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This is the 4th installment of my annual Food Fan Awards for the year 2021! Scroll down to see & read about the nominees in the categories of People and Places!

The Food Fan Awards aka “The Stoobies” are entirely the opinion on one person, me, Stu Helm. You may or may not agree with my choices, as your experiences and personal tastes may differ from mine. The people, places, and things featured in this, and the other installments of these nominations and awards were the most notable of the previous year to me.


LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Buxton Hall Barbecue Mussels

I love mussels, and the mussels from our good friends at Buxton Hall Barbecue have been the most consistently delicious, creative, and unique mussels I’ve had in all the years I’ve been living in Asheville. I’ve been ordering Buxton’s mussels since they first opened their doors, have eaten them over and over again throughout the years, and enjoyed them as recently as last month! Although the preparation does change slightly from version to version, they are always the same level of pure deliciousness! While other favorite preparations at other venues have come and gone, winning and then breaking my heart, the Buxton mussels have remained, sometimes as a recurring special, sometimes as a standard menu item, they’ve always been there for me, offering all the things I look for in a lifetime achievement award winner. They are exciting & different, while remaining familiar and comforting, they are a classic, signature dish, of the highest order. Thank you, Buxton Hall! You have made me super happy on many occasions over the years. You’re still my favorite restaurant, and your mussels are incredible! They deserve and are getting their very own Stoobie Award!

Above: Buxton mussels throughout the years.


FOOD TRUCK OF THE YEAR

I don’t get to eat off of as many food trucks as I would like to, but I did pretty good in 2021! I ate from several of them, some of them more than once, and one of the several times. Here are my nominees for 2021 Food truck of the Year…

Feta Flav

Y’all may or may not remember Chef Alex Bax from his very brief stint at the very fucking awesome greek restaurant that existed inside the S&W Cafeteria Building downtown for half a second. I wrote a massive review of a tasting I did there back in the day, and it was one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. Well, after that venture closed its doors, Chef Alex left town for bit, but now he’s back and he’s absolutely crushing it with his very cleverly named Feta Flav food tuck. Selling gyros, greek salads, humus, and other traditional Greek foods. I feel like I have tried everything on his menu, because he sent me home with enough food to feed an army, and between my mom and I, we crushed it all! Super delicious, made with skill, knowledge, family know-how, and culinary expertise. When I last checked in with Chef Bax, he was cooked solid, hoping to open a second truck, and working with his wife, Chef Ashleigh, to get her dessert truck started! Chef Bax is one hell of a cook, and he’s my first contender for Food Truck of the Year 2021!

Deli Llammma

Seems like some trucks have been around this town forever, but for some reason it took me a long time to try them. Deli Llamma is one fo those trucks. They park next to Catawba Brewery’s South Slope tasting room, which is right in my hood, but for unknown reasons, I was always like, “naw.” Until the day I wasn’t, and I tried it. Boom! It shot straight to the top of the charts with me. I have already nominated their wings for a 2021 Stoobie Award, and here they are a second time, up for an award for Food Truck of the Year. The food is great, for sure, with a small, but ever changing menu, that is creative, eclectic, tasty, fun, and well rounded! The people who run this truck are a big part of what makes it so awesome, as well, and if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you’ll see that Chef Chastity “Chazzy” Edwards is up for a third award as well. She and her crew are just nailing it, and totally deserve all the attention and accolades I can send their way.

Los Tacotes

If I could, I’d be eating off of this truck every day. If it was parked in my front yard, or my neighborhood, or within a 20 minute walk of my house, I’d be all over it! As it is, however, they park way down on Tunnel Road, in the Root Bar parking lot, which is a little tough to get to, so I’ve only been once. I got tacos, they were awesome, and are up for a Taco of the Year award, and I just kinda wanna give them even more props and attention, so I’m going to go ahead and nominate them for Food Truck of the Year as well. The tacos are great, and I highly recommend that you take a little trip to try them!

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ

Oh my god, Y’all, I’m, like, addicted to Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ food truck. For one thing, they park permanently on the South Slope, which is near where I live, so I can walk there, and either grab a bag of goodies to bring back home, or plunk myself down at their ample indoor and outdoor seating and start shoving food in my face. The wings are already up for an award, as is the meatloaf sandwich, AND the “bear balls” pictured above, for Deep Fried Thing of the Year! So, yeah, you could say that I like this place. The people who run the truck are super nice too, and their entry to the 2021 Punk Rock Hot Dogs competition was fucking epic. Love me some Bear’s and am happy to nominate them for this award!

Spotted Banana

I took a little road trip with my friend Chef Mark Allen Schmidt to the outlet mall one day, not to buy discounted perfume, but to try the Spotted Banana food cart, and it was a truly delicious and enjoyable experience! They specialize in smoothies, and the ones we tried were phenomenal, but they also make wraps and sandwiches and we tried some of those as well. Everything was really fresh and yummy, creative and traditional at the same time. Mark & I loved every bite, sip and spoonful, and the folks running the cart were super nice! I loved our lunch there, I recommend a trip to the outlet mall yourself to visit them, and they are my final nominee for Food Truck of the Year!


FOOD MAKER OF THE YEAR

The category of food-maker is intended to give props to those folks in and around Asheville who make food, but are not necessarily associated with any one restaurant or venue.

Adam Anson – Matzo Man

Back in March of 2021, I was scrolling though my Facebook feed when I saw a question being posed: “Who makes the best matzo ball soup in Asheville?” About a dozen people answered “Adam Anson.” So I contacted him, and boy howdy. I’m telling you what, his matzo ball soup is to die for! It’s savory, deep, satisfying, and just about as comforting as any food could ever be. The matzos are large, light, fluffy and yummy. The soup is salty, chickeny, brothy, & flavorful, every thing you look for in matzo soup! It’s the best I’ve ever had , and I only wish I’d known about him sooner!

DJ’s Pickles

My friend Sam Kosik form Mother Ocean Market and I took a trip out to the Enka-Candler Tailgate Market, where we visited a bunch of vendors, including the DJ’s Pickles’ booth. I sampled every pickle they had, right then and there: Cukes, okra, beets, string beans, and even pickled apple! So good! I also got some pickle butter, something I’ve never had before, and it’s great on everything from biscuits, to chicken, to hamburgers. I currently have 6 jars of DJ’s pickles in my fridge, including some pickled Brussels sprouts chow chow that I am putting on almost literally everything. Even though I have so many DJ’s pickles right now, I’m having anxiety about running out! LOL! These are truly some of the best pickles I’ve every had, and I am so glad they are now a part of my life.

Earthy

These are adult gummies. You know: The kind that get you high? Here in NC, for some stupid reason, marijuana is still illegal (Hello? 1937 called, they want their racist, classist, anti-American laws back.) Until that glorious day that weed is legal, we’ve got other options. As you probably already know, hemp is 100% legal in NC, and if you’ve been paying attention, you may have noticed that hippy scientists have learned how to extract all kinds of fun stuff from legal hemp, including, but not limited to CBD, CBG, CBN, Delta 8, 9 & 10 THC, THC-O, and more than I can keep track of. Some of these things will get you a little bit high. Some will melt you into the effing couch for seven hours. No joke, yo. I smoke regular ol’ weed, and these Delta THC gummies do the trick, I can vouch for that. Lot’s of folks around WNC are starting to infuse food with these legal cannabinoids, and I’m excited about that! As far as high quality, locally manufactured gummies, made with regionally grown hemp, there’s none I recommend more than Earthy! It’s a indie product, they taste great, they come in a variety of flavors and potencies, and I feel as though Earthy is on the verge of doing great things in this town! In the meantime, I happy to nominate them for my Food Maker of the Year award for 2021!

Good Gravy Bakes

Do you like biscuits? Well, of course you do. If you meet a person who says they don’t like biscuits, you check that person for a pulse. Now, I’m from up North, and while I have ate biscuits before, y’all Southerners really have it down to an art form. Just when I think I’ve had the most bangin’ biscuit of all time, another one comes along to outdo that one, and then another one outdoes that one! It’s fucking biscuitpazoola down here, and I love it! Well, the best biscuits I had all year were from an independent baker with no brick and mortar (yet) called Good Gravy Bakes. They sent some (plus a muffin) to my house, and oh my gawd. Big, buttery, flaky, moist, crispy, so effing good. If I had a biscuit category, they would win, but I don’t so they are a contender for my Food Maker of the Year award for 2021!


NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

The pace at which new restaurants have opened up in this town has not slowed down one bit. It’s hard to keep up, and I apologize that I didn’t make it to every place that opened in 2021, I’ll do my best to get them in 2022. In the meantime, her are my nominees for Best New Restaurant of 2021…

El Gallo

I have already mentioned that El Gallo has a very special taco called the “Quesabiria,” that I have nominated for my Taco of the Year award, and based on that taco, as well as their others tacos, and the food in general, as well as the clean, open atmosphere, the nice decor, the location (right in the middle of downtown where I most often find myself) and the fact that the chef, Hector Revilla, is a very nice person, and their table-tops are interesting — yes I said that — I’m happy to nominate them for my new restaurant of the Year award! I will admit that I need to eat way more of their food than I have already, but I love what I have ate so far!

Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse

Um, yeah, I have already nominated this restaurant for Stoobie Awards in four other categories — Best Ribs, Best Hunks of Meat, Best Deep Fried Thing, and Meal of the Year, so it makes perfect sense that they would be on my short list for New Restaurant of the Year. At Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse the food is creative, delicious, beautifully prepared, and elegantly presented. I have found the service in the front of the house to be exemplary, and the folks in the back of the house have been equally gracious and hospitable. I bring food tours into Ukiah once a week, and they are universally loved by the patrons on my tours, so I know that they are a crowd pleaser, and I tell people all the time, that it’s “friend-pod friendly,” as in, everyone from vegans, to raw fish people, to fried-chicken fans can find something on the menu that they will love. Yeah, this nomination was a total no-brainer.

Holeman & Finch

Getting in right under the wire, Holeman & Finch opened up at the very end of 2021, after H&F Burger closed in 2020. While closed, they underwent a massive facelift, name change, & menu overhaul. I was fortunate enough to go in for a massive tasting during which I was able to try about 1/4 of the menu, while sitting at the bar, enjoying the very cozy atmosphere of the public house-style remodel. The parade of food they trotted out in front of me was fantastic. I had everything from whole rabbit and beef tarter to chicken livers and house made saltine crackers! And much more in between. I was stuffed and very happy by the end of the epic experience, which was definitely high-end, while being homey and comfortable. Plus I met the chefs and chatted with some of the other patrons, and in general, I had a wonderful time at this wonderful new restaurant.


RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

Oh my gawd, this is so hard to do. But I can do it. I did it. I have picked four restaurants out of all the hundreds of restaurants in WNC, dozens of which I ate at in 2021, to be my restaurant of the year nominees for 2021… 

Smoky Park Supper Club

I have loved going to Smoky Park Supper Club, the food that Chef Michelle Bailey and her kitchen are putting out there has always been some of my favorite. The mussels & the burger are go-to menu items for me and Dawn, but we generally order several dishes every time we go, and enjoy them all. What makes Smoky Park a great candidate for my 2021 Asheville Food Fan award for Restaurant of the Year is the fact that they decided to go full-on supper club style, by making their restaurant a private club, for locals only. That’s a bold, brave move that takes a lot of spine and self-confidence, and I support it 1,000%. (and that’s a LOT of percent!) “Won’t they lose business by turning tourists away?” Who cares? They’re booked solid most of the time, and once you’re at capacity, you’re at capacity, and it don’t matter if your dining room is full of locals or tourists. Full-up is full-up. Nothing but respect for Smoky Park Supper Club. They’re trail blazin’!

Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken

I was a little worried about Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken (formerly Nani’s Rotisserie Chicken) when they first opened their doors in 2020, strictly because is was fucking 2020, which seemed like the absolute worst year to open a restaurant! However, they did so well that year, I even nominated them for Best New Restaurant award! In 2021, they really found themselves, made some slight menu changes, honed in their craft, and even opened a second location in Atlanta! I ate at Nani’s more often than most other restaurants in Asheville during 2021, because I just love it very much! The food is tasty and comforting, the portions are generous and filling, the people are friendly and professional, and the restaurant itself, although tiny, is very bright, fun, and inviting. I’ve already nominated these folks for Lunch fo the Year and Chicken Salad of the Year for 2021, and now they are up for one of my highest accolades, Restaurant of the Year 2021!

La Bodega by Cúrate

Most eaters in Asheville know about Cúrate, the very successful, highly regarded, multiple award winning Spanish tapas restaurant on Biltmore Ave downtown owned by Chef Katie Button and family. A lot of eaters also knew about the Button’s other restaurant, The Nightbell, which was one of the best restaurants ever! I gave it a Restaurant of the Year award in 2017, as well as other accolades, but unfortunately, it closed up in 2018. It was replaced by Button & Company Bagels, which had great bagels in my opinion, but in 2020, the bagel shop also closed, and La Bodega by Cúrate opened! La Bodega was a contender for my Burger of the Year award in 2020, but in 2021 I really got to know and understand what’s happening there, which is basically, really great food! Much of the food available at La Bodega is take-home versions of the food at Cúrate. There’s a refrigerator case and a freezer, chock-full of all the things we love from Cúrate: Lamb skewers, chorizo, blood sausage, croquetas, gazpacho, and of course that wonderful imported jamón! And they have their own unique menu items as well, such as the burger and other sandwiches, as well as fantastic pastries, including the best churros, I’ve ever had. They also carry wine, bread, olive oil, tinned goods, and other items that you might need to have the Cúrate experience at home. There’s a small amount of seating in the front, and in the back, plus a counter outside to stand at, European-style! I love this little restaurant, I want y’all to find it and try it, and love it too!

Cultura

You may have guessed already, I fucking love this restaurant. Cultura opened in 2019. They were a contender for Best New Restaurant that year, and they won Stoobie Awards in the categories of Pickled Thing of the Year & Best Use of Fungus. The chef, Eric Morris was my Chef of the Year winner in 2020, and if you scroll down, you’ll see he’s up for Chef of the Year for an unprecedented 2nd year in a row, along with Best Mocktails and Best Fancy Dinner of 2021! I pretty much love everything about this restaurant. The decor in the dining room is the perfect example of high-end rustic chic. It’s comfy, cozy, charming, romantic, unique, and interesting. The decor in the hallway leading to the bathrooms, on the other hand, is an INSANE example of psychedelic freak-out art, and thee most stunning mural in any restaurant in Asheville, bar none. The staff is 100% professional, and the service is on point from start to finish. The mission they have and hold dear to their hearts is thoughtful, mindful, community oriented & forward thinking. And the food is bangin’. The level of creativity they bring to each dish, and the devotion they have to their craft, is admirable to say the least. Working with local farmers, raising money for NGOs, hosting and highlighting lesser-known but equally awesome chefs, supporting the staff, and treating the guests like royalty are all on the menu at Cultura, and they are a no-brainer nominee for my 2021 Restaurant of the Year award!


CHEF OF THE YEAR

This is always one fo the hardest categories for me to choose nominees in, mostly because I know and love so many chefs! They all deserve recognition for what they’re doing, whether it’s basic lunch or fancy dinner, baked goods or bento boxes, tacos from a truck, or the fruits of the sea. That being said, here are my three nominees for Chef of the Year 2021…

Chef Naomi Mikami

One of the best things to happen to me in 2021 was meeting Chef Noami Mikami from Waku Waku Eatery. She reached out to me and asked if she could bring me some samples of her food, and I did not say no! Her cooking is amazing, traditional Japanese food from the Kansai area, where she and her family are originally from. She makes a specific kind of sushi called “oshizushi,” as well as chicken & ham katsu, delicious sides & desserts, and she has introduced me to a lot of new foods and flavors that I had never heard of! Not only that, but she’s doing this all without a brick & mortar, or even a food truck! She takes orders over the phone, works out of a commissary kitchen, and delivers her beautifully packaged and presented meals to a couple of different pick-up places during the week. AND she plays a beautiful Japanese instrument called a koto, which she assembled and played for me once! She’s a super nice person, she’s driven and talented, and I’m happy to announce her as my first contender for Chef of the Year 2021.

Chef Eric Morris

This nomination is unprecedented, in that Chef Eric Morris has already won my Chef of the Year award, just last year! I’ve never done that before, but I’m so impressed with what this chef does, every day, year after year, that I just couldn’t NOT nominate him for a 2nd year in a row. In 2020, he left Cultura, and fed people for free through his church and other NGO’s, as well as starting his own sandwich pop-up, called Little Red Fox. In 2021, Cultura asked him to come back, and the conversation went a little something like this: (paraphrasing)

Corporate Daddy – “Please come back.”

Chef Morris – “Naw, I’m good, thanks.”

Corporate Daddy – “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze!?!”

Chef Morris – “Okay, okay, but only on my own terms.”

Corporate Daddy – “What are your terms?”

Chef Morris – “Everything I ever wanted, for myself, my staff, and my community.”

Corporate Daddy – “DONE!”

Chef Morris is a special person. He’s super nice, soft spoken, kind, and accommodating, but he’s no doormat, and ya gotta respect the way he handled that shit. Plus, of course, he can cook like an MFer and I love his food!

OH! Duh. He also won the Punk Rock Hot Dogs competition 2021 with an octopus leg on a black hot dog roll. Not even kidding.

Chef Chazzy Edwards

If you scroll through all of my posts from 2021, you’ll see Deli Llammma food truck mentioned over and over again. I got their wings often, as well as their other excellent food, and I enjoyed the shit out of everything! One of the things that I loved the most about frequenting Deli Llamma was getting to know the chef, Chastity “Chazzy” Edwards. If you know Chef Chazzy, you know what I’m saying when I say that she is an awesome and unique person! She’s got so much dang personality, and energy, and enthusiasm, plus she’s got style, a sense of humor, and holy wow, she sure can cook! Not only that, but she took a horrible spill off the back of her truck last year, that resulted in some truly stomach-churning injuries, and yet, I don’t think a whole week had passed when she was back in the truck, slinging food like a dang hero. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Chef Edwards, her skills, her spirit, and her dedication. She rules.


Thanks for reading this far! There are no more categories, just the winners to come! I will announce those on my podcast first, and then here on Ashvegas. If you haven’t already, please sign-up for my FREE newsletter to receive the podcast and announcement of the winners in your email box!


RECAP OF CATEGORIES & NOMINEES

BREAKFAST OF THE YEAR
Abeja’s House Cafe
Sunny Point Cafe
Sawhorse
Doc Brown’s BBQ

LUNCH OF THE YEAR
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken née Nani’s Rotisserie Chicken
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
Waku Waku Japanese Eatery

FANCY DINNER OF THE YEAR
OaxaCalifornia Dinner
Swine’d Sustainably
Food Stories / Chow Chow

SWEETS OF THE YEAR
Buggy Pop Popsicles
Old Europe Cakes
Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates
Bhumi Chocolate

MOCKTAILS OF THE YEAR
Sovereign Remedies
Cultura
Session Cafe

MEAL OF THE YEAR
Odditorium
Griff’s Kitchen & Bar
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Zambra

FOOD EVENT OF THE YEAR
Grindfest AVL / Black Wall Street AVL
Goombay

FOOD COMPETITION OF THE YEAR
Cue for a Cause BBQ Throwdown
Bring Your Heat, Asheville
Dinner Impossible Food Truck Throw Down
Punk Rock Hot Dogs
Duke’s vs Blue Plate

BEST RIBS OF 2021
Doc Brown’s BBQ
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
12 Bones
Avenue M

BEST MEATLOAF OF 2021
Rye Knot
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro
East Village Grill

BEST SHEPHERD’S PIE OF 2021
Pierachy
Iconic Kitchen & Drinks
Asheville Yacht Club
The Bier Garden

BEST PHILLY / CHEESE STEAK OF 2021
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
The Odditorium
Asheville Sandwich Company
Buxton Hall Barbecue

BURGER OF THE YEAR
The Odditorium
Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville
The Malvern

BEST HUNKS OF MEAT OF 2021
Iconic Kitchen & Drinks
Caitlyn Farms Sustainable Beef
Twisted Laurel Downtown Asheville
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse

BEST WINGS OF 2021
Buxton Hall Barbecue
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
Deli Llammma Food Truck
Benne on Eagle
Strictly Wings
Haywood Common
Neng Jr’s Pop-Up

CHICKEN SALAD OF THE YEAR
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken
Well Bred bakery
Buxton Chicken Palace

DEEP FRIED THING OF THE YEAR
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
The Odditorium
Huli Sue’s Hawaiian BBQ
The Madness Sushi & Burgers
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ

TACO OF THE YEAR
Los Tacotes Food Truck
Asheville Yacht Club
El Gallo Asheville

SANDWICH OF THE YEAR
Ziggy’s Bakery & Deli
12 Bones BBQ
Mother Ocean Market
Wild Ginger
Brenda Cabrera

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Buxton Hall BBQ – Mussels

FOOD TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Feta Flav
Deli Llammma
Los Tacotes
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
Spotted Banana

FOOD MAKER OF THE YEAR
Adam Anson – Matzo Man
DJ’s Pickles
Earthy
Good Gravy Bakes

NEW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
El Gallo
Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse
Holeman & Finch

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Smoky Park Supper Club
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken
La Bodega by Cúrate
Cultura

CHEF OF THE YEAR
Chef Naomi Mikami
Chef Eric Morris
Chef Chazzy Edwards 


— STAY TUNED TO LEARN THE WINNERS! —


Stu Helm is a writer, blogger, and social media personality living and working in Asheville,NC.

Please follow him on Facebook and Instagram,

If you would like to “tip” Stu for his efforts, please Venmo him at Stu-Helm
or PayPal at [email protected]


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