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"Asheville prides itself on being on the wacky side, and a little bit of wacky goes a long way when it comes to interesting cuisine. To get a taste of the variety to be found in this little mountain town, consider the fact that the 2012 James Beard Award Rising Star Chef of the Year semi-finalist Katie Button’s Cúrate offers her take on modern Spanish tapas on one street, while chocolatiers Dan and Jael Rattigan’s French Broad Chocolate Lounge serve sips of ganache-based drinking chocolates, also known as liquid truffles, just around the block. To try more down-home delights, consider a drive to the Looking Glass Creamery, just 10 miles from downtown Asheville, and sample locally made goats milk, brie-style, or aged cheeses with wine and bubbly pairings. For an even more elevated experience, venture an hour into the mountains to Spruce Pine and reserve a spot at Knife & Fork. This January and February, chef Nathan Allen will transform his restaurant into seven different concepts over seven weeks, pulling inspiration from around the world. The culinary journey begins with stops to Mexico (January 9-11), Italy (January 16-18) and India (January 23-25)."
I had dinner last week at Curate & I can't say enough good things about it!! Very unique & delish dining experience. Still haven't been to the Chocolate Lounge. Has anyone here dipped their toes/fingers in their chocolate??
(Four other cities also won the Secret Foodie distinction--Columbus Oh (Go Buckeyes!), Little Rock AR, Boulder CO, & Minneapolis, MN.)
Does Asheville ever have any food or gourmet tasting tours come through? Or is there even such a thing? If not, someone should get busy and start organizing one...
I didn't know about these, so thanks for your brilliant thinking. Too bad its already been done, or that's what you could have done when you get here!!
I guess it isn't really a secret, roadpony, eh? That Forbes travel writer needs to get out more. ;-) But there are still some people in the US who don't know Asheville even exists. So I'm glad for the exposure however misguided!!
I didn't know about these, so thanks for your brilliant thinking. Too bad its already been done, or that's what you could have done when you get here!!
I guess it isn't really a secret, roadpony, eh? That Forbes travel writer needs to get out more. ;-) But there are still some people in the US who don't know Asheville even exists. So I'm glad for the exposure however misguided!!
Well, it's great someone's on it. Now for another shot of "brilliance": Nashville is called "Music City USA". Asheville needs to lay claim to "Foodie City USA". Get those cooking shows into the area on a regular basis, link up with a high end culinary school, bring in a kitchen implement manufacturing enterprise, whatever it takes. Get those Shark Tank guys & gals in town for a special Asheville food related entrepreneur episode.
Does Asheville have an Office of Economic Development? Well, whoever heads it up needs to get the burners going under his/her buns, because this could be a tremendous shot to the local economy, if handled correctly. Focus on food, food, food, from all different angles, and presto, you've got food related businesses (not just restaurants and shops) and jobs.
But, sigh, over the years I've spoken to some of these Econ Dev folks. More often than not, they don't have much vision, just a cushy government job where they can go to conventions and glad-hand people. Most of the time they have no clue what they're really supposed to be doing and rarely do they think outside the box. But maybe Asheville has someone with vision who can take this ball and run with it.
"K: We don't want a lot more development here! Avl. is overdeveloped as it is. Sorry, but this is not FL."
Who said anything about development? If you're familiar with my posts at all, you would know I'm not into development and it's one of the things I DON'T like about FL. That's why I like this food thing. It has the possibility of boosting the economy without major development, which would seem to be a good solution to the question of how to make the area more prosperous for its residents WITHOUT turning it into a vast strip mall.
OK, so maybe the Foodie City USA was a bit over the top.
"Asheville prides itself on being on the wacky side, and a little bit of wacky goes a long way when it comes to interesting cuisine. To get a taste of the variety to be found in this little mountain town, consider the fact that the 2012 James Beard Award Rising Star Chef of the Year semi-finalist Katie Button’s Cúrate offers her take on modern Spanish tapas on one street,
Curate is great, but I think Limones (about a block away) may be even better.
"K: We don't want a lot more development here! Avl. is overdeveloped as it is. Sorry, but this is not FL."
Who said anything about development? If you're familiar with my posts at all, you would know I'm not into development and it's one of the things I DON'T like about FL. That's why I like this food thing. It has the possibility of boosting the economy without major development, which would seem to be a good solution to the question of how to make the area more prosperous for its residents WITHOUT turning it into a vast strip mall.
OK, so maybe the Foodie City USA was a bit over the top.
Dang, I just realized what the misunderstanding was here. I was talking about ECONOMIC development, not commercial and residential real estate development. I know a lot of people equate the two, but it is possible to have economic development without more building. In fact good economic development utilizes existing resources. You misunderstood me, but I can see why you did. As it turns out, I sometimes make the same mistake myself. Sheesh, sorry.
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That's why I like this food thing. It has the possibility of boosting the economy without major development, which would seem to be a good solution to the question of how to make the area more prosperous for its residents WITHOUT turning it into a vast strip mall. 
