TODAY’S PODCAST was originally broadcast by WPVM 103.7fm on Friday, May 12, 2023, and features an interview with Catherine Wright, who books 2 food trucks a month for her neighborhood! Catherine gives a very clear and concise step-by-step on how she does and how you cold possibly do it too! A good place to start is the Asheville & WNC Food Trucks Facebook page.
I also caught up with Jen Hampton from Asheville Food and Beverage United & Just Economics WNC about workers & tenants rights, workshops, events, and her favorite new place to grab lunch, which is an old Asheville favorite!
Before the interviews, I did an FAQ, in which I addressed a rumor that started on WAX last week that the restaurants pay me to eat their food, and I also answer the most frequently asked snarky question I get these days: Are there any restaurants I don’t like? At the end of the show, I reviewed a new menu tasting and an excellent brunch, both of which are featured in the newsletter below.
MOTHER OCEAN MARKET: I went to a tasting at Mother Ocean Market Asheville last week and tried a bunch of food from their new menu, including these two fresh, crispy, colorful and complex salads! I ain’t exactly known for eating a lot of salads, and likewise, the Mother Ocean Chef, Chris Cox aka BurgerBoi, didn’t get famous for making salads either, but these two salads were frickin’ great!
One salad had smoked trout, the other had lobster salad, they both had house made pickles, super fresh local greens, and nice crunchy bits like crispy bacon and / or Goldfish! There were also hush puppies and boiled eggs involved. So, if you’re looking for a slightly lighter lunch, that’s still fun, exciting, delicious and filling, hit up Mother Ocean Market on Merrimon Ave in North Asheville. You can get fresh fish to cook at home, plus all kinds of sauces, spices, desserts and such, as well as deep fried delights from their kitchen, and now these nice fresh salads!
My three fave dishes at the Mother Ocean Market Asheville tasting that I attended last week were a fried calamari sandwich with house made pickles, a tuna poke bowl with tangy mayo, and a fried hot fish poboy (not pictured).
CORRECTION: I accidentally said “chicken” instead of “fish” when describing the hot fish po boy from Mother Ocean Market in the podcast.
All three were extremely tasty, filling, and satisfying, and packed a real punch from Chef Chris Cox’s sauces and pickled stuff. I brought 1/2 of the fish poboy home, and reheated it the next day, and it retained every bit of its flavor and enjoy-ability!
So, again, if you’re craving a delicious seafood lunch, and/or you need to pick-up some fresh seafood to cook at home, I highly recommend Mother Ocean Market on Merrimon Ave in North Asheville, and check their website for their most current offerings. ! 🦑🐟🥖🍲
CHESTNUT: My mom, sister, bro-in-law and I went to Chestnut for brunch, and it was awesome. We shared the “Enormous Cinnamon Bun,” which has brown sugar cinnamon filling and some really great cream cheese frosting. It’s sweet but not too sweet, and truly huge. It easily satisfied four people. My sister and BIL both got the shakshuka, which a spicy Harissa tomato sauce, local kale, poached eggs, goat feta from Three Graces Dairy, crispy Chickpeas, cilantro, & garlic naan. They both crushed it. I asked how it was, and they both enthused. My mom got the breakfast sandwich, on a brioche bun, with Hickory Nut Gap sausage, smoked gouda, eggs, sriracha garlic aioli, and brunch potatoes. She seemed to enjoy it very much!
I ordered the Grilled Filet Steak Benedict and it was awesome! The steak was very tender & delicious. It came on an English muffin, with house boursin, baby arugula, poached eggs, a really unique smoked tomato Hollandaise sauce, and brunch potatoes. Everything was excellent, the service was great, the plates and plating were beautiful, the atmosphere was lively but mellow, and the whole experience was very enjoyable. I even reheated half of mine for breakfast the next day, and it remained just as tender & delicious as it was when it came straight out of the kitchen.
If you haven’t been to Chestnut for brunch, give it a try! It ain’t cheap, but it is great food, from good people, served in a lovely venue. I can’t go as often as I’d like, but it’s totally worth it when I do!
TUBBY: Please sign my petition! I love mascots. So when I found out that Duke’s Mayonnaise has a mascot that is a giant tub of mayo named Tubby, who’s own creators, Avant Garb, call “Unhinged,” I decided to write to Duke’s and ask if Tubby might be persuaded to come visit Asheville. They replied…
“Tubby probably won't be making the trip to Asheville anytime soon but hopefully some point in the future! He sends his love!”
Well, they didn’t say yes, but they didn’t say no, and the more I thought about it, for the sake pure fun and civic pride, I’m convinced that we need Tubby to come visit Asheville and give us his dang blessing! So, I created a petition to show Duke’s that we're not a town that gives up on fun stuff!
I mean, c’mon, it's been a very tough couple of year for us all, right? We deserve some frickin’ fun, and I can't think of anything more fun than a giant, deranged tub of Duke's Mayonnaise receiving the key to Asheville from a local chef right on the steps of City Hall. Can you? Won’t you please sign, and help bring Tubby to Asheville!
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Episode 112: How To Book Food Trucks for Your Neighborhood, Organize For Your Rights, & Eat Brunch in Style