2018 STOOBIE AWARDS! Best of Asheville’s Food Scene pt 1: A NEW BEGINNING

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2018 BEST OF ASHEVILLE PART I – A New Beginning

Ya know whatThese fuckin’ Stoobie Awards could get awfully boring and repetitive if I’m not careful.

Like, how many times do I really need to give Sunny Point the “Best Shrimp ‘n’ Grits” award? Answer: Every fucking time forever and ever that’s how many, because that’s how fucking good those fucking shrimp ‘n’ grits are! But, yeah, even **that** gets boring and predictable after, like, the 5th year in a row.

Likewise, I could easily hand the “Best Burger” award right over to last year’s winner, Bhramari Brewing again this year, and be, all, like, “Yay! Two-time winner!!!” Because I still love that burger, it currently sits atop my “Burger Survey” list in the #1 spot, where it shall remain for the foreseeable future. But y’know… I was also one of the judges who gave Sand Hill Kitchen the “Best Burger” title in the 2018 Battle of the Burger, while the people of Asheville gave that honor — much deservedly — to the Vault, who placed 2nd with the judges.

To confuse things even further, Farmburger won 1st place in the Mountain Xpress readers’ poll.

So, which burger is actually best? And more importantly, WHO CARES?

I mean, to some extent, we all care who has the best burger in town, and I think we all understand that it is subjective, but at a certain point the word “best” becomes slightly, shall we say, meaningless?

I don’t want to contribute to the meaninglessness of life, ever, so I’m changing these Stoobies up, Yo.

I have always changed the Stoobies up a li’l bit from year to year, adding and taking away categories, defining and distinguishing between “Best,” and “of the Year,” always redesigning the award graphic to keep it visually fun, and for the past two years, I even printed stickers for the winners that can be seen in shop windows all over downtown! This year, however, I’m changing shit up a lot more than past years. For one thing…

LIVE CEREMONEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

You heard right, Party People! This year we are doing a LIVE award ceremony on Monday, January 28th at the Masonic Temple in Downtown Asheville. You can read more deets HERE and by tickets HERE. There will be food, fun, frolic… um… frosting? I’m sure there will be frosting of some kind. I fuckin’ hope so anyways! The ceremony is being produced and organized by our good friend Shay Brown, from Shay Brown Events, and Revelry Unique Downtown Events, with help from our other good friend Lucy Murphy from Sprout Consulting! Of course, Jason and Larry from Ashvegas are part of planning committee, and so am I. I will also be the Emcee and host, giving out the physical awards, and making lame jokes that literally no one will laugh at… crickets… whatever! Good times, Betches. And just because it’s at The Masonic Temple doesn’t mean that you need to know the secret handshake to get in, but you do need a ticket…

BUY TICKETS >>HERE<<

Since this year’s Stoobie Award winners will be announced at the live ceremony, I will only be announcing the nominees here on Ashvegas in the weeks leading up to award night. I’m also limiting the number of categories this year, which grew to thirty in 2017. This time I’ll keep it to around fifteen.

Finally, getting back to my original point, all of the various “Bests” in Asheville are getting a little out of control, so this year I am mostly doing “of the Year” awards. I started the “of the Year” tradition with Chef of the Year a few years ago, because I thought it was kinda shitty to the other 5 million chefs in town to call one of them unequivocally “The Best.”  Chef of the Year is a much better way to do that category, so I’m going to apply it to other categories, though not all of them.

With that in mind, let’s do this thing, starting with one of the most popular categories of them all…

PIZZA OF THE YEAR

People always wanna know where they can get good pizza. They ask me so often, that I have determined it is crucial to our human happiness levels to know how close or far away we are from pizza at all times. The good news is there’s plenty of really decent pizza happening in Asheville these days, so I can steer people to a variety of options based on their location, desired dining experience, wallet size, and personal preferences. Do they want NYC style pizza, artesian pizza, fancy sit-down restaurant pizza, or if they’re not too fussy, just your basic standard piece ‘ pizza. I admit that I eat more pizza than I should, which is way less than I want to. I still have a lot of pies to try in this town, I admit that freely, but here’s my short list of nominees for the 2108 Pizza of the Year Stoobie Award…

Photo by All Souls Pizza from Facebook.

1. All Souls Pizza, Artesian Pepperoni – To quote Ricky from Trailer Park Boys, “Fuck, that’s good pepperoni.”  And if I might add to that, it’s great fucking pizza all around, from the amazingly hardy and satisfying Farm & Sparrow dough, to the oh-so-simple-yet-perfect fresh tomato sauce, to the fresh, creamy mozzarella cheese, to those beautiful, locally cured, slices of NC Pepperoni. Everything about this pizza is pure perfection, and to me, it exemplifies what a fresh, local, artesian pie should be. All Souls is basically my neighborhood restaurant, Dawn and I eat there more often than most other restaurants in town, and although I often order Chef Brendan Reusing‘s specials, entrees, and small plates, I would say about half the time we go we order a pepperoni pizza to split, along with soup and salad. There’s something to be said about a really great neighborhood place that serves really high quality food, including fantastic pepperoni pizza, one of life’s staples. All Souls Pizza has been on this list before, as well as many others, taking home three Stoobies to date! They are strong contenders for Pizza of the Year in 2018, but will they win?!?
Past & Current Stoobies – Pizza of the Year nominee 2018, Best Dinner winner 2017, Favorite Restaurant nominee 2017, Best Pizza nominee 2017,  Server of the Year nominee 2016, Restaurant of the Year winner 2015, Best Dinner nominee 2015, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2014, Best Pizza winner 2013.

Photos ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

2. Del Vecchio’s, Hamburger Pizza – Now this one is kinda weird, because this is my way of gerry-rigging the famous “Cheeseburger Pizza” from East Village Grille at home, without actually making pizza at home of course. Before I tell you about Del Vecchio’s, I gotta tell you that East Village created this beast, but they only offer it once a week, and keeping track of which day is too much like math for me, so I can’t do it. #mathlexia Plus, Del Vecchio’s delivers, and I’m lazy as fuck, so I order a ground beef pizza from Del Vecchio’s, and when it gets to my house, first I chow down two hot slices like a ravenous pet, and then I re-heat the rest with ketchup and mustard ALREADY ON IT!!! A la EVG. It’s weird, but it’s great, and I love it. So, this nomination is for Del Vecchio’s, who make an excellent ground beef pizza, but with props to East Village Grille. They should probably share if they win. I ate this pie on multiple occasions, and it’s a strong competitor for the title of 2018 Pizza of the Year!
Past & Current Stoobies – Pizza of the Year nominee 2018, Best Pizza nominee 2017.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Instagram.

3. Manicomio, Smoked Artichoke and Fresh Tomato Pizza – So, my friend Mike, who co-owns Manicomi Pizza with his partner Jon — and is the only person in Asheville who calls me “Stuey” — waved me over to his table one day and said, “Stuey, you gotta try my smoked artichoke heart and fresh tomato pizza.” So I did, it was fucking awesome, and while we were eating it, Mike walked over and told me and Paddy — my fellow Asheville Food Tours food guide and lunch partner that day — “In San Francisco I’d serve this pizza with a fresh lemon to squeeze over it, but I don’t know if Asheville is ready for that.” Gesturing, I asked Mike if he had a fresh lemon anywhere in the kitchen back there, like a smart-ass. I thought for a minute he was going to strangle me, then he said something along the lines of, “Of course, shall I get one for you, Sir?”  He brought the lemon. I squeezed the lemon. Paddy and I chowed into our next slice and boom-chakka-lakka-boom. Wow. We loved it. Then my friend Renny walked in the door, and we called him over, insisting that he try a slice too, which he did, and CHICKA-POW! It hit him too. I called Mike back over and told him that Asheville is ready. Are you ready, Asheville? I told Mike you were ready. 50 years of jamming pizza into my bottomless mouth-hole, and I never once squeezed a fucking lemon all over any of if before doing so. For that fact alone this pizza pie is one of these three strong contenders for a 2018 Pizza of the Year Stoobie award!
Past & Current Stoobies – Pizza of the Year nominee 2018, Best Pizza winner 2017.

BURGER OF THE YEAR

I usually wait for the part three or four of the annual Stoobies to announce these big categories — pizza, burger, sandwich — but since I’m only doing nominees right now, why the fuck not start with them? Besides, with fewer categories, they’re all big categories this year. The three nominees for Burger of the Year are basically the three burgers that ate and enjoyed most, and most often, in 2018…

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

1. Burgerworx, Build Your Own Burger  – Man, I eat more Burgerworx burgers than just about any other burger in downtown Asheville. I frickin’ love ’em! Wide, flat, greasy, and grilled to perfection, then wrapped in paper foil, which steams burger and bun just a little more before the devouring process begins. Even better, it’s a build-your-own burger, which gives the Eater more control over their burger experience. Everything from the type of bun, to the kind of cheese, plus jalapeños, slaw, BBQ sauce, etc etc, everything up to and including a fucking HOT DOG can be added to this burger. I’ve been eating these super-delicious burgers since the week they opened, and if I was to total-up the number of Burgerworx burgers I’ve eaten over the years, it would easily out-do any other in town. It’s been a long-time favorite of mine, is my first nominee for the 2108 Burger of the Year. They also have amazing fucking French fries, Yo.
Past & Current Stoobies – Burger of the Year nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

2. Oyster House Brewing, Oyster House Brew Burger – The first time I ordered this burger, I was dubious to say the least. Fried oysters on a burger? Even their own menu seemed incredulous, with the first line reading, “Yeah, we put oysters on our burger,” but offering no further explanations to justifiably suspicious diners. As is sometimes my habit, I ordered this burger **because** it sounded weird to me. Plus, I always retain the right to pick off any ingredient — like a 3 year old —  if i don’t like it, so yeah, fuck it. Oyster me, Oyster House! They did. Short story: I loved it. Even shorter story: GAH! This might be the most **surprisingly** unique and delicious burger I’ve **ever** had, let alone in just 2018. I’m sure it’s been on their menu a long time, but since it’s new to me — and because I’m sure it’s a completely new concept to most of you as well — it is a strong contender for my 2018 Burger of the Year award!
Past & Current Stoobies – Burger of the Year nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

3. Underground Cafe with Doughp Doughnuts, Single Patty Smash Burger – I recently called this one “The Perfect Burger” in a review I wrote for Dig Local, and yeah, Man, the single patty, smash-style “fast food” burger at Underground Cafe is as close to pure burger perfection as one can get, without going all the way back to the days when McDonald’s was stilled owned by people named McDonald. Chef/Owner Jay Medfrod uses 28 day dry-aged ground beef sourced from the Chop Shop local butchery, who in turn source it from local farmers. The burger patties are wide, flat, and greasy, grilled **fast** by smashing them into the grill with a spatula, then topped with LTO, Merican cheese, and house-made special sauce. All that awesome is then served on a King’s Bakery Hawaiian roll, which is one of the trashiest and most delicious things you’ll ever eat in your entire fucking life. The Underground Cafe has only been open a little over a year, but they have impressed me, and pretty much every other person who eats there, but can this so-called “perfect” burger garner a Stoobie Award?!? Answer: Maybe.
Past & Current Stoobies – Burger of the Year nominee 2018, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2018, Best New Restaurant nominee 2017.

Again, you’ll have to come to the LIVE Stoobie Awards ceremony (tickets available here) if you wanna hear the winner announced, or tune into Facebook after the fact. Until then, it’s time for…

The next two categories!

I didn’t write detailed descriptions of each contender in the next two categories, instead I copied the menu descriptions as written or provided by the venues themselves, along with pictures that I took. I’m doing this to keep these categories short and tight, while adding more contenders to the list of nominees than just the usual three. Also, the winners for these two categories will get a “Best of” Stoobie award rather than an “of the Year” award when I announce them at the live ceremony. Anyhoo, let’s get ready to…

REUBEN RUMBLE!

I love a good Reuben, and have decided to split them off from sandwiches, into their own mini-category! Over the course of 2018 I ate these traditional Jewish deli sandos on a fairly regular basis, going back to past Stoobie award nominees and winners, checking out brand new venues, and trying them from specials-boards and menus all around downtown and West Asheville. That’s why I’m fat now. I ate more Reubens than the five listed as contenders in this Reuben Rumble, but these were the most memorable. I encourage the readers to go try these 5 for yourselves, and please steer me towards any other great Reubens that you know about. The contenders in this Reuben Rumble are…

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

1. Blackbird, Pastrami Reuben – Menu description: “Fresh House Cured Pastrami, Sauerkraut, Thousand Island Dressing, House Made Rye Bread, Includes a House Salad.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Best Shrimp ‘n Grits nominee 2017, Best Biscuits ‘n’ Gravy nominee 2017, Best Cake nominee 2017.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

2. Foothills Butcher Bar, Reuben Menu description: “Thin sliced, house cured pastrami, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, thousand island dressing on toasted marble rye.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Best Sandwiches nominee 2015.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

3. Sand Hill Kitchen, Reuben -Menu description: “The classic with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss, 1000 island dressing, grilled on rye.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

4. Continental Lounge, Continental Reuben – Menu description: “House-cured corned beef, caraway kraut, aged Swiss, 1000 Island on seeded Rye, served w/ French fries”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

5. Food Stop Food Truck -Menu description: “Jewish seeded rye bread grilled with diced uncured natural corned beef with bavarian sauerkraut with caraway seeds, baby swiss cheese and creole remoulade.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2018.

What makes a great Reuben? First of all, it should be served HOT. Very hot. Through and through. The middle of the Reuben should be as hot as the outside of the Reuben, which is piping fucking hot. Nothing is a bigger bummer than a cold Reuben with unmelted cheese in the middle. Nothing! Another criteria for a great Reuben is a very crisp and buttery exterior that leaves your fingers shiny when you put it down.  A dry or soft exterior is as bad as a cold interior, and can ruin a Reuben no matter how great the ingredients are. Great ingredients are important, especially in Asheville, where people are curing their own meats, and baking their own bread, and shit. I admit that I’ve gotta lotta Reubens left to eat in this town, but they are a really heavy-duty sando, and, yeah, like I said… I’m fat.

Stay tuned for the big announcement to hear which of the five sandos above gets the Best Reuben in Asheville award at the LIVE ceremony on Monday January 28th, 2019, inside the beautiful and historic Masonic Temple! Tickets available HERE.

In the meantime, it’s time for the next exciting category!

FRIED CHICKEN FIGHT!

Just like with the Reuben battle above, I love a lotta fried chicken, whether it’s on a plate, in a sandwich, or perched atop a delicious bed of biscuits ‘n’ gravy. Again, I’m going with the “Best” accolade rather than an “of the Year” title. Here are the pieces of fried birds that I enjoyed the most over the course of 2018…

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

1. Sand Hill Kitchen, Fried Chicken Sandwich – Menu description: “Buttermilk soaked fried chicken, homemade dilly pickles, sharp cheddar, and our herbed mayo (starts with Duke’s, of course).”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

2. 67 Biltmore Downtown Eatery + Catering, Fried Chicken w/ Biscuit & Gravy – Menu description: “Our ’67’ biscuit warmed and topped with savory herb sausage gravy. Add buttermilk fried chicken breast.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018, Best Biscuits ‘n’ Gravy winner 2017, Best Breakfast winner 2017, Best Counter Service nominee 2017, Best Breakfast 2016, Best Breakfast winner 2015, Best Pastries nominee 2015. 

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

3. Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack, Pimento Cheese Chicken BLT & Rocky’s Royale with Cheese  – Menu descriptions: 1. “A fried boneless chicken breast served with mayo, pimento cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato on a toasted roll, sserved with choice of side.” 2. “A fried boneless breast, cheese, pickles, and spicy ranch, on a toasted roll, served with choice of side”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

4. Buxton Hall Barbecue, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich – Menu description: “Bread and butter pickles, white bbq sauce, pimento & american cheese, choice of one side.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018, Best Lunch Nominee 2017, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2017, Best Table Service nominee 2017, Most Kick-Ass Kitchen Crew nominee 2017, Best Burger 2016, Best Hot Dog 2016, Best Sandwiches 2015, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2015, Best Lunch Nominee 2015, Best Deep Fried Thing nominee 2015, Restaurant of the Year nominee 2015.  

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

5. Henrietta’s Poultry Shoppe, Charleston Fried Chicken Sandwich – Menu description: “House made pimento cheese, applewood bacon, jalapeños, lettuce, tomato, onion.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018.

Photo L: ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook. R: Provided by Home Grown

6. Homegrown, Fried Chicken w/ Gravy & Grandma Willie’s Pimento Cheese Stuffed Fried Chicken – Menu descriptions: 1. “Buttermilk Fried Chicken (local) w/ Mushroom Gravy & a Choice of Sides.” 2. “Prize winning pimento cheese recipe: Ashe County Gouda, Ashe County Cheddar, Duke’s mayonaise, Roasted Red Peppers, Granulated Garlic, Granulated Onion, White Pepper,  Hot Sauce.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018, Best Bachelor Chow 2013.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

7. Bhramari, Fried Chicken Sandwich – Menu description: “Korean BBQ, house American cheese, pickle, Vadouvan slaw, Geraldine’s Bakery bun.”
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Fried Chicken nominee 2018, Best Cake winner 2017, Best Burger winner 2017.

FYI – Vadouvan is a blend of spices that is a French derivative of a masala known as vadavam, vadagam, or vadakam. It is an Indian curry blend with added aromatics such as shallots and garlic. The spice blend is thought to have originated from French colonial influence in the Puducherry region of India. source: Wikipedia

Ermergrd! Whogonnawin?!? Nobody knows! Actually, I know, but yeah, as with every other category, you are gong to have to wait until the LIVE Stoobie Awards event on Monday January 28th to find out who’s gots the bests Frieds Chickens in Ashevilles, according to me that is.

Next category, please!

SANDWICH OF THE YEAR

This is my favorite category! I started it back in 2014 (year two of the Stoobie Awards), and so far the Sandwich of the Year has been a Tuna Melt (Clingman Cafe, 2014 – now defunct), a Chicken ‘n’ Waffle sandwich (Sunny Point Cafe, 2015), a Rueben (Chestnut, 2016), and a smoked turkey and pimento cheese sandwich called a Firebird (Melt Your Heart food truck, 2017), so you can see that I do enjoy the classics. True to form, this year my three nominees are classics for sure, but they are from three venues that are about as different as it gets, but guess what: All three are run by highly trained, excellent chefs, who nail it every single time!

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Instagram.

1. Cúrate, Pepito de Ternera – That’s right, one of the best restaurants in the country offers one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in my fucking life. Now, I don’t usually go to fancy-pantsy restaurants to eat sandwiches, and it was years before I ventured into the “bocadillo” section of Chef Katie Button’s menu at Cúrate, but finally, in July of 2018, I went there, and daaaaang, Yo. At the time, Chef Button’s husband, and Cúrate co-owner Felix Meana jokingly asked if their Pepito de Ternera sandwich could compete in my Philly Fight, because it has all the same basic ingredients: beef, cheese, peppers, bread. He invited me to come try one, I did just that, and fell in-fucking-love with it! I even convinced Felix to actually compete in the Philly Fight, which they more-or-less lost, but that’s because yeah, no, it ain’t even close to a Philly, but it is one of the greatest things on Earth! The online menu description is basic: Braised Apple Brandy Farms beef, with Josper oven roasted green peppers, Spanish blue cheese, and aioli. While that is an apt description, it leaves out a few crucial deets: That’s a blue cheese **mousse** for one thing, and the sandwich is served on a special kind of bread imported from Spain called Pan de Cristal, that is light and airy, and crispy and frickin’ amazing. Go get this sandwich as soon as you can. It’s one of the best ever, and a strong contender for Sandwich of the Year 2018.
Past and current Stoobies: Sandwich of the Year nominee 2018, Restaurateurs of the Year winner 2017, Best Restaurant nominee 2017 , Most Kick-Ass Kitchen Crew nominee 2017, Best Bar Service nominee 2017, Chef of The Year winner 2016, Late Night Small Bite nominee 2014, Best Coffee winner 2013, Best Service winner 2013.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

2. Food Stop, Philly (cheese steak) – Now **this** is a Philly! And it is frickin’ delicious. Although I just discovered it for myself late this Spring, it has leapt to the top of the charts with me, and there is zero question in my mind that I ate more of this particular sandwich than any other in 2018. That is because Chef Glen Golcher’s Food Stop food truck is parked next to Catawba Brewing on the South Slope every Sunday, and that’s right on my walk home from work, so I ate one nearly every single Sunday for a good chunk of the year. Chef Glenn is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America , and brings all that chefly knowledge to his humble food truck. I’ve eaten a number of things from his menu and it’s all been excellent, but his basic Philly really won me over as an avid fan. Glenn keeps it simple: Ribeye with onions, peppers, American cheese on french bread. I think he grills the bread in butter first,and I think he adds a little jus to the grill when he chops the steak, onions, and peppers together. In my opinion, although Glenn was unable to compete in the Philly Fight, this is the BEST and most authentic Philly in Asheville, and as such, it is another strong contender for Sandwich of the Year!
Past & Current Stoobies – Best Reuben nominee 2018, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2018.

Photo ©2018 by Stu Helm, from Facebook.

3. Underground Cafe, Ma! Meatloaf – I told you this place impresses me! I was already way into their burger, when I decided to try Chef Jay Meford‘s meatloaf sandwich, and (makes gesture with hands as if head is exploding, accompanied by low rumbling sound) Mind. Blown. I like meatloaf and I like sandwiches, but I have never been so excited about a meatloaf sandwich in my entire life until this one came along, singin’ a song of meaty, loafy, savory greatness that I now crave daily, though I surely won’t eat it daily, because… heart attacks. What makes it so great? Well, it’s made using that same, wonderful, 28 day dry aged beef from our friends at The Chop Shop, mixed with an equal amount of ground Chop Shop breakfast sausage! Now, mixing beef and pork is traditional in meatloaf, but I had never had it with breakfast sausage before, and that’s the killer difference right there. Add to that a house made special sauce, pickles, a runny fried egg, and just to keep it healthy, some baby arugula, then serve it all up on a giant-sized Thomas’ english muffin. This is a five-star, five-napkin sandwich. I love it, I recommend it highly, and it has been an early contender for Sandwich of the Year since I first tried it way back in the Summer time. The Underground Cafe is always on my short list of lunch spots, and now it’s on the greatest list of all-time, as another strong contender for 2018 Sandwich of the Year!
Past & Current Stoobies – Burger of the Year nominee 2018, Sandwich of the Year nominee 2018, Best New Restaurant nominee 2017.

And that’s the end of part one of the Stoobie Awards!

Part Two will be coming soon, and once again, be sure to get your tickets for the LIVE Stoobie Award Ceremony, happening on Monday, January 28th, 2018 at the Masonic Temple, right downtown. There will be food, fun, friends… other words that start with “F.”

I’m proud and happy to be part of this super-team working on LIVE 2018 Stoobie Award ceremony…


Prt I – A New Beginning
Pizza of the Year • Burger of the Year • Reuben Rumble • Fried Chicken Fight • Sandwich of the Year

Prt II  – TBA
TBA

Prt III – TBA
TBA

~ STAY TUNED! ~


From left: Chef Jacob Sessoms of Table; Chef William Dissen, The Market Place; Chef Steven Goff, Standard Foods; Chef Katie Button, Curate; Chef Joe Scully, Chestnut and Corner Kitchen; Stu Helm; Chef John Fleer, Rhubarb; Chef Karen Donatelli, Donatelli Bakery; Chef Peter Pollay, Posana Cafe; and Chef Matt Dawes, Bull & Beggar./ Photo by STEWART O’SHIELDS for ASHVEGAS.COM

Stu Helm is an artist, writer, and podcaster living in Asheville, NC, and a frequent diner at local restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and the like. His tastes run from hot dogs and mac ‘n’ cheese, to haute cuisine, and his opinions are based on a lifetime of eating out. He began writing about food strictly to amuse his friends on Facebook.

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2 Comments

The best under-the-radar eats in and around Asheville, NC | AVLtoday December 30, 2021 - 1:22 am

[…] the BP gas station on the corner of Sand Hill and Sardis Rds., this unassuming spot cranks out award-winning burgers + chicken sandwiches, hearty breakfasts, and sweet treats like lemon bars and banana pudding that could rival (or beat) […]

gcarey January 4, 2019 - 12:55 pm

As foul-mouthed and vacuous as it is unfunny. Trash.

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