Stu Helm: Food Fan
Stu Helm: Food Fan
Episode 109: MRE's & Restaurant Closures
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Episode 109: MRE's & Restaurant Closures

Food As Medicine, Meals Ready To Eat, Restaurant Closures, Cake & Ice Cream

TODAY’S PODCAST was originally broadcast by WPVM 103.7fm on Friday, April 14, 2023, and features an interview with dietician, army vet, and menace to society, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets, as well as some updates on workers rights, housing, and more from our good friend Jen Hampton, formerly of Asheville Food & Beverage United, and now with Just Economics of WNC.

Before the interviews, I deliver a bit of a rant about the recent closing of the Holeman & Finch in downtown Asheville, and I site some of the reason I thought they were never gonna make it from the start. Below, please find some pictures and three brief reviews of delicious cake, ice cream, and another taco!


CAKE & ICE CREAM: I popped into Old Europe Pastries yesterday, just to get a cappuccino, and they brought me a piece of their cannoli cake! Wow! It was very delicious, with cannoli cream in between layers of delicate cake, and there was a really nice dried orange slice sort of propped-up in the whipped cream on top that was the coup d’grace!

May be an image of cake

This is a brand new item, just added to the menu this week, and very much worth checking out! I’m gonna say that if you’d like cannolis, and you like cake, you’re gonna love Old Europe’s cannoli cake. 🙂🔥🍰


DILBAR: Y’all, I had the most interesting ice cream experience I’ve had in a long time the other day. I got a cute little terra-cotta pot of Vadilal Ice Creams’ rose & pistachio ice cream from Dilbar Restaurant, and didn’t know what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect actual flower petals inside! Wow. What a complete surprise! And… the ice cream was excellent. Very rich and creamy, with a nice rose-water flavor, and big ol’ pieces of pistachio in every bite.

Dilbar’s co-owner Al proudly told me that it’s “the best ice cream in the world,” and I can see why he feels that way! It’s gonna be a regular thing for me from now on. Super high recommends. Bonus: I’m gonna put a plant in the little pot and give it to PennyCup Coffee at the YMI, who recently told me I could bring them some plants! 🙂


TACO MENU MOW DOWN: In my continuing effort to eat all the tacos at White Duck Taco Shop I recently had the lamb gyro taco and the black bean taco. Both were great! I was skeptical about the gyro one, just because I’m not always a fan of gyro at places where it’s not on a big spit, but I am very happy to report that I really liked and would 100% order it again! The black bean one is so basic, that it was either going to be classic, or boring! It was the former. Super basic yes, but super enjoyable! Add some of their salsa, and it gets less and less basic from there. Again, my expectations were low for this one, but I would 100% order it again!

I just have one more taco left on their menu to eat, and I will have tried them all! The “Zorba” taco is the final holdout. Like some of the others, I’m just not excited by the idea of the Zorba, there’s a reason why it’s last, but let’s hope that it’s alike ALL of the others I had so far, in that it’s killer and I love it! I’ll let you know. Thanks, Nikki, and the whole crew at WDT downtown, for being awesome people who make awesome tacos. ❤️🌮🔥


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