Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
As usual, Mountain Xpress reporter Mackensy Lunsford is all over local food news. Here’s what I’ve gleaned:
-New restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel: Lunsford picks up the press release. The hotel has just finished some major renovations, which include the addition of a new restaurant:
Its new restaurant, the Writer’s Bistro, is a casual chic experience that recognizes the area’s rich literary history and offers a local farm-to-table menu …The Writer’s Bistro is a casual chic restaurant inspired by North Carolina’s rich literary history. Its private dining room can seat up to 40 for special events, while maintaining the flexibility for guests to pay individually. The Writer’s Bistro menu is inspired by farm-to-table, offering locally grown and raised ingredients. If you’re feeling inspired, and want to dive into the culinary business then consider looking https://restaurantaccountingservices.com/solutions/restaurant-consulting/ to get you started on the right track.
–Rosetta’s expansion: Lunsford reports:
But the biggest news for the landscape of downtown Asheville is that Star and company are expanding Rosetta’s Kitchen. The restaurant is about to cover two stories and add a full liquor bar later this year.
J.C Maynard, the car-repair shop located below Rosetta’s Kitchen, has been in business for 47 years. Maynard, says Star, is retiring. Star and company will lay a new floor and resurface the walls. A street-level patio space will also be added, as well as a retractable garage door than opens for warm weather.
The new space will also give the restaurant’s staff more breathing room. For a decade, the employees have all crammed into one small production space where they make breads and baked goods, soups and dressings from scratch as well as serve a lot of mouths.
-Sugar Momma’s Cookies Kickstarter: Lunsford reports:
Jaime Hadnagy, the owner of the business, has been working several jobs to keep her dream afloat. She currently provides hot-cookie delivery and wholesale goods to various cafes and food retail locations and also offers up dough for the Ultimate Ice Cream Company’s (what else) cookie-dough ice cream.
Recently, Hadnagy set up a Kickstarter campaign to take her sweets to the streets. She wants to purchase a food truck so she can offer fresh-baked cookies, cookie sandwiches with Ultimate’s ice cream, bubble tea and various other sugary goods from local eateries. “I think it’s something that could complement the other food trucks,” Hadnagy says.
-Another new location for Tupelo Honey?: Asheville’s beloved Tupelo Honey, which recently announced it was opening a new location in Knoxville, is looking to expand further. While it looks to me more and more like they’re moving toward franchising the operation, Tupelo Honey spokeswoman Elizabeth Sims told me the company is not going in that direction. Any new restaurant will be owned by Tupelo Honey, she said, noting the company really wants to hold close its brand. Here’s the news, from tricities.com:
A poll on Tupelo Honey’s Facebook page asks fans to vote for the Asheville-based restaurant’s next location and the top cities are all in the Tri-Cities.
Johnson City currently leads the vote tally, with Kingsport, Bristol, Va. and Bristol, Tenn. trailing.
The original Tupelo Honey Cafe, located in the heart of downtown Asheville, NC was born in 2000. In 2010, they opened a second restaurant in the south end of Asheville and in 2012, they plan to open a third restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee in the historic Oliver Hotel on Market Square.
While they aren’t guaranteeing the winning city will get a new restaurant, they do say management staff will visit.
