucumber salad that was sooo good, we crushed the whole thing and afterwords I said, "I think we each just ate a whole cucumber. And that's okay." It was the ever-so-mildest sour dill pickle flavored salad, with crunchy seeds and punchy herbs and spices sprinkled on top. The crudo was like eating magic. It was tender and velvety, smooth and tasty, with some fresh green coriander seeds that popped, both literally and flavor-wise, when we bit into them. We also ordered the Chicken Dumplings and the Lee's Rice & Greens. We've had the dumplings before and the fact that we ordered them again speaks for itself. They're basically little flavor bomb packets, swimming in a highly slurpable broth, that I did in fact slurp. FTW! One of my favorite people, Chef Catherine Smedley, who is a big part of the Table team, delivered the rice and greens in person because she wanted to tell us about her long, meticulous, trial and error journey to perfecting the dish. And it really WAS perfect.

The rice had a consistency like a very light, creamy risotto, with an unbelievably comforting and homey flavor that was like caramelized chicken soup and aunty hugs. The greens were fresh, local, varied and interesting, and included one of my favorite seasonal greens, purslane. We oooed and ahhhed as we ate it, and complimented Chef Catherine up and down. Super high recommends for this, another super star dish! Our servers also consulted with Dawn about her beverages, and as always, they helped her make excellent choices. I had water, always an excellent choice! I truly cannot sing the praises of this meal loud enough. Every aspect was super enjoyable, and we can't wait to go back, and basically crush this whole menu. Restaurants like Table are the reason we fell in love with Asheville's food scene in the first place. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BRUNCH 2: Coffee, zeppole, quiche and more coffee! I was invited back to Luminosa to highlight their brunch, which they already know I enjoy! This time I went "light" with the quiche and tiny salad. Before I even got in my "light" order, the kitchen had sent out some of their zeppole with house made strawberry rhubarb jam. Ermergerd... these things, especially when enjoyed warm, are some of the most fluffy and dreamy deep fried things I've ever had in my life. Do not skip the zeppole, either for a table share, or all for your ding-dang self! I ate one and saved one for dessert, because in the meantime my quiche had arrived. If I thought the zeppole were fluffy, this quiche had them beat. It was by far the tallest lightest fluffiest quiche I've ever eaten, but with all that egg and buttery crust, as well as a layer of crème fraiche, it was very filling, rich, decadent, and satisfying, as well as delicious of course.

The tiny salad was as advertised, and I loved it. I just like the word "tiny," especially when it comes to food! I crushed both the salad & the quiche, leaving not one speck for Jenny Craig, and just as I was about to polish off the last zeppole, a giant, beautiful glass of super fantastic other worldly iced latte arrived, compliments of the rooftop bar/cafe! I can't quite recall what-all was in it, but it was sweet, creamy, very tasty and caffeinated AF!!! Woooooo! After all that food, combined with all that go-go juice, my body didn't know whether to take a long nap or run laps around the city! I smoked some weed instead of doing either of those things, and enjoyed the rest of a beautiful afternoon in downtown Asheville. I highly recommend doing something similar, starting with brunch at Luminosa! 🙂

CHARACTER STUDY: We popped into a place with a very cool, bookstore / tavern / den kinda vibe on Haywood Road in West Asheville called Character Study to have a drink. Mine was NA. Both were great.

We also had some salt and pepper pistachios, which I really liked a lot! I'm nuts about nuts. Love 'em! So I recommend this spot for a little chill out time, a drink, and a light snack!

PNB: Dawn & I went back to Potential New Boyfriend on Haywood Rd. in West Asheville. I had only been once before, I loved it, and I knew Dawn would love it too, aaaand she did! We started with a low APV drink for Dawn and an espresso beverage for myself. Next, the owner, whose name is Disco, brought us each a small scoop of sorbet as a pallet cleanser. Then we ordered the quiche and some olives! We both really like quiche, and this quiche was great! Small enough to eat on one's own as a small plate, but big enough to share as a snack, and very savory with a lovely texture to the crust as well as the eggy part.

The olives were great, if you like olives, which we both do (obvs), so we ate each & every one. I'm so glad that Dawn loved this place because I have been hoping that Potential New Boyfriend will become one of our regular spots and after this visit, I have a feeling it will be!

ASHEVILLE FOOD TOURS: Please sign up for a food tour of downtown Asheville with me or Sarah, and experience Asheville the way we do, through the culinary world! We are the original, and the only locally owned and operated, food tour company in WNC, and we love this city!

— END —

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